home decor

Christmas November 10, 2018

Holiday Home Tour

Happy Holidays, y’all! We are so excited to share our holiday home tour this year! Having our own house for the first time has given the holidays a whole new meaning for us. Its given us the opportunity to open our home to so many friends, family, neighbors and colleagues over the past few weeks that my heart could just burst! So many shared meals, memories and laughs has constantly reminded us why we are so thankful.

Of course, with all the holiday celebrations and dinner parties, a decorated and festive home was very important to me. If you’ve seen our previous home posts or design inspo, you know we went for a sophisticated glam look with vintage and traditional touches and a color palette consisting of gray, seafoam, white, gold and dark brown accents.

I wanted our holiday decor to coordinate well with the style of our home, so we brought these same colors into our Christmas tree, mantle and garlands. I found the perfect velvet d.Stevens ribbon (I highly recommend working with high quality ribbon like d.Stevens in your holiday decor) at Holiday Warehouse (my absolute FAVORITE holiday decor store in Plano, Texas) that brought in our signature seafoam color with platinum and gold accents that just screamed me. So, of course, I designed our entire holiday look around this ribbon and I could not be more thrilled with how it turned out! We invite you in and hope you enjoy this tour of our home this season!

Merry Christmas!

P.S. Be sure to check out previous years Christmas styles if you’re looking for a more metallic look, winter wonderland, or traditional wintery rustic look (my personal favorite)!

Holiday Decor: Holiday Warehouse

Photography: Luisa’s Secret Photography

Styling: The Everyday Hostess

Christmas December 1, 2017

How to Decorate a Festive Wintry Rustic Christmas Tree

Styling our Christmas tree is one of my favorite ways to enjoy the season. I love turning on the Christmas music, baking up some holiday treats, and decorating our tree in new and festive themes. Over the past few years, we have enjoyed a luxe glamour metallic theme followed by our red and white winter wonderland, and this year, we are creating a wintry-rustic Christmas tree!

With Thanksgiving so early this year, we can enjoy the Christmas spirit and our beautifully decorated and festive homes even longer! So let’s not waste any time and get to decorating! First step – the Christmas tree!

No matter what your style is, we’ve tackled some of your tree trimming questions and created a step-by-step tutorial to decorate the perfect Christmas tree.

Step One: Select Your Tree

The Christmas tree will be the centerpiece of your holiday décor, so selecting the right tree is key! I grew up cutting down our own trees in Colorado; however, over the years I have grown to prefer artificial trees because they are easy to decorate and style by bending branches to secure ornaments and ribbon.

If you decide to go down the artificial route, you’ve got a whole host of options. Classic evergreen, frosted tree, or flocked trees. Flocked trees really gained in popularity last year and are still one of the most popular options this year. They are perfect if you are going for a winter wonderland vibe and want to enjoy the heavy artificial snow in which the tree is adorned.

If you decide to buy a real tree and want your family to experience cutting down the tree on their own, check out Flower Mound Christmas Trees. Holiday Warehouse in Plano is a great bet if you’re looking for a beautiful variety of artificial trees and a warehouse full of festive displays that will give you plenty of decorating inspiration!

To bring out my winter rustic chic theme, I chose a flocked tree this year. The white snow complements the red and green plaid color scheme perfectly to give my tree a wintery and festive look.

Whichever way you decide to go, make sure that you measure your ceiling height and the space where you will be placing your tree, so you know the proper measurements for your tree.

Step Two: Decide on a Theme

Decide on a theme and color palette that embodies your style or represents you and your family. Select a variety of basic ornaments to create a sense of unity, then incorporate more ornate pieces or sentimental favorites to show off your personality. Lay out and organize all of your ornaments in advance so you can plan accordingly. You’ll want to make sure that you have a variety of sizes. This is the best way to add intrigue and volume to your tree.

To help portray my wintry-rustic look for my tree, I selected a red and green plaid ribbon and based the rest of my décor, ornaments, and picks off of the style of the ribbon. This helped create a consistent look where all details complemented each other.

Step Three: Hang Christmas Tree Lights

If you bought an artificial tree, chances are the lights are already strung; however, if your tree does not include them, this is the first step you will want to take in decorating your tree!

When planning, allow about 100 lights for every vertical foot of tree. Christmas tree lights come in a variety of different colors and lengths. Lights usually come on white or green strands. Be sure to choose the color that matches your tree, so the strands are not visible through the branches.

In order to hang the Christmas tree lights, start at the bottom bough and move upwards. String the lights starting at the trunk and moving towards the tip of the branch and then back. Continue until you reach the top of the tree. Make sure that the lights are plugged in while you are wrapping the tree, so you can easily see if you missed any sections.

Step Four: Add the Ribbon or Garland

This is the step where you can really bring in some personality and style.

Choose a ribbon or garland that correlates with the theme of your tree. Ribbons add a beautiful pop of color and texture that gives some added appeal to your tree. They can be quite pricey, but I highly recommend a good quality ribbon that you can use throughout the years – think of it as an investment! This is the most important aspect to convey your theme and add some depth to your tree.

If you really want to spoof up your tree, consider layering two ribbons. I selected a 4-inch wide red and green plaid ribbon and layered the top of it with a 1-inch green ribbon. I love that the solid layer helped bring out the deeper greens in some of my ornaments.

To assemble, start at the top of the tree and softly wrap your ribbon slowly around the tree, increasing the width as you move down. If you want to mix up the classic ribbon look, consider draping the ribbon in a vertical manner by starting at the top of the tree and creating bustles of about 1.5 feet in length moving towards the base of the tree. (This is my personal favorite way to decorate!)

Step Five: Add the Christmas Tree Picks and Stems

Christmas tree picks and stems are a great way to add a little volume to your tree and add some extra depth. You can buy these florals already made or have your local holiday store make you one that matches the theme of you tree. Holiday Warehouse here in Dallas is one of my favorite local holiday shops and they have a beautiful floral department that will design and customize a pick for your tree. They also have aisles and aisles of options where you can create your own.

I wanted to create a pick that married my wintery-rustic theme with the playful natural red tones, so I used a red berry pick with snow covered pine cones. I also added some frosted birch branches to give the tree a very natural look!

You always want to decorate with odd numbers, so make sure that you have an odd number of picks for your tree. For my 7.5 foot tree, I used 7 picks. If your tree is a bit smaller, you may want to use just 5, but if it’s bigger, you may want 9-11 or even 13 picks.

Step Six: Hang the Christmas Tree Ornaments

Now this is the fun part of the decorating process! Start by hanging the larger balls evenly throughout the tree, ensuring that you hang some closer to the trunk to create depth and dimension. Use a wire to secure them to the tree and place heavier balls towards the top of the tree and closer to the trunk so they are not knocked off by pets or passersby. Once you have hung the larger balls and ornaments, fill in around them with medium to small sized ornaments.

Finally, add your accent pieces! Your decorative ornaments is where your tree can really shine and you can show off your personality. For my winter-rustic look, I continued to pull in more natural elements such as pinecones, berry balls and birch balls.

Make sure you step back and evaluate your work while you are decorating to ensure you aren’t missing any sections and that your favorite pieces are properly showcased!

Step Seven: Add the Tree Topper

Finally, add your tree topper. There are such a beautiful variety of tree toppers including angels, stars, and bows. Include whatever matches your theme best. This year, I strayed away from my favorite bows, and went with a more natural look, showcasing the berry picks and snow-frosted pinecones. I just love the whimsical nature of it!

Step Eight: Decorate Around the Tree

Just because the tree is complete, your work isn’t over! The setting around the tree is almost as important as the tree itself.

Place your presents at the base of the tree on top of your tree skirt with the larger gifts in the back and the smaller ones in the front. I recommend wrapping your presents in 3 to 4 different wrapping papers that match the color scheme of your tree. I also incorporated the same ribbon from my tree into the presents to maintain consistency.

Finally I added some cozy pillows (who doesn’t want to curl up next to the glistening tree at night?), as well as an adorable blanket ladder from my friend at Middle Made Designs. I draped it in neutral blankets and placed two large birch branches that match the ones I put in the tree to pull it all together!

The perfect, wintry-rustic tree!

Now sit back, dim the lights, and enjoy the beautiful glow of your Christmas tree with your loved ones! Merry Christmas to all!

Holiday Gift Guide: For Her November 26, 2017

Holiday Gift Guide – For the Homeowner

Have someone on your Christmas list this year that is looking to update their home? Or perhaps a new homeowner? Then we’ve got you covered with our holiday gift guide for the homeowner (or future!).

This gift guide is near and dear to my heart, as my husband and I are in the process of buying our first house (woo-hoo!). After the long days of open houses and house tours, we love to envision how we will fill and decorate it, so you can bet our Christmas list is full of furniture and home goodies! We’ve gathered some of our favorite gifts that we know every current or future homeowner will love this year!

Happy Shopping!

Shop for the Homeowner:

Design July 7, 2017

Summer Party Trends: Cactus Decor

Move over, flamingos and pineapples! There is a new player in town! Cactus and succulents are the new rage this summer and they are all over the party scene. And thanks to my friend Shelby with BerryPom and James, DFW’s newest online party goods and gift shop, your next cactus-centric celebration is at your fingertips too!I’m loving the cactus theme because it’s fun and summery, plus it brings in a natural feel to your party that is refreshing, light and airy. It’s also a great way to put a spin on a traditional fiesta so you can mix up the party style but still get to indulge in some tasty chips and guac!

BerryPom and James has a passion for party planning and has filled her shop with gifts and decor for all the cutest party trends, but her cactus decor is on point! From the plates and cups, to the balloons, to the candles, I can’t get over her adorable ode to the prickly plant!

To further help your party go off without a hitch, we’ve put together the perfect inspiration board to help guide you as you plan your next fiesta gathering!

You can also play with the color scheme a bit too! I personally love the bold greens and blues with pops of gold as shown in our inspo board, but you could also highlight the lighter greens and use more of a pastel palette and bring in light pinks (especially for a girl’s party)!

Home Decor September 6, 2016

Interior Design: Home Tour

We are so excited for Week 4 of our Interior Design Series! For the past few weeks, we’ve been talking about our favorite kitchen hacks, how to customize your home and maximize small spaces, and now we are so excited to share how we brought this all together with our home tour!

Living in downtown Dallas in a small 700sf apartment, I wanted to create a luxurious and serene oasis in our apartment. I focused on a neutral color palette with beiges and whites and then added hints of aqua in the living room to give it a calming feel and hints of navy and gold in the bedroom to give it a little pop.

So without further ado, welcome to our home!

The Everyday Hostess Interior Design 4

I just love this little nook in our entry way! It’s the perfect spot to drop off mail, keys, and little notes. Plus! It houses my absolute favorite painting from Jenn Thatcher Art! Jenn is a Dallas based abstract artist is who is SO incredibly talented! I seriously can’t stop swooning when I see her art! She worked with me to understand the style and color palette of my home and created this masterpiece to tie it all together! Definitely be sure to check out her site and see how her work can transform your home!

The Everyday Hostess Interior Design 5

The Everyday Hostess Interior Design 6

Now moving into the living room!

Entertaining July 24, 2016

How to Decorate Small Spaces

For many of us in our mid 20’s, small space living is a fact of life. Apartments never seem to have enough storage or maybe certain rooms in your house are just a bit smaller than you prefer.

Learning how to decorate these small spaces and still keep them entertaining ready can be a challenge – one that I face regularly! My fiancé and I recently moved into the most beautiful little apartment in Dallas with gorgeous floor to ceiling views of downtown. Although we absolutely love it, I must stress the LITTLE part of it. Condensing two people’s furniture and lives into one 700 SF apartment has proven to be tricky, so we have been extremely focused on how to maximize every inch.

I know we are not alone in this, so I have compiled our 12 key tricks to decorating and maximizing your space while keeping it entertaining ready.

12 Tips and Tricks:

Increase Kitchen Storage – It’s not uncommon, for apartments or older homes to have minimal pantry space or none at all. Get creative, and turn your hall closet into a pantry. Add some simple storage racks from Home Depot or the Container Store to serve as additional shelves for your pantry items.

The Everyday Hostess design and home decor - kitchen pantry

2. Lighting – Keep it light! To make your space appear larger, use pale colors such as whites, beige, blues and greys. Neutral colors help create a nice flow to the house that isn’t overwhelming to the eye. You can then add a few pops of color here or there to add some personality. We went for a beige and white color palette and added hints of aqua in the living room to give it a serene and calming environment. We also added little pops of color in our decor, specifically in our design books. We used the same white and beige palette in the master bedroom, but instead of aqua we used navy and gold as our accent colors to give the room a little extra pop!

Christmas December 10, 2015

2015 Holiday Home Tour

the-everyday-hostess-holiday-2367

Happy holidays and welcome to my home! I am so excited to share with you my holiday home decor this year! Laura from The Avery Grace has graciously invited me to share my home as part of her annual Holiday Home Tour. I am one of 18 bloggers and small business owners who are all opening their doors and sharing their decor and traditions this Christmas.

Christmas December 1, 2015

How to Decorate the Perfect Christmas Tree

It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Time to trim the tree, decorate the home, and bake some of your family’s favorite holiday goodies! If you’re like me, I am sure you want to make the most of the holiday season and enjoy every minute possible with your family and friends. So let’s get everything decorated now, so we can enjoy the rest of the season!

I’ve tackled some of your tree trimming questions and created a step-by-step tutorial to decorate the perfect Christmas tree! Follow these simple steps and your Christmas tree will be the talk of the town and ready for Christmas morning!

Step One: Select the Right Christmas Tree

Deciding whether to buy a real or artificial tree is completely a personal choice. I grew up cutting down our own trees in the Colorado mountains, so I tend to prefer real trees, but I know that decorating with artificial trees is much easier because you can bend the branches to secure your ornaments. Plus, many people are allergic to real trees, so artificial may be your best bet!

If you decide to buy a real tree and want your family to experience cutting down the tree on their own, check out Flower Mound Christmas Trees. Holiday Warehouse in Plano is a great bet if you’re looking for a beautiful variety of artificial trees and a warehouse full of festive displays that will give you plenty of decorating inspiration!

Whichever way you decide to go, make sure that you measure your ceiling height and the space where you will be placing your tree, so you know the proper measurements for your tree.

Step Two: Decide on a Theme

Decide on a theme and color palette that embodies your style or represents you and your family. Select a variety of basic ornaments to create a sense of unity, then incorporate more ornate pieces or sentimental favorites to show off your personality. Lay out and organize all of your ornaments in advance so you can plan accordingly.

I chose a “rustic-glam” theme this year, incorporating a metallic color scheme with some of my favorite rustic pine cones and deer statues all provided by my friends at Holiday Warehouse in Plano.

Step Three: Hang Christmas Tree Lights

Lights are the first decoration that you will add to your tree. Allow about 100 lights for every vertical foot of tree. Christmas tree lights come in a variety of different colors and lengths. Lights usually come on white or green strands. Be sure to choose the color that matches your tree, so the strands are not visible through the branches. I chose green strands this year since my tree is a classic evergreen.

In order to hang the Christmas tree lights, start at the bottom bough and move upwards. String the lights starting at the trunk and moving towards the tip of the branch and then back. Continue until you reach the top of the tree. Make sure that the lights are plugged in while you are wrapping the tree, so you can easily see if you missed any sections.

Step Four: Add the Ribbon or Garland

Choose a ribbon or garland that correlates with the theme of your tree. Garlands add a beautiful pop of color and texture that gives some added appeal to your tree. Starting at the top of the tree, softly wrap your ribbon slowly around the tree, increasing the width as you move down. If you want to mix up the classic ribbon look, consider draping the ribbon in a vertical manner by starting at the top of the tree and creating bustles of about 1.5 feet in length moving towards the base of the tree. To create a little more texture, I chose two different ribbons – a champagne lace and a gold jeweled ribbon to coordinate with my metallic Christmas balls.

Step Five: Add the Christmas Tree Picks and Stems

Christmas tree picks and stems are a great way to add a little volume to your tree and make it look more full. You can buy these florals already made or have your local holiday store make you one that matches the theme of you tree. Holiday Warehouse here in Dallas is one of my favorite local holiday shops and they have a beautiful floral department that will design and customize a pick for your tree.

Step Six: Hang the Christmas Tree Ornaments

Now this is the fun part of the decorating! You always want to decorate with odd numbers, so make sure that you have an odd number of each type of ornament. For example, the various ornaments on my tree are in sets of 5s and 7s. Smaller trees could use 3 or 5! Start by placing your favorite ornaments in prime places throughout the tree so that they are easily visible. Use a copper wire to secure them to the tree and place heavier ornaments towards the top of the tree and closer to the trunk so they are not knocked off by pets or passersby.

To create a sense of consistency and unity, select between 5 and 9 different balls and use an odd number of each type on your tree. Then hang the large ornaments and balls evenly throughout the tree, ensuring that you hang some closer to the trunk to create depth and dimension. Once you have hung the larger balls and ornaments, fill in around them with medium to small sized ornaments.

Finally, add your accent pieces and icicles. Hang icicles near the end of the branch as they appear in nature to emphasize the height of the tree. Using different pieces like these below help to create add volume to your tree.

Make sure you step back and evaluate your work while you are decorating to ensure you aren’t missing any sections and that your favorite pieces are properly showcased!

Step Seven: Add the Tree Topper

Finally, add your tree topper. There are such a beautiful variety of tree toppers including angels, stars, and bows. Include whatever matches your theme best. This year I went with three large bows and a floral pick as my tree topper to give it some added height.

Now sit back, dim the lights, and enjoy the beautiful glow of your Christmas tree with your loved ones! Merry Christmas to all!

Photos by Stephanie Drenka

Christmas November 10, 2019

Real vs. Faux Christmas Trees

If y’all have been following us for a while you know how much I love decorating Christmas trees! Especially for so many of you, our sweet Clients! This is my favorite time of year and the amount of time I spend designing trees in my head and dreaming of new ideas is unreal! We love working with each of you to design the perfect holiday scape that brings your Christmas visions to life and coordinates your home decor with your holiday style. We get so many questions about colors, styles, whats on trend vs. what’s not, but the number one question we get is whether to use real or faux trees.

I know the real vs. faux tree is a much debated topic and I totally understand the appeal of a real tree:

The Christmas Aromas – The smells of a freshly cut tree just screams Christmas and fills the entire home. For so many of us it brings back so many childhood holiday memories.
Tradition – There is a lot of nostalgia and pride that goes with selecting your own tree from a tree farm or a nearby forest. Plus you get to create new memories with your family while picking out your new tree each year.
Environment – This one could go both ways, but many believe real trees are better for the environment.

I always grew up with real trees. Many years we would pick out our main tree from a local tree farm and then cut down our own miniature trees for our room from the mountains; however, as we’ve gotten deeper into the design industry and started our own Christmas decorating business, I completely understand why so many people love faux trees. In fact, they have now become my preferred type of tree. And here’s why!

Easier to Decorate – In general the branches and needles are stronger and easier to manipulate. You can bend the branches in different ways to create a fuller look and hold your ornaments and decor in place. This is the main reason I prefer faux trees. Plus, if you get a higher quality tree, they really do look real!
More Consistent in Size – You always know exactly how tall your tree is and whether it will fit in your space. Plus they are generally more proportional.
More Cost Effective – If you plan to use your faux tree year after year and store it in a cool and dry place, you will generally save money over the life of your tree.
Ease of Maintenance – You don’t have to worry about watering it everyday to make sure it lasts the entire season. You can set it up and take it down any time you want without worrying about it dying and potentially even catching fire.

Real vs. faux trees is such a personal decision and no matter what, either will look absolutely beautiful in your home this holiday season. But for all the faux tree fans like me, I’ve rounded up all my favorites for you this holiday season (just click on the specific tree below to be linked to the site). These all have top ratings and I have either seen or decorated most of these in person! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions about any of them specifically! Happy decorating!

Cinco de Mayo April 21, 2019

Let’s Fiesta!

Holy guacamole! how cute is this Cinco de Mayo brunch party?!

It wouldn’t be a proper fiesta without a vibrant color scheme. And this show-stopping balloon garland from our friends at Lushra paired with all our decor from Mesa Chic accomplishes that in a big way.

Ay dios mio! That balloon garland is everything. Lushra’s balloons are just gorg and make for the perfect statement decor that your amigos will find muy impresivo! Lushra is Dallas based but they have an incredible DIY kit, which is what I used, that makes even the novice DIY’er a balloon expert!

With the help of the folks at Mesa Chic, we found the perfect accents to complete the vivid look. How amazing is the serape table runner and the banner?! The whole color scheme was built off of the runner and I think it helped pull the look together perfectly.

Sprinkle in some theme-appropriate napkins like these or these, a pinata or two, adorable sombreros, and the cutest custom cookies from Just Call Me Cookie, and our buffet was decked out in Cinco de Mayo style!

Pro-tip: score some cacti (yes, I buy these on Amazon) for your Cinco de Mayo bash – they’re not only on-brand for the holiday but also SUPER trendy right now as everyday home decor!

Taco ‘bout a party!

Shop for the Homeowner:

SHOP THE PARTY!