Featured
In lieu of authentic glass heart ornaments for Valentine's Day this year (for which I searched but couldn't find), I decided to make my own! Making these faux antique glass hearts was so simple and gave me instant gratification. By hanging them in Valentine Trees like I did in
To sweeten our home for Valentine's Day this year, I made 3-D paper hearts that float over my Valentine Vessel in the dining room. Bring whimsy to your own Valentine celebration using my easy DIY: Hearts and Crafts directions!
If you enjoyed my Hearts and Crafts for Valentine's Day post, below are the DIY directions on how to make your own hanging hearts!
After six years of marriage and a little one in tow, I think my husband may have figured me out a little bit ;). While wandering around an antique shop this past weekend, my husband called out to me (without showing me his secret find), "Hey sweetie? I'm just going to go ahead and put this at the register. I know you're going to want this thing.”
The Easter egg tree has been a long standing tradition in my family. Every year, a few new eggs are bedazzled using different techniques -- paint, marbling, dye, and even gold-leaf!
For every Valentine's Day I can remember as a child, a tree branch adorned with heart ornaments graced our home this time of year. Each tree had vintage glass hearts and homemade hearts that my family and I would create in the days leading up to February 14.
For some silver pop on my holiday mantle, I've created a modern twist on the green garland. This silver holly garland is the perfect compliment to my antique mercury glass beads and silver glittered pinecones, giving my mantle a reason to shine for the holiday. Make your home shine with a silver holly garland of your own!
Dress up your home’s focal point in a glamorous fashion this Halloween. On this mantle, I’ve kept the color palette fairly simple: to black and white. A collection of white pumpkins, black bats, a black urn, white coral, and a black handmade spiderweb makes this mantle perfectly Spooky-Glam. Just Beware…You won’t want to turn your back!
It's officially the month of Halloween, and I couldn't be more thrilled! After spotting these adorable black cat wine bottles at World Market, I knew they had to become something for this year's spooky-glam festivities. Their shape and color seemed purrfect for candelabras, so "cat"alabras is what I made!
Hope everyone is having a lovely 4th of July!! When planning decor for this fun summer holiday, images of stars and the beach came to my mind. Combine those two images, and I got starfish!!
Happy Fourth of July!!! This holiday, I decorated my mantle with traditional flags, yellow flowers fresh from my garden, and of course, blue coral.
It's nearly time to celebrate Cinco de Mayo! This year, due to the perfectly warm weather, I've decided to have a small celebration in our backyard. These bold colors are festive and fun, giving a glimpse of the bright summer to come.
My favorite thing about Cinco de Mayo decorations is the boldness and richness of the colors. From hot pink to bright blue and every color in between, a few pops of florescent color can turn a neutral space into a festive one!
Good morning, and Happy Easter Day! Looking for a last minute centerpiece, but one that's edible, too? Look no further than this naturally beautiful Eggstravaganza!
Seeing as how I am obsessed with nests (obviously) and all things naturally beautiful, there really couldn't be a more perfect holiday for me than Easter. For this year's celebration, I decorated my buffet table with simple decor in variations of nests and eggs. The only other thing this table needs is a large display of delicious deviled eggs!
Happy Valentine's Week! To prepare our home for the special day, I created heart ornaments to hang in my trees and chandeliers (as seen in the last post, Valentine Trees). These heart ornaments are wonderfully fun to make, last forever, and don't even require a special trip to the store. Below are the materials and step-by-step directions to make approximately 45 hearts.
It isn't just Valentine's Day that I love creating (or receiving :)) a bountiful bouquet of flowers, but there's something about this time of year that makes a floral arrangement even more magical. As I was searching for bouquet inspiration for our home, I came across these whimsical beauties, each one of them making my heart skip a beat. I hope you enjoy!
Whenever Valentine's Day rolls around, it's impossible to know what to give my husband. But I know that the true way to his heart is with sweets! Therefore, I've decorated for an afternoon Tea For Two in our breakfast nook that will set the stage for his beloved sweets when Valentine's Day arrives.
Okay, truth. Pink is my favorite color. And I know I should be over it -- after all, I'm not a little girl anymore. But when decorating my home for Valentine's Day, I get a few weeks of guilt-free reprieve and go crazy with pink! From subtle soft pinks to hot vibrant pinks, this cheery vignette is fit for the LOVEly day.
Traditionally, my family has always had a Christmas feast on the night before Christmas, so tonight, the dining table must be merry and bright. For my Christmas decor, glittered pinecones are the stars of the show as they drip from the chandelier above our table. On the body of the chandelier are silvery green leaves and swags of ivory ribbon cradling larger glittered pinecones.
If I've spent the time to find the perfect gift, I want to give that gift the perfect wrapping. And it all starts with the wrapping paper! For a blank slate, I love to use brown wrapping paper...it allows me to create designs directly onto the paper, emboss stamps or drawings, and add virtually any color ribbon or accoutrement I desire. Here are simple DIY directions for wrapping the perfect gift:
As with most things in Nora's Nest, I'm always searching for nature-inspired, glamorous ways of approaching decor and lifestyle. Christmas gift wrapping is no different! This Christmas time, I was inspired by the usual suspects: pinecones, pine-needles, and holly for nature, and glitter, satin, and silver bells for glamour. I've created three lovely gift wrapping ideas to give your Christmas presents an extra punch of natural-glam. Using brown wrapping paper (or brown butcher paper) as a neutral base for all three gifts, the wrapping world is your oyster!
I'll be honest: When it comes to vintage Christmas ornaments, I've been both naughty and nice this year. My obsession with these ornaments coaxed me into buying them throughout the year (the naughty side), but the obsession also gives me a collection large enough to spread holiday cheer throughout the home (the nice side). In addition to the Christmas tree, I've adorned manzanita branches, clam shells, and chandeliers with these lovely treasures in every room. So what if I've been a little naughty? I think it's worth it! Spread the cheer in your home this year!
I love making beautiful Christmas decorations that can be used year after year. This year, I made glittered star garlands that adorn my antique mirrors, trying to replicate the vintage glass chard ornaments I often find in antique stores. Make these shining stars for a garland, or use them as ornaments in your tree. DIY instructions are below, and may your home be starry and bright!
Four years ago today, I married my husband in a winter wonderland wedding. My family, husband-to-be, and I worked for months to glitter five-thousand pinecones, creating Christmas tree ornaments, pinecone wreaths, and table accoutrements for the wedding day. Today, many of the beautiful pinecones adorn our home for Christmas decor, their presence always reminding me of our sparkling, magical moment. Happy 4th Anniversary, Padraic, my love!
Nothing makes me happier than seeing my family and friends for a Thanksgiving feast -- and decorating for it, of course! Since the turkey is the star of the table show, I like to keep the table scape simple and elegant using natural elements such as leaves, pinecones, and pumpkins. They bring the warm spirit of Thanksgiving to the table while allowing the feast to shine.
Even after Halloween is long over, I cannot bear to throw away my beloved pumpkins. Here, I've repurposed them for the holidays. By marbleizing the pumpkins with silver metallic paint, I've transformed them into shimmering jewels fit for November and even December. Gold, bronze, and other similar tones would be beautiful as well. DIY using step-by-step directions below!
Hello, dear readers! I'd like to introduce you to my home, Nora's Nest 2.0! It's been a couple years since I've written a post, mainly because we've been renovating our new house, all with our baby girl (now toddler!) in tow. It's been quite a ride, and I'm so excited to show you the before and after renovation photos in the upcoming months.