December 09, 2014

How to Style Your Bar for the Holidays

December 09, 2014/ Alexandra Evjen

This post is sponsored by Coca-Cola Licensing.

Holiday cookie exchanges, open houses, parties and intimate gatherings...Chances are you will either host or attend a holiday party this season. If you are hosting, you will most likely have to put together a spread of goodies on a table, island or bar top. Today I'm going to share with you how to make your spread look special for your event.

1| Set your food and drinks out first. You'll want to make sure you have enough room for everything. Keep the sweets with sweets and savory with savory.

2| Place any utensils you may need next to the food. Don't forget the bottle openers! I always forget those, but how can I forget this cute one by Coca-Cola? You can even have some drinks already poured into glasses with straws just like we did with the Coca-Cola Heritage Glasses.

3| Go back through and add design elements that very in height and size. You may want to add different sized vases, candles or maybe even create a fun winter scene with figurines, fake snow and an old crate like this one from Coca-Cola. We also created winter terrariums to add dimension and spirit to the space.

View More: http://melissajill.pass.us/cocacola

4| Add some sparkle - Place ornaments, glitter or tinsel around the area. We hung ornaments above our bar to draw the eyes upward to our chalkboard wall. Think about what you can add above or below too.

5| Add some live greens or flowers - Fresh flowers or even fresh pine is a nice way to liven things up. If you don't feel confident arranging bouquets, simply add branches of pine in vases.

Photos by Melissa Jill, Art Direction by Alex Evjen, Florals by Hoot and Holler, Chalk writing by Katie Sterbenz

November 28, 2014

Modern Holiday Table Design

November 28, 2014/ Alexandra Evjen

This is a sponsored post in collaboration with Coca-Cola.

It's the most wonderful time of the year. The season of parties and entertaining is upon us, and I'm sharing with you a simple, modern table design that you can put together in 20 minutes. You don't want to have to spend hours crafting away and stressing over details. You just want to create memories that will last a lifetime in a beautiful space.

I'm the first one to admit that I get anxiety over entertaining. My insecurities rise to the top, and I start thinking about all of the things that I need to do for my house to look "perfect." Here's what I have learned, fresh greenery and candlelight is really all you need. You don't even need to pick a trendy color scheme. Stick with neutral shades and metallic accents, and you will have yourself a picture perfect set up.

Here's what I did:

1| Buy linen fabric at your local fabric store. Fold it and lay it across your table. It's okay if it has raw edges. To clean up the ends of your runner, slide a napkin ring through the fabric and place some greens for a pretty touch.

2| Lay branches cut from your trees or nearby woods about a foot each. I used a mix of magnolia branches and evergreen branches. I even placed them in my chandelier.

3| Buy some sprays of berries at your local grocery store and place them in small vessels or votives along with some more evergreen or fresh herbs like rosemary. Place the vessels throughout the centerpiece. I used four.

4| To add some height, place candles through the centerpiece as well. I used some vintage brass candle holders I found at Modern Manor.

5| Forget the placemats. Just place simple white dishes on your table.

6| Roll up your napkins and place them in your napkin rings. I found vintage brass napkin rings that matched the candlesticks.

7| Place water and wine glasses on your table. I really love these Coca-Cola Reidel glasses. They have a beautiful shape, and they are so comfortable to hold. I even placed a classic Coca-Cola bottle on the table to add a pop of holiday red.

If you want to get crafty and go the extra mile without getting super stressed, try a couple of these personal touches:

1| Write out the names of your guest on a tag and glue to cinnamon sticks on either side. Just hold tight for a few seconds after you glue them and start on the next.

2| You can also take a piece of black construction paper and write a special word with a chalk pen and pin it to the back of your chairs. Cluster any leftover greens you may have or cut some more off of your trees. You'll see a mix of the magnolia branches, rosemary and berries in this bundle. I found burlap ribbon at a local craft store and glued the paper to it.

Don't miss out on the special moments by putting perfection ahead of your family, but don't feel like you can't have a beautiful experience for your guests either. Share, connect and enjoy the process. Work with what you can find in your yard or at your local grocery store. If you want to get crafty that's great too, but go the extra mile after everything else is set.

So glad my dearest girlfriends could join me for this special moment. Each one of these women has helped support me in my career as a stylist, as well as my other roles of a wife, mother and friend. I am so thankful for each one of them.

Styling by Alex Evjen, A.V.E. Styles Photography by Melissa Jill Photography Florals by Hoot and Holler Calligraphy by Katie Sterbenz Design

Get the look: Drink glasses from Coca-Cola Vintage glass rim glasses from Modern Manor White plates from West Elm Dinner napkins from West Elm Napkin rings from Modern Manor Vintage candlesticks from Modern Manor Chandelier from Restoration Hardware Linen chairs from Cost Plus Wold Market White faux fur from Ikea Votives from West Elm Table from Chairish.com

November 20, 2014

Holiday Style On the Go

November 20, 2014/ Alexandra Evjen

This post is in collaboration with Drybar.

The holidays are a busy time of year. Essentially, your normal life is put into hyperdrive with family photos, parties, shopping, cooking and traveling being added into the mix. If you have a 9am to 5pm job there really isn't a lot of time to change for those happy hour cocktail parties or Christmas parties let alone time to plan what to wear, shower and re-do your hair. I've partnered with Drybar to show you that you don't have to worry about your hair or outfit this year. Within an hour you can look amazing and get pampered at the same time.

View More: http://sarahbelgray.pass.us/ave

Here are some simple steps to Holiday Style on the Go:

1| Choose a work outfit that you can either dress up (i.e. switch out the top or switch out the bottom) or that incorporates holiday colors and can be altered with accessories. I have two examples for you:

A. Dress up your basics - I started with a simple black pencil skirt and a button up shirt. All that I need to change with this outfit is my top and shoes.

B. Style your holiday color - I started with a basic, organic cotton red dress from Synergy Clothing. I simply just need to take off my blazer and belt, change my shoes and add some sparkling earrings.

2| Make your appointment with Drybar. Just hop online, choose your location and then choose your appointment time. They even have an app you can download so that you can do it all from you phone.

3| Head over to Drybar and get pampered! When you walk in they greet you with a beverage of your choice, some snacks, fashion magazines and they are always playing awesome movies. I watched Four Christmases and Elf while I was there. THE BEST!

4| Choose your hair style from their Drybar menu. They are all named after fun cocktail drinks. I asked my mixologist (a.k.a. hairstylist) if I could create my own cocktail. I would call it a mix between the Mai Tai and Cosmo Tai.

5| Relax and enjoy the hour of bliss.