2011 Christmas Mantle

The stockings were hung by the chimney with care...

In hopes that all family and friends soon would be there!

My Christmas mantle has taken on a rustic and wintry mix this year.

It all started with the purchase of these beautiful reindeer that I bought from work at Stein Mart.

 I kept my eye on these for several weeks before finally talking myself into buying them.  I love how they have a subtle sparkle to them!

Then after laying out layers of garlands I added my pine cone candles.  I've had these for quite some time but rarely ever pull them out.

Then the search was on for just the right ribbon.

I was quite pleased when I finally found what I was looking for.

The final addition was to hang my winter wreath purchased from Walmart, during last years after Christmas sales.  Thanks to a great tip from Liz at Savvy Seasons to use those adhesive hooks with easy removable tabs, I was able to center it right on the middle of the mirror.

 I'm really enjoying the deeper richer colors I used on the mantle this season instead of so much bright red and green.  It's much more soothing to me!

 I thought I'd also share a few pictures of the finished living room with you as well.  I didn't put out all of my Christmas decor this year.  I am purposely trying to keep it more simple in this room.

  I have collected Santa's for years but only put out a few of my Santa's scattered over the house this year.  I also put out only a few of all my other Christmas accessories too.  Even with keeping it simple there is still quite a bit out, especially with Christmas trees in most of my rooms.  It's been a simple decorating year for me here at The Decorative Dreamer, but one I am enjoying quite a bit.  I may be a "decorative dreamer" but I guess I will always be "sailing simply" at heart.

Thank you so much for taking a look and I hope you enjoyed your visit too!

I am thrilled to be able to link this post to the following parties;

Holiday Mantle Party at From My Front Porch To Yours

Seasonal Sunday at The Tablescaper

Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on The Porch

Be sure and visit any of the above links to see so many more wonderful posts from some incredibly talented bloggers. 

Three Trees and Counting!

It's the most wonder..ful time, it's the most wonderful time..., the most wonderful time... of.... the year!

You could say I've been just a tad busy lately!  It's been one crazy season so far but I've managed to deck three trees already.  I've still got 2 more to go but thought I'd share the ones that I've finished.  I shared some of these photos with my facebook friends already because I was so excited Sunday.  So for those of you who have already seen this, sorry but this is as far as I've gotten still.

Tree No.1 - The Den

This is the first photo I took on Sunday, after I finished.

 I was trying to go a little more rustic on the tree in my den this year.

Here's the tree again this morning after readjusting my stars on top that had slipped down into the bow.

They are hand forged copper that I purchased from a craftsman in Charleston several years ago. I put the three of them together myself to use as a tree topper.  I finally found just the right ribbon to use this year too.  Not only is it houndstooth, but actually feels like wool as well.

Quite different from last years tree, huh?

Tree No.2 - The Dining Room 

Again, here is the tree on Sunday after first finishing it.

This is my white, gold and silver tree.

And my very old special angel who has been with me for so long!

Here it is this morning from a different angle.  Please overlook all the other fall junk still sitting around yall.   I am so pressed for time lately that my house is still a mess, but at least I have a few trees up!

I wanted to also show you a few snaps of this tree without the lights on.  

You can see a few of my Lenox ornaments in this photo.  I've collected them ever since my husband and I got married.  The intertwined rings in the bottom of this photo is my first Lenox ornament and they are dated too.  These ornaments are what inspired me to do a white tree that has evolved into a white, silver and gold tree.  

With the lights on it really sparkles!

Tree No.3 - The Kitchen

 I had the most fun with this tree.  I previously have only done a small tree in here but decided to go large this year.  I just bought a very inexpensive tree from Target.   Since I knew it would be covered with ornaments I wasn't nearly as concerned about the quality of the tree as I was the size.  

How do you like the crazy topper I made?  My husband said, it reminds him of a Dr. Suess tree.

Do you remember these guys?  I was so excited to get them out and put them on this little red ladder I found at a thrift store this summer.  The Mr. came in later and said, no, that is not going to work.  I was crushed and asked why?  He said because they are not thing 1 and thing 2.  LOL!

All of my newest candy ornaments and ribbon from last year went on this tree along with my old elves and a few other whimsical ornaments.

I think this is quite a magical tree!

Thanks for stopping by, I hope you enjoyed my trees!

I hope to find some time for visiting many of you tonight.  See ya soon!

Have a great day everyone!  

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!