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12.17.2014

Black & White & Winter All Over!

It's finally beginning to look a bit like Christmas around HOMEWARDfound central!
I've been so busy working that I didn't even remove the fall pumpkins from my office until SUNDAY.
Yes, you read that right.
I debated even decorating at ALL, but the urge got the best of me and I went for it - 
although in a different way than I usually do.

This year, I decided to focus on decorating for the winter season
rather than just for Christmas...

I don't have tons of bins of Holiday decor anymore, just a few with special items,
so I selected some things from there
and then added in everyday 'stuff' that helped me create a color scheme.
I went for a crisp black, white, and silver look:
.
The shelves on the wall in the office are rather triangular,
so when filled they remind me of a tree shape.

Along with my growing black & white coffee mug collection,
I used sparkly paper bags from the dollar store, two of my Original Sweet Sweater Snowmen,
a glass nativity scene, white tissue snowflakes, sparkly glittery metal branches, a lace mask,
and the rare white candy canes that I have been hauling around since 2009
(and OH are they STALE!)

Here are a few of the other elements I used:
 I do still collect white Santa china & ironstone mugs...
I wash all of the red paint off of them, though, so they fit my pale neutral color scheme!
This year, I found these tiny little tophat ornaments at Dollar Tree,
and they sit perfectly on top of the smallest size mugs!
 You've seen this truck before... it has a place of honor every season, 
because it reminds me of my Grandpa Ward's truck.
And the castle ornament.... well, I don't really need to explain that one, do I? ;)

Across the room, a breakfront/dresser is a large display space,
and I have been putting the tree here each year...
This year, I decided to create a DIFFERENT kind of tree...
 and used my wire tomato cage dome instead!
I could have used a plain ol' wire tomato cage tree,
but I was lazy and in a hurry and so I used what was already in the room.

 I placed the dome on a platter on top of a china pedestal bowl to raise it up,
and my special vintage ornaments in silver hang delicately from the wire crosspieces.
A birdsnest that I made cradles a broken ornament at the base of the dome,
and a mini-sized tophat that I bought at Disneyland serves as a jaunty dome topper.

 White china & ironstone holds more ornaments across the vignette,
and some black accents really POP against the white... especially that Chanel box :)
 Last Christmas, when I was having a blast with my kids and grandkids in Seattle,
I bought the white ceramic Space Needle salt & pepper shakers.
(They were the least cheesy souvenirs I could find down at Pier 39!)

Then this year, I found the white ceramic Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland.
(I love the way the snowflakes show up behind it in the flocked black shadow box frame here...
they remind me of the Disneyland fireworks!)

As I worked, I realized that I have a growing collection here - figures of the places I love best!
Now my plan is to find a ceramic figure of the Alamo in San Antonio
(even if it's not white, I can paint it white)
and then some other places that are really special to me.
I can use them in my decor all year long, instead of just at Christmas!

 Just a few more detail shots of little decor touches...
I don't have the light strands for the clear bubble lights anymore,
so I just piled them into an enamel pail. They still make me smile!

Another handmade nest found a home in an ironstone chamber pot,
hung by its handle on an old wood gate section.

...and my vintage wire shopping cart corrals all of my gift wrap supplies!

SO, even though I waited a REALLY long time to get my decorating mojo on,
it was worth the wait.
Mostly because I don't have to take it all down in two weeks!!!

LINKED UP:
Practically Functional | Creativity Unleashed

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