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| Here's the annual Christmas decor topic for everyone to add their pictures. Even if you've done one thing or a 100, please share your pictures! My manTEL. :) Pretty much the same as last year.
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Follow-Up Postings:
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| oak, that is adorable I love it. |
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- Posted by porkandham (My Page) on Fri, Nov 30, 12 at 14:15
| The Christmas light ornaments are adorable! |
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| I went very low-key on the mantel this year. I had finally figured out my mantel "scenario" and I didn't feel like messing with it too much. My everyday stuff: the candles, the bronze bunny bookends w/ antique books, and the antique bunny print. So I left all that in place and just added the greenery, as well as several little "woodland creature" candles that I bought from PB 1-2 years ago that I can't bear (ha, no pun intended) to burn! You probably can't really see them in the pic. That's as far as I've gotten... |
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| Pork, I got the ornaments on sale for next to nothing before Christmas last year at TrendyTree.com. Love them! Sue, my mantel is understated this year too. I like your's, you can easily add to it over the weeks if you want, or just leave it as is. |
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- Posted by jenangelcat (My Page) on Fri, Nov 30, 12 at 16:23
| Decorating is the first activity in the kids advent calendar. So I'll post pics tomorrow. It's not going to be much though, I purged most of my faux decorations in favor of lives plants and greenery. |
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| Someone already started this last week, but here you go:
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| Lovely.. everyone's decorations are lovely! I won't be decorating this year so I appreciate that you've shared yours! Kevin, your mirror is absolutely stunning! I especially enjoyed your photos-- as I have fond memories of your city at Christmas! |
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| How do you know where I live? |
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| oakleyofk - how do you hang your wreath on your brick? I have tried the 3m things that are temporary and they won't stick for me. DH doesn't want to drill into the brick or mortar. What works? |
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- Posted by decordummy (My Page) on Fri, Nov 30, 12 at 20:30
| Well I don't know where you live, but it's stunning inside & out! I was thinking what a cool looking house, then scrolled to the 2nd pic - love the ceiling, crown molding, paint colours, tree, & dining set. Oakleyok and Sueb20 have very nice mantels too. |
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| I didnt mean to freak you out, Kevin. You shared your location on either this forum or the kitchen forum. I'd have guessed.. but I wouldnt have mentioned it had you not already shared. |
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| That's fine. I just didn't recognize your name! It's Philadelphia, by the way, for the others. |
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| Beautiful Kevin! I love using greenery also and I also add in magnolia. We have a magnolia tree out back. Sue - I love your simplicity. Again, love the greenery! BTW, you cracked me up on the wrapping thread! tina |
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- Posted by happyintexas (My Page) on Fri, Nov 30, 12 at 21:21
| I don't have photos yet because I can't figure out how to get them on this new computer....that's my project for the weekend... But... The mantle is done, the tree is up, the front door is gorgeous--pretty garland with white lights. Two small trees on either side--all accented with red bows. I made three tomato cage trees today. Flipped them upside down and anchored them. Then covered them with sage burlap and wrapped them with white lights. I tied a red bow on top. These little trees make me ridiculously happy. They are out back near the fire pit...I like seeing them from my windows. |
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| Oooh, I like the cage burlap trees. Will have to try that myself, but maybe next year. Kevin, I love your decor and I love your home!! Not much in the mood for going all out like I normally do. I decorated my mantel and the tree last night with the kids while playing Christmas music. It was fun, but I was caught off guard by tears from my daughters when they grabbed an ornament with a picture of our dog who recently died. That led to tears for my Dad, who also recently died unexpectedly. It was so bittersweet. Anyhow, I captured this photo right before we went upstairs to bed with my cell phone. To me, it just shows the magic of the season through the eyes of my 3 year old. Sorry for the not so great quality. How I wish I captured this with my good camera and not my cell phone. Here is our tree:
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| Oooh, I like the cage burlap trees. Will have to try that myself, but maybe next year. Kevin, I love your decor and I love your home!! Not much in the mood for going all out like I normally do. I decorated my mantel and the tree last night with the kids while playing Christmas music. It was fun, but I was caught off guard by tears from my daughters when they grabbed an ornament with a picture of our dog who recently died. That led to tears for my Dad, who also recently died unexpectedly. It was so bittersweet. Anyhow, I captured this photo right before we went upstairs to bed with my cell phone. To me, it just shows the magic of the season through the eyes of my 3 year old. Sorry for the not so great quality. How I wish I captured this with my good camera and not my cell phone. Here is our tree:
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| Mboston, I used a wreath stand. You can see it in the middle of the wreath. I usually put something there to hide it but eh, I wasn't in the mood this year. lol |
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| Polly, I love his little hand behind his back as he admires the tree. Too cute. |
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- Posted by jenangelcat (My Page) on Sat, Dec 1, 12 at 12:22
| The rest are on my blog. The tree goes up on the 9th. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Christmas Decor
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| My tree..... |
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| This is what I did with my dining room light last year, not sure if I'm up to doing it again this year...it was a lot of work, lol! |
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- Posted by GulfportGail (My Page) on Sat, Dec 1, 12 at 12:56
| I have certainly enjoyed admiring all of your photos. I have been working on mine for a few days. |
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- Posted by cliff_and_joann (My Page) on Sat, Dec 1, 12 at 12:56
| Pretty decorations everyone, keep them coming as I need some inspiration. J. |
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- Posted by GulfportGail (My Page) on Sat, Dec 1, 12 at 12:58
| Closeup |
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| I wish I had a fireplace with a mantel/mantle(lol), everyone has such beautiful decorations on them! |
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| These are all great! You all are cheering me up on a blue weekend! Tina, I love magnolia leaves for the holidays. They aren't native here but I love them all the same! When I moved here, I switched all my holiday decorations to a nature theme. Lots of berries and greenery and many of my tree decorations are mercury glass birds, fruits and woodland animals. One year I added a bunch of wild looking nymph and fairy dolls to the limbs. Not sure what the heck I was thinking then LOL but it was fun for a change. An old bf got me started collecting the lenox jewel nativity set. I have just the animals so far..two camels and the ox. I want the elephant next. The truth is, I keep the camels on my bookshelves year round. |
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| Kevin, my small kitchen remodel is at least a year out so I lurk, observe and take notes without posting. You are clearly in one of my favorite parts of town and your kitchen and home are absolutely stunning.. of course, they stuck with me. :) |
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| Sandy1963, I don't have a mantel either. I use Command hooks on the surround and wire my garland to those.
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| I didn't take a new picture of the tree because it's decorated the same as last year. I'd like to do a theme tree but don't feel like breaking the bank to do it. lol.
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| GulfportGail, your mantel is stunning! We don't have mantels on either of our fireplaces, but I may steal your idea, Fun2BHere! Your garland looks wonderful, too! Love everyone's decorating. I put the candles in the windows today, but that is about it so far other than colored lights on an indoor plant and on a statue and its marble base. Oh and I do have lights around the deck out back, but need to get a couple more strands to fill it out. DH is a bit of a Scroogey Boy and doesn't like a lot of lights and all. I tend to ignore him and blissfully go about decorating! :) |
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| Well, Fun2bhere, that's a great idea, but, I don't even have a fire place, let alone a mantel, lol! I *do* have a wood stove in my cellar, but I don't think that counts. Kind of hard to decorate in an unfinished basement, know what I mean? ;) |
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- Posted by lynninnewmexico (My Page) on Sat, Dec 1, 12 at 17:58
We're working on getting our Christmas decs up today, but with the boxes still everywhere, I'm posting this pic of our living room mantel from last year, as it's the same this year. Although this room is done with mainly a Southwest feel to it, I dislike decorating for Christmas that way, except in the guest room. The art we have hanging over our mantel does make it difficult, though. I've finally come to the conclusion that using nature as a theme here works best.  Here's a close-up of the small ceramic birds I use at each end of the mantel.  Lynn |
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- Posted by GulfportGail (My Page) on Sat, Dec 1, 12 at 19:14
| cyn, Thank you very much. I FINALLY finished my staircase today. |
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- Posted by GulfportGail (My Page) on Sat, Dec 1, 12 at 19:17
| lynn, I think it looks very, very nice. I have, in cases where art, etc. just didn't work for the holidays, taken it down until I take down decorations. |
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- Posted by jeane_gallo (My Page) on Sat, Dec 1, 12 at 19:29
| Kevin, when I saw what looks like an earthquake bolt on your house, I thought it was Charleston. But then I saw the bulkhead and pretty much knew it wasn't. We don't have basements here. Your home is lovely. |
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| That actually is a fire insurance plaque from around 1826, and the basement originally housed the kitchen, believe it or not. |
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- Posted by tinker_2006 (My Page) on Sat, Dec 1, 12 at 20:20
| I've been working on this for over a week.. finally done! This is our 1st Christmas in our home - and my first home that I have ever used blue in! Lots of pictures!
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| It is so much fun seeing everyone's decorations. I love getting a little glimpse into people's traditions and decorations. I want to share my Santa collection. |
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| Oh, Sandy1963, I totally misunderstood your original post. I thought you meant you didn't have a mantel on your fireplace, not that you didn't have a fireplace at all. Sorry about that. :-) Cyn427, I like your attitude in dealing with your own personal Scrooge. I'll bet he would be disappointed if you didn't put up any lights. Tinker_2006, you must be having so much fun decorating your new house. I love what you did with the corner cabinets, especially. Kevin, your decorations are so elegant. I love the look. Oakleyok, theme trees are fun to put together. I would love to do a gingerbread or village themed tree. I'm enjoying all of the pictures. I hope more people will share pictures of their decorations. |
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- Posted by tinker_2006 (My Page) on Sun, Dec 2, 12 at 7:52
| I'm enjoying all the loks too, hope more post! gulfport, love the staircase and the closeup of the mantel. I know something is missing on mine still.... so maybe I'm not all the way done!! bettydee, I love collections, the santa's are nice! lynn, pretty MANTEL! oakleyok, tree is beautiful, why change something that's works so wonderfully! Fun2bhere, it looks like you have a mantel, perfect decor !! Sandy, the chandy does look like a lot of work... but oh so pretty! Kevin.. 2 words - just beautiful! jenangelcat, off to look at your blog! Keep the pictures coming! |
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| Tinker, just stunning! You should see my LR, the back of it is full of boxes, ornaments, decorations waiting to be put back in the closet. What a mess I make. lol. Wanna come over and help? :) |
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- Posted by tinker_2006 (My Page) on Sun, Dec 2, 12 at 9:19
| thanks oakleyok.. I'd love to help... but I'm exhausted! lol I totally know what you mean about the mess. I could hardly walk through the rooms for the past week, and the glitter.. oh my! I kinda dread having to take down and put it all away! Have fun and post lots of pictures!! |
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- Posted by kitchendetective (My Page) on Sun, Dec 2, 12 at 9:55
| Perhaps this will be helpful to some of you about what not to bother trying in the way of Christmas decorations. We've had a bumper crop of yaupon this year, so I thought I'd cut some the day after Thanksgiving and place it in oasis inside a pot, to use later as a frame for an arrangement. It was already dead and dried out a week later. Here it is when fresh. (The Anduze green and yaupon colors are accurate. The rest, well, not.) |
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- Posted by GulfportGail (My Page) on Sun, Dec 2, 12 at 9:55
| polly, That adorable photo is priceless. tinker, Thank you very much.
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- Posted by porkandham (My Page) on Sun, Dec 2, 12 at 11:42
| Family room mantel. This is an old picture, but it looks the same except that I have a different painting by the same artist there. The names on the stockings are blurred out.
Family room tree. This one is all silver ornaments and glass icicles. I took the first picture right when we were finishing. The cords have been fixed now.
Living room. This one has all glass ornaments. I took the picture while we were still decorating. The holes have been filled in.
Playroom. This is the boys' tree and has all of their precious handmade ornaments.
This is the boys' nativity. I'd love to get an all white porcelain set one of these days, but while they're young and enjoy playing with it, this one is great.
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| DH's contribution to holiday decor. Dressing our faux moose for the season. |
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| Sueb20, I especially love the FR tree topper. Did you find it as a tree topper or adapt it? That nativity is so sweet. I like the simple design of it. The moose is hysterical. He just needs some lights on his antlers...LOL! |
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- Posted by dominoswrath (My Page) on Sun, Dec 2, 12 at 14:43
| I'm enjoying this thread Philly Kevin - I adore your brownstone! Gail, stunning staircase and I love what you do with Such wonderful decor and always interesting to see You've all inspired me to decorate my mantel today. I'm |
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| Yay!! The outside is finally done, now I can defrost my fingers and and start on the inside. Just love lookin at everyones decor, keep it comin. |
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- Posted by laydeebug72 (My Page) on Sun, Dec 2, 12 at 18:44
| I just started but this is my tree and door wreath. |
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| We're just getting some rain and cooler weather...finally feeling inspired!Pickup tree on Tuesday. |
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| Decorating is so much more enjoyable with a little bubbly! Cheers GW friends! |
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- Posted by crissyinchaseburg (My Page) on Sun, Dec 2, 12 at 22:57
| I don't usually post...but I am really happy with my tree this year! I finally gave in and bought a pre-lit. Oh my goodness, it is so much easier. That is probably why I am so pleased with the tree. The lights make a world of difference. |
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- Posted by GulfportGail (My Page) on Mon, Dec 3, 12 at 6:28
| domino, Thank you very much. Thank you all for sharing your decorations. |
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I finally took some better pictures of our outside trees dressed with rustic burlap and cotton bolls:   The musicians out on the patio:   Both dogs  Tired from Christmas decorating!  DD's redecorated room with pink and green wreath: |
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| It's beginning to look...somewhat...like Christmas. |
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| Dance of the sugarplum poodle: |
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| vroom |
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| sparkly |
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| The Lovely Pierre (and it appears a curious wienerdog on the couch) |
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| Pork....I love to see someone as addicted to christmas as I am LOL And why does your screen name make me want to call you porkie? LOL I had to refrain heh heh I love the pics. The pink feather tree made me laugh. I have a white one but loaned it to a girlfriend because it's perfect for her store. I bought the thing cuz I thought it was the funniest dang thing in the world...then I saw that pink one LOL |
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- Posted by tinker_2006 (My Page) on Mon, Dec 3, 12 at 13:10
| wish there was a like button here!! lol Like, Like, Like all!! |
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| I'm just starting my mantel/mantle....Pinterset inspired. i used the lanterns last year (2nd picture).
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| Hey Igloochic! good seeing you around. Hope your little guy is doing ok. ML |
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| Igloochic: I'm not really a pink and poodley person but who could resist a poodle in a tutu? The tree is actually a $10 tree I got at Walgreen's about 10 years ago. The branches are made up of the light strands (and bendable somehow). Then I got a bunch of pink feather boas at a costume store to fill in the tree. The lights also twinkle just to add more to the effect. My brother said it looks like a neon bordello from the outside. |
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| Beautiful decorations everyone, inside and out! I love the different styles and variety. Our tree/living room is the same this year. I liked the deco mesh ribbon so used it again this year. Outside is totally different though. I used clear retroish C9's to outline the house, clear twinkling stars to outline and hang down the large front porch. We have an inflatable santa in a helicopter landing on the porch roof, kind of 'ala' my big inflatable halloween spider. And a blinking led flag beckoning santa to stop here. *LOL* The kids in town love it, just like the spider. I'll try to take a lit pic outside if you guys would like to see.
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- Posted by porkandham (My Page) on Mon, Dec 3, 12 at 15:34
| Igloochic - LOL! Porkandham is from my boys' nicknames, Pork Chop and Hambone! |
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| Well not the best pics because they are taken with my phone in the dark, but ... View of the house from corner. I can't seem to get a good front on view without it blurring. The stars randomly blink, so it looks like some are off in the pic.
Flag fully on, it blinks :
And it worked, here's Santa landing :) His propellers spin :
Birdhouse wrapped with fresh garland :
Planted tree in urn :
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This post was edited by zipdee on Mon, Dec 3, 12 at 18:36
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| I was inspired by Gail's antebellum home :) I didn't get anything else done today, but hopefully will make some progress tomorrow.
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| What a great holiday display! I look forward to this thread every year!! Mine are pretty much the same with a few modifications:
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- Posted by dominoswrath (My Page) on Mon, Dec 3, 12 at 20:06
| Kelly, nice decor. Love the entryway. And the dog admiring himself in the mirror. :) |
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| We just started putting up our decorations. My brother's birthday is near the end of December, and growing up we had to wait until just a few days before Christmas to put up our tree. My mom wanted his birthday to be special and not wrapped into the holidays. I'm slowly growing out of that habit and this is the first time we've had a tree up this early! :) It's still not decorated though. This is the view from our entry area. A close-up of my Card Tree. In a few weeks it will be a nice full tree. This is where we are going to install our fireplace, so in the meantime, this antique filing drawer from an old local service station is my mantel. |
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- Posted by cooperbailey (My Page) on Tue, Dec 4, 12 at 1:44
| nothing here yet,gotta wait until after the tag sale this weekend, then it's put away the paint brushes and clean up and decorate! Wanted to say this thread has brought back some missing folks! Glad to see ya'll back! |
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| In my present place of abode I do not have enough oom for my big tree. I miss it! This year I did decorate my new chandelier and have two small trees (one I may leave up all year).
These also might be all year round.
Last year's tree:
Love all your pictures!! |
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- Posted by CozyFarmhouse (My Page) on Tue, Dec 4, 12 at 14:15
| We're not doing a tree this year but I still wanted to display my vintage tinsel icicles so I gathered a few twigs from the yard, put them in a pot filled with pinecones and added as many icicles as it would hold. The "tree" sits on a tray, surrounded at the base by a family of quail, red beaded tealight cups w/beeswax candles and a sprinkling of pinecones and acorn tops.
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- Posted by VictoriaElizabeth (My Page) on Tue, Dec 4, 12 at 15:23
| I have a thing for disco balls. Or, anything sparkly really... When the sun hits them in the afternoon, it's fantastic!! More photos of the front porch. I made new bows for my wreaths this year... I used extra-wide ribbon which made all the difference in the world.
I haven't gotten started inside yet, but hopefully I'll get around to it this week... p.s.- Kevin, your area is immediately recognizable to anyone who's ever walked through Society Hill. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Mirror ball decorations on my Victorian front porch.
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| Cozy, that's gorgeous and right up my alley. I use branches from the yard, too :) |
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- Posted by GulfportGail (My Page) on Fri, Dec 7, 12 at 6:51
| alex, So glad I was able to inspire. I know I have certainly been inspired by this thread. Your mantel is lovely. Thanks to everyone for sharing. |
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| Kellyeng, LOVE your Christmas decor! Everyone's outdoor lights and decorations are lovely, too! |
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| Love the disco balls! It looks like it's snowing :) |
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| I just added a thread of my decorating pics. I'm a late starter! But all of you inspire me, so I had to get going :) |
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| I'll be the token..... ;-) First candle is tomorrow night.
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| Thats a beautiful menorah, dlm2000. I haven't seen many that are a reasonable size for a mantel that don't use the very thin tapers. Yours looks perfect in that setting! Happy festival of lights! |
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| I like it too! |
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- Posted by wigardenerwannabe (My Page) on Sat, Dec 8, 12 at 12:45
| I love all these decorations. Cozy Farmhouse, I also am not putting up a tree this year for the first time and trying to go with some simpler decorations. Yours serves as a great inspiration-love it! Victoria Eliz I also love the effect of your disco balls! I am not a glitter type gal, but the play on lights it creates is simply magical. |
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Alright! Tree and dining room are done. The kids did a great job on the tree, but I did handle the breakables. Must be careful with my thrift store, irreplaceable ornaments!    |
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| Your decorations are beautiful and your children are gorgeous! |
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| Hello! I'm a frequent reader, infrequent poster. Everyone's homes look so wonderfully spirited. The coziness and charm of Christmas decor never fails to make me smile! This is our first Christmas in our current home, so I don't have the comfort of a 'repeat performance'...placing things where they were in previous years. I am a bit of a sparse decorator, so I'm adding little bits at a time. I made the ruffled tree skirt out of linen, and I used the same linen and burlap to make the stockings. The tree has since been surrounded by presents wrapped in brown kraft paper and red ribbon. Overall, I'm quite pleased with how things are coming together. =)
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| Plum82 -- please tell me how you made the ruffled linen tree skirt. It's so pretty!!! Also, could you tell me about your experience with the burlap. I have purchased some (I posted about it in another thread that is still current) and am airing it out, with hope that the smell will soon disappear. Did yours have a smell and if so, how did you deal with it? Thanks so much. |
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| alex those 3 decorating elves under the tree are adorable! |
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| Lefleur1, they are aren't they? I didn't contribute to their genetic code, but I dearly hope I don't screw them up. My first, last, everything is devoted to them being good human beings. Who knew love would hit me this way :) They make Christmas, more, if that's possible. I need to get better at creating things, because your tree skirt is fantastic, Plum 82! Oh, and I've done nothing the same from year to year, so don't fret.:) |
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| I keep checking in on this thread to see more beautiful decorations added. You are all so talented. |
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| What is up with double posting? Sorry about that. |
This post was edited by alex9179 on Sun, Dec 9, 12 at 9:06
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- Posted by porkandham (My Page) on Sun, Dec 9, 12 at 13:16
| I couldn't resist posting one more. DH and the boys built the treehouse this fall. I added a wreath and a small tinsel tree inside (no pictures of the tree) to make it festive. The boys were thrilled!
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- Posted by jenangelcat (My Page) on Sun, Dec 9, 12 at 17:07
| My trees look the same every year so I tried to change it up with a mix of coloured and white lights but only the white lights are showing up in the photos. |
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- Posted by AnnieDeighnaugh (My Page) on Sun, Dec 9, 12 at 21:00
| Wow! So many wonderful decorations....such a wide variety...all so well done! GF and I were on a Xmas house tour yesterday which was so much fun...such special homes and the decorations were so fabulous. One stand out though was a wooden sign hung on the wall that said: Dear Santa, :) |
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Lets see if this app works...this should be my dinning room tree. The ornaments are all either antique or vintage, from 1890 to 1970's.  And this is my bedroom tree, same vintage stuff just a bit shorter (please ignore the horrible curtains...I haven't gotten around to new ones yet). close up And my tacky tinsel tree in the parlor:
Family room tree: it's all stuffed toys like this I still have two more trees to do...kitchen and the main tree as well as two mantles mantels (I'm going to just CMA there). I have two away trips this week so when I'm home I'll just be dusted with glitter and frantic energy LOL |
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| Igloo, in the family room, see the table on the left wall with the white cloth on it? Can I have it? :) |
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- Posted by AnnieDeighnaugh (My Page) on Mon, Dec 10, 12 at 9:23
| I tend to scatter xmas around the house...an arrangement on the credenza, a bowl of ornaments on the kitchen island, etc. I'll share just some of the pics though so not to overwhelm. This year we redid the tree to go with our library....did it all in shades of purple and gold...to go with my eggplant wall and new gold sofa. It took some time as we wired on all the ribbon and ornaments (except for the breakables) so that we can just put it away in one piece....just cover the whole thing in plastic. Next year, it's uncover, add a few breakables and done! Unfortunately, the ribbon I selected is just that color that DH can't see, so he can't really appreciate it in the same way as the rest of us can.
Color rendition in the lighting and on my camera is pretty bad, so here's a close up to get a better sense of the actual colors. And just a few of the lights on the tree twinkle individually which adds a touch of animation that the camera can't capture. And I continued the purple theme into the dining room where the table is set for company.
The topiaries are special to us as they are ivy plants that came from cuttings from a plant that was given to MIL when DH was born and we've kept them going all these decades.
And DH is a total fan of teddy bears so we have quite a few in the tree as well as elsewhere. Foyer with the teddy bear wreaths
One of my favorite vignettes is the wreath with the reindeer which you see as you walk between the library and dining room. The wreath is extra special as Mom made it for me out of leftover scraps from my wedding gown.
Thank you all for letting me post my pictures...a lot of effort goes into decorating, and I'm glad to have this opportunity to share it with all of you. |
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- Posted by joyce_6333 (My Page) on Mon, Dec 10, 12 at 10:44
| With a little help from mother nature.... |
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| LOL Oakey...I actually have those coming out my ears! Come on down and pick one up :p |
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| Annie: love that your Mom made a wreath from your wedding dress fabric! I have to steal this one as I have my Mom's wedding dress and it has a long satin train. I've been trying to come up with some ideas to make with that fabric and all I could come up with were pillows. Now you gave me a great new idea!!! My parents have been married for 64 years so far. I think that marriage will take:) |
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| bac717- Thank you so much! It was ridiculously easy to make. I just used a 4x5 canvas dropcloth from the Home Depot cut into an oval with the center cut out and a slit cut from the middle opening to the edge. I sewed some matching grosgrain ribbon onto each side of the slit to tie it around the tree. Then I cut the linen into strips and glued it on with a hot glue gun. I started at the outer edge and made the gathers by hand...then I just overlapped the rows a bit to hide the previous row's edge. Ha ha...clear as mud? It is pretty rudimentary, but it is holding up quite well. As far as the burlap's odor, I bought mine from a fabric store so there wasn't an overwhelming odor to begin with. What smell there was, has dissipated rather quickly. If it were me, I'd probably either stick it in a bag with some baking soda, or possibly just see if maybe a good dousing of Febreze would work. If not, perhaps you'll have to just do what nobody likes to do...be patient. ;) Thank you, alex! There's not much skill involved...a hot glue gun works wonders, as long as you're not particularly attached to your fingerprints. Ouch! :) Annie- I absolutely LOVE the wreath made out of your wedding dress material. Not only is it gorgeous, it has such a special background. Definitely a treasure. |
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- Posted by AnnieDeighnaugh (My Page) on Mon, Dec 10, 12 at 20:57
| Aside to rafor: another suggestion....I was going to cut up my (our*) wedding gown to remake into a christening gown for GF's granddaughter, but I didn't have the guts....maybe I will for her next grand child..... -------------------- |
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| We are doing an Alice in wonderland Christmas because we're all mad here. This is my mad hatter tree.
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Close up of the top.  |
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| And my red queen tree.
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| Loving all these! Those Alice trees are very clever, vsalz, and everything else is lovely in GW-land :-) Annie, your bridal wreath is really special. |
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| How cute are those Alice trees!!!!! Love the hat and clock as a tree topper. And the red cards, how clever. Mad never looked so good! |
This post was edited by rafor on Tue, Dec 11, 12 at 6:17
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- Posted by AnnieDeighnaugh (My Page) on Tue, Dec 11, 12 at 7:48
| vsalz...fabulous idea, and so well executed! Love it! |
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| You can do it too. For red queen tree, you need red roses, a crown, heart ornaments, chess pieces, and a frog jester.
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| I have to show my sister's front entry, she did such a good job!
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- Posted by schoolhouse (My Page) on Tue, Dec 11, 12 at 15:34
| Finally was able to snap a decent photo of the tree. My decorations aren't nearly as fabulous as others here. Enjoying seeing all of them. Wish we had that snow!
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| Vsalz, I love your Alice-themed trees...very clever ideas. KellyEng, your sister did do a nice job. The owls mixed with the natural greenery make for an interesting arrangement. Schoolhouse, I love the look of your house. It looks like someplace I would like to spend a few hours curled up with a book and a nice cup of hot chocolate. You've used beautiful colors and the light through the window is spectacular. |
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| Annie, I am waiting for a picture of a wreath on your outhouse! |
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| Fun! This thread is like looking at a magazine. We have a new house this year and all our stuff has been in storage. So this is a "building" year for me. I purchased this for my picket fence near the street. I'm not sure if we will keep the fence and I'm wouldn't be surprised if it disappeared so I was glad that it was inexpensive. It looks great with a little fluffing.
My wreath and garland are on my front door. I'll do the fireplace tomorrow and we will do the tree on Sunday when my daughter comes home from college. |
This post was edited by deee on Tue, Dec 11, 12 at 19:15
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- Posted by schoolhouse (My Page) on Tue, Dec 11, 12 at 19:40
| Thanks Fun2BHere, I just realize looking at the photos again that I have that small musical xmas clock on the wall (on the right in the first photo and behind the tree in the second). The schoolhouse clock that normally hangs there is down for repair. I was winding it last month and suddenly heard a "ping"! The spring broke after all these years. Like the pine decoration for your picket fence deee. I created something similar for my garden gate. |
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- Posted by AnnieDeighnaugh (My Page) on Tue, Dec 11, 12 at 22:36
| LOL, kswl! Hadn't even thought of it...I do have a cinnamon broom hanging in there for the fragrance....I suppose I could add some greenery and a red ribbon....hmmm..... I'm so impressed with all the fabulous decorations here...so wonderful and so different. You all are very talented! |
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- Posted by newhomebuilder (My Page) on Wed, Dec 12, 12 at 15:39
| My, my, my!!! There are so many beautiful decorations on this thread, that I cannot comment on all of them individually. I especially love the Christmas owls. What a HOOT! I did something similar with the natural greenery in pots, but it doesn't look half as good this year as it did last, so I am not posting a daytime pic. I just want to thank the person who started this thread. Helps to cheer me up! Like someone else mentioned, I was not in the decorating mood this year as I have lost both of my parents within 5 months. This holiday season has been hard, and I have had to push myself to decorate. :( Took me almost a week from the time we brought our tree in the house and to get it all decorated. It looks terrible, as the tree has wide gaps and not enough lights and ornaments for it's tall size. We bought it through a fundraiser for our church, so my husband keeps telling me to think of what good we did, and not focus on the look. :) OK, here are my decorations with labels. Outside at Night The Tree With the dog, Riley. Waiting for Santa You can see how tall (10.5') the tree is. My Santa collection - A few were my mothers, like the large Paper Mache Santa
My mothers angel collection
My mother loved Cardinals and this hand carved Cardinal was in her Christmas closet. I have it sitting on an old brass firebox that belonged to my parents. The Cardinal watches over us. Fireplace mantel - I normally stick in fresh magnolia, but sadly, my magnolia tree died over the summer. I made the mantel skirt out of velvet for my mothers mantel many years ago. It doesn't quite fit mine. My dining room table decor The silver punchbowl belonged to my grandmother. I have 25 silver punch cups, as well. This silver set was gifted to me after my parents passing. Some of the ball ornaments were handmade by my grandmother. Have some on the tree, too
Chandelier - Once again, I usually put in fresh greenery on table and chandelier. I may add some fir pine latter. One of my favorite Nativities made of hand cut & punched tin And finally, the back patio - I used a similar photo for our Christmas card this year. Has Riley in it. :) The backside of the fireplace has a wreath with spotlight for the neighbors to enjoy.
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- Posted by schoolhouse (My Page) on Wed, Dec 12, 12 at 17:12
| Newhomebuilder, sorry about your mother. You have a most beautiful home and space, decorations look wonderful - and what a big tree! Especially love that photo "Waiting for Santa". Everything looks beautiful. |
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| Beautiful Christmas decorations, NHB! I love that metal nativity set you have outdoors... is it pressed tin? Could you share its provenance? I have a strong interest in unusual nativity sets and yours is wonderful and unique. |
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| NHB, I have a (smaller) Santa collection too! I like having them all clustered together although I need to get going and collect some more. A few of mine were my mother's, too, and she actually made one of them in a ceramics class. Excuse the lousy iPad photo. |
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- Posted by newhomebuilder (My Page) on Wed, Dec 12, 12 at 20:26
| Thank you, schoolhouse. kswl- I wish that I could help you. I have been looking for years for the pressed tin set like I have. I wanted to give them as gifts. My sister bought it from a shop in Winston-Salem, NC. They have sense gone out of business. The little set folds up and fits inside of a small tin box for storage. Sue20 - I really have too many Santas and have vowed not to pick up anymore this year. In the past, I have bought 1-2 a year. I don't have anymore room on my sofa table for more. I also have some Russian stack Santas sitting on my den columns. BTW - Does anyone know how I can make my photos smaller? I use Photobucket and they have changed their website. For some reason, the photos are posting larger, and I also have no idea why two of mine posted rotated, after I had fixed them on the site. |
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| NHB--sorry to veer off topic, but could you tell me the breed of your adorable dog? Is it a Jack Russell? I ask because we recently adopted a rescue dog we met while on vacation in Vieques, Puerto Rico. She is some kind of mix, but looks amazingly like your dog. Some people have suggested she's a Jack Russell /Chihuahua mix, but she seems a little big (25 pounds). By the way, your decorations are gorgeous--I particularly love the vintage red cloaked angel figurines--I have some similar ones that were my grandmothers. Love this thread--wish I could contribute but we undergoing a major remodel and basically living in the basement! |
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| NHB, all of your decorations are stunning. My favorite are the angels. How old do you think they are? Would you look on the bottom of them and see if there's any writing there? I'd love to find some for myself! |
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- Posted by newhomebuilder (My Page) on Thu, Dec 13, 12 at 9:46
| Thank you for the kind words. The angels belonged to my grandmother before my mother had them. They were made in the late 60's, so not too terribly old. If you can find them, they usually go for around $25-$50. Normally hard to find, but a few pop up during the Christmas season as shown in the links below. Currently up for bid - Better hurry! Be careful, some seem to be missing their musical parts, but still pretty. http://www.ebay.com/itm/1966-Beautiful-Porcelain-Goebel-Sacrart-Angel- Candle-Holder-Figurine-Style-Bee-/290827279568?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&h ash=item43b6a81cd0 And then there are sellers that think their figurine is more valuable than others This blue angel is up for bid, now. Different. You can copy and paste the links, or do a search on Google or eBay. WMA89 - My dog is a JRT. She is a tall legged, short and smooth coat. She weighs around 22 lbs, mostly muscle, but some fat and a large tumor on her side. Riley is 13 years old and spoiled rotten! Enjoy your new dog. |
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- Posted by VictoriaElizabeth (My Page) on Thu, Dec 13, 12 at 9:50
| So much creativity and variety! Every year, I vow to start earlier with the decorating, but I never do!
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| New Home Builder - so sorry to hear about your parents. I remember one of them was having some health issues. I had no idea what had happened. I am so very sorry. The "first" everything is so hard after losing a loved one. I hope past memories will help comfort you during this holiday season. How wonderful that you have some of your parent's things to bring into your own home. VictoriaElizabeth - lovely decorations!! I love all the mercury glass. tina |
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- Posted by newhomebuilder (My Page) on Thu, Dec 13, 12 at 11:55
| VictoriaElizabeth - Love your blog! Tina - Thank you for your kind words. Yes, my father had a few health problems, but we just never think the end will come. Such a shock with losing both in such a short time. Very fortunate to have had my parents and equally fortunate to have things divided among my siblings and the 6 grandchildren. polly929 - My condolences to you. ;) |
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| I kept it simple and relinquished all control to my kindergartener this year. She found the fake poinsettias last year and had to have them:) She even made the swag herself. It is not perfect but I love it! Everyone has such beautiful holiday homes. Thanks for letting us in:)
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| New home, so sorry about your losses. That's hard! I'm glad you did finally find the spirit to decorate though, because you brought us joy in sharing. I particularly liked the punch bowl (OMG!) full of the beaded ornaments. I have a huge collection of those my grandmother made so I may be stealing that look next year. It's a lovely way to show them off and make them "special". The bird on the trunk is one of those unexpected, ahhh sweet, moments :) I must admit to a severe envy of ya'll outdoor decorations. I live on a bluff and the wind is intense so I can only put out what can be nailed down and even then it tends to fly this time of year. I stick to lots of fir boughs stuck in the planters and some lights but I can't do the gorgeous urns or owls like have been shared above and I SO want to! schoolhouse...don't knock your ornaments as they match two of my trees LOL I love their soft look myself. They are my favorite trees. Are yours family pieces or did you collect them on your own? Oh and BTW...screw the tree...what color is that fabulous FABULOUS green wall????? I must own that color!!!! It's beyond devine!!!!! Umm did I say screw the tree???? Heh heh I get carried away by a good green :p |
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- Posted by newhomebuilder (My Page) on Thu, Dec 13, 12 at 21:29
| Very sweet of you, thank you. I know what you mean about the wind. We get some pretty good ones up on our hill. Luckily, nothing since I decorated this year. Been a weird winter so far. |
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| Newhomebuilder and schoolhouse - Found one of your tin Nativity sets on Ebay for $10 with free shipping! |
Here is a link that might be useful: Nativity
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| Thanks, NHB! I'll be putting the links in my Fave Places to start working on next year. I accidentally broke all of my mom's Goebels one day when the shelf fell over. :( But I still have her Goebel wine glasses. Have you seen those before? Here's a picture of one of them, I have the whole set. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Hummel
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- Posted by AnnieDeighnaugh (My Page) on Fri, Dec 14, 12 at 8:47
| NHB, hugs and condolences to you on losing your parents. I know how hard it is to feel festive again...it took almost 2 years after Mom passed before I was able to get into it again, even though I know she loved life, laughter and fun and would never want us to skip a moment of that, especially over her. You've done a fabulous job decorating.... |
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- Posted by newhomebuilder (My Page) on Fri, Dec 14, 12 at 11:07
| dawnp - How in the world did you find those! I do a search every year (haven't this year lol). Thank you so much! To clarify, I have the large set. I may order the small set for my grandbaby due to arrive in May. The sets are a little more expensive then I thought they would be, so I need to think carefully about who I would like to give them to. oakleyok - You're welcome! Oh, and the wine glasses are very pretty. AnnieDeighnaugh - You made me cry this morning. You are so right. You described my mother to a T! My mother loved Christmas and would not want us to be sad. Thanks for that! |
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| Gosh, thanks dawnp for finding that link to the new tin Nativity set! I did find one on ebay but would rather have a new one to give as a gift. Roarah, I think your kindergartener has a lot of decorating moxie--- Those vases on the stairs are great design! |
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- Posted by newhomebuilder (My Page) on Fri, Dec 14, 12 at 13:10
| The one on eBay has some rust, but I placed a bid on it anyway. There are some others that have color on them. I cannot tell if they came that way, or if they have been colored with markers. |
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| So glad to help! There are others sets for sale on the internet that are colored so I would think the Ebay sets are not colored by the seller. They are nice too! I found the sets by searching "Tin Nativity in a Box". Dawn
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| Three French hens Two turtle doves And a parrot in a Christmas tree. |
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| Is that a real parrot? |
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| Yep and we have two more. |
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| NHB.....re: your silver spoon collection. Mind if I ask what the box is lined with, and is it also covering the sides or just the back?? I have several similar spoons inherited from MIL and would like to get them out of the drawer. Thanks! |
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- Posted by nancybee_2010 (My Page) on Fri, Dec 14, 12 at 18:23
| bettydee, I love your parrot! What wonderful pets for the right person. Personally they're too noisy for me but I do think they're great!! I'll bet he's having a ball on that tree! Thanks for sharing. |
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| Goodness, it seems I've been away for a Lifetime, but I still see the names of familiar online friends. Merry Christmas to all of you. This is our tree this year, much smaller than in past years, but much easier to decorate.
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- Posted by franksmom_2010 (My Page) on Fri, Dec 14, 12 at 18:45
| WOW! Everyone has such beautiful decorations! I bought a new tree this year. I was tempted to wait until the after-Christmas sales, but I'm so glad that I didn't! Our tree isn't very luxurious and ornate, but we love it! I decorated the whole thing in silver balls with a tiny handful of crystal. There's everything on there from plastic glitter balls from the dollar store to very old mercury glass.   If anyone is looking for a new tree, I can highly recommend the "Donner Fir" from Walmart. 7.5' tall, 56" wide, and $98. It's not pre-lit, but it has a mix of various lengths of needles and bottle brush branches on each limb. My other new find is those scented sticks you hang on the tree. The cats usually gnaw on the limbs and play with the ornaments, but I guess they don't like the scent, because they've left it alone. |
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| Wonderful pets, Betty, and so beautifully colored! |
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| Thanks, all. Our birds are fun, but yes, they are noisy. We really don't let them play in the tree. He just got startled and ended up there. As far as home decorating goes, we do sacrifice a little bit for the sake of the birds. They have play stands, large cages, etc. they need. We do have a separate room for them and their things. But back on subject, this really is a fun thread, I check two or three times a day for new photos. Everyone's decorations are so pretty! |
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- Posted by newhomebuilder (My Page) on Fri, Dec 14, 12 at 23:21
| annz - The spoons are in a simple shadow box from Michael's or from any other craft store. The back and sides are lined with a short napped fuzzy board. The spoons stick on with velcro that I believe came with the frame. Surprisingly, in the 10 years since they have been framed, I have never had to take them out and polish them. However, a few have follen down, like the one on the bottom left. |
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