New Chandelier and Christmas ideas

Well I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving! It really seemed like the holidays snuck up on me this year. Usually I am prepared, but not this year! I have been thinking of hosting Christmas at my house for my side of the family, but it is always such a huge production I just am still not sure if im up to it with a 4 month old! I am so excited to have decorated for Christmas anyway!

With this being little mans first Christmas I knew, no matter what, we had to have a Christmas tree up in the house! Our living room has a shrinkage problem and there was NO place to put the tree this year, so the tree got ostracized to the dining room. It is a little cramped but still looks beautiful.  I love walking by and seeing those sparkly lights.  This year was the first year I have used decorators mesh.  I LOVE that stuff!! It really fills the tree in without a whole bunch of ornaments. I love the color themed trees, but I  have so many ornaments with memory attachments that I still have a somewhat miss matched tree.  I love it though. We have an ornament from our honeymoon in Maui and one from our recent trip to Dixie Stampede and so many more.  I love looking at the memories.  This year I found the cutest candy ornaments from the dollar store.  I may have to keep little man from trying to eat those next year!

Mom and I went to a cute gift shop that specializes in Christmas arrangements.  We found one with this bird that we loved...but didnt love the price!  So we looked it over and came home to make something similar.  It is mounted on a big piece of hand-picked bark...thank you hunny!

I decked out my new dollar store arrangement for the holidays too :)

Its beginning to feel a lot more like the holidays around here.  Possibly because you can't feel your toes when your outside now :) I decided to get one last project in before the winter weather hits.  I went to the Habitat for Humanity restore and found the ugliest GOLD chandelier.  I knew it had "good bones" as they say and it was only $5. So I searched around for some glass globes there in the restore and also even found black spray paint for $1.  So I left with all my goodies and ran home to start painting.  I hate how excited I get because I always forget to take before pictures!! About halfway through the project I remember. 

Well you all have seen the brassy gold fixtures...this one was just that ugly. Now I love it! It really adds to the dining area.  Heres the before picture with the light fixtures that are up close to the ceiling and yes....have the glass bowl with the wheat on it...ugh!

and After!

After this one went so well I also did the one in our adjoining laundry room to match

Loving it for $10!! I am becoming the $10 queen and thats ok by me :)