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

Halloween Then and Now

  I changed up the Halloween exterior this year a little bit. It's all about pumpkins and crows. Oh, and a few skeletons are hanging around too. I don't know why but it is taking me a long time to decorate this year. I can't believe that Friday is Halloween already. I really need to get my act together.

  I was so much more prepared last year. I guess that was the case as my ten year old wanted a party. If you'd like to see the scavenger hunt that we did, you can see it HERE. I had to be very organized  to do this but it was so much fun. If you have kids and you haven't done one before, it is worth the work. They loved it!

  This year we will be more low key and do the usual stuff like carving the pumpkins, baking goodies and trick or treating but it is nice to just do the traditional things. I love making Halloween memories with my kids! Do you have any special Halloween traditions?

Halloween Dining Room Table Setting

I love candles year round but I think they're especially fitting at Halloween. Nothing says Halloween to me more than a silver candelabra. I can just see someone in the 1800s walking up a creepy staircase with one. I decided to go with a little more sophisticated table setting than in the past. Last year, you might remember the head on the silver platter. I'll probably let the kids do their thing with the breakfast table.

I tend to use a lot of things that I already have when decorating at the holidays. It seems like a waste to spend a lot of money for something that you will only use for one month.

Happy Halloween!

For some dining room inspiration for any time of the year check out an array of different dreamy dining rooms HERE courtesy of Topreveal.com

Halloween Wreath

I try to do something a little different each Halloween on the door while still using the same items that I already have. So, this year, I decided on a black and white theme. I took my old grapevine wreath and spray painted it black. Then, I knew that I wanted to paint the skeleton because it was very plastic looking but I didn't have any white or cream spray paint. It was serendipitous that I had some silver because my door has a silver inlay anyway so it all worked out. I actually like it better than if I had painted it white! The sign was obvious for an entry door but somehow I had never thought of it before. I just took the filler from one of my picture frames and I was going to spray paint it with chalkboard paint but luckily I didn't need it as the finish was chalk friendly. Don't you love it when things just work out!

Closet Letters

I had some extra wall space in my closet and since this room is Junk Gypsy inspired, I couldn't resist some old letters.  I had one of the letters already which I stole from Gage's room (Actually, I had to trade my Hamilton world series jersey for it.) but I purchased the I and o's at Hobby Lobby. The red ones were $1.99 each, (90% off) and the black o was 60% off. I was going to just wait on this picture for the closet reveal but since the sale is going on now, I thought I would go ahead and post this part in case anyone is looking for letters for something. The s and the heart are from Forge Imports. The B is also Hobby Lobby ~ not on sale but you can always use the 40% off coupon. I did.

It was funny because when I finished hanging this yesterday, I pulled my husband into the closet to show him and his only comment was, "You need another B." I guess men do only have one thing on their mind. Hmmm.

Jewelry, Belt and Scarf Storage

I figured out this easy way to make long necklace storage. I just used basic hooks from Target and spray painted them a gold to match this old frame that I had lying around. I knew that I would use it someday for something. I just hung the hook first and then hung the frame over it. I also used the same hooks for belt and scarf storage...

Here I used two together and just added a metal flower in between to look like they're joined. The metal flower has a magnet glued to the back. I also used beads at the end to cover up the screw holes. They kind of blend in so it's hard to see in this picture. You can buy the magnets at Hobby Lobby. They are around $8 for 20 of them. This reminds me of my next project where things weren't as easy at first.

I already showed you my long necklace storage but I also needed something for short necklaces...

I already had this small magnetic bulletin board and I thought that since it was magnetic that I could take some knobs and just use a magnet to attach the knob to the board. Two problems came up.

 

Make sure that the knobs that you buy and/or find are flat on the back. I assumed that the screw on the pink knob unscrewed...it didn't. So then I had to go around my house to see if I had any left over knobs that I could use because I really wanted to finish this. Luckily, I always save old hardware and found what I needed.

 Funny thing about magnets...they aren't as strong as you think. Once I added a necklace on top, the magnet slid all the way down. UGH!!!

So, long story short, I pulled out my trusty glue gun. It never fails me. Next to my drill, it is one of my most important tools.

 I did end up using at least one magnet to embellish the center knob with yet another metal flower. I just love these things!

The finished product after way to much time.

Now here's an oldie. Remember way back seven months ago when I said I was going to do my closet...

I just took one of those jewelry organizers that you can buy at places like Stein Mart and used another frame that I had lying around. I used a staple gun to attach it to the back. You can see that it wasn't the perfect size so I just made sure that it lined up at the bottom.

Only a few more projects to go before the final reveal. I'm excited to show you what you can do with a little paint, a little time and a few things from around the house.