A Warm & Toasty Winter Mantel....

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Hello my friends...I hope you're having a fabulous day!
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My...ohhh my...Colorado is experiencing some of the coldest temperatures so far this winter! The weather forecast is predicting temps of -10 to -20 for Monday night...brrrr! I'm tellin' ya what...our little wood burning stove is going non-stop. We do have central heat but our wood burning stove just makes our home extra warm and toasty...I love it!
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Speaking of warm and toasty...I thought I would share my fireplace mantel's winter decor with you today for Metamorphosis Monday and Table Top Tuesday! I hope that you enjoy!
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A Warm & Toasty Winter Mantel...
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As you can see...in the photo above...our fireplace is located in the living room. It is a faux fireplace...merely for decoration. Sure wished that it were real...a warm and toasty fire would be especially nice today!
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I decided to use warm, toasty colors for my winter mantel.
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Bronze colored browns and gilded golds dominate the color scheme....along with a few accents of copper and green.
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Of course my design goal was to create a mantel vignette that looked and felt warm and cozy.
 So I did a little house shopping for a few "key" pieces!
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A decorative metal, birdcage clock would work perfectly for the focal point!
This pretty clock can usually be found on the shelf of our entertainment cabinet.

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I added a floral pick of coppery colored zebra grass to the interior of the clock. Then I added a couple more of these pretty copper colored floral picks...along with a little pine...underneath the clock. Toss in few acorns, green berries, and a few pieces of miniature "sugared" fruit...and voila!
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I love the olden look of the clock face!
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A small, decorative gold box sits just to the right of the clock.
  The ornate detailing is so pretty on this little box!
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Gold and copper colored "sugared" fruit fill a wire cloche.
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I love the sweet little bird finial atop the wire cloche! And...of course...no winter mantel would be complete without a little candlelight! Two gold candleholders with a decorative brown and cream damask pattern will fit that "bill" perfectly! A sugared pear and apple sit at the base of the cloche...just a little extra added pretty!
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Three copper colored keys are tied together with a gold ribbon and hang from the bird finial!
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A tall torchiere lamp brings interest to the left side of the mantle vignette.
  A few...old but well loved...books are stacked between the lamp and a bronze metal candleholder.
 A single, sugared apple sits so sweetly beside the books!
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A warm and toasty winter hearth...
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A warm and toasty winter mantel!
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I am joining these fabulous parties...
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Metamorphosis Monday...hosted by Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch.
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Table Top Tuesday...hosted by Marty over at A Stroll Thru Life.
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Thank you, Susan and Marty...for hosting these fabulous parties for us! *
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Well my friends...thank you so much for stopping by today! Please leave me a comment and let me know that you were here...I would love to visit with you! *
Warmest Winter Wishes!

Sunday Favorites...No. 89

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Welcome to the 89th "Sunday Favorites"

"Sunday Favorites" is a Sunday meme designed to give bloggers a chance to share a favorite post from the past!!! For more information on how to republish a past post just click HERE.

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Hello my friends!!!

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Welcome to the 89th run of "Sunday Favorites"

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I hope that you're having a wonderful weekend! Honey and I are just hanging out at home..."playing lazy" this weekend. It sure is nice to be able to do that once in awhile! I have a big ol' pot of homemade vegetable soup cooking...so I hope to just sit back with a bowl of hot steaming soup and find a good movie to watch. I hope that ya'll are having a nice, restful weekend as well!

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With Valentine's Day just around the corner, I thought I would share a post called "A Tea Luncheon" from February 24th, 2010. This Tea Luncheon would be a sweet way to celebrate Valentine's Day. I hope that you enjoy!

Have a super Sunday!!!

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Just a little note: Sunday Favorites Criteria

When I first started the Sunday Favorites meme, my initial thought was to offer a solution for getting a post out on the weekend without having to spend alot of time doing so...weekends are just a busy time for most of us! Copying and pasting a previous post is so quick and easy. Not only is this a quick and easy solution to the busy weekends, but it's also an opportunity to dig back into our blog archives and share a favorite "past" post once again! Many of us spend alot of time and effort creating a post and it just seems a shame that it is viewed only once and then forgotten about!

I would like to reiterate that Sunday Favorites is a meme about sharing or revisiting a post from the PAST!

Thank you!!!

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Instructions for Participating in Sunday Favorites

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If you are participating in Sunday Favorites, please be sure to add your permalink and not your general blog address.

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Please copy and paste the Sunday Favorites logo button to your Sunday Favorites post or your sidebar so your visitors will know that you are participating. Also...please link back to the host blog, Happy To Design. This is important because it helps those who are visiting your blog, find the other wonderful blogs that are participating.

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Please do not add your link below, until your Sunday Favorites post is actually published to your blog.

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Thank you so much for your participation!!! I am going to really enjoy going through your "Sunday Favorites" posts!!!

Love ya'll,

Chari

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Sunday Favorites

My favorite post from: February 24, 2010

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Hello my friends...I'm so happy that you came by for a visit today!
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You are cordially invited to a special tea luncheon...I hope that you are able to accept my invitation! I would just love to spend some time chatting with you over a cup of tea and lunch!
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A Tea Luncheon

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Ohhh good! I'm so happy to see that you could make it!!!
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Our little Tea Luncheon is taking place in my French Country dining room. I have prepared a table just for you and me!
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Ohhh yes...please do have a seat!

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Today our tea/luncheon table has been set in "creamy white and sparkling crystal".
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The crystal pieces that you see here...the candleholders, pedestal cake plate and cover, and spoon dish are all recent thrifty treasure finds. I found this pair of pretty crystal candleholders at a new thrift store for just $1...can't beat that price! I also found the crystal spoon dish for just $1!

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The crystal pedestal cake plate is one of my most awesome treasure finds of late! It is Godinger Shannon Crystal made in Poland and measures 18 in. tall...it really is gorgeous (the photos don't do it justice). I found this at an "after Christmas" sale at Dillards for just $19...it was originally $139.00! Ohhh boy, I was really doin' the happy dance with this thrifty treasure find!!!
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The Place Setting....

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A creamy white ironstone dinner plate.

A white ironstone salad/dessert plate with a fruit motif.

A small crystal berry bowl.
A metal lacy charger plate.
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The flatware is "Brahms" by Oneida.
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White lace trimmed dinner napkins.
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I just love these pretty ironstone salad/dessert plates with the fruit motif...they're just perfect for our tea luncheon!!!
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Salad/Dessert Plates...

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"Strawberries"

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These pretty ironstone plates are called "Snowhite Regency" and are manufactured by Johnson Bros. made in England. I found a set of six on ebay for $12. I just fell in love with them and had to have them! Hehe! I love the beautiful fruit pattern in the center of the plates. The rim of the plate has a swirled pattern...trimmed with a silver band.
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There are five different fruit patterns....

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Strawberries (pictured above), Peaches, Oranges, Pears, and Grapes.
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I love that each plate has a different fruit displayed! Oooh...so pretty!!!
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The Beverages...

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A white ironstone tea cup and saucer from the same set of dishes as the dinner plate.
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Would you care for a cup of raspberry tea?

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A crystal champagne glass.

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This pretty etched champagne glass is from a set that I inherited from my late mother-in-law!
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Mmmm...I was thinking that just a little glass of bubbly with our lunch sounds good!!!

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The Teapot...

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I just love my new little teapot!!! It's another thrifty treasure find...just $9.99 from TJ Maxx. Don't you just adore those delicate little roses that stand up off of the teapot? Sooo pretty!!! The teapot is sitting upon an ironstone platter that has an embossed border of fruit. They make for a pretty combo...the white ironstone tray and teapot!
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A close-up of the teapot.

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Would you like a tea cookie to go with your tea?

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Mmmm...little heart shaped tea cookies with raspberry jam filling!
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The pedestal cookie plate is another thrifty treasure find from TJ Maxx...just $5.99! This is my first time to use it. It came with the prettiest red & white polka dotted ribbon but I changed it out for a white organdy ribbon for today's tea/luncheon table. I love the cut work pattern around the edge...I can change the ribbon out to go with whatever I would like!
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Ohhh yes...please do have a tea cookie! Mmm...I love raspberry!!!

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Well my friend, I do hope that you enjoyed our visit today!!! I enjoyed your company immensely!!!
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I am joining in with these three lovely parties...

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Tablescape Thursday hosted by Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch.
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Thrifty Thursday hosted by Leigh over at Tales from Bloggeritaville.
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Show & Tell Friday hosted by Cindy from My Romantic Home.
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Thank you, ladies...for hosting these fablulous parties!!! Please go by and pay these lovely ladies a visit and see all the pretties that they have for us today and while you're there you can check out all of the other party participants!

Well my friends, thank you so much for coming by today! Please leave me a comment and let me know that you were here...I'd love to visit with you!!!

Silver Splendor with a Little French Flair...

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Hello my friends...I hope you're having a fabulous day!

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Although we have been having some beautiful sunny days here in Colorado...the temps are still cold and winter is in "full throttle". I begin to look for ways to spend my time...inside of course, where it's nice and warm. Since I have recently redecorated my little french country dining room and it is now dressed in its winter frocks...I thought it would be fun to find a pretty place setting that would compliment the dining room table centerpiece. I hope that you enjoy!

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Silver Splendor with a Little French Flair

My french country dining room dressed for winter.

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I love to use white and silver for January's decor. It seems to mirror our winter weather very nicely! Along with the silver and white color scheme, I decided to use some warm colors...such as the deep red, bronze, and gold accent colors of the tapestry like table runner...after all, winter decor is all about creating a warm and cozy atmosphere for our winter home! Throw a little greenery into the mix and now we have "hope" that warmer weather will come! Hehe!
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Silver splendor with a little french flair!

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The Place Setting...

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I especially love to "layer" the place setting for a winter table.

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Silver Splendor...

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This place setting will begin its journey with a beautiful silver charger plate. Next a white dinner plate for the main course. I have placed another white dinner plate with a decorative border of silver rings on top of the solid white plate. A solid white salad plate tops this winter place setting off!
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and now...for a little french flair...

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I actually went shopping around my house to find something interesting that I could add to this winter place setting. I had this decorative silver finial and thought that it would be the perfect finish to this pretty place setting! I love the old distressed finish on this french finial...ohhh...and that pretty crystal teardrop that hangs from the end...splendor indeed! I added a silver satin ribbon to the top of the finial...and voila!!!
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The silver charger plate has a beautiful embossed border of roses...I love it! I really do love silver and white paired together...so elegant I think!
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The white dinner plate with the decorative silver ring border is a treasure find from Ebay. If I remember correctly, I only gave $10 for a set of eight plates! I have used them many times...I just love the look of the silver ringed border...unique, interesting, and pretty...all wrapped into one!
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The solid white dinner and salad plate are from a set of ironstone dishes that I purchased with green stamps when I was just 13 yrs. old. Yes...my addiction love for dishes began at a very early age! Hehe!
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Ahhh...and there's nothing like a little french flair to top off a pretty place setting!
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Crystal goblets with a white wintery scene for the glassware.
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Pine trees, winter trees (without leaves), and snowflakes are embossed upon these pretty goblets! They really are perfect for a winter's table setting!
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"Silver Splendor with a Little French Flair"
Table Centerpiece
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I won't spend to much time here...telling about how I created this table centerpiece since I have already done a post about it. If you would like to see and learn more about the "how to's"...just click HERE.
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Since I originally posted about this table centerpiece, I have added a couple of new pieces...the two white cast iron fleur de lis finials on either end of the centerpiece. Just a little more french flair...wink!
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I love, love, LOVE mercury glass! These beautiful jeweled orbs were found at Hobby Lobby during their after Christmas sale (two yrs. ago). I love the pretty pearls and rinestones...Mmmm...just yummy! The silver and white beaded garland/tassel was also found at Hobby Lobby. It was in the Christmas decor section. I'm not exactly sure what it was to be used for...I picked up two...but I have had lots of fun using them in my decor. I thought the jeweled mercury glass orb looked pretty sitting atop the garland.
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A few more pieces of mercury glass. Mercury glass candleholders in the shape of a goblet and decorative mercury glass finials.
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My dining room buffet...dressed for winter and ready for Valentine's Day.
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While we are in the dining room, I thought I would show you a few photos of my buffet's winter decor. Again, if you would like to see more and/or learn about how I created the buffet vignette...you can can click HERE.
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More of the silver and white color scheme to coordinate with the table centerpiece. I wanted to use a few of my decorative masonary pieces in this vignette. The tall candleholders, the cherub sitting on the orb, and the decorative orb on the left side of the vignette are all masonary. I really do love these pieces...even though they weigh a ton! Hehe! Silver candlesticks, tall mercury glass candle goblets, mercury glass finials, and a few more mercury glass orbs...bring the silver into this vignette.
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The white metal bird cage is filled with greenery (yes, warmer days ahead!) and a white bird. Two cherubs have graced this vignette with their presence...soooo romantic!
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A winter's table...

"Silver splendor...
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...with a Little French Flair"!
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I am joining these fabulous parties...

Tablescape Thursday...hosted by Susan over at Between Naps on the Porch.

Saturday Nite Special...hosted by Donna over at Funky Junk Interiors.
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Thank you, Susan and Donna...for hosting these fun filled parties for us!
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Well my friends...I am so glad that you stopped by today! I hope that you enjoyed my little winter's table setting. Please leave me a comment and let me know that you were here...I would love to visit with you!
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Warmest Winter Wishes!