[ Light Up Your House ]

 

When you open your home to guests, you want them to be engulfed with the holiday spirit. The hostess's request was "a gold theme, simple yet elegant, and keep the fakes to a minimum". The focus was on the table, the mantle and the banister.

 

[ Table ] The main table would have 2 serving stations. The garland consisted of  eucalyptus, magnolia leaves, articokes and a crystal garland. To brighten the table, Restoration Hardware's 4 inch globe lights were added. With the Christmas tree flanking one end, the table needed some height at the other. A metal tree with several real and ceramic trees were perfect. To add a personal touch, the hostess, a certified beekeeper, added a crystal bee ornament.

 

[ Mantle ] The garland and reindeer came from the hostess's Christmas past. We added a string of RH's lights. The lights give off a gold, amber color and coordinated with the other lights. We the atmospher that candlelight provides. For safety, we used battery lights in the antlers, and floating candles in the hurricanes.

 

[ Banister ] Keeping it simple, we used 3 balsam garland, with lights, gold glass garland and bows. A family memory was added - the bell lights.  These were made by the hostess's father over 50 years ago.

 

[ Pop ] As we wrapped up the decorating, we added the crystal stars to the chandelier.

 

Post Party Note: Everyone enjoyed themselves. Good food, good conversation, and beautiful decor made for a joyous event!