Modernests » Holidays

When are the holidays over?

Katya Roberts — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 23:02:44 +0000

When do you take down your winter holiday decor? While we seem to be settled back into our jobs and responsibilities, I must confess to not letting go of a few holiday reminders. For one thing, my guilty pleasure, the Christmas Village is still up in full glory (fake snow and all). It is something I allow myself in an otherwise style-conscious home. Additionally I gave this Scandinavian advent calendar to my husband and while I was sad that I didn’t give it to him earlier, I decided to use it for the next twenty-five days to keep the spirit of the holidays going for a bit longer. When are the holidays truly over for you? Are they ever over?

Modern Wreaths

Katya Roberts — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 06:01:21 +0000

This time of year there are lots of variations on the wreath. I am particularly interested in wreaths made out of untraditional materials. Here are some of my top picks. Ready Made December issue features a handmade wreath. And I came upon this Polaroid wreath DIY. I like the idea of the Polaroid wreath being multi-seasonal where the photos transform each season.

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Elf Candleholders – Great Holiday Gifts

Katya Roberts — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 07:32:46 +0000

They’re back and everybody loves them. These elf candleholders from CB2 make for a great holiday gift that your recipient will love using year after year.

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Thanksgiving Dinner Decor

Katya Roberts — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 22:15:25 +0000

If you hate to listen to uncle Bernie fighting with auntie Gretta because they’re sitting next to each other at your Thanksgiving swaray, but you don’t want to bust out the formal name place cards you can achieve your desired seating plan with a more subtle and decor-conscious approach. You can write your guest names on leafs, attach a string and loop them around the glass stems on the table.

And enjoy a peaceful, upcoming Thanksgiving!

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craft lovely » Blog Archive » Thanksgiving Table Decor

HaPpY AnNiveRsaRY!

Katya Roberts — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:12:42 +0000

MODERnestS is one years old today and for us, it is a one year anniversary since the start of MODERnestS. Thank you for a wonderful year!

Celebrate with me by baking this awesome cupcake using this Sprinkles vanilla-vanilla cupcake hack. My husband found a vanilla-peppermint recipe for Sprinkles cupcakes, subtracted the peppermint and doubled the vanilla, and I cannot tell it apart from the one from the Sprinkles store in Beverly Hills. And if you don’t know what Sprinkles is, you have not yet tried the best cupcakes in the world. Enjoy!

Vanilla-Vanilla Cupcake:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted

1 tsp. baking powder

1/4 tsp. coarse salt

1/2 cup whole milk, room temp

2 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, rom temp

1 cup sugar

1 large egg, room temp

2 large egg whites, room temp

Vanilla Frosting:

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, firm but not cold

1/8 tsp. salt

3 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. milk

Bake at 350.

On a sweet note, check out these sweet treats pillows from Sofa Garden.

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Halloween Decorations

Katya Roberts — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 06:01:10 +0000

The Princess and the Witch chairs certainly look like the perfect way to decorate your chairs for a Halloween party, but they are much more than that. These chairs by Tord Bontje are a part of the Telling Tales: Fantasy and Fear in Contemporary Design exhibition in London. If you can’t see this show in person, do not despair. You can view the pieces in a virtual setting and view some of the pieces in the show in this video of the curator, designers Gareth Williams, Tord Boontje and Job Smeets among others talking about the exhibition.

The designs chosen for the exhibition have the ability to tell a story thus creating another world. The curator explains that there is an ambiguity to the designs which at times present double meaning and even when the pieces have elements of the fantastical and fairy tale there is a degree of perceived threat. The show consists of three parts: “The Forest Glade”, “The Enchanted Castle”, and “Heaven and Hell.”

These are my favorites: The Petit Jardin chair by Tord Boontje is a collection of vines that might just swallow the person sitting in it. The Lathe Chair VIII by Sebastian Brajkovic seems to have been stretched like the room at the Haunted House in Disneyland. The Aluminum Table by Fredrikson Stallard is based on Rorscharch’s ink blots used in psycho-diagnosis. The Robber Baron table by Studio Job refers to the negative by-products of Industrialization.

The New Year: Worry-free!

Katya Roberts — Wed, 31 Dec 2008 14:00:00 +0000

They say that 45% of things you worry about never take place and 25% of things have already taken place. So at least 70% of our worrying is useless. With the new year approaching, this fact is great to remember and carry into the new year. And the other 30%? Have you heard of a worry jar?

When confronted with a worry, write it down and put it in your jar. Pray, meditate, talk to someone about it. Open it at the end of the year and see how that 70% rang true for your life in the year that passed.

If you just want a reminder to surrender your worries and let things that are not important go, maybe just acquire a Sun Jar. Instructables has the step by step for making your own. The Sun Jar accumilates sunlight during the day and glows in the dark. Maybe the best remedy for our own worrying is focusing on someone else instead of our selves and being a light in their darkness. Happy New Year!

DIY Alert: Relaxing crafts for your holiday spare hours!

Katya Roberts — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 23:27:00 +0000

What are you doing on your days off? Your shopping is done and you’ve baked the cookies and plowed the snow? How about making some of these easy and lovely snowflakes? When you’re done, hang them in a window or a doorway, or on the tree.

Here is the step by step from Domino magazine’s online DIY tips section.

Dreaming of a Green Christmas

Katya Roberts — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 19:17:00 +0000

Nothing can replace the smell and the feel of a real Christmas tree for me. But there are many factors to consider when it comes to the environment, waste and making green choices. Here are some modern alternatives that are fun to look at.

If you’re crafty or handy, a lot of these are doable with your own tools and materials from the hardware store.

My top pick is the wood planks with candles. I look for warmth and a connection with the natural world in my Christmas tree. I would use the branch option to put up all of my favorite ornaments separately.