Joyeux Noël! (belated!)

I have been waaay to busy to wish all my blog readers a very Merry Christmas, so I hope you'll forgive me for the lateness!

It's hard to believe another Christmas has come and gone. I offered to host the family Christmas lunch this year, and then hosted the other side of the family later in the day for present unwrapping. For once, we didn't have drive anywhere!

Being host, I had to have the place spick and span (first time since moving in!), but there were a few tell-tale boxes still in one corner of the family room!

The kitchen looked lovely and shiny:



I had chosen my colour theme for Christmas a while ago, and picked silver and light blue. I always make the gift tags in my chosen theme every year, and I also made some Chinese paper lanterns and hung them from the Pussy Willow in the family room.





I also used the same gift tags as place name cards for the table:



My very simple table centre piece was my largest apothecary jar filled with silver glossy and matt baubles with a blue and silver snow flake Christmas decoration around the lid. I put t on a white damask table cloth with a piece of blue tulle with silver spots on it from Spotlight! I added a couple of blue candles in glass candle sticks and a couple more tea lights to the table:





The house survived (and so did we!), and everyone had a wonderful time! The kids love their new scooters, and I have been immersing myself in all things French, and Reading Vicki Archers' new book 'French Essence'...it's to die for, and will live proudly on one of my new tables!

Santa Arrived Early!

Just in time for Christmas, I now have my 2 new beautiful tables for the family room! I am so happy, and they look wonderful...even next to the 13 year old couches with covers on them (to hide the very 90's blue and white check!)











I'm still moving things around on them (and underneath them), and will probably continue to do so for a while! At least now I have some more horizontal space to work with!

The family room is still far from being complete. I would eventually like to get a big floor rug to make it feel a little cosier, and also I have plans to paint white the old baltic pine shelves so they tie in with everything else. It will all come together eventually! But now my sights are set on getting ready for the family Christmas 'do' I'm hosting!

Entrance hall completed...mostly!

The mirror is finally up and the entrance is almost complete. All I 'need' to look for are 2 wall lights and a matching chandelier. Not an easy task, and I'm sure it may take a few years!







I know it looks a little crowded at the moment, but half of the things on the table are Christmas related, so won't be there forever.

I've also added a few more Christmasy things around the place. I still haven't quite finished the banister decorations, but I did add some lights. I will need to buy another garland to finish off the last little section, but that might have to wait until the sales!



I added some small baubles to the Pussy Willow on the table:




I've strung my last years purchase between the 2 windows in the dining room. Shame there is still no dining table or chairs in there yet, and all the photos which need homes are sitting on the floor! The joys of moving in!






I would like to get 2 identical wreaths for the double front doors, and have seen several I love, but don't want to spend up to $200 on something which comes out of the cupboard for about 6 weeks a year. I may be lucky to find them on Boxing Day at the sales, but refuse to pay full price now.

I decided to wrap the front doors with ribbon instead. I have seen it on another house and thought I'd give it a go! The bow isn't quite prominent enough, so I'll probably have another go at it tomorrow.





...and in case you were wondering, the doors do still open! ;-)

It's that time of the year...

Once again, Christmas is almost here! I can't believe just how quickly this year has flown by...but what a year it's been!

I have started to put out a few decorations around the place, the tree is up, but I still have to decorate it. I might leave that for tomorrow.

I'm hosting the families Christmas lunch this year, and the theme is going to be silver, blue and white. I have big plans for the table centre piece, and I hope it looks OK! So far, I have literally plonked some things on the hall table, and filled some of my apothecary jars with baubles. You may also remember my 'NOEL' letters I covered with paper last year. It was nice to get them out again, although I'm not sure where they will be staying over the festive season!







I've also put together my orchid I have been meaning to do for a while. I was looking everywhere for the right sort of pot to put it in, and finally found one. It only took me about half an hour to put it together, and cost half the price of what you would pay for a similar looking one in the shops. Plus mine is totally unique! It will probably permanently live on the hall table with the candle sticks, but I might move it around for Christmas. I'm running out of horizontal surfaces at the moment, and I can't wait to get my coffee and side table for the family room.







My Son called it an 'awkward'!

Fingers crossed for my beautiful mirror to be hung this weekend, and that will help reflect some light from the study into the hallway. Then I'll just have to find some wall lights and a matching chandelier!