Did You Know? Maternity Clothes and Christmas Decorations Have Something In Common...

For Me, Maternity Clothes and Christmas Decorations have something in common, I never want to put them away... Grant you, I have "permanently" put my Maternity clothes away, some years ago. But, Christmas, nah...still struggling with that! 8=)

My daughter had Christmas torn down and put away in her home within a few days post the holiday. Not me...I'll be bathing in Christmas till at least January 31st, at least. And my girlfriend Kathleen......maybe till the end of February......at the earliest! Another thing we have in common! This room with the Eggplant and Yellow striped velvet chairs are in my Formal Living room - it has an open view into the Formal Dining Room with two large white pillar columns you'll see in a pic further down in this journal entry. The tree in this area is decorated with ornaments of Romance & Lace. At the top of the tree are two lovely angels that have porcelain heads and hands with a body of elegant organza flowing as their gowns. I have seven of these angels, the remaining five were perched on top of the hutch and base where the Romance and Lace theme continued. On this tree you'll find all types of ornaments, even a handmade ornament I made after returning from Hawaii with sand. (don't report me, please) I'd seen this in a craft magazine once; purchase a clear plastic ornament that snaps together, blue lace where the ornament snaps together, attach a gold strand and use as the hanger on the tree. Inside the ornament is not only the sand from Hawaii, but also a shell that I found on the beach with a purple center. I absolutely love putting that ornament on the tree yearly! Other ornaments have a teacup theme and have been gifts from friends over the years. The tree (all white lights) is sitting on what is called the "Floating Table" (a lesson learned from my girlfriend Kathleen) and this year was the first I'd ever showcased it like this. It definitely got some nice nods when the friends and family seen it!

Since Christmas will be hanging around my place a bit longer, more on my tree in the Breakfast/Kitchen area! The tree that is placed in the Breakfast area is decorated in ornaments with sentiment, and also the glass ornaments that belonged to my husbands grandmother in the early 40's and 50's. This tree has close to 200 ornaments on it, and they encompass the entire tree. The lights stay on from morning till nigh...and it's so special because it brings the warmth of my children in their younger years with all the kiddy ornaments they used to bring home from school. This tree has colored lights, as they are my husbands favorite!

Our dining room has an open forum to the formal living room. The tray ceiling is painted in "Eggplant" (a deep chocolate purple) and the walls in "Creme Brul`ee" (light and creamy yellow). I purchased the fabric in... "Eggplant", you got it! They were quite fun to make, I had to hand stitch them because of the delicacy of the fabric.....not fun, but well worth the end result. The antique chandelier was a gift to ourselves for our 25th wedding anniversary! My friend Kathleen & Prince Charming were visiting from PA and we were in an antique shop when she told me if we weren't going to buy it, she was. We bought it, and it became another new reason to buy more........we absolutely love the ambiance it gives our home. We're going to change the wood dining room set and the hutch and base in 2009 with a Shabby Chic distressed white. Some have tried to change our minds, but both my husband and I are taking the gamble and doing it! I'll share pics later when we get it done! Oh, and the other thing we're going to do in 2009, we're converting the table to a 7ft "ROUND" table! We want to create more of a conversational mood and feel that everyone sitting in a circular fashion will help us to achieve that mood much more nicely! I'll let you know how that works out!
"Can't you just see this set in Shabby Chic White, along with a ROUND table?" I can.......hmmm, NICE!

Ya know, our lives really aren't too much different than overhauling a Dining Room Set to become a new and improved Gorgeous Shabby Chic set. All it takes is some time, determination, and a "Never Give Up On It" attitude!

Staying In The Day with you while decorating and "NOT" putting my Christmas Decorations away, YET.....~CC