More Designs for a Customer

Every year I feel like I am on top of the season. Shopping early is something I enjoy doing and I seem to get many names crossed off in October and early November. Almost every year Thanksgiving is in my home. We almost always have the light fixture above the dining room table decorated for Christmas because my Silk Thumb open house is usually the week prior to Thanksgiving. Trying to keep tradition strong, I resist having too much Christmas out because I want to be loyal to our Thanksgiving holiday. I have come to the conclusion that next year I want to be decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving. Between customer's orders, December birthdays (which I continue to say should be outlawed) my new volunteer position at my church (ordering fresh flowers for the altars and placing them in two church locations) which led to a second volunteer position (a newly formed decorating committee which I was informed just the other night that I am the chairman...huh?) I fall further and further behind with my decorating for Christmas. Plans to really get going with the garlands, berries, angels, carolers, nativities went by the wayside when Saturday turned out to be everything but decorating. We were invited to a Christmas party and asked to bring some kind of dessert. Why did I think it was necessary to bake 3 different types of cookies? I was also invited to a jewelry party, dropped off a gift for a family in need, made two trips to the grocery store and placed the flowers at the church. Barely having time to primp, we were out the door for our party at 5:30. Is this a good time to tell you that on Sunday afternoon, Chester our German Shorthair who ate our leftover turkey on Thanksgiving afternoon snuck up to our kitchen (off limits for him and he knows it) and cleared off my pretty red platter of leftover cookies?? He also finished off a bag of brown sugar and snacked on a few chocolate chips for good measure. Whoever said chocolate and dogs is not a good mix has not met Chester. Oh yes, he broke my pretty red platter which left a scratch on my wood floor. Since I am so far behind we even brought two of our young grandsons over to help decorate the Christmas tree downstairs in the rec room. At least we have one thing done. Because I still have very little decorating done in my home, I am showing you a project from the past. This was all for one home.... Remember the XL cornucopia I showed you pics of a while back?? This is their table decked out for Christmas with an XL poinsettia arrangement. Pictured below is what I did above their china cabinet. I just placed loose greenery and stuck some filler in that the home owner could easily reproduce the following year.

Same thing for one of their many mantles. If I had known I would be blogging, I would have taken pictures of the full rooms. I placed a simple lighted Christmas tree in this gorgeous dining room, potted in a nice urn.

The pear centerpiece went on their kitchen table. The lady of the home has two large pear prints which hang above this table.

Hopefully soon I will be able to show you some pictures of my decorations.

Until then............

I'm out the door to have breakfast with friends. Yes, it's another one of those should be outlawed birthdays in December.