To me, this is the blah time of year… the time when we’re just kind of holding—especially in the northern states. It’s not quite spring but it’s been winter for a while and, personally, I am over the winter decor! So I have started vignetting around my house as a way to refresh my home. It’s not quite time for spring vignettes but it’s getting close! Here are some transitional vignette ideas to bridge the gap between boring winter and almost spring.
A Few Things to Remember
When creating vignette always remember these guidelines:
Use an odd number of items Vary heights Vary texture Add something organic Add something with clean lines Add something to show your personality Corral all the items If you use an odd number of items of varying sizes and textures grouped together intentionally, whether in a tray or on a large strip of material, then you have the foundation of making a great vignette!
Add Some Color
I took these vintage bobbins down around Christmas because they just didn’t fit in with any of my vignettes. I didn’t miss them at Christmas or during my “winter” decor phase when I still have a few things out that aren’t my standard décor, but as we get into spring I am ready for more pops of color from my color palette (for more about adding color in your home check out my posts on How to Create a Cohesive Color Palette, and How to Use a Cohesive Color Palette in Your Home).
Add Some Flowers (or Branches)
Adding a vase with some cut flowers or branches cut from your trees outside is a great way to add life to a room and too keep it from feeling too sterile.
Add a Postcard or Miniature Piece of Art
You typically only have so much room in a vignette but tucking a little piece of art, an old family photo, or a vintage postcard is a fun way to let your personality come shining through in your décor.
Candles
It’s still chilly out and honestly—who doesn’t love a good candle? Add a little warmth to your vignette by adding a candle. It can be one with a scent you love or a battery-operated pillar candle to add height and light.
Vintage Books
You know I love my vintage books and, especially at this time of year, I think they are just a great thing to add to your décor. You can use them as risers in your vignette to help vary the height of your items.
This Time of Year:
What are some especially great things to add to your vignette this time of year? Here are a few of my favorites:
Branches or cut flowers to add life Vintage books Vintage cookie cutters Vintage postcards or old photos Empty picture frames A beautiful vase—even if it’s empty
Add a Wreath
So a wreath isn’t exactly a vignette but it can do for a door what a vignette does for a room! While wreaths are great on your front door, they can also add a special touch inside. Perhaps you could use a pretty wreath to designate your power room door or to dress up your pantry door—a wreath can be a great way to add a focal point to a bland door!
I hope this gives you some ideas of how to freshen up your home and gets you excited about living in your home again! This time of year can drag but I hope you’ll be able to enjoy playing with vignettes until the season gets nicer. Happy decorating!
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It is that time of year again, the time of year I think of as the lonely season… because when I take down my Christmas tree(s) it just feels so lonely in my home! Not to mention the festivities have calmed down, and I have a week or two to catch my breath. As I am in Pennsylvania I look around and think, “Gee, how many more months of this till we get to summer?” However, that’s really not all this season has to offer—I love the fresh start of the new year and I enjoy doing what I can to reflect some of that freshness in my home. Usually, I leave up as much of my wintery decor as possible: sparkly branches, winter trees, every greens—whatever reflects what is going on in nature. This year I was ready for more bareness. The holidays seemed more rushed and chaotic than normal and I just felt like I needed more room to breathe after the holidays. Can you relate? I don’t want my home to feel depressing though; I want it to feel cozy! Here are some things I am doing to refresh my home for winter and to enjoy this new time of year!
Purge
Nothing says new year like a good purge! Usually, I do an audit of our home the week in between Christmas and the New Year and do a quick purge. Seeing as our family was sick that week this year, I am carving out a little bit of time each weekend to do a purge and reorganize. It’s funny, every year I think I’ve paired down as much as I can bare, only to come across something the next year and wonder why I ever kept it!
Organize
You really can’t organize without having first purged so don’t skip that step. After you’ve done a light purge, take a step back and think about what I call the hot spots in your home—what areas are you always scolding your spouse for cluttering? What problem are you habitually having to deal with? Look at these problem areas and think about how you can solve them once and for all! For me this was getting a rack to hold the lids to my pots and pans. While my kitchen isn’t crowded for storage, these big lids weren’t as accessible as they could be, making it a pain to move all of them when I needed one for cooking. Moving all these glass and metal lids didn’t seem to be too much of a problem—till I had a napping baby in the other room and then the noise seemed major! Getting a lid rack solved this problem.
Here is the link to the lid holder I am currently very thankful for!
Missing Your Tree?
Are you missing your Christmas tree? While this could be because of all the fun the tree represents, it could also be the other elements that your room is missing. Does the room seem dark and bare? Does your room now seem boring? Does your room seem lifeless? Here are some possible remedies.
Add Light
Your Christmas tree can provide a lot of light. If your room feels dark, try adding a new lamp, candles, or a lantern. You could try incorporating a strand of fairy lights into a winter vignette to get a cozy glow going!
Add Scale
There is no doubt about it—your Christmas tree is a big statement piece in your home! If your home is feeling a little dull without it, closely look at your room and see if you have any statement pieces in your home. Do you have a large statement lamp? A show-stopping plant? A large mirror or piece of artwork? Your room needs a little drama! If you have been wanting to add a statement piece but just haven’t gotten there yet, this would be a good project to work on in these slower months!
Add Life
As I mentioned above, plants can add life to a dead-feeling space. If you don’t have any green in your room it really is time to add some. If you are not one for keeping plants alive, I hear you! Check out my post, Plants That Even I Have Kept Alive, or go for faux, but you’ll be amazed at how much style a little plant can add!
Cozy Up!
We already talked about adding candles and lights to your home, but don’t stop there! Pull out your warm, fuzzy throws! If you’ve packed up any throw pillows, pull them out. They will add warmth to your home and provide more comfort for the times when you are hopefully playing games, reading, or doing a puzzle.
Bedding
Most of us in the north have different bedding for our home for winter and for summer. Pull out your flannel sheets, swap out your lightweight comforter for a heavier one, and layer your throw blankets onto your bed.
Brighten Up
If you live in an area where winter can just be gray, try to brighten up the inside of your house by adding some touches of white. Treat yourself to a few white flowers—either as a plant or a bouquet.
To brighten up other rooms of your home try swapping dark drapery for white.
Enjoy!
So now you have refreshed your home with a purge and added any organization that you might need, you’ve pulled out your throws and your pillows, added lights and candles, and added some touches of white, if your home was lacking. Now it is time to enjoy your home! Here are a few ideas of how to enjoy your home this winter:
Make some soup. Nothing tastes better than hot soup on a cold day! Check out soups to warm you up! Play board games Do a puzzle Read Work on a craft Relax with an adult coloring book I hope this helps to give you some ideas of how you can enjoy this winter!
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Christmas isn’t quite here yet but it is close enough to start thinking about! If you have been reading this blog for any length of time, you know hardly anything gets quite as exciting as talking about Christmas decorating! Since I can hardly contain myself and have been counting down the days until I can start playing Christmas music, I have done a little looking to see what the trends are for Christmas in the year 2022. One of my favorite things about decorating is choosing a color palette and there are some really fun options this year.
An Overview
As far as an overview of the trends goes I am seeing three main categories:
A return to traditional Super classy and simple Cutting edge with crazy colors A Return to Traditional
This is one of the first years in a long time that I am seeing a return of the traditional Christmas color palette in a big way. Yes, red and green are traditional colors and by definition never completely go out of style but you haven’t seen these colors being featured as the main attraction. This year there is a resurgence of bright red in the Christmas color palettes—especially when paired with golds and champagnes. If you are a red fan, you can go all-out with it this year and be totally on-trend.
Super Classy and Simple
If you aren’t a big red person and don’t want the traditional Christmas feel in your Christmas decor this year, then another option we are seeing a lot of this year is green with whites, creams, champagnes, and light gold. This is a super classy look and can be paired down quite elegantly to keep things simple this holiday season.
Cutting Edge with Crazy Colors
I am not a trendsetter who enjoys being the one to push the limits but even I can enjoy some fun Christmas decorating this year in the form of neon Christmas colors. Fuchsia pink, electric blue, and bright purple are fun options that are showcasing this Christmas. I think this is a super-fun option for a child’s room!
Christmas Color Palettes That Are on Trend in 2022
So those are the main pockets of Christmas color trends but what about actual Christmas color palettes? In the traditional bucket of Christmas color palettes, I am seeing:
Red, gold, and, of course, green. Royal blue, silvers, and, of course, green. For simple color palettes:
Greens, beige, gold. Green, white, silver Green, white, gold Or basically any combination of the above colors!
For the Cutting Edge with Crazy Colors
Neon as mentioned above:
Fuchsia pink, electric blue, and bright purple Greens, silver, and lilac. I am seeing a lot of taking one main color, like lilac, royal blue, or red and running with it. The traditional colors are back, but this time they’re separated. Pick one classic and run with it!
What Else is Trending?
We are seeing a big return to pine greens this year. In the past few years, there have been lots of eucalyptus and non-traditional greens and that’s great! But traditional pine is coming back in a big way. Speaking of pine, that leads to the next trend.
Botanicals
Imagine having a Christmas greenhouse explode in your home and you’ll get the idea for the botanical trend we are seeing this year. Pine greenery, all other greenery, organic wood, and pinecones are hot this Christmas!
Velvet
Velvet has been making a comeback for a while now and, just like we are seeing lots of velvet pumpkins in the fall, we are seeing velvet Christmas bulbs this Christmas!
Go Simple by Adding a Big Bang
While Christmas vignettes sprinkled throughout your home are always lovely, try simplifying your decor with a few big “wow pieces” rather than several small vignettes. Try creating one big focal point for each room. Can you add a huge garland to your mantle and hang a big star ornament above it and call it a day? What about adding a pine garland someplace you might not usually add it—like your headboard?
Group Your Decor
If you have a collection, be it Christmas trees, a ceramic Christmas village, or candles, try grouping them all together to make a statement. This is always a good rule of thumb but it is also on trend for Christmas 2022.
I hope this helps to inspire you and get your creativity flowing for how to decorate your home for Christmas this year. Christmas is such a special time of year. I hope you can enjoy decorating your home—and then are able to slow down enough to enjoy it with the ones you love most and remember the reason for the season.
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Can you believe that Thanksgiving is less than a month away! I wrote my posts on Fall Decorating Trends 2022, and Fall Decorating Ideas 2022 to give you some ideas for fall decorating but, if you are hosting, you might like a few ideas of how to tweak things so your decor looks a little more … Thanksgiving-ish. Sometimes it is nice to just give a nod to the fact that by Thanksgiving a lot of the leaves have fallen, and while it’s not quite Christmas time yet, it is definitely starting to look more like winter—particularly if you live in the north! Here are a few ideas to tweak your fall decorations to welcome in the Thanksgiving season. Say goodbye to spooky and hello to the time of year to be especially thankful and remembering our blessings.
First Thing First
You know what I always say is the first step before decorating—purging and tidying up! Time to put away any of those jack-o-lanterns and anything of the spooky nature. For fall, including Halloween, I like to stick to more of a harvest theme: pumpkins, branches, cornstalks, that sort of thing, rather than anything spooky. If you are someone who likes to decorate with ghosts and skeletons, now is time to pack them up.
Your Color Palette
If you do more of a traditional decor color palette for fall that consists of yellow, orange, and red, try editing down your colors. I would take out anything yellow and anything that is a super bright, fall color. By the time Thanksgiving rolls around, the colors in nature have started to fade considerably. I did a neutral fall decor this year consisting of white, creams, green, and browns and I love how this naturally lends itself to fall decor!
Mirror Nature
Another thing I always say is to mirror nature. As I mentioned before, Thanksgiving isn’t quite winter—but almost! I think mixing in a few red berries into a centerpiece is totally within reason. Items like twine balls, pinecones, and real or faux branches are perfect filler decor for this time of year. Now is also a great time to incorporate deer antlers into your décor. Antlers, also known as sheds, fall off of the male deer every winter so take a walk—you just might find some!
You can also try adding frosted greenery, or a spray of frosted berries to your decor. Play with adding these to your centerpiece or to a fall vignette. I love adding some sprays of evergreens (dried, real, or faux) to my late-fall centerpieces.
Warm It Up
This is the perfect time to pull out your white candles—be they pillar candles, votive candles, or a traditional candlestick. Remember, all of these come in battery options too, if you aren’t crazy about an open flame in your home. If you want to dress it up even more, you can place votive candles in mercury glass votive holders and thereby add some sparkle.
Also if you were waiting, I am giving you permission to pull out all the warmest throws you have packed away! Pull out those chunky knits, faux furs, and plaid throws and enjoy them!
I hope this helps inspire you to play with your decor this Thanksgiving and helps you to create a cozy home that you and your family can curl up in and enjoy as we enter this holiday season!
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Ready or not, here fall comes! I love summer so much but I have to say fall is one of my absolute favorites when it comes to decorating! I’m not sure why—I guess in my mind the season conjures up pictures of cozy comfort, coupled with the fall scents, and adorable mini pumpkins that make a decorating season that can’t be beat! Here is a sneak peek at what is trending this fall.
Tons of Texture!
Texture it always in vogue, especially in fall but this fall in particular we are seeing lots and lots of texture. We are seeing terracotta pots, braided jute, chunky throws, fuzzy pumpkins; if it appeals to the tactile senses it is in!
How to Apply This Trend in Your Home
If you have a smooth vase vs a textured one opt for the texture!
Colors
I love color! The past few falls we have seen lots of neutrals in the fall décor. Last year we started to see pastels in muted shades of greens, blues, and even purples. This year the colors are coming in with a bang! We are seeing lots of super saturated colors—think mustard yellow, wine red, emerald green, and burnt orange—lots and lots of burnt orange! Additionally, we are also seeing navy blue (I like to call it denim blue because it has a touch more indigo to it than a traditional navy blue would), plum purple and browns. Yes, browns are starting to make an appearance again. We are also seeing dashes of washed-out pinks, dusty rose, and blush this fall—again paired with neutrals and wheat tones.
How to Use This Color Trend in Your Home?
We are seeing a lot of these color trends mixed with some lighter neutrals. Mix in these saturated tones with white, cream, and beige.
Naturals
We are seeing a lot of natural materials this year: wheat, dried grasses, preserved flowers (preserved flowers are my favorite). See my post A Third Option here to read more about ways to use dried flowers, feathers, wood and terracotta.
How to Incorporate This Trend into Your décor
Loop a strand of wooden beads over a pitcher that contains your preserved flowers or your gathered flowers. Add some feathers that you found to a vignette (see my post about fall vignettes here), or pull one of your terracotta pots from outside and use it inside this autumn.
Boho
We are seeing lots of boho-inspired décor this fall. If you love boho and have always wanted to add a little bit of this style to your home’s décor, try it this fall. Try adding a macramé wall hanging or a macramé hanging plant holder to your home and see what you think.
Landscapes
We are seeing more landscapes added into the décor this fall. I have always been a fan of landscape paintings and this might just be the year I make it a point to find one. Landscapes are always a timeless element and can be found very inexpensively in thrift shops or a yard sale so, if you, like me, have always loved a good landscape, don’t hold yourself back any longer!
Odd and Ends
In summary, we are seeing lots of saturated color in all of the burnt and darker shades of orange and yellow, and all of the neutral shades from white to deep brown. Texture is huge so try adding some form of it—you could even use a brick as a riser in a vignette! Terracotta, both as a material and as a color, is hot this fall. And, saturated colors mixed with the neutrals of the past few years is what you’ll be seeing all over Pinterest! Try adding in texture with a knit throw, or a fuzzy pumpkin pillow. This fall looks to be a very cozy one so jump in and get cozy this fall!
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We have been in that stage of life for a while now where there is a lot going on: bridal showers and weddings, baby showers and housewarmings, first birthdays and Christmas parties… Along the way there have been a lot of last minute texts asking who the friend is that has a galvanized bucket for drinks? Do you still have that ice bucket? Was it you who borrowed my big platter serving tray? Along the way I have accumulated a lot of entertaining necessities and while there is still an item or two that would be handy to have, I found myself saying to my friends and my mom that I think I have just about all of the necessities now—just as this phase of life may be winding down!
If you are someone who loves to host, even if it’s not as often as you would like, check out this post to see what could make your life a little easier the next time you host.
Disclosure
Please remember that this post contains affiliate links; that means if you click on the link, I will make a small commission at no extra cost to you. It’s a way to support my blog! I will only ever share an affiliate link if I love the product and think that you just might love it too!
Before You Buy
Before you run out and start buying items at random, pause for a moment and envision how all of these pieces will work together when you host. That bright red serving set might be great at Christmas, but will you also love it in the spring if you host Easter? Wood, white, and metal work well together, but so does pottery if you have accumulated a large array of items of varying colors. A through line, such as everything being made out of pottery, will help your serve ware to look cohesive and bring an extra touch of classiness and elegance the next time you host.
Platters and Trays
My trays and platters are some of my most used pieces. I would aim to have at least one large tray and platter, as well as at least two or three smaller platters. I commonly use my large tray for carrying plates, serveware, and napkins outside if we are eating outside, but that is if it is just the two of us or a small get together around the campfire. On the other hand, if we are having more people over and eating something that requires buns, sloppy joes, ham BBQ, etc., then having a large tray to corral all of the bread comes in very handy! Two to three small platters for cheese and meat on one, a variety of crackers on another, and some fruit or veggies on the third. It is also nice to have a bread basket on hand.
Bowls
You want a wide variety of bowls. I have a very large serving bowl I use all the time. I have another set containing a somewhat large bowl and a smaller bowl for chips and dip, and a few medium bowls for pretzels, other chips, or fresh fruit. I would have at least one very large bowl, two medium bowls, and one small bowl—these are the ones I need most often and see others using when someone else is hosting.
Place Settings
Some people prefer to use disposable serveware if they are having more than eight people over but for our lifestyle we decided to invest in a larger set of real dishes. We started off with eight and then upgraded; we currently have 16 place settings and yes, we really do use all of those dishes! We purchased plain white; it works with everything and can be dressed up or down. Target and Ikea have decent quality and reasonably priced dishes and Ikea has a lot of open stock dishes, meaning you can buy an item at a time if a bowl or plate gets broken.
Serving Utensil
I would have at least three, and one slotted spoon at least among them. If you are someone who hosts a lot and has people contribute potluck style, I would have more like five or six—someone is always forgetting their serving spoon—it’s not just me right?! Also, don’t forget utensils for serving salad!
Pitchers for Drinks
The gallon size mason jar-looking pitchers with spouts on the bottom are nice for large gatherings, but having two liter-size pouring pitchers will work for most home gatherings also.
Dessert Serving Stands
Again, using one of your trays will get you through many instances but you may want a cake stand or a tiered serving stand too.
Paper and Cloth Ware
Growing up we always had paper napkins on hand. Now we always have paper towels on hand, but never napkins! While I generally don’t notice this lapse in housekeeping, there is one time when I do, and that is. of course, when we have company over. The other day while walking through TJ Maxx, I stopped to admire the beautiful paper napkins on display and sighed to myself wishing I had a good reason to buy them—then it hit me. I always want napkins when we have people over! So I bought those napkins and it makes me so happy to pull out these pretty napkins whenever we have guests coming over!
Charcuterie Ready
I know not everyone is a charcuterie board fan but it is one of my life’s goals to try to change that! Having a cheese or two on hand, a meat, and some crackers are things I try to keep as a staple around our house. They are great things to fall back on in a pinch. That being said, it is also nice to have a small array of cheese knives, a spreader, and a cheese slicer on hand.
Mugs
Do you have coffee mugs that you aren’t embarrassed to pull out to serve coffee with dessert? I don’t believe they all have to be matching; in fact I think it’s a great conversation starter when they are all different and have a more collected feel. But make sure you have several to pull out and use—you can always pull them out ahead of time and set them on your large tray so people can admire them!
Accents or the Miscellaneous
These are the little things, the ones that are really nice to have, that someone always needs to borrow for their get-together; if you don’t have these you will find yourself always wanting before your next get-together.
Creamer
Sugar Bowl
Tea Kettle
Pie slicer
Pretty Dish towels to line a bread basket
Ice Bucket
Beverage Tub
So there it is! That is my list of the things I use regularly to entertain, as well as a few things I always find myself wishing I had when it comes to hosting. What do you use most? Is there anything not on this list that you use? I’d love to hear from you; connect with me on FB or Instagram @essentiallyemmamarie.
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