Holiday Windows—such as they are . . .

Okay, I’ll be the first one to admit it . . . these windows did not receive my best efforts, but they still make me smile.
The hops garland is my favorite element—no matter when or where I use it!  The plate rack was constructed by my friend—the design was copied from a German antique I brought home 9 years ago.  The rest of the design came together based on those two elements.

The far end of the window shows an outdoor scene.  the swing is constant and I love it as my focal point.

One of my favorite new decorative accents is this book page garland.  (I think we are offering a workshop to learn how to make on in January.  Check the Artful origins facebook page for new workshops.)
I was inspired to offer the Johnson Brothers “friendly village” by the plate rack—the colors of the annie sloan Chalk Paint™ I used—country grey, old violet and old white—almost asked to display Friendly Village.

A Christmas tree offering a nice mix of ornaments and a cowboy hat topper.

One of best sellers . . . this iron double lantern will see you from Christmas, through New Years and so on.  Decorate it for the season and make a quick and easy impact.

Several items to love here . . . the french wire basket, the wine glasses and a flower pot turned wine cooler.

A holiday cowgirl.


“Merry Christmas”—vintage style!  (Only $185 for the set!)

A new pattern of our quilt, Rustica.

love the pattern on this tablecloth—it’s actually about 72” long.  I decided to feature our brie baker, and our hot chocolate packets.
Note the tobacco basket—still love ‘em!
Thanks for your indulgence!

The Traditional Tree

You can’t go wrong with a red and green tree!  Especially when you decorate it with some of the beautiful ornaments we’ve found for ours.

The classic paper cone, formed into a disc with glitter accents.

A belsnickel santa—available in three colors.

This vintage-look ornament appears as though is were found at an estate sale.

Our best seller last year, this car ornament appears to be toting home the family Christmas tree.

this beautiful ornament makes its second appearance on our parade of trees.

an elaborate frame is the perfect ornament for a proud mama or grandmother.

a bird image on an icy disc ornament,

ice crystals appear to have formed on this ornament—the berry twigs are the perfect contrast on this one.

a Christmas cardinal is a must.

a glass snowman in a cheery scarf.

another paper cone ornament.

Santa with a silver glitter tree.

a vintage inspired witches eye ornament.

this snowman brings his own tree.

a partridge on a pear—put it in your tree.

 

some accents for a traditional décor--this snowman arrives with a wreath.

reminiscent of Frosty’s fateful trip into the green house—only this one will survive!

I love these miniature green houses—they are perfect for displaying a variety of items for Christmas and later!

Let me know if you see anything here that you like . . .

Thanks for your indulgence.

The Woodland Tree

It took a while for this theme to catch-on, but last year it was the first one to look bare.  This year, we added even more to it and I adore it—I love this tree! 

a tight shot of some of the ornaments, starting with this darling bird on a frosted pinecone . . .

the clip-on birds have been a long time favorite of mine . . .

an ivory frosted ornament with glitter trees . . .

the red berries are a lovely contrast to the ivory frost on this ornament . . .

a twist on the classic silhouette  ornament, this glitter moose scene is a great addition to any tree . . .

okay—this one is a little out of focus, but I wanted to be sure to include it—you know I love my for cloches.  This “good luck” display of mushrooms is adorable . . .

 

also out of focus, but beautiful none the less, this sparkle encrusted acorn is a beautiful adornment . . .

a beautiful glass ornament with a (surprise) bird image . . .

owls are still very popular—who wouldn’t love this guy  . . .

(note the shredded paper garland—it’s fabulous!)

another staple for our holiday decorating—the vintage inspired house ornament . . .

robin’s eggs with gold leaf add a bit of sparkle for the holidays . . .

these green mercury glass ornaments are my favorite addition this year . . . okay, ONE of my favorite . . .

stay tuned for three more!

thanks for your indulgence!

Our New Staircase Decor

I mentioned in my article for The Leaf Chronicle today that we had to throw-away all of the stuff I had accumulated and used to decorate the staircase in the past.  (It was smoke damaged after our fire last January.)

So, since I had to start from scratch again, I thought I’d share the process of putting together our new look.

First, it started with basic faux pine garland.  As you get ready to use it, you need to fluff it.  Then, once it’s in place—fluff it again!

I knew a single garland would not be enough, so I bought enough to double-up the entire length of the banister.  (I ended-up using a total of twelve garlands for this banister.)  You’ll note I worked a rather deep “swag” in the garland.  Don’t wrap tightly around the hand-rail—first, it looks  chinsy and this stuff is relatively cheap; second, it allows spaces where your guests can grab the much needed rail!

Then I added lights—this way the tulle and ribbon will help soften the look.  (I used 600 lights.)

Nest I added the tulle—it’s actually closer to “netting.”

I chose the netting over tulle because it was more substantial next to my burlap ribbon.  I ended-up cutting it lengthwise—I started with eight yards.

Here you see the addition of burlap.

The burlap ornaments I shared in an earlier blog post—as promised I brought them home for myself!  LOVE them!

See!  Wonderful!

Then I added the blue ornaments in groups of three.

Lights off . . .

A lose-up of the favored burlap ornaments . . .

So next year, I might add some natural elements—pinecones, maybe  some magnolia pods and leaves. . . ooh, and some berries—white ones.  Actually, I may have to do that this year . . .

Any suggestions?  I’m open—just leave them here.

Thanks for your indulgence!