Happy New Year!

I never (ever, ever) make New Year’s resolutions, but I am bound and determined to get this blog off the ground this year.  I don’t know if that’s a true resolution or not, but it certainly is this little itch in the back of my mind whispering, “Do it, girl.  Just sit down and do it!”

And so I am listening.  Finally.

Anyway, we hosted both Christmas Eve and Christmas dinner at our new house this year.  Hubby and I stayed quite busy during the month of December getting the house ready and beautiful for our guests.  Nothing like eighteen people coming to kick some projects into high gear.  The weekend before Christmas, it was just a teensy bit crazy.  We still needed to finish painting our master bathroom, stain our living room furniture, get our entertainment center to some sort of stopping place, and finish our built ins. And let me tell you, people, it was raining, raining, raining the whole time.  We had to barricade the playroom off downstairs and stain furniture inside.  Not ideal (but then again, neither is naked furniture and water rings).

With that said, I would have loved to have posted my Christmas photos before Christmas had actually come and gone, but that just wasn’t on my hostess list of duties this year.  So here they are.  Better late than never.

A White Christmas, Simply Made

I knew before December had even rolled around that I wanted my color scheme very neutral: lots of whites and creams (with some burlap and natural greenery).  Just simple.  I have to laugh just a little at the title of my post, because really we probably had the furthest thing from a White Christmas this year in Charleston.  Not that we have ever had a true white Christmas, but this was the worst Christmas weather in years!  In the five days leading up to Christmas morning, it was rainy and humid and absolutely gross outside.  We actually had to kick the air on so we could finish our last minute to do cleaning, and I couldn’t take it anymore.  “Why the hell am I pouring sweat?” I cried out to my husband, “It…is...Christmas Eve!”

But my house didn’t know any different.  It turned out lovely.

The Living Room

Mantle

In our previous home, the mantel had been a major focal point during any holiday.  But this year, I had absolutely no idea what I was going to do.  All I knew is that I wanted it relatively simple.  This was actually quite easy to achieve: two mini trees from Ikea, a string of white lights, a few winter sprays from Michaels and a white bow.  I love the winter roses.  They are so pretty.

The Dining Room

Buffet Table

Since we were hosting two different dinners, I wanted the dining room to be the major focus this year.  I pictured white lights and candles, but that was about the extent of my vision.  It wasn’t until I was walking through Marshalls, and came across a huge selection of mercury glass candle holders, that a more defined idea came my way.  I started filling my cart, not really knowing whether it would all be used or not, but Hubby’s rule of thumb when it comes to Marshalls or TJMaxx is to buy it.  Because if you wait to think on it, it’s almost guaranteed to be gone when you actually return to get it (I love a sensible man).  Thus the buffet table began to come together…

Dining Table

The dining room table was even more fun to decorate.  I made those Christmas trees last year by decorating styrofoam cones with burlap, twine, scraps of white fabric, lace, and yarn.  They added such a nice touch of softness to the glamour behind them.  I found the star candles at Ikea this Thanksgiving while visiting Sis, and the little mercury glass tea lights in gold, silver, and bronze came from Michaels.  The lanterns on either end of the table were originally bought to hang above the buffet table long before Christmas decorating was even in the making (see photos above) but then I got a little worried my real candles and their rope handles might not play nicely together, so they were moved to the table.  I think it tied the two tables together well.

The Night of…

Just a few shots from the actual night.  Aren’t those star candles precious?

Overall, both evenings were a huge success!  Lots of laughter, beautiful weather Christmas day, and yummy, yummy, yummy food!  This last photo is not at all related to decorating or DIY, but I think it’s such a great shot.  This is my family summoning a neighbor driving by to take our photo.  Classic!

 

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!