This week has been busy right from the get-go and, I don’t know about your region, but the rain and dark skies have been pretty relentless here on the West Coast. So when I caught a glimpse of this bright family house tour last night, I couldn’t help but pause and wistfully scroll through each and every room…

Photos by Derek Swalwell for The Design Files

Located in Melbourne, this is pristine home was recently renovated from top to bottom by design firm Hecker Guthrie. And when I say pristine I mean polished to perfection…there was some serious attention to detail put into this family home! Did you notice the mirrored wall accents in the kitchen or mirrored kick plate under the bathroom vanity? No wonder the light bounces through each space…

Photos by Derek Swalwell for The Design Files

Photos by Derek Swalwell for The Design Files

Photos by Derek Swalwell for The Design Files

I’ve never been to Australia but would absolutely love to travel there someday! Brad’s brother’s family is leaving right after Christmas for their job/home exchange in Surfer’s Paradise and I can only imagine the warm adventures they’ll experience over the next year! Hope this post brought a bit of warmth to your week :)

I don’t know about you but weekends are getting crazy! Between work, Christmas parties and trying to squeeze in fun things with the kids, it’s been even more of a whirlwind than usual. I honestly don’t know how I’m going to squeeze everything in and some things, like mailing out Christmas cards, may very well have to wait until the New Year. But I’m loving every moment of life at the shop (well, maybe not the ones that involve paperwork…) and we were so excited to be featured in The Province newspaper this weekend. Not just the tiny blurb that we’d expected but a FULL PAGE featuring two of our holiday ornament DIY’s…so cool, right?

The Province

I’m feeling pretty festive about the holidays and hope to make a big dent in my gift purchases at some point this week. How about you? Are you feeling relaxed or frazzled about Christmas? Hopefully the former but here’s some bright inspiration to bring you some cheer, just in case…

Sweet Paul

Ferm Living Stars

One of my partners, Elisa, just bought several Hudson’s Bay Blanket stockings from Champion Jack’s, a local vintage clothing store, and I’ve been supremely jealous of her ever since! But I thought that these adorable felted stockings might just be the next best thing…well, almost…

Say Yes to Hoboken

By A Subtle Revelry for Julep

You Are My Fave

Photo by White Loft Studio for Style Me Pretty

I’m off to work now but have a great start to your week!

I seem to have crafty projects and DIY’s on the brain this week! Last night, I hosted a group of school moms at the shop for a creative get together. I figured wine, cheese and crafts could only end well and, thankfully,  I was right! We all had lots of fun and each of my fabulous friends went home with a bag full of handmade goodies for their homes and Christmas trees. Have you gotten together with friends to do anything creative lately? I highly recommend it! Here’s a look at some of the glass ball ornaments that we put together…

Photo by me for Spruce Collective

 We also made these clay tags, painted porcelain ornaments (kind of like these) and terrariums like these…

Fun, right? We’ve got a 9 year old’s birthday party as well as a 40th birthday booked in our workshop over the next few days and each group has requested  a fun project to do together. All of us Spruce girls are excited to challenge ourselves creatively and are thrilled to have such an amazing workshop to host events like these in! Here are some other fantastic DIY’s that I came across recently…

Gilt

Henry Happened

 Fellow Fellow

Love & Cupcakes

Well, I’m off to collect supplies for the said DIY parties coming up and then off to Brad’s work party tonight…’tis the season to be jolly, after all! Have a wonderful weekend!

After another round of sickness in our house…nothing major, just enough to slow us down…I finally got our lovely tree trimmed last night.  I didn’t have time or funds to buy any new ornaments this year but must say that I’m loving the results of reusing what I already had. I’ve collected quite a number of assorted vintage birds over the years (all found at local thrift stores), and think they look pretty darn cute all nestled in around the tree. I also found a bag of vintage red velveteen apples last year and love the extra shot of colour they bring to the mix. Here’s a little peek…can you spot two of the sweet clay ornaments I made at the shop on the weekend?

It’s amazing what you can do with what you already have, isn’t it? Not just at Christmas but all year round. Fresh greenery instantly makes plain woollen socks look festive, there’s no end to what bright coloured washi tape can dress up and vintage ornaments get a new lease on life when displayed in a rustic wood crate…

La Petite Cuisine

Ella’s Inspiration

The Marion House Book

Feeling crafty but no time to dive into a big project? Rosa’s painted pinecones are easy-peasy and fun for the whole family to enjoy. And there’s still time to put together a simple advent calendar or sketch something seasonal on a chalkboard or blank canvas, minimal artistic talent required! There’s something about handmade touches that truly make the holidays feel warmer and more personal, wouldn’t you agree? It reminds me of my childhood making paper chains and stringing popcorn into garlands…

Flutter Flutter 

Dandee Designs

Matthew Mead via Canadian House & Home

Do you have any creative holiday traditions or do you like to try something new each year? Or maybe you prefer to sit back and see the finished results of others, spiced eggnog in hand? I think a combination of all three sounds like my style :) Hope your week is going well and you’re all keeping the flu bugs at bay!

Hello Monday! I’m off to work at the shop today but thought I’d share a few Instagram pics of our weekend. The rain poured down but held off long enough for us to make a beeline to our favourite tree farm yesterday, hooray! We overestimated the size of our living room and chose the biggest tree ever, whoops! I had to get a little creative with our furniture layout this time ’round but I’m really happy with how it all turned out.  And the fresh cut fir smells so amazing when we walk into the house…nothing compares!  Here’s a little peek from some shots I snapped along the way…

Tags made at Spruce Collective

Hope that your weekend was as festive as ours was! Have a great start to your week :)