4. Caitlin, one of the bloggers behind The Merry Thought, took a branch and some old match boxes to create her unique Advent calendar. Instead of filling the boxes with chocolate, she tucked in slips of paper with the names of family and friends she could write to for each day.
![“I think my own personal style is a bit of French design [and] a little bit of English, but I just love that overly collected, curated, layered space that looks lived in and comfortable,” Paige says.](https://thecottagejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Photo-May-05-2022-2-46-08-PM_OTR-feat-218x150.jpg "Designer Paige Kontrafouris Layers Her 100-Year-Old Home with Collected Treasures")
