The tree

My daughter, son-in-law and I got our trees yesterday. They will tell you about it here. I had to go to work so I decorated it today. It's in the dining room so I'll show it to you today. Here it is with the lights and the beaded angel my Mom made. You can see the angel up close here. The red and green spots are bubble lights.

Here it is all done. I used to always add tinsel but haven't decided yet this year. My tree is like my house, very eclectic. I have vintage bulbs but they are not family items. I don't know where all that stuff went.

I remember bubble lights being on my Grandparents tree when I was little so that is why I have them.

I also remember these birds on their tree. I have some reproductions but this one is really from the 50's. One of my customers found a couple in an attic so he gave them to me.

I also have lots of bead ornaments that my Mom made. This is one of my favorites. She made one style for adults and one for kids every year so my kids have different ones than I have.

On the far right you can see a twisted tin icicle. I have some short and some longer. I remember plastic icicles on our tree as a kid but I've never run across any.I certainly but them if I find them

I'll post more decorations later but we're on to more dining room tomorrow.

Mantel

This mantel is also in my dining room. I got new stockings this year because the old ones were country plaid . The new ones are all burgandy velvet but all different styles. I will have to figure out how to tell who they each belong to. The old ones had names.

I really love these stocking holders. I got them at Walmart at least 10 years ago. I would like to find more in a different pose. I've never seen them again.

A local crafter made this one-of-a-kind Santa. She donated it for an auction for our church youth group. I bid on it but lost. The lady who got it was just trying to get the bid higher. She had already bought several items and said her husband would really be mad so I bought it from her for $50. I had stuff in a craft sale there so I just about broke even. I guess he was supposed to be mine!

The Saturday Evening Post Santa is a puzzle my Mom had. We had the Santa light when I was a child. I got the vintage lights and boxes at a sale. The lights work but I'm afraid to use them.

Curio

I love Sarah's Attic figurines. I've been collecting for awhile. The ones I like are no longer made but every now and then I find one on e-bay that I like. I don't collect any one series, just whatever catches my eye. I just add a Christmas tree and some presents for the holidays. It's a little crowded but that is what Christmas is all about. Lots of friends and family.

These are most of my Sarah's Attic angels. Some of them are already dressed for the Christmas pageant. The one on the left in pink pants is one of my favorite e-bay purchases. Her name is Emmy Lou. Her hair is in a ponytail and she is barefoot. My Mom's name was Emmy Lou (actually Emeline Louise, but she went by Emmy Lou). Until I became a hairdresser and got a hold of her Mom's hair was always in a ponytail. She hated shoes and I'm sure she had a pair of double knit pants that same color pink! You can see why I had to have her. I found her about a year after Mom passed away.

I took out some of my collection to put in these holiday bears.

This plays "Here Comes Santa Claus" and the disk in the back goes around so Santa disappear and comes back out.

Next installment- more dining room

Dining room

Hi! Come on in! This is the arch between my living room and dining room. I made this garland out of wild grapevines that grow out back of my shed. The first year it was just white lights and grapevine. I have hung different things, different years but like it plain now.

Since then I've added a pine cone and greens garland, a berry garland and these cool shimmery bells. I keep this up all winter and in the summer I put it around a double window on the deck. That is the only way I could figure out how to keep it. We do enjoy the lights out there too.

This is the decoration on my dining table. I really like the different textures here. I found this wooden bowl on a clearance rack somewhere.

I painted this candle a few years ago, as with most of my painting. It is hollow and holds a tealight so it will last forever. I painted tins with this same design for Christmas gifts one year.

You'll have to come back to see the rest of the dining room. See you tomorrow!

Come on in and get comfortable.

Today is more living room. I'm going to show you the furniture too so you can see the placement of all my "stuff". You can see my nativity on the table to the left. These are on the "coffee table" which is actually a piano bench that my Grandfather made for my Mother well over 50 years ago. I recovered it with a cream leather type fabric. I'd always had it upstairs but love having it where I use it every day.

I love these old tree toppers. I also have a star light, and a bubble light in this. I think I found it at Target on a clearance shelf. The doily is one of my Moms. I got the candle stand in Lancaster from the Amish. It had apples on it when I bought it but sanded them off when my decor changed.
This is my spot. This chair is a recliner. I'd always wanted one but didn't like the way they looked. I love this chair and it is on an inside wall and over a heat duct so it's nice and cozy even in winter.
Tomorrow we will be on to the dinning room. I hope you are enjoying your visits.

More living room

Some more of my living room today. My son and his friends had a great time with these letters. At the time I also had JOY and Merry Christmas letters. If the boys were here and I wasn't, I had to be sure I checked everything out when I got home. Once they spelled out "Merry is a ho".They loved to turn NOEL into LEON and my son still does that sometimes! This is one of my favorite things that I have made.

This is an inked watercolor telling the significance of the Christmas symbols.

This is a card I found several years ago at a craft show. I bought a package and framed them for gifts.


My daughter made this for me for Christmas.Isn't he the cutest?

One more day in the living room then on to the dining room.We've had snow for a couple days. It's just a nice steady light snow. Perfect because the roads aren't bad to get Christmas errands done and it does put me more in the spirit.

On to the living room...

It's Monday, so here's Jerzie. She's just lovin' being hugged by a snowman!

I'm using this for my Year of Color. The color is gray. Not a very Christmasy color I must say. This is my card holder and the chimney and stone walk are both gray. Works for me!

This is the back and you can see more of the chimney. I do have one Christmas card in it already.

This is the armour that holds the TV. It was stained when I bought it so I painted it when I changed the living room and dining room from country.

You will see that my home is very eclectic. My living and dining rooms are older traditional . I changed the living room to go with my Mom's furniture in the dining room. My kitchen, bathroom and other entry are more rustic country style.

I did this several years ago. I like the old fashion look of it.

Now you've seen one wall in my living room, I hope you are enjoying your visit. Come again!

It's not just "stuff"...

Today is my Mom's birthday. It's hard to believe she's been gone 9 years. My Mom didn't discover crafts until middle age. She always said she wasn't artistic. Once she realized she could create, she went crazy! When she passed away she had a craft room literally FULL of stuff! Mom never understood the money I spent on clothes or decorative stuff in my house but she would drop 100 bucks in a craft store and not even think about it. It was great she found a hobby before she retired.

Mom made me this nativity set. She bought a kit and then put together the stable and painted the figurines. My brother has one too and we both enjoy them.

I saved a few of the many bells Mom collected. We offered them to her nieces and great nieces and nephews so everyone could have a little momento. The small angel was her birthday angel and the larger angel is one she made. She tops my Christmas tree every year. My brother, his kids and my kids all have one.

Isn't it nice when someones "stuff" comes with memories? Some people say that "stuff" is useless. I say it's just more memories to pass around later!

Come on in!

I put this live wreath inside the entry this year. Its cold so the wreath should last and it sure smells good when you walk in the front door. This door opens to the living room.

This is on the left side as you walk in. I keep the hanging metal basket up all year. It is patriotic in summer and pumpkins in fall (see my changes posts in Sept 23 & 24). I keep the snowmen up until spring and I'm still not tired of them.

This amish built pie safe is in the right corner. The front is punched tin. The little plasic gift bag is for my car keys.

This cute snow lady welcomes you from the left side. You can see she's very happy to see you!

This is above the snow lady. I also have snow people on the window sills. I had two leaded windows put in the entry a few years ago. It made a big difference because there were no windows before.

You can see the window in this picture.

This is at the front door leading back out. That's the tour for today but don't forget to came back to visit.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Merry Christmas and welcome to my home. Sorry there is no snow but it is coming! I will be posting all things Christmas for the whole month so I hope you will stop by often!

I painted most of the wooden things you will see throughout this tour.This is to the right of the front door.

This nativity below is on the right side that juts out. This area used to be a porch but I had it turned into an entry and small bathroom with a shower. My bedroom is on the first floor but my only bathroom was on the second. Right now I don't need to use the upstairs but as soon as Jerzie Shea is old enough she will have a bedroom up there.

As you go down some gravel stairs on the right, to get to my beauty shop in the rear, this is what you will see.

This Santa is at least 40 years old. My stepfather won him in a raffle for 50 cents. He is about 5 feet tall and my arms barely go around him. His beard is spun fiberglass (angel hair) and his suit is fake velvet. He is really showing his age as he has been thru a fire and been attacked by mice. I have tried to clean him up but his suit is deteriorating and the "velvet" brushes off. I decided he just looks like he's been down a few chimneys! I just can't bear to part with him and the customers really like him. If you look from the street you can get a glimpse of him.

You can also see him out the kitchen window. The first thing my nieces and nephews do when they get here Christmas Eve is look for Santa.

That is the end of today's tour. I will let you into the house tomorrow.