It's our pleasure to welcome Tawny Weber back to The Romance Dish today! Tawny has been writing sassy, sexy romances since her first Harlequin Blaze hit the shelves in 2007. A fan of Johnny Depp, cupcakes and color coordination,, she spends a lot of her time shopping for cute shoes, scrapbooking and hanging out on Facebook.
Come by and visit her website at www.tawnyweber.com for hunky contests, delicious recipes and lots of fun.
Yay – it’s
the holiday season!! I love this time of
year. Not just the traditions and
presents and secrets and good will and great food. Although I do love all of that. What really appeals to me this time of year
is style-Holiday Style.
From the fun
of picking a fancy dress and killer heels to wear to the parties to the sweater
choices people make to the variety of gorgeous boots out there – fashion is
fabulous in December. I like it so much
that I integrated it into my current Blaze release, NICE & NAUGHTY. My heroine, Jade, loves style and studied
fashion in college, only to have to sideline her fashion dreams to move back to
her small town to take care of family obligations. Not only did Diego bring Jade some very
naughty holiday inspiration, he inspires her to quit hiding behind excuses and
embrace her dream. Oh, he also catches a
panty thief, too.
So fashion
style is high on my list of things I love in December for sure. But really,
what it’s all about for me is holiday style.
Decorating! It’s the holidays,
baby. Break out the tinsel. One of the traditions we have in my house is
to all hop in the car and travel from neighborhood to neighborhood, enjoying
the lights. And, if we can, admire the
trees shining bright in the windows.
There are
trees with colored lights, or with white lights. Some are decorated in an old-fashioned style,
others in glitter. Some people decorate
the tree, the room, and the entire house, where others just string lights on a
ficus in the corner (yes, I admit, that was me one year).
Personally,
I tend to go traditional for the most part.
Yes, my tree has a few dragons, fairies and unicorns among the Santa’s
and bows, but the overall feel is old-fashioned. Now my mom is more of a glittery coordinated
decorator. Her tree is white and
glitters. Her lights are white and
glitter. Her decorations are white and
blue or white and pink, depending on the year.
And yes, they glitter. I’m pretty
sure that the gifts I mail her end up being put in gift bags that match the
décor so as not to mess up her overall style, although she won’t admit it.
So how about you? What’s your holiday style? Do you have one you stick with every year, or
do you change it up from time to time?
Would you ever use a stylist to help with your holiday style? How about your personal style? Me, I’d be open to trying either or both
–just for fun! And for more fun, I’m
offering an autographed copy of NICE & NAUGHTY to one commenter today. Happy Holidays!
Style - what's this?? We just decorate at will. We go by the philosophy that 'more' is better.
ReplyDeleteAs for personal style - I go for comfort every time, so a fashion stylist would just despair I think.
LOL Mary. I love the philosophy of more is better. More is ALWAYS better!
DeleteAnd comfort, oh thy name is yoga pants. I live in them. So I can totally relate to the love of comfort :-)
Hey, Dishers! Hi, Tawny *g*
ReplyDeleteHonestly, my holiday style is whatever my older daughter wants *g* She has very specific ideas of how to decorate so we just unload the totes and let her go at it. My younger daughter and I focus on the tree which is loaded with mismatched ornaments and colored lights :-)
Personal style is usually sweats and a sweatshirt or, you know, the typical uniform of a writer ;-)
Love Nice & Naughty! It's a great holiday read!
Hi Beth :-D
DeleteHow awesome it must be to have your very own in-house stylist to make the holidays bright and pretty :-) And I love those trees filled with mismatched ornaments- they always have fun stories to go with them.
Ahhh, the writers' uniform. Comfy and warm, and best of all, usually so ratty we are forced to stay indoors writing instead of going out to find distractions ;-)
Thanks for the NICE & NAUGHTY love!!!
No style, but definitely originality.
ReplyDeleteUsually we pile on homemade decorations from when the kids were small (like those they made in school, crib mobile pieces, presents from others, crocheted snowflakes and ball covers), but this is the first year we didn't. This year I only have lights, garland, and 6" white teddy bears/snowmen.
In previous years, we had a "Red Green" Christmas tree, complete with only red and green lights and garland.
The year my mom died, we had a "Blue" tree, with only the blue light bulbs (and silver garland).
Oh wow -each of those trees sounds lovely, Laney :-) Just gorgeous.
DeleteI did mention going with a just red and gold theme this year. But it would have meant not using the crazy miss-mash of ornaments. I couldn't resist my daughter's sad look for more than an hour, so had to give up the theme *g*
Your blue tree is so lovely, both in how I imagine it looked, and in the sentiment.
Hi Tawny!
ReplyDeleteMy house used to resemble Santa's workshop. There were decorations everywhere! Trees in every bedroom plus the big one in the living room. Animated dolls, snow globes...all kinds of decorating. I've scaled back significantly since returning to work though I still like the look and feel of Christmas when I get home.
Looking forward to reading Nice & Naughty!
HI PJ, and thank you so much for having me here today!!!
DeleteYour house sounds like pure holiday happiness, even scaled back. Yours is the type of house I always enjoy seeing, with something bright and fun in every corner. I'll bet everyone felt the holiday spirit whenever the walked through the door.
Haha, Tawny, Christmas style for me is a hodge-podge of everything, new and old. After seeing a photo of my daughter last year in front of the tree, a student said, "Mrs. H., you sure have a lot of junk on your tree." Yeah, true, but I like my "junk". I don't have a theme. DH thinks we need to do red and white or blue and white next year since we now have a pre-lit tree with white lights. (Not happy about that because I LOVE multi-colored lights, but such a pre-lit tree is hard to find this year.) I keep the decorations to the tree and living room. I don't have room anywhere else for said decorations, so place it all (and there's a lot) in that room.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on the release of N&N! Merry Christmas!!
ROFL, Deb. "Junk?" Hey, one persons junk is another persons treasured memories.
DeleteI love multi-colored lights, too - we had the same problem finding a tree so settled on white lights. But I have colored ones on the banister behind the tree and in the other rooms to make up for it. Gotta have those colors.
Congrats on the new book, Tawny!
ReplyDeleteI'm a traditionalist. Almost every ornament on my tree has a history. So do most of the angels, Santas, nativity scenes, and villages that are scattered all over the house. Part of the fun of Christmas is remembering the stories and the people associated with them all. I used to try to add something new each year, but I declared a moratorium on buying Christmas decorations several years ago. I allow myself to replace anything that breaks. That's my limit.
Thanks, Janga :-)
DeleteGREAT decorating philosophy. Quite often, the story of each decoration is as lovely as the decoration itself.
I like the idea of adding something new each year - but it does add up! My girls get a new ornament in their stocking each year, and that's about as much as we're adding at this point.
Having owned several houses [job related moves]; I could now decorate in any style and every tradition.. Ok... we were a little crazy for a few years... And now, I just can't get rid of anything, so I have several [lots and lots] of boxes that don't even get opened to be used.
ReplyDeleteThat must be fun - jumping fro style to style, tradition to tradition :-)
DeleteAnd it's so hard to let go of decorations and memories, even if it does mean stacking one more box on the teetering pile.
We put up our tree every year along with our Christmas stockings.
ReplyDeleteAs far as style goes, I go for comfort.
Comfort rules ;-)
DeleteHi, Tawny and PJ. Tawny, congrats on your release of NICE AND NAUGHTY. And as far as Christmas, goes you have your priorities in the right order, girl!
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty much traditional for Christmas. I have an angel selection and a nativity selection that I love to put up each year along with the other festivities, but I'm cutting way back as I grow older. Seems like I just put them away and it's time to get them out again!
Hi Jo, and thank you :-)
DeleteI do try on the priorities, thats for sure *g*
and hey - you could do like some people I know, just leave the decorations up longer and longer. I knew a woman once who had a decorated tree in her window, year-round.
Hi Dishies! Hi Tawny! Wow, some of my favorite people in one spot today. Get out the eggnog. Actually I've never had eggnog. It's not a huge thing here. I remember looking up the recipe once and thinking, oh, my, that sounds potent. Tawny, can't wait to read Naughty and Nice. It sounds more delicious every time I hear you talk about it. I don't do a lot of Christmas decs - you should see my street, Christmas lights rule, baby!!!
ReplyDeleteOooooh, the pretty lights. Christmas lights are so gorgeous and festive, Anna. Not too many on our street put them out, which is a shame. But it does make our house gleam LOL.
DeleteI have only had eggnog once and wasn't very excited about it *g* At least, not enough to try it again. But I'll toast with hot cocoa anyway!!!
Hey Tawny, PJ and Andrea! WOOT!! Christmas with The Dish! Love it. ;> I'm a lights and glow girl. I love the lights in the darkness. We decorate the azaleas out front and string lights in the cherry tree. I have a spotlight for the front door which highlights the Christmas wreath. We didnt' put much out last year because we had snow BEFORE Christmas and it messed everything up in terms of outdoor decor. Grins. This year, however, lights! Lights! Lights! We're not so overboard that people drive to see the house - no music or coordinated patterns - but there's color and light, the most important stuff. The tree is always a mishmosh of decor. I'd love to have the space to have a family tree with the mishmosh and a "company" tree that I could make coordinate and be stunning. Maybe one day. Grins. Congrats on Nice and Naughty! How many books is this now? And hey, tell us about what's up for the Holidays in teh Karma Cafe!?!
ReplyDeleteNow how did I know you were a lights and glow girl, I wonder.
DeleteYour decorations sound so fabulous. I love stuff. And I love your idea of two trees, one pretty for show and the other filled with memories. That's so cool!!!
Oh, wow, let's count. NICE & NAUGHTY is my 16th Blaze :-) And the Karma Cafe... oh the fun. SUGAR AND SPICE is out now, and SWEET NOTHINGS is supposed to be out by the end of the month. But we've had a few production issues *g* so it might be a smidge later than hoped for.
thanks for asking!!!
Holy cowbells! SIXTEENTH?? Wow, you hot, prolific writer you! Congrats. And Sugar and Spice is on my Kindle! Can't wait to read it!!
DeleteI decorate big time, mostly now for the looks on the grandkids faces. Somehow I have ended up with Angels and Santas through the years.Funny though, my older kids without their own kids come over almost everyday on their way home and I have to remind them they should be going home for dinner (after the wives and husbands call) lol
ReplyDeleteMy sister summed it up when she said she didn't want to go home because she felt like she as at the North Pole. lol
Carol L
Lucky4750 (at) aol (dot) com
Aww, that's so cool Carol, that your kids are still coming by to enjoy the holidays and decorations. That's such a lovely testament to how Christmasy fabulous you must make it feel.
DeleteTawny, I wouldn't know what to do with a stylist or decorator. I like things to be a mish-mash of styles, colors and memories. The lights are multi-colored and the ornaments are everything from handmade-in-preschool to high-end gifts from very tasteful friends. For me, holiday decorating is all about the memories each decoration holds. So, no wholesale swtiching of styles or decor for me. Most of our decorations tend toward the traditional, but I also have a few funky ornaments (even some cute shoe ornaments!) that, again, were gifts from friends. The memories make everything special!
ReplyDeleteOHHH shoe ornaments. Caren, aren't shoe ornaments the best!!! I have a few, too, although they don't get put on the tree. They are on the shelf by my desk instead *g* I hate the idea of packing up shoes for most of the year.
DeleteYour style sounds like it suits you to a tee. Memories are one of the most important things the season is all about, after all.
Thanks for a fun post and congrats to Tawny on the new release! We don't have any set traditions. We just show up and enjoy each other's company :)
ReplyDeleteHI Erin and thank you!!!
DeleteI think showing up to enjoy is a fabulous tradition :-)
No style at all! HA! Whatever suits our fancy goes up. Thanks for the giveaway.
ReplyDeleteLOL - that sounds like the funnest style of all. Just doing what feels good!!
DeleteHi there, Tawny, and welcome back! So glad to have you with us today. I love the sound of your new book!
ReplyDeleteI don't have a theme or a style...just a lot of snowmen. All of my ornaments have special meaning--things my kids have made, ones that remind me of them and the things they love (characters, movies, etc.), and my Barbie ornaments. I love Christmas!
I really don't have any particular style. I haven't done much decorating the past few years because we are renovating and/or have been out of town. I usually have a big tree in the parlor decorated in victorian style. I have little trees all over the house more or less reflecting the style of the room. Our family room tree has the ornaments the children have made over the years and many that were on the tree when they were young. The better to survive the perts and grandchildren. The breakfast nook tree has cookie cutters and other kitchen type things on it. We have a Western bedroom and I am trying to get my son, the blacksmith, to make a tree for that (got the idea from a western romance). We do wreaths on the outside of the windows, candle lights in the windows, and garland with bows around the railing and posts. I also have seveal nativity sets and will have one for every room.
ReplyDeleteWould I ever hire a stylist to decorate? Probably not. She or he would go screaming away from the mess. I know that some day We will be done with the work on the house and I can decorate nicely.