My Christmas Table...Two Ways

It's Christmas Eve morning!  The excitement level is definitely building in our house as presents are being added under the tree, cookies are being baked and last minute preparations are under way.  I wanted to share with you our Christmas table...two ways.  I have an assortment of Christmas china that I love to use throughout the holidays/winter.  Below is Villeroy & Boch's "Holly". I received four place settings years ago as a gift...at some point I need to add to my collection. 

I used a burlap table runner (fabric from Walmart) and two mini trees that I picked up at the grocery store.  They came with the burlap and rustic wicker baskets, so all I had to add was the red & white ribbon. The large lantern usually hangs in my son's room, a stand-in for a ceiling fixture.  Some wicker balls, mercury glass votives (for sparkle), and some fresh greens finish off the centerpiece. (I didn't use as many fresh branches as I was planning on because they were leaking sap like crazy...so sticky!!)  The placemats and plaid napkins are from Home Goods.

Table #2

If we are home on Christmas Eve, I usually make a huge pot of Italian Oven Chowder, a family favorite.  For that, I bring out my Italian pasta bowls from Crate & Barrel (old).  For this table setting, I placed them on top of my "Memory Lane" Royal Ironstone. This pattern I've been collecting over the years, picking up at antique stores and Ebay.  Next Christmas perhaps I'll decorate my hutch like this...

Country Living

How cute are these stocking flatware holders from Pottery Barn?!

Oops...the second red bell is hiding underneath the stocking!

Now I'm off to make these festive treats! ( found here )

Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!  I'm going to take a little break from blogging to enjoy the holiday and spend time with my family over Christmas break. But I'll be back soon, with lots of inspiration for creating a beautiful home.

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As always, feel free to leave a comment or ask questions in the comments section below.

Need help creating a home you love? Contact me about our design services.

Holiday Home Tour on Cape Cod

Two days till Christmas...and of course I'm not ready! Anyone else feeling the panic setting in?  Thinking that an all-nighter may be necessary to get everything done?  My to-do list is still looking awfully long...baking and wrapping top the list, along with a dozen miscellaneous things.

 But grab a mug of hot chocolate (or a cup of coffee with an extra shot of caffeine!!) and take a few moments to enjoy these holiday pics...

Last Sunday I headed down to Sandwich (on Cape Cod) with my husband and daughter for the town's Holly Days Holiday Home Tour.  Sandwich is such a pretty, historic town, and I was excited that we were going to get a peek inside some of the residences.  Also, Lee Repetto from The Spotted Cod had told me that her friend, the very talented stylist and author Matthew Mead, was going to be decorating three mantles in one of the homes for the tour.  So despite the seven inches of snow we woke up to on Sunday morning, we headed down to the Cape.  Fortunately the Cape had heavy rains that morning, so most of the snow had been washed away, but it was dreary and cold! But most of the homes welcomed us with their fireplaces blazing, so we were able to warm up our fingers and noses as we toured the homes.  Here are some of the town's historic homes (not all of them were on the tour)...

Our favorite home was the Captain Ezra Nye house, built in 1828.  Let's go inside...

When you enter the front hallway, this living room was on the left.  Matthew decorated the mantle with fresh greens, oranges for a burst of color, mercury glass for sparkle and some silver garland.

I loved this little reading nook...it's tucked behind the living room and was so cozy and inviting!  I wanted to plop myself down into one of the leather chairs and stay the afternoon!

Lee designed this mantle, title "Winter Garden".

Her arrangement included terra cotta pots, gardening tools, pine cones, moss and a few well placed pears. 

The third mantle was in the family room, which is part of the new addition that sits at the back of the house.  Here Matthew continued using natural elements, this time with greens, pine cones, berries, pomegranates and limes.  Simple items that you can find outside and around you house (or the grocery store!)

After touring the home, we headed outside to the barn, where Matthew was giving a presentation on holiday decorating.

Michaela capturing some images for her photography class.

Out in the barn, a seaside inspired mantle gave a nod to the town's coastal location.

I did get to meet Matthew and speak with him for a few minutes...and forgot to get a photo, ugh!  But look for his creative designs in Country Living soon.

In between house viewings, we popped into The Brown Jug to have some lunch. Along with delicious soups and sandwiches, they offer specialty foods, ceramics and linens from around the world, along with a large selection of wines.

And a few more photos from the last house we visited...

Santa even made an appearance at one of the houses on the tour!

We stopped in The Dan'l Webster Inn before heading home (to use the restrooms...shhh...don't tell) and were greeted with this festive tree.  I loved the unique tree topper...and explosion of blue balls!

I'll be back tomorrow with our holiday table...two ways.  

Now...where's my "To-Do" List?

As always, feel free to leave a comment or ask questions in the comments section below.

Need help creating a home you love? Contact me about our design services.

Holiday Housewalk 2013

Good morning!  Today I'm joining other bloggers over at Jennifer Rizzo's Making Your Home Your Own for a Holiday Housewalk.  All last week Jennifer featured beautifully decorated holiday homes. And let me tell you...these women are talented! It was inspiring to get a peek inside their homes all decorated for the Christmas season. You can view the homes here.

Thanks for coming to visit Summerland Homes & Gardens, and welcome to my home! 

Our house is small, so I try to keep our holiday decorations simple and contained...I've found that too many decorations quickly make a small home look cluttered!

In the living room, a slim tree fits in the corner.  It's decorated in blue, green, white and silver to match our seaside colors.

This year I didn't put all of our ornaments up on the tree, and I'm liking it not as jammed packed. I used mercury glass ornaments, vintage balls, glitter ornaments (mostly found at Target & Walmart), white hydrangeas and snowflakes.

I own Little Bird Piano Studio, and each year one of my students gives me a handmade little bird ornament for the tree.

The coastal palette of greens and blues continues  in our dining room.  I kept the mantle very simple, just some fresh greens and pinecones.  My painting from Linda Donohue arrived last week, so I wanted it to take center stage. Our dining room (& kitchen) is usually such a sunny spot, but it has been cloudy and gloomy here all week! Not the best for taking pictures :-(

Our hutch gets a few holiday touches...vintage ornaments, Thymes candle votives (the Frasier Fir smells so good but not too strong), and a woodland scene with Santa.

You can read about my hutch transformation here.

We use our dining room all the time...meals, homework, projects, games.  To keep the table clear but looking pretty, I made a quick snowflake tree out of spray painted branches.

For Christmas dinner I do a plaid tablescape using my holiday dishes, so come back later in the month to get a peek...

You can see more photos of my dining room and living room here.

The rest of my Christmas decorating is red & white...I love using gingham and plaids.  In the kitchen, our antique hutch got wrapped in tartan plaid. 

On the kitchen island, a metal tray gets filled with greens and pinecones.

These little guys keep me company while I wash the dishes...

Off of the kitchen we have a side porch...

We don't use this entrance too much in the winter, but I decorate the potting table since I can see it from the kitchen window.

Our 7 year old loves decorating the little tree that we put in his bedroom...

And the two Nutcrackers keep watch...

Our upstairs bathroom gets a little touch of Christmas too...

I have a little more decorating to finish up and some Christmas projects, so please visit Summerland Homes & Gardens throughout the month of December for more holiday ideas.

Thanks for visiting and best wishes for a blessed Holiday Season!

As always, feel free to leave a comment or ask questions in the comments section below.

Need help creating a home you love? Contact me about our design services.