Christmas Decorating in the Kitchen

The greenery is going up in the kitchen. I love the way it smells!

 

I decided to decorate, what my husband affectionately calls "the crab trap", this year.

Just simple greenery and a grapevine wreath with ribbon over the cooktop. I hate taking this down every year because it looks so empty up there when it's gone.

 

New this year... Pantry wreath with old cookie cutters.

 

  

Ornaments aren't just for the tree.

 

 

I mixed pinto and coffee beans. The hazelnut coffee beans make the room smell great!

 

Now to mess up the clean kitchen with some cookie decorating!!!

Christmas in the Dining Room

I know that I said yesterday that I don't decorate the same every year BUT some things stay the same. I love the greenery from Home Depot! $10 for 15' of mixed greenery. I just added some frosted pinecones from World Market. So much bang for the buck!

The NOEL letters get moved around quite a bit but I think this is my favorite place so far. I also love the word JOY in large letters too.

 

The same centerpiece is on the table from Thanksgiving but I just added some greenery, pinecones and galvanized stars to make it a little more Christmassy (Is that a word?)

 

 

 





The small bar in my dining room needed a little attention too with some festive wine charms in a bowl and a berry and star container around the ice bucket. This was meant for a flower pot but fits a standard size ice bucket perfectly.

This former tree topper makes a great wine topper too!

Very soon this table in reality will be covered with Christmas crafts and wrapping paper so I'll enjoy the clean table while it lasts! Santa, I need a craft room for Christmas please!

sharing with ~

 

The Shabby Nest

French Country Cottage

Why Not Decorate Like Last Year?

As I was roaming around the house last night with some sort of decoration in my hand, not really sure what to do with it, my husband turns to me and says, "You know, you should take pictures so you know what you did last year." PAUSE FOR REACTION...Ok, first of all, I have a blog, duh, of course I take pictures, especially of decorating! That's kind of the point. Has he met me? We have lived together for nineteen years! Besides the taking pictures part, I was surprised that he even hinted around that I might want to do it the same as last year. Again, he lives with a decorator. When have I ever done it the same as last year?

I'm trying not to take the lack of understanding of ME to heart because I really believe that there are certain types of people...those that do it the same as last year and those that don't. Sometimes I have a lack of understanding of the other half too. Those efficient folks who like to "get r done" and be done with it. I enjoy decorating every season and trying out new things. It doesn't bother me to wonder around the house for hours with a candlestick in my hand, looking for the perfect spot to place it. This is mind numbing for some I know but not me. Sorry, honey. It will be different again next year too!

So, speaking of moving things around, here is my new and improved entryway with items that I already had, just in a different place than last year...

Happy Decorating!!!

Pantry Wreath

I have always loved these old cookie cutters from my grandmother but I don't like to use them because they make the cookies too thin and crispy. I have been trying to find a way to incorporate them in my décor and today, as I was walking around my house with this bare wreath, I figured it out. I decided first that I wanted the wreath on my pantry door and then it just clicked. Pantry ~ cookie cutters! A HA!  It just came together like: "You got your peanut butter in my chocolate and you got your chocolate in my peanut butter." kind of thing. Don't you just love it when that happens?

 

sharing with ~

 

Beyond the Picket Fence

Savvy Southern Style

The Shabby Nest

Thanksgiving Place Setting

 

 

It has been a while since I did something a little different for our Thanksgiving table. I felt like I was in a rut so when I saw that World Market was having a sale on selected table linens, I used that as an excuse to do something new.

 

I love a rustic look and have been inspired lately by some Nancy Meyers movie sets. I love her style and used some of her sets as inspiration to create my look.

 

                                                          One of my favorite Nancy Meyers sets ("It's Complicated")

 

 

I started with the wood and candle centerpiece which I already had on my bar top. I like something low on a table so that everyone can see each other while they dine and visit with one another and candles on a dining room table are always a must!

 

 



Next I added the wheat just because it reminds me of Thanksgiving. I wanted to add a little green since I'm not doing fresh flowers, so I found these moss covered balls at Hobby Lobby. I placed them in clay pots, also from H.L., and white washed them a little to give them an aged look.

The wood coasters from World Market make a great stand for the salt, pepper and gravy.

Some simple embellishments for the armoire included oversized pinecones from Hobby Lobby hung with velvet ribbon from Anthropologie and my William Sonoma turkey from years past.

You might notice that I'm missing some chairs. I'm on the lookout for a really long bench...to be continued...

I just selected very simple linen herringbone placemats that will go with anything and somewhat casual napkins and chargers. I mixed these with formal china and silver that has been handed down. I have always loved a mixture of formal and casual and think it gives the table a more modern feel.


Now that the table is set, I just have a lot of cooking to do! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

 

sharing with ~

 

Savvy Southern Style 

 Coastal Charm

French Country Cottage