The Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge

Ever heard of The Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge? I hadn’t either until a couple of weeks ago.

Occasionally life throws us a curve-ball doesn’t it? Sometimes it’s bad, sometimes good and every once in a while it’s downright extraordinary.

Picture this: you’re heading off in one direction, only to find that — at some point — you seem to have gone off the beaten path and ended up somewhere totally unexpected.

Sound familiar?

I feel like this about my career. Having always had a creative role; I began as a catalogue designer in my early 20s, then moved on to art-direct photoshoots for over 15 years.

I loved my job so much.

But the London commute, long hours and trying to conceive made me assess my work/life balance; and in 2010, I stopped art-directing and set up Mooks Design instead.

Roll on Another 2 years

After an arduous time, battling fertility issues, I was pregnant for a third time (with twins) and — on a whim — started a blog one day.

6 years later, my beloved twins are 5 years old, I’m still designing (occasionally) but my blog is now my main source of income.

Crazy

In my 5th decade, I  found myself with a totally new career. In an industry I knew absolutely nothing about.

But with a combination of hard work and luck, the blog that I started on impulse began to present the most fortuitous opportunities.

The latest — and one of the most extraordinary — was being asked to take part in the Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge.

The Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge

Back in early August, the Style at Home editorial team threw down the gauntlet and asked me to decorate a Christmas tree — sponsored by a high-street retailer — which would feature in their December magazine. 

Of course I was going to say yes! What a fantastic opportunity.

I chose HomeSense as they’re a brand that I’ve frequently worked with over the years and I love their ranges. There’s always something different and unique in store and their offering is a little bit different to the rest of the high street. I always end up buying something I didn’t go in for.

And their Christmas decorations didn’t disappoint! Hot, bright colours with a Mexican twist; think llamas in place of reindeer and cacti rather than holly.

Arriba — just gorgeous.

Mexican inspired Christmas tree decorations from HomeSense for The Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge
Mexican treasure
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.
Mexican inspired Christmas tree decorations from HomeSense for The Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge
Unpacking to see what we’d got!
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.
Cactus bauble; Mexican inspired Christmas tree decorations from HomeSense for The Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge
Christmas Cactus
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.
Behind the Scenes at the Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge 2018
Is this a Mexicorn? Sorry.
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.
Behind the Scenes at the Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge 2018
Possibly my very favourite decoration… I wish I’d taken him home!!
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.
Behind the Scenes at the Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge 2018
This little reindeer managed to sneak in amongst all the llamas!!
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.
Behind the scenes at The Style at Home Christmas Challenge 2018
Llama-rama
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.
Behind the Scenes at the Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge 2018
Pom pom garlands and bright colours — I love this look!
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.

Back Where I Started

Needless to say, I had a ball.

Hanging out in a location house, with a photography team, is something that I’ve done for a third of my life so it felt really easy and natural.

What felt unnatural and pretty extraordinary was standing in front of the camera, rather than behind it!!

I’ve never had my make-up done before — not even on my wedding day — so that was a real treat. Wearing a posh frock, heels and false eyelashes surrounded by Christmas — in the middle of August was surreal.

The whole day was surreal. But amazing.

And once again, reminded me how strange life is.

Strange that — almost a decade after I last set foot on a photoshoot — I was back where I started; only in a totally different capacity. Not art directing, but modelling. In my mid forties.

Crazy.

Life’s weird twists and turns never cease to amaze me.

Behind the scenes at The Style at Home Christmas Challenge 2018
Cheeky mirror selfie. If you don’t take a pic, it never happened right? ;)
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.
Behind the Scenes at the Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge 2018
Ben decorating the wall — again.
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.
Behind the Scenes at the Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge 2018
Blending in with my surroundings — Pat Butcher has nothing on me.
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.
Behind the Scenes at the Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge 2018
Neon llamas – love their smiling faces!!! Do llamas smile?
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.
Behind the Scenes at the Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge 2018
A bevy of lovely llamas. Or are they alpacas?
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.
Behind the Scenes at the Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge 2018
The sweetest snowglobe.
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.
Behind the Scenes at the Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge 2018
Arriba — Tequila!
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.
Behind the Scenes at the Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge 2018
These remind me of some that my Granny had (she was clearly ahead of her time!)
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.
Behind the Scenes at the Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge 2018
Bright rugs and Christmas gifts
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.
Behind the Scenes at the Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge 2018
Cameltastic decorations
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.
Behind the Scenes at the Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge 2018
We all know how much I love a pom pom trim!
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.
Behind the Scenes at the Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge 2018
Behind the Scenes at the Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge 2018
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.
Behind the Scenes at the Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge 2018
Wondering how I got here…
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.
Behind the Scenes at the Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge 2018
And that’s a wrap. The finished shot!
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.
Behind the Scenes at the Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge 2018
The Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge 2018
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.
 Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge 2018
My tree!!
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.

Introducing the The Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge Covergirl

But this serendipitous tale doesn’t end there.

Nope.

What was an already extraordinary event ramped up another notch last week, when I received a message from a friend to say that she’d spotted me on the cover of Style At Home magazine.

To say I was bowled over was an understatement!! A covergirl in my mid-forties?

I never would have anticipated that in a million years. This is the mother of all curve-balls.

So thank you Style at Home for making an old gal very happy. And thank you life — for always surprising me.

How I’ve gone from directing shoots for magazines to appearing on the cover of one is beyond me.

But it just goes to show that sometimes when you change direction in life, although your destination might be unclear, bigger and better opportunities might be just around the corner.

The Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge 2018
My Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge cover!
Photo Credit: The Listed Home.

Thanks so much to the Style at Home team for asking me to take part in The Style at Home Christmas Tree Challenge 2018! 

Caro Davies editor of The Listed Home
Website | + posts

Caro Davies is a former art-director turned writer and content-creator, and editor behind UK lifestyle blog The Listed Home. She writes about home-related topics, from interiors and DIY to food and craft. The Listed Home has been featured in various publications, including Ideal Home, Grazia, and Homes & Antiques magazines.

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