The Great Room Tree

Thank you all so much for your sweet comments about our Christmas dining room, decked out in silver and gold with our new flocked tree ... I truly appreciate each and every one of your kind notes!

Today, I wanted to share a few pictures of the tree that is in our great room ... this is the tallest of the 7 trees that we have in our home this year.

Thar she blows:

We'll start at the top.  I love to do "crazy" toppers, with things sprouting up and out here and there.  This year, though, I decided not to add our two *ha-uge* bows ... thought I'd give them a rest this year.

I added gold mesh this year, which I'm lovin' combined with the red:

You may have noticed that I love adding our Christmas cards to this tree ... not only are they great fillers, but I love being surrounded by friends and family during the holidays!  I also add our family Christmas cards from years past ... it's all going by too fast!

Not only are the Christmas cards great fillers, but big ol' snowflakes (from Dollar Tree) are, as well!  I also love the white popping against the red and gold mesh, as well as against the tree itself:

Not only do I fill this tree with budget friendly ornaments, but also ones that have sentimental meaning, like this angel one from one of my sweet sisters:

Jax's "first Christmas" ornament:

A fragile and festive Santa from my sweet parents:

And, I also love this White House ornament (given to us by my brother-in-law) ... the blue background is beautiful:

I can't believe we get to enjoy the evening glow of this tree for only a few more *short* weeks!



Thank you so much for stopping by!

Silver and Gold ... Silver and Gold ...

are you thinking of Burl Ives singing that classic Christmas tune?  It's stuck in my head now!

As many of you know, the super talented sisters, Vanessa and Heather (of their amazing blog, At the Picket Fence), are the brains behind a fabulous Blogger Block Party that's going on right now!!  Unfortunately, I'm a bit behind in participating, but the creativity I've seen linked up to the fun is beyond amazing!  Be sure you visit!

Welcome to our dining room decked out in ... you guessed it ... silver and gold!  

Starting with our chairs, I simply attached faux poinsettia sprays to the back:

Up on the table, I layered a mirror from Wal-Mart as my base and then added ornaments, candles and a glittery set of reindeer (from Cracker Barrel) (I also added crystals from Wal Mart after taking this picture):

Love the reflection of the candles in the mirror:

Simple place settings are done with silver chargers, white plates and silver and white snowflake plates (from Target):

Over on the buffet, I sprinkled lots of pretty faux snow and added my two fleur-de-lis urns, glass and more ornaments:

I added more snowflake plates on the shelves, along with snow tipped greenery:

Of course, I HAD to add a Christmas tree in here ... but, not just any tree ... 

... a snow covered or "flocked" tree, as we like to call it.  I was thrilled to find it at Wal-Mart for a super reasonable price!

It's COVERED in thick, beautiful *snow*:

Love the view from the kitchen:

And, okay, from the great room, as well!



As always, thanks SO much for stopping by! 

I'm linking up with:

No Minimalist Here/Holiday Dining
2805/Christmas Tree Party
Dittle Dattle/Amaze Me Monday
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia/Tuesday's Treasures
Savvy Southern Style/WUW
At the Picket Fence/Inspiration Friday

B E L I E V E ...

Greetings, everyone!  Thank you so much for your kind comments about my crazy mesh wreaths ... I truly appreciate it!  I can't tell you how much I am enjoying this new adventure and am looking forward to seeing what it brings in the future!

Now, it's time to share our Christmas mantel!  And, I'm going to go ahead and tell you guys that you'll be a bit disappointed because after all of the absolutely sweetest (and sincerely appreciated) comments you all left about our glitzy Nutcracker mantel from last year, there is no way I could top it, BUT, it was time for a change.

I had no idea what I wanted to do, until my sweet 5 year old (or "5 and 8/4" (lol) as he will tell you) came up to me one day and had a bazillion and one questions about Santa ... "Mommy, how does he come down the chimney ... does he take the plate with carrots up to the reindeer or just the carrots themselves ... what do the reindeer get to drink ... does Santa sit down while he eats his cookies and drinks his milk?"  Needless to say, his sweet innocence quickly reminded me what the magic of Christmas is all about.  And, it was then that I realized what I wanted to do.  Sooooo, I present to you our mantel of 2011 ... dedicated to the big guy in red!

I've had this beautiful Santa print (from Kirkland's) for a few years, but could never find the perfect place for it during the holidays, so, unfortunately, it usually ended up back in the attic, not being used ... that was, until *this* year!  Shhhhhhh ... he's watching you!

The moment I spotted these "Believe" blocks (at a local, amazing Christmas shop called "Callahan's"), I *knew* they would be the perfect centerpiece to our "Santa" mantel:

I also knew when I spied this simple, white (aged) reindeer at TJMaxx, he would be the perfect companion to his neighboring rustic Santa:

And, in case it's dark when Santa arrives, I'll be sure and turn the lantern on for him so that he can see!

Of course, I had to add sprigs of pine and wintery florals for Santa to feel as though he's right at home!  Let's just hope that Mrs. Claus is a fan of faux florals herself!  LOL.

Would you just LOOK at this fabulous sleigh I found at HomeGoods?!  It's all ready for Santa to add a few presents to the ones I already placed in there!  Our vintage Santa is comfortably perched on top and ready to play soft music to relax and entertain "the big guy" while he leaves his goodies!

When Santa wants to sit and relax while he enjoys his milk and cookies, our chair is all ready for him.  And, want an inexpensive way to make a Christmas pillow?  Just add a burlap bow to a pillow you already have and tuck a piece of pine or a wintery mix into the bow and voila!



I have to say that, as much as I love glitz and bling and miss the sequined nutcrackers that usually grace our mantel, this is ... by far ... my most favorite Christmas mantelscape ... mainly because Jackson's eyes lit up when he saw it for the first time.  I thank you, my sweet Jax, for reminding Mommy not to forget about the *magic* of Christmas!

And, while we all know the true "reason for the season," I hope that you don't forget what the magic of the holiday season is all about, as well!

Thanks so much for stopping by!

Come on over and party for the holidays with me:

Dittle Dattle/Amaze Me Monday

From My Front Porch to Yours/Mantel Party

Coastal Charm/Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Savvy Southern Style/WUW

It's Raining Mesh!

Happy Saturday !!  Gosh, I've been so out of touch this week, and I've missed visiting you all and your fabulous projects.  I was busy, busy making mesh wreaths ... here are my latest creations that I've either custom made for others or for a recent open house.  I'm also going to be featuring them in two fun, local boutiques ... yippee !!

I've had so much fun designing these wreaths, and have been truly flattered that orders keep coming in!

I'll share next our Christmas splashes ... can't wait to see everyone else's beautiful decorations!

As always, thank you SO much for stopping by!