My New Favorites From Pottery Barn

Pottery Barn is one of my favorite resources for furniture and accessories and their seasonal decor is always exceptional.

 This season's treasures are even better than I expected. 

Take a look at this....

These mercury glass trees are available in four different sizes and range from $14.50 to $69

At 35.5" tall, this Grand Bronze Reindeer Pillar Holder is sure to make your room special

I always enjoy decorating with lanterns and these Snowflake Punched Ceramic Lanterns are gorgeous

Nothing says "wow" quite like these faux fir stockings for $39.50

Your tree will be stunning with this Mercury Glass Garland

I hope you enjoyed checking out some of my new favorites from Pottery Barn. 

Click here to take a closer look. 

Martini Glasses and Christmas Trees

What do  

Martini Glasses 

and  

Christmas Trees 

have to do with each other? 

Well....nothing but they look fabulous together! I spent the weekend in Chicago and had a great time checking out the window displays on Michigan Avenue. One of my favorites was a Crate & Barrel window which displayed a Christmas tree with mini martini glasses tied onto it. It was really cute! Unfortunately I only had my phone with me so these quick snapshots will have to do.....look closely and you'll see the martini glasses. I'd love to do this next year only use fun, bright colored ribbons in place of their gold ribbon.

New Year Party Cocktails

If you're planning a New Years party, you're thinking of food, champagne, great music and more. How about serving some new drinks at your party? 

The website SLOSHED! is great fun. It chock full of amazing drink recipes. You're sure to find something everyone will love. You can also read reviews and even search for drinks using your favorite type of liquor.

Click here to search their cocktail archive!

Holiday dinner centerpieces

Are you the lucky one hosting the family dinner this year? Well I'm sure you have quite a bit to worry about so here are some easy and unique centerpiece ideas. 

I really love this simple look. Visit an antique store and purchase a few mason jars. Next add some greenery, pine cones, then fill the jars with fake snow and a white candle. It's pretty and also pretty simple!

There is no reason you have to stick with red and green. A large bowl filled with gorgeous silver balls makes quite a statement. Not into silver? Use gold, teal, lime green or any other non traditional colors.

Do you have some wrapping paper or ribbons you love? Wrap some small packages like in the picture above then add some greenery.  Place all this onto a pretty table runner and you're done.

Looking to do something rather inexpensive? Find some interesting containers, use a simple white candle and add some plump cranberries for color. What can be easier than that?

 

 

 

 

Holiday Cocktail Party

By now you’ve decorated and are in the holiday spirit and now you’re ready to host a holiday cocktail party. Hosting isn’t cheap, but fortunately there are several inexpensive things you can do to keep your soiree from breaking the bank. 

Décor

Candles, candles and more candles. Try mixing and matching candles in gold, silver or multicolored candleholders throughout. Go ahead and skip the fancy scented candles. They smell great for everyday but may interfere with smells from the food. You don’t need a spiced cranberry candle next to your hotwings. Strand white lights throughout for an elegant, fun look. Skip the blinking lights; you don’t want your drinking guests thinking it’s a disco!

Food

It’s a cocktail party, not buffet. People expect to have fun and not chow down. Often times people have more than enough food and end up with loads of leftovers.  Try making most of the food yourself if time permits versus catering the party. There are loads of easy recipes out there. Also, don’t be afraid to asks friends to help out by bringing suggested items. Just ensure you have enough food in comparison to the amount of alcohol that will be consumed. 

Drink

There is no need to have a fully stocked bar, simply serve a signature holiday drink and perhaps some Schlafly Christmas Ale. Someone will more than likely bring a bottle of wine as a hostess gift so open up and pour for the wine drinkers. Don’t forget to have some soda or juices for the designated drivers!

Entertainment

A fun way to add entertainment is to have a holiday movie playing and mute the sound. Try my favorite movie White Christmas or the always entertaining Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer.  Then play your favorite holiday music. I love to make a mixture of songs, everything from upbeat holiday tunes and Christmas carols, to songs from one of my favorite CD's Sarah Brightman's - A Winter Symphony.

More holiday decorating ideas...

So you're probably getting ready to start holiday decorating. Still haven't found the decor that just for you? Here is another trend that I'm loving. 

Silver and White

Use silver and white decorations throughout. It will easily look elegant and festive and you'll love it.

Look for a fun tablecloth. I like this one from Kohls which is on sale for $17.49! It's an inexpensive way to dress up a large area.

These beaded chargers from Target are great. You don't necessarily need one for each place setting. To save $$$, only use them at the ends of the tables or underneath centerpieces.

Look for fun, festive serving pieces like this snowflake platter. It's only $12.99 at Target and can be used all season.

 These glitter birds from Pottery Barn are gorgeous. Use them as a vase filler or simply as table decor. Place them on your buffet table or around your table centerpiece.

Ready to splurge a bit more on decor? These next items are for you.

This tree with planter from frontgate.com is fabulous. It could be a great conversation piece and fun to continually add ornaments too.

These Orrefors Carat Candlesticks can be found at Nordstrom. They're gorgeous and appropriately priced.

Add some major glitz and shine to your holiday with this silver tree from West Elm.

Happy Decorating!

Fall dining table decor.

Are you looking for some holiday dining table décor? I've had some friends recently ask me for suggestions of how to add some fall color and decorations to their table setting without spending too much. Here are some great pieces that are easy to get and not too pricey!

Add some color to your table without a large tablecloth. This table runner of golds, reds and oranges is only $19.95 at Pier 1. 

I love these Russian Glasses from World Market. They’re hand painted in gorgeous colors. A set of 4 is $31.96.

 

Check out these Leaf Napkin Rings from Crate and Barrel. They’re perfect for fall and only $1.95 each.

 

Add some sparkle to your table setting with these beaded placemats. They come in both gold and silver and are available at Pier 1 for $13.95! What a steal.

 

Looking for something for the Turkey Day kiddie table? Check out these placemats from Bed Bath and Beyond. Add color and fun to the table for only $4.99 each.

Also, don't be afraid to mix and match. Use a range of fall colors like greens, browns, golds, reds, oranges and then throw in some eggplant. Use things you have in these colors already around the house.

Holiday decor for your tree

I am a big fan of themed Christmas trees. It's fun to change your theme every year or if you're able to have multiple trees in your home, different trees could have different themes. I'm getting ready to do some holiday decorating for clients and thought I'd share some of my favorite themes for this year. Everything you see here is readily available at my favorite stores: Pier 1, Pottery Barn, Create and Barrel.

Black & White

Use all black and white decor from bulbs to garland. Accent with strands of black beads and you must use these fabulous birds below!

Safari

Safari prints are hot and only getting more popular. Be a step ahead with a safari themed tree. Any animal print will work.

 

Peacock

Peacock is also really hot now! These decorations are great for bringing gorgeous color to your tree. Don't forget to find some individual peacock feathers to add to your tree.

 

Vintage

Of course, we can't forget a vintage or antique themed tree. Ask your older family members for some of their old decorations or check out an antique store. If you don't want to go to the trouble, just head to the store for some of these great pieces below.