You know, a lot of people don’t realize all of the love (and sweat and tears) that go into running a small business.  Sure, by now everyone’s read about the nonexistent weekends and the many nights spent burning the midnight oil.  But perhaps the biggest unsung heroes behind Team WOM are my parents.  

Ever since WOM was in its early years, my parents have bent over backwards to help me.  They’ve been at all of the big moves, all of the install-days, all of the true milestones.  I knew I wanted to find a way to thank them this year by giving back this Christmas.  They are after all the ones who instilled my deep, undying love for the holiday season and Christmas decorations.  And in true MKR-fashion, I had my heart set on surprising them in a way that would take their breath away.  So when Frontgate proposed a holiday collaboration, I jumped at the opportunity to make a little Christmas magic happen.

See, my parents have worked on a huge home remodeling project this past year and my favorite room has easily become the dining room in all of it’s emerald green gorgeousness.  The dining room was also the perfect choice since it becomes the heart of the home this time of year as we all find ourselves gathered around the table in our best holiday attire. 

First on my list, of course, was bringing in a Christmas tree.  Since this would be Mom and Dad’s secondary tree, I decided to have a little fun with it.  I opted for this Noble Slim Artificial Pre-Lit Christmas tree (the dining room has lovely tall ceilings). Let’s just say this is a far cry from your old artificial tree in the attic; all the cords come inside the inner pole, so you don’t have to do anything but turn on the switch when setting it up. Seriously, it took me five minutes versus the typical hour! 

Since the dining room is the most formal room in the home, I had fun stepping outside my parents’ classic holiday decor of red and green, going instead with a blue and white chinoiserie theme.  My love for ginger jars and all things blue and white has always been enthusiastically welcomed by my mother and father.  And ever since they painted the dining room that gorgeous emerald green, I’ve been dreaming of adding the details that chinoiserie dreams are made of (read: ginger jar galore).  And by going this route it allowed me the perfect opportunity to add special occasion-worthy items that can be used long after the holidays are through. 

To be exact, that meant: lining the dining table with as many ginger jars I could find, new and old.  Bringing in these stunning hand-beaded Chinoiserie Ming placemats and Chinoiserie Ming coasters.  Chinoiserie Ming embroidered napkins and Chinoiserie Ming napkin rings.  Exquisite gold and white place settings and wine glasses.  A pre-lit Christmas wreath with extra adornments to hang on the mirror.  This French Manor tree skirt, hand-beaded to perfection.  And of course, all of the blue and white ornaments I could find with Faux Pearl Droplets (because more is always more). 

One thing I came to realize during all of this is that Frontgate makes it a total dream to decorate.  They sell 60-piece ornament collections with a variety of 8-10 different styles within a handful of themes (in addition to single ornaments, of course).  I obviously beelined to this French Blue & Linen collection to go along with my blue and white chinoiserie, but the Natural Elements collection and Mixed Metals both create just as stunning of an effect. 

I couldn’t be happier with the final product…my parents were over the moon to find such a beautiful, magical space awaiting them.  With pieces I know will be treasured for years and years to come, the room celebrates the season in extraordinary detail in an elegance that can really be enjoyed all year ’round.   Truly, MKR

P.S. I was incredibly impressed with the quality of everything upon arrival; my holiday haul landed on my parents’ doorstep in 25 boxes filled with fragile, breakable items and nothing…I repeat, NOTHING was broken. That was especially huge for me with this project a complete surprise for my parents and all.  I had an extremely quick turnaround while they went away for the weekend, and I was able to pull it all off without a hitch thanks to some good packing.  All of the ornaments came with great boxes for storing for years to come (a necessity, really).  xo