Christmas 2015

Now that the holiday season is winding down, I have a little time to work on a few posts.  I love decorating for Christmas, and this year I had a deadline.  We were going out of town for a few days on December 1st and I wanted all the decor to be up and ready to go by the time I got back.  Here's a peak into the front rooms of the house.  In my next post, I will put up the pictures of the back rooms, which include the kitchen and family room.  Hope you enjoy!

Upon entering the front door, the first decorated tree stands in a fishbowl nestled in a corner by the stairs. The white ornaments were made by my mother, and this year I added different sized snowflakes and a white topper.  White mini lights were added to the banister, and I had them on a chaser setting, which made the room feel magical.

Santa and two white glittery reindeer sit under the tree.

My silver neo-classical vase holds a new silver and white Christmas arrangement.  The silver and gold deer are also new additions to this table vignette.

The stairs are always fun to decorate, and new white, wispy pine garland was added this year.

I added a swag over the inside front door.

Now on to the living room, which we refer to as the paaarlor, darling!

I found this great nativity which I placed on the console with my white angels and some greenery.

Here's a close-up...

On the bombay chest, I used my sleigh decorated with white ornaments, crystal grapes, and greenery.

It was fun decorating the dining room this year.  I used mostly silver, with a hint of red under the white tablecloth.  I again used my deer from Tuesday morning, my candelabras with silver glitzy candles, and various decor on the table.

I also put a full-sized tree in the corner.  I have been using a smaller tree, but decided to use this one.  It had a more formal look, with some burgundy-colored balls added in with the silver and crystal.

Our Christmas Eve dinner table was set for nine, but one cancelled, so I removed one place setting.  Before dinner, I removed the deer and the candelabras, as they were blocking our view, and I added a fresh arrangement using mostly greenery and berries from my yard with white carnations.

The fresh arrangement sat on my new tea cart before dinner.

I used white napkins trimmed in silver with a shimmery napkin ring, my Lunt sterling, and mirrored chargers. I used Opal Innocence china.

Wine glasses used were Navarre, and iced beverage glasses were crystal with a silver rim, not sure what they are.

A different angle...

And just a few items placed here and there.  Although it's hard to see, I added those mini lights around the decanters, which looked pretty reflecting in the silver tray at night.  When I purchase these, I now look for ones with timers, that will come on at the same time every evening and cut off after 4 or 6 hours.

I also used a vintage-style light around the base of my reindeer.  I used battery-operated votives this year on his antlers, because the dripping wax is not fun to clean.  You can purchase votives now that have timers as well.  Yay!!

I think that's enough for now!  Please come back and take a look at the kitchen and dining room decor. Have a safe, healthy, and happy New Year!!

--Betsy

Foyer Re-do with Christmas Decor

As usual, I am behind with my blog posts.  I have lots of pictures to share, but just haven't had the time or opportunity to blog.  So, I will start with the foyer.

A while back--actually I think it was maybe a year and a half ago?--I had an accident in the foyer.  My very large crystal chandelier fell from my 18-foot ceiling after 11 years.  For no apparent reason.  It just decided to fall.  

So began a foyer re-do.  We replaced the floor with black granite, had the walls re-painted, and changed the spindles on the banister from black to white.

The foyer before was a gold faux finish with a solid black banister and spindles.  After the accident, we had it painted.  Below are pictures of the foyer with the Christmas decorations.

The paint is now a warm taupe/silver faux finish.  The spindles are painted and decorated with garland, twinkle lights, and gold/silver/white decor.

The new chandelier is very different than the old.

The new floor is absolute black granite.

The floor reflected the lights from the tree and banister.

The tree holds white ornaments hand-made by my mother years ago.

I added silver mesh ribbon and other decor to my garland this year.

The foyer table vignette is pretty much the same, but I changed the candles from gold to glittery white.

A view of the top staircase and tree.  Since both my cameras are broken, I had to use my cell phone to take these photos, so the lighting is not the best!

Tried to catch a few pictures at night--

And, since it is New Year's Eve, a few celebratory tables from a few years back!

Wishing you all a happy, safe, healthy, and prosperous 2015!  Come back soon for my Christmas table settings!!

Happy New Year!!

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

.

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!!