'Twas Days Before Christmas and All Through My House..

How would you finish this line? Well, today I can finally say that my holiday decorating is finished, I think. So while things still look uncluttered, I'll take you on a short tour. Here's a few pictures of areas around the house.

I've been waiting for months, like a good little house maker, to set up this pine garland and lights on top of my headboard, now that I have a headboard! Saw it in a magazine, and I love the way it turned out, although the article failed to warn about "pine" needles littering my pillowcases! The Santa pillow is one that I found a few years ago at the local flea market, and is JUST LIKE the one my mom had when I was growing up. The wreath on my hall tree is made of metal charms! (You can click on all the pictures to make them larger) And behind the front door where we hang our coats is the shelf where I always set up my gold bottle brush trees.


Next is my little snow scene that I set up on top of a buffet every year. The metal skaters are JUST like the ones my mom set up when I was growing up. There's lots of bottle brush trees, new and vintage. I put lights under the "snow" and it makes everything GLOW like crazy. The church has paper windows and it lights up and plays music. The blue house was a bird house before I plugged up the hole, and it's KINDA like the one mom had when I was a kid. The dog chewed up that old one (because someone was playing with it and left it outside), and I have no idea where the metal people ended up.

Above the snow scene is a round mirror on top of the buffet where more pine garland with lights and bare branches that the glass bird ornaments sit in and the icicles dangling from. My original Wendy Addison "Merry Christmas" glittered sign is front and center.

And the aprons are gone from the kitchen window for now. Instead, there is a curtain of stars that end in piles on top of more pine garland. Tucked into the boughs are something new this year--vintage holiday gnomes! I was lucky to find a shoebox full of them for just a few dollars! Most have gone to good homes after being sold at the shop last weekend, but I kept these little guys to serenade me with their musical instruments, as I do the dishes.


And the snowman is a fellow I can't wait to unwrap every year just to see his grin. He was made by a good friend, and he always reminds me to take time out from the rush and smile--JUST LIKE I did this time of year when I was growing up.