Hard Candy Christmas in the Kitchen

Hi sweet friends!  Yes, this is really happening!  I actually decorated the kitchen for Christmas today.  If you follow my FB page you know that I have been struggling with getting in the mood.  Today I was touch by the spirit, and decided it was time.

So without a lot of chit chat because honestly, I'm a bit tired now.  Let's just jump right in and let me share my "Hard Candy" kitchen with you.

I'm calling it a Hard Candy Christmas because my kitchen is always decorated with a candy theme.  I love the candy and gingerbread look for kitchens.  It's just so warm and inviting as all kitchens usually are.

I started with my very thin pencil style Christmas tree and moved right on to the chandelier.  Did I mention I also have a thing for elves in the kitchen?

Next, I worked on my shelves.  They are so fun and I am enjoying changing them out regularly.  I've got it set up pretty good but I've got a bit of tweaking to do.  I need to paint the wood block for the background of my embroidered sign (it's going to be black) and I want to find a cute little mini candy type Christmas tree to replace the plain little tree beside Mr. and Mrs. Claus.  I think they need their own miniature Candy tree as well!

Next I worked on spreading out a few of festive servicing pieces and positioning my baking Santa's around as well.

I had to set up an area to display more dishtowels.  Oh mercy, do I ever have so many embroidered decorative dishtowels!  I don't have my newest ones down from the sewing room yet, but don't worry they will make their  way in the kitchen soon.

My newest addition to the kitchen is the adorable shabby framed chalkboard.  I actually just picked this up recently on clearance at Kirklands and new exactly where I wanted to use it.  I did'nt want to do the chalky scene for Christmas though I really wanted to just use it to hang a wreath on.  I already had this wreath and was quite pleased to see it actually is sized just right.  I was trying to figure out what to do with my adorable measuring spoons to display them when it hit me they would look so cute here on the wreath.  Love it!  I may add a few gingerbreads or other baking items to the wreath, or maybe not, still debating that one.

After it was all done, I vacumed and mopped the floors.  What an enjoyable day to listening to Christmas music on Pandora, smelling my melted candles and now wrapping up the evening with homecooked Chili from the hubby.  Whew!  I'm tired, but my kitchen is all decorated now and it's all clean too.  Now that's not really the true meaning of a hard candy Christmas is it?  I know, so maybe I'll rename it my Sweets for my Sweets Christmas kitchen.  LOL!

Thanks so much for stopping by, and wishing you the spirit of Christmas soon!

Hugs and Waves!

Mary

Christmas Around The Kitchen

Hi Friends! I am so thankful that this year as Christmas draws near I am able to slow it down a bit more and enjoy getting things set up for all of our family celebrations.  It's hard to believe that it was only a few years ago that I started decorating the kitchen with a Candy Land theme.    I have to say this theme is one of my favorite and holds near and dear to my heart.  I guess we never really outgrow "visions of sugarplums dancing in our heads", do we?

Rather then moving the bakers rack out of this space I decided to keep it here and just place the tree right in front of it.  

I also decided to keep the top a little simpler this year with the addition of a few new ribbons.

We are all about chevron here and I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the color combinations on this ribbon.  I knew immediately it would be perfect for my kitchen tree.

Then I decided it would look even better if I added a little twine ribbon as well.  

On the bakers rack, I decided to keep out a good bit of my regular decor sprinkled with Christmas.

My elves sure look up to mischief this year, don't they?

And speaking of sprinkling....how do you like the sprinkling of snow?  I love it!!!

  I have to tell you all I am just absolutely beside myself with joy about these picture effects.  I promise you I have not purposely added one effect myself. The only thing I have done was edit my pictures in Picasa then upload them to blogger.  When creating this post and adding a picture I am seeing two images to choose from.  One that is what I uploaded and one with special effects.  It's like either Blogger, Google, or Picasa is giving me a Christmas present.  It's crazy, y'all!

Well, before I go I've got to share my newly created coffee bar in the kitchen.  You may remember this as the wine bar last year.  I moved that over to another space in my kitchen after getting a new Keurig last month.  I'm still tweaking this area and playing with the decor here.

For the holidays, I think I've settled on this.

 Thanks so much for stopping by and enjoying the magic in my kitchen this year!

I am still hoping to get in at least a few more posts of my holiday decorating before Christmas arrives, if time permits.  If you enjoy holiday decorating please stop back by again sometime.  My next post will feature my dining room.  Come on back to see my nativity and hear about an amazing find I came across to complete my set.

Thanks so much for visiting today! Have a blessed Sunday Everyone!

My Holiday Kitchen 2012

Hey!  Welcome back!  As I promised it's Christmas time in the kitchen today.  

Last year was the first year I went with a large tree in the kitchen.  I have to say I just love it!  The Candyland theme is back too.  Hey, when it works why change it right?  I am hoping to add a few more items from work to the tree this year because we actually had a whole Candyland theme in our Christmas merchandise this year.  I've got my eye on several ornaments but am waiting on just the right sale.  Waiting and hoping they will still be available and not sold already that is.  LOL!

My cute little elves are back.  They were purchased from Hobby Lobby last year and I have seen that they also have them again this year.  I used an inexpensive fleece throw purchased from Walmart for only $2.98 for my tree skirt.  I think it's a wonderful substitute don't you?

The tree topper that I used last year came back up again. I decided to move one of the elves up higher into the bow this time to give it a little more whimsy.

On the island I have brought out my Candyland Santa purchased from Kohls after Christmas last year.  He is surrounded by a few gingerbread men and my Christopher Radko Christmas tree cookie jar that I've had for quite a while now.  

Look closely at the chandelier.  Do you see my old elves hanging with the berries up there?  

I have had these guys ever since I was a child.  They are so fun and just make me smile every time I see them.  

Even my oven gets a little decorating too.  Hehe!

The bar got just a few tweaks since you've seen it recently.  I added holiday napkins and brought out Mr. Jingles.  He is actually a bottle topper purchased many years ago from a Christmas Around the World party.  Then a bowl full of peanuts and I was done!

The bakers rack was moved from the corner of the kitchen where the tree is to a spot over by the coat rack.  Since it's in a very prominent location it got a little Christmas makeover too.

However I just couldn't bring myself to totally convert it over to Christmas.  So.... I left a few things that were already on it and decorated around them.  In other words, the roosters stayed!  Cock-a-doodle-do!!!

I tried to go with a more country look here since the roosters stayed.  Luckily for me, I already had several Christmas items that lent them selves to this look.

I was pretty thrilled to see this was a perfect spot to add my dishes for Santa.  We have put this set out every year since my children my toddlers.  And yes, we have actually put out milk and cookies for Santa each year too.  You have to have proof of eaten cookies and milk that has been drunk for for inquisitive children you know.  Now days they get a kick out of eating the cookies themselves and leaving a few bites on the plate before going to bed.  LOL!   We have trained them well and I know they will make great Santa's one day.

Speaking of these days, this old Mr. and Mrs. Claus are some of my favorites, unfortunately they really do reflect how I feel lately.  Haha!

Well, that's a wrap!  

I hope you enjoyed this little tour of my holiday kitchen.

I have quite a kooky schedule this week and I am so happy I am able to get several things done. I'm also very happy to be able to share it with you too.  A little bit here and little bit there and eventually you'll get there.  Now on to the dining room!

Thanks so much for stopping by and I hope you are having a great day too!

First 2011 Holiday Tablescape

Whew!  There is nothing like a day off to get caught up on the Christmas decor.  I still have one more tree to go but I've finally put away all the fall decor and cleaned up the bulk of the mess from bringing out all the Christmas decor.

Since I don't have to go in today until 1:00pm, I had a little extra time this morning to put together a centerpiece and practice a little holiday setting too.  Wanna see?

 It's morning y'all, so your getting lot's of streaming sunlight in these photos.

Before we get into the dishes let me show you my centerpiece.

This was a basket I bought last year at a yard sale and spray painted white.

I filled it with a swag of greenery...

...and stuck in a few inexpensive picks that I already had.

I surrounded the inside of the basket with more of my leftover tulle ribbon to act as a filler.

Then topped it off with a bow that I had made last year for some wreaths I hung on my inside windows.  

Simple and cute!

Oh, and I found these adorable votive candle holders this year at Ross.  They were very inexpensive, only $3.99 for a two pack.  I bought two packs!

The beautiful Irish tray linen underneath was won in an online auction this summer from a fellow blogger at, My Place To Yours.  I love it!

Okay ladies, now let's talk dishes!

I am so excited to break out my newest holiday dishes I purchased last year!

The plaid salad plates are from Lenox and are part of the Holiday Gatherings collection.  I purchased them from Belks.  I have wanted these plates for some time and they had stopped carrying them but brought them back last year so I snapped them right up.  Wouldn't you?

I just love how they look with my Lenox Butlers Pantry Gourmet.  Honestly though, they would also look fantastic with any white, red, or green dishes for that matter!  Belks is carrying them again this year, I may have to seriously consider adding on a few more.

Then I decided to add my green checked napkins to keep it casual.

I'm sure most of you are very tired of seeing these bamboo flatware, but here I go again!  So sorry, but I really think they just work here so well, don't you?  Come on!

My pretty green goblets were from Walmart.  They are some of that great stuff from the Better Homes and Garden label.

Yes, I think this setting is really working for me.

I like how well this is also working with the rest of my Christmas decor in the kitchen.

Like my tree!  Yesterday, I found more elves I had bought last year and added them to the tree.

I also added "old" Mr. and Mrs. Claus in here too.

Look who I caught watching me through the glass doors.  Hey Misty girl!

I also hung a few of my oldest elves off the chandy...

...along with a few old ornaments as well.  These were some hand me down glass balls that I painstakingly hand glued each and every sequin on one year.  Don't you know one fell while I was attaching it yesterday and shattered.  I hate when that happens!  Urgghh!

Well, here's my first holiday setting of the season!  How do you like it?

Thanks so much for joining me today for

Tablescape Thursday.

I really appreciate the visit and hope you enjoyed what you saw.

I can't wait to see all your tablescapes and decor this year too!

Have a great day everyone!