Christmas 2011 Home Tour

Here’s a quick tour of some of the holiday decor around our house.  I didn’t go “all out” this year … I was just too busy.  I kept it simple and also repeated some decor from last year. The living room mantel is similar to last years’.  I added fresh greenery (pine & cedar) as [...]

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Christmas Tablescape

We had our annual Christmas party on Friday night.  This year, I did a simple tablescape of greens and ornaments for our dining room table.  This is where we serve most of our food for the party. Please ignore the crumbs on the tablecloth, as most of the pictures were taken the day after. This [...]

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Lollipop Yard Stakes

Looking for a fun holiday craft project you can do with the kids? These lollipop yard stakes go together in an afternoon.  And, the kids can do so much of the project themselves (actually all of the project, if they are pre-teen or older). Natalie and I painted the paperplates in traditional mint candy fashion [...]

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Holiday Decorating with Mercury Glass

Mercury glass can be a nice touch in holiday decorating.  Whether it’s candlestick holders, votives, vases, bowls, ornaments or other items … there are so many different ways to use them throughout your home. I use my large mercury candlestick holders throughout the year.  I have several from Pottery Barn and others from places like [...]

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Holiday Greens & Garland

Do you LOVE holiday garland?  I will admit … I think the ultimate Christmas decor includes greenery with ribbons and other embellishments … on mantels, staircases, banisters, doors, lighting and so much more. While I prefer fresh garland, it’s not very practical (or cost effective) to use where I live.  It can often be 80 [...]

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Christmas Gift Cards & Tags

A few weeks ago, I took over the family room coffee table with my Christmas papers, paper punches and ribbon.  My husband grumbled when I left my “Christmas crafting stuff” out (for a couple of nights),  but it was for a good cause!   I was making Christmas gift cards and tags for a P.E.O. [...]

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Taking Inventory … Christmas Decorations

I spent the good part of New Year’s Day taking down all the Christmas decorations.  It’s definitely one of my least favorite tasks of all time!  The house always looks so bare after being spruced up for the holidays. This year, I did a complete inventory of our holiday decorations — taking pictures and counting [...]

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Christmas Sugar Cookies

Last night, we made sugar cookies and gingerbread men.  It’s become an annual tradition for our family to decorate sugar cookies at Christmas.  It brings back fond memories for me, as my sister and I used to help my mom decorate sugar cookies. We use my mom’s sugar cookie recipe.  It’s our favorite and makes [...]

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Christmas Florals

This year was challenging as far as creating floral arrangements for our Christmas party.  I usually find beautiful red roses at Costco and a nice variety of greenery at Trader Joe’s and throw some beautiful arrangements together. When I went to buy red roses last week, I couldn’t find them!  I did end up buying [...]

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Don’t forget the Staircase

Often overlooked, staircases and banisters can be a great place to add some holiday touches.  Draping garland, berries, ribbon and bows is an easy way to start.  You can also add decorated packages, pillows, candles or lanterns on the stairs — to provide some interest and depth. These banisters above are from the Censational Girl [...]

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