Waiting with bells on

There’s something in the air today, you can almost feel it, pinch it even. The anticipation of the New Year, a New Start, a New Beginning. The idea of January 1st makes me feel like the slate gets swept away clean and I get to start all over again from scratch. There is nothing as refreshing as the feeling of renewal.

So I was feeling the need to get into the decorative spirit of the New Year, when I popped over to my friend Lulu’s blog at DustyLu Interiors. Lulu is relatively new to the blogging scene, but she’s a pro interior designer, and her designs simply blow me away. Here’s a few shots of her New Years Eve table..

       

I love her use of paper whites as the centerpiece, and the star garland on the hutch makes me swoon…

  

 

And her use of different metals and textures give the feeling of timeless romance and elegance..

 

Better yet, I recently had the pleasure of photographing the home of one of Lulu’s interior design clients in Westlake Village. She set up their home for the Christmas holiday, and from the moment I pulled up to the house, I was immediately enchanted… 

   

 

The wreaths and pearl branches dressing the windows give this dining room a uniform and elegant look..

 

 

Lulu’s tablescapes are nothing short of fabulous..

 

 

The live garland, faux snow and candles rest beautifully upon this white mantle..

 

 

I can’t begin to count the number of shots I took with this darling pup posing for each one..

 

 

And the rustic pair of cement urns look so gorgeous on this sideboard..

 

 

Here’s Lulu with her husband Paul and their son Dustin..

 

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And now here’s some exciting news from The Lettered Cottage - Our little Cottage8 made Layla’s “Favorites of 2009: Room Re-do’s” list. Thank you Layla! For those of you visiting here from her blog, thanks so much for stopping by. My inbox has been quickly filling up with tons of questions about our kitchen and our remodel since she posted about it on her blog this morning. If you click the Cottage8 link up at the top, you’ll find tons of pics, room-by-room features and answers to all your burning questions!