A Christmas Eve Brunch

We are having a Christmas Eve brunch at my house this year.

It’s an intimate gathering, so I decorated the table in the breakfast nook.

The plates are Kate Spade Donner Road and feature a handsome reindeer motif.

I found the Joyeux Noël burlap placemats on One Kings Lane and the bells are real vintage weathered brass sleigh bells.

I hot glued bottle brush trees to the tops of guests’ gifts.

The fresh greens came from my backyard.  I’ll leave you with several more photos.

The menu?  Breakfast pizza!!!  Believe me, it’s yummy!

Blessings,

Kim

Gift Wrapping Frenzy & Homemade Gift Tags

Hi everyone.  It’s getting very close to Christmas and down the home stretch for gift wrapping.

I love to gather my favorite ribbons and trims before I begin wrapping.  I use old yarn spools to wrap new ribbon around.

This year I stuck mostly with red and white.

I used an old wood cutlery tray to corral everything.

Did anybody happen to see these awesome wooden spools of ribbon at TJ Maxx?

There’s 3 different ribbons/cords on each and they revolve independently of each other.

I decided to put a spin on my holiday tags this year by adding Bible verses that were related to gift-giving.

I printed them out on my computer, used shaped scissors to cut them out, then glued them to the backs of cards I already had.

I still enjoy my ritual of turning on Christmas music and wrapping away.

Do you have all your gift wrapping complete?

Blessings,

Kim

Nature-Inspired Gifts

Want a gift idea that would please just about anyone?  Go for nature-inspired gifts. 

A birdhouse covered in birdseed is a good idea for anyone in the family.  It gives the recipient something to watch outside their window on a cold winter day while helping our feathered friends.  Even the kids enjoy this one.

I paired it with a glass cardinal ornament to make the present memorable for years to come.  You can find these birdhouses at Gardener’s Supply.

Another nature-inspired gift is a flower bulb in a French champagne bucket.  Mine is already blooming, but you could include the bulbs for the recipient to plant for themselves.

I found these cool paperwhite ornaments at One Kings Lane to add to the gift, too.

You can see my hometown city below through the window!

The only problem is not wanting to keep them for yourself!

Merry Christmas,

Kim

Last Minute Holiday Gift Ideas With Vintage Finds

Do you love vintage gifts as much as I do?

Do you love homemade gifts?

One of my favorite things to do is to combine them for ONE great gift!

I don’t normally care for milk glass very much, but the pieces with reticulated or open lace edges make wonderful presentation pieces when laced with beautiful ribbon.

I’ve been picking up these cute smaller versions of a fruit or banana compote because I knew they would work well for my gift of homemade cocoa and marshmallows.

You can find them in almost any antique mall and many examples exist on ebay.

It was fun to add the ribbon.

I used different cellophane bags to hold my homemade cocoa mix and homemade marshmallows.

I tied up some peppermint sticks and added them to the gift.

I love these chocolates on a stick but decided not to include them in the overall gift.

So get out there antiquing this weekend and stock up on some great presentation pieces for home-baked goodies!  It’s much better than fighting the crowds at the mall!

This quote from The Grinch comes to mind when I think of giving gifts from the heart:

“He puzzled and puzzled till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before.  Maybe Christmas, he thought…doesn’t come from a store.  Maybe Christmas, perhaps…means a little bit more!”

Happy gifting to everyone,

Kim

Best Deal Of The Season (A Steal At $39.99)

Hello everyone!  Yesterday I posted about my version of a cable knit Nordic theme in the family room using several cable knit patterned items HERE.

I’d like to share with you today my best find for the shopping/gifting season. I know there’s lots of good deals out there, but seems like every year I run across one that’s really special and I think takes the cake.

They seem to happen best when I’m not looking for anything in particular and nope, I don’t do Black Friday.

For me this year, it’s these great Ralph Lauren cable knit throws that I found at TJ Maxx. They’re beautifully boxed for gifting, 100% cotton and come in several colors.  I found them when I ran into the store for some wrapping. Hubby was waiting and I didn’t have a lot of time, but I decided to pick the red one up because it fit with  my family room holiday décor.  By the time we went to dinner, I told my husband I should have bought the two ivory ones they had, too.  I then looked them up on my I-phone and I couldn’t find any priced below $99.00!  Macy’s put them on sale a few days later, ON SALE 1/2 price for $79.99!  I knew I had to go back to pick up the rest.  I couldn’t get them off my mind during dinner.

Guess what? They were all sold.  Someone had come in and bought all of them by the next morning. 

Luckily, my mom was shopping in Lexington the next week and found 2 more at Home Goods and 1 more at Marshall’s.

Guess what everybody is getting for Christmas?

What’s been your “deal of the season”?

Blessings,

Kim

New For Me: A Cable Knit Christmas

I’m sticking with my simple Christmas décor this year and decided to use plain red and white in the family room.  I decided not use the large custom mantle swag with Della Robbia fruit and huge ribbons/bows again this year. Don’t’ get me wrong…the swag and fru-fru stuff is beautiful but I’m in desperate need for a change.

Here’s what I already had that sparked the decorating change and I just decided to go with it!  I  bought these cable knit cone trees at Target a couple years ago and have had the silver deer a long time.

I love my two cable knit pattern ceramic vases from Target.  So I kept thinking what can I do with cable knit?  Voilà! I wanted the family room to be warm and inviting with festive touches that can carry on through winter.  So here is my version of a Nordic theme.

I’m crazy about this cute  advent garland that I found at TJ Maxx.  The little knitted bags are numbered.

 

This is one of two deer that I spray painted white last year.

  I created a vignette on the coffee table using an old painted tool box.

I filled it with candles, fresh greenery, and small packages.

 

I found this little piece of French pottery used to make cheese.  It makes a cool little candle stand.

 

I found this Santa sack at TJ Maxx.

 

 

 

Pottery Barn has these great cable knit pattern candles in their holiday décor and I couldn’t resist getting them.

 

I added two throws to the back of the sofa plus the reindeer pillow from PB.

 

All in all I think my cable knit Nordic theme came together quite nicely in the family room.

 

 

 

 

I guess today is officially one week until Christmas!  All of the planning is done, presents are wrapped and now it’s time to sit back and enjoy!

Blessings,

Kim