My Holiday Garland in Domino and A Fireplace Faux Concrete Overlay!

The holiday issue of Domino is on stands now!! Just look for the beautiful face of my talented friend, Paloma, on the cover. :)

And feel free to check out page 78 for my latest DIY column - a piece on using hardy house plants to make an untraditional holiday garland!

I really love how this one turned out! We shot the tutorial in early October, so the garland is long gone now, but I'd love to recreate something similar for our mantle now that it's time to decorate for Christmas. The little clementimes are my favorite part (psst - the trick is to use the smallest, lightest fruit you can find!)

All the pretty details are in the new issue, which should be on news stands every where by now.

Right before we shot the tutorial with my talented photographer friend, Sarah Webb, I decided I wanted to add a layer of concrete to our mantel to lighten things up and add a little texture.

I used the same approach I've done several times now, using Ardex Feather Finish concrete, but this time I mixed the concrete to be a little on the watery side and applied it in many, many coats with a paint brush.

If I had to guess, I probably put on six or seven light coats of the Ardex, with drying time and a sanding block session between each coat.

I also put on two layers of matte natural-look sealer after the concrete was dry, and after a couple months, everything is still looking great!

I love how the concrete looks with the black paint on the surround, but especially with the fossil limestone we added to the firebox.

Thanks again to Sarah Webb for the photos and to Kate for assisting at the shoot, and to the Domino team for always being so great to work with! In case you've missed any of my past stories for Domino, here's my Pax armoire makeover, an upholstered bench DIY, and my house feature.