Guess who found a use for the brass bar cart that she found at the dump? Yep! Right as our guests walked in the door, they were greeted by a champagne bar. The man at our local package store was out of the Pol Roger that I usually like to serve, so he sold me Billecart Salmon Brut Reserve. It was so very delicious, that I may have found a new house champagne. Ever since they served Pol Roger at the Royal Wedding, it’s gotten more expensive and harder to find…I recently purchased honey colored Perin Mowen tapers and had them scattered about the library in my collection of mix and match crystal candlesticks. We mainly lit the house with candlelight for the party. I used purple mercury glass votives wrapped in copper wire and hung them from the shaker peg board throughout the house.I fully intended to write a blog post this past Friday, but (as you can imagine) I was overwhelmed with last minute details for the Winter Solstice party that we threw this past Saturday night. Flowers needed to be arranged, I had hoped to bake a few loafs of pumpkin bread, and there was still last minute decorating to do.In the library, I mixed David Austin ‘Patience’ Roses with classic white Vendela roses, long needle white pine and apple green hypericum berry in my Baccarat Eye Vase. I also had another arrangement on the low table by the orange sofa. It was similar, but without the addition of the Patience roses.I had purchased bright orange felt with the intention of using pinking shears to cut table toppers for the dining room table, the homemade eggnog table, and all of counter tops in the kitchen. It added a nice pop of festive color to each of the rooms whose color palettes are decidedly neutral during the rest of the year. This is one of the benefits to decorating with neutral color – one can add accessories, change out the pillows or table toppers and the place will look entirely transformed!I decorated our range hood, used an extra shelf from our kitchen cabinetry on top of the Aga, and displayed the collection of Christmas cookies that I baked last week on top of the range. All the cookie baking paid off – it made for quite an impressive display.With the Winter Solstice party behind us, I have left this week open to get my holiday shopping finished and wrapped beautifully. Who else hasn’t started their shopping yet – am I the only one?

Posted by Amy Beth Cupp Dragoo / Holiday Decorations and Party Favors and Uncategorized