Nature-Inspired Holiday Decorating with Brian Gluckstein

Can you believe Christmas is one week away? I for one can't! It's like I blinked, pressed the fast-forward button, and we are already there. I've been feeling equally excited and panicky about this year's holiday decorating. Time is a scarce commodity for busy people like us. Besides the usual hectic work schedules, we've been busy searching for a winter home south of the border in a warmer and dryer climate (more on that later). It's been harder and harder to find days when I could get myself in the zone where my creative juices could run free. It's also the self-imposed pressure that this year's holiday decor needs to be more unique than the last year's. All that unnecessary obsessing aside, at the end I went with whatever my heart desired: a more simplistic, cozy and nature-inspired holiday decorating theme for 2018. 

Picture above features a few of my favourite things this year: faux fur pom-pom stockings by Glucksteinhome, wooden bead garland, antique brass candlesticks with black taper candles, and wispy long-needle pine garland. 

My 2018 holiday mantel. 

Now onto the dining room. Besides kitchen, dining room is where all the holiday fun and memories were made from holiday gatherings with family and friends. After a recent makeover, this space feels more current and more us. 

This is my 2018 holiday dining table setting based on the Darius Silver collection from Brian Gluckstein by Lenox. Its neutral colour palette and striking geometric patterns create a calm and cozy ambience without looking boring. 

I actually created two versions, one with a blue dessert plate for a pop of colour; and the other with the Brian Gluckstein by Lenox Darius bread/appetizer plate. 

Blue above, Darius silver below. 

At the end I went with the Darius silver. The tablescape looks so much more put-together this way. 

I also used Leyland Cypress boughs, and Glucksteinhome LED mercury glass tree candle, together with a few glass Paz trees from CB2, to create a simple centrepiece. 

I am really loving how this year's holiday table setting turned out. I went through a few iterations to get to this point, so here are a few tips I would like to share:

• Start early, so you have time to make adjustments and acquire missing pieces. 
• Pick a theme, or not. Either way, don't go overboard with accessories, so you can create a more calm and cohesive appeal. 
• Use natural materials as much as possible, for a more sophisticated yet not over-the-top look, for example, fresh greenery and organic linen tablecloth and napkins. 
• Serve your guests with the best quality dinnerware possible, like this bone china set from Brian Gluckstein by Lenox. 

I will be back in a bit to show you the rest of my 2018 holiday home tour. A 2018 project recap list is also long past due so that's coming your way too. Stay tuned and festive! 

Holiday Around the House

I thought I was done with this year's holiday decor around the house, until I came across this wreath at Target this past Saturday. For the longest time I was looking for a simple faux boxwood one like this, but either I was too late to the game or it wasn't popular here, all my search efforts were to no avail. The Target 18-inch flocked wreath was on clearance (cha-ching!) so I grabbed two of them before they were all gone. The size is perfect for the two mirrors I have in my living room and foyer. 

Fresh Christmas greenery is a super easy way to amp up the festivity around your house. Again I was pretty late but finally was able to find two of these amazing Lemon Cypress plants at Terra Greenhouses. Its vibrant chartreuse green foliage is undoubtedly very uplifting, which I am definitely going to need for a long winter ahead. 

The Target Threshold Flocked Wreath with Blue Ornaments, 18 inches in diameter. It looks so full but it's surprisingly light-weight. All I needed was a small suction cup hanger like this to secure it in place.  

The Paperwhite Narcissus are in full bloom. The fragrance is just as elegant as its flower. 

The other wreath is now in my living room over the fireplace mantel. 

With that, I wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays. We are off to do all the amazing things we wanted to do. See you around in a few days. 

2014 Christmas Tree

Can you believe Christmas is next week?! The thought of it sends my heart racing. Well our 2014 Christmas tree is finally up. This year my tree is all about back to basics - I amalgamated a pool of ornaments I liked and got to work, with no particular theme or color variations in mind. 

This is probably the last year I am going to use a faux Christmas tree. Next year I am going for a real one - not only do they smell good but their shapes and forms also look so much more lively and organic. A faux fir tree looks so rigid and formal, not the type of the look that excites me any more. 

The jumping-off point of this year's Christmas tree is this blue glass ornament my best friend Jessie made for me. It's heavy so I had to hang it pretty low on the tree otherwise if it slips off the tree, it will shatter. 

Each ornament has its memories and sentimental value. 

You are not going to believe this but I found this wreath at Dollarama! $2 never looked this good! 

This is our foyer now fully decorated for Christmas and holiday season. 

The Paperwhite Narcissus Ziva bulbs I planted three weeks ago are on track to bloom around Christmas. It has been a very rewarding experience to witness the Paperwhite from sprouting to budding. This is definitely a holiday tradition I will be keeping. 

Next up is our holiday table setting and dining room decor. Until then, stay warm and merry! 

New Art, A Dog and Growing Paperwhite

I've always wanted to add a black and white photograph of a geometric object to my art collection. I was intrigued by this staircase poster seen in the hit TV show "Castle", but it's neither in black & white, or within the budget I was willing to spend on a poster. Then I found this spiral staircase photograph by Kim Hopf on Etsy which is exactly what I was looking for. I like the lighting and the depth Kim was able to capture in the image. 

I ordered the 12"x18" size which doesn't fit into any standard ready-made frames. I wanted to do something different for the photo so I went with a minimalist thin black metal frame and crisp white double mats. The framing was done by my favorite framing shop Edmond at YM Art. 

I tried hanging it in my dining room - my intent was to introduce a modern element to an otherwise traditional space for some surprise factor. Not sure if I liked it there - the mat looks too stark to go with the rest of the room. 

Then I moved it to the foyer, liked it there slightly better but again, the bright white matting stands out too much. 

Maybe I should go back to Edmond to change the matting to a creamier shade of white? Do you prefer the framed art in my dining room or in the foyer?

Now onto this super duper adorable dog named Boo. I've been following his Facebook page for a while, and let me tell you, on any given day if you ever feel you need a pick-me-up moment, visit Boo's page and stare at his pictures! This is a plush toy replica of Boo made by Gund.

And this is the real Boo! My cousin also has two AKC Pomeranians, so I've been trying to convince her to cut their hairs so they would look just like Boo. 

Now back to the topic on everyone's mind these days - the holiday celebration! My parents grew Paperwhite Narcissus every year during Chinese New Year for as far back as I could remember. I wanted to pick up this family tradition again, except that I want to grow them twice for both Christmas and Chinese New Year. We picked up these fragrant Paperwhite Narcissus Ziva bulbs from Terra Greenhouses. This is how they look like after 5 days in the soil. 

Holiday decoration is well underway here at AM Dolce Vita. I wanted to add a bowl of ball ornaments on my coffee table only to realize that I don't have a decorative bowl on hand! Now I have a reason to shop. :)

This is the take two of my holiday mantel - I added a colorful ball garland to liven it up.

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Holiday Decor Sneak Peak

Happy Friday, and Happy Thanksgiving to those south of the border. I just had a deja vu moment that I was only writing a post like this not long ago. A year seems to have passed in a flash. 

Every year I waited anxiously until just past the U.S. Thanksgiving to put up my holiday decor. This year I am not going for any particular theme but anything that pleases my eye, simple and easy to put together. The tree is not up yet, but here is a sneak peak at our 2014 holiday mantel (wait, is it mantle or mantel, I can never figure that out!). 

The JOY marquee sign from Indigo, part nostalgic part glamourous, love it! 

More pictures to follow.