Saturday, December 31, 2011

Happy New Year

(photo credit: Martha Stewart)

We're not ones to hit the town on New Year's Eve.

When our kids were little, we would take pots and pans out on the front porch at about 9:30pm and bang away... ringing in the New Year. Those days have past. Now we look forward to New Year's Day, when my husband makes the most amazing oyster po' boy sandwiches. Yum.

I have to admit though, over the past few years I've been thinking of hosting a New Year's Eve gathering.

I love this table setting for New Year's Eve. A wine and cheese gathering. The simplicity of this preparation feels like a fresh breeze blowing through the end of the holiday calendar.

Read the full post by Camille Style blog here.

(photo credit: Camille Styles)

The placemats are made from brown craft paper with names stamped on the left upper corner. And I love these napkins. Print out a family style menu, and instant party without a huge investment of new decorations and preparation.

(photo credit: Camille Styles)

Thought this was another beautiful table setting for a New Year's Eve gathering. Simple and elegant. White table settings really go the distance through all seasons and holidays.

(photo credit: Design Trends blog)

Pulling the silver from Christmas decor and adding linen makes a lovely New Year's table.

(source)

Wishing everyone all the best in 2012!

Happy Holidays from my house to yours…

It's Christmas Eve, Eve (December 23rd) and the tree has been up for a while now... starting to sag just a bit. The pantry and both refrigerators are stocked. The gifts have been purchased and wrapped.. some mailed, some delivered at parties, and the rest remain under the tree. The holiday cards are in the mail (small miracle.. didn't think I'd get them out in time..). The biscotti has been baked, will be baking more in just a bit here. All the pieces seem to be in place to hit the goal: relaxing, enjoying the things that have become tradition in our home.

Thought I'd share some of our Christmas with you.

The first decoration to go up was this real boxwood wreath I found at our local garden shop. Thought I'd be able to find them online for this blog post, but can't find them in a quick search. They are by The Napa Home and Garden company, from the Preserved Greens Collection. You maintain them with light misting if in a dry environment. I plan to keep this wreath up way past Christmas.

I also picked up these ivy topiaries for the mantel. They're very happy in this spot.. look like they already need a trim. I added the glass grape bunch ornaments, a gift from my husband several years ago.

I've had a thing recently for vintage busts. I've found a few on my Etsy shop hunts that I've kept and have really enjoyed. This one was found at the Old Lucketts Design House in Leesburg, Virginia.

Another bust, a chalk bust I found at a small antique shop a few towns north of me. I have another chalk bust listed on Etsy here.

We buy our tree from the same Boy Scouts every year. It's become a tradition for sure.

This vintage ornament came from my Grandparent's home. When my grandmother had passed away, I was sent a box of things and this was in the box. I really don't know anything about it, but it probably came from one of their many overseas travels. It's one of my very favorite.

Every year, I set out a puzzle. This year we are working on this one. I shouldn't say "we" are work on it. It's mainly my oldest son, Frank who works on it. My younger two, Walt and Ellie join in here and there, and maybe my husband. If I'm going to sit and fiddle.. I'll be the one knitting.

And, I have to mention these felted Christmas characters ~ next to the puzzle. They are handmade by my sister, Jennifer Newell.. who lives with her husband in Seattle, Washington. She been selling them locally, but she has plans to open an Etsy shop!! We can't wait!! More to come on that later.. The nativity is only part of a much larger set, complete with a backdrop.

I've always had some sort of ribbon / ornament arrangement hanging off my chandelier. I like this decoration because you don't have to pull things on and off the table in order to have dinner.

This year, in my effort to keep things fresh and change things up.. I completely moved the furniture around in both the foyer and the family room. I moved a rug too. All so that I could have the tree in a new location. Needless to say, this was very controversial with my sons. My daughter Ellie and I did all the decorating. She was cool with it all, she understands design... But, nothing was more controversial than attaching our Christmas stockings to the backs of our kitchen table chairs!! Oh my goodness... my son, Walt has mentioned this to me daily.. about how stockings go over the mantel. And when Frank came home from college, he let me know my error too. My rationale was that this year.. the stockings made the mantel look too cluttered. Ellie agreed. She even found in her Susan Branch book, Christmas Joy, stating that stockings can be hung off the mantel OR on the backs of chairs! Hey.. I say if you are out from under the rules of a Santa Clause.. go with breaking out a bit!

Each year, Ellie makes our paper chain calendar. You may do this in your home... each day you rip off a chain, closer to the big day!! Last year, I completely made over Ellie's bedroom for Christmas. This was decided 21 days before Christmas. That paper chain was like a hot breath, breathing down my back! I felt like I was on a deadline for HGTV. Read about the before and after here. I've enjoyed the paper chain this year...

2 days left!

My kitchen window sill... spend lots of time here, that's for sure. Rosemary is such a gift for the senses.. it's beautiful to look at, tasted amazing last night in a one-pot chicken dish I made, and smells lovely for a long time.

Another wonderful tradition is receiving a box full or beautiful oranges from our Uncle Karl. Thanks Karl!!

A bit of the outside. This year, our big house project was putting in this walk on the side of our house, along with completing our landscaping after building our house six years ago. This time we hired a landscape designer to figure out what to plant and where to plant and knowing what the (darn) deer won't eat! Six years ago, my husband and I planted 16 trees and installed a huge planting bed with most of the plants after we moved in. It was a dream to have a team to finish up the landscape installations this time around.

We've just had over a cord of wood delivered. Most is out back. And, it's been in the 50s and 60s for weeks now. Where's the cold??

I usually end up trimming out about a third of our Christmas tree to make room for ornaments and lots of lights. Over the past few years, I've just been sticking the cuttings in our front porch planters. I soak the cuttings overnight before I put them up. They stay very fresh for a long time.

Wishing you a very wonderful Holiday Season and All the Best in 2012.

holiday wreaths

I'm usually not one to jump right into Christmas holiday decorating on the weekend after Thanksgiving, but this year I'm feeling the pull. Yesterday, I helped a client decorate for the holidays, and felt very inspired to get my own nest ready.

(photo credit: Martha Stewart Living)

The front door wreath has to be one of my favorite outdoor decorations and that Martha Stewart knows how to put them together. DIY a holiday wreath here.