Hi, everyone, how was your Christmas? We had a busy but pretty mellow one with my family in town. I can’t remember the last time I did so much cooking. I enjoy cooking but only every now and then so I don’t need to see my kitchen again for a good while!

Here’s what the dining table looked like before we made a mess of it.

I went with a gold and white scheme this year. My mom did the flowers – aren’t they gorgeous? We used diffusers for the little bouquets and interspersed votives in different heights and white ceramic fruit. The block print tablecloth was part of my haul from my recent trip to India.

With Christmas now behind me, I’m doing a big closet purge today because I want to start the new year with a organized and streamlined closet. Well, as streamlined as much as a closet like mine can be anyway. Get ready, Goodwill, huge donation coming your way!

(Photos: FROM THE RIGHT BANK)

To all of my dearest readers and friends,

May your homes be filled with joy, warmth and laughter this holiday.

Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays!

-Ally

(Photo: Sarah Kaye)

Color has been on my mind since India so this French home jumped out at me with its fucshia and red Christmas decor.

It’s a color combination I really like and I especially like it here because it’s not one you see used very much at Christmas. I think it works really well, don’t you?

(Photos: Campagne Décoration, November 2011)

I’m feeling better enough to at least move around so yesterday, I started on the Christmas decorations. Here are a few shots of what I’ve done so far in the family room. Nothing major but enough to get a holiday vibe going. Really it doesn’t take much. Some pillows, string lights and a few sparkly bits …..

My mom put this cute bouquet together for the living room using cuttings from our yard:

That’s all that’s happening in the living room until we get the tree.

I’m leaving for a little adventure in 2 days so my goal is to 1) completely recover and 2) get the tree and rest of the the decorations done by then! It’s going to be close!

*Update on the Houzz Contest*

I was told yesterday that I’m in third place! Thank you so much to all of you who voted so far!

It’s close between second and third places but the first place entry is way out ahead so I’m going to need your support if I’m going to catch up. To recap, my entry is here and  if I win, here is what you can win:

1^st place: $250 gift certificate to any online retailer of your choice
2^nd place: $100 gift certificate to any online retailer of your choice
3^rd place: $50 gift certificate to any online retailer of your choice

To vote, you just have to leave a comment on my Ideabook. Voting closes this Friday. If you want to get the word out via Facebook, Twitter, blog, etc. to get more votes, that would be great too. Thanks so much for your support!

In case you couldn’t tell, I sort of skipped over autumn and went straight into Christmas mode but if you’re not there yet, I bet the new issue of  Sweet Paul will change that. As usual, it’s beautifully photographed and there are some great recipes and decorating ideas that I look forward to trying out at our Christmas gatherings.

See what I mean?

But before we get to Christmas, I want to wish all of my American readers a very happy Thanksgiving! I’d also like to take this time to thank all of you for your friendship and your support. It’s really what makes blogging so rewarding for me and I can’t thank you enough. I’ll be taking tomorrow and Friday off to spend with family so have a wonderful holiday and I’ll see you all back here next Monday.

VOTE FOR FROM THE RIGHT BANK!

So….. I was invited to participate in a holiday contest at Houzz. Well, I think I’m kind of getting my butt kicked so if you would be so kind as to go to my Ideabook and leave a comment, I’ll be forever grateful! (A vote = a comment.) And if I get the most votes, one of you will win a $250 gift certificate to any online retailer of your choice!

Thank you!!!
(I just learned voting has been extended until December 8th so you’ll have to put up with my campaigning just a little longer!)

To those of you who host Christmas every year, how do you do it? I’ve been going non-stop all week and I’m worn out! But the house is decorated, the gifts are wrapped, and the fridge is stocked.

Here are some glimpses around the house. I bought these white paper stars on my last trip to India (I wish I had bought more! Note to myself for next time.)

These are party favors I put together with tiny boxes from Michael’s. (There are Swiss chocolates inside.)

And around our house, even the Christmas decorations get tweaked. Remember the foyer from last week?

It got a little sprucing up with a sequin pillow and branches with glass ornaments.

I’m off to finish the guest room and start cooking for tonight. Have a wonderful Christmas eve! I’ll see you tomorrow with a special Saturday Christmas post!

I wanted to get some photos of my Christmas decorations for you today but well, it’s just been crazy busy around here. I’ll try again tomorrow but in the meantime, Cassandra posted this pink tree the other day and it made me think of this fun tree:

and this pink spread:

and this foyer with pink balloons and ornaments:

which looks a lot like this tree I posted last Christmas:

I still love this image like crazy. Don’t be surprised if I post it again next year!

So how about pink as a Christmas color?

(1&4.via Coco+Kelley 2.Country Living 3.Martha Stewart 5.via This is Glamorous)

Christmas decorating is in full swing here at chez FTRB and I could not be having any more fun. I adore Christmas and because I didn’t get to decorate at all last year, I’m making up for it this year!

I’m going with a mainly gold, silver and white theme with lots of cut poinsettias throughout. I’ll also be mixing in paperwhites and amaryllis which I have to get this weekend, along with our tree. (Can’t wait!)

So far, I’ve sprinkled in the poinsettias on the mantels and also these bookshelves in the family room which you’ve seen before:

But I don’t think you’ve seen the wingback chair in place. This is the one that I told you about earlier.

I also bought a ton of fresh garland for all the mantels, doorways and the staircase. Here is a sneak peek of the foyer:

The space isn’t finished (is anything ever finished?) but it’s getting there. The settee is from the Marché aux Puces in Paris and the planter/pot/urn thingy was another hand-me-down from my parents.

I’ll be showing you around the house more next week as the decorating progresses. I should have the tree to show you on Monday, too. (Did I mention I love Christmas?)

Have a great weekend, all and don’t forget the giveaways for the sterling silver rings, ikat pillow and subscriptions to Anthology magazine are still open if you haven’t entered. See you on Monday!

(Photos: From the Right Bank)

Have you started on your holiday preparations yet? I haven’t and I’m starting to panic a little. This year will be the first year that we’ll be hosting Christmas at our house. (Does that officially makes me an adult? Geez, I hope not.) Anyway, I’m hoping the Christmas table is going to look something like this:

But before that, I need to send out cards, buy gifts, get the guest rooms ready . . .  and of course, I want to decorate!

I don’t decorate for any other holidays but at Christmas, I go nuts and I can’t wait to get started!

And to get everyone in the holiday mood, I’m really excited to announce that on Monday, we will be kicking off FTRB’s 8 Days of Giveaways! As a way to thank all of you for your support and friendship throughout the year, FTRB has teamed up with some good blogger friends and their shops to bring you eight amazing prizes over eight days. So be sure to stop by each day for some truly incredible, beautiful gifts.

Have a wonderful weekend!

(Photos: 1&3. Toast 2.Atlanta Homes & Lifestyles)

I’m not a big holiday person and consequently, you won’t see holiday decor in my house most of the year. But that all changes come Christmas.

I can’t explain it but it’s the one (and only) holiday I really love.

Every year, I go for a tall, fresh cut tree, big wreaths, string lights, and lots of glitter and sparkle.

But this year, as we are in our temporary apartment, I’m not decorating and it’s just killing me.

So let me live vicariously – have you gotten the tree? Hung the wreath? Strung the lights? Tell me, tell me!

(Photos: Sarah Kaye)