Monday, December 30, 2013

Hot Chocolate Bar on my Dept 56 High Heeled Holiday Table


One of the funnest treats during 
WINTER
is having hot cocoa by the fire.


I decided to set up
Hot Chocolate Bar
for 
Christmas.



When trying to decide
where to set it up so that
the kiddies could
serve themselves,
I decided my new
Department 56 Patience Brewster
Krinkles High Heeled Holiday Table
would be the perfect spot
because it is so fun and it is 
short enough for them.

This is one of my new ebay
finds this year.  I had seen a couple
in years past, but one was not for
sale (it was at a store) and the other
was prohibitive in price.


This one was fairly reasonable
and you just have to love those
high heels!  It goes so well with
my Patience Brewster Christmas Cake Plate.


I found lots of fun ingedients
at the grocery store.
Many of them were 
that I haven't seen before.
(Go to Amazon.com or ebay
and do a search for Wilton Peppermint
and you will see all of these products.)


I love these for sitting in a mound of 
whipped cream 



or hanging off the edge
of a cup as my cup of cocoa shows in the first picture.



The silvered chocolate balls are the
only ones I didn't get locally.  I brought
several bags of those home from Paris
a few years ago.


These fun candy cane spoon by
Wilton were what brought me to the
store.  My friend had told me about them.


 But I found these fun 
Wilton candy cane twists too
along with the curls.


These fun chocolate curls
were from the grocery store too.



I served chocolate syrup also
along with vanilla flavored sugar
crystals.  Everyone loved topping their
whipped cream with these.


These fun blue and white snowflakes
were a big hit too.


I stacked the mugs on a pastry tier.
They didn't fit so I pulled it apart and
was able to reconfigure it so each tier
was tall enough.


I have requests by my kids
to keep this one
up all winter and I think I will!

I will be posting this with


Friday, December 27, 2013

Christmas Card 2013 - Our Band of Buccaneers


I am sure you are like me and don't mind
getting a few cards in the mail after 
Christmas!
Actually, sometimes I enjoy them more as
I feel so rushed during Christmas.

This is our family's Christmas card this
year.  As I look back, we are more often
than not in costume, because I got them all
together for some occasion!

This was taken in May at our 
34th Wedding Anniversary 
get together at Pirate's Cove.
Click here to see a post on that.
We were missing just one little granddaughter
and I bought her a costume and wanted
to take a photo and photoshop her in, but
she refused.  She doesn't like her picture
taken (at 3 1/2!).

So from our little band of Buccaneers to yours -
a very Merry Christmas!

Yo Ho Yo Ho A Family Life for Me!

We still send out a card each
year and always with a photo.
I love cards with a photo
especially from my friends
that live far away.

My dad's cousin's wife (who I
consider an aunt) lives in Connecticut
and she told me that people
asked who this card was from and 
she said, "That's from my husband's
side!  I'm not related to that bunch
of crazies!"  I laughed and told
her she wished she was!!!

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

Candy Land Christmas Morning Table

I hope you had a wondrous
and joyous Christmas filled
with love!

Welcome to our breakfast table 
for Christmas morning.  I had it
set last night so I was able to
shoot these beautiful photos
with during the blue hour.


This year I hung beautiful white garland 
with lights above the curved glass in the
dinette area.  My favorite part of it is
that I have it on a remote control plug
that I can turn on and off with a touch of 
a button and it casts such a pretty glow 
at night.



The table is built around my candy 
centerpiece that I have used before.  I
just save the big suckers and trees
from year to year and place them in
a stacked set of styrofoam rounds.


Then I set those on my Krinkles cake 
platter.

The Santa Claus runner is new this year
from Pier 1.  I love it up against the snowy
white tablecloth.
You saw my candy display earlier when 
I blogged about dipping chocolates, I just
added to the table.


I always use my candy cane plates 
for Christmas morning breakfast.
I try to make this a really fun
children's table. 



Candy and candy themes like these
trees are everywhere on the table.



These adorable silverware holders
are new this year.  I found them on the internet.


Santa's jacket



and his pants make adorable
silverware holders with bright
red silverware.


Alternating sheer napkins, one in red and one
with candycanes (that I made) fill the bubble
goblets with red stems.



A few candy related nutcrackers adorn the
table too.  I love having the breakfast table
set on Christmas Eve as the family comes
in to get them excited about the events 
the next morning.


This is the sight that greeted the family
as they entered our home.  It was pure magic!
Candles lined the sides of the staircase
with snow glittering all around their bases.


The most magical part was that the
candles are all battery operated and
run by remote control so they are safe
and they all turn on with a click of a
button.  It was the most magical the
staircase ever looked.

I hope you feel the love and joy of the
birth of Christ all throughout the year.
Thanks for joining us for part of
our Christmas celebration.

Sources
Candles - Costco (6 to a box)
Santa silverware holders - ebay
(be careful these were around $10
but there are some on ebay up to $60)
Red plates - Home Goods
Red chargers - Z Gallerie
White tablecloth - Your Chair Covers
Goblets - Crate and Barrel (years ago)
Silverware - Home Goods
Nutcrackers - Tai Pan
Runner - Pier 1

I will be posting with




Wednesday, December 18, 2013

Angels Among Us Tablescape


Welcome to my
Angelic Table
for Christmas this year.

My darling daughter in law gave me
these fabulous angel wings last year
and I did a tablescape with them
tied onto the kitchen table


But this year we moved into the dining room
and I used a tack to attach them to
these beautiful brocade slipper chairs.


I also added a little bling
to the wings by pinning
a brooch on them.
(From my favorite -Fabulousbrooch.com)



Everything is silver and cream,
one of my personal favorite combinations
for a dressy table.


The placecards are tucked into 
another set of tiny angel wings that
I found at Pier 1 this year.

You know those literally leaped into
my basket!!


I used two kinds of coordinating
silver printed napkins.

I printed the names on cardstock in 
a dark gray for the placecards 
and then spayed Glitter Blast
on the cardstock.  After the paint
was dry, I cut them to size.
I would love to tell you the name of
this font, but it is so small I can't read
it - starts with an A!  Sorry


I took my square plates and
turned them each on an angle to get 
a fun and different look out of them.


Of course the Horchow
silverplate has to come out of the
chest for this table.
(Some of you have asked about
this but it has been discontinued - sorry!)


I love using these silverplate goblets
that I bought years ago from Spiegel
Catalog because even the kids
can use them without any worry.
Fortunately I was wise enough to 
choose 24 all those years ago.


I had to let the beauty of the wood
show with this tablescape.


Fresh flowers and silvery 
presents and candles on another
glittering placemat create
the perfect centerpiece.


It feel really special to have fresh flowers
during the cold of winter.



Everything is creamy white.


I placed them in this mini bottle cooler
with stag heads on each side.  This is
the perfect sized container for all kinds
of things - flowers, chocolates, candy, etc.



The flowers were just show-offs!


A little snow in the bottom of
this apothecary and a sparkling
candle and it changes dramatically.






These little gift boxes have
been all over the house this year. 
I don't know if I will ever give them
away as gift boxes as I like them so much!


I have to tell you a darling story
about this daughter - Jessica - after
coming to my tablescaping class at
Gatehouse No1 this year, she decided
she too could easily do a tablescape 
and she has had her table all decked
out all season long!  I loved it.


I hope your Christmas plans are coming
right along.  Ours got derailed with sickness
and hubby having kidney stone surgery, but
I think we are back together - cross your fingers!!




Thanks for taking a peek over 
the shoulder of my angel!

I hope your Christmas is filled with
the magic of God's gift to the world,
His Only Begotten Son, 
and you feel of His love this Christmas season!
And may you feel the presence of
Angels among us all year long.

I will be posting with

Sources
Placemats - Home Goods
Plates - Home Goods
Flatware - Horchow (discontinued pattern)
Goblets - Spiegel
Stag cooler - Tai Pan
Apothecary jar - Home Goods
Napkins - Home Goods
Silver Gift Boxes - Target
Little wings ornaments - Pier 1


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