Victorian Tea Part Four

For this tea ALL the chairs had white covers. The hostesses used a lot of very creative ways to decorate the backs of the chairs to coordinate with their tables.



It looks like the bow on this chair is made with tulle.



This chair back's deep burgundy ribbon reads very Victorian to me.



This one uses doilies in a very creative way.



Here we see a wreath and tulle for the decoration.

It is amazing that there are so many different ways to decorate the backs of chairs and have them co-ordinate with the table settings.

The tea was really a visual feast. The food was fantastic as always.

Victorian Tea Part Three

This is my 600th blog post.
Thanks to all of you who follow along on my journey with it's twists and turns.



This is a very Victorian wreath.



It is a tradition to take a photo of all the table hostesses at each tea. This is a most elegant group.



Each tea has a goup of ladies who keep everyone's tea cup full. Their attire is always appropriate for the theme.


Each course is served by the men who volunteer as butlers. I think they enjoy themselves as much as the guests at the tea.


I am always fascinated by the creativity of the individual place settings.



Another lovely place setting.



And one last place setting for you to enjoy.

The Real Santa Visits The Victorian Tea Ladies

The ladies at the tea lent a true Victorian elegance to the event.



My calendar says it is 2010 but looking at this elegant lady I'd almost be fooled into thinking it is the 1890's.



Not only do you see another elegant lady, but in the background is one of the Tea Pourers, property attired!



The real Santa Claus was also in attendance.

It was a beautiful event and there is still more to come so stay tuned.
This is my 599th blog post!

A Victorian Christmas Tea

Today the Tequila Rose Tea club in our community held their Christmas Tea. The theme lent itself to some lovely decorations and table settings.
I would like to share some of them with you.

It would have been very difficult to pick a favorite as there were so many absolutely gorgeous tables.



Many of the tables had so many wonderful ideas and I will be sharing more details soon.



This is another lovely table setting.



The colors on this table were unique and beautiful.

It is good that there is no voting for the best table settings as it would be impossible to pick a favorite.

Please stay tuned as there will be more to come.

Twisted Log Cabin Christmas Card - Rerun

This has to be one of my all time favorite Christmas cards I have every received.
My sister in law Sue makes really great cards each year for Christmas and other occasions. She certainly outdid herself with this Twisted Log Cabin quilt block.

The message inside the card reads:
Life's most beautiful things are not seen with the eyes, but felt with the heart. Wishing you a special season of the heart.

Handmade cards and gift items mean a lot to me.

Puzzles make great Christmas gift so this is a gift to all of you who read my blog.

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year!

I am so happy with the way the flamingo tree turned out.
It was not easy to find flamingo ornaments in the stores this year.
What's a girl to do? Turn to eBay where I got all I needed.
This is one of those you can appreciate more viewing close up.
I left the image size large so you can click on it and get a better view.
Actually I try to leave all the images on my blog large so you can click on them.


I had planned on purchasing a new wreath for the front door.
I realized I could create something just as nice so I made this decoration. I am pleased with it and it works perfectly.

Today we put up some of the outside lights. We had to take a few breaks as it was very hot outside. Then it rained so we will work on them again tomorrow.
I'm anxious to see what they look like when it gets dark tonight.

Who is 26,000 days old today?

I admit it.
It is ME.

I have no photo to share of "what 26,000 days old looks like"!

I celebrated 25,000 days old on leap day - February 29th, 2008.

This time I celebrated my 1000 multiple on Thanksgiving.

Wonder if the next 1000 will happen on a special day?


If you look at the colors of this wreath it looks more like a fall or Thanksgiving wreath. However, it is a Christmas wreath that coordinates with the master bedroom decor.

Oh, Christmas Tree(s)

I really feel like I accomplished something today.
I figured out how to get all the light cords to a place where I could plug them into an adaptor with a switch so it will be easy to reach to turn them on and off.
I also draped the tree tables which was quite a challenge.
The last thing I did was to decorate all three trees.
I'm quite pleased with the way they turned out.
I took this photo at night so I could photograph them with the lights on.


I was also able to get the lights set up on the light bridge in the master bedroom, which is where the three trees are.

I have 14 days until the Christmas Tour. I have a few more things to do inside and then I will head outside to put up the lights and the decorations in the yard.

Purple: Hue Gotta Love It

My goal today was to get the 3 purple trees up, shaped and start decorating them.
I got in the mood by dressing in purple.



The first thing I did was get out all the ornaments I was possibly going to use on the trees.



Next I brought out all the fabrics I would possibly to use to drape around the bottom of the trees.



One tree up, shaped and ready to decorate.



All three trees are up, shaped and ready to decorate.

It was at this point I realized I needed a gizmo to plug in several cords and had to place that behind the trees before I proceeded. Off I went to the store and picked up two of them and many other items on my list.

When I got home I dropped the packages on the floor, sat in my chair and turned on TV.
I don't know what happened but before I knew it I woke up from a nap and it was too dark to work on the trees so spent time doing other important things. I'll work on them again tomorrow.

If you put the pieces of the puzzle together I'll be ready to decorate them tomorrow!

You Light Up My Life!

Today was another productive day.
I finished the mouse tree and hung lighting behind it. I didn't feel it needed lights on it.

I also did a little housekeeping in the guest room as it was a staging area as I decorate and many of the containers were now empty. As I put them away I can assess what else I have left to decorate with.


I made what I think is a clever decoration for the lanai. I had two deep white capiz shell trays stacked inside of each other that were holding my Altered Artist Trading cards. I took the cards out and put them away for now.
I put some magenta and silver ornaments inside the bottom tray.
On top of this I placed a string of purple Christmas lights. One Capiz shell was missing which gave me a perfect place for the cord to exit. I secured the two together with cable ties. I then wrapped it as a gift with silver ribbon and a little Christmas corsage.
I think you can see the details better in this view where it is not lit.



Tonight I have turned on all the lights I have installed so far to see how they look in the evening. I put lights and a garland on the "Grandfather clock".



Another thing I did is put these glittery snowflakes in the side light window by the front door. This helps screen the view into our house and is also a fun decorative touch. These were in a container of ornaments I bought with no idea what I would do with them. I simply tied them together with thread. The whole container has come in very handy with this project.

I hope this puzzle lights up your life!

You CAN try this at home!

I put a family photo from Christmases past in each one of these shiny red metallic frames. This is a very simple idea that one anyone can do.
It is not necessary to have red frames. I think displaying photos from the past is a warm fuzzy Christmas decorating idea.



This vignette also includes photos from a past Christmas.
I painted the lampshade to coordinate with the colors in the room. This was a fun project and didn't take much time. This is another thing YOU can do with acrylic craft paints. Just choose a design in keeping with your decor and colors.
The tinsel tree is shiny enough without it's lights so I will not plug it in as the cord would be unsightly.
I needed something to wrap around the bottom to conceal the stand. I looked across the room and there was a shawl I had worn the night before. Perfect color, perfect size!

I am keeping the puzzle easy too. This is a simple cut and one I have never used before.

Crazy For Christmas - Rerun

It's finished and if I do say so myself it is quite spectacular. I went from imperfection on the traditional quilt to absolute perfection on this quilt. The crazy piecing is emphasized with decorative machine stitches using special metallic threads. The combination of cotton fabrics, both print and plain, contrast nicely with the metallic fabrics. The borders and binding finish this off for a Merry Christmas.

Although you've done a puzzle of this quilt in progress it is truly a star of the show now!

One Idea Sparks Another

When I showed you the photo of the table from the tea yesterday I thought - I might be able to incorporate those napkin rings in my centerpiece. Not only did I incorporate those but I also used another set between them. It not only gave it more interest and sparkle, but I was able to add a little more height which it needed.
More serendipity in my life as I decorate for Christmas.



This shows the entire kitchen corner with the centerpiece, chandelier and bakers rack. I did take the photo before I added the napkin rings and I didn't turn on the lights behind the bakers rack.

Presto ChangeO

This is the centerpiece for my kitchen table. It might look somewhat familiar as it is a reworked version of the one I made for our Symphony In Black And White tea.



This is what it looked like when I used it for the tea. It's great to be able to reuse something I already have designed. It saves time, money and gives me less things I have to figure out where to store.

Yet another puzzle for you.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot More Like Christmas!

I accomplished a lot more of my Christmas decorating this weekend.
This is the table in the entryway.



After several false starts I am happy with the centerpiece on the dining room table.



I made one addition to the chandelier and you can see how the chandelier and centerpiece coordinate.



This is the buffet in the dining room.

I feel good about what I accomplished so far. There is a lot more to do and a lot more to share with you.

I am trying to share puzzles with each post again. Enjoy!