Holiday Hot Cocoa Bar

Growing up (i'm sure like a lot of families) my siblings and I would gather in the living room on Christmas Eve to hear my dad read "The Night Before Christmas."  It has always been a favorite tradition of mine, but what always seemed to make it extra special was the tray of hot cocoa my mom would serve us while we listed to my dad read the book.  Talk about a special and delicious evening!  I have to admit that even though I am a fully grown adult, I still enjoy this tradition.  I still have the same copy of the The Night Before Christmas that my dad used to read to us, and while I still incorporate the hot cocoa aspect, I have taken it up a notch and now serve up a Christmas Eve Hot Cocoa Bar with all of the fixings.  Here is how I go about creating this delicious holiday treat:  

Hot Chocolate Bar Suggestions

• Williams Sonoma Classic Hot Chocolate
• Gourmet Marshmallows (here and here)
• Peppermint Sticks or Chocolate Peppermint Stirrers
• Chocolate Shavings (to garnish)
• Whipped Cream (see this recipe)
• Marshmallow Cream
• Gingerbread House Mug Toppers
• An Assortment of Cookies (I love this homemade recipe)
• Godiva Chocolate Liqueur (for those age 21+)
  • Here are a few additional ideas for Adult Hot Cocoa
• Hot Cocoa Mugs (here and here)

Whether you are reading a classic Christmas story to the kids before bed or looking for a fun dessert idea to serve at your holiday party, a Hot Cocoa Bar is always a crowd pleaser. 

Trimming My Christmas Tree

The Christmas Tree is without a doubt my favorite aspect of holiday decorating.  I kid you not, I get so excited every year to pick out our christmas tree and then spend the weekend decorating it.  The smell of a real tree in my home sings holiday season and I love the elegant (and slightly whimsical) touch it brings to my living room. 

My tree decor theme has evolved over the years.  Originally it was a traditional red, green, gold and tartan tree with an assortment of fun and very classic ornaments (i.e. a whole lot of Santa Claus on my tree).  Over the years, my taste/style has evolved first to a rustic chic and finally into it's current theme: "Woodland Chic."  

What the heck is "Woodland Chic?!"  Well to make a long story short, it is essentially rustic chic (pinecones, acorns, burlap and gold) with the addition of a few forrest animals (Moose, Owls, Snow Foxes, etc…).  I love the way this tree has come together over the years.  It certainly speaks to my style (elegant and rustic with a splash of fun) and of course I love that my tall ceilings can support a whopper sized tree (which I most definitely take advantage of).  Below is a breakdown of how I go about setting up, decorating and maintaining my christmas tree throughout the holiday season.  

Prepping Your Tree

1. Lay a trash bag followed by a towel on top of the floor where you intend to have your tree stand placed
2. Place the tree stand on top of the towel
3. While the tree is still wrapped, place it in the stand.  Have one person hold it and the other person can stand back to assess if its standing straight and then screw the tree into place. 
4. Once the tree is secured, fill the stand with water
5. Cut the net off the tree and help to gently pull the branches down 
6. If you have a tight space for your tree- use either Friskars or Wire Cutters (unconventional, but they work) to trim off the extraneous branches to help the tree fit the space.  (*Note- If you plan on making your own garland and/or wreath, save those tree trimmings!)

Decorating Tips

• Add a little tradition- trees tend to evolve over time into a large collection of memories.  Even if you prefer a more designer-esqe tree, theres no reason why you can't incorporate small touches of meaningful memorabilia.  Since my husband has German heritage, we include a pickle ornament every year.  In addition, you all know how crazy we are about our dog Dolly, so a bulldog ornament is an absolute must for our family Christmas tree. 
• Use Wire- green floral wire is a decorating essential during the holiday season, especially when it comes to decorating my tree.  I use green wire to help hold up the ribbons of burlap, adjust branches to fill in holes, support my tree topper (which weighs 10lbs..not really, but it is heavy) and even as a tether for anchoring my tree to the wall (safety first everyone!). 
• Lights - I love a well illuminated tree, so I tend to have a heavy hand when it comes to tree lights.  Among my favorite types of lights are garland-style lights (unfortunately not the easiest lights to find in stores).  They have three bulbs per stop, which really helps to give your tree a beautiful and very bright look.  Just make sure to buy light strands with a wattage of 100 or less.  I made the mistake of buying strands this year that had 125 watts and ended up having the lights on my tree go out three times (it was awful). 
• Water- There is nothing worse than having a crunchy tree.  Be sure to check your tree's stand water daily or at the very least every other day.  Most homes around this time of year are running their heating systems, which causes the tree to drink even more water.  A major part of keeping your tree looking its best revolves around proper hydration.

Details on my Woodland Chic Tree

• Gold Bulbs- Target
• Glitter Gold Pinecones - Target
• Shatterproof Pinecones - Target
• Burlap Ribbon - Home Goods (similar here)
• Burlap Tree Skirt- Home Goods (similar here)
• Glitter Moose Ornaments - Martha Stewart Home Depot (similar here)
• Mirror Star Tree Topper - Pottery Barn (similar here)
• Glass Acorns- Home Goods (similar here)
• Snow Fox Ornaments- Martha Stewart Home Depot
• Shatterproof Owls- Target
• Natural Wired Pinecones- Target

Bathroom Shelfie Updating

On Saturday I decided to reward myself post-workout with a trip to Home Goods (love that store!).  While perusing the aisles I came across a fabulous selection of ginger jars.  As you may have noticed from previous posts, my Instagram account and my Pinterest "Chinoiserie Chic" board, I have a bit of an affinity for ginger jars. Naturally I couldn't pass up the opportunity to add yet another lovely ginger jar to my collection (especially when this one was only $14.99!).  

When I got home, I knew that the best place for the new ginger jar would be on my bathroom etagere from Pottery Barn.  I don't know if this has ever happened to you, but typically when I change one thing in a space, it cascades into having to modify the surrounding area as well.  Luckily I didn't have to revise the entire look of my shelf and I am absolutely loving the updated look of my bathroom "shelfies!"  For today's post, I wanted to walk you through my design/re-design process for creating a space that is both functional and decorative in your bathroom.  

Function

When it came to decorating/re-decorating my bathroom shelves, my ultimate goal was to strike a balance between pretty and practical.  As you may have read in my previous post (here), I have found this etagere to be a perfect place to store all of my extra towels.   At the bottom I have rolled my three large bath towels.  Since my towels are the bulkiest items on this etagere, I have placed them on the bottom tier so that they wouldn't overpower/distract from the other shelves.  I then filled my smaller hyacinth basket with the remaining extra towels (hand towels and wash cloths), and placed the basket in between the two decorative shelves to help break up the space.  

In addition to using this space to store extra towels, I also felt that another practical use would be to store/display an array of bathroom friendly fragrances (this is the bathroom after all!).  The most practical shelf for my LAFCO Marine Candle, Water Works Diffuser and book of matches was the top, since there is both ample airspace and easy access.  

Decor

In addition to creating a functional space, I also wanted my etagere to be aesthetically pleasing.   With the addition of my new ginger jar, I decided to keep the remainder of the third shelf fairly simple.  I opted for a pair of decorative nautilus shells (similar here), which tied in beautifully to the framed artwork on the wall.  In addition, I added a small pewter trophy cup I had on hand (similar here) to break up the pair of shells and on occasion, also be used to hold fresh flowers.  

Along with the assortment of fragrance offerings on the top shelf, I chose to include two of my Two's Company Canton Tea Jars, opposite the diffuser and catty-cornered.  The jars created a cohesive look with my new larger ginger jar and the silver tops blended in beautifully with the sea of polished chrome throughout my bathroom.  To finish off the look on my top shelf, I accented the candle and matches with a beautiful oval dish.  The addition of this dish also helped to corral the matches and candle, since they are meant to be paired together.    

I absolutely love the way my bathroom shelfie revamp turned out.  The shelf is functional, aesthetically pleasing and finally has that pop of color it had been lacking.  As you will see from my sourcing of the various items on these shelves, I have incorporated a mix of both high-end and affordable pieces.  My goal with decorating is always to create unique spaces that don't look like they came straight out of a catalogue.  Even though this space is decorated with a collection of pieces from a variety of places, I have kept the within the same color family so the decor looks unique but also like it's all meant to go together.  If you have any questions about designing your own bathroom shelfie or any other aspect related to the home, please don't hesitate to send me an email at redefiningdomestics@gmail.com.