Tag: christmas

Christmas Mantel

Written by Jenna on November 30, 2015. Posted in Christmas, Decorating, Mantel, Seasonal. 1 Comment on Christmas Mantel

The Holiday season is underway – yay!

Since Friday – the day after Thanksgiving – we’ve been hustling + bustling indoors and out decorating for Christmas. This year has been a bit tricky with the kitchen renovation (walls are still being painted & the hardwood floors are still curing), but we are making do with the areas that we can add our festive favorites…

One area of our home that’s been decorated for a few weeks is the mantel.

I got the Christmas bug a few weeks ago after making my way into the Christmas section of Lowe’s and leaving with a handful of new fun finds. They’re selection of seasonal decor this year is stellar.

I incorporated a lot of new with the old…

I had such a fun + relaxing (well kinda in my OCD way) time creating this years Christmas mantel. It was enjoyable to have a different backdrop to work with since this room, specifically the fireplace wall, got a revamp for burnt orange to black earlier this year >>> check out the living room transformation

The new black wall – color: Valspar Black Heron – was the perfect backdrop to layering contrast white elements.

I stumbled upon these adorable white houses – in varying sizes – and couldn’t resist incorporating them in the mantel. The same houses come in red as well, but I loved the crisp white with glitter roof.

As the base of the mantel, I used a faux greenery garland and added in real cut magnolia leaves that I got from the tree in my yard.

Adding in real leaves amongst the faux, gives such a great look. It is a nice idea to create a realistic-looking garland without the headache of drying branches + can be used year after year.

I also added a few magnolia branches to a tall white vase to introduce an organic element + height to the fireplace.

The sparkly reindeer is another new + fun find and if I could put my finger on a ‘theme’ for this years decor, it would be reindeer…

I snagged a few reindeer elements and I just love what they represent… a woodland, outdoorsy, winter feeling.

On the face of the fireplace, I draped several strands of differing garland. I picked up a beautiful pinecone garland – which was a pleasant surprise because I thought they were individual pinecones which I was going to pile in a bowl – and hung it them from end to end on the mantel.

Then using red bead garland – that I got from Dollar General years ago – I hung a longer swag from edge to edge, and finished it with a silver snowflake garland across the front.

Hung by the fireplace with care are adorable knit red + white stockings. I just love the oversized tassels!

Recognize the mirror? I used it for my Thanksgiving table, then decided to use it as the focal point above the fireplace and mounted a beautiful berry wreath on the face.

Giving height and grounding each end, I added in my one of my seasonal favorites, the glitter cone-shaped trees in silver + white (check out similar ones here). I have gold too and they’ll be someplace else in the room.

My reindeer ‘theme’ also continued with the wrapping paper I chose. Check out this paper with the reindeer silhouette – I couldn’t resist. I loved pairing it with the houndstooth + striped paper.

Throughout, I layered in new + old ornaments that added sparkle + shine. These wood laser-cute ornaments were a surprising find this year and I grabbed a similar wood reindeer ornament version as well.

I am so happy with how this years Christmas mantel came out. I had no real plan when I started decorating, but as usual when the everyday decor came down and I was left with a blank canvas, the ideas started to flow.

With some changes + tweaks, the result is pretty fantastically festive…

I can’t let you go without sharing that the annual Holiday Housewalk hosted by Jennifer Rizzo begins today! This is the 3rd year that my home will be on the tour along with about 30 others. You will NOT WANT TO MISS IT. My home is coming up later in the week, so I hope you will stop back.

Have a blessed Christmas season and thanks for checking out my mantel.

DISCLOSURE: THIS POST IS A COLLABORATION WITH LOWES, BUT ALL OPINIONS ARE 100% MY OWN.

Christmas Home Tour 2014

Written by Jenna on December 4, 2014. Posted in Christmas, Holiday. 29 Comments on Christmas Home Tour 2014

Welcome!

I have been waiting for this day for so long. Another holiday season is upon us and I am thrilled you are here to take the tour of my home decorated for Christmas.

If you are following along on the Jennifer Rizzo Holiday Housewalk (start the tour here), I am house #24 and you just came from Monica’s home at East Coast Creative.

Wasn’t it awesomely decorated? She has such a creative style! I am so happy to be on the tour for the second year in a row (click to see last years Christmas tour) and let me tell you… you are in for a treat!

Over the past year, I have made many changes to our beautiful abode and it has been enjoyable to put new touches on our latest additions. Without further ado, grab a cup of something, put your feet up, and enjoy.

Let the tour begin…

Our front porch + (new) front door are adorned this Christmas season with gorgeous greenery in a mix of cedars (thanks to my awesome friends at Lynch Creek Farm). The garland on the front columns & the wreath on the door beautifully surround our entry and create the most perfect welcoming feeling.

We just had this new glass front door installed a few weeks ago and even though it’s only primed – yes the brownish red color is how it came primed – I am loving how much light in filters into the front entry. I have more planned for this door (like a pop of color) but it’ll have to wait till Spring. For now, I hung this beautiful wreath and I am calling in done!

Come on in…

For seasonal decor, I don’t believe that every space needs to filled with floor to ceiling decorations. Often a few small touches, are ideal and just enough. Our entry isn’t overly spacious and with 5 of us, there is a lot of foot traffic throughout all hours of the day.

My holiday decorating approach for the entry/foyer space was to set the tone for the other spaces and to add a few festive layers to our everyday decor. I loved the ornament tree (small colorful ornaments hung from tree branches found in our backyard) that I created for our buffet last year, so this season I reenacted a similar idea on the gold dresser (which isn’t only glamorous but actually is functional too holding shoes, keys, and lots of stuff), and brought in a few festive favorites.

A few weeks back I mentioned my design ‘theme’ for this Christmas was to be inspired by nature. With that in mind while decorating, I was able to hone in on what made sense and to not overwhelm the spaces with non-meaningful things. The result being, we truly feel surrounded – inside and out – by many natural elements and things that we love most.

Along the stair railing, I hung a beautiful magnolia garland that I got from Balsam Hill – simple, but sophisticated. It’s artificial, but it has a realistic look without the fuss.

To the right of our entry is the office / living room. I love how the room glows in the evening with our sparkly white tree…

As you can see from the light that filters into the photo, this space is incredibly bright. I chose to display our all-white tree in front of the stair railing this year and decorated it with colorful ornaments in shades of pinks, purples, browns, and golds. It’s beautifully lit with white lights and finished off with my easiest + fastest + cheapest tree skirt EVER!

A mirror turned horizontal makes for the perfect seasonal coffee table vignette. The festive montage is topped with a few Christmas favorites including gold trees (from the Christmas Tree Shop), the light turned vase filled with ornaments, and of course Santa. Also displayed in a tray on the coffee table is a colorful poinsettia (~~fake~~ artificial) in a bright yellow vase (which I typically have filled with a fern). Pops of color all around…

As we come down the stairs each morning, this is the view we are blessed with…

As we continue on the tour, my living room/office leads us to the kitchen and dining space…

This is our main dining table for breakfast & dinner, so again the space had to remain functional for the every day, so a few seasonal layers were just enough to bring in the magic.

Above the sliding door, I added another (faux) magnolia garland and below is a simple boxwood wreath (last year from Lowe’s) hung from the door frame by a pretty gold ribbon. Hanging from the chandelier are some colorful + bright ornaments and for the table centerpiece, I used the stained wood box that I recently made and filled it with small Christmas trees, greenery, and more ornaments.

I love decorating with trays. It makes creating vignettes so easy & moving them (especially at the dinner table) is a cinch. There is no way a display like this directly on the table could be moved twice a day.

Here’s a closeup…

For the recent Craigslist-found china cabinet the I transformed, I let the color stand strong and draped a simple paper garland from edge to edge.

Using a round 1.5″ diameter paper puncher, I cut out circles from Christmas scrapbooking paper, and sewed them together with the method I used to make the crib mobile. So simple, yet festive.

The Christmas Countdown pallet tree that I made last year is still gong strong and is still one of my most favorite creations.

Here’s an overall view of the entire space…

As you continue from the dining room, the adjacent space is our family room where we put our feet up and chill. It’s a comfy space with a big ole sofa and a fireplace to keep us toasty warm.

This year we have a new (artificial) Christmas tree that is the focal point of the room. Our previous tree hit it’s life span. Of course once the old tree went curbside, the big debate of choosing between white or multi-color lights for the new tree began. Well this tree is the perfect solution… It has both! As easy as you can change the lights with a scroll of the mouse, is as easy as we can change from white to color with a click up a button. When in life, can you make everyone in the household happy??? Well I did it with this great find!

white…

and

color…

Here is the overall space with a roaring fire and all! The Mister is a master at making the best, toasty fires. Me? Not so much. I attempted to make a fire a few weeks ago and forgot to put up the flue. Enough said.

That cute, colorful yarn garland hanging over the window is a recent creation that I used this tutorial to make. I love how whimsical it looks. Here is another glimpse of it hanging on my fireplace that I shared on Instagram.

Christmas Home Tour of Jenna Burger, one of the homes featured on the Jennifer Rizzo 2014 Holiday Housewalk

As you continue in the room, our fireplace is decked out this year with a little old and a little new!

The fun, vintage JOY sign is something I made a few years ago and is a favorite of mine as the focal point of the mantel. The wood sign made of pallets is layered in front of a larger espresso stained wood sign/backdrop. A few other glittery, sparkly favorites like the wreath, trees, and ornaments are scattered about.

To the side of the fireplace, I hung our Christmas Card holder. It’s a new spot for this DIY creation and I am really loving it. The cards are starting to arrive and before we know it, this card holder will be all filled up.

Here is a separate post with more pictures of the mantel!

And that’s a wrap. Thank you for stopping by for my Christmas Home Tour 2014. And don’t forget to give a little jingle, jingle on your way out…

Merry Christmas!

I hope you take the time to continue on the Jennifer Rizzo Holiday Housewalk. Next up is the home of Between You & Me…

I wish you a happy holiday season!

You may also be interested in checking out my Christmas House Tour from last year >>>

As well as ALL the creations I’ve ever made for Christmas time (5 years of seasonal projects) in my EVERYTHING CHRISTMAS post >>>

Cozy Adirondack Christmas Porch

Written by Jenna on December 12, 2013. Posted in Christmas, Decorating. 21 Comments on Cozy Adirondack Christmas Porch

Christmas is officially less than 2 weeks away. It’s crazy how the season is passing us by so quickly. Are you ready?

So I’ve got another surprise for you today… Yes, another secret!

Since I shared a tour of the inside of my home last week, it’s time to take you outdoors… to my newly decorated Cozy Christmas Adirondack Porch.

Welcome…

I’m usually so focused on decorating the interior for the Holidays, that the porch often gets little thought and sadly neglected – are you like that? Well not this year!

On a way-too-cold-to-be-outside day a few weeks ago, myself and the troops (a.k.a The Mister and the kids) ventured outdoors to decorate. After a few hours, way too many decorating edits, broken bulbs (and they were brand spank-in new), and a couple of trips to Lowes, I was finally satisified with the result of this year’s cozy adirondack-style front porch. And I have to say, itâ€™s our best yet.

Thankfully I can say that I live in the adirondacks, so having a front porch with a rustic, natural aesthetic is so apropos. (my interior doesn’t really reflect the same look, but that’s okay).

I didn’t start off the porch with a specific idea in mind, but as the family and I started decorating, it all came together (over many cold hours) to create a cozy outdoor haven. We began the transformation by removing some of the porch furniture that we have out for the summer. We left the pretty lutyens bench though, draped a blanket over the back, and added a few pillows – it was the beginning of the adirondack porch.

In front of the bench, I positioned a round table (which is actually an electrical cable spool that I found on the side of the road) and added some festive elements including “dressed-up” mason jars, a lantern, and some pine and berry sprigs.

I said to the Mister that afternoon, “Let’s get some hot chocolate, cuddle under the blanket, and enjoy our newly decorated porch”. Well we all ended up being too chilly and unfortunately ‘sitting and enjoying’ hasn’t happened yet, but it sure looks so inviting.

Would you stop over and have a cup of-something with me?

On the other side of the porch, I created a small festive vignette. I stacked two large slices of cut logs and topped them with a poinsettia and a small pile of pinecones. As a larger and taller anchor, I brought in the potted boxwood (which sits throughout the year next to the garage), two lanterns filled with a large candle, and another poinsettia. The varying heights and sizes of the elements, plus the differing textures, in the vignette, create an interesting composition.

Behind the poinsettia and pinecone vignette, I wanted even more height and added a leftover piece of pallet scrap, which I added a quick coat of white paint to and wrapped with twine. A super simple 3 minute project!

Of course, we needed some greenery on the porch and I surely didn’t fail in that department.

On either side of the front door are two small (3′ high) faux trees decorated with petite ornaments and twine for garland. Plus we added more greenery on the columns with a garland mix of pine and cedar.

The last element that we added to the front porch are the hanging ornaments. This was the last addition and definitely my favorite!

The overall porch…

And alittle more ornament action…

And of course donned on my front door is my whimsical winter wreath that I made a few years ago. Still a favorite.

Thanks so much for taking a tour of my newly decorated cozy adirondack front porch. The porch and/or entryway of a home sets the tone for what’s to come inside. Whether you have a simple wreath on your door or you go all out with lights, festive decorations always bring happy cheers and smiles.

Pallet Christmas Countdown

Written by Jenna on November 21, 2013. Posted in Christmas, DIY. 6 Comments on Pallet Christmas Countdown

Christmas is a comin’!

In less than 10 days, we’ll be counting down the 25 days till the arrival of Christmas. To make the countdown a bit more fun and bearable, since for every child (and maybe a few adults) thinks the 25 days leading to the special day are SO LONG, I created a Countdown Calendar in the shape of a tree using my favorite material, pallets and a few other leftover scraps of wood. Check it out…

Isn’t it so colorful? The ornaments truly make it come alive.

When Lowe’s challenged the Creative Team to come up with something for the Holidays, I was so excited to create something unique and perfect to celebrate the coming holiday. Last year, my December project was a creation for holding cards and this year, I wanted to create something just as dynamic. When thinking about a project, I realized we didn’t have a countdown calendar, so that’s what this years project would be.

The project started out by taking 10 steps outside to the garage. Yup, this creation was put together using only materials I already had on hand. This is what I gathered…

Pallet and wood scraps – the more dented and imperfect, the better
Nails (3/4″ – 1″ deep)
Number stencil
Black Sharpie
Hammer
Circular Saw
(25) Colorful ornaments

1. I first started out by looking through my wood scrap pile and leftover pallet scraps. I collected a bunch of pieces all in different colors and sizes. The more imperfect the better.

Then I took some time and put a drawing together to figure out how many rows of wood would be needed and how the 25 ornaments would sit on the “tree”. In the end, 7 tiers worked best and 2 of the rows have 4 nails, creating the 25 spots.

A little math is needed, but it wasn’t tough…

2. Now that the hardest part was over (a little mathematical equations), I laid out the pieces of wood to determine what looked nice next to each other and then the widths of each tier.

On the backs, I then labeled each row.

3. Then using a circular saw, I cut each piece to form the “tree” shape. Once that was complete, I added a scrap piece of wood to the backs of the pieces to attach them together.

Hammer, hammer, hammer using 3-4/” – 1″ nails.

I added a few more pieces of scraps (old paint sticks, to be specific) to the back. This looks kinda messy, but hey, who’s lookin’ at the back???

No more looking at the back. Let’s turn it over to the front where it’s prettier looking.

Now to the nails + the numbers.

4. By eye (no more math needed), I marked the locations for the 25 ornaments. Then I added a nail at each location leaving about 1/2″ exposed for the ornament to hang.

5. Once the nails were in, it was time for the numbers. Using stencils I had from a previous Martha Stewart project, I outlined the numbers with a black sharpie. Again, the more imperfect the better.

Once the numbers were done, the project was complete. And here’s the result…

Plain + Decorated.

I love how it came out…

It’s so colorful and brings such whimsy to our holiday home decor.

The kids love it too and they can’t wait for the 1st of December to arrive to start adding an ornament each day. While we wait, the ornaments that all came from this years Lowe’s collection, sit in the brass light turned container.

I hope you enjoyed my latest creation as much as I. It was fairly easy to make, and I loved that I was able to create it using materials I already had. How much better does it get?! The anticipation and excitement leading to Christmas day can be a bit challenging, but hopefully my countdown calendar makes it a tiny bit more fun.

To gather even more unique, fun, and creative ideas for your indoor and outdoor Winter spaces, I would definitely suggest downloading the Loweâ€™s Creative Ideas app on your iphone and/or ipad. Iâ€™m always checking out the FREE app for great seasonal + do-it-yourself inspiration. And even better, this Pallet Christmas Countdown creation will be featured in the upcoming Winter guide – how cool, right?!

Also consider following Loweâ€™s on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram as well.

Disclosure: I am part of the Loweâ€™s Creative Team and was provided with a Loweâ€™s gift card to purchase items for my project. I was also compensated for my time to use the products. No one told me what to create, what to buy, how to use the product, or what to write. All opinions are 100% mine!

Easiest + Fastest + Cheapest Tree Skirt EVER

Written by Jenna on November 18, 2013. Posted in Christmas, DIY. 6 Comments on Easiest + Fastest + Cheapest Tree Skirt EVER

Monday Morning Confession: I already started decorating for Christmas. It might seem early for some, but I have a few surprises up my sleeve that I wanted to prep early for this year. While many of my daily favorites get tucked away for the next 6 weeks, the holiday decor is once again making it’s debut for another year. As some ‘old’ traditional elements remain, there are many new projects and vignettes that I’ll be sharing over the coming weeks. One in particular is my new tree skirt. Definitely the easiest + fastest + cheapest tree skirt you ever did see…

For the last few years I’ve wanted a new tree skirt. I had grand plans of making something beautiful and chic, but honestly it just never happened. And anyway, is something pretty + most likely expensive, even worth it? I’ve found over the years that the tree skirt ends up getting thrown around either from the kids or the cats, and then once the presents are added, you don’t even see it. Well this is in my house anyway. maybe it’s different in your casa…

So after living with no tree skirt for a few days once the tree was up, I thought let me test out this pretty black and white striped fabric. I threw it under the tree and loved it’s whimsical, non-perfect, simple look. Plus it cost me nothing. So here we go… The black and white striped fabric I had on-hand was 1 yard, but I would recommend using 1.5 yards or even 2 yards for a fuller look. I placed the fabric in front of the tree.

Then took the two top corners and wrapped them around the bottom of the tree so they meet in the back.

Lastly, I tucked the bottom corners and all the loose edges underneath.

Literally, this took all of 30 seconds and it was done.

By the end of the day, the tree skirt is all dishuffled anyway, so within seconds it looks good again. There really is no right or wrong to this tree skirt, which makes it perfect for me!

And the best part is, it cost nothing and the fabric can be used for something else after the Holidays. Next year, I may want a totally different pattern and I won’t be married to something store-bought or a creation that took hours. I hope you enjoyed my 30 second tree skirt creation. Sometimes the easiest things are the best!

Be sure to check back next Monday when I’ll be partnering with a few Blogging friends who will all be sharing super simple holiday projects for our Christmas in a Minute series. Cheers to a festive season. xo

5 Creative Ways to Wrap with Craft Paper

Written by Jenna on December 19, 2012. Posted in Christmas, DIY. 2 Comments on 5 Creative Ways to Wrap with Craft Paper

Wrapping gifts makes me happy!

With a yummy glass of wine in hand, I wrapped quite a few last evening. It brings me joy to give to others.

Until this year, I used the typical fun and festive paper that you see in the holiday aisles at most big-box stores. Papers come in a variety of colors, lengths, and themes, but there is something impersonal about it. Just like a front door to a home, the packaging on a present sets the tone for what’s the come. Wrapping doesn’t have to be expensive, but creative is key. Earlier this week, I shared 15 unique ways to wrap holiday gifts and today I’m sharing how the gifts I will be giving this year will be wrapped.

From the graphic and title of this post you can pretty much figure out what I used for wrapping gifts this year, but if not, it’s… Craft Paper.

I love it! Why? It’s inexpensive, you’ll never run out, it can be used and customized for any occasion, it’s multi-functional, and is super thick/heavy (like high-end pricey papers at $6/$8 a roll).

And let me say it again… you’ll never run out (well eventually you will but not for at least 5 or 10 years)! I purchased a 500′ roll of brown craft paper for $8 at Lowes. Pretty awesome, right?!

Let’s dig right in to see how my presents will be wrapped for Christmas 2012…

After wrapping my presents in the brown craft paper, I got started with the embellishments a.k.a. the fun part!

Craft Paper Idea #1

Materials

Yarn
Paint Chip samples or other gift tags

As a DIYer and crafter, paint chip samples seemed unique and so appropriate to add to a gift that came from me. I picked a few up that seemed Christmas-like in a range of red and green hues.

You really can do so much with paint chip samples! After I wrapped my present in brown craft paper, I then wrapped two layers of red yarn around and finished it off with a long green paint chip sample. I added the words DAD on it with individual letter stamps that I got at AC Moore for $1. Super cheap and so pretty!

And the result…

Craft Paper Idea #2

Materials

Jute
Leftover (non-used) small ornaments
Paint Chip samples
Letter Stamps

Again super easy to make and some of the supplies are a repeat from the last gift idea. Instead of using the yarn this time, I decided on jute, which again is very inexpensive. I got this roll at Walmart for $3 and have used it for many things around the house.

After wrapping and adding the embellishments, here’s the result…

It was so simple to make! I wrapped a loooong strand of jute towards the end of the box (not centered) with an ornament and paint chip sample, and it was complete. With the individual letter stamps, you can say anything and add as many words as you’d like. The options are endless. For this present I wrote Merry Christmas.

Craft Paper Idea #3

Materials

Jute
A simple tag
Any ornament

Using any ornament – I loved how these chocolate snowflakes sparkled – add it to a present for a creative embellishment. I wrapped one layer of jute around the box, added a tag, and the simple snowflake ornament, and my present was complete.

This special one is for my mom…

Craft Paper Idea #4

Materials

Yarn – I chose red
Small Ornaments

A minute later, the result…

For this present in particular, I simply wrapped a looong strand of red yarn around the box and finished it with two small ornaments. So easy.

Craft Paper Idea #5

Materials

All of the above!

To create this last idea, I used it all… Jute, yarn, an ornament, and a paint chip sample.

As you see, each present has similar materials, but is put together differently each time to truly make a one-of-a-kind gift. How special? And what recipient wouldn’t appreciate the time you took to think outside of the box?!

Pretty, simple, and O so fun and unique to create!

If you’re looking for even more ideas on how to wrap, then you’ll have to check out my Wrapping Round-Up of 15 Unique Ideas to Wrap Holiday Gifts.

How do you usually wrap your Holiday gifts?

Christmas Tablescape

Written by Jenna on December 4, 2012. Posted in Christmas, Decorating, Seasonal. 23 Comments on Christmas Tablescape

We’re only a few days into December, but my table is set and ready for Christmas.

Of course I’ll be using the table between now and then, but I had a little downtime last weekend and was excited to do a trial run for our Christmas dinner and other gatherings throughout the holiday season. I adore creating new tablescape vignettes and wanted to experiment using a few new accessories that I recently picked up from the Dollar General Holiday dÃ©cor aisle. I mixed them with a few thrift store finds and DIY projects to create this…

I had alot of fun creating this vignette and we actually enjoyed a scrumptious dinner Saturday night on this beautifully decorated table. It was a little pre-Christmas meal to start off the countdown to the special Holiday. As you can see, we also lit the first candle on our Advent wreath.

The base of the table started with my DIY chevron table runner that I created. I actually never shared a tutorial on this specific runner, but it’s similar to the drop cloth runner that I made.

Since this is the table where we have dinner most every night, I needed a centerpiece that could easily move. A few weekends ago, the Mister and I created this box (using the same technique from the monogrammed chevron tray) using leftover pallet scraps. The size is 16″ wide X 26″ long and it’s the perfect size for a large scale (yet easily moveble) center focal point.

Inside the box I added advent candles, gold sparkly Christmas trees from Dollar General, and a ceramic bowl filled with cinnamon sticks, all surrounded by natural greenery that I trimmed from trees in our backyard. The cinnamon sticks smell so good – they give such a yummy fragrant scent when you pass by.

Dollar stores (like Dollar General) are a great place to find inexpensive items to decorate with. By ‘shopping your home’ and mixing dollar-store-deals with thrift-store-finds, you can truly create a gorgeous and elegant tablescape or vignette for very little money.

For each table setting, I added a round bamboo charger on top of the drop cloth placemats that I created last year. The bamboo weave gives nice texture and contrast to the neutral colored plates and placemats. I then added my everyday cream with black line rimmed dinner plates (a wedding gift from Crate and Barrel) and a buttercup-colored napkin (from Target) threaded through a festive bell ring. The seasonal bell ring was a great find from Dollar General. I don’t think they are actually napkin rings, but who cares – they work perfectly!

To add alittle more pizazz to the table, I draped a long strand of red Christmas bead garland around the perimeter of the pallet box. The bright hue was a perfect accent to the red bells on the napkins and the berries in the centerpiece.

A few loose Christmas ornaments completed the festive look.

Inviting and fun!

I’m really happy with the result of this tablescape. And the best part is that it’s practical because the main decor is in a box, which can easily move. I plan on using this newly created tray centerpiece for many upcoming Holidays and occasions – I’m thinking Easter baskets, Spring decor, and Fall foilage.

Were you wondering where I put my log centerpiece this year? Well it’s not here on the table (like last year) and it’s not on the mantel either, but instead I decided to use it as the backdrop for our village. The log centerpiece made for an AMAZING focal point, but wasn’t so easy to move = not practical. Since the buffet gets left alone, it was the perfect spot to admire it. That log centerpiece has been around the block and back, so it couldn’t be stuck away.

This is how it looked last year…

And this is how it’s being used now…

I love our little miniature village… and so do my kids. Each night, they drag over the stool and love to peak inside. It’s magical.

It would be nice to have each of you enjoy a delicious meal with me here at my table, but at least we can dream, right?!

I hope you’ve liked taking a glimpse at my tablescape for this Christmas – especially since it cost so little to create. Dollar General really had some great deals and you connect with them even more to see what they have to offer on the Dollar General Facebook Page. I sure have enjoyed sharing my tablescape with you!

Happy Holidays!