Cherry Cordials

Today's colors were RED & BROWN. So you don't think it's a traditional color scheme for CHRISTmas? What about Chocolate Covered Cherries? Well, that was my inspiration for my dinning room table decor for this season. I previewed the table on an earlier blog but I felt that it needed something. So today I decided I would play with it until I figured it out. I wanted to play off of the new window panels which are gold, brown and deep red.
The damask table cloth is red with a subdued gold and brown thread woven together to make the pattern. I picked the table cloth up at Marshalls for $6.99!! I tried several napkin rings but settled on these big velvet roses. What better to couple with chocolate than roses??? I doubled my napkins - a ruby red satin and a brown herringbone-weave silk. Both came from Home Goods. I love the way the gold charger and ivory china plate present an elegant background to display the napkin.

Here is a close-up shot. You can see how the brown napkin plays up the brown thread in the tablecloth. So pretty.

For now I am using two small urns filled with velvet roses. As CHRISTmas approaches, I will replace these with fresh red roses and magnolia leaves from the tree in my front yard.

I placed the salad plate on a stand just for this picture. I wanted you to see the color and detail. All the colors used on the table - red, brown, gold and green are pulled together in the salad plate. Tomorrow I am moving to the family room. The tree is up but not decorated. I like to let my artificial trees "relax" for a day or two before I begin to decorate them. This allows the branches to settle and spread out. The family room will take a couple of days to complete so check again on Saturday for the "tour". What's on deck for tomorrow's blog? A FASHIONABLE HOLIDAY. Join me as I piece together a holiday wardrobe for everything from a Cookie Exchange to a formal CHRISTmas dinner....

A Coastal CHRISTmas

The Colors of CHRISTmas come in all shades. I'm working on a beach house project so I took a trip to a neat little shop here in Charlotte. They specialize in all things coastal. One section of the small shop is all "gussied" up for CHRISTmas. I love the use of aqua, green and soft yellow-gold in the ball wreath over the framed prints. I like the way the wreath is hung on top of the prints. Very stylish! Playing off the aqua walls, the silvery blue garland and shiny ornaments set the stage for a cool coastal CHRISTmas.
Love the tree! See the little fish ornaments?? The darker blue ornaments really contrast with the pastel color palette and the wispy grasses tucked into the boughs of the tree give the impression of sea oats. I really liked that! Prince Charming is a Florida native and until 2 years ago we lived just 2 1/2 miles from the Gulf of Mexico. In all those years I was never inspired to decorate using a coastal theme until I move to land-locked Charlotte! Go figure! Too bad my color scheme is all gold, red, brown and green or I might be inspired to add a little beach vibe to my holidays. I really liked the way ocean objects such as large shells were used to display extra ornaments. The fresh white accessories and home accents give a nod to sandy white beaches or snow covered hillsides. Just use your imagination and anything is possible.

Here is another vignette set against the background of soft buttery yellow. Soft gold and champagne colored decorations just glow in this setting. Very elegant. The vintage mercury glass finials, candle holders and votive cups add just the right amount of holiday splendor. A liberal dose of pearly white ball ornaments and silver-leaf accents
welcomes the first snowfall of winter.

How ever you color your CHRISTmas, enjoy the season by accenting the things in your home that make it personally yours!

Yesterday I mentioned that I would have pics of the Media Room. Well the Royal Princes and I decorated all day and still have a few touches to add before it is blog worthy. Stay tuned...

It's beginning to look a lot like CHRISTmas...

As promised I am giving you a peek of my windows "dressed" for CHRISTmas! The picture above is of my living room window. I spent the day with some help from Prince Charming hanging drapery rods and brackets. The red chiffon window scarf was already in use as were the red panels. The tapestry panels and valance along with the antique gold swag valance and panels are new additions to this window ensemble. Now I am ready to begin clearing way objects to make room for holiday decor. I think I will place my tree in front of the window. In the past, I used a slim Frasier Fir that is about 7 1/2 feet tall. I've been thinking of using a 6 foot Balsam Pine and placing it on a 2 foot decorative riser. I got the idea from Southern Living Christmas At Home (in stores now). Check out page 28 if you have a copy.
This is a picture of my dinning room window. These two rooms are open to each other, separated only by two large white columns (see last picture in this post). I wanted the window treatments to complement each other without being exact. I am very pleased with the way the windows turned out. The patterned panels really add some punch to the dining room.

I had a little extra time at the end of the day to unpack a few CHRISTmas decorations. I just purchased these Holly & Ivy Reindeer from my Home Interiors line. I am playing around with some arrangements. I am not sure where I will use them or how I will display them but here they are standing among a forest of Red Mesh Glitter trees. I also purchased stocking holders that match these deer. Just darling!

I worked on some place settings for the dining room also. This is just one option. I love these ornament themed salad plates. I am using them with ivory china and a matte gold charger. I have a couple of other ideas for the dining table so I am not sure which way I'll go just yet. I like the red damask tablecloth but it feels like it's missing something....

Lastly, I found a little time to work on a couple of floral arrangements too. I have two tall black & brown vases. I usually make identical arrangements for each and use them on either side of my fireplace mantel in our family room. This year I want to use them in the dinning room or formal living room. I really like the "limey" green floral stems with the ruby red poinsettias. Very fresh. It's definitely looking like CHRISTmas around here. Just 44 days to go!

Tomorrow is Veteran's Day. The Royal Princes are out of school so the plan is to add a little holiday flair to the upstairs Media Room. Check back tomorrow to see how we made out.

Sisters, Sisters, Don't come between me and my Sisters!

Meet Amy and Christina. These two lovely, godly ladies are my sisters. Not by birth but rather by re-birth through our faith in Christ Jesus. I was thinking of that old classic holiday movie White Christmas starring Bing Crosby, Danny Kaye, Rosemary Clooney and Vera-Ellen. Well the ladies play the part of sisters and during the movie they sing a song about sisters. Do you remember the song??? "Sisters, sisters, don't come between me an my sisters -----God help the mister that comes between me and my sister and God help the sister that comes between me and my man." A catchy song and tune and after all these years and many "re-runs" I still recall the scene, the song and the sisters. I was born into an earthly family with all boys. Two older brothers and two younger brothers but no sisters. How I longed for a sister as I was growing up. Somehow I just thought my life would be better in some way if I had a sister. But for whatever reason God gave me brothers.
Now, meet Lenora, Ann, Gayle and Judy. These ladies are truly sisters. Beautiful ladies inside and out. Good friends as well as sisters. Gayle (white blouse) is also my "Mama Pastor" or rather my Pastor's Wife. Ann is my partner in crime. Well not really crime but we both have a PASSION for hospitality, decorating and entertaining. Judy is my choir buddy and Lenora is my wonderful, beautiful friend of triplets who ALWAYS has a smile on her face! How she does that and keeps up with triplets plus another son is beyond me but she manages!
Say hello to Livian and Teddie. More sisters!!! Teddie is always the life of the party and can manage to make me laugh even when I don't want too. Livian (Lenora's mom-in-law) is another choir buddy and maker of "out of this world" hot dog chili, BBQ sauce, you name it - she can probably cook it! Love them! Faithful women of God.

This is Shelley, Ashley and Diane. Even more sisters! Shelley and Diane are actually sisters and Ashley has been "unofficially" adopted as Shelley's daughter. You should hear these ladies' testimonies! God is a good God!

This is Paula (a.k.a Donna - LOL) and Amy. Another set of "real" sisters but also more of my sisters! So why all the bloggin' about sisters? Today, I was thinking about blessings and family and friends and God's eternal goodness and thought about my sisters. Ladies whom I worship with each week. Ladies who I work beside when there is a need. Ladies who are wonderful examples of the Shulamite Bride - the bride that is in a covenant relationship with the Bridegroom. Women of faith that are beautiful because of who they are in Christ, because of the covenant they have made to be faithful, to love only the Bridegroom, to wait patiently until he comes. As we approach the CHRISTmas season make sure you let all of your sisters, either by birth or marriage and by faith, know you LOVE them. Let them know they are beautiful and don't be afraid to tell them how they make your life better. Oh, I also have been blessed with two sisters when I married Prince Charming; Teresa (Momma TT) and Linda Charlene. Then after what seemed to take forever, my brothers were actually lucky enough to find some wonderful ladies to marry. God has also given me one especially close sister - Bella-Mella. Another PK born into a family of brothers and no sisters.

Now I have 5 family sisters, 1 special G0d-given sister by choice and scores of faith sisters!

Ladies, I love you all! May this season be as bright and beautiful as each of you.

Shop till You Drop...Just do it Comfortably!

Okay ladies, we have 47 days 'til CHRISTmas! That's NOT a lot of time!

You know what that means...POWER SHOPPING! And you just have to be comfortable when you shop. If your feet hurt, it ruins your whole shopping experience. My BFF, Bella-Mella inspired me this week with her blog about the fashion show and the comments about her new "flats" which I was rather shocked to see on her feet (same size as mine - 7 to 7 1/2). As long as I have known my dear friend I can't say that I have EVER seen her wear flats unless you count the time we went to Blizzard Beach. Heels just weren't practical that day but if they would have been you can bet she would have worn her beloved wedges. Any who, I have been on the lookout for a chic pair of walking, shopping, standing, styling shoes for a while now and decided to take myself to the mall in search of the perfect pair. After two and half hours and endless possibilities I came across these lovely brown suede and cream mesh Aerosoles.

Don't you just love the way the sole is slightly "wedged"? Gives a short girl like me a little lift but still feels like I'm walking on air. More stylish than tennis shoes / sneakers and WAY more comfortable than heels. They even have GREAT arch support and that's important to me because my arches look like the Sunshine Skyway bridge! Prince Charming has always said I'm rather high in the in-step! Whatever does that mean???


Here are my way-too-cute shoes on my not-so-cute feet! Is that a little puffiness I see in my right foot? Oh, I better prop my feet and way-too-cute shoes up for a spell.

Ahhhh! That's more like it! Shopping for shoes can be hard work but remember Cinderella's wise words. "The right shoe can change a girl's life."

Oh - see the bag in the background? Well I couldn't leave the mall without swinging by the local ROSS store. Talk about FAVOR! I have had my eye on some new window treatments at Bed, Bath & Beyond but to buy everything needed to redo my windows in the living room and dinning room would cost more than I care to pay at this time. As I breezed through the aisles at my favorite ROSS, I found the EXACT thing I wanted for only $9.99 per panel! The valance was only a whopping $3.99!!! An incredible savings of over $250!!!!!

Stay tuned to see my windows get "dressed" for CHRISTmas!

'Tis the Season to Bake

As we count-down the weeks till CHRISTmas we are often called upon to attend a Cookie Exchange or Dessert Party. I have one tried and true recipe that I turn to over and over again. This year my son's school is sponsoring a Holiday Shoppe. This is a gift shop where parents can bring their children to shop for affordable gifts for those special people on their CHRISTmas list. Along with the the gift shop they have a Sweet Shoppe. This is where the baking comes in. I was going through my son's backpack and found a note which was sent home days earlier requesting my assistance...the Sweet Shoppe is in desperate need of well, sweets! So out comes my recipe for DOUBLE FUDGE BROWNIE BARS. They are SO easy to make. EVERYONE loves them and they are simply DELICIOUS! Now, who could you ask for more? Only 8 ingredients and 40 minutes and you have warm, ooey-gooey fudge brownie bars.

Just mix your DUNCAN HINES double fudge brownie mix according to package directions. Use the instructions for cake-like brownies. Spread in the bottom of a greased 9x13 baking dish and bake at 350 degrees for 18 minutes. Once you have baked your brownie, top with 1 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips, 1 cup of peanut butter chips, 1/2 cup of chopped pecans and 1 cup of sweetened flaked coconut. The pour 1 can of EAGLE brand condensed milk over the top. Pop back in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown. Someone hit the EASY button please!

Completely cool then cut into bars. Makes about 24 snack-size bars.
Perfect for a bake sale at an elementary school's Sweet Shoppe! Next time you're looking for something to fill your sweet tooth, this just might to the trick. Beware bloggers if you have a peanut / nut allergy.

Golden Inspiration - From Thanksgiving to CHRISTmas

Whew! Last week was hectic. Two parties, play practice, cantata practice, a Fall Festival, and Halloween! Not much time for bloggin'. I don't think I had an evening off last week. I woke up this morning and it hit me - less than two months to go. CHRISTmas is only 52 days away! I began packing fall away and clearing Charlie Brown's Great Pumpkin Patch to make way for the Colors of CHRISTmas! This warm and welcoming entry just captured my eye. No this is not my house but I think I might be able to imitate that beautiful golden glow. Don't you love gold? I mean the color not necessarily the stuff in Ft. Knox. Although a little of that this time of year would go a long way. Last week I took off with camera in hand to find some inspiration. I was looking for ideas to spice up my November decor. Gold is a great color for holiday decorations, especially if you decorate early (like some people I know) because it carries you through Thanksgiving right up to CHRISTmas! Deer hunting in North Carolina is such a popular pastime in November that the bronze deer grazing by this entry looks stylish and timely. Carrying the golden theme throughout the whole house adds sophistication and elegance not to mention ease. Nothing looks more elegant to me than a lovely evergreen bedecked with silver and gold CHRISTmas ball ornaments. Varying the size of the ornaments adds interest and keeps the eye moving around the tree. This color palette is soft and neutral enough that you won't get tired of it before New Years Day.

Here's a shot of some quaint little stockings. Different enough that every person has their own unique style but similar enough to add holiday panache to your mantle.

Here's another GREAT idea! Simply tuck sprigs of evergreens in your china cabinet or curio and display your favorite serving platters or a collection of antique silver. This picture has inspired me to display some pretty pewter pieces in a large plate rack that I found at a garage sale. It's going to get a coat of black paint and a little distressing and it will be ready to go. Visit again to see the finished project.

I love setting my formal dining table with festive tablescapes year-round. The fall and CHRISTmas in when my creativity is at it's best. This opulent place setting looks fit for a KING! Try sitting a place at your table this year for the KING of KINGS and the LORD of LORDS! Invite Him to come into your life, your heart and your home. That's really the reason for the season!