Holiday Décor: The Moments

I teamed up with Oriental Trading again, and this time with holiday inspiration to show you how to put together a fun DIY-infused gathering. This time, with a little preparation I was able to host an evening of games for a handful of friends filled with fantastic conversations and nostalgic memories.  

The holiday theme that I chose was small and intimate for this occasion because I wanted to show you several projects that you can create—these decorating tips will help you with future gatherings as well.   

Firstly, when preparing for a gathering try to start early, especially if it’s on a Saturday. I like to have a relaxed Sunday and can always use extra sleep so timing is important. 

Now, let’s talk coasters! As you many of you’ve seen here, this fun adjustable coaster project I created is a great conversational piece, especially when you personalise them, and my version is versatile (just in case you’re looking to use the wooden blocks for other crafts afterwards).   

Here, I have created a modernised rustic holiday tablescape with a simple colour palette but with intricate details. Don’t be fooled; some people believe that complex patterns or traditional motifs cannot be broken up or blended in themes for contemporary styling. This is not the case at all! These motley pattern selections are balanced by my single choice of bold colouring, red. Since my muted colour palette of brass and brushed silver are both soothing and sophisticated hues, I chose to go with red for a bolt of vibrancy.   

If you do want red and green, then you can simply add them as accents, or choose one colour as the primary focus. I wanted red because for this décor it goes well with both metal hues as well as my outdoorsy aesthetic with casual elegance.    

Adding nature to your table: I decided to bring a dose of the outdoors to our table indoors to bring my vision to life with modern Nordic elements and  rustic and dated pieces such as wood and vintage lace. We sort of met in the middle! I used a wooden bark centrepiece as the focus and styled around it with a faux garland (it’s easy clean-up), with pinecones, and wood embellishments. 

Conversational Table: This budget-friendly tablescape is not only affordable but had a simple sophistication. Believe it or not, from the silver and gold cutlery to the dinner plates (both are paper and plasticware) I used affordable elements in every addition. The guests at the gathering were dear friends, so I wanted a colourful, cosy and familial setting.  

Décor Tips:  

If you don’t want to use fresh fruit, just go to a craft store and buy a bundle of faux fruit pieces. They make great décor embellishments. Another tip that I use is adding both silk florals with fresh flowers. It’s a trick that I’ve been doing for many years, and in a lot of my bouquets, you can hardly tell. Once, a friend had to touch a floral arrangement because she thought it was real. I did not use a floral arrangement for this theme. However, I wanted to share more tips since many of you have asked in the past.   

Takeaways & Finishing Details: 

To make your gathering personal, think about each person attending. I used Nordic washi tape on basic red notecards. Each card style varies, and there’s a special gift customised to suit the person. Since this was our early Christmas gathering, I just put in custom gifts on their seats. From homemade soaps to foodie gift cards, there are so many things that you can make yourself or purchase.   

I added these adorable gift tins as extra surprised and trimmed them with gold wrapping, then used more washi tape to decorate the red tree boxes, which were very easy to assemble. Each box has a unique holiday treat. Since we only had hors d’oeuvres I wanted to have special touches within the table details. I started with printed paper dinnerware. I cut the faux garland in half to use as two pieces with the centrepiece, then added golden bells and metallic sprayed holly berries with wintry trimmings.   

I also had extra cards and used wax stamps for sending out more holiday cards. These no-fuss stickers look authentically sealed with wax and even better in gold. These labels are beautiful and worked well for my theme. Another fun personal touch was the napkins; I cut small pieces from the garland to put on my brass napkin rings then attached “Christmas Cheer” charms with twine.  

The goods: Red & White Vintage Washi Tape Set *Red A7 Notecards & Envelopes*Nordic Washi Tape *Christmas Tree Favour Boxes*Boxwood Garland*Wood Centrepiece*Christmas Cheer Charms*Alphabet Tiles*Enchanted Christmas Decor Plates*Gold Wax Thank-you Stickers*Enchanted Christmas Luncheon Napkins*Enchanted Christmas Tinplate Gift Bag Pails Shop–Courtesy of Oriental Trading. 

Other items used: Nicole Miller silver charger plates*Vintage lace tablecloth*brass napkin rings-Interior marker (Buy similar), *All opinions are my own and honestly expressed. Shop Christmas pieces here.   

What do you think of this holiday-themed and intimate setting?