dwell and tell: Christmas in our Dwelling

One of the ways I like to deck the halls is to play off the pieces that are already in your home. And you know I couldn't resist adding a little *razzle dazzle* to my buddy in the bathroom...

We have a few new additions to our Christmas decor this year. First, the stockings. I spotted these last year in the Crate and Barrel catalog and loved them, but decided to wait until after Christmas for a sale. Then they ran out of stock (joke's on me). So this year I emailed the hubs and told him how much it would mean if he would buy them for our Christmas. They arrived at our door the next week. :) Sure, I could have pulled out the debit card myself. But it meant so much more that he gave them to me as a gift... even if I personally requested it. :)

George, aka "Sweet Sweet Scared Scared" may as well be resting by a fireplace. :)

We also have a new tree this year... even though last year we bought a brand new one! Seth's parents didn't have a spot for their lovely 9-foot-taller so we inherited it. It wasn't pre-lit, so Seth strung the lights on himself, the old fashioned way. The next morning we woke up and realized (if I may speak frankly) they looked really bad (I'm not being mean... Seth agreed after awhile). He spent the next five straight hours doing it the right way, albeit huffing and puffing a bit. But what a pay off! Really proud of him for putting in all that work. It looks beautiful in person! I don't think he's worked this hard on a project since demo-ing bathroom tile. :)

You know I'm a jewel-tone girl with a turquoise and magenta love affair, and we keep the theme going with our Christmas ornaments. Silver, gold, white, magenta and turquoise make it for me. Seth likes it too. We don't have quite as many ornaments per inch/foot/surface area as we did last year on the smaller tree , but surprisingly they still work without needing any additions. :)

Love these little reindeer. I'm pretty sure they came from the Dollar Store last year. Don't you think they're wonderful?

You may notice the paisley pillow that was in the living room has moved to the dining room. We have two now... one for each chair. George chewed the corners of the first one the day after I bought it (during a brief period trying to wean him off crate training), so I bought another one... cursing that doggie's name the whole way.

But just like the last time he intervened, this time it somehow turned out for the best. Eventually I decided even the chewed-on pillow could be salvaged by mending the corners if it wasn't on showcase in a front-and-center position like the sofa. They bring a lot of interest in the dining room for now, and tie in the turquoise hues from the living room pillows. I mean, should George get a degree in interior design? It's kinda' weirding me out. Like he's giving me hints or something... Anyhow...

These lighted branches are another new addition. I mixed them in with the other branches we already had so when they aren't turned on they aren't an eye sore. On a whim, I placed a few feathers in there... wish so badly I had bought more of those! I've found so many places for them this month. (Update: Seth just informed me he dislikes the feathers. Ahhhhh, ya win some, you lose some....).