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.

January 1, 2012

(My Leaf Chronicle article for January 1st.)
Happy New Year! I’ll tell you, I for one am happy to see 2011 in the rearview mirror. We have some great memories and I’ve had a lot of successes this year, but the bad stuff was really, really bad and it’s taking some time to work through it. Of course, we started out 2010 with a house fire, so I better go back and read my article from Jan 1, 2010—I may be asking for trouble!
I am sure many of you have already taken down your decorations and have no remnants of Christmas in your home. That is not the case at my house. I am still enjoying our decorations. Frankly, I didn’t get to see them much, so I need to leave them in place a while longer. I generally leave my staircase and mantel décor up well into January (which is why I had to replace it after the fire—hmm, you’d think I’d learn).
Each year I make an effort to weed-out some of the stuff we haven’t used in recent years to make room for the inevitable additions we’ve acquired. I always think I’ll have plenty of time, once I make it through the holidays; while January is a slower month for retailers, somehow or another, my free time is at a premium. I will get it done, though, the same way I decorated—I will un-decorate in small doses.
The challenge is keeping the house feeling cozy and inviting. It seems that once the tree and garlands are gone, it feels a little cold to me. I try to leave a few winter touches throughout the house. I leave my winter pictures propped or hung in various rooms. I leave extra blankets and throws tossed on the furniture—even in the kitchen (we’ve got an old, breezy—no I didn’t mean to say ”drafty”—house). The chairs near the fireplaces are generally the first ones claimed in any of our rooms. I also enjoy leaving snowmen, snowflakes and icicles on display through the winter months. My crystal snowflakes—an extravagant purchase during our first tour in Germany—need to be added to my kitchen window where they can catch the light of our gorgeous winter sunsets.
I generally exchange out my lush Christmas wreath for my very simple, plain grapevine wreath. This year, however I plan to add some branches which have a snowy look, as well as some silver feathers and a snowy nest. I think I’m not ready for a stark winter look just yet—heck, didn’t I just get the house decorated for Christmas? I’ll post a picture on my blog when I have it up.

(Seems I got the wreath done before I posted the article—hard to juggle it all, isn’t it?)
One of my favorite new ideas was borrowed from a friend who found my blog—then found my shop! (I am referring to Auny Bliss—find her blog here.)  She has been collecting vintage pictures of children in their snow attire. She displays them in frames, but I’m going to display mine on a garland on a fireplace, as I do not have enough surfaces to display our family photos, let alone those of children I’ve never met.

(I’ve decided to make the winter garland I’ve mentioned here during our Winter Spectacular crafting event on February 18th.  You can sign-up for a full day of crafting or choose your activity.  More info to come in a day or two—just go ahead and mark it on your calendar!)
I hope your house and heart are warm as we welcome 2012!
Thanks for your indulgence,

The trees of Christmas and a dilemma . . .

The following are pictures from our whimsical tree at the rear of the shop.  It has many of the same ornaments as half of the tree in the front window—actually, most of them.

But it’s the first tree in about 25 years that has me thinking “multi-colored lights!  Take a look:

The following are of a trio of Christmas finials by Penny McAllister.

A helpful guy brings the tree!

Too bad he can’t be enlisted to shovel the real thing!

A great nightlight with a bubble candle on top!

Wine gift bags and totes in a variety of delightful colors.  They are monogram-able, too!

Okay—so for the BIG question . . . Would this tree have looked better with multi-colors lights?

Do you use multi-colored lights in your Christmas décor or are you in the “clear lights camp.”  I’ve always used clear lights, but I love to see a house lit-up with multi-colored lights.  I bought some vintage multi-colored lights at the flea market this weekend.  I have to say, though, I love the hues of the vintage lights!  Does anyone know if you can find those hues in new bulbs?  If so, who makes them?

Fortunately, my husband agrees with my clear lights rule, but my friend and her husband disagree on the use of colored lights on their family tree.  They’ve reached a compromise—of sorts.  Do you have the same issue in your house?  How have you resolved your dilemma?

I’d love to hear from you . . .

Thanks for your indulgence!

Christmas tree—the other half

Now for the inside room of the window display . . .

this side of the window is decked-out in a vintage whimsy style.

these snowmen are playing and tumbling through the tree . . .

I love these pipe cleaner snowflakes with their foil reflector centers . . .

More snowmen . . .

a spray of green glitter adds sparkle to the tree.

a cone to fill with treats and a reflector star . . .

peace . . . joy . . . noel! these ceramic spheres are perfect for almost any holiday display.

mr. deer is part of a trio of characters from the late penny mcallister.

you can bring a vintage feel to any home with this bottle brush and ornament wreath—a personal favorite!

these snowmen can carry you through Christmas and beyond!

this reflector garland will add the vintage whimsy to your tree, your mantel, your staircase—it’s up to your imagination!

mercury glass trees with a space odyssey appeal . . .

Perhaps you’ve seen something that will add some whimsy to your Christmas decor.

more trees to come, plus recipes from our open house!

thanks for your indulgence!

after thought--i was thinking--while i'm generally a white-lights-on-the-trees only person, i was thinking i would LOVE multi-colored lights on this tree. what do you think?