candles, candles and more candles!

Nothing says holidays like candle light. I adore candles all year long, but once the days start getting shorter, I feel even more strongly about not only having them in my decor, but lighting them. I don't buy expensive candles, in fact, I think all those I'm using right now came from either the dollar store or Ikea. (yes, you are picking up on a theme, I rather heart Ikea)

So, in continuing my "traditional" holiday decor, I've paired candles with more pops of color.
Here's a cluster of candles in the living room:
My husband's grandmother gave me the tray and the itty-bitty ornaments are ones I picked up over many years and I reuse year after year in different ways.

I also added some candles to the table:
Normally, the table is a clear glass w/ a rattan base, but to dress it up, I added a white tablecloth; the place settings of our white everyday dishes almost disappear against it. For a splash of color, the fun Indian glass votive cups and my silver ornaments make a nice center piece. I was wishing I had some brighter colors for napkins when I set the table, but that's nothing a little sewing can't cure. I also carefully picked from our collection of mismatched stemware to allow the votive cup colors to be the focal point of the table.

So far, I've only used things I already owned in my holiday decorating. I'm rather pleased with myself that I'm going to be able to create a fun new holiday look without having to spend much or any money.