The latest from our Heart and Soul

I love Christmas. I love just about everything about it; the food, the get-togethers, the giving, the celebrating, the music, the movies and the decorating. Oh, the decorating!

Since Canadian Thanksgiving is in October and Thanksgiving sort of marks the pinnacle of fall, Christmas decorating at our house officially begins on November 1st. Perhaps it's the years I spent growing up in Ontario snow country. Perhaps it's the days getting shorter and the sun going down earlier. But come November 1st I am ready and eager to pull out the Christmas totes, put on some Christmas music (Bing Crosby or Brian Setzer anyone?) and start stringing up little white lights.

Our decorating has changed over the last several years. Many years ago we used whatever we had, then we went all "primitive country" and last year was very much white and silver which was a complete change and actually a little cold and stark.

This year I wanted to bring back warmth and a bit of a vintage feel to our decorations. Some of that is coming in by using off-whites mixed with whiter-whites, some is coming from adding more texture with burlap garlands and fluffy throw blankets. And some is coming in the form of DIY projects made from using vintage sheet music from hymnals my mother-in-law gave us.

One super easy DIY project is to make a paper chain. Yup, you heard me; a paper chain! Pretty much like those colourful ones we used to make in grade school from construction paper. Only this one is so much more classy and grown up!

What you'll need:

• hymnal pages/sheet music/book pages
• scrapbook scissors
• scotch tape

Step 1.
Using scrapbook scissors cut your pages in four pieces lengthwise. I used scapbook scissors with a funky edge to add interest to my paper chain. Regular scissors will do if you do not have scrapbook scissors.

Step 2.
Make a circle with one piece and tape together with a small piece of scotch tape. Loop another piece through the circle and tape it together. Repeat until you have a "chain" in your desired length.

Then all you have to do is hang it up and enjoy. You could hang it on a mantle, over a window or looped around a Christmas tree. (Be sure your Christmas lights are safe!)

For other Sheet Music/Book Page ideas, see a few of our other DIY projects: Vintage Hymnal Stuffed Ornaments, Glitter Letters and Sheet Music Pinwheel Garland, and Book Page Art.

Have you ever wanted to decorate with fancy letters and shapes? You know all those pretty scripts and quotes that people make with their Cricuts or their Silhouettes?

But maybe, just maybe, you’re like me and you don’t have one. Not because you don’t want one (‘cause frankly if someone gifted me one – hint hint – I’d for sure make good use of it), but perhaps it’s just not in the Mom budget right now.

While you’re waiting (or not!), you can use a super easy transfer method for creating just about anything your imagination can think up. You don’t even need a printer (we haven’t had one for two years; we send anything we need printed out to Staples). And you can use this method for just about any hard surface!

As a side note, I totally didn’t make this up. I just wrote a tutorial to help you do it! M’kay?

Anyhow, we first used it on our blanket box.

For this tutorial I wanted to create a script-y quote for fall on our big kitchen chalkboard.

Wanna know how I did it?

Step 1

Create your artwork on the computer. You can even use Microsoft Word if that’s all you’ve got. I chose a fall quote by Albert Camus that says, “Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower”. Love that! I used Freebooter Script for my font.

Step 2

Trace the script right off the computer screen! Really. Make sure you’ve eyeballed it to the right size for your project space but you can always scroll across for each word when tracing.

Step 3

Roughly cut around each of your words.

Step 4

Scribble on the back of each word. Use pencil for most surfaces. BUT for the chalkboard use chalk…I learned this the hard way. Pencil doesn’t show up so well on a chalkboard!

Step 5

Tape your words to your surface with painters tape. Step back to make sure it’s all level and even-like.

Step 6

Trace around each letter carefully with a pencil. This will cause the pencil {or chalk} on the back to leave an outline on your surface. Cool, huh?

Step 7

If necessary, fill in your letters. {I used a chalk marker for this project. For the blanket box mentioned above, I filled in the letters with a paint marker. There are some seriously cool markers these days!!!}

And that’s a wrap! Didn’t I tell you it was easy-peasy?!

What do you think? Do you have a chalkboard you could dress up? Could you create some artwork? I bet it would make a beautiful canvas too!

We pour our hearts into creating the perfect holidays, from the menu and gifts, to the wreath hung on the door, the garland and ribbon wrapped around the banister and the twinkling lights strewn about the dining room. The holiday season brings out our fun, creative side as we transform our everyday homes into a pine-scented winter wonderland, warm and bright, romantic and peaceful.

3M™ Command™ Strips make it easy to get festive in any room so you can put it all up and come December 26th, tear it all down again, without damaging your walls with nails, and screws.

This holiday season we want you to inspire us. EverythingMom and 3M™ are making a list of moms who have been very nice this year.

We want you to show some creative flare and share your experience encorporating 3M™ Command™ Products within your home’s holiday décor. With an ample selection of 3M™ Command™ Products at your disposal, show us just how creative you can get!

If selected as one of the Mom Influencers for this sponsored program, you’ll get:

• your choice of up to twenty 3M™ Command™ Products to incorporate in your decorating efforts;
• compensation of $150 upon completion of the program, for your time and your post; and,
• the opportunity to win an additional $350, if friends and readers vote your joyful inspiration as their favourite.

We’d love moms (and their kids!) with any level of experience -- from complete newbies to well-versed interior designers. We are looking for content that’s original, makes visual impact through stills or video and is highly shareable to inspire your readers and ours as they plan their holiday home.

It doesn’t need to an attic to basement to transformation. Sometimes, the most beautiful picture is a well-presented mantle, after all.  A post with great photos and an easy-to-follow how-to is a  worthy read for busy moms.

If eggnog runs through your veins and you’re ready to deck the halls, apply to Deck the Halls with EverythingMom and 3M™ Command™ Products using the form below:

Applications will be collected until midnight (EST), October 23th, and selected participants will be contacted on or about October 26th. Open to EverythingMom members who are Canadian residents only.

Please note: while we appreciate all of the applications we receive for this fun program, due to time constraints, we will only be able to contact those selected to participate.

Got a small living room? Not sure how to decorate it? Having trouble getting it just right? While decorating small spaces can be a challenge it is not impossible. There are plenty of decorating ideas for small living rooms. The key is to keep it simple and to scale.

The first task you must tend to when addressing a small room is to organize and purge. Space is at a premium so you must get rid of unnecessary “stuff”. Pair things down, edit your decorative items and keep it simple. Limit your decorative arrangements to small numbers. Using large simple pieces of artwork rather than collections of smaller pieces helps to keep the look clean. Simple and uncluttered is imperative for small spaces.

Decorating Ideas for Small Living Rooms: Space Planning

While your space might be limited, it is important to have ample area for pathways to ease traffic flow in your living room. Make sure you don’t overcrowd. One way to do this is to think vertically. Get things off the floor and utilize wall space. Tall chests, built-ins or bookcases will take advantage of the room height when looking to store or display items. Even better, try using wall mounted shelves in lieu of bookcases.

Consider how you will be using the room. If it is to be used exclusively for conversation, reading and entertaining then relegate the electronic equipment to the family room. If you must incorporate a TV and other electronic entertainment devices into the space then use smaller items in keeping with the scale of the room. Sorry guys, no 58” plasma TV in here!

Is your living room adjoining another space such as the dining area, or serving two functions as a living and office space? A good decorating idea for small living rooms is to use an open two sided display/bookcase to delineate areas. Aside from having less visual weight than a solid bookcase, an open case provides extra storage and display space while not blocking light. The openness also allows the eye to travel further in the room.

Decorating Ideas for Small Living Rooms: Colour Schemes/Palettes

Neutral, light colour schemes work well in small spaces. Using light colours will make a room appear bigger. Think about using whites, creams, tans or light taupes, all of which are light and neutral. If neutral is not your style that’s ok, but whatever colour you choose make sure to paint the room one solid colour. No colour blocking here! Painting the room all one colour allows the eye to travel freely around the room without interruptions from colour changes which can make the space appear smaller.

Keeping it simple also applies to your decor finishes. Don’t introduce too many patterns in your décor, like upholstery for instance, and keep the patterns simple. Think understated.

Decorating Ideas for Small Living Rooms: Flooring

Regardless of your choice of flooring, keep it continuous. Flooring changes will interrupt the flow and tend to make the space look smaller. Clear uninterrupted lengths of hardwood flooring look great and work well in small spaces making the space appear longer and wider, but sometimes you want a little comfort underfoot. If you must use an area rug, make sure it is big enough to cover almost the whole area.

Decorating Ideas for Small Living Rooms: Furniture

Another way to get the most out of your small space is to carefully choose your furniture. Use smaller scale furniture. Look to stores who cater to condo owners like West Elm, for instance, who sell furniture scaled to small space living. Consider also the furniture’s silhouettes. They need to be taller and thinner therefore having a smaller foot print on floor and utilizing wall space.

Dual –purpose items are also ideal for small spaces. Look for ottomans with storage or coffee tables with drawers. Nesting tables are great also as they provide extra table surface and easily stored when not in use.

The visual weight of the furniture is also important here. Clear acrylic furniture or glass top tables, sofas and chairs with exposed legs with no heavy skirts, furniture with open bases and simple silhouettes all have carry less visual weight which is ideal for a small living room.

Using furniture with reflective surfaces will brighten a room. A mirrored chest or side table has less visual weight than a dark solid wood piece and can increase light in the room by reflection.

Don’t like mirrored furniture? A great decorating idea for small living rooms is to lean a large floor mirror against a wall. The reflective surface will not only increase light in the room but give the appearance of more space. Do consider, however, the placement of the mirror. You will want to be aware of the space opposite the mirror as that is what will be reflected. If your mirror reflects the mess of shoes and coats in the hallway, the deception of more space found in the reflection will not be an appealing one.

Decorating Ideas for Small Living Rooms: Windows

If you have a great view, try keeping your window treatments minimal and your view unobstructed. This will allow the eye to travel through the room and beyond to the vista outdoors thus giving the feeling of more space. If your view is less desirable, keep your window coverings simple. No fussy, fancy drapes here. Choose tailored, clean lines instead. Tailored shades or simple curtain panels will do. Fabrics should be in a simple pattern and/or in a colour which blends in with the walls and doesn’t stand out too much. The idea here is to not create a frame for the window distracting the eye and breaking up the length of the wall.

Decorating Ideas for Small Living Rooms: Lighting

Not to be overlooked, lighting is extremely important when decorating a small space. As floor space is limited, this is the perfect place to utilize pot lights in the ceiling. Make sure to keep them small and discrete. Of course, as overhead lighting is often not the most flattering light for many of us, you will want to have some soft accent lighting. If using floor lamps, make sure they have a small foot print so as to not take up too much space. Better yet use table lamps or wall sconces. What about this decorating idea for small living rooms? Try wall mounting a reading lamp next to your favourite reading chair or at either end of the sofa. This provides great light for reading and gets the light off the floor and potentially smaller sized tables.

Whether you are starting out in your first small home, live in a condo or apartment, or have down sized, having a living room in which you feel comfortable to relax or entertain is important. Cramped quarters do not have to cramp your style. There are many decorating ideas for small living rooms out there today which offer solutions to challenging small spaces.  Small living rooms can be cozy and charming. Keep it simple and to scale and you can still have a room that is big on style.