Christmas 2010 has come and gone...

our christmas tree this year

the christmas holiday is finally over, and i find that i'm breathing a much needed sigh of relief...and i am happy that my plan to do less and appreciate more went off without a hitch or an ounce of regret.  it was a sentiment that most of my family shared, and i have to say that no one seemed disappointed that we didn't stress ourselves to our usual degree just to construct the holiday as we always have.

jack and his new buddy, bailey, sparring on christmas eve

this christmas eve was spent with my parents and my siblings (including one very tiny and very furry addition, in the way of a new westie puppy adopted into my parents' home), wherein we enjoyed the traditional polish christmas wigilia.  this meatless dinner usually consists of a number of courses and dishes, including fish, pierogi, blintzes, and czarnina (an unsettingly purple soup that contains duck's blood...ew).  christmas wigilia is amongst my most cherished childhood memories...it was when my grandmother shined, moving around her kitchen like a dancer performing a wonderfully choreographed show full of good smells and good food.  i miss her terribly at this time of year...

jack wondering when he gets to open his gifts

i chose to work less this holiday season, opting not to participate in my usual local christmas shows even though they are small and not too demanding.  i wanted to be able to slow down and relax, especially after another very busy halloween season for The Crepe Confectionary.  i honestly needed that break, and i'm glad i was able to be a good boss and give myself a little time to re-energize.  so, to sum up my holiday season, the time i usually devote to being a christmas nutjob with a compulsion to create 'the most perfect christmas ever', was reallocated to spending time merrymaking with friends and family or to doing nothing in particular.  and it was exactly what i needed, because i am finding myself more enthusiastic and burning with creativity.  i am ready to go...i have re-organized, recharged, and reset my systems, and i'm pleased to say that i have big plans in the works for The Crepe Confectionary for 2011! 

doing the pin up girl thing at a recent christmas wedding...

it has been another wonderful year for me, one full of challenges and blessings.  to all of you, my wonderful readers and customers, i wish you the happiest of new year's!  celebrate the turning of the year with those you love, be thankful for what you have, and look forward with hope and joy.  may all of your future endeavors sparkle!

decking my halls...and a reader giveaway too!

our first christmas on west ferry street...

in between lake effect snow bands last week, we were lucky enough to get our holiday decorations up on the exterior of the house.  i don't mean to brag, but it took hubby all of 30 minutes to put them up!  since we've moved into our bungalow in 2003, we've done pretty much the same thing from year to year with our exterior holiday decor.  we keep it fairly simple with lit artificial garlands draped above the windows and front door with some red bows at the peaks.  it wasn't too difficult or expensive to do, and at the end of the season, they come down and get hung as-is in the basement amongst the rafters.  installation/storage is easy and quick, and hubby has the cord scheme down to a science by now.

we were pretty smitten with ourselves and our gaily decorated little bungalow in the city that first christmas, and each year when the lights go up and i see the house all aglow for that first time of the season, i still get a little swell of pride and gratitude that this small yet quaint piece of Buffalo architectural history is where i call home...

however, after seven years, i think our holiday decorating is getting a little stale, at least on the outside.  i'm thinking my tired little gem needs a bit of a holiday makeover.  so i've been combing the interwebs, searching for some holiday decorating inspiration...

Pottery Barn's entryways are famously festive...

for me, the obvious starting point is the Pottery Barn catalog, because when i think 'entryway', i immediately picture the warm, welcoming doorsteps leading up to those Pottery Barn doors...sigh.  i love red doors like the one in the picture above, not just because they are a symbol of a warm and friendly welcome, but because they are so sharp and eye-catching.  red doors can be seen from afar, and beckon the caller forward along the 'approach' to the home's precipice.  i learned about the concept of 'approach' while in my masters program for architecture.  essentially, it is the consideration that one gives to the way in which your visitors will approach a structure.  is it a winding pathway with spectacular views on the way to your point of destination, or is your approach straightforward and perfunctory?  architects and landscape designers pay great attention to approach, and thus i have learned to do so as well...

 A charming Christmas welcome from SouthernLiving.com

Sweet Annie, skates, and a red sled over at the HGTV blog (blog.hgtv.com)

now, i still happen to quite like my window garlands, and i don't plan to lose them...i just think i need to add a little something extra to my holiday trimmings on the outside of the house, something that will kick my curb appeal up a notch.  i have always preferred to keep my christmas decor natural and organic -- nothing too fussy, nothing plastic and tacky -- i think that the best holiday homes are those that follow the 'use what you've got' theory of design.  i love using lots of pinecones, berries, and natural greenery...vintage sleds and skates like the ones pictured above...and simple clear lights to add some glow.  needless to say, there are no nylon inflatables in my front yard -- i don't think they would survive the neighborhood for very long anyway!

 A window box brimming with natural greens, berries, fruits and pincones (mylifetime.com)

Lush urns that sparkle from Martha Stewart.

i'm thinking of flanking my front door with some urns brimming full of greenery and ornaments like the one i found above at MarthaStewart.com...or perhaps even some small pine trees decked out in red glass ball ornaments and lit with some clear lights.  on the other side of my porch, i would love to try setting a little scene...something charming and cute, but not so cute that it all up and walks away mysteriously in the night (grimace and sigh...lol).  i haven't decided what this little scene will be just yet, but i'll keep you all posted.

Ice luminaries from simplyhomeandfamily.blogspot.com

finally, this is one idea i am determined to try this holiday season: ice luminaries.  you need nothing more than a few metal or plastic bowls, water, and some cold weather to create these!  look at how beautiful they are with a candle glowing from inside!  i can just picture a bunch of these lining the walkway and scattered amongst snowpiles on the front porch...what a lovely approach that would be, wouldn't it?  i've even seen these done using snow and a bundt cake pan as a form, with stacked layers forming the luminary.  i don't know about you, but where i live, there is plenty of cold weather and snow to spare for this charming fresh take on the traditional luminary.

what about you, readers?  what are your favorite ways to deck out your home for the holidays?  well, from now until December 17th (that's this friday!), if you send me a picture of your home donning its gay apparel, i will enter your name into a drawing for a chance to win a Christmas confection from The Crepe Confectionary valued at $25.oo!

finding holiday inspiration from store windows and displays...

anthropologie window display, 2010

you know that feeling you get when you come across something so wonderful, so charming, so inspiring, that you just melt into a puddle of smiles?  anyone?  is it just me?  lol...

well, i get that feeling on occasion...i discover something, and it just fires me up...makes me wanna try it for myself...makes me go, "now that is so damn clever..." 

i experience this sort of goofy elation every single time i walk into an Anthropologie store.  if you are not familiar with this whimsical, frilly store, i strongly encourage you to follow the link and check them out.  BUT, if you are lucky enough to have an Anthropologie retail location near you, i implore you to walk in...see for yourself why this proprietor is not merely a seller of clothes and jewelry and home goods, but a creator of experience.  all throughout the store, you will find the most ingenious and creative displays of decor, and often, these displays are true transformations of ordinary items or materials into amazing art installations.

tree stump gnome homes and mushrooms blanketed in snow...

i was lucky enough to take in the holiday displays at Anthropologie recently when i was doing some christmas shopping, and i was completely taken with their displays of rolled paper christmas trees and tree stump gnome homes.  and what i find so cool about Anthro is the fact that a lot of their displays are simple -- you can easily see that you could create something similar on your own.  in fact, i even came across a small (and free!) 'how to' card for creating pine trees from recycled paper. 

Anthropologie's windows showcase tall christmas trees made from rolled up paper plates that have been dipped in green dye!

Pottery Barn is another great source of inspiration around this time of year.  a trip into their stores right now will reveal christmas trees trimmed with ornaments made of sheet music and glass glitter, garlands of old fashioned burlap upholstery webbing, and tons of mercury glass.  there are also many ideas to be found for centerpiece and mantel displays.  i love their sheet music wrapped pillar candles -- what a great idea for a hostess gift or kris kringle gift!  who couldn't wrap a white pillar candle from Michael's ($2.99) with a piece of sheet music or old book pages?  finish it off with a twine bow and some berries or greenery.  i know i will be creating this look for my mantels this year.

http://www.potterybarn.com/pbimgs/ab/images/dp/wcm/201040/0027/img28.jpg

and there is always something so simple, yet so perfect about Pottery Barn's christmas tree displays.  they're never overdone or gaudy, and the trees are always so winsome, like they have just been cut down from a field somewhere.  i'm resolved to try the paper banner idea this year, as soon as i figure out what i want it to say.  i'm certain that the paper garland can be handmade using a roll of brown craft paper and a sharpie.  hmm...do i smell a tutorial brewing here?  maybe...

http://www.potterybarn.com/pbimgs/ab/images/dp/wcm/201042/0025/img4.jpg

i'd love to hear where you find your holiday decorating ideas...which is your favorite?  which have you tried and just loved?  which would you like to try for yourself, but haven't had the courage yet?