Hygge

Somehow, I ended up on https://zady.com/features/31 .  Hygge (hig-ee), from Denmark, “has no translation, but means the feeling of being among friends and family, cozy and in dim light.”  It’s how they beat seasonal effective disorder.  It seemed nice.  Especially since, until today, it was freezing.

To segway to another way to beat the sunless stretch of winter:

My winter will be dry, but I do love a well styled bar cart. 

Savvy home had a nice roundup a few weeks ago (although her budget is pretty healthy). 

I think everyone needs a touch of Lucite in their home.  And this beauty from CB2 is tres reasonable. 

Sparkly Christmas trees make me forget the seasonal effective disorder to come.  I love over the top Christmas trees…the ones that border on tackily cluttered but somehow swing back to coolsville. 

I saw this:

Which can’t be achieved.  Then I saw this

Which seemed more doable (minus the LV trunk) but it wasn’t achieved either.

I realized that since my tree has crashed into a table and couch multiple times, its just not gonna be perfect this year (plus, pheasant feathers in glittery trees are tricky…it was NOT working).  So I am stopping.  But, there are more nice trees here if you need inspiration for last minute tweaks:   http://blog.thepinkpagoda.us/2013/12/o-christmas-tree.html

But what to do when your tree has to come down and its 20 degrees and gray?  Some people jet to the islands,  but if last week’s photos are making you think twice, Jan/Feb are also a good time for DIYs that don’t require outside space…so dying and spraypainting are out (although my friend Sarah warms her spraypaint up indoors, and runs out to the garage, and then back and forth until the coats are done—swears it sets properly).  But painting your walls…totally a good way to spend a snow day, or one of the 2 quasi holidays that hit late winter:

(A full roundup on http://www.babble.com/crafts-activities/15-gorgeous-hand-painted-walls/)

 A few more I’ve saved for a rainy day:

http://www.paintandpattern.com/art-deco-mural-after-rateau/

http://www.designsponge.com/2012/04/hand-painted-walls.html

Get busy, Moo.

Any follow-up info from last week?  Of course, I love follow-up info.

As predicted, I failed to bust out the scissors and paper last weekend, and I probably won’t go full out paper styling on the mantle, but I do have German Glass Glitter coming my way to make some star garland

 

to go over my existing evergreen garland:

See how haphazard and natural the garland is?  Like I picked shit out of my yard and just strung it together?  You can achieve that look by buying the ABSOLUTE CHEAPEST piece of crap garland available--typically through a non-floral source, like your grocery store.  This is all $15 of Fresh Market mixed green garland strung back and forth until it it ran out.   I was tired and cold, so when I realized that we did not have the right 3M Command Hooks I just nailed it in place with brad nails.  Pretty sure I’m gonna regret that decision…but New Year’s is all about turning regrets into resolutions, so it’s cool.  PS—if you aren’t used to crappy iphone pics by now, readjust your expectations--I can’t handle the time commitment of editing photos, or apparently even picking up shit before I take the photos…so yeah.  The camel, beer stein and tea set will all be cleared out of there….hopefully before xmas morning.

(Don’t I desperately need a boxwood wreath, hung on thick peacock blue ribbon centered between the sconces?  I know.  I’m trying really hard not to spend another $20 but I don’t know how much longer I can resist…….)(Also, what do we think about the blue ribbon on the garland?  Too republican? Reassess after adding glittery stars?  Clean my house and forget about garland?  Get a real problem?) 

I have resisted the urge to overnight paper flower supplies (I did buy some stamens/pips off ebay from China, but that is like a $2 indiscretion—hardly counts). 

For future reference, here is the best inspiration pic in my Pinterest for paper flowers:

Hmm….What else is on the internet:

A  nice roundup of crystal chandeliers is always mood-lifting (or envy inducing)…

http://www.thingsthatinspire.net/2013/12/how-high-to-hang-chandelier-in-dining.html

Your fav, Jamie Meares had recent projects photographed and posted a room every day this week:

http://www.isuwannee.com/  This detail pic made me want to embroider hankies

The Free Thought Project apparently loves super sad shit.  B/c this popped up in one of my feeds on Wednesday: 

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/mommy-wife-died-cancer-decided-goodbye-beautiful/#yIo01UbfZBbSvwW7.01

Which reminded me of this past viral story:

http://thefreethoughtproject.com/guys-wife-cancer-unforgettable-3-photos-destroyed-me/

Really, freethoughtproject?  (Although kudos on the click bait title). But they are pretty good.      

Yeah, no funny links this week.  The internet has failed me (or maybe it is work distracting me).  But to mitigate those sad stories, here are some adorable baby platypi:

Cute, right? 

Further cuteness (but not quite as cute) is the 2 second clip of Char’s Christmas program attached to the email. Man, the gifted school really has better programs.  I guess that is to be expected….every song had interesting choreography moving them all over the gym (it was performed in the round), with drastically different formations, and the string orchestra found a piano player and a drum player and accompanied the kids live.  So, props to that music teacher. 

Also, more awesome brass chairs:

-R

PS:  I’m thinking of painting my door hot pink.  Discuss.