christmas wishlist 2014...presents I want to give

Lovely things to give to those you treasure this festive season.  I only ever give gifts I would love to receive myself (like the tray from H&M), or love myself (like the Community cookbook which is the best present I received all year).  Everything is under $50, hope this makes your shopping easier!

Brass tray from H&M (see the rest of the H&M styling on Stylizmo), Community cook book from Arthur Street Kitchen, citrus and cedar candle, silver cushion from West Elm, MaddAddam Trilogy by Margaret Atwood

Australian inspired Christmas...setting the table

Love this series of photos showing how the table setting progresses.  
See the detail of how to create the plate settings here, and construct and decorate the canopy here.
And all together now...The finished product just for fun, see the full post here.


Now that wasn't too hard...

australian inspired christmas 2014...diy christmas eucalyptus canopy

This is absolutely my favourite table setting ever!  It is so pretty to sit beneath, the light shimmering on the ornaments, the leaves smell fresh and eucalyptus minty, the hints of gold and humour with the Aussie animal decor (spot the pythons in the leaves).  
You can create your own Christmas canopy at home very easily.  Building and decorating the canopy took me about an hour and a half to do, not long for the gorgeous end effect.  This is worth giving a try!!!


You will need:

  • 4 bamboo poles (from local garden centre) cut to table size
  • string to tie canopy to ceiling hooks
  • 4 removable ceiling hooks (from local hardware store)
  • scissors
  • florist wire, I used silver because it disappears into the final arrangement
  • 3 bunches of eucalyptus leaves
  • 30 - 36 Christmas ornaments (mine are Vintermys from Ikea)

Step 1 - hang the bamboo structure
Cut the poles to roughly match the table dimensions.
Stick removable ceiling hook above each corner of the table.
Suspend bamboo from ceiling hook with string.  I positioned mine about 30cm above head height of a person seated so that the canopy decor won't hang into guests faces.

Step 2 - Attach the eucalyptus branches
Take individual eucalyptus branches and tie them to the bamboo pole with silver wire.
Arrange the branches so that they are partially supported by the bamboo but still hang down creating a soft feather effect.
I found it easier to suspend the poles first so that I could see the arrangement developing.

Step 3 - Add Christmas ornaments
I added ornaments as I was going along to get a sense of how I wanted it to look (see above)
Make sure to add ornaments in groups of 3 or 5 and hang them at different lengths so that the overall effect is loose and not over organised.

Colour choices
I wanted to create an Australian style Christmas, inspired by our Aussie animals, eucalyptus and the golden sunshine.  So I have chosen soft gold colours that are beautifully set off by the grey-green eucalyptus leaves.  It really feels like the sunshine dappling through bushland on a sunny day.  Its a lovely change from more traditional Christmas colours, much more suited to the summer celebrations of the southern hemisphere.

I picked up the gold again in the polka dot ribbons and sequins on the place settings, and of course my gold Aussie animals.  See the full diy for the place setting here.

Hope this inspires you to do something special and unexpected at your home this year.
See the full table setting post here.

Australian inspired Christmas...eucalyptus and golden sunshine

This Christmas I have been inspired by all things Aussie: eucalyptus, the golden sunshine of our summer Christmas season, and the native animals.  Don't get me wrong, I love a traditional Christmas too but in reality an Australian Christmas just isn't about a snowy woodland.  Its all about swimming, backyard cricket, sunshine, and prawns on the barbie.  
So this year my decor is all gold and eucalyptus, like the sunlight in the bush, with a few of our cute and feisty native animals thrown in.  

Just love how our black walls show off this display!
I spray painted a pack of Australian animals gold to decorate the plates.  They are so cute and have already been carried off by Miss J!


I suspended eucalyptus branches and Christmas decorations from an over head canopy, it creates a wonderful bushland like feel.  The eucalytus scent is heavenly, and the gold decorations catch the light and shimmer prettily.  The canopy was easy to do, I will show you how in a diy in a few days.



Across the center of the table I laid smaller branches of eucalyptus, adding a few candles and votives for extra light, and a few hidden animals.  I wrapped the left over ribbon and sequins loosely around the candles for extra shimmer.


I am just loving how this table looks and feels and I can't wait to share it with friends and family on Christmas day.  I have done lots of tutorials so that you can get this look to: how to do the plates, building the canopy, and decorating the table.  Pop back soon to see them all and have a fabulous festive season at your home.