christmas at the front door

I'm happy to be finishing up last minute holiday decor

today with the help of these two little guys,

Sammie and Dugan.

I found these two wreaths at Home Goods a few weeks 

ago and new they’d work perfectly 

on my black doors. 

The gold, silver and copper balls are a great contrast with

the doors, and I like that they’re visible from the street.

The fresh garland, from Orange County Wholesale Florist,

is a combination of fragrant evergreens and is the

perfect finishing touch for the front entry.

Keeping it simple is my M.O. this year,

so I just accented with these silver metal lanterns.

I think I’m done out here, 

so now I’m off to finish trimming the Christmas tree…

ciao! fabiana

christmas prep and preview

Today was a run-around, get things done kind of day

and around the house I’ve been slowly getting 

Christmas stuff out.

Here's a little peek at my front door wreath...

we're going all metallic this year, and now I just need 

some fresh green garland to finish off the look for the entry.

Over the weekend, I got two really BIG boxes delivered

with my new Serena and Lily Mattituck chairs and Montecito pillows.

They've had a fabulous 25% off sale!

They started off in the family room for the long weekend,

but now they’ve moved to their permanent spot in the living room.

That super chunky wool throw was a 

dream-find at Home Goods.

I was ready to spring for a really expensive one at a high-end store,

and then I spotted this one on the very top the shelf 

in the back corner of Home Goods. Yay!

And best of all, it’s made by UGG, 

so you know it’s super warm and cozy! 

(I've already tested it a few times and it's extremely warm and cozy!!)

Here’s a little corner next to the fireplace that is now

occupied by this special Santa and three pretty and

very-realistic looking faux trees, all found at, yes,

Home Goods!!

I’m all about out with the old and in with the new this year!

And no, I’m not getting rid of all our vintage Christmas things,

just the things that are not sentimental,

or just dated and BORING!

With that being said,

I’ve combined a few vintage favorites with some new faves

for this jadite cake stand display on my kitchen table.

The sisal tree with the house base is a treasured little prize, and

the quirky pair of trees are Department 56 that I’ve had a long while.

Added to that is a new glittery snowman from World Market,

and some mini silvery bottle brush trees for Oriental Trading. 

Back in the corner is one of my favorite finds,

yes,

you guessed it, from Home Goods,

this very realistic little Christmas tree in this pretty basket.  

Next to it is an adorable

Swedish Santa that I couldn’t resist,

found at Ikea.

I’ve have a small collection of vintage

pinecone people that I haven’t dug out of my boxes yet,  

and these new little gnomes from World Market will fit in just fine

with the antiquey ones.

My tree is up and lit, and ready to be bedazzled

so I don’t have an updated picture yet…

here’s a snapshot of it from last year.

Keeping the ball rolling...

until we meet again.

x o x o 

 fabiana

simple christmas ideas i love

The countdown begins…

less than one month until Christmas,

so with that being said,

keeping my Christmas décor simple, 
is always a great idea. 

Less stress, more fun!

A pretty wreath on the door is always a welcome sign,

but how about enjoying one on the inside 

of your front door too? 

I love this idea... 

It's so cheery!

Changing out artwork for a wreath

is a great way to add instant holiday magic to a mantel.  

A few fresh evergreen branches arranged throughout

a chandelier is another super easy way to add holiday charm.  

I do this every year in my dining room and kitchen nook. 

Don’t have time to iron a table cloth?

Use a few pretty plaid throws instead!

Use a long runner on the kitchen table and

display your favorite bottle brush trees and holiday cottages…

and adding battery operated twinkle lights

really brings the whole look together! 

And every place setting should have a touch of green...

just a little clipping of juniper or a spring of rosemary are perfect!

There are so many realistic-looking faux garlands out there,

that embellishing your mantle or banister is a no-brainer!

And you know you won’t have as many pine needles to

clean up off the floor as you would with a real garland!

Here’s another simple chandelier swag, 

and just look at that kitchen!

What do you think of the rustic cabinets?

I love this look with the mossy bowl full of vintage glass ornaments.

So easy J

My favorite ornaments are my vintage ones,

because they always add so much character to the tree.

I like to keep my wrapping simple, and that means all the paper is coordinated and all the ribbons and trimmings are too.

Don’t forget to add a little holiday charm to your kitchen.

A little goes a long way!

I love the idea of setting up my dining table in the living room

to really enjoy the full effect of the Christmas tree, fireplace and gifts!

Well now I'm off to do a little cyber shopping,

toodeloo!

ciao! fabiana

photo credit: 1. Paper & Packaging  2. Martha Stewart  3. Southern Living  

4. House & Home  5. Traditional Home  6. Country Living  7. Country Living  

8. Good Housekeeping  9. Good Housekeeping  10. Country Living  11. Terrain 

12. Southern Living  13. Container Store  14. Ballard   15. Ballard

christmas doors to remember

Do you change your front door holiday decor each year?

A matching pair of fresh evergreen wreaths is

my go-to every year on my double doors, and from there, 

I pick new ribbons and embellishments 

as the mood suits me! J

(But this year I'm going a whole other direction...
coming soon to the blog!)

In the meantime, here’s a lovely smattering of 
front door styles to enjoy...

Happy Sunday! 

ciao! fabiana

photo credit: Ballard

adorable sisal trees

I can't get enough of sisal bottle brush trees this year. I have them sprinkled throughout house, and I'm thinking I might need a few more. 

These are a few I got at Home Goods recently. The sweet little glittery house is from Pottery Barn and also features a couple of sisal trees.

These are some that I got from Oriental Trading. They were the perfect creamy white color, so I ended up ordering a few more sets. There are so many different options out there for these little trees, new and vintage!

On my mantel, I have a few more decorated trees from Home Goods. I LOVE how they look with these copper lanterns from Oriental Trading. They’re really a nice silhouette against all the white in the background. 

Isn’t this an adorable collection from Anthropologie a few years back? I still love the quirkiness of this holiday vignette!

Fa La La!

Here’s another collection of cheery bright sisal trees.

These trees are the perfect Christmas shade of green and so pretty with the all white candles and mantel.

A pretty group of decorated trees…

And for some reason, vintage toy trucks and sisal trees go together hand in hand to create a very charming scene. 

You can find a large variety of sisal trees at Oriental Trading. Be creative with these little beauties! 

Here’s an idea from Terrain. Fill a large lantern with a sweet winter scene. Start with a few small houses, add a few trees of different sizes and colors, add some fluffy snow, lighting, and you’re all set! 

On my wish list? Yes! These ombre sisal trees from World Market. So cute!

Vintage ones are fun to collect. Keep your eyes open for these little beauties all year long!

See what I mean about how cute they look in an antique toy truck? 

I also love these snowy trees from Pottery Barn. 

They even look cute on a wreath. This one was created and featured on the Oriental Trading blog.

This cute little bottle brush wreath is available on the Ciao blog shop. I like to display these on my Christmas tree and to embellish an antique mirror in my home. 
   

Here’s a pretty mossy creation. I love how the white trees really pop! 

And below, Martha Stewart has created the most amazing wreath that holds dozens of trees and little adorable cottages. She’s been obsessed with these trees forever!

I’d love to hear about you holiday décor… leave me a comment and let me know your favorite things to adorn your home with!

ciao! fabiana

💕

While I’m here today, I wanted to share some of my "Tablescaping Essentials" with you. I have a whole page on the Amazon website with my favorite picks for setting a beautiful table.

Quite often time is of the essence, and I have last minute projects or events to work on, so I turn to Amazon for one or two day delivery. You’d be surprised at how many amazing items they have to offer! And I'm constantly updating this page with my new favorites. 

You can check it out here, at “Tablescaping Essentials”.

Photo Credit: 1.-3. Ciao Newport Beach 4.  Anthropologie 5.  Hooray Everyday 6. In My Own Style 7.  Melrose 8. Rue Magazine 9.  Oriental Trading 10.  Terrain 11.  World Market 12.  BH&G 13. Melrose 14. Pottery Barn 15. Oriental Trading 16. Ciao Newport Beach 17.  Tumblr 18. Martha Stewart