I've got a new Roo!

Hey Friends!  It's been quite awhile since I've joined one of Marty's parties (hey that rhymed!) over at A Stroll Through Life.  But today, I've got just a little something to share with you that  I think a few of you might like to see.  What it is you say?

Do you see it? Nope! It's not the cookbook ladies!

Yep!  It's the new Roo of course!  See, didn't I tell you, you'd like it!  Now don't you worry, I am still not going to get caught up in all that Rooster collecting business, no NOT me! 

But... I do know a few good Roo's when I see them.   Especially since I have been looking at quite a few of them almost everyday for months.  We sell this collection and another set at Stein Mart.  So, after looking at this set everyday for over 3 months now I finally broke down and bought this decorative plate when it went on sale.  I love how the plate is in the shape of a rooster!  

Of course, I knew that the black on the rooster would also fit in quite well in my kitchen.  I knew exactly where I wanted to display it too, right here in this little nook in my kitchen.

It's over here tucked away with the bread box and cookbooks.

And the cute little clear jar that started out as a pecan jar after seeing you fabulous bloggers using these last year.  Then after the nuts were gone it turned into a hot drink packet jar, then quickly became a tervis tumbler "tops" jar.  This jar sure is versatile, isn't it?

Anywho, back to my new Roo!  Isn't he purrrrty!!!

I am really being so good because there is such a huge collection that goes with him.  There is a huge cookie jar, utensil holder, platter, salad plates, salt and pepper shakers, ect.  I am trying my best to not to add anything else but the coffee mugs are starting to call my name too.  Look out!

I thought he would look wonderful over here by a cookbook so I pulled out a nice comforting one for the winter.  Maybe this will give the Mr. a few hints too.  Ya think?  

Then, when I was trying to figure out what napkin or tea towel I wanted to add to this vignette I remembered my new plaid napkins. I purchased these from work on the day after Christmas sale.  They also have black in them so I thought it would look great.  What do you think?  Still, nice and wintry right?

And because I promised awhile back to show you these but got to busy to do so, here they are!

For those of you who do not know what I'm talking about I bought all of this at 75% off the day after Christmas from Stein Mart.  I was surprised they had not already sold but was quite pleased to be able to add them to my home.

I have a set of six placemats and six napkins.  I love the red,black,hunter,blue and white in the plaid.

I was also lucky enough to score two sets of silver and red beaded napkin rings at 75% off too for a total of eight each!  Can you believe that?  I know I can use those napkin rings year round! 

Well, that's it!  I just wanted to share a little vignette with you all today.

Thanks for stopping by! 

I hope you have a little more time to visit many more pretties over at 

Tabletop Tuesday.

Have a great day!

Christmas Day Tablescapes

We had quite a busy Christmas this year hosting both my family on Christmas Eve and then my husbands family on Christmas Day.  It is a lot of work but, Oh, so wonderful getting together with family to celebrate!  

I only remembered to snap a few quick photos of the tables just seconds before the guests arrived on Christmas Day so there aren't many here to see but thought I'd share them with you anyway.

At the kitchen table I only needed to set the table for five this year.  My kitchen table has two large leaves that we insert during the holidays.  Usually we have to extend this table when my husbands family comes and even then still need a folding table in addition to the dining room table.  Not this year though, as a portion of the family did not make the trip up for the holidays.  So I only needed the kitchen table without sleeves and the dining room to accommodate everyone.  It was a wonderful afternoon but they were truly missed!

 I used my old Christmas china called Holiday Ribbon from Belks in the kitchen combined with my darker green glasses.  I think the green goblets are Libby.  The Christopher Radko cookie jar served as my centerpiece paired with candles and Santa salt and pepper shakers.

In the dining room I used the new plaid tablecloth that I purchased from last years after clearance sales at Walmart.

I kept the centerpieces simple in both of these rooms.  Since I had to move them in order to clean the linens after the first nights use and because I like to keep the table less cluttered when family is sitting around the table, I decided less is best.  

In my dining room I used the Butler's Pantry china combined with the Holiday Gatherings salad plates, both are from Lenox.  My lighter green goblets are from the Better Homes and Garden collection sold at Walmart.  My cloche filled with sparkly white, gold and silver balls served as our centerpiece.  Very simple and casual just the way we like it!  

I realized while setting these tablescapes this year how limited I was on holiday linens, specifically napkins.  Having to work first thing on Monday morning for our after Christmas sales at SteinMart has it's advantages!  I was able to snag a few bargains for myself to help resolve my limited amount of Christmas linens.  I'll be sharing a sneak peek of those with you soon.  But already, I am dreaming of next year's tablescapes!

I am joining BNOTP for Tablescape Thursday.  Please be sure and visit this link to check out many more beautiful settings. I bet there will be plenty to enjoy from the holidays!

Here's wishing you all many blessings for a Happy New Year!

In Search of Holiday Ribbon

Hi Friends!  Guess what?  It's that time of year again, when we embark upon that all important quest to find just the right holiday ribbon.  Do you feel the same?

Every year I decide if I am going to reuse the same holiday ribbon from last year or search for a new look.  I'm not sure what it is about ribbons, but one things for sure.   We women take our ribbon shopping very seriously!   Several shopping trips with friends who were also looking for a new ribbon are some of my favorite seasonal shopping memories.  The buddy system is a great way to shop for ribbon.  It never fails even if I am shopping alone for ribbon that I will enjoy a conversation with someone in the ribbon isle.  It's that sharing of thoughts, opinions and ideas that makes buying ribbon such a joy for me.  It may also be why I like trying out new ribbons too.

These were my new ribbon selections from last year.  

I ended up only using these spools.  They were actually tulle, and so wonderful to work with!  I still have plenty of this left and will be using it again on a few of my trees but not on the large tree in my den this year.  I am going with a totally different look in the den this year.  

The only problem is I haven't yet found quite the right ribbon yet.  Yikes!  It's getting too close for comfort too, because I like to start my tree decorating right after Thanksgiving.  Also since I am so limited on time this year even being able to search the different stores for just the right ribbon has been a challenge.  So this morning, I pulled a few photos from Pinterest to share with you on searching for holiday ribbon.  Here's a few that I found that I absolutely love!

countryliving.com

Isn't this the cutest thing!  I love all these plaid ribbons in the jar.  That's almost a decorating statement in itself isn't it?

pinterest.com

I thought this was adorable.  I really love the small checked ribbon and the muslim ribbon too.

thehappymomblog.blogspot.com

Here is a great example of checked ribbon on a tree.  It's just gorgeous!

etsy.com

Speaking of gorgeous, how do you like this plaid ribbon?  I love the white and red with just a touch of green.  I think the big beautiful bow and ribbon totally makes this door swag, don't you?

tatteredandtimeless.com

I would love to make one of these ribbon trees one day.  I adore the colors used in this one!  I have to put this idea on the back burner though, thank goodness for pinterest.  I must stay focused on searching for ribbon for my Christmas tree and my mantle right now.

 potterybarn.com

 I saw this used quite a bit last year in blogland and absolutely fell in love with it.  I even came across some very inexpensive jute webbing at a thrift store last year and passed it by.  It am kicking myself about that now!

save-on-crafts.com

This is very interesting!  It almost looks like gauze to me.  LOL!  I like how natural it looks though.

I also like this look quite a bit too.  I've yet to see anything that even comes close to this in the stores this year though.  Have you?  

bhg.com

And last but not least, I also am really liking this look as well.  The only thing is, I'm not so sure I want to make my own burlap ribbons this year.  That could be very time consuming!

By the way, any idea exactly how many yards I need for a very full 8ft tree?  I don't think I've ever measured exactly.  I usually just look for the largest quantities I can get.

So, it's off to the stores I go!

Still searching and enjoying meeting all the other ribbon enthusiasts along the way.  I guess you have a little idea of the direction I'm headed this year.  I still haven't found quite the right one yet.  You know the one that says; YES!!! YES!!! YES!!!

What about you?  Are you in search of  a new ribbon this year?  What are you looking for?

I would love to hear from you. 

Thanks for visiting and I hope you have a very blessed Sunday!