Every year we host our neighborhood board for a holiday celebration.  We have the most wonderful group of neighbors who spend countless volunteer hours maintaining the integrity and character of our North Central neighborhood.  I always feel so lucky to welcome them into our home to celebrate them and the holidays.

Typically, I would love to think I have the time and energy to make everything from scratch, but realistically that’s not always the case. What did we do before Costco or Sam’s Club? This year, I capitalized on all the wonderful things available at Costco for the hors d’oerves, flowers and desserts.  With a little imagination you can take ordinary items and turn them into something special with these entertaining shortcuts.

As you know, I think the carnation is the underdog of flower choices, but they are affordable, hold up well and provide a burst of color.

With some evergreens from our Christmas tree (or greens from your yard), you can make them look like this.

Costco has a gourmet food section with an extensive assortment of salami, proscuitto, and cheeses. The French brie, Isigny Ste. Mere is from Normandy and is so delicious.  The Cambozola blue cheese was only $8.00 for 2 wedges! Their Cranberry Cinnamon goat cheese is so festive.

With a very large tray and some effort (I had my son’s assistance), it can look like this! We added olives, nuts and fruit for a beautiful display.

Pre-packed vegetables trays are available in most grocery stores.

With a few added tomatoes and sprigs of herbs (I used thyme, but rosemary or parsley would also work), the vegetable tray can have a holiday theme.

I love making Christmas cookies, but I’ve had no time this year.  Costco has a very good selection and I especially like their Holiday Stollen Bites.

Though the picture isn’t great because I took it after our guests started arriving, you can see how I arranged the desserts.

In addition to beer and wine, my son made a Christmas sangria.  Our non-alc0holic options were water and hot mulled cider, which was a perfect choice on a chilly December night.

The cider is from Trader Joe’s.  Simmered with mulled spices, the presentation was made pretty by adding mini Rome apples and whole cloves.

By using a skewer to pre-poke the holes, the cloves are easier to insert.

A crockpot full of Trader Joe’s party size mini meatballs and their Bold & Smoky Kansas City Style BBQ sauce rounded out the appetizers.

The back porch is the perfect location for larger gatherings.  With the fireplace roaring and the ceiling heaters on, it was a lovely evening with neighbors.

What I didn’t know before writing this post, is that Costco delivers!  It appears they can do so in a few hours or a few days~~that opens up so many new possibilities!

Taking some entertaining shortcuts during this holiday season is a way to lower the stress and still provide a warm and welcoming environment for your guests.

Happy Entertaining!

I am not sure why we hang stockings by the chimney with care, but it appears to be a long standing custom.  Since 1823 when Clement Clarke Moore wrote “A Visit from St. Nicholas”, Christmas stockings have been an essential part of Christmas traditions.

We have 5 handmade stockings for our family and multiple ones for each of the pets.  Our family stockings are made from a Bucilla felt stocking kit, which can be easily purchased online or at a craft store. Click here to see Bucilla stocking ideas on Pinterest.

The kit provides everything you need~~stamped felts, embroidery floss, ribbons, sequins, beads, needles and lengthy instructions.   I made the very first one 23 years ago when I was pregnant with our first child and subsequently made one for each child since. Be aware~~they are very time consuming.

For Benjamin’s stocking, each toy in Santa’s bag was individually made and then stitched in place.

Since my husband loves to golf, it was very easy to select the theme for his stocking.

My daughter’s stocking is a little different but still required a great deal of time and skill to make.  French knots and delicate needle work was required.

Each stocking is lined with a different fabric.  I recycled my daughter’s favorite blue velvet holiday dress as the lining of her stocking.  The dress had little white pom poms on the neckline and I used those too.

This year I FINALLY completed my stocking kit which my husband bought for me.

The living room mantle is nice and wide, allowing for an abundant garland of greens, berries and hydrangeas (from The Enchanted Home).

Brass hangers are tucked in the garland.  In retrospect, I would have been more careful in adding the tabs on the handmade stockings, because it affects how they hang.

Now for the fun part~~tucking a clementine in the toe and filling them with goodies for Christmas Day!  Do you have a favorite stocking?

Once a year, I clean the crystal chandelier in the dining room.  It happens to coincide with my holiday decorating.  For some reason, the rest of the year I overlook the dust on the crystals, probably because it is evenly dusty!  But once the glitter village and snow globes go up, the dullness of the chandelier catches my eye.

Quite honestly, there is really no easy way to do this (at least I haven’t discovered it yet).  This chandelier came with us during our move to Bella Terra.  Once candle lit only, we had it electrified and it has hung in our last two dining rooms.   I love the 12 arms and the crystals are not overabundant (except when you have to clean each and every one).

The cups that sit under each candle collect the most dust.

I start by laying down old towels on top of the table.  With a spray bottle of white vinegar and water, I spray each and every crystal and cup. With a soft towel, I wipe each and every crystal and cup…..good for toning the arms!!! 🙂

The view from below doesn’t show all the crystals.  Each arm has approximately 3o individuals crystals of varying sizes.

It never fails that one crystal will fall off during this process.  The purpose of the towel is to break its fall, however, this one bounced off the table and landed on the stone fireplace hearth.

Therefore, I keep a box of extras, just in case.  You can also find crystal replacements online.

Though most people won’t realize the chandelier has been cleaned, I know this will bump up the sparkle effect in the dining room, especially at night.

Wishing you a week of shiny and bright!

I have searched for an original picture of the entry of the property prior to restoration, but found nothing.  The driveway was dirt/stones with no gates.

Our home sits back from the street and our neighborhood has irrigation laterals, which provide water at an affordable cost to deep water our large, mature trees.

As you drive in, you cross what I call the “moat”.  It is the main irrigation ditch that runs along the road.  If you look to the left and right once you pull onto the “bridge”, you see this~~a river.

This water source feeds into our private irrigation ditch, which parallels the main moat and our property line.

Twice a month in the summer and once a month in the winter,water is released into our private ditch.  After opening hatches, the water is then funneled throughout the 2+ acres providing many gallons of water to the orchard and mature trees.

Large, original stone pillars act as sentries at the entrance of the driveway.

The wrought iron fencing and gate was designed to replicate the architectural arches throughout the house. Since we live on a busy street, the fence and gate keep the dogs safely inside the property.

We used tumbled pavers on the entrance bridge and allowed space for 2 cars to pull in. Once you go through the gates, the driveway is a combination of paver edges and bands with 1/4 minus granite in between.  This stone/gravel look felt more historical and appropriate for a 1912 home.

The original entry and sidelights had security bars and gates on them, hiding the beautiful 4 foot wide door. The red paint works well for this time of year, but a think a new door color is in my future.

First impressions are lasting and a welcoming entry is the first step. What is unique about your entry?

The theme in the dining room for the holidays is all snow and glitter.  Each year I build a snow village using several paper/cardboard glitter houses.  There are many ways to make your own on Pinterest, but I purchased these affordable, yet adorable houses over the years. They are readily available in many retail stores.

The buffet in the dining room is the perfect spot for this.  I leave the lace runner (a favorite handmade piece from our trip to Italy) in place and add a strand of white lights. I also leave the table lamps and add a small wreath to each.  A winter painting is placed in the small window above.

Next, I add items to create varying heights~~ a cake stand and different size boxes.

Using old white napkins and linens (they can be torn or stained, it won’t matter), I cover the boxes, and place the lights on top of the linens.

Next I add my village houses and churches. Like an old town, the church is at the highest point and in the center.

Then, I add trees.  Mine don’t match.  They are an odd compilation of evergreen, wood with glitter and funky, but it all seems to work.

Next I add another string of lights.  The purpose of this string is to insert the bulbs in the back of the houses.  Each of them have a hole in the back.

Taking the time to do this is rewarding as the little house looks so magical, as if the lights are on and somebody’s home.

The remainig lights are laid around the bases and in between the trees.

You can get packaged snow from any hobby store (mine is from Michael’s).  It is 100% polyester, flame retardant and comes in a roll.

I cannot take credit for this part.  My dear friend, Janie, taught me this trick years ago and I think it produces fabulous results.  It’s important to pull apart the fine layers of batting (vs. clumping) and drape the snow over the lights.  You can layer it or mound it up, but the key is to keep the “snow” or batting a light as possible.  The effect is so lovely, almost heavenly.

The snow hides all the wiring and lights and bases, producing a soft glow.

At night, with the lamps off, this snow village is so dreamy and enchanting! Now I am off to put out all the snow globes!!! Happy decorating!

We love receiving holiday cards from family and friends. It’s the time of year to catch up on people’s lives and each and every card is opened with great anticipation.

Instead of putting all the cards into a bowl or basket, we like to hang them where they can be seen.

The butler’s pantry, which sits between the dining room and breakfast room has the perfect window which looks out to the northern part of our property.  In order to get to the kitchen from the front door, you need to walk through this sweet room and therefore, placing the cards here makes perfect sense.

Ballard Designs sells this button garland, called Marianna Button Garland in a set of 3 – 9 foot sections for $35.00.  The wafer-thin buttons are made of capriz shells and are softly iridescent.

One 9 foot section fit perfectly around this small window.

A small hole punch to the corner of the card, add string and it is ready to hang!

This location is also the perfect place for my Santa/reindeer folk art balance toy.

What do you do with your holiday cards?