Home with Alexandra

September 22, 2021

Effortless & Elegant Fall Harvest Decor

I wanted a muted palette of gray, gold, and silver. I ended up layering in a few autumnal tones which gave my tablescape warmth.

Decorating your home for the Fall season does not have to be difficult. Also, decor for Harvest can be elegant. Not all decor has to be brown or rust-toned. If you utilize the basic motifs, such as dried florals like wheat, pumpkins, and candles, you too can replicate a simple and sophisticated warm, Fall-ready home.

I love the home decor pieces I have collected from Zgallerie over the years. Shown here with the dazzling turkeys. I purchased and added the dried light-hued florals at Michael’s. They have a wonderful selection that never disappoints. I added LED-lit twigs and branches from HSN’s brand new Harvest Lane collection. Truly, it’s the twigs and branches that brought everything to life. The microlights illuminating the glass mercury glass pumpkins make peppering your rooms with seasonal light very easy. Speaking of light, and it’s impossible to speak of seasonal decore without talking about light, did you notice the 8 ft tall willow tree? Also from HSN. 800 softly twinkling warm white lights dazzle. I’m so in love with this white, faux birch detail willow tree, I’ve decided she will stay out all year. I say she because a willow tree represents the strength of a woman. No matter how much her branches bend, she will not break. I love that sentiment.

I am a big believer in using what you have. I removed the sticks from the glittered gold pears I use for Christmas decor and piled them into a large clear vase. I have inexpensive Amazon gold velvet pillow covers for my gray tufted sofa accent pillows. The little red truck is loaded with pumpkins and lights. The pumpkin tree is so charming and whimsical.

Have fun this fall season. Happy Harvest! It’s Fall Y’all! Love, Your HomeBFF!

July 17, 2021

Christmas in July 2021!

It may be swelteringly hot outside, but it’s cool and crisp in my home. It’s that time of year when neighbors can see through my living room window and are elated to see the twinkling lights of the holiday. They catch a glimpse of a Christmas tree, garland, or a wreath hanging on my door. Why is my home decked to the halls? Because it’s Christmas in July! HSN’s annual Christmas event, and the second year in a row we have Skype Broadcasted the event to 100 million homes nationwide from my iPhone!

Setting up for the event can take a couple of days, but it’s not as complicated and you might think. The steps I take are methodical but easy to follow. I call them the Bakers Dozen (13):

Start with a blank room. A clean slate. Clean it all! from ceiling to floor, baseboards, walls, furniture, windows in and out. Treat your clean room like a clean primed face prior to makeup application. A clean slate.

2. Select the type and or style of tree you would like to work with. Your tree is the star of the show. The main event. For many years, my preference was a real tree. Since representing so many pre-lit trees on HSN, I have fallen in love with the ease of assembly and ease of care with a high-quality faux tree. Try American Tree & Wreaths from HSN.

3. Be creative with tree skirts. You can purchase, DIY, use a metal hammered tree collar, or simply lay a piece of fabric at the base of the tree. This year, I used an oversized round table cloth as my tree skirt. It was quite large and I folded it in half and manually wrapped it fairly snug around the base covering the metal four-post base. A few years ago, I created a DIY tree skirt in the shape of a package, like a gift.

4. The tree decor options are limitless. I find loads of people are quite creative. Browse your favorite blogs, stores, etc. to find what inspires you!

5. Oversized! A HUGE trend for this year! Pardon the pun. Look for oversized decor in all styles. Oversized nutcrackers to guard your doors and flank your mantle. Oversized ornaments for your oversized 9-foot tree. oversized figurines for your tablescapes and more.

6. Incorporate nostalgiac and vintage items. No matter how much you may like bling and glitz, white and crystal, as I do, it’s always nice to add some nostalgic or vintage pieces for warmth. Another big 2021 trend.

7. Speaking of bling…give me loads! I love anything that sparkles and glitters. Layer it in. I know you love it! The holidays should sparkle, twinkle, glitter, and glow.

8. Light up my world, your world with an abundance of lit items as part of your decor. Go ahead and stock up on batteries and extension cords. You’ll need them!

9. Select your color scheme for the season. I have done red and white for Christmas in July 2021. I have done silver and gold, gold and green, navy and silver. I have lots of silver and green out now. What excites you this year? I noticed that candy cane striping was popular for 2021 and thus, the red and white colors emerged. Go with whatever moves you. Pink and black, black and white, etc. Use ribbon, remnant material, new decor to incorporate the colors.

10. Select your motif for the season. Once again, the motif can organically emerge. As HSN buyers and vendors forwarded decor item samples to my home to share and present on-air for the Christmas in July shows, I noticed many items had poinsettias. I decided to make poinsettias the motif for 2021. In the past, I have chosen trees, snowflakes, Santa, nativity, snowman, and my beloved stag. Which motif will you select this year?

11. Less is more. Unless you want more. Have you ever seen the house that was decorated within an inch of itself? You used the powder room and noticed that even the toilet paper was Christmas-themed? It is your choice! Ad a few items and keep things simple or go all out! it’s all up to you!

12. Decorate floor to ceiling. Decorate up high, midlevel like a tabletop, and on the floor.

13. Have fun and enjoy! A huge tip? Think about your Holidays now, in the summer, so you can actually shop and bake and wrap and cook and party with friends and family! Oh, if you do not like to wrap, be sure to grab a few sets of these bags!

Love and Seasons Greetings! from your Holiday HomeBFF!

November 13, 2020

Let’s Deck The Halls!

Do you have plans to Deck Your Halls this Christmas Season? As badly as we all want to see 2020 behind us, I am hoping you will want to go all out and decorate every room in your home, pamper family and friends, and of course, spoil yourself!

I’m decking my halls with loads of light! Start by incorporating illuminated decor items to bring plenty of illumination, sparkle & shine to your home. HSN.com has a considerable selection. My favorite items are by Winter Lane, HSN’s exclusive collection of seasonal decor. In terms of color schemes, I’m loving gold and silver, red, green, and pink! Especially when clustered together. For example, the red, green, and pink in the gingerbread houses area. How pretty!

That said, as you look at my photos, keep in mind that I share decor pictures as I set up for LIVE Skype Broadcasts for HSN. The companies that manufacture these wonderful products mail me directly a sample of each item so I can share it with viewers at home during the shows that appear on the network. During Covid-19, on-air Guest Hosts like myself were not permitted in Studios – we had to broadcast via Skype from home. Using an iPhone 11 Pro, and a few Amazon lights. Thank goodness for our updated modem and wifi. See my post Home Broadcast of Christmas in July. on steps taken to convert our dining and living rooms for these shows. If I were decorating purely with my own products, I would have fewer items out at once, but the themed vignettes, search for most-desired color schemes, etc. would still be in place.

Covid changed things this year. You most likely won’t be hosting an annual Christmas party with 30/40/60 people. Consider hosting something more intimate. How about a Favorite Things dinner party. Have a wrapped “Favorite Things” gift on each place setting. Invite six or seven guests. Each brings six or seven of the same favorite gift item under $10 each. Everyone leaves with six or seven different gifts- all faves of their family or friends.

A couple of ways to pamper your guests; wrap your gifts vs gift bags and use fresh flowers on your table and throughout the house. Whether you are a wrapper or a bagger, wrap this year! Personally, I love to wrap my gifts! Plus, wrapped gifts become decor items! And, since you have the time, make a flower arrangement(s). You can do it! Use fresh greenery whenever possible. Fresh green garlands dripping down to the floor like ball gowns, wrapped around, windows, and doors. Roses, lilies, carnations, and more are in abundance. Lit soy candles galore!

Take the time to pay special attention to all the details as you Deck Your Halls and wrap up 2020!! Love, your Holiday HomeBFF xoxo!

October 26, 2020

All That’s Bright, Bold & Merry 2020

Bright and bold! Crisp & clean! Illuminate & sparkle!

This Holiday season, I’m loving green & gold as key colors, with sumptuous duchess satin and rich gold velvet fabrics in pillows and tablecloths. They are the ideal backdrop to this year’s seasonal decor pieces from HSN.

With minimal investment, I was able to begin (much more will be added) updating my living room into a chic holiday environment.Stay tuned! Love, your HomeBFF. Xoxo

October 10, 2020

Halloween Decorating 2020

Halloween decorating has become wildly popular in recent years. Many decorate as early as the last week of September – at least, we The Bakers do! With millions of people still quarantining and remaining home, it’s particularly important to create a festive, fresh, and fun home environment as we race to end this challenging year. Shop the looks at HSN, Joann Fabrics & Crafts, and Michaels. Here are the steps I take, and suggestions to consider as you decorate for Halloween 2020:

To learn what is trending for the season, I love to browse magazines, Google images, Pinterest, and blogs. As you take in the images, what appeals to you?
I find myself starting on the outside first. Add showstopper outdoor decor with lights for a dramatic yard, and be the envy of your neighbors.
Shop your home and see what you already own. Can it be converted to a temporary jack-o-lantern? Can life be added to old plastic spiders with a little black glitter, etc? Get creative! Using fabric, glitter, and spray paint, and spray adhesive, lots of exciting DIY projects can be created.
The colors of the holiday don’t have to be orange and black. Feel free to have your own preferred color combos. I love black with gold and silver. Or, vivid purple with silver and a pop of lime green.
What motifs or icons of the holiday are your favorite? I love skulls and witches more than pumpkins. That’s why you see so many in and around my home. Do you prefer bats, spiders, ghosts?