Oyster Roasts, Santa in a Row Boat & Lots of Pie!!

Phew!  We made it through Thanksgiving y'all!  Hopefully you ate lots of yummy turkey and pie and then maybe did a little Black Friday shopping to walk off a few of those extra calories.  

I spent my Thanksgiving holiday a little different this year.  My husband and I made the 14 hour (yes 14!!) trek down to New Bern, North Carolina to spend the holiday weekend with some of his family!  It was well worth the long drive!  It was a great change of pace for Thanksgiving in the Carolina's by the water versus Indiana in the snow.

The holiday festivities were started with a fantastic Oyster Roast!  You have to be quick on shucking the steamed oysters before they all get eaten!!  They go fast!  Don't forget the butter, hot sauce, and saltines!!

As Thanksgiving Day arrived, it was a day filled with everyone cooking.  Literally everyone was in the kitchen cooking their favorite dish at one point! A little cooking with wine, all-day smoked turkey, time with family and friends, and lots and lots of eating the most delicious food!! 

I was in charge of the table arrangements for our Thanksgiving dinner because of my mad skills!!! :) My mom is a florist, so the little floral arranging skills I do have, come from her.  They turned out beautiful.  I picked some flowers, boxwood greenery, fresh holly from our Aunt's yard and used some decor from around her house -- driftwood, miniature sailboats, and birds -- to create a coastal Thanksgiving vibe for the tables! 

 

I think we had about one whole pie for every 2 people!  Apple Pie.  Pumpkin Pie.  Sweet Potato Pie.  Pecan Pie.  Pumpkin Roll.  I could have ate just sweets for dinner!  :) We were eating pie at every meal trying to get rid of it!!  It's bad to waste.

Instead of Black Friday shopping at the mall, we followed a family tradition of welcoming Santa into town as he arrives by boat.  Followed by a little shopping at the most adorable seaside shops!

One of the coolest things I have seen was on the streets of our Aunt & Uncle's house.  Year after year, everyone on their street of the neighborhood has been making these Christmas light balls and hanging them up and down the streets.  They make these light balls of all sizes, from 12" wide up to 3-4' wide.  All of the neighbors hang them from different heights through the trees.  Some hanging over the streets.  Some hanging inside the trees, glowing through at night.  They are made out of chicken wire and then wrapped with Christmas lights.  Once the sun goes down, this street is glowing with the most amazing light show!!  It was gorgeous!!  

We ended the weekend with a birthday celebration for my brother-in-law.

It was such a great Thanksgiving weekend!  Yes, it was A LOT of driving, but it was well worth it!  We had a great time!  Now I can officially start planning Christmas festivities without everyone getting on me about decorating before Thanksgiving! 

{Holiday Decorating} Day 2: Decorating a Buffet Table

There are lots of way to go about decorating a dining room buffet table.  Some may opt for displaying their best serving pieces for an upcoming family get-together.  Others may make it an impressive liquor bar area for holiday entertaining.  With no upcoming holiday parties to plan at this household, I decided to do a simple curated display with a mixture of fresh greens, artificial greens, some antique milk glass, mercury glass, and a new way to use upholstery jute webbing.  Also, see how I turn an everyday dining table centerpiece into a festive holiday centerpiece.

The chalkboard art is a blank card from Etsy of Stone and Feather Paper.

The idea of the overall scheme for the buffet table was to keep it simple with whites and greens.  I wanted to use a lot of greenery to give it a fresh, natural look.  Of course, a little mercury glass and a glittered reindeer to add a touch of holiday sparkle!

 

I found this guy at Hobby Lobby for half off and had to get it!  It is hard to tell in the picture, but he is covered in large flakes of white glitter!!  I kind of wish it didn't say Merry Christmas on it because I want to keep him out all year!

Layering in the pieces!

A table like this - it could be a buffet table, an entry table, or even a dining room table, looks best with lots of layers for interest and texture.  

I started with a hand-made burlap runner to add a rustic base.  I layered on top a plaid, fleece runner.  I made this just by cutting a strip about 12" wide from a larger piece of fleece material used in another project that you will see a little later. 

From there I layered in the larger pieces -- a large glass vase from Pottery Barn and a large piece of art.  This candle holder is awesome because you can change out the filler in the bottom, and the candle sits at the top.  I added pine cones at the bottom and some fresh sprigs of holly and pine around the candle.  The artwork is a special piece handed down to us from a family member's art collection.  

The two matching smaller trees are from Ikea!  My antique milk glass (leftovers from my wedding decor) are the perfect size for holding the trees.

Next up, I added the deer statue.  To add a little height, I added in 3 white books pulled straight out of my bookcase.  (Goodwill books of course, used for decoration, never read!)

On the other side I added a few pieces of mercury glass.  The mercury glass Christmas tree wasn't tall enough to be visible behind the other objects, so I grabbed another mercury glass vase from my bookcases, flipped it over, and set the tree on that to give it added height!

On the left is an artificial plant from Crate and Barrel that I already had.  I just placed it into another mercury glass vase that I had to make it look a little more festive.  On the right, I used another one of my antique milk glass vases and filled it with fresh boxwood sprigs, holly, spruce, and some faux berry picks.

Layer by layer -- table runners, tall pieces, short pieces, fresh greens and some sparkle, a beautiful dining room buffet table Christmas display is easily created!

Now, more on that cute little banner I made to hang across my picture!

Upholstery Jute Webbing has been around for hundreds of years.  It is most commonly used as an upholstery base on the seat or back of the chair to hold up all of the other materials.  The wide natural colored trim has red stitching woven in which makes it a perfect accent to holiday decorating.  And at only 99 cents a yard, it is much cheaper than most ribbon this size.  Since I bought my webbing at Hobby Lobby, I have seen this online for as low as 77 cents a yard.

 
Its popularity for craft projects other than upholstery has risen in the last year thanks to places like Pottery Barn and Etsy in pillows or curtains.  This is my first time working with the material, so I decided to start small with a cute little, super easy, banner!!

I cut 5 strips, each about 3-1/2" in length.

Hot glued jute string to the top, leaving about half an inch between each.

Once they were all glued together on the string, I cut the bottoms at an angle.

I just attached the jute string to the back of my picture with masking tape.  And it's really just that easy!!

You'll notice different ways I used the upholstery jute webbing throughout my home tour!

I like to use everyday objects and decorations in a new way for my Christmas decorating.  You'll notice I do this a lot!  This is a glass cloche that I keep on my table year round.  The artificial plant in the middle is from Ikea.  Instead of switching out the entire arrangement, I just swapped the plant with Christmas ornaments and slipped a plain wreath around the glass jar.  The glass cloche is from Crate and Barrel clearance.  I got it a while back for only $15 but I don't think they carry them anymore.  You could do something similar with any clear vase or even a tall lantern.  

 

The wreath is also from Ikea!  Only $10 for a plain and simple wreath.  

(See how I transformed the antique buffet table into a showstopping piece with just a can of marigold paint!)

10 more days of Jessica's Holiday Decorating to go and 

only 19 more days until Christmas!!