Hi friends! I just cannot believe it’s Wednesday and almost Christmas eve! Let’s not even talk about the fact that we are hovering close to 68 degrees today and its raining cats and dogs when it should really be around 35 and snowy, wintry and Christmas-y:(
I am going to crack open a bottle of champagne tonight to celebrate all of my elf duties officially being complete woo hoo! That means the gifts are bought, the decorations are hung, the meals are planned and frankly whatever is not done shall remain:) This little elf is officially off duty!
In any case, here I am with more of my holiday pictures, random shots from my foyer to giftwrapping to more holiday decor….very little narration necessary:) If you missed part 1 click here. And here we go……
The foyer
Our Christmas tree!
The hallways were decked, didn’t got too crazy but it felt elegantly festive….
A hallway chest..
In the lower level didn’t do much, added a bunch of greens and sugar cones to a dough bowl in the fireplace, a potted amaryllis and a pair of nutcrackers on the bar….easy peasy!
? do!
In the living room….
A few “food scenes” as I was preparing…..didn’t get a chance to snap any pictures after this, got too busy playing hostess!
Some of my wrapped presents…
This was about the only DIY I took on this season but it was a pretty one:) I buy oversized plain wood letters and give them a quick spray paint of gold or glitter and use a hot glue gun to create a very personalized gift…..
Then I add an embellishment like a few little gold balls, a bit of greenery or pine cone….
And last but not least my front door, which was the poster child for magnolia! I mixed in some greens? and large sugar cones and called it a day!
And added these small evergreens with pine clippings on top of the columns for the side yard-
And here is a sneak peek at the newly installed and completed gates…really love the way they came out:)
And here is a recap of what I am taking away from Christmas 2015-
Be prepared- you will start to hear me talk about Christmas in Sept 2016, I am determined to be an early bird!
I will start making my lists, buy gifts when I see them even if its 3 months early
My goal will be to get my home decorated immediately after Thanksgiving (over the span of a week)
I have learned that I do best when I stick to a schedule and when I approach a job in stages, so realistically I can do it all over a week’s time
I will order wreaths, garland and fresh tree by end of Nov
Will have all my giftwrap and anything I need for it squared away by Thanksgiving
I WILL order my Christmas cards in November!! I cannot deal with another stressful year of scrambling at the last minute
I WILL take a family picture in the summer of 2015 with the intention to use it for Christmas
I WILL plan my fiends and family Christmas party and start working on it during the summer and send a save the date card so I can’t change my mind:)
I will continue my allegiance to use sugar cones, paper whites (best holiday value in my book) and white amaryllis with lots of fresh greens
I will NOT be stuck having to pay for overnight shipping for any gifts because I waited too long!
I will remember to try and savor the real meaning of the season- because the best gifts under the tree are being surrounded by those you love and who love you back:)
And on that note, as we all gather with our loved ones to celebrate this most beautiful holiday, I hope your elf duties are officially over, that you can put your feet up (hopefully in front of a roaring fire) even if like here,? it’s going to be 70 degrees….one word, strange!
Open up a bottle of wine or bubbly and cheers to the holiday and a great year ahead! Thank you for stopping by, will post Christmas day to officially wish you a Merry Christmas. Until then…..
PS The blue and white container sale ends tomorrow morning…some things are sold out but there are bits and pieces still available. Click here to visit:)
I list your list for next year’s holiday. Plan and execute EARLY. LOL with that one. Thanks for a great blog year. The highs and lows all of it. Frank Sinatra sang it best “That’s Life…”
Beautiful, elegant, and classy as always Tina?.a pleasure to view everything on your blog! Merry Christmas to you and your family and best wishes for the happiest of New Year’s!
Wishing you the most wonderful Christmas Tina, I WILL be in touch in the New Year!
I’m not actually sure where this year went?? Is it just me, or has been a flash of a year for everyone?
Thanks for sending out so much Joy this year and sharing your world with all of us, I so enjoy reading your posts.
LOVELY!!!! Gorgeous pictures, home, decorations, packages!!! (Obviously, my invitation to the holiday soiree’s was lost in the mail….Ho Ho Ho!!!!).
Have a very Merry Christmas and great New Year’s celebration.
The best to you in 2016 and here’s to many more wonderful, inspiring blogs!
It is very warm here in K.C. also, but I’d personally rather have that than the snow and ice. Makes it safer for people to travel to family and friends.
Thank you for this beautiful collection of pictures that capture your love and enthusiasm for the holiday, and the home you have created. Blessings to you this Christmas and throughout the new year!
Beautiful foyer. Putting up similar wallpaper in my powder room…blue and white pattern on cream grass cloth (Lee Jofa). Your front door and entry is fabulous!
Yes, I love the photos too and love the list for 2016. I’ve had those lists before, but never manage to stick to them! Seeing your superb decorations, I do feel rather inadequate! It is far too warm here in London (UK) – I still have roses in bloom in my garden!
Tina, one word about your home …STUNNING! Glad you got everything done.
I am wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas, and that includes Teddy.
Congratulations on a job well done, Tina…you’ve more than earned that Champagne. Everything is simply beautiful and so festive. I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year!
Gorgeous photos Tina and I like your 2016 list! Crazy weather you are having! It’s actually snowing lightly here and it’s 34 degrees. We need the snow pack as the last couple years have been really mild.
Have a wonderful Christmas Tina and enjoy your family!! xxL
Merry Christmas, love your list for next year,its a good one I think I’ll steal it and use for myself. Your house is beautiful as usual, I would not except less.
What a delight to be able to take a sneak peek at your beautifully decorated home for the holidays. You inspired me to add bows and pine cones to my gifts this year. May you have a wonderful Xmas and happy new year!
So beautiful —you are amazing to create such beauty! The blue & white wallpaper in the foyer is stunning –is there any way to find out who is the creator?
Anne
Really beautiful and elegant, Tina. Thank you for being so generous with your time and talents and sharing a bit of beauty and great taste into this world. I savor your blog as my moment of calm and reflection in my day. Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas ! Sleep well tonight Mama Elf. I, too, have three grown sons. They will be here for Christmas. i am shopped and cooked out BUT it will be a gorgeous feast after midnight Mass and family diners with the cousins and my siblings. Cheers !
Thank you for sharing your Holiday with us. Have a relaxed and joyful Christmas with your family and loved ones. Merry Christmas from Texas!! – Where we were 82 degrees today, lol)
Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree…everything so lovely. Greeting Tina, you have done it again I’m inspired and a a bit wistful you see this little 4’10” elf has hurt her back, this is a lesson to never put things off, do them when the going is good. I did order my cards in January from Zazzle I love their vintage cards, so this was good but everything else will be last minute. I’m just glad the celebrations are at my parents home if it was at my place, well you know how that would turn out. Thank you for sharing your beautiful home. Wishing You A Wonderful Christmas with your family and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year. Till next year, Season’s Blessings….Esther from Sydney.
Thanks, Tina! I used your appetizer fruit tray with blackberries, as an afternoon treat for my grandson and his family as they briefly visited on their way to our daughter’s home on the mainland. I was delighted to be able to serve them refreshments without spoiling their dinner plans. I will also plan to get a head start on the 2016 holidays……
Merry Christmas Tina! I absolutely love everything about your home! I can tell from your blog that under all the decorating and glamour lies simply a beautiful person. Your warmth and generosity shines through. Love is in the details. Remembering the reason for the season is truly what it is all about. Wishing you and your family all the best! Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas my Joyful Girlfriend!
Thank you for another year of enrichment and decorating delight!
Your home looks beyond yummy and festive, love, love.
So unsexy but, noticed your copper gutters are the color patina I’m getting ready to do mine in. My sample has a little too much green that is bugging me. Yours is more the Tiffany silver/blue. Would you happen to have that info? Obviously, don’t even think about this till after the holidays…party first!!!
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year!
Margaux
Your home is beautiful and filled with warmth and love.
This year I started my Christmas decorating 2 weeks before Thanksgiving.
The tree was decorated a few days afterwards.
As for shopping: buy when you find it.
Have a beautiful and blessed Christmas.
Merry Christmas!!!!
Hello Tina !
This blog is a feast for the eyes. Absolutley outstanding. The best ever!! Love the way you spread the cheer.!
Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your family.
Your packages are gorgeous! I may copy that for next year. I am dying to know what type of glitter you used (is it german glitter?). Simply gorgeous and I love your goals for next year. I am copying your list verbatim…totally agree about taking the Christmas picture in the summer instead of Thanksgiving. We are not photogenic so we always need more options! Merry Christmas your house looks lovely!
If you want to know more, The SIms Medieval cheats
which help you more. There are so many things for every member of the family
to enjoy. The estate, immersed in the hills of Tuscany, is
excellently located being only 6 kilometres from Lucca, 25 minutes from Pisa and 45 minutes from Florence and the Chianti region.
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Hi friends! I just cannot believe it’s Wednesday and almost Christmas eve! Let’s not even talk about the fact that we are hovering close to 68 degrees today and its raining cats and dogs when it should really be around 35 and snowy, wintry and Christmas-y:(
I am going to crack open a bottle of champagne tonight to celebrate all of my elf duties officially being complete woo hoo! That means the gifts are bought, the decorations are hung, the meals are planned and frankly whatever is not done shall remain:) This little elf is officially off duty!
In any case, here I am with more of my holiday pictures, random shots from my foyer to giftwrapping to more holiday decor….very little narration necessary:) If you missed part 1 click here. And here we go……
The foyer
Our Christmas tree!
The hallways were decked, didn’t got too crazy but it felt elegantly festive….
A hallway chest..
In the lower level didn’t do much, added a bunch of greens and sugar cones to a dough bowl in the fireplace, a potted amaryllis and a pair of nutcrackers on the bar….easy peasy!
?
do!
In the living room….
A few “food scenes” as I was preparing…..didn’t get a chance to snap any pictures after this, got too busy playing hostess!
Some of my wrapped presents…
This was about the only DIY I took on this season but it was a pretty one:) I buy oversized plain wood letters and give them a quick spray paint of gold or glitter and use a hot glue gun to create a very personalized gift…..
Then I add an embellishment like a few little gold balls, a bit of greenery or pine cone….
And last but not least my front door, which was the poster child for magnolia! I mixed in some greens? and large sugar cones and called it a day!
And added these small evergreens with pine clippings on top of the columns for the side yard-
And here is a sneak peek at the newly installed and completed gates…really love the way they came out:)
And here is a recap of what I am taking away from Christmas 2015-
And on that note, as we all gather with our loved ones to celebrate this most beautiful holiday, I hope your elf duties are officially over, that you can put your feet up (hopefully in front of a roaring fire) even if like here,? it’s going to be 70 degrees….one word, strange!
Open up a bottle of wine or bubbly and cheers to the holiday and a great year ahead! Thank you for stopping by, will post Christmas day to officially wish you a Merry Christmas. Until then…..
PS The blue and white container sale ends tomorrow morning…some things are sold out but there are bits and pieces still available. Click here to visit:)
TINA, TINA, TINA…Nobody Does It Better !!!
Merry Christmas to you, the boys & David
Marsha
Absolutely breathtaking. Thank you for sharing!!!
I was speaking to ‘David” when I wrote your comment.
I mean “Michael” of course.
I list your list for next year’s holiday. Plan and execute EARLY. LOL with that one. Thanks for a great blog year. The highs and lows all of it. Frank Sinatra sang it best “That’s Life…”
Beautiful, elegant, and classy as always Tina?.a pleasure to view everything on your blog! Merry Christmas to you and your family and best wishes for the happiest of New Year’s!
I have really enjoyed your posts this year! Merry Christmas to you and yours!!!
Carrie G. From Virginia Beach
Absoluely elegant! Also, I am going to keep a copy of your 2015 recap/take-away because I need it, too!! Enjoy your evening.
Wow and more Wow! Your an amazing woman Tina. It is all magnificent. Merry Christmas.
Merry Christmas Tina and boys!
Are you still coming to Virginia? It’s definitely way too warm (and wet!) here!
Wishing you the most wonderful Christmas Tina, I WILL be in touch in the New Year!
I’m not actually sure where this year went?? Is it just me, or has been a flash of a year for everyone?
Thanks for sending out so much Joy this year and sharing your world with all of us, I so enjoy reading your posts.
Much love, Coty xx
LOVELY!!!! Gorgeous pictures, home, decorations, packages!!! (Obviously, my invitation to the holiday soiree’s was lost in the mail….Ho Ho Ho!!!!).
Have a very Merry Christmas and great New Year’s celebration.
The best to you in 2016 and here’s to many more wonderful, inspiring blogs!
It is very warm here in K.C. also, but I’d personally rather have that than the snow and ice. Makes it safer for people to travel to family and friends.
Thank you for this beautiful collection of pictures that capture your love and enthusiasm for the holiday, and the home you have created. Blessings to you this Christmas and throughout the new year!
Beautiful foyer. Putting up similar wallpaper in my powder room…blue and white pattern on cream grass cloth (Lee Jofa). Your front door and entry is fabulous!
Yes, I love the photos too and love the list for 2016. I’ve had those lists before, but never manage to stick to them! Seeing your superb decorations, I do feel rather inadequate! It is far too warm here in London (UK) – I still have roses in bloom in my garden!
Dear Tina, you are simply surrounded with perfection from your gorgeous home for the Holidays to your beautiful wrappings!!
Wishing you, your husband, the boys, and Teddy all the best in the New Year!!
xoxo
Karena
The Arts by Karena
The Reason for the Season!
Tina, one word about your home …STUNNING! Glad you got everything done.
I am wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas, and that includes Teddy.
MERRY CHRISTMAS TINA..MAY ALL THE WONDER OF THE SEASON STAY WITH YOU AND YOUR FAMILY THIS HOLIDAY SEASON..
Congratulations on a job well done, Tina…you’ve more than earned that Champagne. Everything is simply beautiful and so festive. I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year!
Gorgeous photos Tina and I like your 2016 list! Crazy weather you are having! It’s actually snowing lightly here and it’s 34 degrees. We need the snow pack as the last couple years have been really mild.
Have a wonderful Christmas Tina and enjoy your family!! xxL
Merry Christmas, love your list for next year,its a good one I think I’ll steal it and use for myself. Your house is beautiful as usual, I would not except less.
What a delight to be able to take a sneak peek at your beautifully decorated home for the holidays. You inspired me to add bows and pine cones to my gifts this year. May you have a wonderful Xmas and happy new year!
So beautiful —you are amazing to create such beauty! The blue & white wallpaper in the foyer is stunning –is there any way to find out who is the creator?
Anne
Really beautiful and elegant, Tina. Thank you for being so generous with your time and talents and sharing a bit of beauty and great taste into this world. I savor your blog as my moment of calm and reflection in my day. Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas ! Sleep well tonight Mama Elf. I, too, have three grown sons. They will be here for Christmas. i am shopped and cooked out BUT it will be a gorgeous feast after midnight Mass and family diners with the cousins and my siblings. Cheers !
Thank you for sharing your Holiday with us. Have a relaxed and joyful Christmas with your family and loved ones. Merry Christmas from Texas!! – Where we were 82 degrees today, lol)
Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree…everything so lovely. Greeting Tina, you have done it again I’m inspired and a a bit wistful you see this little 4’10” elf has hurt her back, this is a lesson to never put things off, do them when the going is good. I did order my cards in January from Zazzle I love their vintage cards, so this was good but everything else will be last minute. I’m just glad the celebrations are at my parents home if it was at my place, well you know how that would turn out. Thank you for sharing your beautiful home. Wishing You A Wonderful Christmas with your family and a Happy, Healthy and Prosperous New Year. Till next year, Season’s Blessings….Esther from Sydney.
Greetings and Christmas wishes from New Zealand. Thank you for all of the wonderful visual splendour “Merry Christmas”
Thanks, Tina! I used your appetizer fruit tray with blackberries, as an afternoon treat for my grandson and his family as they briefly visited on their way to our daughter’s home on the mainland. I was delighted to be able to serve them refreshments without spoiling their dinner plans. I will also plan to get a head start on the 2016 holidays……
Where is this wonderful place? Is it your home?
Merry Christmas Eve morning from sunny chilly Munich!
We’re waiting for our kids to fly in (one from NYC) and one from Vietnam. We’ll be together in 24 Hours!!!!
Our gift is togetherness (just as it is with your family). No gifts this year, no Christmas Cards to mail…YAY!!!!
Have a beautiful Christmas Holiday with your family and friends!
Cheers to a fabulous 2016!!!
Merry Christmas Tina! I absolutely love everything about your home! I can tell from your blog that under all the decorating and glamour lies simply a beautiful person. Your warmth and generosity shines through. Love is in the details. Remembering the reason for the season is truly what it is all about. Wishing you and your family all the best! Merry Christmas!
It all looks so gorgeous, Tina, inside and out! Wishing you a wonderful Christmas and all the best in the new year!!
Your home looks beautiful and festive, Tina! Warmest wishes for the merriest Christmas and happy, healthy New Year!
Merry Christmas my Joyful Girlfriend!
Thank you for another year of enrichment and decorating delight!
Your home looks beyond yummy and festive, love, love.
So unsexy but, noticed your copper gutters are the color patina I’m getting ready to do mine in. My sample has a little too much green that is bugging me. Yours is more the Tiffany silver/blue. Would you happen to have that info? Obviously, don’t even think about this till after the holidays…party first!!!
Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and Prosperous New Year!
Margaux
Your home is beautiful and filled with warmth and love.
This year I started my Christmas decorating 2 weeks before Thanksgiving.
The tree was decorated a few days afterwards.
As for shopping: buy when you find it.
Have a beautiful and blessed Christmas.
Merry Christmas!!!!
Hello Tina !
This blog is a feast for the eyes. Absolutley outstanding. The best ever!! Love the way you spread the cheer.!
Best wishes for a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to you and your family.
Your packages are gorgeous! I may copy that for next year. I am dying to know what type of glitter you used (is it german glitter?). Simply gorgeous and I love your goals for next year. I am copying your list verbatim…totally agree about taking the Christmas picture in the summer instead of Thanksgiving. We are not photogenic so we always need more options! Merry Christmas your house looks lovely!
If that occurs, the officer will be certain to carefully
observe the comprehensive test getting repeated.
If you want to know more, The SIms Medieval cheats
which help you more. There are so many things for every member of the family
to enjoy. The estate, immersed in the hills of Tuscany, is
excellently located being only 6 kilometres from Lucca, 25 minutes from Pisa and 45 minutes from Florence and the Chianti region.