We couldn’t be more in love with our NEWEST Spring Velvet Plush Pumpkins.

The vivid bright color combinations are making us soooo happy!

These little bright babies found a home on one of my side tables nestled up on a shiny glass tray, proving velvet pumpkins look fabulous ANY time of the year!

We’ve added 4 new color combinations for our Large Velvet Pumpkin Sets & Trios.

Plus, we’ve added 2 Spring Nests that will have your table tops swooning!

Visit LoveFeast Shop now to see more!

Today we are excited to introduce our Tastemaker Series! We have invited friends all over the country to join us at our table and tell us a bit about themselves. These are women who embody what we call a LoveFeast Lifestyle. They like to linger at the table with their friends and family, they value the moment more than perfection, they love to create a beautiful and welcoming space and we just like them. Will you join us in welcoming our first Tastemaker, Melissa Michaels from The Inspired Room. We asked Melissa a few questions about memorable gatherings.

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1. How do you set the stage in your home for entertaining in the fall season?

My first step toward fall entertaining is decluttering and cleaning! After a fun carefree summer, our house needs a little love and attention to nudge it back to order and into the cozy and comfortable ambience I love. While opening my home to others is really about making a connection and building community with friends or family, I always feel so much more relaxed and ready to open the door if I’ve created a comfortable and welcoming environment! I love to refresh my dining room by bringing in a little cozier fall ambience with candles, fall centerpieces and pretty linens and dishes. I never feel like my house has to be perfect for entertaining, but I find so much joy in setting the mood that preparing for guests really fun for me!

2.  What is your favorite type of gathering to host?

I love hosting simple gatherings that encourage guests to relax, have fun and get to know other people! We set up fun buffets or potluck style tables and let guests serve themselves. It’s pretty low-key but still intentional. We love to make a gathering festive in some way with lighting, music and the general ambience.

3.  What are your top 3 tips for creating a memorable gathering?

Set the mood. Whether it’s the mood we intend to set or not, our homes and our own attitudes set a mood for how people feel in our homes.  Your home and entertaining style should be a reflection of who you are, so have fun creating the environment that shows your guests you prepared for them in your own special way and are excited to have them in your home.

Let go of perfection.

Perfectionism will make you and your guests miserable. But creating a lovely mood for your gathering and opening the door in a welcoming frame of mind are gifts and good memories you can give your guests.

Create connection.

It’s easy to get so caught up in all the preparations that we forget what really makes a memorable gathering, and that is how the people feel when they leave. Create plenty of opportunities to make guests feel welcome and connected to other guests in your home.

4.  Would you share with us your most memorable feast or meal shared around your table and what made it so special?

One of our most memorable feasts was fifteen years ago on Thanksgiving, but it was also our most simple holiday ever! My sister was getting married the next day. My husband was officiating at their wedding and I was the matron of honor so we were in full wedding preparation mode, not Thanksgiving dinner mode. We almost bypassed the holiday altogether! But realizing the significance of the day and wanting to slow down to be grateful, we pulled together a simple Thanksgiving meal for the four of us that evening in my tiny kitchen. Nothing was prepared or thought about in advance, there was no guest list and no time to to plan a complicated menu. We only had time for the basics (a turkey breast, mashed potatoes, cranberries, green beans and stuffing). But we set the table, lit some candles and gave thanks. It was lovely! The meal and conversation that Thanksgiving are memories I will never forget!

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Take a moment to visit Melissa at The Inspired Room. She just might have a fabulous GIVEAWAY going on over at her place.

 

There is something magical about this time of year.  While the bright beams of summer sun are still warming the grass, the breeze begins to blow a little cooler and the leaves start to softly rattle…before they fall.

Presenting Velvet Acorns from LoveFeast Shop!

Already in my garden I have found plenty of empty acorn stems let loose from the nut by squirrels.

This year plenty of LoveFeast friends are gathering up their fall decor and getting ready to nest their homes with colorful and whimsical velvet acorns.

Gathered a few in a nest for table settings or in a nook.

Pile a bounty of velvet beauties for a burst of colorful, candy-like colors.

Any size or color you pick will make you happy.

Velvet Acorns are in season  ~ take your pick of our fall treasures at LoveFeast Shop!

Recently I shared a DIY on How to Create Fabric Covered Chargers. I wanted to show you what I did with the chargers. I have a slight obsession for dishes and I tend to collect dishes, both new and antique that I can mix and match with other patterns. It’s a pretty well known fact that I’m not into matchy-matchy. So, the idea of taking different fabric covered chargers and pairing them differently with unique plate patterns, really led to an entire afternoon of playing with my table.

There are a few things to keep in mind when mixing and matching patterns and textures on a table, so that your final tablescape has a sense of cohesiveness.

TIPS:

1. Have a subtle color scheme in mind. I used: Cream, white, gold with a slight pop of blue/green.

2. Look for variations in plate rims for added texture.

3. A pop of a darker color (in this case, dark gray) can be grounding for your overall look. It adds depth to your table.

Setting 1: Crocheted charger with gold, cream and slight pop of blue, wheat patterned, vintage plate.

Setting 2: Linen and gilded charger with all cream embossed, antique plate.

Setting 3: Grounded gray pinstripe charger with cream and blue/green patterned antique plate.

Setting 4: Linen and gilded charger paired with vintage, gold wheat patterned plate.

Setting 5: Linen charger with limoge, antique plate with subtle floral motif and that pop of green/blue.

Setting 6: Grounded gray pinstripe charger with cream, embossed antique plate

In between the charger and the plate, I used a white Pier 1 white, plate. This helped bring a common thread to each place setting. Then I finished each setting off with an antique linen napkin (each one different) clipped onto the plate with a vintage clothes pin.

The effect was elegant and homespun, finished yet comfortable.

It’s that juxtaposition at a table, that makes each guest feel like their place setting was created just for her (or him).

Just curious, which place setting is your favorite? That way, the next time you visit, I’ll make sure to pay attention to that detail.

I have to confess, one of my favorite things to do is to set a table. I see it as an art project. It’s a place where I get to be creative with small projects that have big impact. This year I decided to use our Snow Plush Pumpkins as the inspiration for a Wintery Tablescape. (More on that in another post.) If you’ve seen our tables in the past, you will know that textures and layers are important to creating a stunning table. I decided this year to use different fabrics, with different patterns as a way to create interest for my tablescape.

About 5 years ago, I picked up a few stacks of bamboo plates at a yard sale. (They were new in the package.) I have gotten so much mileage from this purchase! For years I have used them as “natural element” chargers. The slight bamboo grain and the color added warmth to my table all year around. They were beginning to get a bit tired, so I decided to up-cycle these babies by covering them in fabric.

This is a super easy project.

The supplies you need:

1 jar of modge podge

1 paint brush

bamboo “disposable” plates

fabric

1. The first thing you want to do is cut the fabric about 1 inch larger than the plate. I recommend getting thinner fabric. It won’t be as bulky or difficult to glue down.

2. On the front side of the plate, cover it with an even coat of Modge Podge. (I used what I had on hand, but there is another type offered that is perfect for fabric. But this worked fine.)

3. Gently lay the cut fabric over the glue and press while pushing out any wrinkles. I started on one edge and worked my way into the middle and then around. 

4. Turn the plate over and brush Modge Podge around the rim. 

5. Going around the rim, gentle press the fabric into the glue while pulling the fabric so it makes a clean edge. Trim any excess fabric.

I love the way this sophisticate pinstripe turned out! This fabric was a linen and I found linen worked the best. I also found this textured fabric that I just loved, but it was a little more challenging to get it to stick to the glue. I wonder if the Modge Podge for fabric would have worked better.

But with a little ingenuity and a few wooden clothes pins…

I made it succumb to my whims.

I finished with a pile of textured beauties and can’t wait to show you how they were the key ingredient to a delicious table!

Our DECOR category covers all the things that inspire us about decorating the home.  In this category you will find organizing tips, home DIY projects, garden, and decor inspiration.

Probably the biggest news around here this year was the opening in August of our newly redesigned online boutique, LoveFeast Shop.  This has been an exciting year of growth for us and we are loving getting to know our customers.

LoveFeast Shop is our online curated boutique of beautiful home decor items, stylish accessories and gifts!

 The Lights are on in the NEW LoveFeast Shop 

Add Unexpected Elements In Decorating

Winter Patchwork Sweater Table Runner

Paper Topiary Tree DIY

Décor Best of 2013 

Join us on Pinterest ~ Instagram ~ Twitter ~ Facebook or sign up for our Newsletter HERE!

Last winter the LoveFeast Girls got together right before Christmas.   We decided to celebrate our past year and the season with a winter dinner party.  I wanted to set a mood for our winter table, that was beautiful and festive, yet cozy and relaxed.  I also wanted to show off the Snow Velvet Pumpkin set from LoveFeast Shop.  I had a vision of creamy tone on tone layers and natural elements for my winter table.

This easy to make Winter Patchwork Sweater Table Runner DIY Project helps set the perfect table for the winter season and makes a great DIY gift.

I created this Winter Patchwork Sweater Table Runner especially for this festive night.  And believe it or not, I pulled it off just an hour or so before dinner.

For this Winter Patchwork Sweater Table Runner DIY Project all you will need is :  Burlap, old sweaters and suits, hot glue, and a sharp pair of scissors.

I begin my cutting my burlap on my table to fit, allowing a bit of extra to fall off each end of the table.  I used good quality sweaters and suits I had gathered from a second hand store.  Using quality textiles will insure an elegant and refined look to this casually cobbled patch-worked together table runner.

Good quality always shows from the luster, weave and dye of the fabric or knit. 

Begin cutting, and layering the patchwork of knits and fabrics down the burlap, hot-gluing as you go.  Allow for nice buttons or fur trim to show.  This will add dimension and visual interest to this runner.

Interesting is beautiful.

If you really wanted to finish this up nicely you could add a layer of hand-stitching to each patch-worked part.  But, with guests about to arrive, for our winter dinner party I only had time to quickly layer my table with chargers, dishes, velvet pumpkins, and paint dipped pine cones.

This Winter Patchwork Sweater Table Runner would make a beautiful hand made gift.

And, of course some candlelight.

I store this runner in the off season, rolled up and tied with a burlap string.  I’m getting ready to roll it out again now that the winter season is here.

(For other DIY ideas check out Holiday Cheer in the Blogosphere at hi sugarplum!)

We’d love to have join us at the table again!

If you’d like, we’d love to have you follow us on Instagram to catch our random moments of inspiration, on Facebook for the conversation ~ or join our Newsletter to receive promotions and new product information from LoveFeast Shop!

We’re getting snow later on today, and I’ll confess, I haven’t finished my front porch.  With not a lot of time to spare, I’m going to be making this holiday planter with birch and greens in 7 easy steps.  Chances are you have the same items around your home that I’m going to use – a laundry hamper or bucket, some hand weights or a heavy item (to weigh down the hamper with), some burlap and greens and birch logs or trees from a local nursery or garden market.

7 Steps To A Beautiful Birch Tree & Burlap Planter

 Tip ~  Add extra and unexpected elements and textures to make your planter more interesting and beautiful.

Voila!  Go out and seize your front porches and entry ways.  I know that it just what I’m going to do today, before it snows!

I’ve always had a thing for luxurious and elegant patterns and textures.  As a young camp girl when other kids were bringing home postcards, mugs and packs of gum on the long bus ride home, I wedged heavy pottery planters between my legs and a beautiful batiked pillow in between my arm rest and the window.  Clearly, I had a vision for my future filled with inviting spaces.  And, somehow I knew a pillow could make a statement, change a room and inspire a goal of how one would like to feel in one’s life.  (On a side note ~ my batiked pillow found on a camp trip now finds a place on Kristin’s guest bed.)

Our NEW velvet and fur pillows and throws are both luxurious & comforting!

Adding a pillow or throw is a simple way to add an inspiring element to your home.

Fur and velvet are two textures that bring an extra special added flair of elegance, delight and inspiration!

Switching out your pillows and throws as the seasons change is a quick way to bring an added dimension and warmth to your room.

One of our values at LoveFeast Shop is to bring elegant, high-quality and inspiring things to you and your home.

These pillow & throws are impeccably made and are a practical luxury.

If you are a fan of our Velvet Pumpkins ~ you’ll see something very familiar in our NEW luxurious velvet throws!

and because ’tis the season ~ we’ve added some elegant personal fur pieces!

Visit LoveFeast Shop for unique and inspiring finds for you & your home & charming gifts to give this season!

The element of surprise in decorating is what make something practical, functional or utilitarian come to life!

Find some places in your home to add the unexpected.  If you have a certain style, traditional, modern, or cabin luxe, try to add a bit of the opposite of whatever you’ve got going.  If your home is formal in style, add something relaxed, like a bit of nature.  Go for a walk and find a pile of leaves to add to a bowl, a branch, a rock, or maybe even a nest.

Layers move the eye around and make the soul dance.

Like they say rules are made to be broken.  Even this morning as my 9 year old daughter was wanting the perfectly even bow as she went out the door, I said to her, “There is beauty in imperfection.”  Likewise, there is beauty in the juxtaposition of opposites.  Take it a bit further, let’s say, they “attract one another”.

If your style is more relaxed add something more formal for a bit of juxtaposition.

Opposites attract and bring humor and personality to a room.

“Matchy-matchy is not for me. I don’t want things to be too perfect. It’s like pairing a matte top with a shiny skirt, so they play off each other. I want there to be relationships with texture and color, and sometimes it’s more about the contrast that chimes.“—Fashion designer Peter Som

We are inspired by patterns, texture and color when we are discovering things to add to our boutique.  The idea of adding the unexpected bit of nature, an interesting print, a beautiful texture or a bit of whimsy is what adds personality, warmth and beauty to your home.

www.LoveFeast Shop.com

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