1. Use Gift Tags as “Icing On the Cake”
This hand-made letterpress tag came from this Etsy shop.
The Joyeux Noel metal tags came from Save on Crafts
and the vintage looking tag is from Pottery Barn.
2. Christmas Card Organization/Display
This year, I bought red binder rings and am punching holes in the corner of the cards to keep them together.
This little guy is special as my friends saw me eyeing him in a Dania Beach, Florida antique shop and they bought him for me as a gift.
It looks like he is begging to hold…
the cards! But you could put your ringed cards on a tray or in a bowl.
3. Mix Up Your Glass
Here are crystal decanters and candle sticks mixed with mercury glass from last year’s mantel.
4. Votive Holders for Other Uses
I put a wreath and ribbon around a votive and filled it with mixed nuts.
The LED Christmas lights from Target that Tommy I put up across the front of our house yesterday look BAD…they have sort of an anemic, gray glow. I know they are energy efficient but it wasn’t worth all that effort on top of the ladder (me) and getting stabbed by the rose bushes (Tommy, while holding the ladder). Does anyone know a better solution for next year?
BE MERRY!
PS…look what a sweet reader just sent to me after reading this post…
participating in
Inspiration Friday @ At The Picket Fence, Feathered Nest Friday
@ French Country Cottage, Show And Tell Friday
@ My Romantic Home, Vintage Inspiration Friday @ Common Ground,
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia Countdown to Winter
The merry décor ideas shown by you are exceptional. They are magnificent
Love the above post seems to be real inspiring and of great help in this festive season of Christmas to gift your loved one s the perfect gifting choices.christmas gift basket for children
Mary Ann…..love, love, love all your ideas…particularly the Christmas cards hanging from the ring on the blackamoor statue. Sooo clever. Merry Christmas. Mona
I love the way you have your cards on a ring…held by an angel…how sweet is that reader of yours? Everything is looking very festive!
xo
annie
Your home looks so festive!! I adore those gift tags from etsy…thanks for sharing your source!!!
Mercury glass is one of my favorites and I love your collections!!!
Merry merry to you and yours, Taylor!
xoxo Elizabeth
I just love seeing photos of your beautiful home. It looks so lovely and festive and Christmassy and gorgeous. Love all your details.
Love the idea of putting the cards on a ring – ours gather in a big bowl that we're constantly sifting through. Your holiday touches are lovely! Thanks for stopping by The Buzz to read Design Chic's guest post. We're glad you came!
xxoo
C + C
Hi, Mary Ann –
Your home looks delightful – as always! Re: The LEDs… you gotta go with the "warm white". Still not the same as the incandescent, but much lovelier than the "anemic grey".
Merry Merry!
Everything is so pretty!!! I use the LED on the outside of the house they looked horrible on on the tree 🙁
Enjoy your sunday, thanks for linking up to the party
XO
Hi Mary Ann, Your home looks beautiful decorated for Christmas. I love your gift and how you have him holding the cards. Happy Holidays!
Mary Ann-
The new lights just do not have the ambience of the usual lights. I'm with you on the new energy efficient, and I'm not certain what I think about their safety either.
These ideas are fabulous. I also LOVE the needlepoint coasters.
Happy Saturday.
Teresa
xoxo
Absolutely love those tags. and I love your mercury glass collection. Everything is so festive.
Don't know about the lights but I do know my daughter switched her's out this year. I am now anxious to see how they look.
I know we are supposed to be green but not gray.
xo Ginger
What excellent ideas to add a few adorable, festive touches to your home! I may steal some tips from your pretty wrapping 🙂 Your vignette of the mixed glass is so gorgeously elegant! Love it!
Why am I not surprised at your beautiful Christmas decor? I absolutely LOVE your card idea and will definitely steal it…but I won't have that fabulous candleholder to hang mine on! He is wonderful! I also love your gift tags….I like to make my own out of old Christmas cards. Every detail is perfect! As for the LED lights, I know exactly what you mean. I see them on people's houses and they look horrible. See if you can get the regular old ones….do they even sell them anymore? We stocked up several years ago after Christmas at Target…..75% off! So we have plenty to last for years to come.
Cheers! Gail
Everything looks great….love your gift and its the perfect spot for your cards.
I love that little guy. You should deck him out, seasonally.
Why don't I ever do anything creative with my Christmas cards? Love your idea but can I have that little guy too, he's so perfect.
Leslie (aka Gwen Moss)
Wonderful post!! Love all your vignettes. Thank you so much for sharing.
Love your ideas, especially the one for displaying Christmas cards.
I love your beautiful home. It is just gorgeous. I put those lights up, too, and am so disappointed in them…so we bought some of the "ultra bright" ones and they look blue to me and super bright- I am disgusted with them all the way around- xo Diana
Thanks Diana…nice to have some company 🙂
I love the blue dresser In the front entry. What color of paint did you use?
That is my friend, Debbie's and it came from the manufacturer that way. Sorry.
Everything in your post is beautiful, but the most beautiful is your last's year mantel, exquisite…Julia
Your home is lovely, love all of the Christmas decor! Thanks for sharing "Merry Ideas".
*** Such FAB ideas & so PRETTY to see n' enjoy too, MA!!! (And LOVE your "lil' Nubia man"~~~ he's SO "COOL"!!!!) *** Annnd, soooo much GREAT REACTION comes from the little red binder ring idea~~~ such a mahhhvelous, creative idea that I'm going to do, too! (I've been lining the "sides" of the biggest tree w/ Christmas cards in years past, but each year we receive fewer and fewer cards, so I reeeally like your new idea!).
You know, for all we go thru to make the holidays beauuutiful & memorable, the VERY BEST PART, as you well know, truly I*S that it's a time for FAMILY & FRIENDS (old and new) to be TOGETHER!!! We like to include people without family too, and that makes it special for us AND them!
SOOOO HAPPY "THE KIDS" ARE HOME W/ Y'ALL!!!
Merry Christmas & blessings for a fab 2013!
(Wish we still had our Park City place… I miss SKIING at Christmas!)
Linda
[email protected]
I just added you to my post today!!
I love your binder ring idea so much I am going to convert from albums to rings now 🙂
The only question is… where can I find red binder rings?
I got mine at Office Depot but you can click on the link above, too.
Mary Ann,
Love all of your ideas and the mantel is especially beautiful. Your house is so festive!!!
I'm sure your lights look fine… my next door neighbor has these horrible rope lights up on his house, ALL YEAR ROUND. :/
Linda
Great ideas! They all look so festive and classy. I love the mix of the different glasses. I would never think to do that, and put a lot of them together like you did, but I love it!
PS – Thanks for visiting my blog and pinning my easy cobbler recipe! Hope you have a great weekend 🙂
I love the mercury glass! I've been experimenting with it a little bit this year and love the way it looks combined with candlelight!
http://www.MakeMineACosmo.com
Wonderful ideas Mary Ann!!
I love the red binder rings to hold the cards and especially the mix of glass decanters, mercury glass and candlesticks! I might use that inspiration for my mantle next Christmas!!
So your boy is already home huh? How wonderful!
Ours is headed back tomorrow… can't wait 🙂
XO
Mary Ann,
I love the metal tags and your clever way of displaying your Christmas cards, having your Nubian statue hold them.
I have seen LED lights in soft white this year and the light is more traditional twinkle light in color, not that gray blue glow of the current lights.
Karen
Hi Mary Ann, your home is be-uuu-T-ful! Clever spelling, eh? I tried to order those Savon gift tags about a month ago, and they were already sold out. You got yours just in time! I love them!
Merry Christmas,
Barbara
Lovely ideas! I don't like the led lights either, too off color blue looking and you can't mix with the regular lights because they have that soft golen hue. I used one strand of the leds on a small tree in the powder room and it doubles as a night light.
Your Christmas touches are beautiful, Mary Ann! I LOVE your Christmas mantel!
Have a happy Friday!
Wendi xo
I think we are all in the same situation regarding the LED lights.. We are using the the regular lights. The Christmas cards look darling on the ring! Great idea!
Love all the special touches around your Home!! The little guy holding the cards is a wonderful gift! I actually made a gift wish list this year, I have never done that before, it was really fun. I just did it for todays post, I don't expect anything on the list, but still fun to dream!!
I am with you on the energy saving lights, I don't buy them. I guess I will save in other ways at Christmas time, but not on my lighting!!
If you have a chance come by and see what is on my list. I know there are a couple of things you will love.
Merry Merry Christmas!!!
Pretty ideas, Mary Ann! Love your description of the lights, I'll think of it every time I see them! 🙂
omg u have such a great blog! LOVE all these ideas! now following u on gfc! hope u will follow back 🙂
XO Meghan
citrusrefreshingfashion.blogspot.com
Mary Ann, love the idea of putting Christmas Cards on a ring! Great solution! also am envious of your darling little guy holding the cards!Merry Christmas!
The gift wrapping and tags look fantastic! What a great idea for the cards, now I finally know what to do with mine – thanks for the great idea! Have a lovely weekend xo