tips for your Christmas table decor

I'm so excited to actually be able to spend Christmas day with my family this year & have some great food! My dream would be to host them all at my place, with a beautifully decorated table large enough to fit all of us. I found these great examples of elegant & fun Christmas tables on Pinterest and thought I'd give you some tips on how to recreate the looks!



TIP #1 Pull furniture from other rooms to create more seating! Everybody knows that when you're hosting dinner unexpected guests show up. Be prepared & at the same time create a beautiful layered look by using ottomans & chairs from other rooms.


TIP #2 Use what you have! No table cloth? That's ok! Use whatever fabric you have to create a table runner & embellish it with a holiday ornament or berry twigs as seen here.


TIP #3 Repetition makes perfect! It's not always about the grandest decorations. Sometimes using a simple classic piece multiple times can create a greater look!


TIP #4 Bring some nature in! Snip some branches off your live tree & use a sliced tree branch to add a fresh look AND aroma to your table.


TIP #5 Choose one color! It's really hard to make multi color holiday decor look chic. If you choose one color, be it red, green, purple or even gold, it looks 10 times more modern.


TIP #6 And lastly, choose a theme! In the case above, the theme was circles. You can do stars, trees, wreaths, anything! As long as they are all similar in shape & color, it will look awesome!



Hope these tips help! I'd love to see photos of your holiday decor. Send them to me via Twitter or post them on the SBP Facebook page!

home sweet home

I hit the road this weekend to attend my sister's graduation in North Carolina. Now I'm sitting at my favorite local coffee shop where it feels like I'm worlds away from Atlanta. Sometimes I miss this small town atmosphere where the baristas aren't called baristas, they remember your face even though it's been months, and strangers share tables as they enjoy reasonably priced coffee. Hope your week it starting off great!

happy friday + techie christmas list!

1.2.3.4.5

Oh it's so close! Are you done with your holiday shopping? I know I'm not! I'm so glad it's Friday though because I'm headed out to NC for a WEEK tomorrow morning. (If only I can get all my work done today!) Hope you enjoy this list of a few things I know any techie would love.

have you been naughty or nice!?

You all know that i had to move this summer & finding aplace within my budget with all the thigns i wanted was such a task!! Thank God for resources like Homes.com & Forrent.com to help you narrow down the ridiculous amount of choices out there. Now, the team at these two awesome sites wants to know if you've been a good or bad one this year. LIKE their Facebook pages, tell them all about it and you could win $2,500!

The contest is "Have You Been Naughty or Nice? Well, we're not here to judge! Like Homes.com & ForRent.com for a chance to win!



How to Enter to Win the $2,500 Grand Prize:

1. “Like” ForRent.com on Facebook and fill out the entry form located on the Naughty or Nice tab on the left side under their profile picture.
2. While filling out the form refer the contest to friends using the “refer a friend” option. Referring your friends increases your chances of winning.
3. Follow @aptsforrent on twitter

Good Luck everyone! Contest ends at 12pm EST on December 16, 2011. Grand prize winner
will be emailed and announced on Facebook!


ForRent.com has paid me to review their holiday contest and offer my opinion. I only recommend companies or services I believe my readers will enjoy.

christmas book wishlist!

Honestly, I never really believed in Santa Clause. The whole idea didn't make sense to me! I knew my parents provided everything I wanted and needed, and Christmas was about Jesus.... so where did this chubby Caucasian man come into play?? With that thought process as a child, I would spend HOURS creating Christmas lists for my mom each year. Way before blogging, I'd copy & paste pictures into Microsoft Word and email them to her with prices and where to purchase.


So! This year I decided to do a few wishlists for those that are still shopping and looking for ideas!! (Or want to buy me something ;-)) First up: books for the design enthusiast




Any design lover will LOVE one of these for their coffee table collection.
Domino: The Book of Decorating. Live, Love & Decorate. Black & White . Hue.JA on Happy Chic Colors. Design Sponge at Home

Stay tuned for more wishlists this week!

how to green your holiday decor pt 2!

Kimberly is back with another tip on how to green your holiday decor! If you're like me, you're probably still working out all the details. Here are a few great tips on how to be eco-friendly in your Christmas tree choice!





Not-So-Green. Cut trees are a long set tradition that catapult us into the holiday spirit. However, the thought of each family cutting down around 80 trees in a lifetime is staggering. If you decided you can’t live without that fresh pine smell for Christmas, make good use of it! Compost it or recycle it after the holidays. A quick visit to Earth911.com can locate a Christmas tree recycling program, pick-up, or drop-off location in your area.



Greener. Artificial trees have not traditionally been made of good, sustainable materials. Most are laden with pesticides and use of PVC (polyvinyl chloride), a non-biodegradable, petroleum-derived plastic. Instead choose a USA-made tree from recycled PVC from Mountain King Christmas Trees or trees made from PET (polyeurothane), a more eco-friendly plastic as made by Christmas Trees for Me. Reusing trees is better for the environment and they can be donated to charity or recycled for metal once it’s run it’s course.



Greenest. Try a living tree in lieu of a cut tree. Living trees are brought into the home for about 10 days, then replanted after Christmas. Living trees are potted so they can be reused for 2- 3 years without having to plant or re-pot the tree. Be sure to anticipate the full-grown size of the tree, and avoid planting near foundations or underground services. You can rent a living tree from The Living Christmas Tree Company in California or find a lot near you.

design talk webisode 2: top ten tips for renters!

I'm so excited to show you another webisode of Design Talk!!! Tricea and I came up with our Top Ten ideas for warming up a rental space after Ishea gave me the great topic idea on Twitter! We had so much fun and I hope you love it. We love your comments and please do share the video with someone you know! :)

happy friday + ponce crush

TGIF! At the beginning of the month, my friends and I checked out Ponce Crush for the first time! This monthly event happens on the first Saturday of each month and three galleries in the Ponce de Leon Ave area are open to the public to come view their latest exhibitions.





Here are a few shots from the last one...






Each gallery featured some fantastic pieces, the artists and hosts were great and met some cool people too. Best of all, it's free! I'm checking it out again tomorrow. You should too! If you see me, make sure to say hello ;)