Merry Christmas, y’all! I spent Saturday afternoon at my friend Laura‘s house, and since it was a decorating-related adventure, I thought I’d share some of the photos I took while I was there.
Laura and her hubby, Cody, just bought their first home (a cute little fixer upper in the historic district) a couple of months ago, so they’ve been busy refinishing the floors, making repairs, and painting all of the walls and trim.
(Cody & Laura’s living room last month)
Laura was hosting a Christmas party/wedding shower Saturday night though (hence, the photo booth accessories we’re sporting in the Instagram photo above!), so she asked if I could help her decorate the fireplace and bookshelves in her living room before her guests arrived. And the extra fun/challenging part? I didn’t know what she had to work with, and she wanted to stick to a budget of $20. I looooove opportunities that conjure up that kind of creativity, so I could hardly wait to get started!
Here’s what we ended up pulling together:
The only things we bought (at Hobby Lobby) were the faux evergreen stems on the left side of the mantel, and the dark green ribbon and the letter “B” hanging on the right side of the mantel. Everything else already belonged to Cody and Laura.
One of my favorite projects was the statement piece above the mantel:
We just removed the glass from one of Laura’s old frames, and hung a print she had from a piece of ribbon that was actually the handle of an old Madewell shopping bag she had.
The tiny shutter came in after that, and then we layered in the gold-leafed tray she got from her Grandma.
We wrapped some stretchy lace ribbon around it to make it look like a gift. Funny story about that ribbon: those pieces were previously tied around something else, so they were pretty wrinkled in the middle. Laura used her hair straightening iron to give them a quick press and it worked great! 😀
The greenery and berries came from Cody and Laura’s yard, and I found the pencils in a little wooden box on a table next to one of their armchairs. I used some of Laura’s twine to tie them together. After that, we pulled in a white pitcher (from her pantry), and a little teacup candle.
On the other side of the mantel, we used the bottom half of an owl cookie jar, some books, and a small dish filled with tiny Christmas ball ornaments.
Another one of my favorite little touches is the snowflake we made out of a coffee filter. When I set the red book up there, it felt like the right way to fill that space, but it felt like too much red. Adding the coffee filter snowflake (held in place by some more of Laura’s twine) helped break up that rectangle of red…and I love the way the white paper pops off of it too.
In the bookshelves on the right, I just used a variety of black, white, green, and red pieces I found around the house. I accented with more gold and silver Christmas ball ornaments, and greenery clippings from Cody and Laura’s yard.
I did the same on the left side of the fireplace:
We made sure to set all of the live greenery in containers filled with water so it would stay nice and fresh for the party.
It was such an exhilarating afternoon, and what a treat to spend six whole hours with one of my favorite gals in the whole wide world!
So. How about you? Do you love the thrill of the hunt-at-home, too? 😀
PS- I’m still trying to figure out if vlogging (video-blogging) is a good fit for Fridays. ? They do require quite a bit more time to create/edit, which is fine because I love the process, but I know it’s hard for some folks to watch them for various reasons, too. Many of the comments I received last week said, “More videos, please!” though, so I thought I’d post a poll to get a more accurate view of what y’all would like to see around here at the end of each week. If you have a second to weigh in, I sure would appreciate it! XO
I love the vlogs. I used your mantle vlog ideas as inspiration to fill a copper bin for my fireplace hearth. I never would have done that before. I like how you have more time to go into specific details on how to create the look.
GORGEOUS!!! I LOVE it! high five!
Vlog… whatever you want to do is fine with me. I think an occasional vlog would be nice. I often read my blog feeds while I am at something waiting around, so I can’t watch a video. Also, yeah, the time it takes can be more than I can give.
Oh, I actually meant that the videos take a lot more time to create than a blog post with photos only, Melissa! 😀 But it’s good to know they might also be too long for you to watch! Maybe I should keep them under 3 minutes?
I think that’s a great idea (under 3 min.). And maybe just do one when you feel like it, and not necessarily every Friday. Then it could be like a sweet little surprise when you do post one. 🙂
I think she meant the location she was at was not conducive to watching a vlog.
I like them, but yeah, sometimes I have to watch without the volume on.
Gotcha, Marianne. Well, once they’re uploaded, they’re always here and on YouTube, so feel free to watch ’em whenever! 🙂
Do they have awards for outstanding videos? Like Emmys and Oscars? You deserve an award! You are a natural in front of the camera! And your message is well planned and the xecuted! Keep it up!!
I love LOVE love the videos!!! Truly enjoy????
Thank you, sweet Lisa! XO
I love the Vlogs as well but agree they may be a tad too long. It’s great having a long article because if I can’t finish it I can go back a pick up where I left off. Either way, is good though. I loved your cat in the mantle vlog.
Okay- good to know! You can also pause the videos, but maybe they just need to be shorter. Or I may need to talk faster! 😀
I’m sorry the Vlogs are more time consuming for you, but I LOVE them!
Seeing the rooms or areas you are decorating in the video somehow gives me a better picture of how the topic flows with the whole space. And there is so much of your charming personality that I (miss/ overlook?) in your writings!
I just read the previous comments, I must get totally absorbed in the videos, the time or length was never an issue for me.
I love the vlogs. The longer the better! (I mean we are talking a few minutes?)
That’s a good point, Nancy! I might need to do a poll on what length videos work best for everyone! 1 minute and under, 3 minutes and under, 5 minutes and under, or whatever! LOL! 😀
I love, love, LOVE the vlogs! I have no issue with the length at all. I just learn even more! I simply can’t get enough of them! Thanks so much for putting them out there! More vlogs please!!
Thank you so much, Louise! It is a lot easier to jam pack a LOT more info when I can just say it out loud and use my hands to show what I’m talking about.
I like the vlogs. The video adds something you can’t always get with just pictures. I love Laura’s living room too. Great job. It’s so pretty and inviting. I love the coffee filter snowflake wrapped in twine. Genius! I would love to see more of Laura’s home if she’s willing to share with us.
I love to “shop” my house! And I love what it does to our budget!!!
The Vlogs make my internet freeze and as I check in on your blog from work I can’t watch them anyway. I’d prefer written content, but this is your blog so do what works best for you!
Am anxiously awaiting your trip report and pics of Sweet Pea!
Hmmm…that’s so strange, Cris! They’re hosted on YouTube, so they should play like any other video you would watch online. Maybe it has something to do with them competing with the video ads on my blog? I’ll ask my ad management peeps! There might be one easy way to find out: if you have a minute to see if you can watch them on YouTube without your Internet freezing, that would probably help us troubleshoot! XO
I love the vlogs but I voted no, the only reason being they take a lot of time to “read” and require headphones because I’m “working” when I’m on my pc. But you’re adorable and seeing things to scale is nice, just thought I’d let you know…
Thanks for weighing in, Olivia! Maybe I just need to shorten them a little (1-3 minutes?) and they’ll just be here (and on YouTube) for whenever there might be a better time to watch them? How does that sound?
More blogs, please!
I love the fact that I can watch your vlogs at any time. I really hope you keep doing them. There are so few decorating shows worth watching, and your vlogs make up for that. Your joy in what you’re doing really shines through and you’re a delight to watch.
Layla – I absolutely LOVED your vlogs last week – thank you and Kevin so much for taking the time to do them for us! I would love to see more -I’m a big fan of the Palmers from Peterborough, Ontario, Canada! ~ I have a grand-daughter named Layla 🙂
Keep the vlogs rollin!! I was totally inspired and created a mantel this year that i LOVE! Thanks to your genius ideas!!
I love your vlogs! Keep them coming cuz they’re my favourite! You’re so down to earth and have a great sense of humor!
I love the vlogs – you do such a great job. I have no decorating talent in me at all, but I love art and so I love watching your creative process unfold. I was in Michael’s store on the week-end with my 12 year old daughter and I have found myself walking along all the garland hanging and found myself reaching out and touching them to see if they were stiff or if they swirled a little bit – like how I saw you demonstrating it in the video. ha ha Have a great week.
Ok. So, mantels. Can we talk?
We moved into our home a year and a half ago, and since then I’ve been frustrated by the fireplace area. All these beautiful mantel posts are leaving me feeling sad because the lovely simplicity and cozy scale feels so unattainable to me.
Here’s the problem: We have a tall fireplace (brick, painted) with a mantel that feels way too high, flanked by enormous bookcases. Sigh. Every girl wants built ins, right? So, why am I complaining. I’m at a loss with this space. When you sit on the furniture (or stand in the room), you are craning your neck UP to the mantel. And, if the bookcases are decorated, it all feels so busy.
What do you think? Is there a solution for keeping a large scale space cozy, informal, and uncluttered? We moved from a smaller house with a charming fireplace area, and I found such pleasure in decorating it with the seasons. Now, our space is bare, save for when it becomes a dumping ground for other things. I had the shelves staged at one point but took everything off of them, because it just didn’t feel personal. I’m feeling rather desperate to love at least one space in our home. The last time we had folks over, no one would even sit in this room. Argh. Vaulted/beamed ceilings are the things dreams are made of. What gives with my not being able to make this room cozy?
Frustrated in Atlanta,
Katie
Can you send me some photos, Katie? I’d love to have a look-see! (LaylaPalmer at AOL dot com)
Girl! You never cease to amaze me! I purely love what you created in Laura’s living room. So simple, yet elegant, not too overwhelmingly Christmas-y (is that a word?) but beautifully seasonal. Admire your style SO much!
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I rarely comment, but I really should because I click over to your blog every day and it’s one of my absolute favorites! I just love your style and I think I love your sunny personality that shines through even more. I’ve always adored reading your posts because they are always so positive and happy, even when it’s something tough, and I love love love your decorating style. Your vlogs have been SO MUCH fun for me to watch and I really hope you continue to do them! Each morning I was excited and the first thing I opened was your site to watch each mantel video. So my vote is yes! 🙂
{Swoon} {big heart eyes} I adore you style and am so thankful you take time to share your creativity and ideas, in whatever format you choose! You and Hubs are so talented and offer so much to the online community. Blessings to you!
I am a visual person so I love the vlogs and i can see them it in 3D. I think the longer the better and like you said to someone that they can watch them anytime. i hope you will vlogs when you have a question about something in your home that you want are help with that way we can see it better then just in pictures.
I’m sure a lot of people enjoy the vlogs. I likely would too. But at the moment, the vlogs would equate to less Layla /The Lettered Cottage for me.
I can only check out your non-video content. Just like, at the moment (I try to avoid statements that limit my future) I am not able to follow you on Twitter/Instagram and all your other social media spots. I just get to check out your blog.
So if you go to Vlog Vendredis I won’t be able to join you. 🙁 I’ll have to wait patiently for blog content.
Cheers,
Maryjane in MB
why can’t you see the vlog? I am not on twitter or instagram either.
Oh, I feel like I should clarify: I’m not saying “Vlog Vandredi” would be a video *only*, just that there would be a video on that day. There could always be photos, too. 😉
I love your vlogs!!! I just told my husband they make me want to move next door to you!!! You are a natural on camera! You put a smile on my face!!! More VLOGS!!!! (pretty please!!!!!!!)
I’ll just chime in and say that I prefer the blog posts with the pictures to the vlogs. I have watched a couple of them, but I’m much more likely to take the smaller amount of time and scroll through your pictures, pinning the still images. I feel like your photography skills are great and always give me a good feel for the looks you have created. That being said, I’m sure a mixture will reach the most people!
More vlogging please!!!!!!
Great decor the room looks great! Simple and clean Christmas decor and looks great for a party 🙂
Good job ladies! 🙂
I love the videos, they ‘re fun and its cool to see and hear you talk.
Lauren Baxter | Lovely Decor
xx
Yes on the vlogs please- love em !