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Julea Joseph

Julea Joseph
Hello - I'm Julea

Hello-

A stylish home shouldn't be out of your reach or cost you a fortune. From entertaining to decorating, home should be celebrated and your special place in this busy world. Join me on my adventures to enhance, celebrate and appreciate all things home.

Symphony

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Thanksgiving Hosting - Decorating Tips and Hostess Techniques





Ah...Thanksgiving. Its essence, just that one word, makes us think of family, friends, good conversation, and celebrating the simple joy of giving thanks for what we have. No need to feel harried as a host or hostess - follow these decorating tips and hosting techniques and you'll be relaxed and ready to celebrate this great holiday.


Decorating.
Fall harvest items such as gourds, dried corn, and pumpkins are the perfect decorating collection for Thanksgiving.  You may already have a stash, but you can always add to your collection by shopping your grocery store's produce department. Head outside and collect some fallen leaves, dried vines, pods and berry branches. If you want to add a bit of twinkle, cut a few longer branches, pop them into a floor vase and add string lighting for that holiday glow.    

Use the Good China.
Dig out the good stuff. Whether it’s your own, or you inherited it, you'll set a sophisticated atmosphere and an old-school flair by using the real deal. My favorite tradition is to use favorite pieces of those relatives no longer with us - It's like they are part of the celebration. And it’s not just to be used to serve on; you can add a battery operated votive to a wine glass, a silver coffee pot as a vase, or create a mini floral arrangement in one of Grandma's old tea cups - perfect for little touch of green in the powder room and a nostalgic note.


Photo Source - Pinterest



Set the Table Properly.  
Thanksgiving dinner has many courses, make sure you set the table to accommodate. Just remember forks to the left, wine to the right.

Photo Source - Emily Post

Instant Centerpiece.
Keep that centerpiece low and long. A simple, quick, yet effective centerpiece, is creating a 'runner' with small pumpkins, gourds, dried corn, pomegranates (or other fruit), dried leaves, etc. I use an old door mirror as my base, but you can use anything, a series of place mats, rustic wood, slate tiles. This will give you an anchor, a stamp to start building the centerpiece. Add the decor items, then sprinkle in candles, and weave in a string or two of those battery operated wired twinkle lights - instant centerpiece!

Photo Source Country Living

Not a Cook?  
From local food stores to on-line sources, many places offer precooked menus delivered right to you. All you have to do heat, and pop them into one of your serving pieces. (No one will know!) You can also enlist your guests and have them bring a specific dish or a beverage. Even better, have them bring a dish in a dish that they inherited. Now that will create a great dinner conversation!

And with that, I wish you and yours a beautiful and thankful holiday.


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Witches Tea Party - Milk Bottle Party Favors


At my annual Witches Tea Party I always send my dearly departing witches home with a party favor.  

This year's party favor was a mini milk bottle with Halloween candies with a witchy tag and spooky key. Once the candy is devoured, the favor is still a great Halloween decor item.

Halloween party
Witches Tea Party Favors

Get the Look

Mini Milk Bottles:  Small, with a cork top. I found mine at Tuesday Morning.  But Amazon has plenty.  Amazon Link.

Keys:  The key ingredient to the favor. These funky Halloween inspired keys were the perfect focal point to the favor. Tim Holtz Idea-ology. 

Tags:  Found when checking out at Joann's fabrics. 
Ms Sparkle & Co (Joann Fabrics)

Raffia: You may already have some white or black yarn, ribbon or raffia. White and Black  (Michaels)

Candy: The one and only! Candy corn combined with jellies. Yum.

Instructions:  Pop bottles in the dishwasher and allow to dry for a few days.  Add candy and secure cork firmly.  Cut raffia a bit long to double tie around neck of bottle. Create slip knot with key and tag.  Trim ends.

I stacked the favors on a three tiered serving stand and added it to the spooky decor.
Halloween Party Ideas
Witches Tea Party - Party Favors Display


Please stop back later to see more of my Witchy ideas and decor from my annual witches tea!  -Julea.


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From House to Home – How to Make Your New House Your Own



“Pick one room and make it yours. Go slowly through the house. Be polite, introduce yourself so it can introduce itself to you.”  Frances Mayer - Under the Tuscan Sun


The keys are yours!  You’ve gone through the process... the searching, deciding, inspection, stress, closing and finally, the elation of buying a new home.  Now, you have to make it your own. Here’s how.


Color -  Paint is the least expensive, easiest way to update a space.  It can individualize a room and put your personal stamp on your home. Pick your color style -  From modern farmhouse neutrals, to Boho bold colors, whatever is in your style files (Pinterest, HOUZZ, tear-sheets), color can showcase it.  And color doesn’t have to be just on the walls - If you want to keep the wall color simple, infuse color with your furniture, art or accessory choices.  Get your craft on by painting a piece of furniture, or recover your dining chairs seats with new fabric. Try trending wallpaper on a single accent wall or power room. Create a signature look with a statement making front door color. With color, the change is quick, easy and all you.
From House to Home – How to Make Your New House Your Own

Your Favorite Things -  Home should hold your beautiful art, furniture, passed down family treasures and loved flowers in your garden beds.  Simple daily rituals with favorite things, cozy slippers slipped on at the end of day, or tossing your keys into that old bowl, will infuse you into the home.  It could be something new that defines your new chapter of home. That perfect comfy sofa you spied, a fresh new style that you’ve wanted to try out, fun new pillows to add a splash to a patio set. By incorporating these favorite things - you’ll become instantly grounded in your new space.

From House to Home – How to Make Your New House Your Own

Make Your Bed!  A bed is your personal haven and cocoon.  Dressing your bed makes your home environment feel luxurious.  Even if the bedroom still has boxes, you can sleep well with a beautifully made bed. Make your bed so that every time you see it, you want to jump into it.  I like to mix old with new. New, fresh, very fancy (the best you can afford) sheets, a stylish linen duvet set slipped over your old favorite down comforter and pillows. Pair the bedding with Grandma’s quilt or your favorite throw at the end of the bed and you'll be ready for a great night's sleep.
From House to Home – How to Make Your New House Your Own

Room to Room - This is where you channel Frances Mayer, the character from "Under the Tuscan Sun" - by going room to room to make it yours. Don’t try to tackle the entire home’s decorating and styling needs, instead, try to work on the spaces you spend the most time in first.


From House to Home – How to Make Your New House Your Own

5 Senses - Nothing says home more than seeing, smelling, hearing, tasting, and feeling your favorites things of home. Put out those family photos, beloved books, play music, light some candles in your favor scent, open your favorite wine and curl up on that fluffy sofa and celebrate home!  

From House to Home – How to Make Your New House Your Own


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5 Furniture Pieces You Should Take With You When You Move



As an interior stylist, I get to work with clients moving out, moving in, or just wanting a change to their home environment. Many times, clients are not sure which furniture pieces should make the transition to a new home. Whether you are downsizing, upsizing or even furniture shopping,  these 5 furniture classics can be used in just about any room and for multiple purposes - and I’ll tell you why.


#1 The Drop Leaf Table. If you have been lucky enough to have inherited one, keep it in your grip, and pass it down to our favorite person. A drop-leaf table is a table that has a fixed section in the center and hinged sections (leaf) on either side that can be folded down. Perfect for any space, it can serve in a foyer or behind a sofa. It's the perfect dinette table tucked into a niche with one side down or it can be fully extended to host a evening dinner. If you don’t like the finish, paint it.
Drop Leaf Table Decorating Ideas (Photos - Source)


#2 . Parson Chairs. Today's chairs are inspired by a 1930’s designer at Parsons School of design in Paris. Usually upholstered, these classic, all-purpose chairs can be used in a dining room as side or head chairs, moved to a living room for extra seating, sit solo in a foyer or bedroom, and can be reupholstered in infinite ways - skirted, unskirted, slipcovered, etc.


Parsons Chair Ideas  (Photos - Source)



#3. Parsons Tables. These beautiful, clean lined, modern tables can serve as dining, console, cocktail or side tables. It’s perfect, simple design, (also created at the Parsons School of design in Paris) can slip, seamlessly into any style or home environment.  

Parsons Tables

#4 The Wingback Chair. Back in the no central heating days, they were used to warm yourself by the fire and the ‘winged’ back kept away the drafts by embracing you within the chair. Today they come in a variety of styles, materials and shapes, but always in that classic shape. A wingback chair can adjust to any room from dining to master, in singles or pairs.

5 furniture pieces you should take with you when you move
Wingback Chair Decorating Ideas (Photos - Source)

#5 A Trunk. Every ancestor had them in their homes. They moved with them, holding what they most treasured. The trunk is a symbol of the concept of moving. Instant conversation makers, whether new or old, because of what they stand for - trunks are always a furniture focal point. They can be used for storage at the end of bed, as a table in a living space, in a mudroom or back entrance. Trunks can be refreshed with paint, taller by adding 4 legs, and protected with a glass top. You should move with yours as well.

5 Furniture Pieces You Should Take With You When You Move
Trunk Decorating Ideas (Photos - Source)

Join me for my next post on  5 Accessories you need to take with you when you move!

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