Dressing the Tiny Greenhouse for the Holidays
This holiday season, I wanted to create a little bit of magic for our 5 year old, who has shown immense compassion, understanding, patience, and love this year. As were still between homes (our small ADU cottage is under construction, and the farmhouse roof is being replaced/restored), I figured that decorating our tiny, mixed-use greenhouse would do the trick:
We’ve long kept all our holiday decor in a vintage suitcase, with the exception of the live tree, and garlands made from discarded clippings, which we get locally.
In celebration of our tiny cottage and the canals, we got one new ornament this year: a green canoe, just like the old one we had when living in Venice.
(Pictured below: A sampling of hand-me-down, add-on, and handmade stocking-stuffers for the kids. They don’t have to be new, pricey or flashy to be exciting for the littles.)
The greenhouse is powered by an extension cord that leads to the main house. There’s one plug-in, multi-strand string of warm, twinkling lights for the tree and stockings, and three battery-powered strands for the garlands. (I use rechargeable AAs, as well as carbon neutral batteries from Better Battery Co.
Here are some of our ornaments, most of which we put on the sprawling garlands, rather than on the little tree. Our tree is decorated with small brass bells, and wooden snowflakes and deer that were intended to be used as gift-topper tags.
We don’t leave the lights on too long so as to minimize the disturbance of wildlife. But when the strands are switched on, they reflect off the angled panes of glass, amplifying the glittering glow.
It’s a happy little place, and I think we’ll make this holiday dressing a yearly event whenever we’re in the States for December. (The farmhouse needs to be further winterized, which is a project we’ll have to tackle later down the road for budgetary reasons.)
(Pictured below: The yearly stocking-stuffers I get for myself.)
Although we are extremely eager to have a house of our own soon — either the farmhouse or the ADU — this special space is certainly making us feel at home for the holidays.
Low Waste Holiday Wall Decor for Small Spaces
Creative, low waste alternatives to Christmas trees for small spaces.
Not enough room for a tree in your small space? Here’s one easy way to use fresh greenery to create space savvy holiday decor for a small home. (View the 30-second video here.)
List of supplies:
Live branches
A bit of rope
A nail or damage-free Command strip
Battery-operated twinkle lights (we use rechargables)
A zip tie (to attach the battery pack to the back of the branch)
Clippers
I simply wrapped the twinkle lights around the branch, tied the rope to either end, suspended the entire piece from a sturdy wall hook, and then added small florals and twigs throughout the branch for a pop of color and variation in texture. I carefully spritz the branch with a bit of water every few days, and replace the bright floral clippings as needed after they’ve fully dried up.
The final result is simple yet striking. And, best of all, at the end of the season the rope, hook and twinkle lights can be reused, and the greenery can go in the compost.
Low Waste, Small Space Holiday Wall Decor
Not enough room for a tree in your small space? (Same here, although our 4 year old might wear me down with his requests to get a tabletop version this year.) Either way, here’s one easy way to use fresh greenery to create space savvy holiday decor for a small home. (View the 30-second video here.)
List of supplies:
Live branches
A bit of rope
A nail or damage-free Command strip
Battery-operated twinkle lights (we use rechargables)
A zip tie (to attach the battery pack to the back of the branch)
Clippers
I simply wrapped the twinkle lights around the branch, tied the rope to either end, suspended the entire piece from a sturdy wall hook, and then added small florals and twigs throughout the branch for a pop of color and variation in texture. I carefully spritz the branch with a bit of water every few days, and replace the bright floral clippings as needed after they’ve fully dried up.
The final result is simple yet striking. And, best of all, at the end of the season the rope, hook and twinkle lights can be reused, and the greenery can go in the compost.
P.S. Here’s an alternative for folks who prefer an artificial, ready-made version.
Embracing a Green Holiday Season
This blog post was sponsored by Garnet Hill. As always, the images and words are my own. Any photographs of my son and/or the pups were taken as they interacted happily in their own natural ways.
If you’re living in a small space and/or trying to be more eco- conscious, the holidays can feel a bit like a bit of a trap. The idea of additional, decorative home goods, mounds of gifts, and festive attire can squeeze compact square-footage while generating unwanted waste— from production, to transport, to (ultimately) removal.
Plus, when you’re in a region similar to ours here in Southern California, the weather doesn’t help you cut corners. If you want it to look and feel like the romantic start of a snowy-white winter season we see in movies, you have to get creative. To all of this I say— why not embrace a green season?
Here are a few enjoyable and easy ways to welcome a “greener” winter into your home, wardrobe and gifts.
Green Home
No room to store oversized decor year-round? You’re not alone.
However, throw pillow covers, strands of lights, minimal garlands, and lightweight linens are tiny-yet-mighty ways to liven up your home for the season— particularly when paired with organic decor, such as potted plants and fresh clippings.
Tea towels and mini or lightweight festive throws and covers can be layered on top of your everyday home goods, adding a touch of warmth and forming a seasonal theme. We’ve gotten almost all of our tiny holiday touches from Garnet Hill. Most of these items can be folded away in a small, space-saving travel or “vacuum” bag when not in use.
I stash all manner of holiday strands (lights, bunting, etc.) behind our paperback books on the shelves after the season is through.
Don’t forget to compost or recycle your clippings and other such seasonal greenery per your regions specifications come January 1. (Or even better— opt for potted plants that can take root in your home or garden and become part of the family.
Green Gifting
I prefer to gift edible goods and beverages over the holidays, as they take up no space over time, and generate little-to-no waste. But for the rare occasions when I want to gift a more permanent item, I look for eco-friendly, versatile items that can adapt to a myriad of environments and roles.
A simple yet stylish scarf can be worn and put to work in many ways, and can be displayed as functional decor when not in use. A neutral cashmere scarf/wrap, for example, is flexible for numerous wardrobe looks, and can last a lifetime when properly maintained.
Breathable, twisted, two-ply yarns can reduce piling and prolong lifespan, all while getting softer with age. When gifted in tandem with a favorite beverage, a charitable contribution, or locally-grown specialty produce, a gift such as this can be suited to nearly any recipient. Simple twine and/or reusable produce bags or bread pouches are every bit as beautiful as wrapping paper, but can be used as daily household items again and again.
Green Fashion
For our little ones: West has finally outgrown the overnight jumpsuits that we relied upon so heavily these past two years (sob!), so we ordered these eco-friendly, stretchy-yet-snug, Green Cotton® pajamas for him. For over a quarter of a decade, the makers of these particular PJs have upheld strict environmental standards for harvesting, processing, dyeing, and finishing their cotton. (West loves their holiday hedgehog set the most.)
My goal is for this set to last him as long as possible, and then either be handed down to a friend’s child, or kept in case we have a second child.
For him: Adam is at home most of the time, though he spends more time with West than I do, and less time at a desk. Since we don’t have want too many items crowding our single, shared closet, he usually wears one of two pairs all day long— so much so that no matter how often we wash them they still seem to maintain a hilarious, lived-in shape. So, as an early holiday gift, I got Adam a long, organic cotton robe, and a pair of plaid pajama pants, which are much cozier for days spent around the Cottage and our garden.
For her: I want to embrace the season with my attire, but I live in sunny SoCal, and I’m always carrying around a child, chasing after the pups, working alone from my home-office, or biking around town. So I need versatile, no-fuss wardrobe staples. Despite the fact that I work from the Cottage, I don’t want to look like a zombie. I find that I’m more confident and more productive when I feel put together, though I never want to spend more than a couple minutes picking out an outfit and getting dressed. (I mean, I found my wedding dress within an hour.)
An organic-cotton plaid shirt in a flattering cut can blend such needs and realities beautifully, and do so without containing harmful pesticides, GMOs, or chemical defoliants. It breathes, it adapts to both warm and cool temperatures, and feels good against your skin all day. It’ll get a lot of milage this time of year, and that’s the whole point.
Holiday Decorating
This is our seventh holiday season at the Cottage. In the past, we decorated small but completely-- stockings, a mini tree, pine cones, mixed garlands, snowflakes, figurines, and (of course) all the twinkle lights. But last year, after I removed our Christmas decor, I remember feeling a tremendous sense of relief-- the house felt so much less cluttered. I decided to hold on to that feeling this time around by scrapping the miscellaneous embellishmnets (which we donated), and using what we consider to be the essentials: the stockings, a live tree + garlands, and (of course) all the twinkle lights.
We made one other major change to our holiday routine as well. Instead of aiming for our cozy decor to pull us into the house, we wanted it to encourage us to step outside of our walls, in order to focus more on the people and places around us. (More experiences. Fewer things.) So we put our Christmas tree on the porch, and instead of glittering-up our garden, we decorated a bridge over a canal in our neighborhood.
We required some different lighting in order to make these changes happen safely. For our tree, we needed an indoor/outdoor safe string of lights, and I wanted strands that could glow white OR in color. These dual color option battery-operated string lights from Lights.com did the trick. With West's safety in mind, we tethered the tree to the lattice behind it, and arranged all of our breakable ornaments up top. We used these clever flameless taper candles to adorn branches within his reach, because they look beautiful and he loves to grasp and play with them.
For the bridge, I wanted everything to be as natural as possible. This time of year usually encourages so much more extra waste and disposability, and I really hoped to avoid that by using live plants and garlands, twig-based wreaths, and solar powered twinkle strands, and rechargeable, flameless, battery-operated lanterns. I loaded up the supplies on my bike, and met my friends Heather Tierney (of The Butcher's Daughter) and Sara Toufali (of Black & Blooms) on the canals, where we spent the whole morning chatting about life and brainstorming about business as we wound the lights and greenery around the bridge.
We got to enjoy the gussied-up bride again over the weekend with my friends during the community's holiday boat parade.
For me, THIS Is what the holidays are all about. Less shopping, more connecting + creating. And (of course) all the twinkle lights.
The lights I used for these projects were sponsored by the lovely folks at Lights.com. All opinions + words are my own.
Small Space Holiday Tablescape
We've always loved hosting dinners at the Cottage, but now with our new expansion, we're planning on hosting more than ever this holiday season. I wanted to try something a little different this year by designing an all-clear tablescape with pieces from my long-time friends at CB2. I love this glittering, delicate, and uncluttered look, which is perfect for compact spaces. Plus the glass reflects candlelight in such a magical and festive way. ✨
Our collapsible indoor/outdoor table (which we use constantly) measures about 23” deep , which allows it to fit into our tiny living space, or into the sliver or an outdoor dining area between the two cottages. We usually use a mix of CB2’s rectangular Cuatro Platters, which fit well on such a narrow tabletop, without visually weighing down the surface. But I wanted to make everything feel a bit more festive for the winter months, without going overboard and without feeling too formal.
I decided to design the tabletop around the Bari Glass Dinnerware, because its crystal-clear appearance takes up almost no visual space. I paired the plates with the Sophia Optic Wine Glass, the Winter White Luster Ornaments, Paz Clear Glass Trees in staggered heights, the Bolt Linen Napkins, and this two-toned flatware set. I added a mix of winter greenery between the Bari Dinner Plate and the Bari Salad Plate in order to add texture, color, and contrast.
For those of you in LA: Visit the CB2 in West Hollywood now through 11/29 to enter to win the same pieces (for a table of 8) used in my tablescape design. (Just ask an associate for details.) If you stop by the store on Wednesday 11/29 from 5-8 PM, you can also enjoy flash sales, giveaways, gift wrapping, and in-store assistance from CB2’s personal shoppers.
This content was created in partnership with CB2. All images and opinions are my own.
Christmas at the Cottage
December was a beautiful daze at the Cottage. The weeks rushed by, and West grew so much that Adam and I can hardly believe our eyes. I posted most of my content from the month on Instagram Stories, which allowed me to share moments from the Cottage without requiring me to spend additional hours at the computer away from West. My goal this holiday season was to spend less time fussing over presents, and to spend more time focused on my family. It was wonderful, and some of our highlights are below. Happy, happy holidays to you and yours! Thank you for making our entire 2016 so very merry & bright.
Holiday Decor with Architectural Digest
We're delighted to be back on Architectural Digest! This time we're sharing some small-space, outdoor holiday decor ideas. Click here to view the feature.
Thanks, AD!
Idyllwild Weekend
Idyllwild. You. Are. Magic. This has been the best weekend getaway from LA-- we traveled from the sand to the snow in fewer than 3 hours.
Big thanks to Tysa Designs and Lou & Grey for providing me with the best winter-wear on short-notice. And thank you, Smoke & Honey Magazine, for teaching us about the town.
Pictured: Brooke Lyons, Casa Joshua Tree, Eliz Wilson, and Rachel Mae Furman.
Cozy Holiday Style on Dulcet Creative
Our 2014 holiday style here at the Cottage is being showcased by Dulcet Creative on their blog this week. The two ladies behind this operation are absolutely delightful. They are bright, kind and crafty as can be. Explore their posts via their blog and on Instagram.
Click the image below to jump to the story.
