Silver & Gold New Year's Decor

Well folks, this is it...the last day of 2014! 

Can you believe it?

What a great year it has been! So many things accomplished that had been on my to do list for so long. All in all, this was a fantastic year. I am confident that 2015 will be every bit as wonderful as 2014 was and perhaps even better. 

A few days before Christmas, I decided that I would create a vignette for the New Year after the Christmas decor came down. I like to decorate my buffet seasonally, so I gathered several clocks and lots of silver and gold and created a vignette with lots of sparkle to ring in 2015.

This pocket watch is always on display on my bookshelf. It belonged to my hubby's late grandpa. I set all the clocks to 12, except for this one. I left it as is, which happens to be almost 12 o'clock!

This new mercury glass candle holder was a day after Christmas deal at TJ Maxx. 

I think I gave $3.50 for it. It will be used often!

This sweet bell shaped apothecary jar was perfect to "ring" in the new year! It's filled with tiny mirror ball ornaments...another day after Christmas buy from Big Lots for a couple dollars. I have lots more!

A small crystal clock sits on a pedestal candle holder that was free at Bath & Body works with a purchase a couple years ago.

My anniversary clock is set to 12 o'clock as well. I have had this for years...a gift from my mother in law. The large silver mercury glass tree was an after Christmas purchase from TJ Maxx for $7.50. I was happy they had some left! The gold mercury glass tree was a Michael's after Christmas deal. It was also $7.50. It lights up but I didn't have batteries for it. I like it just as it is though. The large mercury glass hurricane was a Michael's after Christmas clearance from last year. My Scrabble tiles spell out Happy New Year.

A few other items complete the vignette. 

Everything here was either thrifted, gifted, or bought on clearance. 

I love the warm glow the lamp shades give against my plank wall. 

So warm and homey.

I decided my dining room table needed a festive tablescape to go with the buffet. I shopped the house again and here is what I came up with.....

The centerpiece includes a crystal bowl turned upside down as the base. A mirrored vanity tray from my craft room desk sits on top of the bowl. A crystal shaded candle lamp from my bedroom sits on the tray, surrounded by mirror, glitter, and sequined spheres.

The place settings start with gold chargers, my white china, black salad plates, and small crystal bowls which hold the napkins. 

The tablecloth was a thrifty find from earlier this year. 

This photo shows the metallic silver and gold threads woven throughout.

I like the glitz....

and sparkle.

Perfect for a celebration to ring in the new year. 

No big plans here though and I usually fall asleep before midnight...lol! 

I'm quite the party animal!

Here's the whole table. 

Not bad considering it cost nothing but time to create it. 

I decided to leave the bell garland up for New Year's. What is more perfect than bells! I have heard of ringing in the New Year many times. I printed the clock and words on the other garland and clipped them on to add some festivity to the opening between the dining and living rooms.

The clipboard on the gallery wall got some new artwork for the New Year as well.

 I love looking for new printables for this clipboard every few weeks.

I hope you enjoy the last day of 2014. 

I have been reflecting on the past year and am looking ahead to the new one. 

May you and your loved ones have a lovely end to the year. 

Be safe....until next time....

A Wintry Tablescape

Hard to believe another year has come and almost gone. Christmas is over along with all the festivities that accompany it each year. I don't know about you, but I miss it when it's gone. While I am glad to have all my decorations packed away for another 11 months, the house seems bare without them. I do enjoy cleaning and rearranging after Christmas as well as creating new vignettes here and there around the house. I never did get to share my gingerbread collection, perhaps next year. Today, I will share my most recent tablescape. I took it down today because we are working in the dining room and I didn't want to risk anything being broken. It was one of my favorite tables to date! I hope you enjoy it. 

Although it hasn't been cold here in Florida, I decided to bring some winter chill to my table. Aqua blue, silver, and white were the theme, along with some sparkle and glitter. I love these goblets with the crystal ball in the stem. They were perfect for this table, along with the snowflake "coasters".

This shot was just for fun taken from over the glass.

Sequined and glittery spheres inside a tree shaped apothecary jar are perfect additions to this wintry table.

A small mirror ball ornament sits atop a snowflake in the centerpiece.

Along with a bucket of "snowballs"!

Another sphere filled jar and a mercury glass votive brings me joy.

The centerpiece was created with a milk glass dish as the base, with a mirror on top. I love my new spiral bottle brush tree. It will be a part of many vignettes in the years to come.

I was thrilled to find these white and silver snowflakes plates half off  at TJ Maxx the day after Christmas. They were $2.50 each and they had just four left. I did have my white china plates on the table, but switched them out for the new ones when I got home. The blue snowflake plates were a Goodwill find a while back.

There are 3 or 4 different snowflake designs on the plates. So perfect for this table. White napkins and silver napkin rings with a snowflake ticked in complete the look. The table runner was thrifted as well and is by Martha Stewart. Love the colors! It was the inspiration for this table.

I really enjoyed creating this table. I enjoy creating all my tablescapes. I find it very relaxing. It is fun shopping the house for just the right items to add to the table. I may throw together a table for New Year's, we shall see. I did decorate my buffet for New Year's and will be back tomorrow to share it. 

I hope you had a beautiful Christmas my friends. 

Until next time.....

Merry Christmas

from my house to yours! 

Wishing you and yours a bright, blessed, and beautiful Christmas.

A Tree Full of Memories

I saved the best Christmas decor post for last....our family Christmas tree. This tree is covered with memories. I don't put anything on this tree other than lights and ornaments. It doesn't need anything else stealing the limelight from the ornaments that adorn it. There are hundreds of ornaments on the tree, and I can't share them all, but I would like to share some of my favorites.

The sweet ornaments handmade by my children in elementary school are among my favorites. This one made by my son, Dakota brings me much JOY! I love the sweet simplicity of it.

I always buy an ornament or two on vacations. This one is from a trip to NYC with my daughter and her Girl Scout troop when she was a young teen. Such a fun trip!

This ornament is not an ornament, but it adorns my tree every year. It is a baby toy that belonged to my daughter, Miranda and then to my son, Dakota. Since they both loved and played with this sweet little squeaky toy, I had to keep it. I nestle it among the branches each year. 

My most recent addition is this adorable "Best Teacher Ever" ornament that was a gift from a student this year. I love that it is the same vintage desk chair that I have in my craft room. So neat! His mom also made me something which I will share soon.

This ornament holds mixed emotions for us. It holds a picture of my father in law, who passed away just over three years ago.

I bought this sweet ballerina bear when Miranda was little. I fell in love with her and had to have her. Miranda loved ballerinas when she was a little girl. 

At the same time, I bought this angel bear for Dakota. He was very small when I bought these...maybe 2 or 3 years old.

This sweet little paper and glitter star was made by Miranda in preschool. She's 25 years old now!

Joey's maternal grandma crocheted and starched this bell for us over 20 years ago. She has been gone for many years, so this ornament is precious to us.

This one was bought on a trip to DC with Dakota when he was in 5th grade. The Safety Patrol goes every year. I went with Miranda as well a few years before his trip.

This sweet little teacup was part of a Christmas tea set that belonged to Miranda when she was little. I kept this piece. Oh how I wish I had kept the whole set!

My sweet Miranda in another homemade ornament from school.

Miranda and I went to see the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular with my best friend and her daughter a few years ago. It was amazing!

My friend Heather made these beautiful ornaments filled with rolled scripture a few years ago and hand delivered them to her friends. I was blessed to be among them...:)

Miranda received tickets to see Phantom of the Opera from my best friend for her high school graduation. Jeana was so generous to purchase me a ticket as well. She and her daughter, Ashley and Miranda and I went to see it. It was so awesome! It is Miranda's favorite Broadway show and she was so excited to receive such an amazing gift!

This sweet little bear ornament was bought my first Christmas as a married lady. We were pretty low on cash back in the day, so we went to what used to be the T, G, and Y and purchased several cheap ornaments to hang on our tree. Over the years I got rid of most of them, but I keep this one to remember that first Christmas together.

The very next year, we bought Miranda's first Christmas ornaments. I had to have this precious little book ornament. So sweet...:) 

Another precious photo ornament from school. This one is made from a jar lid of some sort. I miss my Dakota being so little...:)

My sister bought me this beautiful teapot ornament several years ago. It is one of my favorite china patterns...Old Country Roses by Royal Albert. Some day I am going to purchase a set of it!

This Little Bo Peep is the oldest ornament on my tree. My Aunt Loretta made her and gave her to me when I was a young teenager over 30 years ago. 

One of the hubby's favorites is the light up leg lamp from A Christmas Story. Have you ever seen it? One of the best Christmas movies ever and his all time favorite. 

The lighthouse was purchased on field trip to Saint Augustine when Dakota was in 4th grade. I climbed to the top and thought I would die before I got there! LOL

Dakota loved Nutcrackers when he was little and this glass one is a favorite.

My friends and I used to take a yearly girl's trip. We did this for about 5 years. I bought an ornament on each trip. This one was bought the year we went to Cedar Key. It was made by a local artisan. 

My mother in law had this beautiful ornament made for Dakota's first Christmas. She had a pink one made for Miranda that year too. They are large ornaments. I am extremely careful with these every year when I pack them away.

I would love to share more, but this post has gotten long enough already. Such sweet memories are relived each year when decorating the tree. I can't imagine Christmas without it. 

I have been enjoying my Christmas break. I finished this book yesterday...that makes 3 Christmas novels this season and I am started number 4 yesterday!

I am loving my new twisted bottle brush tree I bought half price at Cracker Barrel over the weekend.

My sister made zucchini bread and sent me a loaf. So delicious! I am also enjoying my Christmas present...my new laptop! 

I hope each of you have the best Christmas ever, surrounded by those you love, celebrating traditions, reliving memories, celebrating the birth of our Savior. 

Until next time.....