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▪ Lock & Leave freedom: Travel freely or simply spend more time doing what you love.
▪ Low maintenance living: Lawn care and snow removal are handled, so every season is worry-free.
▪ Social connection: Gather with friends and neighbors in the clubhouse’s spacious gathering areas.
▪ Active lifestyle: Enjoy pickleball courts, fitness center, and outdoor pool — designed for fun and wellness.
RIVER + RANCH MAGAZINE
Volume 8: Issue 6
River + Ranch Magazine is a collaborative effort to showcase the creativity and design of the West. The two publishers of Bismarck Magazine decided to embark on a new adventure and create a different magazine focusing on design, art, and western living.
Publishers
Layout Editor
Copy Editor
Contributors
Cover Image
Advertising
Hannah Haynes hannah@bismarck-magazine.com
Caroline Crary caroline@bismarck-magazine.com
Jenna Kluting
Jennifer Kranz
Maria Brezny
Melanie Sioux Photography
Caroline Crary caroline@bismarck-magazine.com
River + Ranch Magazine Corporation, Copyright 2018 River + Ranch and riverandranchmagazine.com. All rights reserved. This periodical cannot be reproduced without the written permission of River + Ranch Magazine. River + Ranch Magazine will not be held responsible for any errors found in the magazine. Bismarck Magazine Corporation accepts no liability for statements made by advertisers.
RIVER + RANCH TEAM
Hannah
Haynes Publisher/Co-Founder
Jennifer Kranz Editor
Caroline Crary Publisher/Co-Founder
Jenna Kluting Layout Editor
Karel Sovak Writer
Maria Brezny Director of Communications
CPABLE Holiday Home Walk
CPABLE
LETTER FROM THE PUBLISHERS
As the snow begins to settle across the prairie and the Missouri glitters with ice, there’s a familiar sense of warmth that fills our North Dakota homes. December and January invite us to slow down, gather close, and celebrate what makes this season so special — the comfort of home, the beauty of giving, and the joy found in every twinkling light.
In this issue, we turn our attention to the art of holiday decorating. From rustic ranch-style elegance to modern prairie bold colors, we explore how North Dakotans transform their spaces into havens of light and love.
But beyond the sparkle and garland, this season is also about community. That’s why we’re proud to shine a light on CPABLE, a local nonprofit dedicated to supporting individuals with cerebral palsy and their families. This year, CPABLE brought back a community favorite, the Holiday Home Walk.
Local designers were paired with homeowners to help create Christmas eye candy! They opened their doors to some of Bismarck’s most beautifully decorated homes, inviting visitors to tour, admire, and give back. The proceeds from this cherished event went directly toward programs that foster independence, inclusion, and joy for those living with cerebral palsy in our region.
As you deck your own halls and gather with loved ones, we hope this issue inspires you to embrace both the beauty and the generosity of the season.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Melanie Sioux Photography
CPABLE Holiday Home Walk
STORY: MARIA BREZNY | PHOTOS: MELANIE SIOUX PHOTOGRAPHY
Officially formed in 2023, CPABLE is a non-profit organization dedicated to assisting children with cerebral palsy and similar neurological conditions through financial assistance. Throughout the year, the non-profit holds various fundraising events to raise money for families who apply for aid purchasing essential items not covered by insurance, like wheelchairs, adaptive seating systems, and bath chairs. CPABLE serves 18 counties in western and central North Dakota, ensuring children with cerebral palsy and similar conditions have the support they need.
To continue providing financial assistance, new ideas for fundraising events were raised, until the idea to bring back the Holiday Home Walk was pitched to Shawnda Ereth, executive director of CPABLE, while she was at Roots Boutique and Salon. While the idea excited Shawnda, the question of how and when to bring back the event was difficult to answer. However, Kiley Dosland, secretary of CPABLE, and Roxy Williams, a board member, really pushed the idea forward, and with the support of Callie Markovic, owner of Inspiring Designs,
and Carol Markovic, owner of Roots Boutique, the idea became a reality.
The support for the return of the Holiday Home Walk far exceeded CPABLE’s expectations. Not only did five designers agree to support the event- A to Z Decorating, Bridget’s Room, Callie Markovic Inspiring Designs, Real Deals on Home Decor, and Roots Boutique- but also, the community rallied behind the event in a heartwarming show of support, purchasing an estimated 325 tickets, with many patrons donating additional funds. “We wanted this year to be the year we get the word out and start and have something to build on, so that far exceeded our expectations. It was incredible,” describes Shawnda.
The response during and after the event has encouraged the team at CPABLE to host the walk again in 2026. “Seeing how the community rallied behind the event, both the designers, the homeowners, and then the public that came out and bought tickets… for us to feel and see that support was unbelievable,” says Kylie.
for the walk’s return. “People were saying how excited they were, and coming through the homes, they said, so glad this is back, thank you, continue it,” describes Roxy. With the event working best for designers in early November, a date has been tentatively set for November 1st next year, but follow CPABLE’s Facebook for announcements about next year’s events.
In the end, the event grew beyond simple fundraising for CPABLE. “We reached a whole different group of people that had never even heard of CPABLE,” describes Shawnda. “It wasn’t just our loyal supporters who have been there since day one. These were new people who were now going to learn more about CPABLE and how they can help and get involved and support the organization.”
If you are interested in supporting CPABLE’s mission, visit capable.org for more information. If you are a homeowner or designer interested in participating in next year’s Holiday Home Walk, email info@cpable.org.
People who came out for the event were vocal about their appreciation
A House of Cheer with
Roots Boutique
A blend of old and new makes for meaningful and beautiful holiday home decor. Carol Markovic, owner of Roots Boutique, opened her personal home for the 2025 CPABLE Holiday Home Walk, showcasing her individual holiday style, a blend of earthy, natural elements with muted festive colors and repurposed sentimental decorations.
2025 is not the first year Carol has been a part of the Holiday Home Walk. Back in 2012,
she opened her personal home on the Walk, and even prior to that, Carol participated in a few Holiday Home Walks through Dayton’s Department Store. Carol loves the excitement it brings people for the holidays, as well as the opportunity to share new decor ideas. She is also proud to support an organization like CPABLE. “Just being a part of helping children means so much,” she says.
To prepare for the CPABLE Holiday Home Walk,
participants need to decorate their homes earlier than normal to be showcase ready in time. Thankfully, Carol’s holiday decorating timeline usually starts after Halloween with wintery touches going in earlier and more obvious Christmas decorations typically going up after Thanksgiving.
Carol’s personal style meshes well with the design of her home which is timeless and adapts seamlessly to the different seasons. For
Christmas, Carol loves to bring in earthy elements like garlands, wreaths, and trees which pull in the winter scenery outside. “My favorite part is adding the touches of greenery and the finishing touches,” she says. Golds, creams, and greens dominate her color palette with just a touch of silver and red to add balance and bring a pop of traditional Christmas color.
Many of Carol’s design elements come together in her stunning Christmas tree. Crystals brighten and amplify the lights on the tree, while clip-on candles and paper accordion trees lend a nostalgic tone. One of Carol’s favorite tricks for elevating a Christmas tree is adding ornament clusters, creating layers and variety. Because many of her tree ornaments tend to get heavy, Carol often uses a fake tree for stability. To keep the fragrant pine smell when using a fake tree, Carol suggests utilizing essential oil ornaments or dabbing a little on your rug, so the smell of pine greets you at the door. Simple outside-the-box adjustments can elevate any holiday decor.
If you are inspired by the holiday decor in Carol’s personal home, make sure to shop at Roots Boutique. While their physical location is closed, Roots still has an online presence on Facebook and their website which offers a variety of holiday home decor, as well as a limited stock of clothes. Many of the items Roots offers Carol has recreated, taking them apart and putting them back together, both to improve their quality and to offer something truly special for your home. “I don’t want to double up with a lot of other places, so I try and be more unique,” explains Carol. Roots offers a distinctive selection of pieces you won’t find in anyone else’s home.
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Carol’s Holiday Decorating Tips and Tricks:
7 Reuse/Reinvent what you already have: For example, if you have ornaments, you can repaint with acrylics, use spray paint, add a velvet bow, use what you have at home to make your old decor like new. There’s always something already in your supplies that you can use to tweak something.
7 Cluster Your Ornaments: A simple way to add depth to your Christmas tree.
7 Essential Oils: If you have an artificial tree, using essential oils is an easy way to make artificial smell real.
7 Decorate Slowly: If you don’t have a lot of extra time to decorate, do it in stages. Start with the tree, start with garlands, and have a staging area in an unused room where you can lay out your decorations to choose from as you decorate in stages.
Deck the Homes
with Inspiring Designs
Right now, the “Ralph Lauren Christmas” is taking over the decor world with dark colors, natural elements, nostalgic designs, and luxurious finishes. This beautiful traditional home, decorated by Callie Markovic, owner of Inspiring Designs, lends itself perfectly to this return to Christmas tradition. Callie has decorated this home over the past few years in this style, ahead of the trends, capturing the homeowners’ love of the holiday season.
Callie’s passion for interior decorating finds a unique outlet in holiday decorating. Last year, she and her team decorated 15 separate homes and businesses for the holidays. She loves to decorate for returning clients because every year she can customize the decor more and more to the specific personality of the client. “It’s different every year for all my projects,” Callie explains. “I take pictures every year, and I always make it different.” In this featured home, Callie incorporated the Dickens village
into the decor for the first time this year adding a sense of wonder and magic.
The overall traditional style of the home showcases dark warm woods, a variety of stonework, and grand architecture styles that still feel welcoming. The homeowners’ love of the traditional carries over into the Christmas season. They value family time, baking and cooking, card games, watching movies, and nostalgic Christmas decor that
makes the home perfect for snuggling in over Christmas. Even though extended family lives in town, everyone comes to stay overnight at Christmastime to continue years of family tradition.
To echo this love of tradition and family, Callie brought in classic Christmas elements, pairing them with modern touches to keep the decor fresh and stylish. Creams, caramels, and reds dominate the color palette, while garlands, firs, and lights highlight the focal points of the home.
One of Callie’s favorite touches are the red velvet bows she incorporated into several parts of the home, including the mounted elk. The flameless candles scattered about creating a feeling of warmth were another favorite decoration of Callie’s. “It’s so much fun,” she says. “I love to hear from my clients when they come home that I made their house feel homey and warm.”
When decorating, Callie keeps in mind function as well as style. This home has both a formal and informal dining room. While Callie decorated the formal dining room table with a more elaborate centerpiece, she kept the informal dining room’s more simple and easy to move for family game nights. Each space Callie decorates is completely tailored to her client.
Callie was excited to be a part of the CPABLE Holiday Home Walk, as the cause is near and dear to her and her family. “I have twins with special needs, so I understand what it’s like with medical bills or something special that your child needs in order to help with their quality of life,” she says. “I think CPABLE is an incredible organization and something the community benefits so much from.” Giving back is an important part of the holiday season, and Callie was grateful to be able to lend her talents to help with such an important cause.
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Callie’s Holiday Decorating Tips and Tricks:
7 Work in Stages: It can be overwhelming to come up with an idea, but one thing my team and I do is, we’ll do a tree, and then walk away and do something else, and then come back and think about what else it needs. Just add in stages, either over the season or every year add something new.
7 Incorporate Existing Decor: Sometimes the easiest way to make your holiday decor feel harmonious is to incorporate your yearround decor and spruce it up by adding greenery or ribbons.
7 Value Tradition: There is a societal expectation that maybe stems from social media that you need to buy new every year. If you like to do that, go for it, but don’t be afraid to re-use things or bring out traditional things. If it means something to you, don’t be afraid to use it. You can make it look different with just a little touch, whether it’s a ribbon or an ornament or a candle. Plus, as we’ve seen, styles come back.
Walking in a Winter Wonderland
with A to Z Decorating
This home, beautifully decorated by Amber Flick, owner of A to Z Decorating, shimmers with whites, silvers, sparkles, and unique eyecatching displays. Amber brought her years of decorating experience and unique perspective to create a winter wonderland for the CPABLE Holiday Home Walk. The journey to owning her own design company has been a long one for Amber who has been working in interior design for over 17
years. Instead of attending college for design, she learned the intricacies of the industry through hands-on experience while working at various retail stores and for different designers.
“You don’t always need to go to school for something,” she says. “If you have a natural talent and believe in it, you can do it.”
After working and learning at Interiors by Design for nine years, Amber took a job as Kirkland’s store manager. There, she discovered
a market of people who wanted help with interior decorating at all price points. This realization, paired with her desire to spend more time with her daughter Zada inspired her to open A to Z Decorating. Her business name is even inspired by her relationship with her daughter; Z stands for Zada, and A stands for Amber.
When opening A to Z Decorating, Amber relied on the support of many experts within
the interior decorating industry, including Rachel Miller, owner of Bismarck’s Real Deals. Rachel helped Amber get started and when CPABLE approached her about the Holiday Home Walk, she suggested Amber as another designer on the walk. “I feel very honored,” shares Amber. “I grew up going to it with my parents.”
The next step was finding a homeowner willing to open their home to Amber and to hundreds of visitors on the walk. Thankfully, Kristen Messer was excited to participate. “She was completely welcoming, and I basically moved in for two weeks to do it,” describes Amber, laughing. Over those two weeks, the two bonded over their shared love of Christmas, and their time spent together decorating resulted in a new friendship.
One of Amber’s trademark design styles is incorporating the creative and unusual into a stunning design piece. The house is filled with these one-of-a-kind elements, such as the mantel decor in the living room. Because the mantel is higher than average, Amber wanted to highlight it with more than just a traditional garland. “I said from day one, if I go down as the crazy balloon lady, I’m okay with that,” jokes Amber. “I am always looking for something different and out-of-thebox… so when it came to this, I was thinking how can I do something different and crazy… The balloons were a whole other level of craziness.”
Each room in the home was sprinkled with holiday magic, including the bedrooms. When decorating the two boys’ bedrooms, Amber wanted to make sure Kristen was involved in the process. After working through a design plan, the two went shopping together, and then Kristen decorated the two trees in her boys’ bedrooms herself. “Because they are her boys’ rooms, I felt like it was too personal for me to be a part of,” explains Amber. The result was a charming take on Christmas, personal to the boys and their mom.
In the office, Amber played off the already present feminine touches, like the velvet bench. This inspired her to make it even more glamorous, creating a lush tree filled with glittery ornaments and sprays, navy details, and peacock feathers. Decorating the Christmas trees throughout the home was one of her favorite parts about decorating this house. In addition to being able to think outside the box, she also brought in old decorations, reusing them in a fresh and stylish way. “Rebringing your old Christmas stuff back to life is fun,” Amber says, encouraging anyone decorating for the holidays not to neglect their older decor.
Being a part of an event like CPABLE’s Holiday Home Walk meant more to Amber than just an opportunity to showcase her skills. “To meet all the girls with CPABLE gets really emotional because they’re so inspiring to me,” describes Amber. “God gives everyone talents, and I don’t have the talents they have, but I have my gift, and if I could make things beautiful and make people happy, great, but what they do is beyond. It’s powerful, and it was awesome that I just had the opportunity to be a part of it.”
Amber’s Holiday Decorating Tips and Tricks:
7 Plan for your tree before you go shopping. If you’re overwhelmed, just think through the basic math of what you need and how much of your tree will be seen.
7 When you decorate the tree, start with big ornaments and sprays, and then work your way to the smaller things at the end. I always do the ribbon last because you can use it to fill spaces and hide emptiness if you don’t have enough.
7 Be organized, starting by laying out what you have so you can see it, then use all of one thing, spacing it throughout the tree, then move on to the next thing.
A Christmas Wonderland
with Spaces
STORY: MARIA BREZNY | PHOTOS: MELANIE SIOUX PHOTOGRAPHY
Transforming Spaces’ store into a stunning Christmas display with distinct sections each with a unique holiday theme took months of planning and preparation for Lisa Bohrer, owner of Spaces, and her team. The festive layout features unifying elements, such as bows throughout, but each section has its own theme with its own matching scent to create a full sensory experience for anyone searching for inspiration during the holidays.
Merry & Bright
When you first step into the store, you are greeted by two different Christmas themes, Winter Toile to the right and Merry and Bright to the left. Merry and Bright is marked by traditional bright reds and greens, a plethora of bows, and playful decorations. “Red is and forever will be a statement color in the store, as long as I own it, because Christmas red is a classic,” states Lisa. “You will forever see a red Christmas themed tree in the store.” The bold use of red draws the eye, but is contrasted by the greens, creating an “understated wow” as Lisa describes it. The scent for this section is Fraser Fir and Highland Frost, mirroring the traditional Christmas elements in this theme.
The other unique focal point of this section is the extravagance of bows. Bows not only grace decorations as a festive addition, they literally make up many of the decorations, like trees and wreaths made entirely out of bows. As bows have come back into style in the fashion world, bows have made their way into the decor world. “Design often follows fashion,” explains Lisa. This playful take on traditional Christmas truly feels merry and bright.
Winter Toile
To the right as you enter Spaces is a winter toile theme. Toile is an classic pattern in the fabric industry with a single-color print on a light background, typically on cotton or linen. For this winter toile display, Lisa chose a black and white toile to unify the design. The harsh blacks and bright whites complement each other in their opposition, creating a statement that is “all in the color,” explains Lisa. To bring in holiday warmth, Lisa used gold and glint decorations. Glint, a mix between silver and gold, indulges in the sparkly magic of the holiday season.
To support placing large candles on the Christmas tree, Lisa hid pedestals in the branches. These pedestals come in one tier or three tiers design and can support any larger, more heavy decoration, like the candles which brighten the entire tree. To complete this section, Noir Woods scent fills the space.
Gingerbread Village
As the color pink makes a comeback, thanks to the cultural impact of the Barbie movie, it has also moved into the design world. Lisa brought this whimsical color into her third Christmas section, creating a soft and magical holiday theme. She paired different shades of pink with gingerbread houses, gingerbread trees, gingerbread ribbon, gingerbread ornaments, and lots of glitter and shine. And as it should, the scent of gingerbread brings the whole display together.
Home for Christmas
This festive dining room display evokes the joy of sitting around the dinner table for Christmas with family and friends. Lisa decorated the mock dining room with a range of greens from emerald to teal. Two different Christmas trees with green ornaments, glint ornaments, twinkling lights, garland, and flocked branches complete the look with a creative take on a traditional space. The trees have five layers of ornaments which achieves a full and polished look that Lisa created by starting on the inside of the tree and working outward. “We dress our trees like we dress ourselves,” she describes. Spaces signature scent completes the holiday arrangement.
Glitter & Gold
If you are looking for inspiration for a classy Christmas theme that utilizes the iconic Christmas red, make sure to peruse this holiday section in Spaces. Deep reds and gold color the section, and the ornate Christmas tree encapsulates the elegance of the design. With five layers of ornaments, no part of the tree is left bare. “I love ornaments,” explains Lisa. “Every year I buy way too many, and I don’t get rid of any of them. I love them all.” If you look closely at the decorations, you will notice more natural elements brought in, like flowers, butterflies, and pomegranates. Together, these gorgeous details elicit feelings of warmth, magic, and Christmas.
Snowy Woods
In juxtaposition to the softer, feminine Gingerbread Village section, this Snowy Woods section has a more masculine holiday vibe with woodsy decorations, a small metal sleigh, earthy, outdoor elements like wreaths, trees, and garlands, and reindeer figurines. The color palette includes variations of blacks, greens, and ivories with a touch of gold. By bringing the outdoors in, the space feels like an extension of the wintery landscape just beyond your window on Christmas morning.
Lisa’s Holiday Decorating Tips and Tricks:
7 If you want to get a collection of Christmas decorations started, buy quality pieces, and don’t push yourself to buy too many things at once. Only buy quality pieces you truly love that you can grow for years and years to come.
7 An easy way to make a cocktail table look both Christmassy and classy is to put a tree skirt over it.
By an Open Fire
with story: Maria Brezny | photos: Melanie Sioux Photography
The best place to be on Christmas is in front of a crackling fire, with stockings hung on the mantel, surrounded by friends and family all enjoying the coziness of a slow morning. Making these Christmas dreams come true is Coldspring Stoneyard whose extensive selection of Stone & Hearth Products make any festive vision possible.
In this family’s home, the dream was for a real wood-burning fireplace, and when it came time to renovate their home, Coldspring made this dream a reality. This gorgeous stone GranView woodburning fireplace is complete with a wood mantel (perfect for hanging stockings) and a bench for storing firewood made from Indiana limestone, custom cut to fit.
To ensure the stonework was the exact shade of color the homeowners were envisioning, the team used manufactured stone. “If you want a specific look you’ve imagined, you may only be able to get that with a manufactured stone,” explains James Madsen, assistant sales manager at Coldspring. The
color the homeowners chose is all-seasonal, easy to decorate for Christmas with reds, greens, gold, silvers, or in any style the homeowner wants.
The fireplace was built against large windows facing the scenic prairie, so in the winter you can cozy up to the fire while watching the snow fall outside. The GranView design of the fireplace easily heats up the living room, even in freezing winter temperatures.
“The way it’s built and insulated in the box, it’s about 97-98% efficient in combustion,” explains Wayne McMahen, fireplace sales and installation for Coldspring. “That’s pretty good for a woodburner.”
Highly-efficient, built-to-last, and classic in design, the fireplace will be the center of many holiday memories for years to come.
JAMES MADSEN & WAYNE MCMAHEN
Bismarck
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