Selasa, 02 Desember 2014

Shades of grey in the perfect Swedish apartment

I love December. Dark days are brightened by twinkling fairy lights and lit candles. And chairs made comfy by big sheepskin throws. So cosy! Grey is the colour du jour this December and it's been warmly embraced by this Gothenburg apartment. The apartment itself is so spacious and has beautiful bones which lends itself to a multitude of fab decorating ideas.  You can catch a glimmer of the festive season through the mini Christmas tree and hyacinths. I could pad about here for the day, how about you?! 














Stadshem
Where to start?! The beautiful wood floor? the angled walls? The extended open clothes rail in the bedroom? This apartment is like a master class in creating the perfect space!

A few items I know and love: Z1 cotton lamp, striped basket (free shipping today), HAY tray table, Eames DSR chair, Panton chair. The golden bell light and grey blanket are similar. The cluster glass ball light is by House Doctor, it's so great isn't it? I'm seeing it more and more in scandinavian inspired homes.

A little note to mention today is the last day to receive free shipping on all items from Great.ly - so if you're after pretty Christmas decorations, or presents (a cute clutch for a friend or a print for yourself) today's the day!

Have a fab day and see you tomorrow! 

Senin, 01 Desember 2014

Una casa llena de luz

Si os gustan las casas llenas de luz y alegría integradas con la naturaleza que las rodea, 
esta casa os va a encantar con todos sus rincones llenos de encanto-









Gracias por tu visita ¡Vicky!

Holiday Decor | Our Christmas Tree


The childhood thrill of putting up our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving has not faded.  It's been our family tradition as long as I can remember and we've continued it in our house.  I still get giddy even anticipating the tree, but seeing it actually come together with all the decor and listening to Christmas songs while we add the ornaments is a favorite time of the whole year. 











It's a beautiful thing to observe my young son getting the same thrill of decorating the tree that I have.  He kept asking when we could decorate and this year, he was actually so helpful and ended up placing most of the ornaments on the tree himself.  I shared this picture on Instagram and captioned it "It's perfect" because it's so sweet to watch little kids cluster all the ornaments together at the bottom of the tree where they can reach.  I die of cuteness! 










When I pulled out the step-stool, he definitely wanted to climb up and add the ornaments to the higher parts of the tree.  










I wanted to give our tree a special pop this year and am smitten with lettering in the Christmas tree.  I was thinking about what I wanted our tree to say and, "O Holy Night" was my first thought.  I liked it because it keeps the focus on Jesus' birth, but Hobby Lobby was out of Os in the size I wanted (and that were on sale).  I stood there in the aisle contemplating the words I could create with the letters they had and when "Oh What Fun" occurred to me, I realized I could use a snowflake for the "O" and that would be cute.  












Since we have a pretty tall tree (9 feet), I went with large letters that are 8 inches tall and made of chipboard.   










I spray painted them white and sprinkled white glitter on them to make them shimmer.













Back inside, I hot glued each word to a strip of ribbon and then just snuggled the letters into the tree and tied the ribbon to a branch.  So far, so good, they've stayed put.  You can see some pinecones I spray painted and glittered inside the tree too. 















We've got a few faux presents under the tree just to give it some life until Santa comes. They are actually all the same presents I've used in the past, except for the new black botanical paper from Target. 



















Our "Believe" pillow from years ago at Hobby Lobby is a holiday mainstay and sits on the Stratton chair from the newly launched Birch Lane.  Have you had a chance to peruse their website?  They have some great holiday decor on sale now as well as 20% off entertaining and tabletop and also lighting.  














And do you spy that little pillow hanging on the door? 









I picked it up at the Houston Nutcracker Market and it comes with a key that says "santa" and a pocket in the back.  We'll have to put it on the front door on Christmas Eve. 









This large red canvas gift bag is another find from the Nutcracker Market this year.  I told my son that it's for Santa to put presents in.









Of course, the real magic happens when the tree is plugged in and the white lights sparkle and shine. 














I ended up loving the "Oh what fun" message.  Life is hard.  We could all use some fun.  Especially during the holidays! 






I'm thankful to be included in my friend Bridget (Windgate Lane) "Welcome to the Season" blog hop where 10 bloggers will be ringing in the holiday season by sharing a peek into their holiday decor today.  I hope you stop by! 



















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If you're looking to take advantage of the CYBER MONDAY sales, here are some deals to check out, of course, online only! 





Ann Taylor (code CYBER50) and Loft (code MONDAY) have 50% off everything.  Ann Taylor is a favorite store of mine lately.  That's where I got my lovebird sweater and star button-down top





Banana Republic, GAP, and Old Navy are offering 40% off (code CYBER).  



Michael Kors has up to 50% off handbags + Free Shipping.





Nordstrom has up to 40% off and extra points for cardholders (Level 1 cardholder =  2x the points per net dollar. Level 2-4 = 10 points per net dollar.) Works at Nordstrom Rack too. 




Amazon has Cyber Monday deals all week on clothes, toys, electronics, tools, books, etc. After James goes to bed tonight, hubby and I will turn into Santa's elves and order some Christmas gifts for him. Top of his list is this and this! (which is fine by me!)





Nespresso Coffee Machines: Earn $100 credit when you purchase a machine valued at $199 or more.  Go here to learn more. 









affiliate links used










The unique and fabulous home of a Swedish stylist

Hello! I hope you're having a great start to the week?! Mine just got a whole lot better after discovering the home of Swedish stylist Marie Olsson Nylander and her family which is currently for sale (I know, hurry!). Situated in Höganäs, a small town in Skåne, Sweden not far from where my parents-in-law live, Marie's home is teeming with unique finds and blends morroccan, industrial, vintage and rustic styles for an entirely unique look. This isn't the first time I've admired Marie's work, her previous home in Arild is one of the most popular homes ever to be featured on my sandinavian home. Enjoy the tour....













Marie Olsson NylanderValvet.  


What a fabulous home, don't you think?! I love the dark grey and gold combination. Is there anything that stands out to you?

Höganäs really is a great town. Whenever I am up visiting my parents-in-law I always take the time to pop into Magasin 36 for brunch and a shop. I can highly recommend a visit.

Before I shoot off, two things. First, I'm so excited to introduce a new sponsor today. Philadelphia based jewelers Bario Neal creates stunning jewelry using reclaimed precious metals including Fairmined gold, ethically sourced stones and low-impact environmentally conscious practices. I'd be delighted to receive any one of their beautiful pieces for Christmas (please let my husband read today's post....). I'm particularly in love with their collection of bands and bracelets. And those engagement rings....sigh.

Thanks to everyone for entering the Daniel Wellington give-away at the weekend. The winner will be notified today, All is not lost if your name doesn't come up - you can receive 15% off ant timepiece using the code myscandinavianhome (valid until 31st December). Perfect!

Have a lovely day!