More Xmas Beauties

Hello Everyone,

I've  been sooooooo inspired by so many bloggers, hate that silly word, but the women are multi-talented, all professional homemakers, which is like saying a professional master of all crafts. They do gorgeous homes, in designing, decorating, maintaining, caring, upkeep, cleaning, organizing, tidying, and beautifying and making it a caring functional and cozy sanctuary for their families and for themselves. I've been inspired by them, and thankfully I did find some passion still left in my bones. It's been a very rough year and I thought I lost myself. If I can find myself ''only'' in refreshing the environment and ambiance of my own living space as opposed to saving the world as I believed my whole life, then so be it. And I have. I wish I could do more as in changing the looks for the seasons, but alas, no space or funds for that. BUT ! I am very happy with what I've done today and my only goal was to finish an indulgence in mercury glass that I got into only because the sales were 70% off and I'm almost embarrassed to say what I paid for these things, but they are no less extravagant in their look. Even my roommate came out to tell me he noticed, which is saying something. I will show you here. Apologies for bad pics, but I'm not a professional photographer and I'm grateful for the simple digital camera I was given years ago because it is still alot of fun sharing pictures whatever the quality, even if the date and time and year are all off.....it seems every year the numbers goes backwards lol.
This first is one of the buys of today, a small cakestand, my first in life, and I wonder how I lived without it. I had no idea what I would do for the table, only that it needed a new beautiful seasonal look using the mercury glass and candles. I'm not fastidious about design, as in themes of one texture or color or tradition etc.....only that I need to like it in the end. I used what I had mixed with the finds of the sales, and this is what came out. I decorated the small cake stand with the mercury votive holders and added fresh mood moss and tiny pine cones which I've had for a while. Then I added the rest. At the last minute when I saw the cloche bell standing in the kitchen alone, I glanced at the tablescape and simply placed it over the fresh poinsettia. After a minute of pondering, I added the pearl strings I had sitting on the sofa for some odd reason, then the metallic fruit which were sitting in another cache pot I keep out all year. Done.

This mini cake stand is about 6 inches round. very cute! There was a glass dome cover that did not have a bottom that I've been eyeing in the store for weeks now and finally I asked if they could sell it, and the first person told me no, but I sought out another manager myself and she was gracious, and sold me the dome for only 4$. It fits perfectly over this cake stand. I'm happy. Now I have a happier way of presenting sandwiches ! LOL what fun !

But for now this dessert stand is for the season of Xmas.

without flash. In the center is the incense holder, which looks mysterious and ancient with smoke wisping out of the openings on top.

with flash and before I added the metallic fruit. The tall thing in glass with colorful balls is a Galilean Thermometer. When it gets cold, the balls rise, when it gets hot, they fall. The gold drops at the base of each ball contain numbers which tell the temperature in Fahrenheit. cool gadget. Even thermometers in my home must be beautiful as well as functional.

a detail on the left

detail of the right side with fresh white poinsettia 

I'm almost done with my Xmas arrangements and I didn't think I'd do anything at all this year! I'm happy.

Happy Xmas!