Happy New Year to all!!  I know that it’s a fresh new year and time to move on from holiday decor but I just came across this wreath and I just had to share…  You could do this so many ways, different colors, all seasons & holidays.

{image from Pickles via A Cup of Jo}

Hope you’re enjoying your new year… Have a great weekend!! 
peace & love, fancy

** Click HERE for more HOLIDAY Decor **

{SUBSCRIBE} HERE to have the CactusCreekDaily.com BLOG delivered straight to your E-Mailbox!!

It’s going to be a realllly busy weekend here on the home-front, getting the house ready for next week’s house guests, finishing up last minute gifts, and tying on our yuletide.  Need a little more INSPIRATION for getting the last bit of decorating completed??  Here a few images I’ve uncovered… I’ll be adding more so bookmark & check back.  Hope you all have a weekend full of BIG fun and BIG blessings… xo,fancy

Nell Hill’s Christmas At Home by Mary Carol Garrity

Rustic, reclaimed Scandinavian Christmas
from Country Living Magazine

Lodge Christmas Decorations from Horchow
Most of these items are sold out but the image was just too pretty not to share.

 
Cowboy Christmas Decorations from HGTV

Hacienda Holiday from Mountain Living Magazine
Simple but perfect.

One more thing… our friend Anna Mayberry, co-owner of H-M Valley Ranch, wrote a great little article about decorating WESTERN for Christmas… check it out right HERE!!  Great job, Anna… thanks for the mention!!

** Click HERE for more Holiday Ideas **

** Click HERE for more INSPIRATION year round **

{SUBSCRIBE} HERE to have the CactusCreekDaily.com BLOG delivered straight to your E-Mailbox!!

It’s hard to walk through an antique mall or flea market these days without coming across a vintage Horn Ash Tray. In fact many specimens from the age of smoking tobacco are showing up in sales and stores. Uncommonly called tobacciana {this was a new term for me}, these items once used for cigarettes, cigars & pipes are suddenly becoming popular as they remind us of a time gone by…

Tobacciana can include vintage ashtrays which make great, kitschy catchalls for jewelry & change {or peanuts & candy}, cool old pipes, and also match collections which are not only fun to dig through {we have a huge bowl of them at the Cactus Creek Store}, they also make clever additions to scrapbooks, collages and found art projects.

So let’s get back to the Horn Ashtrays… what to do with them nowadays that most of us have snuffed our butts?? Last week I was at my friend Anna’s house for a Christmas decorating bonanza and we used her collection of Horn Ashtrays for adding greenery and holiday cheer to the top of a dresser in her living room. A creative way to turn something “old” into something FUN & HIP.

Recycle * Repurpose * RE~LOVE

This idea will be featured on the Junk in my Trunk Radio Show {JIMT} which airs every Monday, Thursday & Saturday from 10am till 11am on Kansas City’s 1140am KCXL & 1160am KCTO. You can also LISTEN LIVE on the Internet… visit JunkMafia.com and click on the Little Red Radio at the bottom of the page.

** Click HERE for more JIMT ideas!! **

Sooo, I couldn’t let this opportunity pass to show off the rest of Anna’s killer Kansas City house ~ all decked out for Christmas. Below are a few pics of all we did that day. You can see more pics of Anna’s house, from last year’s Christmas Decorating, right HERE.

Y’all enjoy… smooches, fancy

(more…)

I once had a local reporter call to ask me for a Kansas City house that was full of COLOR.  Without hesitation I gave her the phone number of one of my favorite friends and clients, Anna.

Like most colorful souls, Anna has no idea how spot-on her style and taste really is… I always love my trips to her house so that she can share all of her new treasures with me.  There is always some little vintage knick-knack ~ an old pair of spurs, a Mexican rug, or a quirky new pair of earrings.  It is my JOY to style these treasures and contribute to Anna’s COLORFUL Family Home.

All of these pictures are from a couple of weeks ago when we had our annual Holiday Decorating session…

 When you walk into Anna’s home the first thing you see is the “wall of crosses” in their amber-colored hallway.  I love it so much that I have made my own “wall of crosses” in our basement.  This is a wonderful collection…  I can add to it whenever we go on a vacation, or to commemorate a big event, and it also offers up an extra dose of FAITH which we all need.

 A couple of years ago Anna and her Hubby added this family room to the back of their home.  The stone fireplace adds some funky, rustic personality to the space.  And, of course, the turquoise wall color is yet another testament to Anna’s willingness to play with a bright palette.  The chair is one she ordered from Cactus Creek, and the canvas poster is Double D Ranchwear, from Ann’s Turquoise.

This is a heavy iron frame that Anna found at a sale and supplied with a mirror.  For Christmas decor we added a vintage lariat bedecked with red bells.

In the family room there are glass doors that lead to the sun room.  The vintage rug above the doors was a find in an Arizona market.  For the Holidays Anna displays the terra cotta ornaments that her sister made for Christmas one year.  What a great craft idea for next year’s gifts!!

The leather bench is from Will Wyatt’s Cowboy Couture.  The bell-shaped rawhide lamp shade, and the iron lamp, are also from Cactus Creek.

 
Moving on to the formal dining room ~ turned music room.  It is here that Anna’s son practices guitar and also where they made space for a grand piano {a family piece that her parents restored 45 years ago}.  The unconventional coral walls add energy to the space, while the vintage rugs and textiles carry on the eclectic vibe that makes Anna’s house so much fun.

The wall hanging is a vintage saddle bag textile that Anna found in Arizona.  The angel was purchased at the fabulous KC retailer, Curious Sofa.

The dining area {painted the same striking amber color as the entryway} boasts paintings of Anna’s kiddos.  The talented artist is Anna’s friend Mike Savage.  On the table is a rustic collection of Mother Nature’s finest, including the massive California pine cones purchased from Vintiques {Anna’s favorite new shop located in Kansas City’s River Market}.

Also in the dining area is a Chinese Sideboard featuring a collection of tin Mexican candelabras from the antique malls & flea markets that Anna frequents.  

In the center of these is a “Mini Shrine”.  This is one of my favorite pieces in Anna’s house ~ on the back it says “Tin – Santurio de Chimayo 1922 Holy Dirt Room” ~ the artist simply signed it “G”.  The tin came from the roof they had to replace on the Holy Dirt Room.  {The Holy Dirt Room is located in the back of the chapel, the Dirt floor is said to deliver miraculous cures ~ Read more about Santurio de Chimayo HERE.}
 
On the wall hangs two Reverse Glass Paintings, one found at an estate sale, the other at a Santa Fe Flea Market. 

On the coffee table in the front room is a collection of red & green, plus elements inspired by nature, that was arranged for the Holiday Season.  The iron cross is Jan Barboglio, and the red drum is from an antique store in Atlanta.  The perfect composition… 
Thanks Anna!!  xoxo, Fancy

 ** Click HERE to see all of our OPEN HOUSES **

** Have your HOME featured in our OPEN HOUSE Series ~ just Click HERE to send pics & tales to cactus_creek@hotmail.com**

{SUBSCRIBE} HERE to have the CactusCreekDaily.com
BLOG delivered straight to your E-Mailbox!!

Before we pack up all of the HOLIDAY DECOR, I have a couple of OPEN HOUSE installments today…

This FABULOUS front porch is from our first OPEN HOUSE, Lane & Nancy’s Log Home.  Nancy sent me this pic last week…
“I finally finished the container pots on the front porch and we hung the swags from the lanterns. The pots are real juniper and pine and winterberry branches.”

It’s simple, festive, and PERFECT for their Rustic Log Home…
to see the rest of their OPEN HOUSE, click HERE. Thanks, Nancy!!

Another OPEN HOUSE is on its way this afternoon…

 ** Click HERE to see all of our OPEN HOUSES **

** Have your HOME featured in our OPEN HOUSE Series ~ just Click HERE to send pics & tales to cactus_creek@hotmail.com**

{SUBSCRIBE} HERE to have the CactusCreekDaily.com
BLOG delivered straight to your E-Mailbox!!

Whether you want to bring the cozy feel of Holiday spirit to your Master Bedroom, or into a small space for your Guests, this tear out from an old magazine has INSPIRED me to take the holidays beyond the Family Room. 

To re-create this warm vibe start with Holiday Greens.  Whether you are partial to natural garlands & wreaths, or more permanent versions, everyone seems to be committed to their favorites.  That said, here are options for both the freshly cut variety, as well as the artificial species.

There is no shortage of online businesses selling fresh holiday greenery.  Williams Sonoma was my top pick because they offered several different species of garland & wreaths.  I particularly love the Holly Kissing Ball which could definitely add some holiday spice to the bedroom!!

BTW ~ There is a product called Wilt-Pruf which you can spray on the greenery to help it retain moisture.  Buy it HERE!!

For the long-lasting version I have included Frontgate.  Earlier this week I was at a beautiful new Ranch House where the home owner had purchased a large tree and garlands from Frontgate.  The quality was second to none and there is a large selection to choose from. 
Best of all, you can use them again next year, and the year after that, and the year after that…

Two small pendant lights ~ one above each pillow ~ are a clever alternative to night lights.  This rustic adaptation of the Pendant light is available HERE.

Combining pillows, blankets, fabrics & patterns makes a bedroom feel rich & lived in…  Here are a few to combine for an effect like that in the cozy cabin bedroom that we are using for INSPIRATION.

A bench at the end of the bed is the perfect place for storing blankets, robes & extra bedding.  This Old Hickory Hoop Settee is a perfect fit for the Rustic Holiday BEDROOM.

A buffalo hide completes the cozy, rustic style. 
Click HERE for more info on the Buffalo Hide.

** Click HERE for more Rooms that INSPIRE **

{SUBSCRIBE} HERE to have the CactusCreekDaily.com BLOG
delivered straight to your E-Mailbox!!

As my boys get ready for Santa Clause our whole house has become a shrine to all things Merry, right down to hand made paper chains lining the stair case.  It makes me so happy to see the handiwork that we did with the little guys.  In sharing the new Christmas tradition of chain-making with a friend from Hallmark she mentioned the fab idea of making chains with wrapping paper.  Now that’s Merry and Bright!! 

So tonight it was a search for some suitable cowboy paper for chain making – or gift wrapping, too!!   WrapSmart.com is a great site with a huge collection of gift packaging materials and they happen to stock some western and rustic papers that will work perfectly…

Leather/Kolorkraft

Rodeo Riders

Bandana   

Technorati Tags: bandanna wrapping paper, cowboy wrapping paper, Leather wrapping paper

As I decorate my home for Christmas today I stand back and look at all of my Holiday lovelies. As I have been for the past four years when I’ve decorated this home, I am astounded by how many pinecones I have!!

While the pinecones are rustic (which I love) they are getting a little old for me. Probably because I have had them ever since my college days when I insisted on dragging an old artifical tree from my parent’s house to my college apartment but couldn’t afford ornaments. What was a girl to do? I took pinecones from neighbors yard and oila – a rustic Christmas… (speaking of college – the Aggies are beating the Longhorns right now!! Gig Em’ Ags!!)

Anywho – I reflect on my Christmas Decor and wonder if next year I will finally make some changes. Here are some fabulous options… (all four of the following pics are straight from Country Living.com)

Looking through pics and getting fresh ideas for next year the common ingredient that I found in all of the pics I LOVED was fresh pine and other natural ingredients (pears, artichokes and berries). So where shall I go for my natural elements next year… here are some places I’ll put on my To Shop List:

Fresh pine garlands like this one from Christmas Farms (hello free shipping!!)

I would also love to trade in my pine cones for these dried exotics – Banksia Hookerana or Coccinia Banksia – that I found from The Flower Mart.com. What a great site with wonderful options for every day decorating!!

Or maybe I’ll just stick with the pinecones – look how great they look here… (also from Country Living)

As I begin to decorate my home for the holidays, and also work on a few Holiday Decorating jobs for clients, I have been perusing the newstand for great ideas. The picture that I can’t seem to get out of my mind was featured in Midwest Living Magazine…

I love the classic look of fresh pine, apples and antlers. Antlers always being one of my favorite things to pick up at flea markets as they are a wonderfully creative and surprising element that you can add to your decor – no matter what your style – evident here from these magazine tear sheets that were in my file…

Unknown Source

Drexel Heritage Ad

Western Interiors & Design Magazine

So where does one go to purchase an antler – or a load of them?? As I search for the answer I have come across many sites of people selling Big, Grade A Antlers. And while they are fabulous I’m always on the hunt for a deal which inevitably leads me to ebay… Check out this seller’s awesome collection!! antlersbythemillions