The JOY of red!

December 09, 2009

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I’m quite obsessed with touches of red in my Christmas decor this year. I honestly don’t know what the deal is, it’s just appealing to me for some reason. I added bits of red to our family room mantel and it’s all over the kitchen, which I’ll show you soon. You can see our cutie little red and white kitchen tree here.

Last week I showed you the decor I added to our bed of all places, and tonight I wanted to show you the mantel in our master bedroom as well. Yes, we have a fireplace in our bedroom. Yes, I LOVE IT. Yes, I about passed out when hubby wanted to add it to the “list” when we built our house. No, I don’t regret it one. bit. :)

One of my simplest Christmas projects I’ve ever done is also one of my favorites. I took wood letters from Hob Lob, painted them Santa Red (that’s the name, heee!), then hung them with ribbon from the wallpaper art hanging over the mantel. I hot glued the ribbon to the letters, then just used tacks to secure them to the “art.”:

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The result for three bucks:

001 Ack! I still love it every. single. time. I look at it!

This year, I added some more touches of red -- I replaced the regular candles with bright ones from Joann’s (two bucks total!) and then stuffed some poinsettias into the vase:

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Do you say poinsettias as spelled or “ettas?” I say it as it’s spelled. No clue!

When I showed you this project last year, I also gushed about my BFF, Mr. Good Will. :) I had found a ton of garland and some gorg lights for a steal. This year, said lights about put me over the edge. I don’t know WHAT is wrong with me this year – I have broken a TON of stuff, including a bunch of light strands. As I stood there the other night telling hubby how much I adore these lights, I touched one and the little bleeping thing just exploded.

Another strand later and some major muttering under my breath, I got it looking fab again. I spent another $10 on the lights because I love them so, but at least the first set was cheap, right? (And look where that got me!) I just think they are so pretty!:

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For a couple more little updates, I added tufts of the Big Lots garland into the garland, as well as a few red bulbs here and there:

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I added some greenery and bulbs to the little Goodwill candlescape on the table next to the fireplace:

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Don’t worry, I won’t light them! :)

Ten bucks for a new set of lights (fists shaking in air!), and two buckaroos for candles. I absolutely LOVE this spot:

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I swear, why is it so easy to decorate during the holidays? Is the lights? Is it the cozy feeling? I want to leave it like this year round, I am not kidding. Is that wrong? If it is, than I don’t want to be right! HA!

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{Please ignore the crooked pictures and lamp shade. Focus on the mantel, umkay?)

What colors are you loving in your Christmas decor this year? Red fills me with JOY. :)

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Comments

  1. I am and have been for a long while a red and gold kind of Christmas gal as well. Love it!

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  2. Red is my favorite color and always brings me 'joy'. Your entire home is beautifully decorated and I really love the mantle and above it. I think the lights, the decorations we add and the sense of love makes it all more cozy!

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  3. Can I just hire you for a whole week to come re-decorate my house?!? You are SO TALENTED! We have 4 thrift stores nearby (including 2 Goodwills!)

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  4. Your mantle is absolutely beautiful....love the JOY panel!
    And the thriftyness of it even better.
    Thanks for sharing.

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  5. Yea, I'd say the JOY is pretty much stunning! LOve it great work!

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  6. I love it, too. So clever. I made some DIY Christmas silhouettes this year. Stop over and take a gander! =)

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  7. I'm loving red this year, too. I am also drawn to the lime green and pink, so I'm trying to include that in other rooms and on our main tree I have a bunch of different colored ornaments. Your bedroom mantel looks fantastic! I didn't realize just how large the JOY letters were until the wider shot ~ they look great! I love that idea.

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  8. Your blog is a sheer delight! I love it. I found via another blogger in the craft world. I love home decor and you have a gift for it all.
    I will tune in often to see what great inspiration you share next.
    Thank you so much & keep blogging.
    The RED looks fabulous as does the rest of what you have done.
    Just beautiful!
    Hope you can visit my papercrafting blog too:
    http://archiving-angel.blogspot.com

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  9. Your blog& style reminds me of one of my best friends that can make anything look BEAUTIFUL!
    Your fireplace looks great!! Please share what kind of camera you have!! I want one!!

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  10. I am like you...RED has to be a part of my Christmas decor. Its such a bright and happy color. I do other rooms in differing colors but keep our main living rooms with POPs of red!

    Merry Christmas..Lorena
    RoseChicFriends

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  11. Lookin' GOOD, Girl! No, better than Good...GREAT!!! Thanks for the inspiration you never fail to provide!

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  12. LOVE your red letters on the ribbon.
    What a wonderufl place over your mantle and your whole mantle is grand!!

    thanks for sharing

    blessings

    barbara jean

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  13. Love it! What a fab idea, and super easy, super cheap!! My home has touches of red all year long, so I have gone to other colors for the holidays. Black and Gold on main tree, touches of blues and silver-entry/dining/living room. The kitchen has some of the new "lime" green and red, goes well with the elves!!

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  14. I'm digg'n the white and silver this year!

    Red does have a nice cheery feel, while also appearing cozy. Your holiday touches look great!

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  15. I always decorate in red and gold with touches of green. I'm a geek and love my alma mater.

    And I say poinsettias as it's spelled.

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  16. OMG!!!! you talking about that "litllte bleeping thing just exploded" had me seriously rolling on the floor! I have totally been there!!!! I love your blog and totally think we could(should) be BFF's! Bwhahahahaahah!!!!

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  17. You know?? I love red, I think I will be working it in my decor even after the holidays. There's just something wonderful about it! I think pops of red are beautiful- and it goes anywhere!

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  18. My house is RED year round (and gold) It just makes me happy inside. With the exception of having to keep my toddler and crawler away from the tree I could totally go for Christmas decor year round!!!

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  19. I'm crazy about your JOY....

    Warm blessings,
    Spencer

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  20. Red is ALWAYS part of my Christmas decor. Your mantle looks beautiful. I know what you mean about the Christmas decor...and I think it's mostly the lights. I am sitting here with all the lights off except the twinkling mantle lights and the Christmas tree. :)

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  21. The fireplace looks spectacular! I am obsession with red as an accent color - you've used it very well. It makes me wanna curl up with cocoa and some Christmas music...

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  22. once again, u did a great job! looks awesome. i love red myself, so i always decorate with red. if i could leave the lights up year round then i would too, it just feels warm and cozy to just have ur christmas lights on in the evening.

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  23. Wow - love all the red! We love red, white and silver together! And seriously, there is something sooo magical about lights and garland and ornaments. Every year I'm tempted to leave mine up all year too.

    Thanks for all the inspiration... and thrifty ideas. :)

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  24. I recently found your blog and I just LOVE IT! Your ideas are so great and I love that they are so affordable;)

    I also love that you have NKOTB music on your playlist:)

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  25. I have a red thing going on this year, too. So pretty! I also love things that say, "Joy," so your red J-O-Y is perfect. Totally gorgeous!

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  26. It's why I have red in my kitchen year round. Red makes it a room I 'want' to be in. It is JOY!

    Di
    The Blue Ridge Gal
    (I just bought a red lamp)

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  27. Dude- I did "JOY" too. From Hob Lob. With ribbon and a bit of hot glue. And I thought I was sooo unique, lol!

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  28. I love how your mantle turned out!!! Red is definitely my favorite color to use for the holidays.

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  29. Love your touches of red! Red is a great color for JOY!

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  30. Looks great. I am a red fan too. I want to know about the walpaper art you have. It's beautiful!

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  31. Your house looks so lovely! It always does, but I love your Xmas decor. The red letters are beautiful!

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  32. Oh I love your pops of red! I love decorating for Christmas. We have been doing our tree and red and gold and I just love it!

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  33. So elegant and wonderful, now you have me thinking about what I can create with wallpaper! And red IS so fun to decorate with. Thanks for this post. :)

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  34. BEAUTIFUL. Red seems to be my "color" this year too. That and silver and white. Love your bedroom mantle. . .I would want to retreat there right after dinner every night with all the Christmas spirit you have put in there!!!

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  35. I love all your decor!! I absolutely love them all!!

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  36. Gorgeous! Simply stunning!

    For the past several years I've done mostly red decorations for Christmas. Can't put my finger on why I love the red so much but it's warming to look at. Does that make sense?

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  37. Red is my favorite color for the holidays...love the JOY!

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  38. I'm having a red and brown year too :) Funny, I was admiring the picture of your bedroom and thougth "hey, isn't that picture crooked?" right as I read your note about ignoring the crooked picture! Fab decorations!!!

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  39. It's looking great! I love how your "lights off" pictures turn out! Everytime I try to take a picture of our tree, it looks like it's on fire! :(

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  40. I love how simple the decorations are but how much impact the red has - it's awesome! I went for minimal on our fireplace this year and I"m so glad I did! MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU AND YOURS! ox

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  41. looks so fab! i am so green with envy of your mantle. looks absolutely gorgeous!

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  42. It all looks FABULOUS!!!I love it! I love your blog sooo much! I look so forward to reading your posts! :)

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  43. I love red!!! We have deep red as part of our regular decor. I'll have to post that someday! Your J-O-Y hangers came out gorgeous!

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  44. This is absolutely beautiful! And yes, if you want....you can leave it all up year round! I agree with you there!

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  45. I'm a traditionalist when it comes to Christmas...there MUST be red and green! I love your post today.
    xoxo
    joni

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  46. Green is my absolute favorite color - EVER. I think there is some green in practically every room in my house. So, you'd think I'd go nuts on green this time of year, right? Uh-uh...this year it's red/burgandy and gold. Don't ask me why, but I'm lovin' it!

    When I was a kid, my mom never did any seasonal decorating. Sometimes we had a tree, and some years we didn't. Aside from the tree, no other seasonal decorating took place. My MIL, OTOH, changes her decor seasonally and does a beautiful job. My hubby also has a very artistic eye for things. Seriously! We always joke that he's the better decorator. :-) (Although I am getting better at it.)

    This year is actually the first year that I'm thinking about what should *go* where, not just what *fits* where, if that makes sense. Prior to this, I was so busy with my 3 kids in 2 years (yes, 2 are twins are one spent the first 6 months of her life in the hospital), so making the house beautiful wasn't exactly top priority.

    So, thank you for all of your amazing beautiful and frugal ideas. I have greatly appreciated the glimpses you've given us of your gorgeous home!

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  47. Joy at Christmas time and year round, is what I am about. My maiden name was Joy, so this season always makes it fun. The best is before my dad lost weight from diabetes, he said that he was the biggest Joy that anyone could have in their life. Oh so humble I know.

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  48. everything looks great. ..and the red just adds the right amount of pop.

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  49. Beautiful! And too funny about the pictures and lampshades...I have to admit I noticed them...but only because I feel the same way about crooked-osity as you do about cords :-)

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  50. I love seeing all of the fresh pink and blue Christmas decorations around the blogosphere right now--and even a few purples!--but it's red for me at my house, too. In my family room and kitchen, anyway. There's something so warm and cheery about it.

    Love your JOY over the mantel! What a fun idea.

    I'm hosting my Hooked on Holiday House Tours party tomorrow, so I hope you'll have time to link up to it. I'll be joining yours on Monday, too! :-)

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  51. It's simply beautiful, Sarah. I could just keep scrolling and scrolling through pictures! I'm loving the red, too!

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  52. I have tried so many times to go with another color for Christmas. We always end up with red everywhere though. It's happy, cozy, and soooo very Christmas to me. Love your inspiration... hmmm.. new ideas. BTW, I like the asymmetrical lampshade, it goes with the avante garde frames. ;)

    ~Jil~

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  53. Oooh I love the red too! I love how simple the mantle is! I think you do a great job with the saying "less is more" :)

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  54. Funny you say that about red bringing you joy. This is a red/white makes my heart sing year! Our parlor mantle is red/gold. I have done a lot with red and white this year. Feels right.

    Can I throw a ? out there for you and your readers....off topic....I am thinking ahead to spring. Do we have a time when we talk about spring decor/mantles etc? I was thinking it will take me from Christmas to winter decor and I need to be thinking/planning spring and Easter! :)

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  55. I just love the "Joy" letters-so simple yet chic and elegant!

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  56. I love your red and happiness. This year I went with apricot, peach, silver, green and white lights. I put some old sequined covered fruits in an apothacary jar along with silver balls. I filled another "a" jar with apricot balls and silver beads. I filled 2 large hurricane lamps with big white candles surrounded y silver beeds. The tree has white, silver and apricot balls on it with white lights and snow flake tinsel and silver glittered bows.
    Love you and Merry Xmas to you.
    Did you ever tell me to say where you got the laundry room saying/black lettering? If you did please forgive my chemo brain!!!!!
    www.rivieraboardwalk.blogspot.com

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  57. Love it - so beautiful and eye catching. You have a good eye for what looks good and also a decorating style that pleases a wide aray of tastes.

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  58. I love your "Santa Red" too...such a pretty and romantic spot! I am into the jewel toned pinks, purples, oranges, and blues in our "girlie" addition this year. Found some neat stuff to put in the garland and went from there. :)

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  59. You are AMAZING!! I love everything you do! It's all fabulous. My wish for Santa is for you to come do my house! :)

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  60. I too am a fan of "pops of red!" This year I find that I am also a fan of white...don't have much of it, but I love the contrast of white, red and gold! Your house is beautiful...I am still working on mine. Only been in it for 5 months, loving every minute of the decorating and your tips have definitely been helpful...have a wonderful Christmas! B:)

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  61. As this is my first christmas that my hubby and I are having together (stupid deployments) I am going with the classic christmas feel. There is a bunch of red, and what is ever greater is that it all matched the couch now. All i need is a fire place, and it is picture perfect. I have used so many of your ideas/projects to decorate my house. Even your wonderful table settings. Now i just cant wait for him to come home and see all the Money..I mean effort that i have put into giving him the perfect christmas this year. Thank you so much!!!

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  62. I love what you have done with your red decorations.
    I know what you mean by choosing a color. I also wonder where it comes from when I'm suddenly into green, red or white or whatever!
    I think it comes from this creativeness that never ceases!

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  63. I LOVE red too - I blogged today about the red christmas decor I have added to my new kitchen, here in N Ireland.

    Happy Christmas to you and yours.

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  64. I love the JOY letters and I'd be very tempted to leave it up all year too, or at least for a while after Christmas! So awesome to have a real fireplace in the bedroom. We have a fake one in ours, but I love it.

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  65. What a BEAUTIFUL mantle! I absolutely love all the red! My kitched is decorated in red, and I once tried (and failed) to talk my hubby into a red sofa. That looks like it could be out of a magazine!

    adellechristine.blogspot.com

    mcdonaldivf.blogspot.com

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  66. OOOh, Sarah. Loving your red motif. and your pretty "joy" creation.
    This year in our household we went with a new theme- silver and burgundy. I dug out a brand new unopened box of decorative "potpourri" I had forgotten that I had purchased from Joanns- a combo of silver glittery stemmed grapes, glitzy beaded pears and apples, and frosted silver pinecones. all poured into a glass cylinder with a basketweave burgundy candle nestled inside. Sooo sharp! Also,Pink and burgundy glass ornaments, cranberry garland, and elegant beaded garland in pinks, burgundy and silver adorns my tree. I just love it!Wish I could share it with you if I could just figure out how to download pix from my digital camera!

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  67. Gorg Sarah!!! Love the fireplace :D

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  68. So pretty! Sometimes the most simple projects are the ones that look the most stunning!

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  69. That is SO pretty!! SO, SO pretty! Thanks for sharing your incredible "secrets" to a beautiful home!

    I like pink this year. That's really weird for me. I'm usually a very traditional red & green girl. Can't help it...liking the pink.

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  70. I'm with you, girlfriend. Red. And of course green, but then green is my favorite color, so I'm always into green.

    You're right about decorating at Christmas being so easy. Maybe it's just that we're all in the mood to enjoy our decorating rather than fuss about it. Whatever the reason, it sure is fun!

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  71. Very Pretty. I too am am red aholic. Just take my new reupholstering project for example. Red is God's natural accent color in nature so no wonder it looks good for everything!

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  72. Love it! Hey, your lamp is lop-sided ;0) hehehehe.
    I'm using and INTO...natural this year ...burlap, pinecones, greens with POPS of RED. LOVING it!

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  73. For me, it started 2 years ago w/my KitchenAid mixer - red. At first it was limited to the kitchen - all red accents. But it has since gone into the living & dining room - just accents. But love pops of red.
    At my mom's we do red in fall/winter, box it all up and then do turquoise in spring/summer. Need to do it in my own house! Feels sooo good when seasons change.

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  74. I just love RED at Christmas. For me, nothing else makes it feel like Christmas but the Reds, Greens, Golds and Silver. But oooh
    laaa laaa, I love the Reds!!

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  75. I LOVE RED!!! Everything looks fantastic at you home!

    Great photo tips as well Sarah! I just got my new Canon-G11 as a Christmas gift and I'm so excited! I needed these tips right now.

    By the way I could not leave a comment on your photo post. Hmmmm....:)

    Enjoy this joy filled season!
    ~Melissa :)

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  76. I love the word "JOY" at Christmastime. Our three boys stockings hang from those three precious letters and remind us of the true meaning of the Holiday Season- J Jesus
    O Others
    Y Yourself
    Merry Christmas and a Very Happy New Year!

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  77. It's beautiful!!! I love how cozy it is. I can't wait to have a house with a mantel. :)

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  78. I'm obsessed with red year round! Plus once Christmas is over the red can stay up for Valentine's Day :D

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  79. LOVE this!!! Where did you get your candle sticks at? I only have clear crystal ones, but would love to have some black or dark brown ones.
    Thanks!

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  80. I really like the JOY on your mantle. Here is my question though, did you make the canvases that the JOY is hanging behind or did you buy them that way? I like the design on them and am looking for something similar!

    Thanks!
    nicole@klife.com

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  81. I love what you've done!! And for the record, pronounce as spelled, it's more elegant :)

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  82. http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/poinsettia
    You can hear word pronunciations here. And, it seems, either way is correct. Who knew?

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