Really cute DIY Christmas gifts

I have a lot of hard-to-shop-for people on my list, and I always want to give my friends and family something they will genuinely like. I thought these DIY Christmas gifts and ornaments were really cute, easy to make, and best of all one-of-a-kind.

 It's the wrapping that make these soaps so precious!

To make:

A goat's-milk formula and a beguiling bird mold—along with thoughtful packaging—result in bars that seem like they cost a fortune. First, melt the soap according to package instructions ($3.30 for 1-pound M&P base; brambleberry.com). Pour the mixture into the silicone mold ($18.85; vendio.com/stores/chaseho). Let it set for four hours, then pop out your bar. To wrap these soaps, we used unbleached coffee filters, rectangular cardboard boxes ($4.50 for 25; 2¾"W x 3¾"L x 1¼"H;sunshinecontainer.com), and paper color-copied from a vintage bird guide.

Tip: Enclose each oval soap in a coffee filter before boxing—the ruffles gather neatly around curves.


See on Country Living >>

Absolutely ADORABLE gloves:

To make:

Bring a bit of earnest irony to a pair of gloves with this hilariously tender riff on tough knuckle tattoos. Borrow our intentionally sweet phrases above, or come up with your own eight-letter expressions. We chose wool-blend gloves ($24; carolinaamato.com), but any knit version will work.

Step 1: Slide one glove onto your hand. Using a pastel chalk pencil ($5.59 for four; joann.com), mark each knuckle with a horizontal line at the bottom of each finger (the first joint) and another just below the second joint. Remove the glove, then repeat for the other hand. If needed, enlist a friend to mark your dominant hand.

Step 2: Lay the gloves, marked sides up, on a flat surface. Working within the horizontal lines, and using the chalk pencil, spell out the phrase you plan to stitch across both gloves. Try the gloves on to check that your letters are positioned to satisfaction.

Step 3: Using six-strand embroidery thread that contrasts with the color of your gloves, sew directly over the chalk letters with a basic stem stitch, making sure to sew through the top layer only. (Get a quick stem-stitch tutorial here.) Remove any stray chalk with a damp cotton swab—and spread the word!


See on Country Living >>

It's all about gold and metallics these days, so some gilt found-objects would be chic and sentimental!

To make:

This time of year, pinecones and acorns are free for the taking. And in less than an hour, you can cast your findings in 18-karat gold — spray paint, that is.

 Step 1: Gather or purchase acorns and hemlock pinecones (acorns, $8.75 for bag of 40; amazon.com; pinecones, $4.99 for three quarts; save-on-crafts.com)

Step 2: Use hot glue to affix a jump ring ($2.99 per 120 pack; joann.com) to the top of each acorn or pinecone, near the back.

Step 3:  After the glue dries, carefully spray the objects with one coat of Krylon's 18-karat gold paint ($3.99 for eight-ounce can; dickblick.com)

Step 4: Let paint dry for 20 minutes, then spray the charm with clear finish (Krylon Make It Last Clear Sealer, $3.63; misterart.com) allow 10 minutes to dry.

Step 5: String the charms onto gold chains.

See on Country Living >>

These lace ornaments have a vintage, Victorian charm:

See the original article in Covet Garden

Do you ever make your own Christmas gifts or ornaments?  Do you have any handmade Christmas traditions?

Gorgeous Christmas Decor Inspiration

Is it just me, or was there no real "lead up" to Thanksgiving and Christmas.  I feel like Thanksgiving just popped up out of nowhere, and now I can't believe Christmas is so close.  I guess time just goes by faster, but I'm feeling so behind with my Christmas shopping and decorating!

I tend to go for more subtle holiday decor, dramatic singular springs, etc.

What do you think about the lit branches used in this space?

Just one gorgeous and dramatic wreath makes a lot of impact.

LOVE these driftwood ornaments dipped in metallic silver paint!

Are you prepared for Christmas this year, or will it be a mad scramble til the end?

1. West Elm, 2. Crate and Barrel, 3.,4.,5. Rue Magazine, 6.,7. Sweet Paul

A fantastic $100 gift code giveaway to use at Novica!

If you're an armchair traveller, artisan lover, have an eclectic style, you are going to love this giveaway!! One lucky winner will be awarded a $100 gift code to use at Novica!!! To enter the contest, peruse the amazing, artistan made goods at Novica, then leave a comment on the post naming what item(s) you would get.

About Novica

We want to give artists and artisans around the world a global platform to express their true artistic talents and to spur their creativity. And, we want to provide you with access to unique, hard-to-find items at great values that only the Internet infrastructure can allow. At the deepest essence of our philosophy, we want to create a bridge between you and the many talented artisans across the globe. We want you to know about who you're buying from. We want you to feel that attachment to the product and to the hands that created it.

I recently received two beautiful Novica items, one from Peru, and one from Mexico. From Mexico I got the Blown glass planters crafted by Javier Gutiérrez and Efrén Canteras. Since it's too cold to put anything out on my balcony right now, I used the large planter as a vase, and the second as a planter for a house plant. I think they are really beautiful.

The other item I got is a pure strip of heaven, a gorgeous scarf of baby alpaca from Raquel Iriarte of the Peruvian Andes.

 It even comes adorably wrapped!

There are so many goodies at Novica!  It also always feels good buying from an artisan whose story is told along with the product.

Here are some of my Novica favorites.  The site is brimming with a large selection of silver chandelier earrings, lush wraps and ruanas from peru, and some really special and unique home decor items.

Balinese silversmith Kenari fashioned these gorgeous silver earrings. See them here.

This looks so soft and warm and comfortable, I would probably end up living in this wrap by Peruvian artist Alfredo Falcon.  See it here.

Kahlil Ahmed's wool rug from India. Click here to see.

I could find so many ways to use a $100 gift code at Novica!  For your chance to win, pick out a favorite item from Novica, and leave a comment on this post (instructions below) sharing that item.  Entry closes Friday the 14th at 12:00 AM EST.  The code expires 1/13/2013, and is a one time use only code.

Good luck!


* To comment on this post (scroll to the bottom of this post and right above "Labels" you will see a number followed by the word "comments." Click on the word "Comments." Or, you will see a link, "Post a Comment," which you click on to comment.

Or, you can email me at ashley [at] decorologyblog [dot] com to enter and with your favorite.

Announcing the winner of a Claire Heffer pen and ink illustration!

Congratulations Chelsea!! - You were selected by Random.org (Random.org selects a number at random) as the winner of a Claire Heffer drawing! Thanks to all for entering! I'm announcing another amazing giveaway later today, so stay tuned!

Check out Chelsea's amazing blog, Gardenia + Glam !

Divine Dining Rooms: My guest post on SummerHouse's blog: Always Summer

I got the great honor of guest posting over at Always Summer, SummerHouse's blog.  You can see it some of it below, but go to Always Summer to see the whole post.

I'd say that the dining room is probably the room I talk about the least. I major part of that is probably because I've never had a proper dining room, and because even after spending hours in the kitchen preparing a beautiful meal, you're likely to find me enjoying it curled up on the couch.

However, I'm coming to realize that now that we are looking for a home, I might actually have a real grown up dining room, and once I have kids we will not be dining on the sofa. Also, the up coming holidays are probably when dining rooms see the most action, so I've gathered up some dining rooms to inspire me and other dining room neglecters like myself to give it a little more attention. Your sofa will thank you!!

I wish I was genius enough to put together spaces like this... those benches with that wallpaper? Sublime.  I also think that's the closest to sofa-like one can get proper dining room seating! Oh, and did I mention those windows!?!

Okay.  Can we talk about that amazing gold chandelier?!?!  There is very little I wouldn't do for that chandelier....very. little.

See more...


1. via BHG, 2. via FLOR Blog, 3.  House of Fifty

A guest post from Summerhouse featuring a modern and chic bedroom

Welcome to Summerhouse! I'm so excited to feature this guest post from the talented folks over at Summerhouse.  They create chic, modern, and timeless spaces that I'm sure you'll love! Enjoy their post below:

Hello, Decorology readers! We are so honored to have been given the opportunity to do a guest post for this beautiful blog today! We think Ashley does a pretty phenomenal job of curating a library of lovely images and we're honored to be a part! (Be sure to check out her guest post on our blog when you have a chance!)

Today, we wanted to share a really fun project that our lead designer, Lisa Palmer, just completed. This room is for a beautiful little girl in our hometown of Ridgeland, Mississippi named Avery who was in need of a "big girl room!"

Avery’s mom, Kristen, told Lisa that she wanted a room Avery could grow into, so Lisa created just that! Lisa says, “I had a blank slate, really. I knew she wanted ‘big girl,’ fun, and Avery is such a girly girl but yet a modern little girl. The rest of their house has a classic modern aesthetic so I knew I wanted to go full on modern in this space.”

"Every girl loves pink so that directed our color palette. And the client fell in love with the gray and ivory graphic carpet from Stark that I showed her so that gave us our base," says Lisa.

The main thing that makes this space so outstanding is the detail. Lisa pays very close attention to detail, and loves adding interest in unexpected places. ”I love doing something special on headboard walls so we took the gray and ivory from the carpet and striped the back wall for interest,” she says. “And at the foot of the beds, we used a shaggy wool Flokati rug and made it into benches with sleek acrylic legs.”

Avery and her parents love this new room and plan to keep it as is for years and years to come. See what a worthwhile investment great design is?!

For more projects by Lisa and other SummerHouse designers, and to see our beautiful showroom in Ridgeland, Mississippi, be sure to check out our website! And don't forget to take a peek at Ashley's guest post for our blog, which you can get to here!

Calling all vintage and natural design lovers - you'll love Enjoy Co.'s interiors

If you love that cabinet of curiosities, industrial, or vintage design and decorating sense, then you'll love  Monique Keegan of Enjoy Co.'s interiors.

Any collector/crafter/artist, etc. would appreciate a cabinet like this!

You may remember some of these photos from Country Living's coverage of Keegan's own home.

What do you think of the shiny table and chairs paired with the mostly dark woods of the rest of the space?

If you're lucky enough to live near or in Granville, OH, you can visit the Enjoy Co. store, as seen in the above 3 pictures.

Some Enjoy Co. treasures were used in the German Village Walking Tour.  I had never heard of German Village, but it looks pretty cool...has anyone visited before?


Go to Enjoy Co. to see/read more.