Minimalist Decorating is so Liberating!

Today I took a vacation day from work. It was hardly a "vacation". I worked nonstop from 7:00 a.m. until 3:45 p.m.--laundry, scour bathroom, scrub floors, clean all the mirror and glass over artwork -- all the stuff that working women never have the time to do. I like to get away on the weekends and I have no energy to clean after I get home from work, so that does not leave much time for heavy duty cleaning.

It feels good to have it all done.

I also rearranged the dining room so it would work for my Christmas Eve party. This year I have no trees in the dining room -- I usually have 4. I do not have one piece of Christmas decorations in the room. But since you get a good view of the one tree I did put up, I moved items into this room to match the tree - blue and lime green. The tree is more aqua, but this room is cobalt blue and lime green. I brought in all my cobalt wine glasses and put them in both cabinets. I shopped the house to find lime green accents -- a pear candle, some liqueur glasses, and a grape candle.

I extended the table to seat 10 and added another set of silver trees that I bought for $1 each at the Dollar Tree. I brought out a runner in the same color scheme. It's not Christmasy at all, yet for me, it works.

I put this shelf above the china cabinet. My son made it in high school about 15 years ago. My cobalt blue decanters stand where a 2 ft. white-lit tree usually sits. I put two cobalt dishes in the dish rack above the mirror.

Around the corner, I put all the little gifts I bought for the games we play. Of course I wrapped them in paper to match.

I have rarely done as little Christmas decorating as I've done this year.
Yet I think this looks fairy festive. The best part is that I will have NOTHING to take down in the dining room after Christmas. How wonderful that will be!

I am thoroughly enjoying my minimalist decorating this year.