Last Sunday of 2009

I love Sunday mornings- just time to putz around the house and contemplate upcoming projects.

This morning my son Todd and I are getting ready for an informal open house this afternoon, so there's a pork shoulder in the oven smelling good. My daughter in law Deena is making flatbread for the pulled pork sandwiches and the grandbabies are watching cartoons. My husband is playing with our new coffee maker and getting ready for his favorite show- Sunday Morning.

I am going around freshening up Christmas displays. Our foyer this year is decorated with natural hedge apples, frosty ferns, and white paperwhites . The crusty old cherub relic is a favortive new find this season. A collection of old silver, an antique Visitors log, and a wonderful old clock make an interesting collage for the holidays. Maybe for tonight I should burn our new Godiva Candle - Peppermint Bark. And maybe freshen up the flowers a little--- otherwise, I think we are ready for a party!

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

Two days before Christmas , we got a beautiful snow. Early in the morning, before tire wheels and boots marked up the landscape, I was able to get some wintery pictures. I love the way the snow falls on the garden statues shoulders - so sweet and lovely to see . Snow makes it really feel like Christmas is here!

Kansas City isn't just for Ribs!

A couple of weeks ago, my girlfriends, Jill, Marlene, Lynda and I took a road trip from Chicago to Kansas City. We have been close friends for over 25 years and have all had professional lives in Department Stores ( Marshall Fields, Robinson's, Famous Barr). So we are all pretty judgemental and very opinionated about retail in general. To make things even more interesting, while Jill and Lynda have retired, crazy Marlene and I now own our own retail venues. So we are constantly looking for other retail stores that inspire us and have found few in the past few years. But what a different story in Kansas City! We were all blown away- in this mid sized , mid west (of all places) city, retail was inspiring!. Nell Hill's new store was sensational - 2 floors filled to the brim with tasty merchandise. We all bought stuff and almost filled my large SUV in that first stop! Next, the Curious Sofa - one of the most beautiful stores that we have ever seen. A vintage tile ceiling, Italian plastered walls, and awesome antique doors greeted you in this strip center location! Lot's of glittered holiday decor, candles, vintage accessories inspired us. And then after an amazing lunch at a little French Cafe across the street(my girlfriends are still trying to figure out how they prepared this amazing tomato salad), off to Miss Frenchies we went! I had been reading about this event for over a year on the Curious Sofas blog. We were not disappointed - it was a blast. A group of artists, antique dealers and store keepers all came together in this magical barn and created a holiday extravaganza. Now our car really was full! But Saturday morning, before we headed back to Chicago, we made a little stop at a local department store - Hall's. When we walked in and saw the Christmas Shop, I began to hyperventilate - we had never seen such a beautiful assortment of holiday decor, since the grand old days of Marshall Fields in the 80's. Gorgeous hand blown ornaments, incredible elves and Santa's, silver, unbelievable tables capes - it was like Christmas heaven. Ten shopping bags later, we had to re-pack the car. Who was going to be tied on top to get home - certainly not my new ornaments! This was an awesome trip, 3 great antique malls too! And by the way, the ribs that we had at Jack Stacks in Kansas City, they were the best that I have ever tasted in my life - I had them overnight-ed for my family to celebrate Christmas Eve tonight!

Picture 1 - Elf from Hall's

Picture 2- candle stick from Nell Hill's

Pictures3-5 ornaments from Hall's

After Note - I never write this much in my blog - but I was totally blown away by Kansas City. The homes, the people we talked to, and the general rolling beauty of the city - all left me with lasting memories of one of the most wonderful road trips in my life. Kansas City, we'll see you again next Christmas!

Royal Dining in an Historical Home

Of all the opportunities to decorate for the holidays, my absolute favorite is to set the holiday table. This year we were having a large dinner party for the Lake Bluff Historical Society, Christmas Dinner in an Historical Home. Earlier this year, I had been lucky to find a set of vintage hotel china from the Helmsley Hotel in New York. They are white with a gold rim and a simple crown embellishment. Using the crown as my focus, we put together the table with more gold, crystal, and threw in a touch of the royal color purple. Fresh white roses and hydrangeas filled antique water goblets.

The old french bistro mirror shines behind a wonderful old silver dome . Mercury glass ornaments hang from a platinum garland and add sparkle to the dining room.

Powder Room in Holiday Dress

Scented candles, beautiful hand towels, and luscious soaps are obvious necessities for the powder room. But at Romancing the Home we love to "dress" the sconces in beautiful ribbons and garlands. A hand made doll from Venice graces the table in the powder room. Petite angels with velvet sachets sit in the soap dish above the sink. Soft lights create a romantic ambiance for the holiday season.

Gift Wrap Inspirations

The art and joy of wrapping a gift is a gift itself. I am constantly collecting beautiful papers, but this past year I found one that has become my all time favorite. I bought the store out! It is an embossed gold or silver croco print and looks great with my chocolate ribbons. Making fun labels on your computer, edging them with decorative edge scissors, and dipping them in glitter is a fun project. Old silver pieces can be found at flea markets for less money than a store made bow! Throughout the year I collect little trinkets to tie on the outside of my gifts. Old brooches are one of the favorite things to add to the outside of a package because they add a magical sparkle.

Special Cover-ups!

Last minute wrapping of gifts is sometimes an unwanted task. So I have created several pre-wrapped boxes, that you can simply add tissue inside and just drop in your gift! They add instant Christmas decor just simply sitting under the tree, on an ottoman, or on a table scape. I just save them from year to year, and am constantly adding new ones because I enjoy making them. Either cover a sturdy box with a beautiful fabric using a spray adhesive, or simply buy decorative box from a store. Then the fun begins! All throughout the year, gather small vintage treasures, scraps of lace, old buckles, silk flowers, and whatever else catches your fancy. Then assemble a collage together and hot glue it to the box top. I love making and presenting gifts in these magical boxes. Sometimes, you can judge a gift by it's cover!