Holiday Decorating...Naturally

This post comes a little late in the game, as I am not known for exceptional holiday decorating skills (however I am working at improving this!). I have never had a real tree before and this year I decided to put one in the store. A 7-8' white pine was just the tree for my first go at this.

Amanda had ordered us some great ornaments that we are selling and mixed with some others I bought at Target a few years ago our tree was coming along. But what for the top? After a few days of brainstorming I had an idea. Remember the lovely Book Wreath we made for the DIFFA auction? That could be done in the fashion of a tree topper! I put my talented assistant, Katie to work on it and within about an hour or so she whipped this beauty up!

I call the style of our tree "Naturally Modern". It is simple and holds its own done sparsely but could also be layered with more for a bigger impact.

A burlap skirt with some shiny gold & silver wrapped presents is pretty.

The hand carved owls, silvery/gold orbs and bells are for sale at the store (click here to see an up close image with pricing or to order). The white balls, pinecones and small mercury glass ornaments are from Target.

The tree topper is made from rolled up and hot glued pages of a book.

Enjoy the season,

Jaclyn

DIFFA KC

Next Saturday, November 19th, DIFFA KC will host their annual Holidays By Design soiree at the Historic Firestone Building. Many folks in the design community, among others, create unique holiday decor to donate for the silent auction. Its always a fun event, viewing these works of art while walking around sipping a cocktail and listening to live music.

DIFFA is a leading non profit whose mission is to fund HIV and AIDS prevention and awareness educational programs.

Every year we donate a wreath for the auction and this year we will have two! Come party with us and snag a little holiday cheer for your home, you won't be disappointed! Buy your tickets here.

The Book Wreath

I will be on NBC Action News Sunday morning, November 13th at 8:40am to promote the event and demonstrate how to make this beautiful book wreath. I hope to see you next weekend!

-Jaclyn

The Safari Table

I don't normally do "crafty". Its just not my thing. There are plenty of times I wish I was more crafty and I often kick myself for never having learned to sew (I know its never too late!). For this years DIFFA (Design Industry Foundation Fighting AIDS) Dining By Design event I had a change of heart. I was having an urge to do something the opposite of pretty, floral or delicate. I didn't necessarily want bold/graphic either..in other words I was looking to be a bit unexpected and crafty coming from me felt unexpected.

Mind you, I didn't go crazy with the crafting, and serious crafters may think this is a joke, but here is how I constructed our "Safari Table":


I bought a pop up canopy tent from Dick's Sporting Goods for $99 and a bolt of tulle from Hobby Lobby (the "mosquito" netting). After cutting the tulle it was hot glued around the inside of the tent.
We found the pendants in the West Bottoms at the First Friday sales. The chargers and napkin rings were reused from our DIFFA table of two years ago!

No flowers here: just a cool mix of interesting tropical like plants.

I knew I wanted eggs on the table...why eggs? I don't know, they seemed weird and interesting as well as an inexpensive prop. I dyed them with a variety of agents such as Irish Breakfast tea bags (I think I used around 15 in the pot!), grape juice and black food dye. I let them soak for several hours. The small ones in the bowl above are actually quail eggs and are naturally like that!

The other elements at the table were accessories from the store: the shiny silver antler candlesticks were perfect for the theme and added a new element to the rustic setting. The rug is a dyed patchwork Tarkan that we got in shop just in the nick of time! The egg bowls are paper mache.

The final element to the crafting portion of the table was the tablecloths. At the last minute I decided that burlap tablecloths were the missing link to completing my design. After the helpful folks at JoAnn's fabrics helped me to determine the amount of yardage I needed, I was left to my own devices on how to turn the material into two round tablecloths. Thank goodness for google! I cut two even pieces of fabric and put them together to make a large square. Since I do not own a sewing machine I had to do it by hand and so why not make a cool cross stitch detail that highlights the seam versus me trying to hide a poorly done one.

While I doubted the outcome several times along the way, I admittedly was quite pleased with the way it turned out! The table may look a bit understated, but I was running around like a mad woman all week fine tuning the details; the complexity seemed to lie in the simplicity of it all.

DIFFA: Holidays By Design 2009

Last year was our first year participating in DIFFA'S Holidays by Design. We went simple and small, not really knowing what to expect. This year we knew better. Designers in Kansas City go all out to create holiday decor that is auctioned off to support the prevention of HIV and AIDS. From whimsical and campy to elegant and extravagant, the designs run the gamut. This year we decided to do something a little different. Instead of creating a wreath to hang on a door or the wall, we made a chandelier to hang from the ceiling; after all we are a furniture store!

Here is our chandelier along with some of the other beautiful creations made by local designers.

Gardens by Design: DIFFA/KC's garden tour

Last Saturday I joined the Gardens by Design garden tour, presented by DIFFA/KC (Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS).

There were thirteen homes on the garden tour, spanning from downtown's West Side neighborhood, to midtown, Brookside, and Leawood.

We are lucky to have an organization such as DIFFA/KC--made possible by creative and dedicated people in our design community, merging the celebration of design with a great cause.

I was especially struck by the eight gardens and homes in the distinct West Side neighborhood. Composed of a mix of gorgeous revitalized 19th century and modern architectural homes, their lush surroundings make it a true urban oasis.

Each garden had its own unique charm; from artsy and geometrically inspired, to urban vegetable, to whimsical and homespun, sprinkled with statuaries, hidden nooks and treasures.

One thing they all had in common-- you could see and feel each garden was a labor of love, and provide beautiful outdoor retreats for their owners and guests. Thank you to all the homeowners for graciously inviting us in!

For more information on this event and others like it, go to www.diffakc.org

Happy summer,

Amanda

Urban Dwellings Design at KC DIFFA: Dining By Design

Whew!! It has been an intense last few days getting ready for DIFFA's (Design Industry Foundation Fighting AIDS) annual Dining By Design fundraising event! This was our first year of participation, and although it was a little overwhelming at times, it was an extremely gratifying experience for all of us. We were honored to be able to create a beautiful table scape for generous donors to enjoy while eating dinner this Saturday evening. The exhibit hall was also open for viewing Friday night and Saturday morning. Above is a picture of our hard working Sonny doing table set up.
The Urban Dwellings Design girls (left to right): Jaclyn, Katy, Amanda, Friday night at the Table Hop. Below are pictures of our table as well as a few others we found especially beautiful (there were so many table designs that we LOVED-this is really the short version-we are so sorry to not have time to post them all!).
Our plate setting...
Urban Dwellings Design Table!! We were so proud of our creation!
The bird cage had 10 ivy plants inside! Katy and Sonny made origami birds and flowers to hang from the cage. We added real flowers and voila': instant beauty!
Alan Karlin's table was so pretty and well done.
Of course we loved the birds and the bee's table designed by Bergamot & Ivy and Museo.
David Jimenez's fun and vibrant creation-I'll have my cake and eat it too thank you very much!
KC Magazine's lovely table with a breathtaking flower creation by Monica Schafer of Fresh Fleur hanging above.

We are already scheming as to what great design we will be pulling off next year! Cheers!