In one of our recent posts, we shared our exciting news: Balsam Hill collaborated with Cricut in a special design project called A Handmade Holiday. For our Week 1 round up, we’re featuring 3 of the talented bloggers on board for this collaboration. Let’s start off with Jessica, the woman behind Everyday Party Magazine.
Jessica is the editor-in-chief and founder of Everyday Party Magazine, a blog that aims to provide party planning tips, design inspiration, and entertaining ideas for all occasions. She has always loved organizing parties and events, dating back from her high school years. A devoted wife and mother, she also channels her energies into putting together elaborate parties for her four sons. This passion for entertaining has led her work to be featured in popular blogs and magazines, a testament to her attention to detail and enjoyment of her craft. Jessica shares more about herself and her decorating style in our exclusive Q&A.
1. Tell us a little bit more about your decorating style in general, and what the story is behind your passion for decorating.
I am a budget DIY-er with high end tastes. I am often trying to find a way to recreate an expensive piece of decor, whether it’s for my home or a party.
2. What’s your source for design inspiration?
I am inspired by so many things: nature, my kids’ toys, books, catalogues, store displays.
3. For A Handmade Holiday, did you find it difficult to integrate any of the colors into your design? How did you tackle it?
I love traditional holiday colors, so the red, green, gold, and white combo was very easy for me!
4. Do you have any tips on how to go about incorporating new colors into an existing holiday color scheme, or coming up with a new holiday color scheme?
Decorating this year was a little different for me. I have never had a fake tree or super nice ornaments (I have four boys, nothing stays too nice in my house for too long!). But I wanted the overall feel to fit our home, so I brought in plaid flannel and cozy fabrics, and added a lot of simple DIY elements to make it fit our home and lifestyle. So find what you love, and incorporate it with new decor and styling ideas.
5. What’s your favorite way to personalize your holiday décor?
I love to DIY everything. For my Christmas Cocoa Bar, I found one main element and repeated it, so the deer was a central decor idea in almost all of the decorating.
6. What’s your current favorite project to do with your Cricut machine? Any advice for new Cricut users?
I love vinyl! I love sticky vinyl, I love iron on vinyl! It’s such an easy way to personalize everything! New Cricut users need to give themselves time to get familiar with their machines, and allow themselves to make mistakes. Once I realized I wasn’t sure what I was doing, I started having more fun, and just went with it. The more I played with it, the more I learned and the better my projects got.
7. What was it like decorating with Balsam Hill products? What did you like most about them?
Wow! I can truly say I have never had holiday decor like the products I received from Balsam Hill. The quality, the style, it’s so unbelievably gorgeous! I loved how the branches on the tree, wreath, and garland all looked so real!
8. Was there a Balsam Hill product by which you were particularly delighted? Why?
Do I have to pick just one? I love the more simple glass ornaments, the tree is stunning, the garland and wreath are amazing. The ribbon seems straight from Santa in the North Pole.
9. What’s your favorite part of the scene you created? Is there something different that you did this year that you particularly like?
Wow, I can’t choose just one element. Truthfully, I get a smile on my face each time I walk into the room and see everything all lit up and twinkling. I have to say, even though it felt strange at the time, I am so happy I decorated so early! I love that we can enjoy every moment of the holiday season so early.
10. If there’s one piece of advice you can pass on from all your years of decorating, what would it be?
Be you. There is only one you, so decorate for your lifestyle. My style may not be what everyone loves, but I love it and it makes me happy, and at the end of the day, that is what matters.
For A Handmade Holiday, Jessica put together a rustic and cheery Christmas Cocoa Bar using our Mistletoe and Holly Glass Ornament Set, as well as other accents that fit in well with the red, green and gold color palette theme. The challenge was incorporating black as the fourth color in this theme, and Jessica did a great job!
Her Balsam Hill BH Fraser Fir tree, with matching wreath and garland, looked resplendent with all the ornaments and the beautiful Red Velvet Ribbon with Gold Edge. For a closer look at how she put together this charming look, head on over to Everyday Party Magazine, and visit us over the next few weeks for more updates on A Handmade Holiday.
