If you haven’t sent out your Holiday cards yet, you are not the only one.  I usually send them out by now but this year it’s been a bit crazier and here I am kind of rushing.  I usually send out personalized cards, especially to my clients and even though family cards are very cute and once you have a family you feel tempted, I do not send out cards with family pictures on them because not everybody has children.  And for some reason I don’t understand, not everybody loves to see other people’s children on cards.  For those who don’t personalize cards these cards at Crane are beyond chic.  Enjoy!

All Images from Crane & Co.

White Christmas decoration can be soothing and magical but colorful, unique and fun Christmas decor are more appealing to me.  I found these unique ideas at French Elle magazine and loved them.  I’ve never seen anything like this done again, especially the umbrella used as a tree with hanging ornaments.  I think it would be very appropriate for homes with kids.  Something that would also be very fun is to decorate a tent with ribbon garlands with ornaments hanging down all over the tent.  The top image is more on the kids side as well.  Love love love the lighting cascading down the wall.  The trees seem to be made out of bags?  Enjoy!

images from French Elle

The most wonderful time of the year is knocking on our door to come in and literally shake us in our chairs.  My heart is beating with excitement at just listening the songs and smelling the so pleasant smell of pine cone everywhere I go.  I haven’t yet started decorating the house, but this year we’ll do small vignettes, just like last year.  I posted some images of my home from Christmas time last year.  Two or three tabletop Christmas trees and we’ll be ready to really suck in the whole spirit of this time of the year.  Enjoy!

Large ornaments laying around the house is a very unique and modern way of setting your home for Christmas.

Hanging a pretty set or ornaments of a mirror corner or a painting is simple but valid.

 

top image via NYSD rest from Living Etc.

A friend of mine recently told me she hasn’t seen a Christmas decoration in orange. I immediately reminded her of this image I posted last Christmas by the glamorous Mary Mcdonald. Once I got home, I started browsing through my old issues of Veranda magazine when I came across these images that were published December 2005. This stunning 16th-c home located in France’s Loire Valley region belongs to San Francisco designer Stephen Shubel. The house is filled with antiques, vintage and new furniture pieces and decorated with crystal, silver candelabrum, mercury glass accessories from Mis En Demeure in Paris and old decorative papers wrap gifts. There are more images of this home in Stephen Shubel’s website.

“A living nativity scene is created by costume townsfolk in the ancient town square outside the home’s front door. Sights and sounds of the season, complete with the caroling of bells from a church on the square, transform this otherwise quiet place” How magical should this be. Sometimes we forget the real meaning of Christmas and just reading this makes my heart fill up with awe.

Photos scanned by/for Bellevivir by Thibault Jeanson via Veranda.