Our Favorite Creative Christmas Videos

A time of music, family gatherings, decking the halls of your home, gift wrapping and opening, and a little time off from the daily routine - Christmas means all that and more to each of us. However you observe today and tomorrow - sledding down hills, caroling in the neighborhood, volunteering at a homeless shelter, attending midnight church services, or baking cookies and pies - we hope you have a wonderful holiday. We've selected a few fun holiday videos, some of our favorites this year, and all with a slant towards the creative - after all, our audience is creative people. Happy holidays!

 Sheffield School began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.

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Holiday Shopping Guide for Interior Designers & Home Lovers

There are so many gift-giving guides out there, but my interior design partners at Design2Share.com and I hand-selected a cluster of holiday dynamite - gifts for the home - and design-loving adults on your list this year. We developed this list, and some guidelines regarding how to how to shop and the qualities of a memorable gift, for the folks at Williams-Sonoma's Designer Marketplace. Click here to read The Interior Designer's Creative Gift-Giving Guide, and seasons greetings and happy holidays to you and your family!

 Sheffield School began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.

Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.

Modernize Your Home Holiday Decorating

Isn’t that wreath spectacular? Danielle from 100 Layer Cake made it using a wreath frame and found branches from her neighborhood magnolia trees. She spray painted the green side of each leaf with gold and then assembled it using wire. And she claims it’s really not as complicated as it looks. Amazing!

Jillian created the garland for the mantel using styrofoam balls she spray painted with copper, gold, and silver. She strung them using a needle and heavy string and then hung them from teeny nails hidden behind the drop of her mantel.

Cute party shoes, no? Clearly the fashion at a holiday party in a home with modern decorations like this would be bold and sparkly.

Love the illustrated ornaments for an easy little project to dress up any part of your house this time of year. Jillian drew them and guess what? You totally can too!

Click to read more ...

Her Holidays: 100 Layer Cake's Holiday Gift Guide

Today you can add these little ditty’s to your "gifts to buy" list, and tomorrow you shop! This is obviously our favorite time of the year, right after wedding season and the idea of gifting pretty things to those we love … it can’t be beat. To help you out with your holiday shopping list, we’re sharing a few favorite bits & bobs that have caught our eye. The show doesn’t stop there either. We have even more ideas for gifts in our 2012 Gift Guide on Pinterest, so hop to it!

1. Amanda Judge Heavy Metal Bow
2. Salt + Pepper Shakers 
3. by boe heart earrings 
4. Rifle Paper Co. Botanical Journal 
5. Pinhole Press Weekly Notepad  
6. Paper Gem Coasters 
7. Paloma’s Nest “Our First Christmas” Ornaments   
8. Lip Crayon Box Set

Thanks to 100 Layer Cake for their beautiful photographs, posts, and wedding and event inspiration. 100 Layer Cake is a unique, comprehensive wedding and event planning resource for and by thoughtful, crafty modern women. Their vendors, projects, weddings, resources, sponsors, and marketplace are hand-picked and thoroughly researched with the hope that every single one is a truly unique addition to both your wedding and your planning process. Visit the 100 Layer Cake website today.

 Sheffield School began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.

Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.

Hey, Santa: Gift Ideas for Jewelry Makers

If you're like our Sheffield School Jewelry Design instructor Haley Mindes, you're always on the lookout for gifty items for both yourself and those like-minded jewelry makers on your holiday shopping list.

Haley has given us a few items that she thinks anyone who's making jewelry would love finding under the tree or in their stocking this year. Click on each photo for more product information.

Beadalon Beading Station - Every beader needs workspace tools to help organize their tools and materials, and this station lets you store multiple materials and even sort beads by colors and different color combinations.
 

Beadsmith Three-Step Wire Looping Round Nose Pliers (5mm, 7mm, 10mm) - While tools aren't necessarily the most glamorous of gifts, they're inexpensive and you'll use them again and again to save you time and money as you're putting together your wireworking creations. These wire-looping pliers are nifty and essential.
 

 

The Workbook Guide to Jewelry Techniques - It's great to have some handy reference materials, suitable for both students and professionals, at hand when you want some inspiration or quick how-to help; this guidebook has photographs to help illustrate the steps of different techniques.

Beadsmith Solid Stainless Steel Mini Jewelry Anvil Wire Work Tool - With straight edges on one end to assist in wire bending, and a tapered end for wrapping and shaping, this heavy (1 pound) anvil takes up little space (it's only 4 inches long), but it will be a workhorse part of your design projects.

Handcrafted Wire Findings: Techniques and Designs for Custom Jewelry Components - Every jewelry designer is looking at holding down the costs while adding personal style to their pieces, and this book inspires jewelry designers to creatively do it themselves. 

Beadsmith Craft Wire Multi-Mandrel - Use these different mandrels or shaping tools to create round, oval, triangle, and square shaped jump rings, toggles, pendants, earrings, and other jewelry items.
 

 

Profiting By Design: A Jewelry Maker's Guide to Business Success - It's important to focus your attention on starting a business and earning a living from your jewelry creations, and author Marlene Richey gives you abundant ideas and inspiring case studies to help your business grow and find its unique niche.

 

 Eurotool 6-Step Multi Size Wire Looping Jewelry Pliers - Haley's certainly a tool lover, and this is a favorite!
 

Sheffield School began as an Interior Design school in 1985, and then expanded our course offerings to train people in other design-related fields, including Feng Shui, Wedding and Event Planning, and Jewelry Design. With thousands of active students and more than 50,000 graduates, Sheffield has trained more design professionals than any school in the world.

Request a free Sheffield School catalog describing our distance education courses.

Subscribe to the Sheffield Designer newsletter.