I love the holidays. It is the time when I like to add a little sparkle to each room. The first place I like to start is the ceiling, or rather light fixtures. In the formal living room, I have placed jewel bead encrusted stars hanging from the chandelier. The silver from the stars provides a nice counterbalance to the unlacquered brass fixture. While they are suspended from fishing line which is not visibly obtrusive, I have left the original burlap twine they came with to add a a rustic touch and to temper the sparkle. Unfortunately, the pictures do not do them justice.

In the dining room I have artisan hand blown glass balls from my mother in law. She used to hang them on wire hooks directly from the ceiling. Below they are suspended from the chandelier with fishing line as well. I like to hang them low enough so they are just with the field of view when sitting and eating. They add a splash of whimsical color to an otherwise conservative room.  

In the library I have used large ornamental spheres made of thousands of red and gold glass beads in intricate patterns. As this light fixture is over a desk, it hangs fairly low already so the balls are suspended with a short gold line.

The chandelier in the room below is a rusted wrought iron. The delicate wood carvings on these ornaments can be well appreciated here. They are both subdued enough that neither detracts attention from the other. Each sphere presents a different holiday image.

It appears the elf on the shelf wanted to get in on some the action and caught a ride on a not yet decorated light fixture last night.

It is always nice to start decorating for the holidays in a simple and unexpected way.

If you are interested in a particular item, there is an embedded link in each picture to make it convenient for you to click on the item and get in time for the holidays.

To get the looks above for the sparkling stars, you could try some of the following…

    

If you are interested in the handblown glass spheres, below are some options…

      

For a jewel encrusted sphere ornaments consider…

   

For the more subdued wooden ornaments…

   

And lest we forget the elf!

Have you ever wandered how Santa would know who is naughty or nice?The Elf on the Shelf helps Santa know who to put on the Naughty and Nice list. This holiday hide-and-seek tradition begins when Santa sends his scout elves out to Elf Adoption Centers. Waiting for their families to bring them home, these patient elves hibernate until their family reads The Elf on the Shelf, gives their elf a very special name, and registers their adoption online. Once named, each scout elf will receive its Christmas magic and becomes part of the family’s Christmas each and every year.The elves below come with the elf boy or elf girl, storybook, and adoption papers. Start your own family tradition!