Just in time for Christmas....

It has been a while since I've logged on here.  Since my last post quite a bit has happened, not the least of which is that I'm

!

That with a bunch of other changes have left me less than motivated to post.  Now I'm feeling much better and ready to get back to the blog!  This year we put up all of our trees (3) but didn't get to finish all of our decorating outside.  Here are a few pictures of our family room decorations:

In the family room I let anything go color wise.  That tree is where we put all of our family ornaments and less serious decorations.  I picked up these green and white stockings at a thrift store that was going out of business a few years ago for something like a dime each. I just used regular craft paint and stamps I had at home to put our names on them.   

The tree in the formal living room only gets white lights and silver/white ornaments.  Here it is in all it's glory:

And here is are a few random photos of a dinner setting I put together in the kitchen for a small Christmas dinner we had last night:

For now that's all I've got.  Have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Last Christmas Tabletop post for 2009!

Not only is this the last Christmas tabletop post for 2009 but this will also be the last official post of 2009.  2010 is sure to be a great blogging year, especially since we will be starting the year off with a very exciting announcement first thing on January 1st!

Today's tabletop photos are of the kids table.  This, in my opinion, turned out super cute, and was really thrown together at the last minute!  Out of all of my tabletops I thought this was the most fun.  So without further adu...

This table was the perfect mix of fun and fancy that the kids really enjoyed having their own table (much unlike my sad days at rickety card table)!  As with all of the tabletops featured here the cost for this was incredibly inexpensive since I spent $0.  I especially loved this table because I was able to mix-and-match different seasonal items together.  The plates, green tray, and cups were all items I picked up in the after spring clearance at Target.  The other items were all things picked up in previous years during the Christmas season.  I also really loved the fresher green color mixed with the sparkly chargers - just hte perfect whimsy for a kids table!

I hope you've enjoyed your tour of my holiday table tops.  If you're anything like me this past year left me feeling like this:

Don't forget to tune in first thing tomorrow morning!

Have a safe & Happy New Year!

More holiday tabletops

Don't forget to check the blog on Friday January 1, 2010 for an exciting & important announcement!


Today I'm featuring two of my tabletops that are very similar to each other, which is why they are being posted together, but they are a little different.  Last Sunday our home was host to a small dinner.  The following photos are the dining table settings.

I love how the ornaments from the chandelier look when photographed!

The place settings were pretty bare, but I was exhausted this year!  Looking back I wish they weren't so plain, but considering everything was pulled from what I had in house I don't think they were bad for last minute!

The following two photos are of my dining table the week prior to Christmas.  The settings are pretty similar to the ones above except the tablecloth is red and I used the coffee mugs from a Christmas set I was given to add a little more 'holiday' to the table.

Thanks for looking - don't forget to check back tomorrow for another table top!

Appetizer tray

On Christmas Eve my curly haired husband and I were able to host his family over for a Christmas exchange.  Although we didn't sit down to a meal we wanted to make the extra effort to make the day special.  In that vein I pulled out a gold serving tray, some monogrammed appetizer plates (thanks mom!), ice bucket, candy dish, cheese dish, small dish caddy, and a few juice glasses to create this afternoon snack station.  I'd like to note that outside of the food and drinks purchased the cost for pulling this together was $0.

Don't forget to check back on Friday for the big announcement!

Christmas Wrap Up!

I had high hopes of blogging about holiday table tops pre-holiday, but alas found myself too busy to actually do it. However this week is very exciting in that I will be announcing some big news on Friday here on the blog. In anticipation of such a monument us occasion I've decided to do a rundown of the various tabletops and entertaining enjoyed over the past 2 weeks as we've made our rounds for Christmas.

So to start off this week here is the tabletop enjoyed at my dad's family dinner table; planned & executed by my step-mom.

One of the things that I loved about this setting was that the majority of the things weren't 'Christmas-ey' and that very little was actually purchased for this tablescape to happen.  The gold chargers were a new purchase but the white plates, red bowls, and wine glasses were all in-house items.  Once again this just goes to show that a beautiful table doesn't have to cost a lot!

Gifting via Martha

If I could have any job in the world a gift wrapper would probably be among my top 2 or 3 choices. I L-O-V-E to wrap presents! The paper, the tape, the bows and ribbons - I am in holiday heaven! So this season I would encourage everyone out there (I've already encouraged myself) to take just a minute extra to un-rubber band your christmas gifts (yes, there are people who use rubber bands to wrap gifts, I am now related to such people) and put a personal stamp on each one. The images below are great examples of how to do just that from Ms. Martha {www.marthastewart.com}:

This one is SUPER easy - just pile a TON of premade bows on top of a plain wrapped box. I also really love this one - premade bows that were snipped to look like flower blossoms. A single color palatte can make a big statementI made my own Christmas tags this year that are very similar to the ones below. This is tissue paper that was wrapped to create a layered effect.I really like these woodgrained papers, perfect for the eco-conscious person on your list.

Merry Christmas and happy wrapping!

O Christmas Tree!

Last night the Mr. & I put up our last Christmas tree in our formal living room. This is the first year we had used this tree - and it is HUGE! It was quite the experience putting it up but when it was all over it was so pretty! Check out these pictures of our glorious tree:

Look at how the tree is reflecting off of my floors! LOVE IT!

Merry Christmas!

Paper-Source Love

I received my Paper-Source {www.paper-source.com} Holiday 2008 Catalog yesterday, and can I say L-O-V-E? So many fabulous ideas for the holidays & for entertaining. Here are just a few of my favorites:

I'm really into these "I am thankful for" cards. Perfect for sitting around the Thanksgiving table.





These are just a few of the really fun Christmas cards. These are some of the personalized letterpress cards, but they also have boxed sets.

I love these address labels! What a fun way to spruce up (already adorable) Christmas cards!

I love this gift! A wine tasting party kit - how fun!


And of course what holidays would be complete without penguins, clockwise from top left, penguin tree topper, penguin envelope seals, penguin gift book, and lastly penguin wrapping paper (these are for you babe!):

Just a quick pic....

I was browsing around online and came across this bit of country love via Country Living {www.countryliving.com}. It is so simple and feels so homey! (Okay, so I'm from the country too!)