Lovely Things

I am blown away by the talent of my friend Annie from the blog Lovely Things.  You do read her blog, don't you? She never ceases to amaze me with the things she comes up with.  I swear she needs her own TV show or column in a magazine, she is that good!   

You all remember her advent calendar she made last year, right?  All I can say is 'brilliant'.  

Here's what she came up with this year.  How lovely above the fireplace with the gorgeous glassybabys all a glow! She even made her own wreaths!!!  

Here's a little more detail of each bag filled with gifts.

Not only is she a pro at advent calendars, take a look at the gift tags she made this year with a photo of her kids! You can read the steps on how to create them by clicking here.  I may need to give this one a try, too!

 

Thank you, Annie, for your endless inspiration.  I look forward to each and every one of your posts!

Getting Started: My Christmas Decor

For those of you who follow me on instagram @msimondesign, you have most likely already seen these images. I am finally getting started on my decorating and hope to have a complete post next week to share.

I'm simply in love with the wreath I placed in my niche above the range.  Who needs salt and pepper grinders in there when I can add a bit of holiday cheer.  You can get these little wreaths at Trader Joe's for only $5.99!  One command hook later and voila!

I'm following through with my idea of going with tabletop trees this year.  I picked up two of them at Whole Foods the other day.  I realize if you have children these would not go over very well, but you could always add one in addition to a big tree.

Charlotte enjoying the fresh cedar garland going up!  I'm using it in a place in my house that I've never shown photos of before.  Any guesses?  You'll have to check back next week to see what it is.  

My paperwhite bulbs have been planted.  I love the way they smell when they are in bloom.  Divine!  They should be ready by Christmas.  Get yours planted now if you haven't done so already!

Change Is Good

It's only November 26th and I already feel behind the eight ball.  Am I the only one who hasn't started decorating for Christmas?  I think everyone I have talked to already has their tree up and decorations out.  I typically don't start until the first weekend in December, but may get my act together this week.  I've been thinking a lot about my Christmas tree this year and I've decided to make some changes.  Change is good, right? I have always done a full size tree, but this year I'm going to do a couple of tabletop trees instead, one in the living room and one in the family room.  I was inspried by Eddie & Jaithan's trees in the latest issue of Country Living.  Love the wreaths in the windows, too!  I'll be sure to share my decor when it's up!

Thanksgiving Table

If you're like me, you're running full speed ahead with preparations for Thanksgiving tomorrow.  The turkey is in the brine, I've been cleaning like a mad woman, there are pies to bake and trying to get the table set up. Tomorrow will be even crazier!  Since it's really gray here today, the lighting is horrible for me to get a decent overall shot of my table.  Here are a few close ups that will give you an idea of how it's coming along.  I purchased two large bouquets of rose hips at Whole Foods, cut the stems down and created a beautiful centerpiece in one of my silver bowls.  The burnt orange color is spectacular!  Yes, I also happen to like unpolished silver.  I placed a glass bowl inside the silver one, used a block of floral foam, inserted the stems and voila... a lovely centerpiece.

 For the place settings, I folded my hemstitch linen napkins to create a pocket for the cards that I purchased at Paper-Source.  A simple sprig of fresh rosemary and a sprig of rose hip adds a little color to each place setting.

OK, it's back to prep work for me!

Wishing each and every one of you a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Prep Work

This is going to be a busy, busy week and I am ready for it.  Not only will I be working on client projects, but I'll also be prepping for Thanksgiving.  I love this holiday, in fact, it's my favorite holiday.  Since I love to cook and bake, this is right up my alley and I tend to go all out.  Bring it on!!!  I did some of my shopping over the weekend, but always get the fresh ingredients the day before. I still need to come up with a game plan for my table setting, so hopefully I'll get photos up beforehand.  I'd like to incorporate some of the elements from this gorgeous table setting.  Simple, classic and comfortable.  We'll see how it actually turns out!

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