The Citizen, 2004-12-23, Page 30Merry Christmas
From The Citizen
Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County
Thursday, Dec. 23, 2004
Woman puts creative is to good use •
For the second rcor in a row, area residents, who delight in the warmth
created by a festively-decorated home, generously allowed us inside to
share the beauty of the season.
By Bonnie Gropp
Citizen editor
As a graduate of graphic design,
Kendra Cardiff had a knack for the
artistic. Now, as a stay-at-home
mother of two young boys, she uses
that ability to create a welcoming
holiday atmosphere to the family's
beautiful country home.
Cardiff said she's not sure where
she got her talent, she just knows
she's "always been a decorator kind
of girl. I tend to like to make things
and I read a lot of decorating
magazines. "
She laughs when she says her
older sister jokingly ask where her
creativity came from. As the family
baby, separated by many years from
the closest sibling, Cardiff has the
answer. "I always tell them I had no
one to play with so I had to be
creative."
Traditionally, Cardiff said she
likes to have her decorations in place
in time for the annual Santa Claus
parade. Her husband Scott, and their
youngest son Tanner, eight, helped
with outside lights this year. The
couple's oldest boy is Blake, 12. The
Holiday decor
Counter clockwise from top:
With candles and colourful
arrangements the side table in
the Cardiff dining room is a
focal point, a simple vignette
gets a touch of elegance with
backlighting, the family enjoys
entertaining and their
traditional Christmas brunch
at the elegantly laid out dining
table, the stockings are given
tasteful treatment. (Born,
Gropp photos)
boys also have their own small trees
in the living room on which they
place special ornaments they have
received or made.
Cardiff's decorating style is
natural. She makes trips into the
bush on their property to bring the
outdoors in for her creations. "1 just
go trim, trim, trim. It's nicer to have
everything real. I also love to have
gold, glass and candles. They are
very important to me."
From the beginning of collecting
to the end result usually takes three
to four weeks.
The most impressive display is
perhaps the dining room table. The
furniture was a gift given to her
parents for their wedding, over 50
years ago. "It means a lot to me to
have it now."
Saying that most of her ideas are
original, Cardiff agrees that getting
the right aesthetics together is a
knack.
"Some people pay a lot of money
to have things look decent. And on
the other side of this, this is my job.
I'm a stay-at-home mom, so I'm
going to be good at it. This is what I
do."