Hello there! At the time of writing this blog, we are 5 days, 12 hours and 57 minutes away from Christmas 😳 I thought I’d try to help with some ideas that might help to make what precious time you have left to get ready for Christmas, your Christmas guests and being someone's guest, just a little bit easier.

I heard on yet another podcast the other day, that a big part of happiness is sharing what you have with others. Isn’t that so true? This is what we are doing when we share our home with people. It is also giving yourself a little gift especially when you work with what you have and with the right playlist blasting in the background! Okay, I know your dying to know 😉(Pandora: Sarah McLachlan Holiday Radio, Etta James Holiday Radio, and a local favorite Pink Martini Holiday Radio)

To give you some ideas,here are some glimpses of a home we decorated for one of our awesome, long time clients (I’m looking at you Peggy)! We always have a blast with her and her penchant for whimsy. We decorated her guest rooms with what she had and just looked at it through the lens of the magic that the holidays bring. It’s ever so easy to go a little nuts with lights and decor. Why not! Do it!

Here we used ribbon to tie on all of these cute stockings:

Layering up sheets and patterns creates a cozy, playful and enticing space. I am a huge fan of mix and match bed linens. Break up your sets and have some fun. It also makes it easy to make up multiple beds if you’re less concerned about keeping your sets together.

We wrapped this cute headboard with LED lights for added fun and a clever night light too for your younger guests who might be a little nervous about spending the night. We infused color, pattern and texture wherever we could!

In the kids room we simply draped some bling around the room for some added magic:

And in the kitchen we created a super fun “CandyLand” display that we said was for the kids, but really, who are we kidding? Again, working with cool serving dishes and sweets from a typical grocery store, when displayed with the intention of delighting people, young and old, is so damn fun for you and for them!

And when you want to bring a little hostess gift and you want it to be kinda special here’s an idea!

I found this cute tray and this little container at the Gladstone Mercantile. I wanted something timeless and cute for holding matches. The tray comes in handy for the spent matches. These kinds of simple but thoughtful ideas really mean so much to whomever you give it to and it’s fun for you to put together.

My favorite quote of all time is from the immortal Maya Angelou and it’s:

Here’s hoping that you hold this sentiment in your heart not only during the holidays but every day. Let’s make this world a little more beautiful by creating beautiful places and sharing it with friends and family. Let’s also be kind…even to the guy who stole your parking space and especially to the folks that have to work with the crazy public at this time of year. Give a smile, let them go first, take deep breaths and notice the little magical things around you…and if that doesn’t help, go home and put your feet up and pour a bevy of choice.

Cheers to all of you and I hope that you find or create your own magic during the holidays. See you next year!

Catherine Freshley Art

“I love to paint and I love to make colorful art that makes people happy”

A Tiny Rocket

“This is a peek into my moments of ordinary and extraordinary.”

William Park

“I thrive on the challenge of taking these often misunderstood structures and doing what I can to make them beautiful.”

Mosaic Brian

“LEGO® bricks have always been a big part of my life, I played with them extensively as a kid. They have beautiful, bright colors that lend themselves to interesting and vibrant art. I love the texture, and how they fit neatly into squares.”