As I mentioned, last week I had the opportunity to travel to New York City for the Michaels Christmas in July preview. (Yes, this job has its perks, for sure.) It was so much fun! The Michaels team had transformed an empty loft into a winter wonderland. With red and green cocktails in hand, we walked through the snowy entrance way – all decorated with red and white and plenty of twinkle lights – and into a dining room that was all silver and crystal elegance. Almost everything had been created by the team of artisans at Michaels – including the beautiful wreaths, tiny topiaries, and customized wine glasses. The table setting was downright elegant, but not very difficult to achieve, given time and the right craft supplies! Of course, it wouldn't take much to change the look from silvery sophistication to traditional festive, or perhaps a monochromatic look for another time of year. This exotic Far East–inspired setting featured lots of colour and a variety of textiles, from crocheted blankets and lampshades, to knitted pillows, to garlands of silky ribbbons. An assortment of ornaments – glass, paper and beaded – and exotic plants and birds finished it off. The room I liked the best was the Chalet Christmas–themed room. Lots of evergreens and classic red-and-white ornaments – including these decoupaged toadstools, embroidered felt, painted wooden shapes and kraft-paper wrapped boxes. It also included this cheerful Santa pillow. I can imagine this being a big favourite with the kids. His beard was so fluffy! Speaking of kids, there were tons of cute ideas for decorating a kid's room for Christmas – check out that garland up there – as well as quick-and-easy projects that you could do with little ones to get them in the spirit, including paper ornaments and shadow boxes. I came away from the experience newly energized about my plans for Christmas crafting – no mean feat, when you consider that it was over 30 C that day!