The Interior DIYer
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Custom Christmas colours – part 3

Skulls, hydrangeas, tea cups and bling – that is what our Christmas tree and apartment are wearing this year. In tones of burgundy, aubergine, metallic and hints of lilac, this year I went with a custom Christmas to suit our living space – not our previous fire engine red and winter green. And I enjoyed nerding out by personalizing what we already had {check out some Christmas decoration revamp ideas here in part 2}.

Husband was very proud of himself when he pointed out the “mini bell jar is full of bells” … 

Thanks to the surplus of tea cups from our wedding this year, I had the idea to hang some dainty numbers from our tree with pretty ribbon. Note: I’d advise you only try this if you have a fake tree where you can bend the branches completely back on themselves to make sure there are no porcelain victims. This is especially vital if there are furry paws lurking.

The only decorations I didn’t revamp were my trusty, old seasonal switch place covers. You can check out my tutorial here on how to make them if you’re curiosa.

You can barely see it above, but this  pinecone garland deal is going on below our shelf this year. God bless Pinterest. 

And it wouldn’t be right if I didn’t get some hydrangea action going on this Christmas. These babies are made as simply as the picture shows below. No instructions necessary. I whipped up 6 of them in 20 minutes. Thanks again to Press Gang Supplies for the ab fab ribbon. Getting some seriously good use out of it.

Faux stag head from Marks & Spencer gets an honourary faux garland, and a close up of some of the delights on our tree. 

Yesterday we went to Farmleigh’s Christmas Fair where we royally stuffed our faces with the most incredible food, and I couldn’t resist picking up 3 of these decorative cabbages. These babies are 3 feet long. Each. It was quite the task mashing them into a vase last night. I must post a picture of them as they are incredible next to the faux stag set up going on on our shelf. 
Last but not least, below is a pic of our Toshi inspecting the Christmas tree. Now that I look at this picture, I realize how many baubles are now missing from this area … 
I hope you are all prepared for the Christmas season ahead! I can’t wait to do some serious baking, sleeping in, movie watching and general messing about the house. HURRY UP, CHRISTMAS. 
xx A
Custom Christmas – part 1, part 2 and part 3.

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Retail therapy

At long last, it has arrived! I was like a giddy school child when our Karlsson flip clock was delivered last week, where I was distracted for a full 10 minutes at my desk, flipping all the flaps.

But what broke my heart – once I told husband I had ordered said clock two weeks ago, he fessed up and told me he was planning on ordering it for me for Christmas. Queue avalanche upon avalanche of guilt. My heart is still sore. He’s so sickly thoughtful.

The clock looks tres teeny and out of place up on the shelf. Also, from that height everything is reflected in it, especially when you’re on the couch. I’m thinking of hanging it below the shelf, next to the tv, which completely eliminates light reflection. P.s. sorry for the shoddy graphics today folks. I’ve been too pooped to dedicate time to Photoshop this past week. P.p.s. Batteries are to this clock as cocaine is to Charlie Sheen. It literally eats them by the pound.
I had recently been on the hunt for a new bag. This is probably not a big deal for regular ladies, but considering my bag for the past two years was a €2 charity shop find, I needed something a little more ‘grown up’. However, it turns out I am picky as fuck. It took me three weeks and just as I was giving up, this little burgundy number c/o Mischa Barton popped up. Yes please. 

I couldn’t not post a picture of these IKEA Margareta slippers. All I will say is don’t be so quick to judge. They are literally duvets for your feet. Seriously. Perfectly reserved for couch snuggling for this time of year.

And lastly, a bit of bling. I’ve been a bit obsessed with this cardigan clip from New Look. It makes me feel like a fancy librarian. I had something similar to this installed in my chest a couple of years ago {microdermal implants}. I’ve been contemplating writing about them. They were basically {semi} permanent jewelry, except my skin rejected them after a year. But that’s a story for a different day …

Well homies, I’m feeling a little under the weather, so I’m looking forward to heading home after work and sticking some girly Christmas movies on – The Holiday, Bridget Jones, or Love Actually. Plus a massive bowl of something yummy. 

xxA

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Custom Christmas colours – part 2

In keeping with my project ‘less 365‘ purging, this year I decided to revamp our existing Christmas decorations in stead of buying in new sets and adding to the overall shower of shite in our apartment. Also contributing to the greater good of ‘reduce, reuse, recycle‘. 
I however, will warn you in advance – the pictures are a bit crap. Have you ever tried taking pictures of Christmas decorations, sans Christmas tree? It took me three attempts to arrange them, before shoving them into a crystal bowl . Onwards to my shitty kitchen pictures!

In keeping with our burgundy, aubergine and metallic decor, I wrapped, taped, sprayed and vajazzled our existing ornaments to give them a little holiday face lift. Nothing too strenuous. Something that could be tackled whilst in front of the TV and wine glass in hand. Well, I set it down at times.
Since I have a plethora of yarn at hand, the above was the easiest approach I took to my baubles. It works great on glittered baubles, as they have a bit of a sandpaper-esque texture, and the yarn stays on with no fuss. I have varying degrees of yarned balls, from completely covered, to bits of gold peeking through. 
I’m quite proud of this one as it gives the most impact for least amount of effort. I took a plain silver bauble, secured a piece of double-sided tape around the middle, and smooshed black glitter onto the tape. And voila! Instant glam, and no glue involved. Top that baby with some lovely ribbon, and there you have it.
I have a couple more ideas for our decorations, but I didn’t get around to making them all just yet. 
For the record, here’s what our decorations looked like before. Nothing wrong with them, and they’ve served us well for a number of years, but they’re your standard department store decorations and I wanted something new this year. Even old treasured Christmas teddy gets a new pink bow. 

More pictures and ideas to come once we decorate this weekend! Really looking forward to it as I heart Christmas so much. Classic tunes, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and a bit of mulled wine never hurt anyone. 
Happy Friday everyone! xx A

Custom Christmas – part 1, part 2, and part 3.