Homes for the Holidays- Fundraiser Feature

In my pre-pregnancy life, I was a fundraiser. It’s what I was employed to do but I also volunteered for a few local fundraisers that were close to my heart. Homes for the Holidays is an annual fundraiser for the local United Way, and one of the most creative fundraisers around here.

As the name suggests, it’s a tour of private homes decked out for the holidays. Locals volunteer their houses, stores and boutiques lend their inventory, and designers to put it all together.

I got involved with my sister in law a few years back and decorated a home three years in a row.  I worked with my sister-in-law the first two years then with Tara from Onyx Interiors and a Princess House rep (see the lovely red dishes… that’s ’em).

 

This year, I got to go on the tour and just enjoy the homes that were decorated- without thinking about all the cleanup!  They raised a whopping $41, 000 on the event this year (in our size community… that’s fantastic!). And while we’re on the subject of raising money… the United Way here organizes this fundraiser as part of their annual campaign which raised over 2 Million dollars last year… Again, for our city- freakin’ amazing. The work that gets done in this city because of their efforts is phenomenal.

 

Anyways… I thought I’d share some of the past homes I’ve done with y’all.

 

 

 

Maybe it’s because I’ve worked so many weddings… but I love floral arrangements. I had so much fun putting these together! Check out those roses… I’m pretty impressed with myself on that one!

 

 

I really enjoy how this fundraiser stretches me. The houses we get assigned aren’t always our personal style, and the decorations a store has are sometimes limited… but you make it work! Another challenge… some of the houses we’ve done (because they were brand spankin’ new) weren’t fully furnished… so we got to bring in furniture, art, and area rugs to fill the space.

 

 

Speaking of challenges… check out the Canucks theme boys room!

 

 

All of the photos above were taken by myself or my my Dad. Everything below was taken by the wonderful Tyler Meade who covers the event. You can find all his photos of past events on the Homes for the Holidays Facebook page.

XO -C