HGTV "My Favorite Room" - the Look for Less Jan's Way! Part III

Hola!  Here's the final part of this "look for less" - covering hunting for the black and white throw pillows/cushions.  After going through my initial selections, I narrowed it down to the five below.  I also calculated the amount of the room I would furnish with the pieces I selected versus the HGTV picks.

Part I -  Sofa, Chair and Art
Part II - Area Rug and Coffee Table

I have some favorite places to go when looking for pillow covers:  H&M, Ikea and Bed, Bath & Beyond.  But this time I didn't find anything that rang my chimes in terms of trying to be true to the prints on the pillows used in Cynthia Smith's living room.  I also tried Society6, Amazon, etc.  I ended up selecting most of the pillows (not covers) from Wayfair.

To refresh, here is the original room and HGTV's picks for some of the items in the rooms to achieve the same look:

My goal in pillow shopping was to try and capture the overall "feel" and scale of the two printed pillow covers on Charlotte Smith's sofa, as well as looking for 18 or 20 inch sizes, as the pillows used look to be the same height or even slightly taller as the back of the sofa and side cushions.

This pillow pattern was my number one favorite, and also cost more than the HGTV pick - so definitely NOT the look for less!  But considering the much lower amount I spent on everything else, I thought I'd splurge:  This is the Fenella Floral Pillow in Black and White, offered by The Pillow Collection.  The 18" square size is $59.95.  The 20" size is $67.95.  The pattern is on both sides of the pillow. Pictured below:

And since I broke my own rules (above) once, why not do it twice?  I really like this pillow cover - but it's NOT a black print!  EEK!  I'd buy it anyway if I were recreating Charlotte Smith's living room for myself :)  From H&M Home, simply identified as Patterned Cushion Cover - White/Leaves!  A true budget saving $12.99 for a 20" x 20" pillow cover with concealed zipper opening.  Pictured below:

And I broke the rules a third time, wowsers.  This pillow cost $56.99 in the 20" x 20" size, the Wild Leaves Throw Pillow by Julia LaRosa, Deny Designs, available at Wayfair.  Pictured below:  

And I broke my rules again for this pillow.  Oh what the heck, go wild girl friend!  This selection, also from Wayfair, is the Chidley Floral Print Linen Throw Pillow by Red Barrel Studio, at $54.99 on sale for the 20" x 20" size.  Pictured below:

Another rule breaker found at Wayfair, Valentina Ramos Bird Throw Pillow, Deny Designs, $46.99 for the 20" x 20" size.  Pictured below:

The Final Tally

HGTV's tally includes: (1) sofa, $1,895; (2) chair, $899; (3) art, $189; (4) area rug, $420; (5) coffee table, $251; and (6) two throw pillows, $80.  Total:  $3,734.

My tally includes: (1) my preferred sofa (the bench seat sofa), rounded to $800; (2) chair, Quinton Arm Chair, rounded to $266; (3) art, 27" x 36" poster/print, rounded to $27.50 plus $20 estimated for a properly sized width set of black aluminum poster hangers, $47.50; (4) area rug, Tuscan Wool Moroccan Shag Rug, $286, because I don't like fringe or tassels on area rugs; (5) the used LaBarge coffee table at $250, which captured my heart; and (6) Fenella floral throw pillow, rounded to $68, the H&M Home green patterned pillow cover, rounded to $13, and the Ramos Bird throw pillow, rounded to $47.  I opted for 3 throw pillows, all 20" square size, why limit myself?  Total: $1,777.50.  

Success! I enjoyed the challenge.

HGTV "My Favorite Room" - The Look for Less Jan's Way! Part II

Hola!  Part I has my picks for the sofa and the floral print chair.  In Part II, I'm presenting my picks for the area rug and the coffee table.

To refresh, here is the beautiful living room of Charlotte Smith from "atcharlotteshouse.com" blog, and the items that HGTV picked out to duplicate part of the room in its March 2019 magazine:

In the first part of this post, I showed you my picks for a less expensive green velvet sofa and a pink/red/green floral print arm chair.  Now the area rug and the coffee table!  

The Rug

HGTV's pick was a 8' x 10' reasonably priced wool rug with tassels (the rug in Charlotte's Smith living room has tassels) at $420 from birchlane.com.

From Rugs USA, this is the Marrakesh Shag Rug, hand-knotted 100% wool in the 8' x 10' size, $296 with free shipping.  The color is a creamy white with what appears to be black to create the diamond pattern and tassels.  Pictured (partially) below:

Also from Rugs USA, a version without the hand-tied tassels in the Tuscan Wool Moroccan Shag Rug, 8' x 10', $286. Pictured (partially) below:

There are also options at Overstock.com for lower prices (some under $200), but it's hard to tell in some cases if they're black and white/cream or a grey color and white/cream.  Here is one option in wool and one in synthetic (a lot lower price):

NuLoom Handmade Moroccan Trellis Wool Shag Rug, ivory/black, 8' x 10', $409.99

Strick and Bolton Saura Moroccan Trellis Shag Area Rug, made from polypropolene, white/black (?), 7'10" x 10', $179.99

The Coffee Table

I love, Love, LOVE Charlote Smith's coffee table.  It looks like a vintage or antique brass table, or it is a very good reproduction.  Even the thick glass that tops it has the hexagonal shape!

I think HGTV's pickers did a great job in selecting a good match for that great coffee table, and at a reasonable price, at $251.  The metal work on the lower part of the table echos the duplicates the hexagonal shape of the original and the design of the legs is very similar.  I also appreciate the use of the brass finish.  Isn't it funny how just a few years ago, NOBODY wanted anything BRASS in their homes.  Now it's once again the rage :)  Only goes to show you, decorate for yourself, don't just follow the latest trends. Classics like brass, polished nickle, black, white and marble are timeless.  

Now - to the hunt!  When I started looking around, I found that the coffee table in question looks like, or possibly even is, a vintage LaBarge brass crafted table.  It's still a mystery to me who LaBarge was (I didn't come across any biographical information) and when he produced his (her?) furniture, although I have seen references in passing to "Hollywood Regency" style, which was a popular design look in the 1930's and 1940's.  

 In any event, looking around, I found examples of alleged original LaBarge tables that look similar to the table in Charlotte Smith's living room that are priced over $2,000!  The table below costs $250 (with free shipping within the United States) and is used - I have no idea if this is a reproduction or if it is an actual LaBarge table, and if it is an actual LaBarge table, it could be worth a lot more money.  I found it online at Etsy, "Vintage Regency LaBarge Brass Hoof Coffee Table with Glass Top."  Look at those feet!  Pictured below:

I am wondering if Charlotte Smith's table may be an original LaBarge that had the animal feet removed?

At $250, my first selection costs $1.00 less than the Joss and Main "Jaidan" table HGTV selected as a great look-alike.

The next table I selected isn't a vintage offering, and maybe not to everyone's (or anyone's?) taste other than mine, but I thought it would work well in the overall design even if it isn't very faithful to the original table:

Found at Amazon, the 9081240gl 18"H Contemporary Style 5 mm Clear Tempered Glass Top Hexagonal Champagne Finish Metal Base Living Room Coffee Table, by Major Q, $169.80 with free shipping.  Table is 34" x 30".  Pictured below:

Differences:  No lower tier of beautifully sculpted metal curves around the hexagonal shape; the glass top is inset into the metal, not resting on top.  However, the glass is hexagonal in shape, not round like HGTV's selection.  The style is modern, not traditional, but I could see this design working in many different decors since it's very clean and sleek.  The metal finish looks somewhat "antique" or "vintage" too - it's not bright, new shiny brass.  I like the mellow look.

And here's a look within a look for less: The same table design by a different manufacturer, ACME, is available at Target on sale for $127.99, reg. $159.99 and at that these prices it will come with free shipping.  Even not on sale, it's nearly $11 less than the Amazon option.  

My next selection is a pair of nesting tables, also from Amazon, the Geometric Glass Nesting Coffee Table in gold finish, by WE Furniture (Walker Edison Furniture Company), $195.69 with free shipping.  The larger table is 28" diameter and 16" high.  Pictured below:

Differences:  Many!  The larger table is 28" diameter and 16" high. This is noticeably smaller than the original table at about 34" x 30" (depending which line you measure width on) for the glass top, or any of the suggested substitute tables.  The smaller table in this set is 18" diameter and 12" high.  The smaller table should fit underneath the larger table, adding an extra design/visual dimension depending upon how it's turned; and in a pinch, even though it's small, it can hold drinks and a few plates.  

In Part III, I'll share my selection of throw pillows.  I looked everywhere, and came up with six potential options.  But preferences for prints is very personal.  The ones I picked may turn a lot of people green, and vice versa, LOL!  I'll post Part III tomorrow.

HGTV "My Favorite Room" - The Look for Less Jan's Way!

Hola everyone.  I received the March 2019 edition of HGTV Magazine in the mail a few days ago and started paging through it.  I savor those magazines like fine wine, which for me is a $12.99 bottle of Beringer White Zinfandel :)

The very first room that was in the article "My Favorite Room," garnered from the favorite rooms of bloggers from around the internet, caught my eye.  It just looks so "summery," comfy, and pretty.  Here's the two page spread on that room.  The first page shows the existing room; the second page shows some items selected by HGTV to recreate the look in your own home.

To save you some time from having to greatly enlarge the print (like I need to) in order to easily read it, the items shown in the "get the look" page are:

Art:  "Apple Tree," by Hagermann, 36" x 46" scroll, $189, styledeviestore.etsy.com
Chair:  "Hadley" polyester and wood chair in azaela, $899, potterybarn.com
Coffee Table:  "Jaidin" 18 1/2" x 32 3/4" diameter metal and glass table, $251, jossandmain.com
Pillow:  Floral 17" x 17" cotton pillow cover, $40 each (times 2), whitlockandco.etsy.com
Rug:  Twinar 8' x 10' wool rug, $420, birchlane.com
Sofa:  "Milo," 80" wide velvet sofa in emerald and washed pine finish, $1,895, onekingslane.com
Total cost for items listed:  $3,734

I did not include the basket and faux plant ($155 for both) or the five-pointed star paper lantern ($34.50 for one) in my hunt.

As always, I thought - no way would I pay $1,800 plus for a sofa or $899 for a single chair! I think I can do better, at least on some of the items, without sacrificing the look.  So I set out to recreate my own less expensive version of Charlotte Smith's (atcharlotteshouse.com) much admired living room!

My Sofa Picks

First thing I shopped online for was the sofa.  The article noted that the original was an Ikea sofa, so I headed there first thing.

Sadly, I didn't find anything remotely similar in green velvet to this sofa at the Ikea website.  So, I headed next to All Modern, because the sofa's style reminds me of mid-century modern to contemporary, and they have great stuff at All Modern, at great prices!

I fell in love with the Mercury Row Dupuis sofa, at 80.3" in  emerald green velvet.  It's got a reversible bench seat, which I prefer because if three or four people are squishing on the sofa nobody has to sit on a crack in the cushions!  I also like cushions that I can regularly rotate/flip.  Two back cushions cut down on hitting one of the cracks between the cushions and the two side cushions are a good size.  Also noted is the modern "tuxedo" style where the back cushions and arms are at equal or nearly the same height, similar to the original sofa I'm trying to duplicate.  Back and side cushions are also reversible.  Currently on sale at a hefty 42% off, price is originally $1,497, sale price is $799.99 plus free in home delivery. Pictured below:

Differences:  Not a two cushion seat nor a three cushion back; arms are not as wide nor inner angle slanted as much; and legs are gold finished metal bracket shape, not wood.

At a slightly higher price of $860.99 on sale plus free in home delivery (42% off original price of $1,497), Mercury Row also offers a similar look in a larger sofa in the Dupree sofa at 85".  The Dupree has three reversible back and bottom cushions and two side cushions, in emerald green velvet, and warm brown stained wood legs.  Pictured below:

Differences:  Three seat cushions, not two; side cushions are square, not rectangular and not as generous in size; not a "Tuxedo" style sofa (where back cushions and arms are nearly the same or equal height); and inner arms are straight up/down, not angled inward like the original.
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The Arm Chair

Finding arm chairs is easy.  Trying to find an arm chair covered in a print that is similar in color tone and pattern to Charlotte Smith's chair and in a style even remotely resembling the style of her chair:  HA!  I failed miserably, I admit it.

But I did come up with some options in a range of prices all costing less than the Pottery Barn "Hadley" chair covered in "Azalea" ($899), which I could not find at PB's website.  I found the chair, but not that particular upholstery option.  In any event, I just can't fathom paying more for a single chair than I'd be paying to "get the look" in an emerald green velvet sofa.

So, here are my less expensive chair options:

Simona multicolor floral linen armchair by Handy Living, at Overstock, $343.39 (on sale through today, but this chair is on sale at several different sellers online, all for varying prices).  Pictured below:

Differences:  Many!  It's a floral print but the "green" is rather grayed out; still, the background is white, but there's a lot of lavender in the floral print and the red/berry color is darker than either the "target" chair or the color in the "target" botannical print.  Still, it is a true arm chair; the back is nicely tufted, it has a true reversible seat cushion, I like the turned wood stained legs (although they're not Queen Anne style) and while not having the rounded shape of the "target" chair, it has nice arms and a good back, and looks like it would be in proportion with either of the "look for less" sofas I chose.  The price point makes this option very attractive.


My next selection is also from Overstock, the Candid Moment Ebony Chair by Skyline Furniture, currently $488.99.  Pictured below:

Differences:  Many!  I like the crisp white background and this floral print, while also featuring birds among the flowers, has a somewhat brighter color tone to it than the "Simona" chair above.  However, the green is definitely "greyed out" on this upholstery.  This style is more in line with HGTV's suggested substitute "Hadley" chair.  It has a tight seat, no separate seat cushion, and also features turned wood stained legs.  I'm not a fan, however, of tight seat furniture.  Being able to flip and rotate seat cushions extends their life, an option one doesn't have on a tight seat sofa or chair.

I found this option at Wayfair.  It's the Huntington Chesterfield Chair in "Creamy Ivory Multi Floral with Birds," by Three Posts, $206.96.  Pictured below:

Differences:  Many!  For one thing, this isn't strictly an armchair, it's a Chesterfield style which is a more traditional take on a Tuxedo style sofa, where the back and arms are all the same (or very close to) the same height.  But the colors are vibrant.  A visit to the website and use of the magnifying tool will help reveal the richness of the print. The colors are vibrant although again, there is little green in this print.  This is also a tight seat chair, no reversible cushion.  This print has birds included like both of the options above (I think of them as a bonus).  I like the richly stained turned legs, the nailhead trim and the tufted back.  This option also checks in at the lowest price of the three chairs offered as substitutes for the original.

Now, here's a different style chair but in the same material as the Chesterfield style chair above.  It's also at Wayfair, the Quinton Armchair by Andover Mills in "Creamy Ivory," $265.99.  Pictured below:

Differences:  Upholstery still is not as good a "match" as I'd like.  This does, however, have a reversible seat.  It also has the dark stained turned wood legs.  Sizewise, this is slightly smaller than the "Simona" chair (substitute #1 above) but I like the "Quinton's" proportions better.

The Art

I thought I would have a hard time finding something similar to Charlotte Smith's beautiful vintage apple botanical print, but I found it straight off!

Great Big Canvas offers this print on canvas, as framed and unframed prints, and as wall peels, in three different sizes.  The largest size, though, is 27" x 36".  The Etsy substitute offered by HGTV is 36" x 46".  The difference in prize, though, now that's pretty sweet!

The largest canvas size offered by Great Big Canvas (27" x 36") costs $117.49.

The largest framed print in standard black (the 27" x 36" print) is 34" x 43" and costs $172.49.

The largest size poster print at 27" x 36" is $27.49!  Frame it yourself or add a pair of poster holders and you've got the look, albeit smaller. Displays2Go offers a pair of black aluminum hangers, for instance, at $13.51 for the 36" wide size.  Shop around, prices vary greatly.  It depends upon the color, material and size.

I'm continuing this "look for less" in a second post covering the rug and the coffee table.  Because of the number of options for the throw pillows on the sofa, that will be in a third post.

Winter Cozy Living Room 2019

Hola!

The weather has been atrocious here, complete with rounds of seemingly endless snow and Polar Vortex cold.  February has been SNOW MONTH 2019 here in southeast Wisconsin, Geez Louise!  We're already close to if not above our "normal" seasonal average (30-40") just in February alone, with possibly another half a foot expected tomorrow.

Looking to the southwest from my front door.  My driveway entrance is plugged solid with snow.  Plows came through at 1 a.m. this morning and plugged up the small walkway that I had laboriously shoveled out for myself yesterday to get into the road without climbing over a snowbank or going down somebody else's driveway.  You can barely see where it used to be!  Means more shovelling once peak temperature arrives about 2 p.m. later day, but since I don't need the driveway (no car) I just do a small pathway for myself from the driveway into the road. 

Looking northwest from my front door.  Hard to tell how tall and how thick  those snow banks actually are! Bright sunshine yesterday and today are helping evaporate some of the ice and left over snow now quite removed from sidewalks.

View out my front door, looking across the street nearly due west.  Those snowbanks are GIGANTIC!  You can sort of tell by looking at my sidewalk entrance into the road - at the peak  the bank on the right is about 4 feet tall from the ground, about 4 inches taller from the road side because of the curb.

Spring seems very far away at this point.  I want the feeling of and actual warmth, lots of afghan and throw options and cushy pillows to cuddle into close by the fireplace.  So, for the time being, I've kept most of the red decorative accents that I introduced during the just past Christmas season.  I also kept my old red and black "oriental" style wool rug that I put down for Christmas.  It adds an extra layer of luxury and cushy softness underneath my stocking covered feet!  

The red throw with faux fur rim is so soft and cushy!  Two more throws on the ottoman guarantee more warmth when needed, the black faux fur which is luxuriously soft and a larger plaid wool blend that is extra warm.  

The view toward the front door.  That's my new slide under the sofa all purpose table with the lantern on top of it- great for holding my computer when I work in the room in the evenings when I want a fire going and snuggle on the sofa.  When not in use by the sofa, it serves as a convenient catch-all table at the front door.  The lantern holds a timer set battery operated candle and normally hangs outside when snow isn't expected.  That atrocious green accent wall behind my hutch is going to disappear this year, I swear!  I've been meaning to paint it ever since I moved in - in July 2014!  The rest of the room is painted in a soft and neutral light greyish-green color, soothing and warm during this time of year but cool enough for the bright summer sunshine that floods in through the west-facing picture window in the summertime.  It was the color on the walls when I bought the house, and I like it so much I'm not changing it.  I had a gallon of paint made up to match!

The decor and the furniture arangement will change once (if) spring actually arrives and decides to stay :)

A New Year and a New Christmas Tree for 2019

Hola everyone and Happy New Year!  May all of us have a wonderful healthy and prosperous New Year.

I swear, this has to be the earliest I have ever had my tree down after Christmas, wowsers!  I started deconstructing it on January 2nd and took off all of the decorations over 2 days, just dawdling along.  Isn't it amazing how quickly you can strip a tree down, when it takes so long to dress it?

Today, after sitting there naked for several days (the white sheers are once again closed so the tree's modesty is preserved), the tree itself came down. 

Classic Fraser Fir from Tree Classics (online vendor).

I have been hemming and hawing this season over whether to buy a new artificial Christmas tree.  After experiencing a couple more rows of lights dying on my 6.5' 10-11 year old pre-lit tree, and then running out to try and find "warm white" lights to thread into an already decorated tree so I wouldn't have huge dark spots at the top, middle and bottom of the tree (yes - it's ridiculous - all of a sudden most of the original lights decided to just go out this year, all at different times!), I decided maybe it's time (1) to get a new tree and (2) downsize to a smaller tree.

The idea of a smaller tree has been kicking around in my head for some time.  After struggling this year to haul the old artificial tree up the basement stairs, smaller and lighter has become very appealing.  My buddy Ann mentioned a few years ago that she downsized to a table top tree.  I'm not as strong as I used to be but I figured a shorter, lighter tree (not pre-lit!) that I can place on a stand about 12" tall and then cover the tree base plus stand would work very well in front of my large picture window, and will be easier to get up and down the basement stairs.

I'd heard of Balsam Hill and looked at their trees online.  Gorgeous - and very very expensive!  Too expensive for my budget even on sale.  But most (maybe all) of their trees are formed using PE (not PVC) in injection molds that result in very soft, flexible and extremely realistic needles, and that appealed to me a lot.  They really are gorgeous trees, full and luxurious looking, but just too expensive for my pocketbook.

So, I've been hunting around online for a "PE artificial Christmas tree," hoping to score a super bargain on sale or clearance.  Several vendors try to pass off their trees as PE, but when you read the specs, they're PVC and not PE!  I found some trees that are blended trees of both PE and PVC needles, but not one that I liked enough to consider buying (they are a lower price point because they are not 100% PE "real feel"[TM]). 

But today I did find one tree at Tree Classics online that I liked.  Its tips are made of PE (injection molded) and other needles are made of PVC to fill out the branches.  It's a blended tree, and so a compromise from the 100% PE trees I can't afford, but I liked the tree style and color and the height is perfect at 4.5'.  It's also a space saver, which I wanted.  On sale at $129.99 (just call it 130 bucks and be done with it, geez) with free FedEx Ground shipping.  It is also not pre-wired, which was important to me.  After having lights burning out in large sections of my old tree last year and this year, I much prefer to put short strings of lights on and off myself so that trying to hunt down bad bulbs and/or fuses is easier in the future.

So I ordered it, and now we'll see.  I know I'll have to open it up and check it when it arrives and now wait until December 2019 - not looking forward to that but it must be done.  Imagine not opening it but letting it sit for 10 months and then opening it, only to find it's defective in some way or even the wrong tree!  EEK!  So I will just have to do what most rational people do and open the box to check to make sure it's the right model and all is in order.  UGH! 

Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

Hola!

How quickly time has flown by, wow.  Tomorrow is Christmas.  I have some baking to do and a bit of cleaning, and then I'll settle in and watch my favorite and sentimental movies for the rest of the day and night, and later I'll "make" a fire in my gel fuel fireplace -- that consists of opening cans of gel fuel once I peel off the outside paper wrap and lighting them.  Voila!  Real flames, real crackling and real warmth, as I sit in the living room admiring how pretty the tree looks at night.

Here are a few photos of Christmas trees that a friend and one of my sisters sent to me, as well one I took at a local well known watering-hole and long-time dining establishment.  Enjoy!  HAPPY HOLIDAYS AND MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE.

The tree above is my sister Darlene's.  It's beautiful.  Tall (12 feet?), looks like it's decorated with blue and clear (or silver?) ornaments and icicles, with cascading wide gold metallic ribbon.  There are classic all white lights and an angel on top.  Wowsers.  What a lot of work to decorate a tree that large!

This is my friend Ann standing in front of a tree that had overgrown her front yard, that she donated to the City of West Allis.  The tree was removed by the City and ended up inside a reconstructed log cabin representing a typical home of southeastern Wisconsin settlers in the very early days of the 1800s.  The tree was decorated with home-made ornaments by local students from a grade school.  Isn't it gorgeous!   Looking at the decorations brings back memories of childhood.  How well I remember now making paper chain garland and stringing pop corn!

The piece de resistance is Kegel's annual Christmas tree.  Kegel's is a long-time family owned (the current operator is a nephew of the third generation of family owners) bar and restaurant in the heart of the South Side of metro Milwaukee - but I believe the bar's address is actually West Allis.  Every year they come up with a new decorating scheme for giant size trees that anchor the corner of the bar area, divided from part of the dining area by a half-wall.  Here is the 2018 version:

Sorry for the not so great photo, sometimes my hands shake a little. As you can see, it's one of those crazy upside-down trees, LOL!  And decorated gorgeously in all white glittered ornaments.  It's spectacular!  It also rotates!  Oops!  I see one red (red and gold?) ornament on it.  Hmmmm, wonder what the story is behind THAT?  This is the first time I'm noticing it, wowsers!  My friend Ann and I had dinner there the night I took this photo, I'll ask her if she knows what that's all about, if she even noticed it herself!

The Living Room Is Decorated For Christmas

Happy Holidays to everyone!

It seemed to take me forever this year to get the tree together.  It seemed harder than ever this year to drag it upstairs from its basement storage and when I got it upstairs and unwrapped from its duvet cover, I realized I only had 2 of the 3 parts in the wrap!  And it was still so dang heavy??? 

Anyway, I couldn't remember where I put the very top part of the tree, eek!  After digging around for what seemed forever but was probably less than 5 minutes, I found it stuffed into a large box right next to where the rest of the tree had rested for a year.  Makes sense, right?  Even THAT little thing not even 2 feet tall seemed heavier this year.

But the tree was duly assembled and the plugs were plugged together.  The lights didn't work.  After diddling around I managed to get most of the sections of lights lit, but I have to face the fact that the tree is old and some of the sections of lights have burned out.  And darned if I'm going to try and figure out which light(s) are bad ones - I just do NOT have that kind of patience!

 I wanted to do a theme with red this year.  I haven't had any red on my Christmas tree and in my living room decor for years.  I started decorating and got to a point pretty far along - and didn't like  how the tree looked.  ARRGGGGHHHHH!  Off came everything. It wasn't working.  The cure was relatively simple, though.  I added more matching red plaid French ribbon to the part of a roll that I still had from a few years ago I'd used for other things - lucked out and found it at Walgreens, dug out some REALLY old boxes of ornaments and found a stash of red bulbs and other colors, and just started throwing about everything up on the tree.  The eventual result, after putzing with it for at least a week, off and on, is this:

In the areas where the tree lights did not light I tried to weave in strings of new lights.  I did that with one 40 string of lights last year, and this year I added a 100 year string of lights to the top and lower middle sections of the trees when, after about a week of use, the lights in those areas suddenly decided to go dark on me, too.  I also added several strings of battery operated lights.  None of the light colors or sizes match although they're all identified as "warm white."  If I squint, it looks okay, LOL!  Have you ever tried weaving lights in and out of branches on a tree that's already been decorated?  Geez Louise!

Of course I keep tweaking the poor tree (and have added more lights).  I sit in the living room at night watching my streaming shows and there she is, all beautiful, and I get up and I move 2 ornaments around.  And then 2 more; and then 2 more.  It's like an addiction or something...

The tree "skirt" is a synthetic silk sheet I thought I had given away in a charity box years ago - turns out it was still stashed in the linen closet, along with matching pillow cases, so I used the pillow cases to wrap the white lumber cushions on the wing chairs:

I hauled up my traditional patterned red and black wool rug and plopped it over the flame stitch black and cream area rug.  And on the sofa, which normally sits in front of the picture window with a sofa table and 2 lamps behind it:

I added two red cushion covers from Bed, Bath & Beyond ($14.99 each), a $30 chunky knit throw with faux fur trim from Steinart and covered the center pillow with the white and gold starred cushion cover purchased some Christmases ago from Ikea.  At night I snuggle under the afghans if I don't have a fire going in the fireplace (gel fuel).

The mantel is decorated.  It's nothing too fancy this year:

I used my three faux metal deer from Walgreens, my mercury glass votives purchased several years ago from TJMaxx, a string of battery operated white lights, a battery operated lantern, and two topiaries that my niece Godchild purchased for me years ago when Bombay Company was still in business.  They have since been wrapped in warm white LED lights to add some extra light to the mantel at night when I don't have the votives lit (I use real candles, I find that battery operated votives don't generate enough light to give a good display). 

So, that's it for this year - I'm done decorating!  I love the look of the tree even with the hodge podge of ornaments and lights on it, or maybe because of that!  It's not perfect but I gave up trying for perfect years ago, LOL!

I wish everyone a wonderful and blessed holiday season and new year in 2019.