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We’re talking all things warm and cozy as we enter the winter months!
Step one, get your self a blanket. Once the weather starts getting colder all I want to do is curl up with a warm blanket and get cozy! We have a basket full of blankets in our family room and I put out several around the house. However, I’m crushing over the striped cashmere throws from Parachute Home!
Find yourself a cozy spot in your home. One of my favorite warm and cozy spots is this vintage arm chair in my living room! Yes, my living room. I’m a firm believer that your living room should be used everyday and can be warm and cozy.
The blanket is from my trip to the Highlands in Scotland and has warm hues that brings out the tones in the yellow striped vintage arm chair. The vintage chair belonged to my grandparents and has special meaning to me.
Get comfortable with your favorite hot drink, book or magazine and curl up! Who wouldn’t want to get warm and cozy in this chair while reading their favorite book and sipping coffee?
I’ve been dying to read Lookway, Lookway,a novel by Wilton Barnhardt, which is a wonderful satire on the South and Charlotte, with characters that could have grown up with my mother.
Put on some mood lighting and get cozy by the fire!
Christmas isn’t over yet and now is a good time as any to cozy up on the sofa with your favorite blanket, put on a fire, and take in the lights on the season. Oh and your favorite drink of choice!
Cheers to the holiday season and warm and cozy nights!
Being comfortable is a must in my book if you want to be cozy. Sometimes it’s OK to stay in your PJ’s and have “cuddle time” or “sleepy time” with the ones love!
Wishing you a warm and cozy holiday and winter season!
Credits
Styling, Design and Photography – Sarah Sofia Productions
Striped cashmere throws – Parachute Home
This holiday season we are teaming up with wedding and event pros to get you inspired and in the Christmas spirit!
Today we are excited to share this Christmas tablescape photo shoot with Classic Party Rentals.
Every event or party begins with a plan. Here is our Christmas tablescape mood board that inspired our look.
You can find all the details behind the inspiration for the Christmas tablescape in our previous post here.
There’s no place like home during the holidays and that’s why I choose my own home as the location. I absolutely love my dinning table and chairs from Accents and Beyond in High Point, NC, which always adds warmth and character no matter what season to any tablescape.
This year I decided to go back to traditional colors for my Christmas décor and the Christmas tablescape continues the tone that I have set through out our home. I wanted to bring the outdoors in and you certainly get that feel.
I love how the red cherry linen from Classic Party Rentals brings the entire tablescape to life! The chevron table runner gives the look dimension and pop of white along with the glass gold bead charger and the white and gold dinner plate from Classic Party Rentals.
Just because I wanted a traditional look doesn’t mean it has to be boring. Christmas and the holiday season is about being together as a family and all about the kids, at least in our family! Bring a little whimsical into your tablescape.
These fun and festive birds I found at Target add just the right whimsical element to the Christmas tablescape.
Another party planner tip is to use what you already own to complete the look. While I absolutely love Oh Joy’s Holiday Collection, I have tons of gold ornaments laying around that I put to good use!
These gold ornaments serve as place settings for my guests, which add a little sparkle and glam! To get the look simply cut out paper and use marker or colored chalk paint and write the name of each guest.
Make your look more formal by adding napkin holders, such as the berry ones in this tablescape that flow well with the red berry garland.
Every tablescape needs a centerpiece. I love using floral arrangements, but you can simply use pinecones in a bowl or a white candle in a glass candle holder with red berry garland around it.
Another decorating tip is to add height and layers, which draw your eye in and make the look more interesting.
Don’t forget to dress up your chairs! Sashes are just for weddings. Adding this Victorian Gold Satin shash from Classic Party Rentals not only ties the red and gold look together but adds a more formal and special occasion feel.
The holidays are the perfect time to bring out your special china and linens. Sometimes what you own doesn’t work with your design or you don’t have enough in your pattern. That’s when you should check into renting your china, linens, and glassware from places like Classic Party Rentals.
This look could also serve for a New Year’s Eve party!
For more Christmas and holiday inspiration check out our previous posts for décor, recipes, and crafts here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.
Credits
Design, Planning & Styling – Sarah Sofia Productions
Photography – Sarah Sofia Productions
Glass Gold Bead Charger – Classic Party Rentals
Gold and White Magnificence Dinner Plate – Classic Party Rentals
Cromwell Flatware – Classic Party Rentals
Operetta Glassware – Classic Party Rentals
Cherry Red table linen – Classic Party Rentals
Cherry red napkins- Classic Party Rentals
Victorian Gold sash – Classic Party Rentals
Berry Napkins Holders – Classic Party Rentals
Birds – Target
Red berry garland – Target
White beaded cake stand – Crate & Barrel
Red and white paper decorations – Hobby Lobby
White lanterns – Ikea
Ornament place settings – Sarah Sofia Productions
Gold candle holders – Michael’s
Dinning Table and Chairs – Accents and Beyond
Christmas Stockings – Pottery Barn Kids
Hope marque light – Target
Merry Christmas garland – Hobby Lobby
Burlap wreath – Sarah Sofia Productions
We are teaming up with wedding and event pros to inspire you this holiday season! If you’re just joining us make sure you check out the other posts in the series: Santa Claus is Coming to Town Party with Elf on the Shelf, holiday dessert bar and sweet desserts, Christmas Tradition and Décor, Christmas Tablescape Inspiration and Mama’s Cranberry & Apple Dish, a Christmas tradition in our family!
Today we are sharing the fun tradition of trimming the tree and our Christmas décor this year.
Last year I was all about burlap and the natural look. This year I went back to my favorite color red and used all our ornaments. I added a basket to make the look interesting and vintage.
This was our second year not traveling and continuing the our family tradition of decorating the Christmas tree during Thanksgiving weekend. Both my girls loved it even more than last year!
Since I’m highly allergic to trees, we stick with a faux Christmas tree. This one is 7 1/2 feet tall and has built in lights, which is a time saver.
I love how the color pops against the neutral walls. Even our dog Bailey feels the warmth and coziness that the tree brings to our family room!
This year we added box wood wreaths to our décor. I love how it pulls the room together! A florist can easily cost you $30-$40, but we found ours at Trader Joe’s for $9.99 each and added the red bows.
As my daughter Sofia says “let’s decorate more together”! So naturally, we moved on to the fireplace and hanging the stockings.
I had wanted to get to update our fireplace with unclaimed wood for a mantle piece, but it’s still on the to do list for our new home. Thus, we improvised again this year with nails to hang our stockings from Pottery Barn Kids.
You don’t have to spend a lot of money to decorate your home for Christmas. Use what you already own and add to your collection each year. My favorite two new pieces this year are the Hope marquee light from Target and Merry Christmas gold glitter banner from Hobby Lobby.
I love using vintage finds like the Santa Claus Advent Calendar from HomeGoods. Be creative with your décor and add vignettes to your build in shelves.
I’ve used some of my burlap décor from last year in this years. This burlap wreath was an easy DIY craft that I have used for all seasons by simply switching out the ribbon. Get the details on the DIY wreath here.
When decorating your home remember to pull your design through out your home. I love how the red pops from the Christmas tree, to the box wood wreaths, to my tablescape!
This last image is from our photo shoot with Classic Party Rentals. Come by next week to get the details on this Christmas and holiday tablescape!
Vendor Credits
Design & Styling – Sarah Sofia Productions
Photography – Sarah Sofia Productions
Vintage Santa Advent Calender – Home Goods
Christmas Stockings – Pottery Barn Kids
Hope marque light – Target
Merry Christmas garland – Hobby Lobby
Burlap wreath – Sarah Sofia Productions
Box wood wreath – Sarah Sofia Productions and Trader Joe’s
White lanterns – Ikea
Santa Claus, elf, snowman, & reindeer – Hobby Lobby
Last week at this time we were all a buzz on blog land, Instagram, and Twitter with the room reveals in One Room Challenge hosted by Linda from Calling It Home!
In honor of Follow Friday I’m sharing some of my favorites from this round on Instagram! Make sure you hop on over and follow these talented ladies (left to right): Aquahaus (Celine), Fabulous By Design (Jane Bernard), Design Post Interiors (Beth Barden) and Design Dump (Autumn Clemons)!
Linda gives a good round-up of all the ORC love and features this week. One of my favorites to follow is Centsational Girl who shared two of her ORC favorites (and mine) in her “Best of the Blogosphere” .
Home on The Runway featured one of my absolute favorites and standouts this ORC round from Design DareDevil! Just an amazing transformation and a must see!
You can find more ORC features on Calling It Home here.
This ORC round I completed my daughter Sofia’s Big Girl Room. You can catch the big reveal here!
If you’re just joining the ORC fun you can get caught up on Operation Big Girl Room here:
Week 1 || Week 2 || Week 3|| Week 4 || Week 5 || Week 6
This is what her room looks like today!
Here’s is what inspired her bedroom transformation: Cherry Blossoms. Princess Themed. Chandelier. Birds. Butterflies. Pink. Blue. Green.
For more details on the inspiration check out Week 1 and Week 2.
The Cherry Blossom painting by Oopsy Daisy was the very first thing I purchased for Sofia’s nursery. It’s a timeless piece of art that has transitioned well from nursery, to toddler room, to big girl room.
The chandelier was a must have to transform this room. The paper chandelier from Pottery Barn Kids (pictured in inspiration board) inspired me to find the shell chandelier from Lowe’s Home Improvement!
I attempted to install the chandelier myself but needed a second pair of hands and someone taller. My husband and I spent several hours trying to figure out the wiring. Thank goodness for YouTube videos that saved the day! However, I’m giving full disclosure here that we need to fix the wires again before using the light because they’re not tight enough when we fasted the chandelier canopy.
By far this dresser in Annie Sloane Chalk Paint is my favorite piece of furniture in her room! Another timeless piece that has transitioned well from nursery to big girl room! Secret number two: Add a few pieces to make the dresser more “big girl”. Remember sometimes less is more! Simply adding the DIY princess jewelry box and updating the photo in the picture frame was all I needed here.
The three drawer whicker dresser from Pier One Imports was probably my best upcycle that added function and design to Sofia’s closest.
The play chandelier from Hobby Lobby was a hit! It took me a few tries to figure out the best way to fasten it onto the play castle tent from Amazon.com but well worth the $12! Another secret is that the pillows are from our kitchen and my daughter Charlotte’s room. When you design a space don’t forget about accessories you already have in your home!
The biggest transformation was her closet. Going from disorganized and cluttered, to a organized play space fit for a princess.
Secret behind transforming this space is organization, utilizing existing pieces to add function and design, and adding small low budget accessories such as the designer hooks to hang her princess dresses and display jars and plates. I kept the tower shelving unit to display all her dress up accessories. You can find the DIY tutorial here along with DIY tutorial on the fabric letters above her bed.
The bookcase didn’t need a lot. I simply added additional canvas storage bins for toys that I found at HomeGoods.
My childhood rocking chair made by my grandfather is a sweet sentiment that also serves as function.
Once black and gold I simply spray painted it Ballet Pink and stenciled her name in green. Truth be told I had done this for her nursery, but hadn’t finished the green detailing. I was going to give it a fresh coat of pink, but like the chippy and vintage look!
Here’s a close up of the fabric letters above Sofia’s bed that I made before she was born. You can see them in her nursery and the DIY tutorial here. These were inspired by Anthropology fabric letters. I considered updating the letters, but can’t part with them yet. I simply added these butterfly decals from Pottery Barn Kids and the canopy to complete the big girl & princess look!
The bed and bedding was the biggest issue for me in this round.
We’ve transitioned her room from just a bedroom to a play room and wanted enough space for both my girls to play. Additionally, my girls are 18 months apart, which means Charlotte will be turning 2 in a few months a possibly sharing a room with her sister.
Using the daybed from my inspiration board I decided to transform her toddler bed into a daybed. I loved the Pottery Barn Kids bedding, but due to the time of year full sets were unavailable. Easy solution was to use her current sheets and Harper Quilt with her name from Pottery Barn Kids and mix and match it with other bedding we already owned. Adding a few new pillows such as the pink bolster pillow from HomeGoods gave it a great refresh. Hoping to have another update for you this spring, so please check back!
The canopy was a must have to add the princes aka “princess castle” element for Sofia’s bed. As much as Sofia loves it she also loves pulling it down, which is driving me crazy!
This wall needed something to pull it together. The bookcase use to sit up against the wall before we moved the play kitchen by Kids Kraft into her room.
Simply adding wood and canvas wall art from Hobby Lobby, a DIY memory board of Sofia’s treasures and favorite things, and butterfly decals from Pottery Barn Kids completed the look.
Loving how the gallery wall looks! Simply rearranging items and adding a few more such as Sofia’s own Starry Night masterpiece completed this look.
The lighting was great one morning right before we rushed off to school. In the moment of trying to capture the room there was an impromptu tea party! Unfortunately, that was the only day the week of the reveal that I had good lighting and many of my photos are darker than I had wanted.
However, I did complete every item on my To Do List!
My punch/to do list for Sofia’s Big Girl Room:
Here’s a photo from my first ORC last spring, which started my love affair with the room designer challenge! You can check out all the details in my Master Bedroom reveal here.
Thanks to ORC I now have two more complete rooms in our home!
That’s a wrap for ORC Fall 2014! Don’t forget to check out the other designers and bloggers on Calling It Home!
Sarah
Credits and Sources
Design and Styling – Sarah Sofia Productions
Photography – Sarah Sofia Productions
Shell Chandelier – Lowe’s Home Improvement
Canopy – Amazon.com
Princess Castle – Amazon.com
Faux pink chandelier in princess castle – Hobby Lobby
Designer hooks in closet – Hobby Lobby
Bird clipboard wall art display – Hobby Lobby
Canvas and wood wall art above play kitchen – Hobby Lobby
Memory box display – Hobby Lobby
Dresser and mirror – Old World New Home
Paint – Sherwin Williams Meander Blue 6484
Baskets in white bookshelf – HomeGoods
Pink and white polka dot pail and basket – Pottery Barn Kids
Bedding – Pottery Barn Kids, HomeGoods
Flower night stand – Pottery Barn Kids
Pink and green herringbone weave rug – Pottery Barn Kids
Decorative boxes in closet – Michael’s
Butterfly and Penelope bird wall decals – Pottery Barn Kids
Blue wall bird cage – Hobby Lobby
White bird cage – Michael’s
Cherry Blossom canvas painting – Oopsy Daisy
Faux crystal lamp with pink polka dot lamp shade on nightstand – Babies R Us
Silver picture frames – Pottery Barn Kids
Floral arrangement – Target
DIY princess jewelry box kit – Melissa & Doug
Penelope French Fabric Board – 3 Buttons N2 Bows
Chalkboard table and chair – Southern Marketplace
Ribbon wreath – Sarah Sofia Productions
Fabric letters – Sarah Sofia Productions
Closet tower shelves – Sarah Sofia Productions
Upcycled six drawer whicker piece – Sarah Sofia Productions
White picture frames on gallery wall – Michael’s
Small round mirror on gallery wall – Hobby Lobby
Owl bookend – Hobby Lobby
Piggy bank – gift
Green and blue plastic plates in closet – Target
Glass jar with lid in closet –Ikea
Glass jar in closet – HomeGoods
Mirror in closet – Already owned
Hangers and blue canvas organize system – BuyBuyBaby
Silver bird bookends on dresser – Pottery Barn Kids
Pink bolster pillow – HomeGoods
Last week was the first week of One Room Challenge Fall 2014. Did you get a chance to check some of the talent?
I have to say I’m thrilled that some of my favorite participants like The Pink Pagoda , Bijou & Boheme, Abby M. Interiors, Mimosa Lane, and Design Manifest are back! Not to mention designer crushes like House of Turquoise, Chinoiserie Chic, The Decorista and Waiting on Martha are participating in this round! Some of my other talented friends from ORC Spring 2014 are linking participants again with me such as The Pink Clutch, Simply Styling’s, and Charming in Charlotte.
OK, enough talk let’s get down to the fun stuff, photos and updates on Sofia’s “Big Girl Room”!
Last week I shared with you what my daughter’s room currently looks like. Details of her room and my overall plan of Week 1 ORC here and my master bedroom from Spring ’14 ORC here.
This week I’m sharing my mood board and inspiration behind transforming this room into a Big Girl Room!
Her nursery and current bedroom centers around this cherry blossom painting. Details of nursery here and here. I want to keep this painting as the centerpiece along with the dresser.
She currently sleeps in her converted toddler bed, which can also be used as a head board for a twin or double. I’m playing around with the idea of making it into a day bed like the one shown in the mood board. However, if the budget allows I would like to use the headboard and have a twin bed in her room.
If you know me I have a huge coral crush and my other daughter’s room is coral and robin’s egg blue. Coral goes well with blue and shades of pink and if my girls ever were to share a room coordinating bedding would be great! (Yes I’m always thinking ahead and love to coordinate!) I love this look from Serena & Lily!
Currently, Sofia has my childhood bookcase that my mother repainted for my other daughter Charlotte.
The idea is get more toy appropriate storage such as the one shown in the mood board from Ikea and put this in Charlotte’s room.
I purchased this white chandelier that was inspired by the one from Pottery Barn Kids, shown in the mood board. It might be time to call my handy man Ken again, because the last time my husband and I installed a chandelier it was quite the process and ended up hating each other for a few hours.
Next up is making her room more princess like by adding the princess castle play tent and canopy as shown in the mood board above. Check and check. We gave Sofia the princess castle play tent for her birthday and have it up in her room now!
This white canopy should arrive later today and will replace the blanket we put over her current bed at bedtime to resemble her “princess castle”.
Then I will get to work on DIY with butterfly garland that look similar to this one from Pottery Barn Kids.
I killed two birds with one stone and printed up to date photos for Sofia’s room and for her grandmother’s birthday! Now I need to replace the current photos with the ones I’ve printed.
Next step is to tackle Sofia’s closet. I meant to capture a photo of the before for this post, but will save it for next week.
My punch/to do list for Sofia’s updated room:
Thanks for stopping by and seeing my progress. Make sure you check out all the other talented participants in ORC here.
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