Father’s Day: Decor Gifts for Dad

Father’s Day is one of those holidays where you want to give a gift that shows you really put thought into it. That being said, you also want to choose something that can be functional as well. A decor gift is the perfect combination of the two. One fun idea for a decor gift for the new dads out there is to have your little one hold large letters that spell out “Dad”. This is something that he can hold on to and treasure for years to come. As the child (or children) in the photo grow, he can look back on this photo and remember how he felt when they were so young and he received this thoughtful gift. 

littlekingsnest.blogspot.com

Another Father’s Day decor gift idea is a frame that has something that he is interested in around the outside. The example shown here is from zulily.com and it is a frame with wrenches on the facade. This is the perfect item that could be placed near his work station in the garage, or even his man cave! It creates a perfect combination of his masculine hobby along with his sweet family all in one.

zulily.com

It seems to hold true that most dads have a favorite chair, or spot on the sofa that is “their spot”. This final gift idea we are sharing is the perfect addition to make “their spot” even more special and personal to their needs. It is a known as a “C” table, this is a table that is designed to come up and over the arm of a sofa or chair’s arm. The example shown is from etsy.com and it has places for remotes, magazines, etc. 

etsy.com

Create Your Own

When I’m in line at Qdoba, I can "craft" my own meal, at Panera I can pick and choose different items to create my lunch, too.  A cute little boutique down the road called Caught Ya Lookin let's me take any of their fabrics and they will create one of their bag styles for me.  Call me spoiled, but I love being able to customize things to better suit me.  That’s why I am absolutely in love with the option to create my own fabric design.  I read about it in a newsletter from a fabric vendor and it peaked my interest.  A few weeks later I saw an article about it in a Sherwin Williams publication.  That hooked me, I had to check out this Spoonflower site. 

You can upload your own photo and then play around with the layout to end up with a unique piece that no one else can duplicate.  After exploring the site and creating my own look, I held my breath when it came time for the price tag.  I was pleasantly surprised that the cost was under $40/yard.  You can be hard-pressed to find mass-produced fabrics at that price.  I see a flurry of fabric designing in my near future!  Hope you will try it, too!

January Guest Blogger: Sarah Burton, Event Planning Queen

Sarah Burton, owner of ido Signature Events, Lake Cumberland area’s only wedding & event planning firm! Sarah is also the co-founder of Cumberland Weddings Magazine and an expert on all things etiquette.  So many elements of design and event planning overlap so I often use Sarah as inspiration.  Here is what she had to say about personalized favors:

"As a 26 year old, I often find myself asking the famous question of a toddler, “why?” When Liz presented me with the topic of personalized favors, I had tons of ideas running through my mind, but with that was why in the world do we give favors? At almost every wedding, shower or event we go to, there are always favors, so before I share a couple of awesome ideas with you, I want to take a step back into history about why we have favors. 

Centuries ago, European aristocrats would send their wedding guests home with some type of a miniature gift, called a bonbonniere. Just like now, they were given at other events besides weddings back.  A bonbonniere was a box made of porcelain, crystal, stones or metal, hence why there are little crafty favor boxes today.  Inside of the box you would find delicacies made of sugar.

There are tons of options when it comes to personalized favors for weddings or events; however the most popular are still edible ones. 

These are two fairly new favors that are showing up for different events.  Above are Rice Krispy Personalized Cupcake Flavors.  These would be super cute for a wedding shower, baby shower or bachelorette party or even an event at a salon and spa. On the right are brownie pops, these are perfect for every event.  They could have the initials of the bride and groom, the initial of the guest at each seat, company name, etc.  Brownie pops could also be dipped in pink chocolate or blue chocolate for baby showers too.

Wine bottles are always great favors for events, for 2 reasons: 1) your guest can drink the wine and 2) they’ll keep the bottle.  We have many great wineries now in KY and I always love to keep stuff local.  There are different ways that you can personalize the bottles labels, pictures or even just small stickers.

There are also tons of smaller items that you can use for favors.  I actually recommend hitting the grocery store the day of Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day and Easter – great time to get good treats half price.  If you want to stick with tradition and do a smaller favor and cute packaging there are tons of options for it as well.  One of my favorite places is Nashville Wraps; they have cute boxes in all shapes and sizes.  The picture below is actually some that I purchased there for an event I did.  I wrapped the silver boxes in black ribbon and then included my company sticker on top to hold the ribbon together!

The sky is the limit when it comes to personalization, but I do think that personalization is the key to a good, fun and memorable favor, as many people keep those favors for years to come!"

Sarah can be contacted by phone at 606.307.0156 or through her website http://www.idosignatureevents.com.

Holiday Preview Party

November 3rd from 5 to 7 pm: Grab some friends to come enjoy yummy holiday fare and to get a jumpstart on your gift buying!!  A variety of sample ornaments, glassware, ceramic and canvas gifts will be on display. PLUS a special discount will be given to those who place orders at the event.  You can click here to start getting gift ideas.

The fabulous M.Ellen Designs will also be available that evening- great stationary, calendars and greeting cards with personalization available.  Visit www.mellendesigns.com for all the goods!

 Talk about convenient- all your greeting card and gift needs in one place!!

Here's a list to get you started:

Teachers

Neighbors

Co-workers

Boss

Employees

Sister

Brother

Mom

Dad

Spouse

Kids

Nieces

Nephews

Doctor

Dentist

Vet

Hairstylist

Gal Pals

Secret Santa

Christmas...in August???

As a decorator I have some special privileges, like seeing all the HOT Christmas colors and ideas 5 months in advance.  And let me tell you, I’m excited!  The main color schemes are pretty similar to last year- rich earth tones (bronze, copper, silver), deep jewel tones (turquoise, sapphire), classic colors (black, white, red) and bold colors that I refer to as the 80s revisited (bright pink, purple, electric blue).  If you are a glitz lover, then hold onto your hat because this year is all about glitter , sparkle and shine, giving you an all access pass to go overboard in your holiday decorating.

If these trends aren’t your cup of tea, no worries, take your personal Christmas style and own it.  You can never go wrong with a vintage themed Christmas decorations (think Victorian lace) or rustic and all natural decor complete with fresh pine, family heirloom ornaments and popcorn garland.

Don’t forget that Polka Dots & Rosebuds offers holiday decorating for homes and businesses alike.  Let us help you refresh or replace your tired decor.  Make your appointments early because December will be here before you know it!

Oh, and before I forget….Here’s your personal SAVE THE DATE:

Polka Dots & Rosebuds Holiday Preview Party (for those shoppers who want to get a jumpstart and save a little cash)

Tuesday, November 2^nd

BIG Savings on all custom painted gift orders (ornaments, glassware, canvases, etc)

Mark your calendar and tell all your friends, neighbors and coworkers because they won’t want to miss this!  More details and individual invites to follow.

Get the Look for Less

I am often asked how to re-create stellar looks seen in magazines without spending major cash, so I hope you enjoy me sharing this “get the look for less” piece with you.    

The Setting:

I participate in a fundraiser event called Freedom Fest for the Woodford County Humane Society.  For this event decorators transform horse stalls (on a fabulous Versailles farm) into dining rooms as well as decorate tables under the main party tent where the guests can dine.  This year, I took on a table instead of an entire stall and here is how it all came together…

The Inspiration:

I was really taken in by this photo (House Beautiful).  I am a texture person, so this tabletop decor resonated with me.   I love to mix unexpected textures together or to have a simple color palette made more interesting by the textures of the pieces I use in a space.

The Real World:

I instantly knew the tree (pictured above) was not for me, but beyond that I felt that everything was easily reproduced and I focused on the centerpiece as a starting point.  During my one and only trip to IKEA, I emerged victorious with these 5 white vases in varying heights (IKEA Salong $7.99 and $4.99).  Having varying heights of vases is interesting but it lacked the punch I wanted, so I pulled out my old Napa Valley CD crates and turned upside down to create another level for the table.  The crates also introduced the wood element to the tabletop.  I wanted to incorporate moss to layer another nice texture and to provide some color to an otherwise demure centerpiece.   Beyond that, the goal was to keep the flora for the vases simple, much as Donna Karan did in my inspiration photo, so I simply relied on my local florist (Mellow Ellis, owner of the Cutting Garden) to work her magic and provide beautiful white flowers and simple greenery (flowers vary in cost based on the type you select).  Toss in a few twig balls (Pier 1 Imports $1.99 each) for a nice contrast to the vases and BAM! we have a snazzy little centerpiece.  

The next piece to my puzzle was each place setting.  The white ceramic plates I used were easily secured, compliments of my kitchen cabinets.  Now if you aren’t the proud owner of basic white dishes, you can find sets at your local Target, Meijer, Pottery Barn, etc ranging in price $25 and above.  For my tablecloth, I chose to introduce a new textile and texture- crinkled silk- in an off white shade (rented from a local linen company for $15.00).  The idea of having the stark white plates and off-white cloth sit directly against each other made me shudder, so I slipped in basketweave bleached burlap placemats to separate the two (Katie Brown collection at Meijer, $3.99 each).  A trip to Bed, Bath & Beyond produced basic cotton napkins in a camel color (Bed Bath & Beyond $1.99 each) that I haphazardly pulled through ceramic napkin rings (Home Goods $6.99 per set of 4) to top off the plates.  As a hostess I always like to provide a gift and in this instance I hand-painted dog and cat caricatures in silhouette form on a wine glass for each guest.  The simplicity of the silhouette complimented the rest of the table and the animal theme reminded the guests why they are attending the fundraiser- to raise $$$$ for the Woodford County Humane Society.  

I am a frugal-ista at heart so I cannot contain my excitement when I find a good deal.  And man, did I get a great deal on everything here!!!!   I challenge you to pull out that magazine photo you love and re-create it, too.   

Happy tablescaping*!

*I am known to make up words, but this is a real word. It actually refers to the decoration of a table.*

Equine Art & Accessories

I am LOVING this equine stuff- corporate logos, plaques, apparel, glassware, the list goes on and on. My blog site refuses to allow me to post pics these days, so you will have to visit this link to see for yourself. What cool gift ideas for the horse lover you know! For Lexingtonians especially,with Rolex and the World Equestrian Games all just around the corner, there are endless possibilities of ideas and uses for these pieces. Plus, I love that all of it is customizable because I like to have different stuff than everyone else!

Happy Shopping!