One thing led to another . . .

I only had 2 things I needed to do today - set a pretty Christmas table and swim (way too many Christmas goodies are being consumed).

I will swim after dinner because one thing led to another and I ended up, as Steve calls it, "playing house" all day.

When I was getting my red plates off the top shelf of the cupboards the other day I came across my grandmother's silver cake plate and decided I need to use it at Christmas.

I love the detail on both sides of the cake plate and thought it would work in a centerpiece if I flipped it over to use as a candle holder, so I used a lot of elbow grease to make it shine.

But, as you will see, the cake plate didn't end up on the table.

For today's table, I chose large red plates, linen napkins and green handled flatware.

While looking for jute to tie the berries onto the napkins, I spotted a basket full of word cubes and I knew exactly what I wanted to do for today's centerpiece.

A little greenery, some red candles and word cubes - simple enough, but this table setting actually garnered a "great job" from my son - usually my kids just tease me about my table settings.

We are big on games in our family, but this word game didn't prove to be a favorite.

It has been in a cupboard for a couple of years so I dusted off the cubes and set out words that meant something about our family.

The table was all set by 9:00 so I had time to get creative and finally make a folded book page Christmas tree.

I followed a link to An Extraordinary Day which was shared by Sarah at Down By The Sea.

The little Christmas tree ended up on a dining room shelf alongside my grandmother's cake plate.

The stars from Tuesday's centerpiece ended up on a little table in the dining room.

While I was taking photos, Steve announced that we were having cioppino for dinner so some green bowls were added and we are ready for dinner.

One thing led to another today and I made a lot of "little" changes.

And now, I need to focus on bigger things - like shopping, baking and most important, enjoying the season.

I hope you are enjoying the holiday season too.

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Join me at these fun parties

Common Ground - Be Inspired

Imparting Grace - Grace At Home

From My Front Porch to Yours - Treasure Hunt Thursday

No Minimalist Here - Open House

Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson - Share Your Cup

Thrifty Decor  Chick - Christmas Party

Dining With Stars

I bought this star a couple of weeks ago at one of my favorite shops, Palermo, on Main Street Ventura.

The 8"star is sitting on a shelf in the dining room and I have been thinking that it will be the focus of the New Year's mantel.

So, I was pretty excited when Steve and I were in Palermo last week ( I was showing him things I would like for Christmas and he was taking pictures ) and I spotted the stars in a 5" size.

I bought the 5" star - on the right - on Sunday and decided the stars would be the focus for my Christmas table today.

The Willows Home & Garden

While I ate breakfast, I came across a new website, The Willows Home & Garden, and knew immediately what I would do for the napkins today.

A set of beads my sister bought me at French General several years ago and a coil of wire were my toys this morning as I played at making stars.

I found a little glitter star in my supplies and wrapped the wire around it with no plans and no idea of what I was doing.

I ended up with 4 wire stars and decided to embellish the glitter heart as well.

My funky handmade stars were tied onto the napkins and also added to the centerpiece.

The 8" star was too tall, so I just used the 5" star, placing it in a vintage style soap dish to allow it to stand up.

Out came these wonderful dishes I found at TJ Maxx a few months ago.

Tonight was the inauguration of napkins I made a few months ago - white & blue floral fabric with crocheted edges.

A few star candles I have had for ever were added along with the left over ribbon from tying up the napkins.

It was a simple meal of a salad and a bowl of pasta, but the Christmas table setting made dinner seem special.

I am having a lot of fun setting a different table each night, but I think we might need to go out to dinner tomorrow so I have time to come up with a new idea.

Heart Handmade UK

This photo I saw on the post, A Nordic Christmas from Etsy on the blog Heart Handmade UK is what will be running through my head as I sleep tonight,

along with a plate Leslie of Gwen Moss made for Father's Day last June.

I love getting ideas from others!

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Join me at

Between Naps on the Porch - Tablescape Thursday

Rose Chintz Cottage - Home for the Holidays

Green Willow Pond - What We Accomplished Wednesday

Lavender Garden Cottage - Cottage Style Party

Savvy Southern Style - Wow Us Wednesdays  

Elizabeth & Co - Be Inspired

Ivy and Elephants - What's It Wednesday

Fluster Buster - Creative Muster

Ginger Snap Crafts - Wow Me Wednesday

With a little time on my hands . . .

We didn't realize how much time our puppy takes until this morning when she was not at home.

Lulu spent all day at the vet and with no interruptions I was able to water the garden, do 3 loads of laundry, vacuum the entire house and completely scour the kitchen from top to bottom - all by 11:00.

With all the work done early, I set out to create our "Christmas" table for the day.

I was disappointed when H & M contacted me to say that the Christmas tablecloth I had ordered was sold out so I decided to make my own tablecloth from a drop cloth.

BUT, after spending a full day pulling threads to create the fringe and then 2 more days to tie the fringe, I was not going to create something only to be used at Christmas.

 I brought down red plates from the top of the cupboard and asked myself why I had hidden them away.

I bought the square and the round sets over the course of a year at many TJ Maxx stores throughout southern California until I had full place settings.

Mondays are always soup and/or salad so I went with the large square plates to hold the salad

and the round bowls for soup - as much as I love the square bowls, they aren't great for soup.

A Christmas table is easy for me with my primary color palette - there are always red napkins on hand.

A sprig of greenery from the garden tied with ribbon breaks up the predominance of red on the table.

I love the alphabet and buy letter sets on sale whenever I see them - I didn't have two S's for Christmas so I went with J O Y.

The bowl (an after Christmas purchase many years ago) is a favorite because it brings in a little yellow.

Red wine glasses and red candles finish off the table.

From any direction, the dining room looks festive with its Christmas trimmings.

But, the Advent Calendar on the mantel is looking less festive as treats are removed daily.

I worked too hard on the calendar to just put the pieces away so I am attaching them to a little basket guarded by my vintage Santa Claus.

Christmas is coming fast and I am almost ready.

How about you?

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Dwellings - Amaze Me Monday

Kathe With an E - You're Gonna Love It

Coastal Charm - Christmas Home Tour Party