Thank you everyone! Sorry it's taken me so long to reply...work has been a bear this week. I wish I could say that I made the placemats and runner, but sewing is definitely not something I can do. I actually found them at Walmart. They're sort of iridescent and have all three traditional Mardi Gras colors in them. I've had the plates and glasses for years and up until now, they were pretty much only used at Christmas. I'm sure ya'll will be seeing them again when I finally do my St Patrick's table. LOL The green dish is a miniature covered butter dish. I found these on a website a couple of months ago for only $2 a piece. I wish I could find some in clear glass since I would probably get more use out of them than the green. Dinner was delish! I served a variety of Cajun/Creole inspired seafood, potato casserole, salad, French bread and of course...King Cake for dessert. Very yummy!

Everything looks festive and inviting. The beads in the windows really add a nice touch of sparkle, and I love the lush swag in the doorway too. Love your hutch--looks like you might have some "dishes" to share with us too. You know we love to see pretty dishes and table scapes too. ;o) Luvs

Oh, thanks for posting that, Jim! And thanks everyone, you're all so nice! I admit, I agonized over which houses to choose. They're so beautifully made, so it was some tough decisions. Particular thanks to Jim for the enabling! :-) Flamingo, I had someone else mention to me the tree reminded them of mardi gras-- I see where you're coming from, and while I hadn't thought of that, it DID get me thinking I might add some peacock feathers to it here and there. I have a bunch of them (been using them in decorating for YEARS and now it seems they're in stores everywhere! How does this happen??!) That's part of the fun of coming here; you all help spawn all sorts of great ideas. My house thanks you. :-) -Jenn

Gayle, that has to be the most bizarre Christmas story ever! What a movie it would make, lol. Purely sentimental here! We never had kids, but that didn't stop us from having a young-at-heart tree. The fresh tree has always had an eclectic mix of handmade and store bought ornaments ... crocheted snowflakes and angels, stuffed Kliban cats, Spanish moss wreaths that dh made almost 30 years ago (still use 'em), terra cotta, metal, resin, straw, wood, brass, etc. Some ornaments have been retired, but I can't bring myself to toss 'em. I keep them in a separate storage bin along with the photo cards from years past. Never owned a ball ornament until last year when I bought a dozen mercury glass balls from Restoration Hardware. They're beautiful, but very heavy. This year I added glass icicles. Wish I had a couple dozen more of those in the shorter lengths. In years past I've strung popcorn and cranberries for garland. Switched to freshly harvested Spanish moss for a few years. Didn't have any garland the past couple years. This year added some beechwood cranberry garland. I love colored lights on the tree. Tried white lights for a couple years, but switched back. The 4' artificial tree in the dining room is pre-strung with white lights. I guess that tree has a nature theme with a lot of birds, fish, acorns, a few bears and a moose. After Christmas I glitz it up with Mardi Gras lights and beads until Fat Tuesday.