The Great Holiday Hostess

The Great Holiday Hostess-

Hosting is defined as the art of graciously welcoming guests into your home. As the winter holiday season arrives, don’t just deck your halls with fabulously festive seasonal décor – remember, too, gestures of hospitality that demonstrate your thoughtfulness are top priority. From easy flowing furniture arrangements to the smallest personal details, it’s amazingly easy to make each of your holiday guests feel welcome and comfortable. The best thing about the holidays is spending time with family and friends to enjoy celebrations and share traditions - and having as much fun as your guests is the surest sign you’re a great hostess!



Five Senses for the Holidays

Sight: Gather miniature twinkle lights and place them under a glass cake cover on a footed cake stand to create a glowing display. Choose mix and match jewel-tone chargers, and stemware paired with your white china for a kaleidoscopic hued table arrangement. Add strands of colored beads tied up as napkin rings.

Touch: Place a small trunk or decorative box by the front door filled with warm, cuddly slippers for your visitors. Add layers on chairs and sofas with chunky, thick, luxurious throws. Provide plenty of white and red boas and an array of Santa hats for guests to adorn themselves.

Taste: Create conversation and make your holiday party memorable by featuring Napa inspired appetizers along with a wine and cheese tasting. For the kids - a table setup for "make-your-own" mini pizzas. Have plenty of fun toppings, pita bread and water crackers, and bottled pizza spread on hand.

Sound: For that magical jingle-jangle, hang wreaths or ribbons adorned with tons of bells on all your doors. Nothing says "Welcome" more than the crackle of a fire, favorite holiday tunes on the stereo, great conversation, and the laughter of children.

Smell: In addition to the aromas created in the kitchen, incorporate candles and oils featuring seasonal scents such as cinnamon, cranberry, gingerbread, frankincense and peppermint throughout the house. Consider tossing dried herbs or cedar chips on the fire in the fireplace for added scent-sations.



Finishing Touches

Swap out typical chandelier shades and chain covers for brilliant hued or shiny ones, or get crafty with added trims or other adornments. Drape evergreen, floral, fruit or ornamental garlands through the arms of chandeliers and wall sconces.

Encourage the creative side of your kiddos and have them craft one-of-kind ornaments for party guests. Use their creations for double duty -- first as place cards for dinner seating, then as unique take-home gifts with special memories.

Utilize your Good Bones serving pieces. Oversized martini or daiquiri glasses not only work well at the bar area to hold olives or lemon twists, but also on the buffet filled with dips, dressings, or spreads.

Hip Holiday Trends

As we slip into the holiday decorating season, one my wonder what's "in" to suggest to your clients when refreshing their seasonal collections?

Personalize It - Monograms! Add a font or two to textiles, containers, glass pieces, ornaments or door wreaths to give their seasonal wares a signature look. Don't forget to take that same theme right into their entertaining items too. (Ornament from: http://www.themonogramdivas.com/ )

Individuality - Make it Your Own. Introduce a new accent color to your traditional color scheme of green and red. Try metallic lime green, hot magenta, a plumy purple or burnt oranges to infuse a bit of unique into your holiday decor repertoire. (Wreath from: http://www.overstock.com/ )

Au Naturale - With Eco-Green still running strong, advise your clients to go natural with forced bulbs such as amaryllis or paperwhites as centerpieces. Rather than using silks, incorporate real greens, branches, pods and berries into their decor. Consider natural fibers as a juxtaposition to all the satins and velvets.

HGTV Dining Room Transformation!

See what Julea does for an empty space, for new homeowners on My First Place.

Re-Air Times December 8th and December 22nd. 7:00 pm CST! http://www.hgtv.com/my-first-place/picky-and-plugging-away/index.html

The 2nd home in a series of 4 - From furniture selection to finishing touches, see how Julea takes a space from plain and empty to elegant & entertainment ready!

Paint Transformation

It is amazing what a bit of color on you walls can do!

A new client had built a lovely custom home, but had struggled choosing paint colors, so had stared at "Contractor White" walls for 4 years.

Here's what a new color palette can do -

1.) Create mood within a space.

2.) Emphasizes key architectual focal points.

3.) Enriches the furniture and/or elements of the room.

4.) Sets and defines the stage, for additional decorating - IE. Window treatments.

Paint choices chosen: Sherwin Williams
Great Room - Golden Fleece SW-6388 Fireplace wall Arresting Auburn SW-6034
Kitchen - Compatible Cream SW-6387

Fabric choice for kitchen & family room

Tread Carefully When Seasonally Staging/Decorating Your Home

I'll be getting interviewed for our local paper in 1 hour on Holiday Decorating & Entertaining. After spending the weekend compiling my thoughts and doing a bit detective work, here is my thoughts on Holiday Decor for your home.

Retail can be overwhelming; you can be swayed and tempted a few times within an isle these days. From new color combinations in the ornament lane, to adorable tiny bales of hay - Retailers aim for you to spend. So here is a philosophy to apply when seasonally decorating -
· When seasonally staging/decorating a home keep true to the bones of the home and the decorative style of the interior. Be very careful when dressing and styling the home to keep in-tune to the price point, architecture, and decorative interior style of the home whether it is for sale or not.

Example: A Colonial looks best with classic seasonal decor on the outside - The burlap Hoe-Down theme looks out-of-place with the classic lines and refinery of the home. Instead, replant your entry Urns with seasonal finds - Tall grasses, mums, kale, pumpkins or gourds. Or create a bit of whimsy with a pumpkin topiary by stacking graduated sized pumpkins within the urns. Symmetry is key when working with formal style.

Example: Inside: IN this same style home an entry or dining table looks festive with a fall inspired floral in an eye-catching container of polished copper or silver. Apple baskets or primitive wood containers will not be in-tuned to the home's style. Instead, mix in a bit of everlasting pods, berries or branches to bring a bit of the "nature" trend alive. Purchase plaid or a fall colored stripe yardage from a local fabric store for use as runners or simple throws. The plaid or stripe pattern will pair beautifully with your traditional interior design. Want to create that cozy feel - Look for throws in a small pile "fur" such as sheared mink.

On that same note, it is a struggle these days to find the time to even consider not using paper plates, paper table clothes and throw away serving trays when hosting a celebration. DON"T! Unless you have over 60 coming, paper is just a no-no. Whether it is a Broker's open or a Holiday gathering for friends and family, take the extra effort and make it special.

Example: Broker's Open/Casual Gathering - If you have to get "throw-away," purchase clear plastic or at least the paper square plates in a solid color. Crazy patterns and motif only fight with what is on the plate, and if they're extra cute, become the conversation rather than the home... Transfer the chow to new platters. If the food is store bought, by this simple move, it goes ready-made to home-made. From thrown together, to thought out. Add a bouquet of fresh seasonal flowers, a "with compliments" bag of pumpkin seeds with your card attached, and you've just made a great statement.

Room Makeover Services - As Easy as 1,2,3

1st recommended by her Realtor when she 1st arrived in the Chicago land area from Louisville in 2007, my new client wanted to put her stamp on her new home. We used what she already owned, and made her new home hers with a new wall color paint palette and interior redesign.
Three years later, relocated again - I'm at it again with her new home in Indiana.

If you're read to make a change, or have just moved into a new home, Room Makeovers are great way to revitalizing a home. Also know as interior arrangement, or redesign, this decorating technique celebrates the homeowner's existing things. By using the client's own pieces, it validates past purchases, embraces family treasures and readies a space for new decorating ideas or purchases.

1. Color Consultation - Often times a new homeowner wants to start decorating their new home from the get-go. Gone with the old homeowners, in with color choices in-tune to her belongings and personal style.



2. Interior Redesign- We take what you have and make it all work within your new home. In a few hours, your blank space becomes your space. Your room becomes balanced, functional and unified. Best of all, you get instant gratification, validate your existing pieces, and readies the space for family and friends. If added items are desired, I'll create a "wish list" of things that will enhance the room further.



3. Shopping & Traditional Design Services- If you'd like to refresh and add to your collections, I can make suggestion or shop for those new pieces. I too offer more traditional design service such as window treatments and one-of-kind accents such as custom floral arrangements to add those finishing touches to your space.

End Result: A home you can call you own, without the stress of thinking you have to buy ALL NEW. A space you can entertain and live-in within a few weeks of moving in.

"The thing I love about you Julea is that I would of thought to put everything back just the way you had it in my old home, instead your found a whole different way of arranging and displaying my things to fit into my new home - creating something fresh and new." - Angela

Cranberry Chicken

October Recipe of the Month – Cranberry Chicken
This month’s recipe came from my good friend Susie – Who said it’s not really a recipe but a totally delicious meal made from a few ingredients. Of course, I had to put a Julea spin on it…

Table Setting of the Month: Welcome the new season with a smart new center piece. I found this adorable cat topiary at my local grocery store (Jewel,) and paired it with a fall swag unearthed from my many “Fall Decorating “ boxes. Twisted and circled into a wreath for the topiary to sit in. Drape your table with pumpkin hued fabric and adorn the top with an ethnic rug usually found on my wall for the fall season. My lovely Italian artichoke colored plates with olive motif make for a nice setting, along with this year’s Birthday gift serving pieces from my Dad and his wife (http://www.qvc.com/)

Cranberry Chicken
Ingredients:
4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
¾ cup Catalina Salad Dressing
1 14oz. can of Whole Cranberry Sauce
½ Envelope of Onion Soup Mix
Instructions: Heat oven to 350. In a large baking dish, combine all ingredients, except chicken and mix well. Add chicken, bake for 1 hour.

Sided with: Halved Acorn Squash baked for 1hour 15 minutes. Sprinkled with rosemary, sea salt and pepper, wrapped in foil.
Uncle Ben’s Long Grain & Wild Rice – Herb Roasted Chicken flavor.