Christmas Tablescapes

  Welcome to the 71st Tablescape Thursday!

(If pics appear to be cut off on the right side, please adjust your screen resolution to the highest setting.)

It's time for Tablescape Thursday and this is our very last TT for the year 2009. Are you looking forward to 2010? I believe 2010 is going to be an awesome year...I just feel it down to my bones. :-)

This past Met Monday, I took you on a Christmas Home Tour through Tricia's lovely, historic, Victorian cottage. During the tour, I teased you with a glimpse of her tablescape and I promised to share it with you for Tablescape Thursday. Were you wondering what the curved white object was...the one just visible in the pic below?


It's her beautiful centerpiece...a lovely Christmas swan. Tricia, if you see this, please leave a comment and tell us more about your swan centerpiece.


Tricia actually had two beautiful tablescapes awaiting her guests. I would be hard pressed to pick a favorite...loved them both! I'm crazy about her brown and white transferware!


She cleverly used her beautiful ironstone/creamware collection as a centerpiece. I wish I could have taken some closeups, but on these tours, there just isn't any time for close-ups. (Click on the pic to enlarge for a better view.)


I think I know what we are having for dessert...just look what I found in Tricia's kitchen. :-) Sinful, totally sinful...and I LOVE it! :-) To see more of Tricia's beautiful home, click HERE to view that post.


I took pics whenever I could...but unfortunately, picture taking wasn't allowed in all the homes. Pretty much every home on the tour had a tablescape in the dining room. This beautiful table setting with a "Twelve Days of Christmas" theme, awaited us in another home on the tour.


Love the pear place card holders. Do you see the long mirror used in the centerpiece? It really magnifies the sparkle of the lights.


A view from the end...I think this is probably the "Partridge in a Pear Tree" salad plate...


Similar view as above, but I captured a bit of the wonderfully decorated chandelier...


A tablescape in one of the other homes on the tour...sorry about the blurriness. Since part of the tour was a "candlelight" tour, the homes were often dimly lit...plus, I had to hurry along to avoid holding folks up. Sorry to keep whining, but these blurry pics are killing me. (LOL) Isn't the centerpiece wonderful?


Here's a little close up of the figural napkin rings used in the above tablescape.


A casual breakfast room tablescape in another one of the homes on the tour...cute way to display the flatware.


As we wrap up the Christmas season, I have a few more holiday tablescapes to share. Toni graciously shared a few pics of her beautiful table setting. Love the mugs and the plaid napkins!


Each guest received a Christmas cookie cutter to take home. :-) Darling salad plates!


Close-up of her whimsical centerpiece with a mouse on an acorn sled...adorable! :-)


Toni, thanks so much for sharing your Christmas tablescape!


Bonnie shared several of her beautiful tablescapes from Christmases past...


Cute ornament place card holders...


China is Christmastime by Nikko...


Darling centerpiece...has to be Fitz and Floyd!


Bonnie can do whimsical and she can do elegant! This icey tablescape matches the icey sleet that's falling outside my window right now...


Stunning! Even her flatware has that snowy, icey feel...


Love the silver chargers and the napkin rings...


A whimsical candle holder...don't the candles look like real ornaments?!


Bonnie and I share a love for Lenox, Winter Greetings china. She created two different tablescapes with this pattern...note the centerpiece in this tablesetting with the green damask napkins...


I'm so coveting these plaid chargers...


And here's a completely different look with the same china...


Pretty red napkins and champagne flutes...


Bonnie, thanks for sharing your wonderful tablescapes!


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Christmas Decorating Ideas from Country Living

I am a big fan of the Country Living website and magazine. They have some really neat Christmas decorating ideas and DIY projects on their site right now.

Here you are some ideas for you:

Crafty candle holders. These would make great gifts as well. Click here for the full tutorial o you can find it via my Pinterest.

  how to make these ornaments.

White pinecone ornaments. Pretty self-explanatory, right? If not, go here for a tutorial from the factory direct craft blog.

Source: countryliving.com via Emily on Pinterest

Hide your tree stand in a galvanized tub! I've also seen this idea that I think is super unique for hiding the tree stand.
Here is a video from Country Living with 5 more ideas for Christmas decorating.

My vintage style tree...tree # 7

This tree is my newest. I purchased it at an after Christmas sale at a little shop, near my mum's house, called Country Treasures. I forget what I paid for it, but my mother (who is normally reining me in) vehemently felt I should buy it...so it must have been a good price. I remember hesitating because firstly, I did not have the room in our car for it, and I did not want to stress my poor hubby out with yet another tree!! So, I discreetly smuggled it into my mother's house, and she brought it down to my place at a later date (where we smuggled it into my house!). This year, when I pulled it out, hubby was blissfully clueless that it was indeed new, and wasn't that the kindest way to go about it all?? No sense stressing him out unnecessarily...

I decided it would be the perfect tree to display my collection of real vintage and vintage style ornaments, which had previously gone undisplayed due to a lack of a suitable tree for them. Some are quite heavy, such as the little girls and boys below, and others are downright fragile...those being the collection of vintage balls that I "inherited" from a previous home purchase. I love this tree, and it resides in my dining area where I can see it as soon as I come in my front door. It makes me happy every time...

I love the handpainted balls...this one is a poinsettia, of course.

This little guy I received from my mum, quite a while ago...

The following little boys and girls I picked up at Zellers a few years ago. I could not believe my luck! I am telling you, you really need to check it out at Christmastime if you have the chance...

For some reason, the boys are my favourites...just look at that lunchbox!!
...and that little robot...
...and this little "cowboy" is my all-time favourite! He even has a glittered cowboy hat!!

Isn't this girl so pretty?

Here are a couple more, along with a sweet little snowman ornament I got from Seasons of Cannon Falls...and another painted ball: this one says Merry Christmas!

I love this little, "old" sock that has been tea-dyed to look old and worn.

Finally, this collection lies beneath the tree. My mum got me the postal delivery man from the Kris Kringle holiday movie...I love that movie! My little pink kitchen I picked up at a local place that sells all kinds of vintage treasures. I usually can't afford anything there, but I decided to splurge on the kitchen...it was crying out to me! What is a girl to do...??!! Oh, and note the bottle brush candy striped garland...another after Christmas holiday purchase from Country Treasures. I always find one exceptional treasure there. It is where I got the miniature yellow-ware bowls on my kitchen tree, and the glittery snowman on a bike comes from there, too. I can't wait to see what I'll find this year. It is one of my favourite stops on the Boxing Day shopping trip that I go on with the women in my family each year. We head out by 7 a.m. and hit all the fun spots, and top it all off with a nice lunch somewhere. It is a long, tiring day but, as serious shoppers determined to find bargains, we are up to the task!! It is one of my favourite holiday traditions.

Only one more week until the big day!!!

A few more ideas...(and tree # 4)

Just a short post before I head off to bed in hopes of trying to shake this blasted cold!!

Here are my dining chairs...kind of like one chair, two looks...I ended up choosing the more subdued red and white version, since I have a fair bit of red in the room. I added the sparkly snowballs in keeping with my wintery theme which can extend well into January!

It isn't Christmas without a few nuts around, so I always do this "help-yourself" arrangement: three brown paper bags with the tops folded over, two filled with nuts and the nutcracker, and one left empty to put all the shells in. Easy, but looks good and entices you to snack...which, come to think of it, isn't always a good thing!!

Tree # 4 is a charming feather tree I decorated with these advent tags I picked up from the Wendy Addison collection. I paid full price after Christmas (they did not go on sale!!) and even though my mum and sister thought I'd gone mad, I still do not regret the rather frivolous purchase!! My favourites are the ones with the birds on them, and of course Santa himself. I love them so much I did not put them on the tree a day at a time. I simply hung them all at once, so I could enjoy them for the entire month. The old Santa standing guard below the tree is from my mum, amd the box at the back is for vintage lightbulbs (of which there were none within...) and the little oval box is what the advent tags came in...all done up with a red, organza bow. How could I resist??

And finally, I took some photos of my baby girl all dolled up for her Christmas concert. Why can't they make outfits like that for adults? But wait: a poufy skirt like that would be murder on my hips...!!! Better leave well enough alone, and leave the fashion to Sophie! Please indulge my multiple pictures of her...I only have one girl, after all...
Striking a pose...she does NOT get this from me!!
Really posing now...

She figured, "Why not throw a few dance moves in??"...why not, indeed?