Our Colonial Christmas Dining Room

Good morning my friends and happy 3 days before Christmas! I hope you enjoyed a wonderful weekend. I did get some last minute shopping done, a little Christmas present wrapping, and still managed to squeeze in a couple holiday movie classics. I also started working on my table for Christmas eve which I host for my family every year.  Last week I shared with you my sister Kim's Romantic Christmas Dining Room. This week I am sharing with you our Colonial Christmas Dining Room

To achieve the colonial vibe I went back to some of my books I picked up while in Williamsburg last year. A common thread in colonial Christmas decor is the use of  lots of fresh greens and the display of fruit throughout the house.

I started by mixing things up a bit in my dining room. I decided to bring down a mirror from the upstairs hallway to place above the buffet. The blue and white plates I had hanging over the buffet were rearranged to flank the mirror, and then everything was adorned with tons of greens.

The centerpiece is just a large glass candle holder placed in a large white serving bowl which was then filled with faux apples and pears, a few pine cones and more clippings from our yard.

For the place settings I used a simple wicker mat topped with a sparkling silver charger, and then I used an assortment of white dinner plates.

The napkins were cinched with a silver ring and than a spring of arborvitae was slipped in to add some Christmas color.

The salad plates are these darling Christmas plates I picked up at Walmart for only three dollars each. I love the barn scene, it is so indicative of the area where we live. Red barns are everywhere!!

I alternated the red barn plates with the other pattern Walmart had which is this cute little woodland scene.

As you can see a traditional plaid tablecloth was used and then it was topped off with a pretty red and white table runner I purchased at Pottery Barn a few years back.

The plaid table cover was a bit short for our table and the material itself has the tendency to easily move about on the tabletop. So to remedy both issues I purchased a 9' X 6' painter's drop cloth for roughly $10, washed and ironed it, and placed it on the table first, under the paid table cloth.

Fresh greens were added to the top of our breakfront and then I made my own arborvitae garland to drape above the window. Pretty red bows accent the evergreen wreath and on each of my brushed nickle wall sconces.

And that is our dining room ready to go for Christmas 2014!

I hope these last few days before the 25th are going well for you preparation-wise, and that you have time to relax, enjoy family and friends, and reflect upon the reason for this most glorious of seasons!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

XO

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Christmas Table of Blue, Green and a Little Bit 'o Bling!

This year I wanted to take my dining room table in a different direction by using the colors of the room to decorate it for the holidays. I was going to go as close to authentic colonial as I could, but hey I am a gal who loves her bling, so I decided to use traditional items in a not so  traditionally Christmas color scheme.

I already had the green bowls from years ago, like before the kids came home, and I have always loved them. But I only had 4 so the challenge was to come up with a way to round out a table setting for eight. Lucky for me I found some fun cobalt blue bowls at my local Walmart for only 98 cents a piece!

For my centerpiece I took the lid off of a beautiful oval serving dish given to us by Mr. RL's family when we were first married. I filled the base of the bowl with Christmas balls in assorted sizes and finishes in colors which coordinate with the dining room. Then utilizing a small cupcake stand as a pedestal, the dish was elevated about 2 1/2 to 3 inches above the tabletop. The two ceramic pieces were secured with a strip of double stick table.

Using two silver candle holders and more double stick tape, a candle globe was secured to the top of each holder to give the look of two very significant hurricane candle holders.

The new blue and white transferware salad plates I bought last month are paired with my timeless gold trimmed Lennox dinner plates and are placed on gold chargers. The beautiful striped side of  the Devon Lake place mats purchased in Williamsburg Virginia, help to continue the blue theme on the table. 

I really enjoyed putting this tablescape together. To be honest it was kinda fun doing something a bit different from my norm. Maybe it is because the red dining room is gone now marking a time to begin a new chapter in our home's decorating story! 

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!!!

XO

PS...Mr. Rosemary Lane is almost done with the wainscoting so I hope to post my complete dining room reveal next week!

Toodles!!!

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How to Make Your Own Fragrant Fruit Holiday Wreath

While in Williamsburg Virginia earlier this month (click here for pictures of this revolutionary town) I picked up a couple books on decorating Williamsburg style, and ended up falling completely in love with the natural fruit wreaths of the colonial times. 

So I decided to try my hand at making one of these gorgeous wreaths. I found a great 4 minute tutorial on line which gave me a good basic idea of how to start. Just click here to view.

What you will need to make this wreath...

1 12" fresh (or faux) wreath

1 twig wreath

18 gauge wire

24 gauge floral wire

wire cutters

some type of work glove(s) if you have them

apples and naval oranges

faux berry sprigs

cinnamon sticks

whole cloves

small pine cones

I did start with a 12" fresh wreath from my local nursery and a twig wreath from Michael's. Just be aware that the twig wreaths are about $22 each, so make sure you print off a Michael's coupon before heading out to the store. (I found a Michael's coupon on-line for 50% off one regularly priced item here) In addition I also grabbed some faux berries which happened to be on sale for 60% off.

Next I purchased a roll of 18 gauge wire from Home Depot and picked up a bag of apples and a box of clementines at the grocery store. You really do need that 18 gauge wire to support the fruit in this wreath. You can use a heavier wire but it will be a bit more difficult for you to bend and manipulate around. Also if you have them, I strongly urge using some type of protective gloves as the wire does go through skin pretty much like a knife!

I wired the two wreaths together using 24 gauge floral wire, then as the tutorial suggested, I measured out how much fruit was going to be needed before stringing it on the wire.  I left a tail on either end long enough to wrap around the wreath and tightly secure in the back. As I was doing this I decided to make a loop with one of the tails and then wrapped the second tail around the base of the loop, this became my hook for the wreath. The wreath is going to be a fairly heavy one when all is said and done, so the 18 gauge wire is the perfect size for the hook.

Next using either the 18 or 24 gauge wire, secure the ring of fruit to the wreath by wrapping a piece of wire around the fruit wire and securing it tightly in the back of the wreath. I did this about 6 times around the wreath using the 24 gauge floral wire .

The berries and their leaves are just poked into the twig wreath and the cinnamon sticks were stuck between the two bound wreaths. The extra pressure of the wedged sticks makes the wreath a wee bit tighter. Finally I wired on some pine cones and added whole cloves to 3 of the clementines.

And boy let me tell you is this wreath fragrant!!! I am actually giving it to my friend Christina on Monday as an early birthday gift. 

I would definitely recommend hanging the wreath outdoors, so it stays fresher longer. But make sure to hang it where the little woodland creatures can't get to it or your holiday wreath may end up a Thanksgiving feast. 

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

XO 

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So What did I Purchase in Williamsburg Virginia?

I had loads of fun shopping in Williamsburg's Revolutionary City and fabulous Merchant's Square. And what did I find to buy????

Some wonderful handmade soaps in Bayberry...perfect for Christmas right?

I also bought 10 of these reversible blue and white Devon Lake round quilted place mats.

A scrumptious chocolate drink I fell in love with while on the coffee house tour.

This gorgeous coffee pot to serve the chocolate drink.

 A pretty little tuilpiere vase inspired by 18th century British delftware.

Finally I bought 2 beautiful hardback books on how to decorate and entertain Williamsburg style.

(To see 21 Rosemary Lane's  pictures of this Revolutionary City just click here.)

Oops...I almost forgot...I did receive a little something from Mr. Rosemary Lane for my Birthday last week!

Hope you are enjoying a great day!!!

XO

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Colorful Colonial Williamsburg Virginia

Williamsburg was everything I imagined and more! How lucky I feel to live in a part of our country which is filled with such amazing history. From the pageantry of a drum and fife parade, to the quiet tasks of daily life in the 18th century, this historic colonial town has it all! 

We strolled along and chatted with those of the revolutionary era...

and watched the local militia perform gun and cannon salutes.

We could purchase goods used in colonial times...

...and witness first hand how they were made.

We attended a public audience with Patrick Henry...

...had the opportunity to watch General George Washington review the troops...

...and hear the Marquis de Lafayette address the Allied American Army.

From the businesses of the day,

 and private homes and gardens...

...to a walk down Duke of Gloucester Street, our American history is very much alive and well in Colonial Williamsburg!

XO

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