Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year's Eve.

May 2010 bring each one of you happiness, success, and love.

I appreciate all of you and your kind words written to me this past year. Thank you.

Until next year...

Felice Buon Anno and Happy New Year my friends,

Suzanne

Welcome to Our Home ~ Merry Christmas to You!

Welcome to our home and Merry Christmas Eve.

Now that the children's cupcake party is over, grab yourself a glass of bubbly...{This is one of my favorites.} Cin, cin.

...and a decadent chocolate bon bon to whet your appetite.

Please make yourself comfortable in our living room...we will light the fire and relax while we anticipate a yummy dinner.

{It's such a tradition in the South to have portraits in one's home, that we thought this one depicted our personalities best ~ our Sock Monkeys on a hot date.}

My lacey and delicate Moroccon votives illuminate the glittery hot pink balls, turquoise snowflakes, and indigo sequined and velvet ornaments.

When you are ready, please join me in our dining room.

A petit nativity will greet you...

Beaded fruit overflows in a wrought iron tiered basket...{Fresh pears will be on the table.}

A rustic terra cotta cherub snuggled within pine cones atop a vintage birdcage will watch over us.

My most favorite Christmas decoration of all ~ a petit porcelain nativity scene my son gave to me when he was two.




This is what Christmas is all about.

The beaded and tasseled minimally styled wrought iron chandelier is dimly lit for just the right atmosphere...

Please take your seat...oh, but this one is mine. After all, I am the angel of the house, right? {Don't let the monogram pearl "R" confuse you...my married name begins with "R."}

We are serving French cut lamb chops, grilled broccoli, Gorgonzola scalloped potatoes, and Caesar salad. {Thank goodness my husband is on vacation from school for two weeks and he will be helping me in the kitchen.} Buon appetito. Enjoy!

I set our table with warm shades of gilded gold, cream, silver, mocha, and saffron coloured roses...

'Got my fat ceramic bird propped up on a pretty Italian cake stand and surrounded her with a sparkly grapevine wreath, silk roses, golden pine cones, and glass ornament baubles.

I once read that the oldest form of decoration was ribbon {which I love to use on just about anything} ~ I had this soft satin ribbon that I tied around a single beeswax candle. I love how the light hits the ribbon and it shimmers.

The sun was just pouring in our dining room this afternoon and I captured these photos...it's amazing how different the light is in this room throughout the day.

These linen cocktail napkins are hand painted with gold and bronze cherubs done by an artist I used to know. I love them and take them out every Christmas and St. Valentine's Day.

This organza scarf adds softness to all the textures on the table.

Advent candles shine behind the crystal trifle bowl full of silvery ball ornaments.

A special gilded pine cone rose I have saved over the years found the perfect spot nestled in the luminescent burlap.

And...to extinguish the flickering flames, my vintage brass angel candle snuffer.

Now I'm about ready to retreat to our bedroom and read a good book for a bit...Currier & Ives is a good choice this time of year.

Our room is a glow in white lights and clear glass ornaments on the mantle of our original gas fireplace.

I thought this garland of pearls looked prettier in this old silver Revere bowl than on our tree.

I always have the angels watching over me.

Now it's time for me to say good night and Merry Christmas to all of you. I am so glad that you stopped by and I wish you all the best this season.


I hope Santa fills your stockings with special things and that all your wishes are fulfilled.

Don't forget to lock your door...after all, Santa still does come down the chimney.

Buon Natale Amici,

Suzanne

Who Has Been Naughty or Nice?

Welcome to my holiday home. I would have invited you in sooner, but we had a mishap in our little village...

Please forgive me and just give me a kiss under the mistletoe.

No one is watching except the golden vintage angel girl and she won't tell.

Mr. Frosty had an accident in our kitchen ~ pooping out marshmallows all over the marble table. This happened right before our cupcake party ~ what a mess! He is an old fellow, so I did not get upset. He got his broom out right away and began cleaning up.

Then he came up with a great idea ~ let's bag this stuff up and sell it on Etsy! After all it is hand made, isn't it?

{I don't think you will see these goodies in my Etsy shop ~ at least not this year ~ but the naughty people I know may receive some in their stockings.}

Wink, wink.

Then the children came and had a snowball fight outside {with marshmallows ~ we are in the South, don't forget ~ no snow} and ate delicious chocolate red velvet cupcakes with butter cream peppermint frosting.

After I clean up the red cupcake crumbs and "snowballs" outside, I will be ready to invite you into my Christmas home. I hope you will stop by tomorrow for a visit and stay a while.

Merry, merry!

Buon Natale,

Suzanne