Tuesday, December 31, 2013

Sunday, December 29, 2013

Still savoring?



I'm savoring these last moments of Christmas, how about you? Are you done or wanting it to last? My tree hasn't dropped a needle yet, so it is sacrilegious to take it down yet! I'm thinking the weekend after New Years, what about you?




Friday, December 27, 2013

Make Snowflakes


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A great seasonal project and an actual template! Great fun for those snow days, or if you lose power in a storm!  (Let's hope that doesn't happen.)

Happy Holidays to all!



Tuesday, December 24, 2013

Have a wonderful holiday


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                    May you savor the season and the spirit of Christmas last with you all year long.

Happy Holidays from Powell Brower Interiors. 



Monday, December 23, 2013

Breathe



I just love this. Sometimes simpler IS better. 

Happy Holidays!


Saturday, December 21, 2013

The Best Door



Congratulations to our friend Kim at Kim Macumber Interiors for winning the "Front Door" Entry for The Adventures of Tartanscot's annual Christmas photo contest!  Pop on over and see the winners in the other categories.

This photo has become one of my all time favorite Christmas shots. Her pups are adorable and the entry is beautiful. Can't wait to see what she does with her new home!

Hope your weekend isn't too crazy. We are off to holiday parties and a reunion.
Happy Holidays all! 


Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Christmas house tour


Welcome to the Powell home this Christmas.  











Happy Holidays to you all! 
Thank you for a year of supportive comments and your blog friendship. For this we are truly appreciative. Happy countdown to Christmas and I hope you are savoring the journey, for it will be over all too soon. 


Monday, December 16, 2013

Holiday Mantels


I love to decorate mantels for Christmas.  Here are my living room mantels in 2013 and 2012. They are in my neutral formal living room, so I tend to match the decor.



My casual family room mantel houses my collection of 30+ Nutcrackers.


Of course there is always something to envy in the glossies and here some of my favorites.


Mercury glass surrounded by white lights... love this!


Simple, earthy with greenery- Mary Anne's mantel is perfect.


This one's fun, but my dogs would whine at it all season, just like they whine at the stuffed Santas I have on display.

I think the simpler the better until I get into my hoard of Christmas decorations then I tend to go a little crazy. How about you? Do you keep it simple or do you put your collections on display?







P.S.check us out over at Stone Gable's Scoop!


Friday, December 13, 2013

A Gift Guide for Real Men


If your man is like mine, many of the holiday gift guides that abound this time of year won't be completely relevant.  My husband wouldn't appreciate a high-collared Fair Isle sweater or a leather trimmed weekender. He is a beard-wearing, flannel kinda cozy, football loving man who is all about finding his next foodie fix. Mom and I once tried to sneak a pair of suede wingtips into his Christmas loot and they remain untouched in the closet.  

Here's a gift guide that would fly in my house. Hope these help you on your search!


My dude recently watched some show touting this small-batch tonic made in Charleston, SC and sent me a picture text all about how he had to find it.  Later the same day I found it at Crate & Barrel and we scooped it up for him!  Paired with a craft gin this would make the perfect manly gift!  And a little lime tree would be the perfect gift for a rum & coke drinker like the men in my family...just pick a lime, slice it up and twist into your next cocktail. A Himalayan salt plate would work great for the griller or cook in the family - throw a steak or fish filet on it and fire up the grill!  We love ours and the flavor it adds to any meat. This au naturale beef jerky comes in several cool flavor combos and is definitely getting added to my man's stocking! I wish we had these iPhone charger packs before our latest ice storm that left us without power for three days - also getting added to the stocking. Any man who tends the fireplace can appreciate these fire starters!  This metal wallet insert can be customized to document anything special between you and your man.  My husband's would probably site the Dr Suess quote 'Be Who You Are' because it rings so true with him.  Hoping my husband doesn't actually read the blog because this is a major spoiler alert.  The Besh Box is the most clever invention in subscription boxes yet - hosting tools, recipes and specialty ingredients in a monthly box put together by famous NoLa chef, John Besh.  This Face Wash is super mild for flaky winter skin and is scented just manly enough to be fun. I've found it at Whole Foods in the past and my husband is a faithful user.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!



Thursday, December 12, 2013

The perfect Christmas...

...isn't so perfect.  It's not about the "stuff" but more important the journey to Christmas.  It's about celebrating those you love.
Some of our favorite family holiday traditions involve annual family reunion christmas parties, cutting down the biggest Christmas tree we can manage, having a special Christmas Eve family dinner, giving my kids Christmas pj's to unwrap the night before, and still reading "The Night Before Christmas" every year to my grown up kids. It gets us all warm and fuzzy.






Happy journey through the holidays!








Wednesday, December 11, 2013

Wreaths

One of the first things I put up for Christmas is a wreath (or two or twelve).  Here are some lovelies that keep me inspired to change it up every year.




{ images from my Christmas Decor pinterest board}

Here are a few around my home this year!


Have you stayed conventional or changed it up this year?  Tell us how!



Monday, December 9, 2013

Lauren Liess & Co. Shop Tour


This past weekend we went to the opening of Lauren Liess's new shop in Great Falls, Va.  We were welcomed by Lauren and Dave and spent a few hours visiting with them and taking in all her beautiful fabrics and market finds. Her exclusive textile line is overwhelmingly beautiful and the quality and colors are more amazing in person.









The ambiance is warm and inviting in a home-like setting.  Lauren is so open to sharing her ideas and future plans and is a genuinely lovely person inside and out. Dave was pretty great, too!





I hope you can visit her shop, but please be sure to check out her portfolio and textile collection at LaurenLeiss.com and follow her life as a Mom of three boys, shop owner and uber talented designer on her blog, Pure Style Home.

Happy journey to Christmas!