Christmas dinner

Merry Christmas!

Can you believe that Christmas is only a few days away and the New Year is just around the corner?
Where has the year gone? 

Today I want to share my dinning table all set for an intimate Christmas dinner for four.

Let's start with the basic table without china. 

 A blue tablecloth and a brown runner with lanterns and mercury glass candles running down its length. 
The tablecloth and runner I got at Wal-Mart and I had both from last year.  The lanterns I got a Kirkland's.  The mercury glass candle holders I've had for years, if you can't find any you can make them but any glass candle holder will do. 

Next I added my china, it is Lenox, Chesapeake.

I've set it more formal and put the napkin under the soup bowl.  This is a great way to show off a napkin that has a fancy embroidery or monogram on it.

The night setting with the lights off and the candles lit is spectacular and if set for two, very romantic.

On another note, I came home from work today to find this in my basement....

A ripped up bathroom floor and a toilet in my family room.... lovey Christmas is what, 2 days away!  So here is the funny thing, my husband is off this week and next and was looking for a project.  We've been talking about painting and putting down a new floor and just doing a minor re-vamp of this small bathroom. We had colors picked out as the flooring but I didn't expect him to do it with just days till Christmas!  He says he wanted to surprise me... well he did!  I did buy a new shower curtain for the shower stall and a new bath rug and some hand towels that match the bird in the shower curtain.  I came home to no floor - SUPRISE!

I hope he gets this done in two days, I mean paint, flooring and a new toilet how long can that take?  Wish me luck! 

I'll keep everyone updated on the progress on this little bathroom. 

I am off next week so I won't be back blogging until after the new year, so....

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! 

I'll see everyone in 2015! 
Until then, be safe.
Victoria

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Christmas Vignettes

Decorating is about many things, it is about what you love, what fits into your lifestyle and it is about telling a story of who you and your family are through vignettes. 

This year I am telling my story of what I love about Christmas on my buffet, side table and coffee table. 

Here is my coffee table this year.  Yes, more deer. 

I got the reindeer at Target, with my 'cartwheel' app it was $10.00.  The large tray I got sometime last year at Hobby Lobby.  The silver orb is also from Target last year on sale for $5.00.  I've used it in my outdoor décor and now I've brought it inside for the winter.  The glass cloche is from Kirkland's.  The silver and blue ornaments I had on hand and the Yankee Candle is last years as well. 
Remember that layering is the key for a successful display.  

I got this new little pillow at Kirkland's this year also. 

My couch side table has another cute little display.  A candy holding Santa, a toy stop watch, a mercury glass candle holder with a shade and a subway tile art piece that has one of my favorite Christmas saying on it. 

Finally my buffet is done.  Again this year I poured some Epson Salts into large glass containers and made little winter wonderlands with small houses and Christmas garden trees.  They even light up!
I got some sheet music and placed it in the back of one for a special effect.  This type of display is super easy to do and it looks like you took a lot of time and effort!  So sweet.

I added some pine cones and to finish the buffet off, I placed my galvanized square basket in the middle, filled it with another orb and some greenery.

Gotta love the pots and pans hanging in the kitchen! 

So far I am liking it and that is what decorating is all about.  For me you need to try something, live with it for a few days, if you don't like it, change it! 

Thanks for stopping by!  Next Tuesday I'll be back sharing my dinning table all decorated for Christmas dinner; until then, BE SAFE!
Victoria

As always you can follow me on Pintrest -
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I do read and respond!

Christmas Kitchen

Wow is December going fast or is it just me? 

I know this year went quickly but these last 4 months have just flown by.  I haven't done half the things I've set out to do for the holiday's yet. 

Today I am writing from Dillon Colorado.  There is a large lake and skiing all around.  The ski resort near here that you may have heard of is Breckenridge.  Dillon and the mountains are beautiful in the winter with snow.

Today I am sharing my kitchen all decorated for Christmas. 

I bought the wreathes and the ribbon at the dollar store.  I just taped the ribbon to the back of the cupboard doors and tried to hang them all level.

My Mom sent me these salt and pepper shakers.  She says' they are a set like this, but I'm not so sure about an angel and Santa being a set.  They are really cute though.

I bought this little guy at Wal-Mart for $10.00!  He's so fat.

When you turn him on and put some wax tarts in him he not only acts as a night light but he smells good too!

I have my nutcrackers, both from Germany, on the top of my refrigerator.

Finally I've got a silver gravy boat filled with some faux greenery in my fruit tower.

And that is my Kitchen all decorated for the Christmas season.  I'll be back on Thursday with my dinning room and kitchen chalkboard door; until then, stay safe!
Victoria

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Christmas tour

We finally got our Christmas tree up! 

It is faux, 9 feet tall and really fat; a quite jolly old elf of a tree!  I like it because other than it being perfect you really would think it is real.  It even has some elf or angel shelves. 

It takes a bit to get the tree up.  We have to get the huge box out of the attic then drag the box into the house, re-arrange furniture then get it up and decorated.  It takes about 40 strands of lights and no we don't do it like you are supposed to; wrapping each branch.  We start in the center of the tree and wrap around it, inside to the outside. 
This year we bought these star or urchin shaped lights.  They blink and change color.

Then we put up the ornaments.   I don't use the traditional silver, gold, or red and green for my Christmas tree.  My tree is blue, white, silver, lime green and orange.  I also don't have a lot of round ball ornaments, instead I have dragonflies

 And lots of birds

Deer, a lot of deer... I love deer.



Finally snowflakes.  I got these at the dollar store, some are blue and some are clear.

This year I didn't put up garland or ribbon or any kind of extra adornment but I love the overall look.

 

I'd like to share our outside decorations.  We don't have lights blinking to music, we are move old school.  My husband does this as a ode to his Grandfather who loved Christmas and at 80 would decorate every inch of his house.  In other words we could put the Griswold's to shame.  I swear you can see it from space.  All LED lights so we don't use too much power. 

 

Pretty cool huh.  I love the wreath.

Once you get to the front door I have a blue and white wreath on the storm door and a Santa picture on the main front door.  The Santa peeks through the wreath.

 

Right inside the front door I have a galvanized bucket that I put logs in.  For Thanksgiving I put some faux fall garland in with the logs and for Christmas I put in some faux greenery.  I also bought two light up twigs the effect if amazing.











 

When you decorate, don't forget the back of you front door.  You see it more than the front so why not make it pretty too! I made this wreath last year.

 

It is a dollar store wreath with 2 white boa's wrapped around it.  Hung with a simple brown ribbon. 

Then there is my mantle.  I still love it. 

 

If you missed what these globes are you can check out Tuesday's blog... you'll be amazed! 

 

I hope you like what you've seen so far.  Next week I'll share my kitchen and dinning room.  Until then, be safe!

Victoria

 

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Chrsitmas Mantle

Last week I showed you some of the Pintrest ideas I was pinning and planning for Christmas - you can check last week for that.  Well the best laid plans as they say.......
I had intentions of doing a mantle similar to this from Funky Junk Interiors -

I got a star and lots of greenery.  Instead of windows I was going to use mirrors.  I have several strings of lights both color and white that I can use to create the glow.  All planned out, famous last words.
I was in Home Depot with my husband this past Saturday, we found ourselves in the lighting isle and I found white globe lights, the kind you use for ceiling fixtures.  I held it up and said to my husband, "Wouldn't these look great if these were bigger?" My husband gave me an odd look so I added, "I could put them outside and fill them with lights."  Then my husband nodded and said, "I get it, they'd look great but they don't come any bigger."  Then he added, "why don't you do the same thing inside?" 

BRILLIANT! 

I bought three. 
Immediately my mantle idea changed from the photo above to something else.  I am sure this has happened to everyone; you plan one thing and end up doing something totally different.  But you know what?  THAT IS OK! 

So let me walk you through how I did my Christmas mantle. 

Start with a clean, cleared mantle.  I added some faux greenery and just laid it across the mantle. 

Next I need to add levels.  The idea is to keep the eye moving by varying the height of things.  You can use books or garden risers, bricks anything you can think of to vary the heights. 

 

TIP:



Pair' things in groups of three's.  It is more pleasing to the eye. 

Then I created the globes.  Are you ready for how easy and super cute these are!!!! 
First you will need 3 glass globes.  I got mine at Home Depot for $5.77 each. 

Next you need battery operated strands of lights.  I had 2 strands of white and a strand of multi color from my last years table. Then you put them in the globes.

Then I turned them over and put them on the mantle. DONE!

 

Now I did play with the arrangement.  The above didn't stay but you'll see that soon.
Next I hung a star, a picture of a deer and a small mirror on the mantle.

I played with the arrangement of the globes and ended up with the height in the middle. I also changed the mirror out, I thought it was just too small.  I had a picture of Santa on hand and tried that.

I like this much better.  I love, love, LOVE the globes and they were so super easy!

And the mantle is done!  Well almost done.. I am looking for 3-D stars instead of the Santa picture but if I don't find any I'll stay with the Santa. 

So what do you think?  I LOVE it!

Thanks for stopping by today.  I appreciate it.  On Thursday I'll be back sharing my tree and outside decorations.
Stay safe, till Thursday!
Victoria

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Or here on the blog
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