Business lobby all decked out

Here's a peek at the Christmas decorating I did today in a business lobby.

They have a wonderful color scheme.  Ice blue, silver and white.  I coordinated all the decorations with their large artwork that hangs in their reception area.

End of the stairway.

Waved artwork panels behind the reception area.

Lots of sparkle and breakables! 

My favorite ornaments.  I love the weathered metallic look.

These picture don't do it justice, the 20 foot tree really is grand!

Fa la la la la la la la la

I'm in the Christmas Spirit after today!

Ruthie

For lots of before and after pictures of my work, visit DecRenew Interiors.

Jeweled Christmas Tree

We went away for Thanksgiving and had a wonderful time in East Texas with our family. 

We did some shopping in Jefferson and I visited all their wonderful antique shops.  I found this authentic, unique and creative work of art hanging in one of the shops and I was immediately drawn to it.

Old vintage beads, earings, broaches, pins, rings, buckles, charms, etc. all mounted on black velvet and then shaped into a beautiful Christmas tree.  Brilliant!  Can you imagine the thought, detail, patience and time that went into placing each piece.

Isn't it stunning? 

Now this is what I call a treasure! Can you imagine having something like this?  Especially if all of the jewels were collected from your family over generations!

Here are a few that I found online that might inspire you to make your own!

Found on ebay

Of course, the above jewels are not vintage but you get the idea.  This would be a great project for teenage girls.

Click here to see more details about this item.

Click here to see more details

Have a great week!

Ruthie

For more information about DecRenew Interiors, visit my website here.

Ruthie's tips for your holiday decorating

If you are like me, the day after Thanksgiving is when all the Christmas decorating starts.

Here are a few tips for you as you unpack all your treasures.

When unpacking your Christmas wreaths, spend some time tweaking them.  Adjust the branches, make the bow look fresh and new. Add a new bow if it's crumpled.  This is one of the biggest mistakes people make and it takes 2 minutes to give it a little TLC.  Same goes for your Christmas Tree.

I found this wreath container at Target for $9.99 and it keeps things from getting all tired and worn out.

Cluster your collections together in a grouping.  If you have Santas for instance, put them all in the same place so they have more of an impact rather than all spread out.

Put away all your "cutsey" Christmas decorations.  Put those in the kids areas.  Keep your living room decluttered and don't overdecorate your living room space.

Add fur or fun fabric to your existing stockings to make them look a little different this year.

Hang ornaments from your chandeliers.

This was my chandelier last year.

Make a craft with your kids.  Here is one:

Create your own "peace sign" wreath together.  Foam wreath, hot glue gun and ornaments and you can get really creative.

Purchase at Pier One Imports if you don't want to make it!

Hang ornaments in areas where you don't expect them to be hung.  Add one to the end of your drapery rods or in your kitchen window, it adds sparkle to your room.

Country Living

Hang a piece of fresh garland from your pump soap with a ribbon.  Or you could paint this dispenser with something festive.  Doesn't it look like an ornament?  Paint a white snowflake on the front for instance.

Found at Amazon.com

Decorate the places that you see and are in the most.  Add a touch of Christmas to your Master bedroom.  Maybe it is garland around your vanity or dresser, maybe it's just a fresh wreath on your wall.

Country Living

 You don't have to use all red and green.  Mix it up. 

Country Living

Country Living

Tie beautiful ribbon around your guest towels/bathroom towels.

 Add fresh garland to your artificial garland, it makes things smell beautiful and it looks fuller too.

Country Living

STOP and savor a cup of flavored coffee or tea or your favorite hot chocolate to make yourself enjoy the season.  Don't just drive thru, I challenge you to go inside and sit for a while.  My favorite hot drink is the eggnog latte at Starbucks.

Starbucks

Pine Cones are an inexpensive accessory for the Christmas season.  Spray paint them all silver or copper or ice blue and place them in a large bowl on your dining room table or in front of your fireplace.  Make garland out of your pine cones, so natural and easy.

\

Country Living

Love how they made these pinecones into trees on the mantel, brilliant.

Buy red/gold,/silver pillowcases and place them over your dining or kitchen chairs to dress them up for the occasion.  Inexpensive and it looks like a slipcover.  Make sure you press/iron them before you place them on your chairs or it will look "cheap"

You can add beautiful ribbon with iron on tape to make them look a little  more custom.

Don't forget about your bookshelves.  Add a picture of your family together during the holidays or place an ornament on a shelf that sparkles or shines.

Country Living

 Use your china everyday during the month of December.  Teach your kids how to enjoy the beauty of luxury.

Photo by DecRenew Interiors

Country Living

 Purchase some inexpensive mugs that are festive and use those during December for you and your guests.  

 Get out all your crystal candle holders, sugar bowls, etc. that you got for your wedding gifts and make a grouping of crystal. Put a votive candle in each one and enjoy. 

Press thumbtacks in your candles that spells something like

JOY or NOEL

 Use wrapping paper as a runner on your table or cut the size of a place mat with fun edged scissors and place under each place setting.

Hang a wreath inside an empty flea market frame

If you buy glass candle votives this year, purchase ones that have some beautiful etchings.  When lit they look fantastic.  They don't have to be "Christmas" that way you can enjoy them all year.

A cluster of these would be amazing on a mirrored tray along with some pinecones and ornaments!

Find a fun place to hang some candycanes.

In my entry last year.

Your Christmas Tree skirt doesn't have to be a pre-made purchased skirt.  Why not use left over fabric or a couple faux fur throws.  White is beautiful too!

Hope your Thanksgiving is wonderful as you celebrate with those that you love.  Enjoy this time as you make your home festive for the Christmas Season.

Ruthie

Go to DecRenew Interiors to see more ideas and before and after pictures for your home.





A day at World Relief, Ft. Worth

World Relief assists several hundred refugees a year as they embark on new lives in the Forth Worth area.

Today our Church 121 Community Church did a "Saturday Serve" where anybody that wanted to could come and donate their time for the day.  We spent 1/2 the day at the  WORLD RELIEF offices in Fort Worth painting and making their offices look like home.

From the day refugees arrive at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport they receive care and assistance from World Relief to establish themselves around the Fort Worth metroplex. Housing, medical needs, education, and employment requirements are addressed.

Hurting refugees from war-torn and oppressive communities are finding peace and security in the heart of Texas. They are discovering that the Church cares about them.

My job today,  was to oversee the volunteers from our church and help turn one of their offices into a "prayer room."  The room was 8' X 10' so you can imagine how small that is.  I love that we had this opportunity to transform this "nothing" room into a place where people can come and pray for direction for their lives.

We started about a week ago by rummaging through the church storage unit to see if there were items we could use to  make the room look finished.  "Using what we have" is my specialty so I was in heaven.

Score!

Yeah, a nice BIG cross!  We are all set.

Ready, set, go!!!

We spent an hour taping this room up in preparation for this transformation. 

I chose a color from Valspar called "graphite" and as you will see from the after pictures, it's a really nice soothing color.

BEFORE

These chairs were in the storage unit and we snagged 2 of them.

AFTER

They were kind of plain so I had an "light bulb moment" and decided to take the curtain tie backs from the drapes and we attached them to the back of the chairs.  Now they look so much smarter don't they?

AFTER

I took apart an old arrangement, cleaned the glass vase so it was sparkling and new and added some pebbles and moss.  Now we have a refreshed arrangement!!

We hung two mirrors to make the space look a little bigger.  It worked!

AFTER

Added a rug that was in storage and some kneeling pillows.

Hard to take a picture of the entire room because it's so small.

The cross looks amazing hung on the wall.

(sorry for the blurry picture but my

 camera died and I had to use my iphone.)

I was happy they now have a place for people to come and pray.

Several of the volunteers organized their food pantry in time for Thanksgiving giveaways.

Others organized all their winter coats in time for the cold weather.

I rearranged their lobby area to make it more cozy and finished!

Created an inviting entry space too.

Some of the volunteers painted individual offices.  An accent color was chosen for each room because of time but it made an incredible impact to each room.   The colors chosen were very calming and some very happy!!

We got a LOT done in 5 hours and it was really rewarding!  So much fun to see families working together, kids bagging leaves and rolling walls.  I also got to know some new faces. 

If you want to know more about this ministry, check out the World Relief website to read about their programs and how you can serve or donate to their organization.

Feeling Thankful that I'm able to serve along side such great people that serve those in need daily!

Ruthie

Visit DecRenew Interiors to see more of my before and after pictures.