A year in review-Tablescapes

Cindy over at My Romantic Home is having 2009 A Year in Review party today. So I thought I would join in on her party. Cindy has a fabulous blog with lots of eye candy. Be sure to visit her & all of the participants.


Welcome to the last Tablescape Thursday of 2009. I want to thank Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch for hosting this fun weekly event. Who would have ever thought it would have grown as much as it has. I guess I'm not the only one who enjoys putting together tablescapes.

Since it is the end of the year I thought I would share some collages of all the tablescapes I've done over the past year.




January: Happy New Year!

February: Have a Romantic Valentine's Day
February: Valentine's Day Fun

March: St Patrick's Day
March: Thanksgiving in March
March: Is it Spring Yet?

March: Easter Tablescape Take 1
April: Easter Tablescape take 2
April: Bonus Bunny Tablescape

April: Welcome Spring

April: Black & White April: A poolside Tea Party

May: Mother's Day


May: A Thrifty Tea PartyJune: Happy Anniversary

June: Summer is HereJuly: 4th of July

July: Girl's Night In
I didn't do any tablescapes in August. I guess I was on vacation that month.


September: Roosters

October: Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me
November: Thanksgiving Tablescape #1

November: Happy Thanksgiving
December: Merry Christmas
And finally I wanted to share my second Christmas tablescape. I managed to get my family room table set just in time for Christmas.

December: Winter Wonderland
I hope that you have enjoyed looking back at all the tablescapes I shared this past year. In full disclosure I must tell you that we only actually ate off of a few of these tablescapes. But setting the table keeps me from piling the tables up with papers & junk. My goal for 2010 is to eat on at least half of the tablescapes I do.

I hope that each of you has a safe & Happy New Year. Don't drink & drive. And I look forward to sharing many more tablescapes in the new year. As well as look forward to what you all have to share as well.

Happy New Year!!!

The best laid plans

You would think that after 51 years of living with myself that I would know myself a little better. I do know myself, I just keep hoping that I will change. But being the procrastinator that I am, I should know better.

I wanted new Christmas stockings this year. I have perfectly good Christmas stockings as you can see below from 2008.

I was just growing tired of them & wanted something new. Lighter in color, more home made.

Something more like this:
Naughty & Nice stockings from Ballard Designs. They are made out of burlap. But they were $12.00 each (they are on clearance now for $6.99 each) and I need four. And I didn't want to pay that much for burlap ones. Plus I wanted to make them myself.

Then I was visiting Cottage Instincts blog & saw the ones that Cindy made:
It was love at first sight. When I saw hers, I knew I wanted them. I already had the fabric bought and had an idea in my mind, but her stockings were exactly what I had in mind.

Even after reading her encounter on making them, I was not deterred. I was going to make my own Christmas stockings this year.

At least that was my plan. I didn't even get out my old stockings from the attic as I knew I was going to have new ones to hang by the fireplace. But we all know about the best laid plans.

And before you know it, it's Christmas eve. I'm busy wrapping gifts (of course at the last minute). It's almost time for Santa to come when all of a sudden I realize, I HAVEN'T MADE MY CHRISTMAS STOCKINGS!!!!! And now I'm out of time & too tired to climb up into the attic to find my old stockings.

What's a mom to do? Santa is coming any minute? Think girl, think.

It was then I heard angels singing on high. The heavens parted & I had a vision. ZIPLOCK BAGGIES!!! Yup, you heard me right, Ziplock baggies for stockings. And here is the proof:

Santa had no trouble filling the Ziplock stockings. They hold quite a lot. But he still had to place some items outside the bags. He didn't even mind that the Ziplock stockings were placed on the couch instead of hanging from the fireplace mantel. (Lucky for me that Santa is so accommodating).

There is even a spot for writing a name. How convenient.

Lucky for me, my boys are actually adults, so they kind of got a kick out of having Ziplock stockings. And they weren't surprised in the least. And why not? We have Ziplock Easter baskets too.

Keeping it real folks, keeping it real.

Does anything stay the same?

Cindy over at My Romantic Home is hosting a 2009 A Year in Review party 12/31/09. Since this post shows my china hutch & fireplace mantel over the past year, it qualifies for the party. Yipee!!!

Be sure to stop by Cindy's blog. You are in for a treat if you have never visited her. I want to be her when I grow up. Heck, I just want to be her.

I hope that all of you had a wonderful Christmas (if you celebrate it). I know I did. It was wonderful to get together with family. And I got to see my Grandson too.

I'm always sad once Christmas is over. I love all the build up to Christmas. And now the party is over and time to take down the decorations. Boo hoo! Mine will stay up at least until this weekend. The part I will miss the most are the lights. It always seems so dark once the lights are gone.

Since we are at the end of another year. It's always fun to take a look back. So I thought it would be kind of fun to take a look back at the metamorphosis of my fireplace mantel and my china hutch over the past year.

Valentine's Day:
I guess I didn't take a photo of the whole mantel in one shot.
The right side looked exactly like this left side.

Spring:



Easter:
Did you notice what changed between this photo & the spring mantel?


Late Spring/Early Summer:

I didn't change up my mantel. It stayed the same as before. I only changed up my hutch.
4th of July:

Summer:


Fall:




Halloween:


Thanksgiving:

Christmas:

Wow!!! I did a lot of decorating this past year. Does anything ever stay the same in your house?

Now scoot on over to Between Naps on the Porch to see this week's participants in Metamorphosis Monday.