Happy Holidays

All of us at Visual Jill wish you and your loved ones a wonderful holiday season. This photo from the late 50's shows Jill (left), her older sister Julie, and her lovely mom Brita, who passed away this past May. We'll be thinking of her on Christmas Eve, when her family will open presents and eat lutefisk -- a Norwegian tradition.

May your days be filled with family, friends and peace.

A Festive Holiday Table

Setting the table for guests is perhaps our favorite part of holiday decorating. It's so fun to put all the pieces together -- the place settings, place mats, and of course the centerpiece. For our own holiday table this year we chose to balance bright colors with natural elements, along with a bit of gold (to compliment the rest of the decor in the house).

We found our fabulous succulent centerpiece at Flowerland, and placed it over a runner made from a folded piece of gold fabric. Then we lined up simple colored balls along the base of the wooden box.Our place mats are thick felt circles in the same bright colors, and we used simple white Norwegian plates that Jill inherited from her  mom. The silver is also from Jill's family. It's always special to incorporate some family tradition.

This photo shows the delicate pattern on the plates, and the colorful eclectic ornaments we used as napkin rings.

There are so many other great ideas out there in design blogs and magazines. Here are some of our favorites:

Pinecones become tiny trees when put in silver cups and topped with a star! (via kirtsy, from Good Housekeeping)

White and green are always a powerful combination. (via lolalina, via Fryd + Design)

Old funnels make beautiful candle holders, especially when placed on antique lace. (via Poppytalk, via Sjarmermende Gjenbruk)

And what could be cuter than using alphabet soup letters for your placecards? (from lolalina via Oh Happy Day)

A Little Luxe in our Holiday Decor

Our 2011 Holiday theme is "natural + color" . . . but that doesn't mean there's not room for a little glamour. Inspired by the holiday bling in the fashion world (like this spread from Harper's BAZAAR), this year we decided to mix in just a touch of gold to raise the sparkle quotient.

On our tree, we purchased some gold chain at the hardware store (thanks for the tip, Emily Henderson and HGTV) and turned it into a festive garland, hanging it right next to the color pop garland purchased at Anthropologie. Then we bought some shiny gold fabric and bunched it artfully into our tree skirt. It's all topped off by our golden moon (a nice alternative to the traditional star).

We wove a similar gold chain into the garland that decks our stairwell.

We love the juxtaposition of the shiny gold with the natural greenery.

Top: you can see how simple twinkle lights enhance a rustic straw wreath. Bottom: The gold chain appears once again above our bench . . . leopard + gold + green = subtle holiday glamour!

We added mini-trees made of different materials all around the space. Left, feather trees offset a vase of glowing branches. At right, a rosemary tree sits next to a tiny pine cone tree. The bright turquoise wall, fuchsia ornaments, and red table bring merry shots of color to the scene.

When you're decorating this week, don't be afraid to combine materials and colors. We created a mix of color, rustic textures and a touch of gold . . . what can you create? Let us know in the comments below!