Scandinavian – Francois et Moi

Nordic Christmas Home 2018

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Wed, 05 Dec 2018 21:01:12 +0000

Come tour my Nordic Christmas home. Fresh greens, candles and texture galore: It’s dressed to the nines for the Holiday season. As with so many of us, decorating for Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year, second only maybe to early May when we finally shed our heavy coats and boots—oh the boots–after a LONG winter. Christmas is a close second though. It’s such a happy time of year! The funny thing is, I don’t actually go ‘all out’ decorating as compared to some. We do a garland on our living room arch, a tree in the corner of the living room, and then little additions of fresh greens, berries, potted amaryllis and candles throughout the house. No décor in the bedrooms. My decorating game plan definitely skews Nordic with a focus on bringing outdoor elements in, celebrating light during this dark time of year, and overall just creating a warm, cozy place. We mostly use the same decorations from year to year with a few additions and tweaks here and there. What is your decorating M.O.? Do you go all out? Use the same décor every year or switch things up completely? I’d love to hear your traditions! Okay, […]

The post Nordic Christmas Home 2018 appeared first on Francois et Moi.

Candlelit Evergreen Lucia Table Wreath DIY from Scandinavian Gatherings Book

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Mon, 26 Nov 2018 18:01:02 +0000

Peek inside Lulu the Baker‘s inspired book, Scandinavian Gatherings, with this DIY Candlelit Evergreen Lucia Table Wreath project! All photos by Charity Burggraaf from the book Scandinavian Gatherings; reprinted with permission from Sasquatch Books. As a Scandinavian growing up in Northern Minnesota, I’ve been enchanted by the magic of St. Lucia Day from a very young age. The 13th of December is a day dedicated to celebrating light and generosity in the ever-growing darkness of Winter months. Families celebrate at home with one of the daughters dressing up as Lucia in a white gown, red sash, + evergreen candle-wreath crown, and serving her family saffron buns and coffee before the sun rises. What a wonderful tradition! And one we’re going to start with our (almost) 2 year old, Sylvie, this year. Melissa Bahen of Lulu the Baker‘s book, Scandinavian Gatherings, is an amazing resource of recipes and DIY projects for celebrating Nordic traditions year round, and ESPECIALLY so around the holidays. One of my favorite sections in her book is Lucia Day, where she outlines everything you need to create your own authentic gathering at home. From saffron buns and gingersnaps to candlelit table wreaths and pinecone garlands, her recipes […]

The post Candlelit Evergreen Lucia Table Wreath DIY from Scandinavian Gatherings Book appeared first on Francois et Moi.

Meaningful Holiday Home Tour

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Thu, 07 Dec 2017 12:00:54 +0000

Call me curious, Christmas-crazy, or maybe even downright nosy?! But I love seeing how other people ‘do’ Christmas at their house. From decorations to traditions, its fun to see all the creative ways people celebrate the season. All this to say, I’ve been following along with Laura from Meaningful Spaces ‘ Meaningful Holiday Home Tour the last 3 days, (If you have been too, you just came from Heidi of Honeybear Lane’s home) and I’m excited to welcome you to my own decorated home on the last day of the tour! When it comes to Holiday decorating, we draw inspiration from two areas: Natural elements like garland, spruce tips, amaryllis, dried fruit, etc. We like using these kinds of things because they smell delicious, they’re pretty, and fresh elements mean it’s less to store in the basement the rest of the year! Our Scandinavian heritage: simple, neutral & nature-inspired decor, Dala horses, Norwegian flag bunting, etc. Playing on the Nordic vibe, we did a Charlie Brown-style real fraser fir Christmas tree this year from our neighborhood nursery, Tangletown Gardens, and I love its open, sparse feel. Less tree branches mean less ornaments, so we limited the display to clip-on candles, […]

The post Meaningful Holiday Home Tour appeared first on Francois et Moi.

How-To: The Nordic Style Christmas Tree Basket

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Tue, 28 Nov 2017 12:00:58 +0000

As I was naming this blog post yesterday, it occurred to me just how simplistic and all around ‘common-sense-esque’ it sounded. How hard can it be to put your real Christmas tree in a basket? The truth is I’ve been trying to figure out how to use a basket (in lieu of a tree skirt) for my real Christmas tree for the last few years, and I finally figured out a set up that works. So here we are! You see with real trees the stands are often 20″-24″ at their widest point, making it difficult to disguise in a basket without the basket being MASSIVE. I recently came across a 16″ diameter plastic tree stand that holds a 6′ tree. Our tree this year is a real Fraser Fir, known for its more “open” Nordic feel. The top of the tree thins to a single branch with a few small off shoots. Technically, the tree is a 7-footer, but considering the sparseness at the top of the tree, I decided to give it a whirl with the 6′ tree stand. And SPOILER alert…it works great! The 16″ tree stand diameter makes the basket so much more doable. Here I’m […]

The post How-To: The Nordic Style Christmas Tree Basket appeared first on Francois et Moi.

The Best Nordic Wallpapers

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Thu, 16 Feb 2017 14:00:44 +0000

Amidst our nursery redesign, I spent an embarrassing amount of time looking for Nordic wallpapers. I knew we wanted to take the nursery in a Scandinavian direction, and wallpaper is just such an easy way to introduce it. As you probably have seen, we chose Nethercote from Hygge & West for our nursery. Though the design is “technically” English-inspired, it still feels very Nordic, and it’s honestly the PERFECT paper for Sylvia’s room. If you’re also looking to add a little Nordic accent to your home, hopefully I can save you some precious Pinterest surfing time by rounding up the papers I fell in love along the way… a. Trellis Leaves b. Dellen c. Trapez d. Borosan e. Strike f. Stjärntrellis g. Hoppmosse h. Grazia i. Pergola j. Forest Fauna k. Hyacinth l. Block Print Tulip m. Nethercote n. Black & White Town o. Nordic Houses Think this post is worth a read? Please share! The Best Nordic WallpapersClick To Tweet Follow

The post The Best Nordic Wallpapers appeared first on Francois et Moi.

Dala Horse Ornaments & Gift Toppers

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Sun, 20 Dec 2015 17:22:12 +0000

If you’re in a wrapping rut this season, try these simple clay Dala Horses which easily take gifts from blah to showstopper in about an hour. Write the recipient’s name onto the back, slip under the bow, and you’re all set. Or add a string onto their backs and use them as ornaments! To make these bad boys, use the Dala Horse Cookie Cutter and cut out several horses out of polymer clay, bake them up, and decorate with a paint pen. If using them as ornaments, you’ll want to add a hole on the back (with a toothpick) before you bake them. Then add a string to their backs and hang ’em up! For gift toppers, add the giftee’s name onto the back and slip under neath the gift bow. Head over to Homedit for baking instructions and additional tips! Find more Holiday projects here! Follow

The post Dala Horse Ornaments & Gift Toppers appeared first on Francois et Moi.

Nordic Inspired Paper Star Lantern for Homedit

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Mon, 29 Dec 2014 13:43:43 +0000

Growing up in Duluth, Minnesota, my parents had an ornately carved wooden star lantern that they’d hang in our big dining room window around the Holidays, as a nod to our Scandinavian heritage. Now that my husband and I are starting our own Holiday traditions, I’d been coveting a similar star for our home. The trouble is, hand-carved wooden star lanterns like the one my parents have run with a big price tag, so I re-created the look and general function of the star lantern out of paper. And I kind of love the way it turned out, so this little love might become more of a winter tradition at our home, rather than a strictly Holiday one. Head on over to Homedit for the full “how-to”.

The post Nordic Inspired Paper Star Lantern for Homedit appeared first on Francois et Moi.

Natural Holiday Decor Ideas

francoisetmoiblog@gmail.com — Sat, 15 Nov 2014 04:55:29 +0000

Alright, I know we haven’t reached Thanksgiving yet, but after our snowstorm earlier this week (and more snow on the way), I’ve been in the mood to begin preparing for the Holidays. You know that saying “The best designs are often the simplest?” Well in my opinion, Holiday decor is no exception. The idea is to manipulate the foliage as little as possible and let the graceful, natural, lines and colors do the leg work. Simply head out to your backyard, the grocery store or florist and let nature be your inspiration! Here are some easy ways to dress your home for the Holidays! Branches in Glass Bottles | Hanging Advent Wreath | Rosemary Antipasti Wreath | Birch Branch Wall Decor | Cranberry Garland | Coniferous Gift Decor | Stovetop Scent Simmer

The post Natural Holiday Decor Ideas appeared first on Francois et Moi.