Mermaids in the Christmas tree

Good Monday morning!  All my Christmas decorating is finished.  Woohoo!  So, now it's time to share.  I've got so much to show and will try to keep sharing more as much as time permits.  Already we have celebrations coming up to prepare for...so...you know how that goes, and know what I mean right?

One thing you may not know about me is that I absolutely LOVE mermaids!  I am not sure when this actually started but I just adore them!  There is something so fun about the thought of them for me.  I like them so much I started a playful Mermaid theme on my screen porch that all started with a sign I found call The Mermaid Lounge.  That's where the idea began and it's grown ever since.

Let's start off with the topper!  Because my Christmas tree is on the screened porch (aka The Mermaid Lounge) I went with a nautical theme.  Since we are a nautical family this tree makes us really happy!  I found these blue balls on stems at Michaels a few years ago and knew they would make a perfect topper.  They look like bubbles to me.  I also found the silver and teal leafy stems that reminded me of seaweed and it all came together very easily after that.  

I have had so much fun creating this tree and continue to do so every year.  I started collecting more pieces on my summer vacations to add to this tree.  It's amazing how easy it is to come across nautical tree decor while on vacation.  Not to mention it's starting to be very enjoyable to look back at a few of the ornaments now and remember the vacation as well. 

I especially love that friends also enjoy my tree.   The sailboat in the bottle was given to me from a sweet friend last year.  Isn't it adorable, I just love it!!!

This ornament is new, added from our beach trip to Edisto this summer.  Edisto is one of those beaches we used to frequent quite a bit but haven't been back to in some time.  We had such a fun time there this year and I was tickled to death when I found this ornament with Mermaids no less.



This year I also added a few new items.  I came across these adorable fish from Carolina Pottery and added new jute ribbon that I got from Michaels at the after Christmas sales last year. It's a white jute with flecks of gold in it.  I felt like the ribbon had a ropey kind of look that fit the theme well.

As you can see I have lots of nautical ornaments I could highlight.  They are not always so easy to come by so when I do see them I tend to pick them right up.  For this post though, I decided to zoom in on the Mermaids for your enjoyment.  These are just a few more of my favorites also from previous beach trips to Pawleys Island and Litchfield.  

Last but not least, is my newest Mermaid purchased at the Atlanta Market this year while there with work.  She is a handmade ornament for Peru, complete with a precious pearl.  Isn't she beautiful!

I think she's delightful!

Thank you so much for popping in today!

 I still haven't shared the dining room with you yet.  

I'll try to get that one out real soon, okay?  Ok!

Have a great day friends!

Mary

Faith in the Foyer

Hi Sweet Friends!  I can't think of a better way to welcome and greet family and friends for the holidays then with a little Faith, Hope and Love!   This sign has only been in my foyer above the mirror almost a year now.  It has so few words but says so much, and I absolutely love it!  

I have always displayed our manger scene in the dining room because I like to be able to look upon it while dining during Christmas.    However, this year I decided to display our manger in the foyer.  I felt like it would be so pretty in here with the new color.  The color is very ethereal to me so I felt like the manger scene totally fit this space this year.

The dictionary defines "ethereal" as; extremely delicate and light in a way that seems too perfect for this world.

Now doesn't that seem fitting for a manger scene when you think about the whole of it?  I think so!

I have enjoyed this starry globe for years now.  It was purchased from a Christmas Around the World home party many, many, years ago.  If you ever want me to go to a home party just host a Christmas themed one and I'm there!  I placed the globe on a Tyler Candle stand this year because I liked the color of the stand with the globe and of course those bling blingy crystals.  Gotta have my bling!  

Other then a few bits of bling though, I decided not to load this vignette down with too many objects so the focus would stay on the manger.   I used a teal runner that  I usually keep on the dining room table to give the manger some contrast from the wood.

The only additional items I added were the globe for the starry night effect and these small Christmas trees in various sizes which I kept unadorned.  I've used them before with this set and thought it was so simple and yet so sophisticated looking.  

I was given this set by a very dear friend of mine after I gushed over it one day while we were out shopping together.  It's from Kirklands and was an excellent price for the beauty of it yet I still didn't buy it because I have several old hand me down sets (both from my family and my husbands) and children's play sets.   I've never had a nicer set until she surprised me later with this one.  I just treasure it so much because it was such a thoughtful gift.  I am always so very thankful to have received this set and was especially thrilled when I came upon the stable at a thrift store one day too.  

I perched my angel up near the roof of the stable because she is definitely among those ethereal beings keeping watch over baby Jesus.    I do wish you could see the coloring's of the porcelain in person.  The color variations of the kings clothing are just so wonderful.  

Even the precious shepherd boys cloak and the animals colors are so pretty! 

I love this season so much and what a great time to show our love to the Lord to all and to also share his message that all are welcomed!

Thanks so much for stopping by again today.

Happy Wednesday Everyone!

Have a blessed day!!!

Mary

Christmas decorating in the den

Good Morning Friends!  I hope you all had a great weekend.  I sure did and accomplished so much.  I still need to do my porch Christmas tree but everything else is done.  Today I'd like to share my Christmas decorating in the den because....

Christmas coffee table

Good Morning Friends!  How is your Christmas decorating going?  I have been going full swing since the week prior to Thanksgiving and I'm not done yet.  Yes, I know it's quite a lot but I have to say I am enjoying every moment of it.  Yesterday, I was able to do some of my most favorite type of decorating.  I love adding greenery, santas and ribbons all around the house and tweaking vignettes.  I probably enjoy doing this more then putting up the trees.  

Yesterday, I finalized a few tweaks on the coffee table vignette.

A few months back I went a little crazy over two sets of hurricane vases.  I found a set of solid glass Hurricane vases at Home Goods just after I had already ordered these two hurricane vases with grey wicker bases from Pier One online.  I was thinking one set might be returned but then after having them all home and seeing how I would use each set and thinking about the deal I got on both sets, I decided to keep them all.

I'm so glad I kept this set too, I absolutely love them!  I decided to add a combination of the new ribbons I used in the den on the tree with some of the twine I had already added to these vases for my fall decorating.  For this look I simply cut a few small strips of the cheetah and the plaid ribbons then cut points on each end and layered them and tied in onto the vase with the twine.  I then added the twine bow on top of the ribbons.  Love this look!

The next thing I decided to do was to add some filler.  I chose to use these fake snow flakes for a little winter time fluff and sparkle.  I still need to remove the wrapper on my red candles.  I usually wait to do this on scented candles until just before burning them so I don't loose too much of the scent prior to burning them.  Do any of you do the same?

The final tweak on this vignette came with adding greenery nestled in this ornament candy dish.  I knew I wanted to add some greenery to my vignette and decided I liked the look of this frosted ivy.  I didn't like the way it looked just wrapped around the bases and laying on the coffee table so I looked for something to put it in.  I had several baskets and vases I was going to use before I remembered this little candy dish.  This dish is one of my oldest and most favorite decor pieces and had a sweet little lid that looked like the top of an ornament.  Unfortunately I broke the lid the other day getting it down out of the cabinet.  I didn't have the heart to throw the base away so I set it aside.  I am so glad I did since I now have a new purpose for the dish.  No more peanut M&M's for it.  It still is just a pretty as ever though, don't you think?



Again, I have to apologize for the quality of these photos as I am still using my phone.  I spent a great deal of time last night trying to upload and download and edit photos on my chromebook which sends them into google pictures which I still can't figure out how to add text.  I tried sending them over to Picasa and was limited on what I could do there as well.  I am sure all of this is due to being on a Chromebook as opposed to a true laptop.  It really was very time consuming with downloading and uploading and finally I just decided this morning to stick with my phone for now to get me through holiday postings.  Soooo, I hope you don't mind!





The den tree and mantle are done as well and I will follow up with a post on them soon.  I love sharing seasonal decor and seeing all of yours as well.  I always see something someone shares and it inspires me not to duplicate exactly but to do something similar or sends me in a whole new direction of something to try in my own home.  That's what its all about and that's why I'm still here sharing with you too.

Thank you so much for taking the time to stop in and take a peek today.  Maizey says Hello as well!

Have a great day and a wonderful weekend!

Mary

This Season, Let Go and let Love!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here!  I am so excited to get started.  As usual, I like to start in the kitchen.  I like starting in the kitchen because I do a candy land and elves theme that brings forth a sense of wonder and innocence, like that of a child.   When I start with this room it just sets me in the right mood for the whole season.  So for those of you who like to read that's what I'd like to post about today.

I am sure I must have posted about this already, but I feel very compelled to post again.  Maybe it's because I personally have very recently gone through a very difficult separation from a job I loved and people I loved as well.  Maybe it's because the news is filled with so much terrorism, hatred, division, apathy and disbelief.  Maybe it's because even with all our online communication readily available people are still rarely communicating but are more into observing and placing judgement.  If that's not the case in your world then you are certainly blessed.  Don't worry, I am not going to make this a post about all that is wrong in the world today.  Quite contrary!  I am posting about something that is still very right in our world today!

I feel so blessed to have found the world of online blogging in regards to decor.   It is such a huge joy for me to see all the pretty, sparkly, blingy and festive decor of the seasons especially during Christmas.  I am so pleased to be able share even one fraction of that joy with you as well.  That is what the heart of this post is.  Sharing Joy and sharing love! 

 I truly believe that is what is at the heart of most who share their decor, crafts, projects, and holiday decor.  We all enjoying showing what we have done as a sense of accomplishment but we also enjoy sharing the joy of it all too.  Isn't that right?

I am a Christian and for me the holidays are so much more then all the trappings, though that does not stop me from decorating for Christmas.  I know many of you are Christians too and I always enjoy seeing when you share your faith as well as your decor.  Many of us do not spend much time sharing our faith online, sometimes even in person, though it is still there.   Just because someone is not speaking faith matters to you consistently does not mean it is not there.  Often a persons faith can be seen more in their actions then in their words.   This is what I want to touch on today. 

 Too often I hear many who are so closed up in their minds and their faith that they are very judgmental towards others even more so this time of year then any other.   Many people love to go all out and decorate and celebrate ( I am one of them) and try very hard to share a little joy and wonder of the season.  I am always so saddened by those who comment about what a waste of money, time and energy it is to do so.    I am saddened by agnostics who use it as a way to point towards Christians as being hippocrates for decorating when they should be focusing on Christ.  I am even more saddened by those of faith who make comments about all the trappings being very un-Christian like.  This one gets me most of all, because I think it speaks to the heart of things.

I am not saying if you are Christian you should decorate, but I am saying you should not be so judgmental towards those who do.  Certainly, there are those who cannot decorate due to their health, age, or circumstances.  Maybe some people are traveling, maybe some are not as fortunate to do so.  Maybe some people just prefer not to decorate at all and maybe some prefer to stay focused on the true meaning only.  All of the above is fine we each can make our own decisions about how we choose to celebrate the season.  It is not up to us to judge how another celebrates.

  But what I hear way to often is judgement and I really have to question.  What really is your focus of the true meaning of Christmas if you get depressed or upset and so judgmental of others. Especially others who are trying to share a little joy and love.   For Christians, Christmas is not just about the birth of our Lord and Savior.  It is more in the joy of the Savior part.  The joy of Love, a love that sacrificed that which was most sacred for all of us....and for you!

Wouldn't it be nice if all of us as adults would enjoy the season like that of a child.  Doesn't God ask us to come to him with faith of a child?    Of course their are many concerns in life to compete with our enjoyment of the season.  But sometimes we have to learn to protect our focus.   Instead of focusing on all the excess's you think you see from others, think of it as an excess of pouring out of love.

  When I drive by a house that is all decked out in lights and ornamentation I can honestly say I never ever think they just want everyone to see what all they've got.  Nor do I waste anytime thinking it is better then what I do.    Never, never, ever!  What I do think is, Wow!  Look at all they did!  I think of all the time and energy that must have taken, I even think about the cost of what it takes for those who go all out.  Then I think, that family must surely love Christmas.  I also think they must surely love God and their neighbors (maybe they do, maybe they don't) but that's the message I get.  Because to me, what I see is that they are trying very hard to share a little joy and delight with all those around them.  Maybe, they don't know how to share their faith or their love in words, maybe this is the only time and only way they share it.  If it is, isn't that enough?  I say it is.  It would be nice if everyone was willing to sit and chat about their faith and heart things all the time but the truth is from what I have seen it is very rare.  It seems more and more rare each day as so many focus on only communicating discontent. 

 Discontent is appropriate at times but when it is a daily occurrence something is wrong.  Sometimes its a matter in our own heart, sometimes it's others.  You can only change what is in your heart and let God handle the rest.     

As the countdown to Christmas begins so goes the days of shopping left.  Does this stress you out?  I never stress over what others think of the presents I give either.  I stress over finding what I want them to have within my budget.  More often then not, I find way to many things and change my mind too often.  LOL!   My hope is that they will like what I give , but if they don't, oh well.  If they keep it or not doesn't bother me either because it is their gift.  It is theirs to keep or theirs to give away once I have given it to them.  I tend to trust that those I give presents to know it's the thought that is most important not the actual gift itself.  That I tried.   It they do not know this, that is beyond my hands, that's where I let go and let love.  

There are always so many things you can choose to look down on others about and unless you are willing to sit and speak deeply and truthfully with another persons heart in each and every judgement you have made, then you should just stop. 

 Or maybe, you could just learn to Let Go and Let Love!