Silver and Gold Christmas Dining Room

Were in full celebration mode here at The Decorative Dreamers house, how about you?  We've already started the celebrations at our house last Saturday after hosting Christmas for my husbands side of the family.  It was so nice to be able to see everyone and to have been able to do so without being stressed from work this year.   I love working retail and I do miss working, but I have to say that it has really been a blessing time of year.   I have been able to slow it down and focus on the little things and that has meant quite a lot to me and to my husband as well.  He always takes the week before Christmas off and is thrilled to have me home with him this year.  He also has always been one of my most treasured blessings!

Mardi Gras Tablescape 2014

Hey Y'all! Do you celebrate Mardi Gras?  Well, me neither....LOL!  But....I just couldn't pass up the opportunity to do a Mardi Gras tablescape.  I just love the colors and imagery of Mardi Gras!  I have only done one other MG tablescape shown HERE. It was such fun to do that one that when I realized Fat Tuesday was fast approaching us this week I just couldn't help but getting creative.

I shared a few peeks on Instagram on Tuesday because I didn't have time to do a whole post until this morning.  Remember you can find and follow me on Instagram now too.  I may be wrong but I think you can still sign up for Instagram online even if you don't a cell phone, just go to Instagram.com and add me The Decorative Dreamer.  Now lets take a closer a look!

This year rather then sticking with only the more traditional colors of Mardi Gras I decided to veer off in a different direction.  I added the color teal.  A whole lot of teal!

What spurred the addition of teal was my centerpiece.

I had on hand several sea glass rocks in teal shades that I layered with iridescent pebbles, added the masks and beads I still had from the last MG tablescape I did.

I then topped it off with Peacock feathers.  I am not sure but for some reason Peacock feathers remind me very much of Mardi Gras and New Orleans.  Perhaps it has something to do with all those beautiful hand made masks.

Next, I added my teal and green Mediterranean styled dishware.

I topped the teal dishes off with a more traditional colored green napkin and gold beaded napkin ring.  Remember green, gold and purple are the traditional colors of MG.

I had a little fun with the more excessive patterns found in both the place mats and table runner.  Both of these seemed to bring in a little more of that French flair that also seems to hover in my mind when I think of Mardi Gras.  N'est-ce pas?

Sparkly silverware and...

....purple goblets paired with crystal wine glasses etched in gold complete the place settings.

A few coins, candles and silver sprinkled throughout added just the touch of "reckless elegance", 

I was hoping for.  Love that phrase, I think I'll coin it.  LOL!

Anyone care to be my mystery guest?

This was so much fun!

Thank you for stopping by and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did creating it.

Have a great weekend friends!

Basking in the After Glow

I admit it, I am one of those people who are slow to get on the band wagon! I usually like to wait a bit and see how something fares or something plays out so to speak before getting on board.  How about you?  Do you do the same?

Case in point today.... battery operated candles and LED lights. 

 It's not that I haven't seen these candles before or am unfamiliar with them or anything like that at all.  Heck, we sold them in all sizes and price ranges at Stein Mart when I was managing the gift dept.  I often had to create displays with them.  I was for all intensive purposes, well familiar with them.  I just hadn't ever actually seriously considered "buying" them and bringing them home. 

What changed all that?  Well I finally broke down and bought one to specifically use in the display above and below. 

I have loved this embossed and distressed wooden hurricane vase since the day I brought it home for it's simplicity and it's gentle softness in appearance.  I didn't want to put anything in it that would detract from the beauty of the vase itself.  

I finally decided that a large battery operated candle was a perfect fit for it .  I also love that I don't have to worry about blowing it out and having wax all over the inside of my vase.  It's a simple look on the table, but creates a wonderfully inviting centerpiece while dining.

In the den I decided to take things a bit further by adding another electric candle to my sailing vignette.  I think it adds such a warm look to this little corner that I just love.

I got this candle and another in a two pack that was on sale at Belks during their after Christmas sale.  I will have to remember that next year and add a few more.

My latest electric glow addition just arrived today.  I have been eyeing this little vase at Kirkland's for several weeks now.  It was on clearance with an additional 25% off so I decided it was time to bring it home.

I wasn't sure where it would end up.  For now, I have decided to put it in the dining room on my marble buffet table.  I wasn't too crazy about the fact that it was so yellow.  I was expecting white LED lights.  I guess I will have to look for those in the future!

As for now, not too bad!   I think I can live with it here!

Have you gotten into using more battery operated or LED lighting yet?  

If your a procrastinator like me you may want to revisit the idea.  They really are starting to get much more affordable and more widely available now.  

Come on, wouldn't you also like to enjoy basking in the afterglow?

I think so!

My Black China Cabinet is finished!

It's finished, shining and looking Oh so good!

I sure do wish I had done this a long time ago when I first brought her home.

I still have not replaced the cracked glass and the wood pieces missing on this top left side from when I first brought it home.  Hoping to get those fixed soon.

For now, I am just enjoying having this sweet cabinet refinished in black.

It is two pieces so I decided to keep the top of the bottom hutch unpainted in its original wood oak finish.  I like the contrast and like the idea of it not being visibly scratched should the top piece be shifted or moved.

I also did not paint the inside of the cabinet either as it compliments the top of the lower half.  I also have another piece of furniture on the opposite side of the room that is painted black with a stained wood top as well.  I love symmetry!

I am especially loving the way my white dishes look with the black finish as well now.

I have more work to do in this room and have made some more decisions regarding painting the lower half of the room again.  I can hardly wait for that project.  

But.... it will have to wait because I have already jumped on another project and finished it, and have yet one more redo before I get back to the dining room.

If your wondering what I am talking about you'll have to come back to see my new paint color for the kitchen soon.  Yep, that's right I redid the kitchen again and soon am repainting the den again too.  I'll be back with that another time though.

Please remember this blog is going private again soon and I will need your email to add you to be able to continue following along if you'd like.  See my previous post for more details.

I don't know why I waited so long to redo this cabinet that I purchased solely for the reason of repainting it.  I guess I just got busy.  So glad to have this one finally done!

Done and enjoying it!

Thanks for stopping by, 

Happy Monday!

Painting the China Cabinet

Time sure is flying by..."like sands through the hour glass, so are the days of our lives." 

I can't help but think of that every time I look at this vignette even though there is not one inkling of an hourglass in sight.  Weird!

It's hard to believe I actually made time to blog and was still tablescaping while I worked at Stein Mart. With all the responsibility of that position I am amazed that I even got one post out much less a few years worth.  Looking back now, it's easy to see that I did start to pull back though. 

What's funny is now that I have more time to blog I seem to be less inclined to do so.  It's not that I don't enjoy it, because I do and I do miss the communications with other bloggers.   I just seem to be a bit stuck in the same ole same oles.  Ever been there?    I also really miss one of my most inspirational bloggers ever, Liz at Savvy Seasons.  She always had a way of showing her decor that got me in the mood to rearrange and redecorate my own.  I hope your doing well my old blog friend!  Anyway, that's the long and short of why I haven't posted much at all...I am stuck, just like those hands on the clock above. 

 I have managed just a few changes around here lately though.  I recently purchased two new mercury glass lamps to use in the dining room.  I actually found them at Walmart of all places.  They didn't come with shades so I used some of my old shades and that's not quite what I want. So, I am keeping my eye open for just the right ones.

And....do you remember when I purchased this (new to me) cabinet several years back?   It was bought with the intention of painting it black.  Well, of course I waffled on that idea for several years.  I even let myself get to the point of starting all over and wanting a new dining table and hutch to match.  

But yesterday, as I was feeling restless on a cold Saturday afternoon inside, I decided to start repainting my hutch.  Of course I waited until almost 4:30 in the afternoon before I started.  Yes, really! I guess you know what I'll be working on today now don't you?

I can't wait to see this finished.  I think it will hold me off of any new purchases for a bit.  I still really, really, really want a new table and chairs and have several ideas on that.  

The fact is, I have been feeling very very restless lately as far as my decor goes.  I really want to update the whole house again with a different look.  I am kinda getting tired of older furniture and am wanting new, more modern, but frenchy and classic with a twist of modern.  Does that make sense to anyone other then me?  Unfortunately, the budget doesn't allow for such drastic measures as what are in my head.  So, I guess I will just have to continue to chip away at it a little at a time.  

Thanks so much for stopping by today!

I hope you have a beautiful and blessed Sunday!