Traditional Red and Green Table

There is something about decorating with traditional red and green that brings back sweet memories of Christmases past.  It was the colors used by grandparents and parents in the previous generations.  You can't help but to feel a twinge of nostalgia when using the colors.  So many memories for so many families with these colors calling us to remember our childhood.  A time of gathering of family where you were surrounded by those you loved and loved you.  A time of innocence spent acquiring memories.

There is a traditional red and green table to be shared with you today.  Pointsettias are always so pretty to me and I love them paired with the pinecones and red ball ornaments.



The salad plates look like they would work for Christmas or Thanksgiving.  Green tablecloth allows the plates to stand out and reinforce the Christmas look.













So many memories from a time long ago.  Do you have memories of being with your parents, grandparents and cousins for those wonderful Christmases?  It was a time of wonder as a child.  A time to wait for Santa and stare at the Christmas tree for hours because it was all so magical.  The very best day of your life.  Magic was happening.  We thought it was the gifts but it was the treasure of memories.  That was many years ago and I find myself valuing them more as time marches on.









From Wikipedia - Nostalgia, a sentimental longing or wistful affection for the past. From dictionary.com -  Desire to return in thought or in fact to a former time in one's life, to one's home or homeland, or to one's family and friends; a sentimental yearning for the happiness of a former time.





















Jan

How To Add Blue and White To Your Tree For Almost Free

I want to share with you in this post how to add blue and white to your tree for almost free!  On my last post I shared with you my blue and white plates over my mantel and ornaments on my Christmas tree with the same colors of that pretty bold blue and white.  This is distinctly different from the navy and white you see frequently.  This blue pops with the white and isn't as subdued as the navy is.  It's much more vibrant.  I have been looking for a way to bring blue to the tree this year and found the ornaments to be so expensive.  So I have been pouring over past photos and it clicked with the blue and white I found.  In fact I found many shades of blue and decided this would work the best with the plates and give me the look I was after.


I have seen ladies painting white ornaments with a blue and white look.  Fantastic idea if you are good at that.  I am not a crafter.  I can't draw, paint or sew. This is the basic idea and you can run with it anyway you want.  It is not a new idea but one that I was reminded of when trying to find a way to bring the colors I wanted to my Christmas tree.





I love fabric and wallpaper and how different colors are used together.  That's how I usually do my Christmas trees.  Many colors used together that up the eye candy.  That's also what made me eventually lead to doing this.  I pulled out some of my favorite pieces of blue fabrics.  One is just a pillowcase from Pottery Barn but I have always loved the colors.  Another is a table runner.  There's fabric left from my drapes in the living room.  There's a blue toile.  But I couldn't bear to cut them up.





So with a color cartridge in the printer, I went about making my ornaments.  Fabric being copied, I wasn't sure which I would use or if I would use them all.




A Pottery Barn look to be had for pennies if desired.





I used a coaster as my shape to use.  Tracing the circle and cutting them out.  I attached photo paper on the back.  A little white glitter around the edges gives it a more festive look.  This is where many of you can do much much more!  But it was the blue and white fabric you see at the bottom of the pile in the above photo that ultimately was the choice.  It isn't a decorating fabric but a blouse of mine!  So think outside the box, it helps you come up with a look that is more suited to your taste.











Jan


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A Real Christmas Tree With Bold Blue

Yes, I stayed up all night again.  We have been getting so much rain and we are supposed to have more this weekend.  So I was up trying to get everything ready for photos as soon as the light was good in the morning.  Except I fell asleep in the chair and when I woke up I couldn't tell if it was 10:00 or 2:00 in the afternoon.  That's what four hours of sleep will do.  But the sun was up and gorgeous so I have been working on photos to share with you.


We went with a real tree this year.  It's been a long time since we went real.  I never thought I would want a smaller tree but I was wrong.  She's petite and on a table but packing a punch of delight for us.  Flocking was the first thing required this year.  I have been interested in a flocked tree but didn't want to buy a large faux one until I tried the look with a real one that didn't require a bigger expense.




The mister said he would take care of flocking the tree if I let him do it the way he wanted to.  No supervising was allowed from me.  I was very happy to forfeit any such role of   (Can you tell I have been watching The Crown?!)    He did follow the directions on the box for flocking and it worked well. I found information on it through this link here.   He let the flocking dry for a while and then blew the sidewalk and the tree with the blower.  It took off the loose snow so we wouldn't be tracking that in.   The flocking came out beautifully.  It was so pretty with just lights that I was tempted to go with just that.  Well I was tempted for a little while....


Red and white berries, white trees, deep pink hydrangeas and red roses decorate the tree.  I also used some white dusters in the tree.  They are deep in the tree so that they aren't super obvious but give it another dimension.  I searched high and low and finally found some through a office supply company but they weren't able to fill my whole order but close to half of it.  You can see the white snowy spots in the tree.










Blue and white Spode plates with ornaments of the same color on the tree.  I love using blue at Christmas.  It keeps things from going too warm for me.  I am going to share a post very soon on how I got these terrific ornaments.  Blue and white is very popular but can be expensive.  It doesn't have to be though.  Stay tuned for that!











Jan



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