Decorating

Well, I can't tell you how much fun and hard work it has been setting up our store for 2018. We decided early in the year it was time to move premises, so we can have all our staff in one location. Luckily we found a new store only 350 down the road. Not sure this short distance reduced the work required to move, but we are extremely happy with the results. So what made us think we could turn this into a Christmas Shop? What we were missing in our old premises was a front yard to decorate and use to create special events. We also felt the separate rooms of our old store was limited our ability to create our displays, and finally we wanted to create a look from front that represented who we are. So, in May we started the move, and took the next 4 months to move and create our new Christmas display and new flagship store. Please enjoy a few photos of the store. If you have any questions or comments let us know. The store is located at 427 Canterbury Road, Surrey Hills, Vic.

Each year we like to identify the major themes or trends for the coming Christmas season.  In 2018 there is a return to fun whimsical styling, as well as the continued interest in non-traditional Christmas colours including pinks and blues.

Over the past two years, our founder, Nicole, has embarked on trips to the three most magical Christmas cities in search of a final answer on which was the most beautiful. If you’re not sure of whether to visit New York, Paris or London for Christmas, then read on...

Need some baking inspo this Easter? Don't worry, we've got you covered with these quick, easy and delicious Easter treats! 

Visiting the Dyker Heights Christmas lights was a must whilst in Brooklyn. They're famous worldwide for their divine opulence, all dreamed up by the local residents. People come from miles to walk through this gorgeous Christmas wonderland, and for one night, we joined them.

How could it be that the owner of a Christmas store, and all-around Christmas lover, had never been to the city that never sleeps - New York, at Christmas time? When the mercury started rising in Australia, the time had come for her to pack her stocking and take off for the Big Apple. Hello Christmas in New York!

I was lucky enough to visit New York in December to explore this amazing city dressed in its Christmas finest. The big department stores are always so inspirational, and Macy's did not disappoint. Whilst I had visited NYC in October 2012 and seen Macy's Christmas decoration shop, at that time they didn't have their Christmas windows on display - so this was the first time to see these. The window display was gorgeous. Whimsical, full of movement and colour and just incredibly cute! I loved all the characters and the way movement is used to unveil the story. As well as stunning window displays the first floor is filled with crystals, chandeliers and Christmas foliage, as well as more feature displays replicating the window story. Finally we head up stairs to the Christmas shop. Whilst it was very disappointing to see such a small range of products in both Paris and London last year in mid December, Macy's was still full of beautiful decorations and themes. Snowflakes lined the main walk ways and created a winter wonderland to explore. All in all, Macy's was once again a delight and well worth the visit.

We moved into our new home in January 2016. It is a lovely Californian Bungalow, and I adore it. This year we were not having Christmas at our home, but instead I decided to open my home to our wonderful MyChristmas VIP's and invite them to get into the Christmas spirit and see my display. My personal style is simple Christmas whimsy. I don't like a lot of clutter, so instead focus on a few key display areas in my home. I use to have a lovely stair case (which is the only item I miss from the old home) but now I have a fabulous porch and double doors to create my Christmas display. This year I focused on: 2 Christmas trees a display of Patience Brewster deer in my front living room a display on my hall sofa table a touch of Christmas in the back living room decorating the front of my home There are 2 elements you always see lots of in my decorating- garlands and fairy lights. You can't go wrong adding these pieces to your display. Please enjoy these photos of my home. I hope you find them inspiring. I would love your thoughts on your preferred Christmas style. 

The 3 week lead up to the opening of the store is always the busiest 3 weeks in our calendar. Our aim is to have everything finished by the time we leave Thursday night so we can relax on Friday and then go in to enjoy the VIP opening. We have so many lovely customers, as well as our family and friends, who visit us for this special opening night. The Christmas carols are going for the first time, we find some lovely Christmas inspired nibbles, and enjoy a glass of bubbles or Sangria. Please enjoy these photos of the opening night - and thanks to everyone who shared this evening with us.

We love fairy lights. In fact, when it comes to lights at Christmas it is the only time we say 'more is better'. Lots of these lights and Christmas decorations run on batteries and we buy loads of batteries each season. So we wanted to check, should we pay for expensive batteries or do the cheaper brands do just a good a job. Let me set down a few ground rules: we are not scientists and this is not a scientific experiment, we are running one test and the results will guide our buying practice in the store for the coming season, The 5 batteries we tested and the price for the pack sizes we came across: Bunnings 'Varta' Brand - $9.92 for 30 (33c each) Costco 'Kirkland' Brand $39.95 for 144 (28c each)* Eveready $10.99 for 24 (45c each) Duracell - $19.98 for 30 (66c each) Energiser Max $7.95 for 4 ($1.98 each) You can see the Bunnings and Costco are quite closely aligned in their pricing, with jumps of 50% then 100% for the Eveready and Duracell and 600% for the Energiser Max. (* in checking the price for the Kirklands there are a lot of reviews saying these batteries leak. We have not had this problem in the store and we did use them a little bit last year too, but it is a reminder that all batteries must be removed from the item at the end of the season so you don't come back the following year to find they have corroded. We are not testing the longevity of the batteries in this test but be mindful this is something else to consider). The Experiment Started 5 sets of identical battery lights each being powered by 3 x AA batteries. Turned the lights on at 7.30pm 16th August and started to watch for changes in colour. By 7am the next morning we could see one of the batteries was struggling. The Eveready is not as bright as the other varieties of batteries.. By 6pm that night we are seeing another battery not doing so well. The Duracell battery is starting to fade. We then turned the lights off at 9.30pm and started again at 7am the next morning. Interestingly the 2 slightly duller lights came back strong when they were first turned on, although the Eveready didn't take long to go back to it's resting duller levels. By the 18th August at 11am (ie. lights had been running approx. 30 hours) the Energiser and Varta are holding a stronger light . You can see by this stage that the Varta and the Energiser's are the only two with real brightness. I would probably be looking to change the batteries on all others at this stage because I like the lights to be strong. (ie. if you kept your lights on for about 4 hours each night you would get a week of strong lights from even the cheapest batteries). We then let the lights run continually for a few days. They remained on but quite dull. The Energiser were a bit brighter but not a lovely strong light. Finally on the 26th August at 3pm we turned off the lights and concluded the experiment. Conclusion: For me, the lights seem to work well for about 30 hours. I didn't think there was any advantage in buying the dearer batteries for this type of use. Therefore we will be sticking with the Varta purely because of the convenience of Bunnings around the corner. One last thought - recyclable batteries are probably the best option for home use. We would need so many charges that it is a little unworkable in the store but definitely a good option if you like to keep your lights on and bright at home. Hope you've found this helpful.

Each year we create a list of the top Christmas Decorating Trends for the coming year. One of the new Christmas trends which is such an elegant statement is "Christmas Dreams". This theme uses soft blue/grey and pale denim blue tones, mixed with taupes and champagne gold. You can keep the overall look really soft, or incorporate a few pops of slightly deeper blue. (Tip: When adding a pop of colour remember to incorporate into the middle of the tree as well as the tips of the tree to create depth). I think these light colour themes looks gorgeous in light filled rooms, which are so popular in today's decorating. It's perfect for the Hampton's or French Provincial decor that we love, and for anyone like me who has toned back the colours in their home and are looking for a fresh but elegant look. To find out more, and to shop the look click on the product links below. Or to see the entire range of products in the Christmas Dreams Theme click here.

Each year we create our summary of the Christmas trends based on our visits to Australian and overseas markets, suppliers and manufacturers.  The 2017 trends include old favourites of red, green gold but also some stunning uses of blues and various tones of pink.