Friday Favorites On Monday
This Week’s Favorite: Candlesticks
Candlesticks are one of the easiest ways to bring warmth, height, and a soft glow to every room in your home.
One of my fondest memories is the beauty and glow of candles in silver candlesticks on my Mom’s holiday tables. I adopted this tradition and expanded it to include every dinner when I got married and had children. We recently visited our son and family in Florida. When dinnertime rolled around, my nine-year-old granddaughter lit two candles in modern candlesticks on the table before dinner. Candles are a must no matter what day or time you use them. The candlesticks act as jewelry and add style.
Candlesticks never go out of style for a reason. They add height to a flat vignette and a warm glow as the days grow shorter. They work with every decorating style and every season, too. Best of all, they move easily from room to room, so you can shop your own home and give a space a fresh look in minutes.
There are so many kinds to love: turned wood, clear and amber glass, tortoiseshell, brass, bronze, pewter, and ceramic. This fall, bronze, amber glass, tortoiseshell, and natural wood are popular, so now’s a great time to pull out the ones you already have.
Wood Candlesticks
Wood candlesticks bring an easy, relaxed warmth to a room. This pair of turned wood candlesticks has a whitewashed finish that feels fresh with spring tulips and just as lovely with fall stems. Their two heights keep the pair interesting.
Glass Candlesticks
Glass candlesticks catch the light beautifully, day or night, and this one is my very favorite. The clear glass candlestick with a tortoiseshell center sits on our dining room table next to a basket of dried hydrangeas, where the sunlight brings out its warm amber and brown tones. If you’d like to try the tortoiseshell trend, a candlestick like this is an easy place to start.
Amber glass is another lovely choice for fall. Its warm color glows once the candles are lit, especially paired with ribbed pillar candles and a tall arrangement of autumn stems, like the vignette at the top of this post.
Brass And Bronze Candlesticks
Brass and bronze candlesticks have a classic look that never feels dated. Lined up in different heights on a white sideboard, they add warmth and a little sparkle. Mixing the two finishes gives the grouping a collected feel, as if each one was found over time.
How To Use Candlesticks
On the dining table. A pair on either side of a centerpiece gives the table balance and a warm glow at dinner.
On a mantel or buffet. Group three or more in different heights for a gathered look.
Beside a vase of flowers. A candlestick next to fresh or dried flowers adds height and makes a simple vignette feel finished.
On an entry console. A pair welcomes guests the moment they step inside.
On a bookshelf. Tuck a candlestick between stacks of books to break up long rows.
On a coffee table. Set a flameless pillar on a tray with a few favorite things.
🌿 TIP BOX: Set a candlestick on a stack of books to vary the heights in a grouping without buying anything new. Flameless candles are a lovely choice near flowers, greenery, and fabric.
Candlesticks For Your Home
Also Loving This Week
Item I’m Loving
Every fall, I can hardly wait to bring out my pumpkin Dutch oven and set it right in the middle of my stove. I found this creamy white one a few years ago, and it comes out with my very first fall decor. It stays out, and gets used often, all the way through Thanksgiving Day.
It’s so versatile, too. Fill it with something warm and set it in the center of the dining table or on the buffet, so everyone can help themselves. See this creamy white pumpkin Dutch Oven which is similar to the one I have HERE and HERE.
A Small Habit
As the days grow shorter, I love the little ritual of turning on our evening lights. Not every lamp in our home is an evening light. The outdoor lights, the sconces, a few small candlestick lamps, and the lamps on either side of our sunroom sofa make the list. Together they give just enough light to fill the house with a warm, beautiful glow. I truly love this ritual.
I also light a few candles in cozy scents for both the glow and the fragrance.
🌿 TIP BOX: Set an alarm on your phone to remind you to blow out your candles before bed. It’s an easy way to enjoy their glow all evening without a worry.
Something I’m Reading: Christmas Catalogs
This time of year, Christmas catalogs start filling my mailbox, and I love every one of them. Ballard Designs, Frontgate, Grandin Road, Garnet Hill, and Pottery Barn are all arriving now. I pore over each page, paying close attention to how the designers style a room, a mantel, or a table. I even get ideas for my Christmas tree! Then I mark them up with notes and ideas for my home and save them to look through again and again.
Studying catalogs is one of the best ways to learn to decorate. The next time one lands in your mailbox, grab a pen and look past the products to see how each room is put together.
11 And 10 Weeks Until Christmas: Or 67 Days
You may notice this countdown covers two weeks. Friday Favorites has a new name and a new day, Monday Morning Favorites! Since we skipped a Friday while making the switch, this week’s list catches us up with a few extra things to do. Starting next Monday, we’ll be back to one week at a time.
Christmas Things To Do
- Order or design your Christmas cards and update your address list
- Make a holiday baking list and plan when you’ll bake each treat
- Test your Christmas lights and replace any strands that no longer work
- Order gifts that need extra time to ship or be personalized
Home Organization
Clean out the pantry and refrigerator to make room for Thanksgiving groceries and holiday baking supplies. Toss anything expired and jot down the staples you need to restock.
You Choose
Choose one thing personal to you and your family that is not on the list. My choice this week is buy new bedding and towels for our new basement bunk room. It’s for my four grandsons, so I’m looking for green, blue, and white striped bedding and towels that have that same color story.
Fun
Start a list of Christmas movies to watch together this season. Halmark Christmas movies began October 16th. See their lineup HERE.
Personal Note
We just got home from a 12-day trip to Savannah and Florida. Our son, Christopher, left the corporate world to become the executive director of New City Church in Orlando, and he and his family moved there in August. As you can imagine, it’s a big adjustment for Bobby and me. We had a wonderful visit, and we even spent a couple of days at the ocean. I did not take one picture but lived totally in the moment!
Now I’m back home with a full list of Thanksgiving and Christmas ideas to get ready for you here on the blog.
Before You Go
With Thanksgiving just over five weeks away, take a little time to browse my Thanksgiving Archives here on StoneGable. You’ll find table settings, centerpieces, recipes, and simple ways to welcome family and friends. It’s a lovely place to gather ideas while there’s still plenty of time to plan.
Happy Monday, friends…
