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Seasonal Crafting: Scented Gift Tag Tutorial
I always want to make things at Christmas-time. Maybe it’s the connection to tradition; a century or two ago, people crafted humble gifts for one another: they knitted, embroidered, baked fruitcake and made preserves; they sewed, cobbled, quilted, whittled and wove. I’ve long since realized I’m a throwback from some previous generation, and so there is something about the spirit of the season that inspires me – no, requires me – to fashion things by hand. The best holiday decorating owes a lot to natural textures and accessories that appeal to all our senses: evergreen branches and pinecones, cinnamon and gingerbread, a healthy dose of tartan, and the clean, crisp scent of snow.…
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Simply, Christmas
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The Romantic Home
The world may celebrate Valentine’s Day on February 14th (or at least convince you to buy flowers and a card) but everyone knows that true love can’t be captured in a single day. Photo source: Hearth & Gable Interiors Romance needs to be cultivated in order to flourish. It’s the spirit in which we choose to live our lives; the passion we nurture within ourselves, and the beauty we seek around us. Living a romantic life is easy when you surround yourself with romantic things. What makes a romantic home? The people who live in it, of course, who fill it with the people and objects they love… the ones who provide…
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Winter White – Holiday Mantel Design
Anyone who knows me, knows my passion for fireplaces. And it is the mantel for which I have the utmost admiration and respect. Photo: www.angelandblumewordpress.com The mantel is one of my favourite architectural details, and if you’re lucky enough to have one, then you can already appreciate it as a focal point of beauty and interest in your home. And it is never more so than during the holiday season. I personally tend towards a traditional Dickens Christmas decor. In the past, my mantel designs have featured a lot of deep reds and woodsy greens, and a cozy, rustic or primitive influence. More Father Christmas than Santa Claus, if you know…
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PANTONE’S 2015 COLOUR OF THE YEAR: Marsala
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Harvest Tablescapes
Fall is my favourite season, with its brisk winds and fire-tipped trees. I also love all the colours of autumn: burnt orange, gold, and olive green. In decorating, I personally favour many of these colours all year round, but in the fall, most of us start to crave warmth, texture, and a feeling of abundance, and our homes begin to reflect this. Inspired by the changing season (and Thanksgiving dinner this weekend!) I challenged myself to design a few fall table settings and centerpieces on my family’s harvest table in the kitchen. I wanted to create something that looked rustic and homemade, not polished or Pinterest-perfect, so I used several decorative items and accessories I already…
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Budget Decorating: What If Your Budget Is $0?
… And your imagination has really expensive taste? As I wrote in my introductory blog post (http://hearthandgable.com/welcome-to-hearth-gable-interiors/), about halfway through my extended maternity leave, I decided to go back to school part-time and study Visual Design & Interiors. My goal was to begin a blog and start my own decorating and consulting business. That was three years ago, and now I’m two courses away from graduation. It has been a long haul. Being a student AND a stay-at-home parent for six years meant that money was Tight with a capital T. So, it was a cruel irony of fate that during my studies I should find myself surrounded and inspired by all…
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11 No-Cost Decorating Ideas
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Igniting the Spark!
With Valentine’s Day approaching, I thought it would be fun to write about an interior design feature that is unfailingly romantic in any room of the home: the fireplace. A roaring fire provides us with an almost primitive sense of comfort, inspired by warmth and safety. It relaxes us and fills our senses. Once upon a time, it was the only way to heat your home; the wealthiest home owners built fireplaces in every room. Today, the fireplace has become an attractive architectural feature that lends presence and simple elegance to every room it graces. There are few things in this world as enchanting as the mellow glow of a real, crackling fire. And…
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PANTONE’S 2015 COLOUR OF THE YEAR: Marsala
Pantone has declared Marsala (18-1438) Colour of the Year for 2015. It’s an unusual choice, and responses have been mixed in the world of design. It has been more favourably embraced in the fashion industry. But I like its uniqueness. It’s a rosy spot in an era of greige and neutrals. It’s certainly better than last year’s, “Radiant Orchid,” which was virtually unworkable from a décor perspective, unless your client was, a) a six-year-old girl, or b) Baskin Robbins. Marsala is a rich, warm tone that reminds me of red wine, cherries, and chocolate. (You don’t need me to tell you these are all good things!) Its darkest…
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Winter White – Holiday Mantel Design
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Pets: The Best Accessories
This wasn’t supposed to be my second blog post. My second blog post was going to be about Pantone’s Colour of the Year, but the Fates intervened and inspired me otherwise (which happens sometimes.) My beautiful cat, Molly, passed away yesterday. My husband & I had to make the terribly difficult choice to euthanize her, and now I am in the early stages of grief wherein I keep looking for her around the house, expecting to see her in all her favourite spots. As I ache yet again over the emptiness she has left behind in every room, it occurs to me how much pets become a fixture in our home’s…
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Welcome to Hearth & Gable Interiors!
My name is Dana Ruprecht and I love houses. I am a self-confessed bookworm and lover of all that is vintage. I’m a tea-drinking, blanket-knitting, candle-lighting, domestic goddess who decided to turn her love of HOME into both a blog and a business, Hearth & Gable Interiors. Inspired by nature, I enjoy everything textured, tactile, scented, and hued. I love decorating spaces and creating vignettes that make me feel surrounded by beauty, every day. Interiors and aesthetics have a powerful influence on quality of life, and attractive surroundings do in fact inspire us to live our lives to the fullest. Above all, home is where we relax, re-charge, and build…
