Who said a Christmas tree has to be green?

Sooo, like I mentioned before...I do some contract design work for Sambuca Restaurant. Aside from doing Interior Design, it's actually pretty much anything they need me to do. Somedays it's tracking down soap dispensers for the bathrooms, other days it's ordering extra placemats, but TODAY...today I got to play florist/event coordinator :). It was suuuuper fun/exhausting. Exhausting because I am slightly OCD when it comes to this sort of thing. I blame my mother solely for this downfall. The woman spends hours obsessing over wrapping Christmas presents. She doesn't go to sleep until 4 am every night between December 20-24. I have to admit though, she does make the most perfect bows that would put even Martha Stewart to shame. Don't even get me started on Birthday presents...printing out pictures of the Birthday victim and pasting them in some embarrassing fashion to the front of the present. Somehow, in contrary to how it must sound, she manages to never make them look tacky.

Anywhoooo, back to Sambuca. They didn't want anything super traditional (totally cool with me), so I found this pretty awesome silver branchy tree from Z Gallerie for only $59.00!! I would post a link, but couldn't find it on their website. It must be brand spankin new. Lucky me :) AND they are having a great sale at 20% off! Lucky me x 2! Don't be fooled...this tree is no small tree. It is almost 5' tall to the highest branch. It was pretty much equivalent to/as awesome as putting Elijah Wood on top of this table http://manolomen.com/images/Elijah%20Wood%20at%20Cannes.jpg. I think I about gave the manager a heart attack when he saw the setup. I had some other big (and breakable of course) vase arrangements around the tree, which was decked out in also breakable ornaments (duh). Immediately after I got the last embellishment in place...all nice and pretty, I look over and the 3 managers are scratching their heads/contemplating poisoning my food the next time I eat there and looking at me going, "What the heck are we supposed to do with all this stuff after tonight? What if some drunk a** falls into the table and breaks everything, etc. etc. etc." All I can do at this moment is bat my eyelashes. My only vice. BTW, I started using the Maybelline Pulse Perfection Vibrating Mascara http://www.maybelline.com/product/eye/mascara/Pulse-Perfection-Define-A-Line.htm. It is really awesome and I kind of love it. One problem...I didn't wear it today, so guess what that means? No luscious pretty eyelashes. So, I got nothin.

Drum roll pleeeease...the owner loved it and after much despair, I am relieved to report that the centerpiece made it through the night without falling to the ground or impaling any (drunk) guests or innocent onlookers.

Please excuse the poor photography, compliments of my iPhone that has been dropped one too many times x 125. In the left vase is a bunch of ornaments and in the other is a submerged strand of orchids with floating votive candles