Foyer Bookcase for Winter

We finally got all of our Christmas decor down and away this weekend (well, except the outside lights...I love to keep them up through most of January...although its a constant battle each day with Paul, he's more of a conformer than I am and by now most everyone in the neighborhood has put away their lights. What's your stand on this? Anyone else still have outside lights or window candles up?)

So that meant a new look for the bookcase in our foyer. Fun! (This bookcase is hanging here until I found the right console table, etc.) A few of the things stay here year round...the clock, the wedding photos, P's metal tray for his keys and wallet, the basket on the bottom shelf for random papers...and the rest I just switch out depending on the season or when I get bored. Here's some past seasonal looks (Christmas, fall, summer). And here's how he ended up for winter after a bit of playing around:



The "theme": black, white, blue and mercury glass. I did not set out with this in mind (especially not the black and blue part...who would have thunk?), it just sort of happened.



I started out knowing only one thing, that I wanted to display the 2 new mercury glass jars my mom had given me for Christmas. Seriously, who doesn't love a mom who knows you love mercury glass from reading the blog and being at your house and then buys you some for Christmas from Wisteria without you having to ask her?!Yay! My first thing owned from Wisteria!! Thanks, Mom! So up they went, with a smaller jar I already had (from Michaels) onto the top of the bookcase.

{the thin guy on the left and the big tall guy on the right are from Mom!}

The next spot to figure out was the whole open shelf second from the bottom. I thought it could be cool to have a little collection of random white ceramics...pitchers, tea pots, dishes, whatever. Then I remembered these 3 really cute pieces of pottery that my aunt got me for Christmas...they're hand-painted and written on by a local artist.

I love this one that just says eternity...so simple. The one behind it to the left says "beans" (ha!) and the little pitcher on the way left says "free" with 2 people flying a kite.




As soon as I though to add this beautiful blue and white hand-painted pitcher I bought when I was in the Netherlands a bunch of years ago, the whole thing sort of came together.



Well, of course at first the blue really stood out among this sea of mostly white. But that's ok, you just add blue elsewhere on the shelf and everything will be fine:) For that I returned to one of my favorite accessories..because I love to read and they're free, or at least, I already have them lying around...books! Books with blue in them. Yeah, that's the ticket. And maybe just for kicks, black books...I do have a new rug in the foyer after all, and it might be nice to pick up some of that black.


{that's the new book from Diana Galbadon that just came out...got it for Christmas too. Can't wait to read it, but I think I'm going to go back and read the other 6 books in the series again first. Anyone else an Outlander fan?}


Never would have thought I would like the black and blue combo, but I do. There's something slightly sophisticated about it. I added this small mercury glass votive to play off the larger mercury glass apothecary jars up top.




And this super cute monogrammed candle from Anthropologie that my brother's girlfriend gave me for Christmas (more black and white and a small punch of graphic text to pick up on the book titles).




One bookcase with lots of black, white, blue and mercury glass featuring a bunch of the really cool stuff I got for Christmas? Check!

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Just a reminder, the next Mood Board Monday McLinky party is this Monday, January 18th. Click here for the inspiration post. Hope to see you back here for it:)