Old Dog, New Tricks

This week Dean and I went to Reno on Wednesday morning and stayed through Saturday afternoon. Reno is only an hour away and we had night events all three nights so rather than drive over the mountain late and get up early to return, we just stayed. One of the events was Dean's company party. As I was going to be at the office anyway, I offered to help decorate. Katie, the Amazing Katie, who runs the office although she lets Dean and Dre think they do, first asked if I minded a menial task. No. I was a stage manager and have done many a menial task in my day. So Wednesday afternoon, I unwrapped hundreds of round peppermints and tiny candy canes. 

Thursday morning, Katie showed me a room full of candies, red balls, ribbon, vases, baskets, pine cones and greenery (from our back forest), and candles, both real and battery powered. Now, folks, I am a creative person so you don't have to defend me to myself. And ~ my creativity has never  gone down the path of seeing a room like that and creating 10 or so table decorations from scratch and my own imagination.

However ~ running home to mama (meaning clicking back into stage manager mode), the job had to be done so to work I went. What I am going to show you may look very simple. To me, they are a delightful example of the fact that I have learned something new and been rather successful at it.

This was my first attempt: take what was already on the lobby table and make it different.

Once I accomplished this, I had confidence that maybe I could do more.

So ~ start with a plain file cabinet.

Cover in red and lace vinyl.

And create ~

Note the "platter" ~ Katie laid out peppermints on a round pan

and melted them. The white under the candle is Epsom Salt which

she thought would look like snow. It also helps support candles

and tree branches and pine cones. 

This was my first after the lobby table and probably my favorite.

Katie created several as well and filled in a glass fronted book case with

our "left overs". Cocktail tables had small vases filled with M&Ms, Skittles, and 

peppermints supporting a battery powered tea light. People thought it was fun

to take out the light and eat some candy.

I had a great time, felt needed, worked hard, partied hard, and enjoyed every minute of it. Next Christmas may find my house with some different decorations, because I have spent some time outside my creativity box. Thanks to Katie I have learned a lot.