Tag: christmas tree

How to: give your old decorations a new look with spray paint

Post author By Kathryn Bamford
Post date December 4, 2015
No Comments on How to: give your old decorations a new look with spray paint

I love a good quality store bought ornament as much as the next person, however when you want to update the whole look of your tree and have over 400 stems on it, things can get really expensive really quick! So this year, with some help from Rust-Oleum, I decided to mix up the decorations with some spray paint which changed the whole look of my tree.

Given that almost everything in my house in monochrome, I decided black and white was a pretty obvious choice and well, being a gold girl, I had to have some of that in there too.

I had a whole box of traditional gold and glass ornaments in the garage so I didn’t need to actually go out and buy any. However, if you do need to buy any, I can tell you that the cheapies from the junk shop actually came out nicer than the expensive ones I sprayed!

Here is just how simple and easy it is..

Step 1: Pick up supplies

2x cans of Rust Oleum (2X Ultra Cover spray paint in Gloss Black and Gloss White)
Drop sheets
String
Gloves

Step 2: Set up spray zone

Hang your ornaments outdoors on a suspended line to be able to spray paint them from different angles. I set up a makeshift rack in the backyard with string between branches and a drop sheet behind, which made the clean up super easy. If you set up a string system it also serves as a drying rack 😉

Step 3: Spray away

Make sure you wear gloves as you will need to hold some of the decorations to spray them properly. Spray the decorations from at least 20cm away and use light layers and several coats to eliminate drip marks on your ornaments. It’s honestly really simple and you are done within minutes. I left the decorations out in the sun for a few hours and then they were ready to be hung!

Step 4: Decorating time!

It’s always fun watching other people put up their trees; it’s like everyone has a different process they go by. I always fluff the branches then put the lights on. I group the decorations into different lots (really nice ones that I love and then fillers) I always hang the ones I love evenly all over the tree and then add the fillers inbetween.

All in all, I may have a new obsession with spray paint. So expect some more DIY stories to come!

–Kathryn Bamford is our girl on the ground in Melbourne; you can follow her DIY & design adventures on Instagram @thedesignrookie.

Tags 2x ultra cover, christmas, christmas decorations, christmas tree, gold, monchrome, paint, rustoleum, spary paint

Homewares

Tis the season… 9 of the best Christmas tree decorations

Post author By Olivia Shead
Post date November 26, 2015
1 Comment on Tis the season… 9 of the best Christmas tree decorations

With Christmas less than a month away(!), your Christmas tree is well on its way to going up. But rather than decorating it with your regular one-coloured baubles, add some personality with 10 of the best decorations around.

Trim your tree with West Elm’s playful Baby Penguin Bottle Brush Ornament ($14) handcrafted from natural fibres and complete with its own warm earmuffs!

All the warmth and glow of traditional Christmas festivity is brought to life in the Luxe Matte Gold Leaf Spray. Pure indulgence and elegance, place in the tree or alternatively use throughout the home, as part of a centrepiece or as gift wrap. Designed by Vue and available at Myer it retails for $14.99.

This set of eight Christmas Wishes Hanging Decorations from Hard To Find contain wishes tucked up inside for all to see. Each glass vial has a touch of festive glamour with a rose gold trim around the base. Available for $40 they are designed by Bread & Jam.

Bring traditional charm to your Christmas tree with this beautiful hanging glass bauble ornament, which features an intricate glitter design of stars and intersecting circles. Available from David Jones the Christmas Shop Starry Sky Bauble retails for $14.95.Decorate your Christmas tree with Villeroy & Boch’s set of four porcelain Nostalgic Snowmen Ornaments. Complete with red ribbons ready for hanging, they retails for $49.95.

Adopt a slightly bohemian approach to your festive celebration with the Feather Wreath Mini ($19.95) from Freedom. The cool white feathers get a flash of bling thanks to the sporadic gold-dipped detailing that puts the luxe in boho luxe.

Each Urchin Tree Decoration contains two sliced shells and three urchins. All species have been sourced from sustainable or renewable resources and are not threatened or protected. Available from Simply Shells for $8.95.

Designed, lasercut and handmade in Australia from recycled plywood, the Wooden Reindeer ($12) is available from Scoops Design.

Crafted of blown glass and painted by hand, Pottery Barn’s Seahorse Ornament ($9) sparkles with beautiful details from head to tail.

We hope you liked this list. Let us know what you’d add!

Tags Bread & Jam, christmas, christmas decorations, Christmas Shop, christmas tree, christmas tree decorations, david jones, decorations, freedom, hard to find, myer, pottery barn, scoops design, simply shells, tree, tree decorations, villeroy & boch, Vue, west elm

Interiors Addict

Addicted to the memory of Christmas: one reader’s story

Post author By Guest Poster
Post date December 22, 2014
No Comments on Addicted to the memory of Christmas: one reader’s story

By Kate Korber

It may sound completely clichéd, but Christmas is truly my favourite time of year. Each Christmas is like a new chapter in a story, a place where new memories are written and a time when we can reflect on the wonderful times we’ve had in the past. Decorating my home at Christmas is all about celebrating these wonderful times. From my childhood, to getting married, teaching children over the years and then having my own. You could say that I am addicted to celebrating the memory of Christmas.

Whether you are a fan of decorating your home or not, Christmas truly comes to life if you embellish your home with ornaments and knick knacks that have meaning. It’s not about spending a great deal of money, or having the latest ‘on trend’ style. For me, a home comes to life at Christmas when you bring out the things that remind you of happy times gone by and the people you love. Filling my home with these wonderful keepsakes makes me feel eternally grateful for the blessings in my life, for the people around me, and for those who are no longer with us.

The focal point of my home at Christmas is (surprise, surprise), the tree. We always get a real tree as there is nothing like the smell of pine to warm your heart. Each year, I bring out my collection of baubles, stars and ornaments that remind me of great adventures, cherished moments and people who have been in my life. Whether it be handmade stars from Bryant Park in New York, purchased on our honeymoon, glass birds from my late Granny’s tree or ornaments given to me by students I have taught, they all mean something and bring so much joy. A sentimental favourite would have to be a silver baby carriage, given to me by a parent to celebrate the impending birth of my daughter Ella two years ago. Some people might think it’s tacky, but the handmade ornaments made by my daughter sit proudly on the shelf, and I hope they do for many years to come.

This year will by my son Hudson’s first Christmas. To celebrate, a personalised stocking has been made to hang on our new mantle, along with the rest of our family (including our dog, Lloyd). When I was young, I made stockings for my entire family that still hang on my parents’ mantle today. Each time I look at these stockings, I remember what it was like to find them filled with presents as a child on Christmas morning. I can’t wait for my own children to do the same.

Recently, my Nanna gave me her vintage nativity set, one that she has had since the 1960s. It will be the first year that it sits underneath my tree, but it will forever remind me of the many years it stood under hers. Advent calendars adorn the walls for my children to open each day in December, a flashback to my own childhood when we would argue over whose turn it was to open the paper door. A tin Santa sits on my side table, a present from my sister and a reminder of the time when I first moved out of home and decorated my own home for the first time.

Many find it overwhelming to choose a theme, colour and style for their home at Christmas. I prefer to keep it simple. Fresh flowers and lit candles bring the house alive. Each year, I bring out the old and sentimental decorations, but also add a few new friends to the collection. This year, Ella helped me choose a few new ornaments to hang on our tree. Each element, whether old or new, has meaning. For me, this is a simple way to bring love into my home and keep the Christmas memory alive, especially as our children get older and learn about this joyous time of year. There is nothing like a home filled with wonderful reminders of happy times past and Christmas for me is my chance to do just that.

–Kate Korber is a primary school teacher and mum of two who blogs at Happy Ella After.

Tags baubles, children, christmas, christmas memories, christmas tree, decorating, decorations, festive, mantle, memories, nostaligia, stockings

Dining Furniture Styling

The Tabletop Project day 7: Nadine Bush of Jamie Durie

Post author By Jen Bishop
Post date December 21, 2014
No Comments on The Tabletop Project day 7: Nadine Bush of Jamie Durie

Christmas is all about gathering together for a feast with your favourite people. Sydney furniture makers Mark Tuckey asked seven of their favourite creatives to create a Christmas table (Some are glitzy, some are glam, some are just plain dotty) and we’re sharing one with you each day this week.

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Nadine Bush is Group Creative Director at Jamie Durie. She used the Cavaletti dining table. “As a child, I loved to play under my family’s enormous dining table, turning it into a cubby by draping muslin mosquito netting over it (I grew up in Sri Lanka). My imagination would turn that cubby into anything my heart desired.

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“This is what I wanted to capture with Mark Tuckey’s Cavaletti table. Just as much action takes place under a dining table as above it, in reality, and more so during the magical time of Christmas! No matter what your style this Christmas, it will always look good on or under a Mark Tuckey table.”

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Mosquito net, blue parrot, paper garland and Tara and Luca’s outfits, all from mamapapa, Avalon. Hanging Christmas tree from Mr. Moss. Other props Nadine’s own.

Photography by Cameron Bloom.

THE TABLETOP PROJECT Nadine Bush from www.shayneallen.com on Vimeo.

Tags christmas, christmas tree, cubby house, dining table, jamie durie, mamapapa, mark tuckey, mister moss, nadine bush, sri lanka, styling

Competitions Styling

Styling tips from Domayne for tomorrow’s 7 Vignettes

Post author By Jen Bishop
Post date November 30, 2014
No Comments on Styling tips from Domayne for tomorrow’s 7 Vignettes

Have I mentioned 7 Vignettes starts tomorrow, that it’s the last of the year or that it’s a Christmas special so extra exciting? Yes, well, sorry, but it is!

This month’s sponsor, Domayne, have put together some easy to follow tips which may inspire you! Whether you’re taking part or not, check out this video for stylist Danielle Kelly’s tips for styling your Christmas tree!

Day 1’s theme for 7 Vignettes does just happen to be TREE though!

Day 5’s theme is WRAP IT UP, so their wrapping tips may be useful there. But who doesn’t need gift wrapping pointers anyway? I always have the best intentions to try something special and then leave it last minute AGAIN and go so basic! Shame on me!