I’ll admit I can redesign a room in your home with my eyes shut but please don’t ask me to decorate a party. My daughter Emory is graduating from high school this Sunday and I panicked over her graduation party. So to help YOU not panic, here are a few tips I learned a long the way:

Tip #1: Guests will eat cupcakes before they will eat cake.

The cake we had made by Miss Mamie was a work of art but the mini cupcakes were the hit. The favorite of the night? Coconut Lemon! Miss Mamie ships her delectable treats so check out her website: https://www.missmamiescupcakes.com/.

Tip #2: Balloons are a colorful and creative way to “fill” space

We had a large clubhouse to decorate and the balloons were a great way to fill the empty corners of the room, frame the guitarist, act as a centerpiece and decorate the gift tables. The balloons added a lot of color and festive flavor. Party America made these great balloon “topiaries”. Another hint: Have them all delivered! The best $25 I’ve ever spent.

Tip #3: Create a Gift Table that Celebrates the Past AND the Future.

We had four kids at this party. Each kid had a “gift table”. Emory and her friend Summer are going to UGA. I found these great steel UGA tubs from Glory Glory. I gave them to my friend Joan to bedazzle (hey I know when to outsource!)  I covered the table with a red floor length linen layered with a UGA plaid tablecloth on top. I filled the top with UGA shakers, a signature frame, UGA balloons and of course an ipad streaming photos of all the kids growing up over the years.

The bucket was the perfect size for cards and small gifts.

The signature frame was a great keepsake for Emory. You can purchase the signature frame at any local hobby shop (Joann’s, Michaels even HomeGoods) (don’t forget to bring the Sharpie’s!)

Tip #4: Rent Linens!

No plastic, ill fitting table cloths at this party – no way!  Thanks to Rent All Plaza, we had our pick of perfectly pressed linens in all shapes, sizes and colors. The gift tables were in the kids college colors and the rest were white. Nothing to wash, nothing to iron – awesome!

Tip #5: Keep guests animated with a digital slideshow.

Thank you Apple for your wonderful products! A slideshow of all the kids over the years was hilarious to watch.

Tip #6: Nothing beats Live Music

Thanks to the power of Facebook, I was able to find Lerogie Sims who worked with Emory to create a playlist she liked and played for 3 straight hours (for a price I could afford!). He added great energy to the party.

Tip #7: Create a Photo Wall

Thanks to the fantastic visual ideas on Pinterest, this photo wall was a hit! It’s a great way to involve the guests – we chose photos that showed all of the kids that were invited to the party. (Hint: Black and White looks much better).

Tip #8:  Chose Live Flowers for Centerpieces

I chose these gorgeous red Lillies (UGA color of course) from Home Depot ($20 each). I then went back to the hobby store (Joann Fabrics) and bought wide grosgrain ribbon in UGA, UGSC and Liberty colors and had my friend Joan (aka my lifesaver) paint “Class of 2012″ on them so that I could wrap them around each pot. I will be replanting these in my garden this week!

Tip #9: Serve the Drinks Creatively!

My friend Tammy came up with this idea. She bought three large galvanized steel tubs from Lowe’s. She then headed over to the florist shop and purchased wide jute ribbon to spray paint in the kids college colors. Cute huh?

Tip #10: Mom Essentials – Wine, Powder, Hairspray

HAVE FUN!!!

I saw this display of photographs at a Designer Showhouse several years ago and wanted so badly to copy it.

I finally got around to doing it last weekend.  I’ve been collecting silver for years, mainly from Scott’s Antique Market, Woodstock Antiques and ebay.

 I purchased this amazing display shelf from Highland House Furniture from the Royal Manor collection by Princess Diana’s butler, Paul Burrell.  I saw it at  Highpoint  furniture market while on a buying trip and it was love at first sight!  I knew it would be the perfect spot for the portrait collection.

I placed it in my second floor hall that you can see from the entry foyer.

Here is my collection of plates/trays that were in need of some heavy duty polishing

Here is a before of one of them……..(nasty)

Good old Tarn X did the trick…..

Now that I had the “frames” cleaned up, I needed to decide what photos to use.  I scanned them on my printer into iphoto and edited them to black and white.

I then had to cut patterns to fit the photos into the different sizes.

Once I had all of the patterns cut, I traced the photos, cut them and then used sticky tack to adhere them to the trays.

I then stuck them in their respective frames…

And here is the completed project!!

Here are some closeups:

I decided to add a succulent in a silver creamer for some interest.

That’s my parent’s wedding photo at the top from 1953.

Here is my daughter at the top and my granddaughter both at 2-1/2 years old!!

I have to admit this was pretty time consuming but worth it.  In the words of Tom Hanks, “If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it.  It’s the hard that makes it great.”

Last week, we took time off from our busy schedule to visit the 2012 Atlanta Symphony Associates’ 42nd Annual Decorators’ Show House and Gardens.   This home, sponsored in large by Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles is a goodie. Seriously – treat yourself and visit this gorgeous landmark home named Knollwood.

As designers, we love to visit the Decorator Show Homes not only to support the sponsors and our designer colleagues, but to see, touch and feel the best that Atlanta designers have to offer. It’s a creative candy land even if your not in the biz.

If you’ve never been to a showhouse, don’t be intimidated. It’s a great place to get ideas about design, scale, color, texture and creative ways to use a space. Here are a few notables from Knollwood:

1. Like a good frame enhancing a piece of art or a photo, LIGHTING MAKES A ROOM.

I loved how Kellie Griffin Interiors accentuated the long, smokey hallway into the gentleman’s game room with these sconces.

2. EXPLORE A VARIETY OF PAINT FINISHES.

Look what a high gloss finish does to the upper hallway ceiling designed by Melanie Millner (and note another super cool light fixture).

3.  YOUR KITCHEN DINING AREA DOES NOT NEED TO CONSIST OF A WOOD TABLE SURROUNDED BY MATCHING WOOD CHAIRS.

The mother/daughter team of Womack Interiors  shows us how to mix and match banquets (I like them on the ends and not the sides!) with upholstery and black lacquered wood.  If you are rolling your eyes that this would never go in your crazy kid filled home, think of these banquets made up in easy to wash slipcovers and the chairs upholstered in a brightly color vinyl or faux leather!

4. Go BIG OR GO HOME. SCALE IS EVERYTHING!

Scale is probably the number one design element that people consistently get wrong in their homes. A showhouse is the perfect place to see design done to scale at it’s finest. The dining room in this home is enormous but designer Carole Weaks makes the room feel cozy by inserting not one but TWO round dining tables (with a mix of chairs and banquets) along with this art that takes center stage in the room. You can’t really tell in the photo, but in person this painting is huge (yet perfect).

5. DETAILS MATTER

They say copying is the greatest form of flattery so I will be doing just that with these great finishing touches in the Guest Retreat bathroom designed by Dillard Pierce Design Associates.

Hmmm….. I have a little chair just like this…

 I love this idea for makeup brushes in marbles!!

6. CELEBRATE YOUR LIFE THROUGHOUT YOUR HOME IN UNCONVENTIONAL WAYS

This last room cleverly designed by Barbara Heath and Jim Green for The Mercantile, is one that is near and dear to our hearts because it represent our mantra in design which is celebrating your life.  Our clients are often searching for ideas on what to do with that rarely used formal living room. For that matter, who uses their formal dining room that much these days either?

We dubbed this room “the memorabilia room” tastefully and comfortably displaying all types of sports awards and memories. This is what is so great about Decorator Show Homes – they show us how to think outside the cookie cutter uses for regular spaces.

This particular tour is running thru May 13th so you still have plenty of time to go! You can purchase your ticket at the door for just $20!  That’s a cheap date if you ask me and well worth it!!!!

In honor of Mother’s Day – we are giving away one of my favorite books by Alexandra Stoddard – Living a Beautiful Life~ 500 Ways To Add Elegance, Order, Beauty and Joy to Every Day of Your Life 

I read this book for the very first time about 15 years ago and it has had a profound influence on me and my design style which is why I selected it as our give away.   The premise of this book is to create something special out of the ordinary.   “Make the things you do every day as beautiful and pleasurable as possible is a way to live a happy life.”

How to Win:

 1. Leave a comment on this post.

2. Visit our Facebook Page, “like” us and leave a comment on our wall.

3. Tweet about our giveaway.

4. Email us at newsletter@kandrac-kole.com and tell us you want to receive our monthly newsletter.

The winner will be drawn at random and announced on Friday, May 11th!
(pssst… do all (4) of the above and have (4) chances to win!)

Research shows that the importance of having dinner together as a family at least four times a week has positive effects on child development.

Whether your dinner table is formal….

or casual….

All that matters is that there is a feeling of “togetherness”.  Conversations at the dinner table expand the vocabulary and reading ability of children. Family dinners allow every member of the family to discuss his or her day and share any exciting news.

I love this creative idea from “We are THAT family“

Here’s an example of some questions:

o  What are you thankful for?

o  What was the best/worst thing that happened today?

o What do you hope for tomorrow?

I think this is so fun and a wonderful way to start meaningful table conversations!!

 Find some more great conversation starters here and a tutorial to turn your dining table into a work of art here.