Christmas 2015 Part 2

As another Christmas season comes and goes, here are a few photos of the kitchen and family room.  All the decorations will be down by the end of the day, boxed up and stored for another year.  Hope you enjoy!

On the kitchen island, I keep this Tiffany silver trumpet vase and change the flowers depending on the season.  It doesn't take up much room, so that I can serve or prep when needed.  If you look behind the vase, I hung snowflakes from the window valence.  I used a tension rod, and hung the snowflakes with white thread and ornament hangers.  At Christmas I use a butler's tray table in the corner to hold extra Christmas trays and wine glasses.

For Christmas morning breakfast, I again used my Christmas china, with red chargers and Lunt flatware.

For the centerpiece, I used decorated greenery and gilded fruit, silver antler candleholders, and red votive candleholders, which match the sequined red chargers.

 The centerpiece bowl is a unique piece--silver and crystal--with four taper candleholders.  It's one of my favorite estate sale finds.

For beverages, we used champagne flutes for our mimosas and vintage glasses for water or milk.

Above the patio doors, I added these love and joy signs.  They are battery operated, but I had to climb on a step stool to turn them on.

On to the family room.  On the cocktail table, I used a garland with a gold ribbon, my gold reindeer that I love, gold trees, and ...hmm are those artichokes? pineapples? acorns?  Well, whatever they are, they were used on the cocktail table vignette with gold battery operated pillar candles, which were on a timer. The candles provided a nice glow when coming into a dark room.

A shot of the family room in the evening.

The main Christmas tree was again gold and bronze.  I added some new decor this year, musical notes, large bronze snowflakes, deer heads, and lots of grapevine.

I changed up the mantle and placed my garland straight across instead of swagging (is that a word?) it.  I found these stick garland mini lights, which I added, as well as the gold pieces on the end.  Have no idea what to call them, but they were sort of a paper mache and I have ornaments shaped exactly the same way, so I had to have them.  I also used musical ribbon bows, and decorated with the same notes that I used on the tree, and cupids playing different instruments.  

Here's a close up of the decorated mantle.  Behind the garland, I used gold finials that I found years ago at Kirklands, with tall gold candleholders on each end.

 I made this little arrangement for the hearth using a lantern, greenery, and other gold/bronze accents.

 Big items have big impact, but sometimes you just need something small.  I found these petite gold Christmas trees and thought they were cute on a silver tray.

The bookcase was decorated and I again used my silhouette angels for the top.  This year I ordered votive candles on a timer so that they would come on automatically in the evening.  Yay!  No climbing up to cut them on!  Worked like a charm.

 I have used this woodland scene vignette before, but this year I moved it to the end table with my leopard lamp.

We were again blessed to have our son and daughter home.  Our son finished up at Virginia Tech in December, and is beginning the job search.  Our daughter is still in New York and is in a show called "New Dawn" at the end of the month.  If you are in the area, I hope you will go check it out.  

Christmas night we had 30 of my cousins over for a Christmas get-together!  Everyone brought an appetizer, and we had a lot of fun.  2015 was a great year, and I am very thankful for my family and friends!  On to 2016!

 Happy New Year to you and yours!

Christmas 2013

It seems that a week was lost somewhere... did anyone find it?  I sure didn't, and I haven't had any time to blog or, well anything, really, except get ready for the next day.  From Thanksgiving to December 26th, it has been a whirlwind of activity.  I sorta like that, but it is rather tiring.  I had both my children home, and for that I feel very blessed.  We had a Christmas party--started out as just a small gathering to celebrate the homecoming of my son and daughter--and it grew.  And grew.  So without further ado, I will share with you what I was able to capture.

Again, I used silver for my serving pieces.  A battenburg lace tablecloth is the base, and I used rectangular mirrors down the middle.  This year I used an epergne with greens and a giant ornament as the center.  Mercury glass orbs and vases are added, as well as additional greenery and silver.

I used my candelabras with silver candles.

I added white lillies around the ornament, which sits on top of magnolia and artificial greens

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Little mercury glass vases hold red roses, berries, and white lillies as well as Christmas greenery.

This year I used my silver reindeer on the server with the desserts.

I used my silver and gold glitzy fruit arrangement on the buffet with mercury glass trees.  I again decorated a small tree, which I placed in a fish bowl in the corner of the room.

This tree was decorated with silver birds, silverplate ornaments I have collected, and various mercury glass ornaments.

In the kitchen, I used feathers, antlers, and magnolia.  The runner and antler candlelabra were purchased at Pottery barn.  I used my vintage serving pieces which are trimmed in gold.

We were still setting up when these pictures were taken, so all the food hadn't been put out at this point.

Sushi and various other snacks were available on the island, along with the wine.  A cranberry martini punch was in the corner in my silver punch bowl.

 I decorated the mantle over the stovetop with garland.

I changed the mantle over the fireplace up a bit, adding bronze and gold-colored poinsettias, gold balls, and gold-colored leaves.  The green garland was a long-needle pine with another garland and white lights added.  I will explain how I did this in a later post.

The girls pose for a picture in front of the mantle.

The wreath above the mantle with my gold reindeer.

Our Christmas tree, ready for Christmas morning.

This is a closeup of the garland on the fireplace.

 I added a new arrangement on the pedestals in the corner, and for fun, a garland around the bust's neck!

I used silhouette angels holding votives on top of the bookcase with a garland, greenery, and feathers.

 Pottery Barn pillows went well in my family room this year.

On top of the wine cabinet, I used mercury glass vases, greenery, a decorated garland, and feathers.

I had my chair upholstered in brown and ivory zebra!

Moving on to the living room, the cocktail table was simply decorated with artificial greenery.

A large sleigh accompanies my angels on the console.

Decorations on the end table include a cherub and a mercury glass candle surrounded by a silver wreath.

Guess I should have started with the foyer, anyway, this is the tree in the foyer and the garland I use on the stairs.

Tree in foyer with the lights on...

A glitzy arrangement sits on the foyer table in a silver wine cooler.  This arrangement can be taken out and stored.  Silver candleholders hold glitzy gold candles (which I don't burn because they are too expensive lol)

Guess that's all for now.  I have lots more Christmas photos to share with you, so stay tuned!!

Thanks for visiting!  Happy New Year!!

A Christmas Party Setting

Today is December 26th.  I have jokingly said all Christmas that today is my favorite day of the year.  Shopping is over.  Presents have been wrapped and unwrapped, cooking is completed, and dishes are washed and put away.  Time for much-deserved rest. 
I am so blessed to have had my family and friends here at my home again this Christmas.  We had so much fun and it was well worth the effort.  So come on in, and take a peek!

Some of our dearest friends came over for a little party on the 21st.  

I again used my silver reindeer as a centerpiece with fresh greenery, and silver accents.

Most of my silver pieces came from estate sales.  My candlelabra were won at an auction.  I love using them at Christmas time.  I have been polishing silver since early December.  

 I had originally planned to use glass plates, but with the number of people attending and the proximity to Christmas, I changed my mind, put them all away, and went with faux glass (plastic)!

I decorated my epergne with silver and gold fruit and accents.  A small tree decorated with mercury glass ornaments sits in a fishbowl in the corner of the dining room.

The menu consisted of shrimp, bacon-wrapped scallops, beef with horseradish and rolls, crab dip, mini crab cakes, buffalo chicken bites, mini beef wellingtons, caprese skewers, veggies and dip, fruit, various cheese appetizers, and a beef/sausage appetizer dip on party bread. 

 I opened up the server for desserts.

The kitchen island served as the beverage center.  This is a cranberry-pomegranate martini punch.  We also served homemade eggnog, whiskey sours, beer and wine.

The kitchen table also served snacks and cookies.

It's always fun to catch up with my daughter's friends and their parents!

Lovely young women!!

My next function was Christmas Eve dinner with family.

Luckily, I was able to use the same centerpiece, with just a few tweaks.

My Christmas china is Holly Holiday.  

A touch of red with goblets, napkins and flowers added a festive touch.

Yall come back soon, I will be posting more of Christmas!!  Hope you all had a happy holiday!  Thanks for visiting with me!!

Merry Christmas!!

Thanks to Susan at betweennapsontheporch.net for hosting!