12/16/11 LB Articles and a Tour: Dining Room (Without Food Porn!)

I mentioned earlier that I was asked, and am now writing articles (and answering patient questions) for a website (Bariatric Surgery Source).  Just a little about the site, since it wasn't around when I started my research;

- According to the Founder and Editor-In Chief, "After two short years, we are honored to have become the 2nd most trafficked bariatric-surgery-focused content site in the world." 
- It covers all types of WLS.
- The focus is mainly on giving information.  There's a lot of detailed, comprehensive information from causes of obesity to plastic surgery (and I'm hoping to add a few bits/changes to the LB sections).
- It's well linked together, generally by subjects, and to external sources.
- There's now a link to the site in my sidebar. 

I've committed to write at least monthly articles. For my first articles (he calls them blogs), I started with some inspiration and a WL tool; my 'Before/After' pics (yes, still hard to share, but I know how much seeing others helped me, and how much it's helped me in my journey, BDD and all the head stuff), and my second article is the theme of my book 'choices' (finding what works for YOU) and so I started that with the biggest choice I made in my journey; a lifestyle and not dieting anymore. 

You'll find them linked HERE (and I'd love for you to leave your comments on there...at the bottom of the articles).

OK as requested, I'll start giving you the Christmas house tour (sorry if I repeat anything from past years, I can't remember) and hope this inspires someone to get crafty.  I'll start with the Dining Room (minus the food porn), since it's my favorite.  It really looks beautiful at dinner with all the candles lit all over the room.

This year, I added the three Lenox pierced ornaments (hanging on fishing line from the ceiling) above my pierced Leedsware plates (with some silk holly's on top).

What's easier than putting ornaments in a glass vase?  Well, buying a silk candle ring, cutting the ring and then just placing it anywhere around your lamp lamp base (holly ring).

Stick some ornaments upside down in any candle holder (or in this case, spools)...with the candles lit, they really sparkle.

My MIL started me on my Christmas Lenox Holiday china collection...on the buffet.

...And place settings on the table.  I always buy 'Christmas Crackers' to open at dessert time, and this year I found the ornament place card holders (TJ Maxx <$10).

DH's family's old Shiny Brite boxed sets on top and old cardboard Santa's.

I made the Apple/Pineapple (glue gunned to a Styrofoam) cone on a cake pedestal with a holly wreath (picks and more glue).  Fake greens swagged on the chandelier with some bows and ornaments hanging below.

I bought the premade berry wreaths and just pinned a piece of ribbon to the top of my valances and around the wreaths.  Tree toppers work great as 'finials' on the top corners of any furniture piece (or in candlesticks).

I brought out my Polish Pottery bells (on the bowl shelf) and ornaments (hanging).

And some glass bead garlands (Target) hung from the door casing with command hooks and add some bows.  This year I added one lighted bead garland (Home Depot)...looks cool at night).