Christmas Greens, Arrangements and Holiday Decorating

Oh, Teri, I had shingles onece, VERY bad news! I hope DH feels better very soon. Is he on meds? I gotta get back to my own forum!

Carrielamont -- don't leave us! We like having you in town!

yeah, carrie- didja know I'm here too - or is that why you're fleeing, LOL?

I'm not fleeing! Heavens, no! I just have one or two other forums to visit from time to time.

Other forums????? Are there other forums????? ;}

Well, it's just a rumor I heard; it might not be true, so don't get all bent out of shape!

LOL, Yea I guess there are just a few of them. ;}

Holly, I love that photo of Rick. What a guy!!!

Sally, you had me looking all around the muddy woods looking for some of that Osage. I never knew what they were called and I love your arrangement.

Claypa, Your Redwood and light display is charming. I too had a Dawn Redwood seedling but was not brave enough to plant it anywhere. It became a gift to a friend with a large property. Hopefully, I'll get to see it over the holidays. I hope all of those needles will be future compost.

Gita, I too am a scavenger of decorating bits. Most of mine end up on greens or packages. I can't just put a bow on anything!!

Roses, I love your Santa and would like to see a photo of him lit up.

When it comes to holidays, I am a decorating fool. Friends says that it is my mother's ghost inhabiting me. She was know to decorate every surface in every room.

Here's my tree.

This is my mantle display.

This is my winter Fairyland.

This is the Sugared Fruit Garland around my dining room deck doors. I have yet to make my fresh greens displays. I will put a large greens centerpiece with candles on the deck table. I also will make two matching arrangements to put on the pedastals in my dining room.

Stormy, from what I can tell, I love your home. I love the unusual windows. Your antique decor is wonderful too.

Oh my gosh, all of you talented people here. I would be sitting in the corner with Holly making sure the wine doesn't get lonely. Some really beautiful work done here. Thank you to everyone for sharing the pictures.

Ruby

Stormyla yes Ric is a keeper, I so love having him in my life. Your decorations are wonderful, second everything that Ruby said, lovely house. Here is a picture of our tree all done except for the glass icicles. Living room sure looks different with most of the plants upstairs.

Stormyla: You need to track down Holly's thread about the potting shed Ric made her to see what a real catch he (and her boys) are. (Holly, do you have the link to that? I love that thread.)

Here you go. He really is wonderful.
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/730865/
I forgot to post my tree picture.

Thank you, Ruby & Holly. I love the windows too. They are also on both the back and sides of the living room. When sitting on the deck, you can see completely through the house to the road. The same when standing on the grass. I also love that I can see 3 sides of my garden through them when the weather is bad.

Holly, your tree photo did not make it here. I love all of your project threads and would love to see the potting shed one. Your Josh is awefully cute!

Stormla: Holly posted the link immediately above your post.

I absolutely love everyone's holiday decorating - so creative! Here is a picture of the house all decked out on the night I hosted a friend's 50th suprise birthday party. About 65 people were part of the celebration. We sure had loads of fun hiding the cars in the woods!

Another view..

Thanks, Happy. We cross posted. Holly your tree is beautiful. Is it a Frazer Fir?

Just finished my deck table arrangement. Some of the greens froze to the table while I was making it. Had to go back in the house and put on a 2nd pair of slacks to bear the cold.

decorations on balcony overlooking family room

family room fire place

kitchen buffet

living room

and last - portrait of the dogs from last Christmas - Ashley was the white American Eskimo....

Wow, this is great fun! Terri, Your home looks very elegant. I remember it from a summertime photo that you posted with your gorgeous steps and beautiful urns. So nice to see the interior. The white Poinsettas are very nice. I thought that I was the only person to match their gift wrap to their decor, as everybody always seems to get such a kick out of it. Glad to know I'm not alone. Your furry friends are great too.

aspen-your house and decor are absolutely gorgeous, I love the color in your living room.

Terri, I'm glad to see you joining the holiday festivities here! I can just imagine trying to hide all those cars around your place, LOL. Great decorating ideas -- I especially love the gold leaves and other ornaments on your buffet... so pretty with that warm honey oak!

(ed. for typo)

This message was edited Dec 20, 2008 8:04 PM

Stormyla, Yes it is a Fraser Fur. Your deck looks wonderful the table wreath is beautiful and I love your candles on the railing.
Terri, Your home is stunning. The view from you balcony on your fireplace looks very much like my daughters. Although her home a modified A frame is very different that fire place is very similar. Here is a pic from her house last year. This shot was taken from the balcony overlooking living room

I loved the comment about the wrapping paper. When my children were very young I started wrapping each ones presents in their own paper. I would give them one wrapped present and they knew which pile was theirs no mixed up presents. Of course that meant that I had to hide the wrapping paper along with the presents. It's something I still do. LOL
Here is something I put together my self. That's and old Still I dug out of my Dad's basement, a ceramic goose I painted years ago and my Salvation Army Store basket. I took the bow off the basket and put it on my goose then filled the basket with Fur, Juniper and Bittersweet. I think I'll collect a few pine cones tomorrow to tuck into the front corner and then it will be finished.

Stormy, this IS fun! I'll post some more pictures tomorrow - dining room, library, and basement are decorated too. Holly, your daughter's balcony overlooking the stone fireplace with the windows on either side is so similar to mine. I had to look twice because I have an identical picture with my dad sitting where Ric is sitting, and my brother and sister in identical positions with your daughter and ?SIL - only difference is with your granddaughter in the foreground!!! I've never done much with fresh greenery, but the things that you guys have created will certainly be an inspiration for next year...terri

Holly, I love the goose with the bow, and I MUST see the rest of the front of that cabinet -- looks like some extraordinary carving on it!

Terri, I have 4 children the house belongs to my oldest daughter Julie, the two in the picture are my twins Josh and Jen and that is Jen's baby Lily. That pic was taken last Christmas and this year Jen has a new baby Lucas, My youngest son Jamie isn't in this picture either.
Critter, I have very little in the way of good furniture but I do happen to have a few nice antiques, that desk is one of them. It is a barrel roll desk with a glass bookcase top. I have the bookcase part filled with my John Perry collection, seashells, coral and other things gathered at various beaches. Along with a conch shell that I picked up snorkeling in the Bahamas, Ric ate the conch. LOL

Critter, you may like this piece, too. It's a Sellers Kitcheneed. All the decorations on top were gifts from friends and family. The oldest is the little December angel my parents gave me when I was a child. I love dressing this piece seasonally.

Those are both wonderful pieces, and I love your John Perry collection... I've got a pair of dolphins that's very similar but carved in wood; will have to check who the artist was. I met him at a craft fair, but that was long ago! The dolphins were the first "real" piece of art I purchased, with my first paycheck, as a gift for my parents. Mom & Dad gave them to us for our 9th anniversary.

The name on my dolphins is Mitchell. But now I have to google John Perry... oooohh... http://www.espplusnc.com/johnperry.html

Holly, I love the grouping you've made on top of the lovely roll top. The still is a very nice touch. The John Perry collection is wonderful swimming around inside the cabinet. I also like that metal sculpture beside it. Beautiful form and great function.

I've always wanted a kitchen big enough to hold a Kitchen Need. Yours is great and makes a wonderful desk. I love old porcelain topped counters and tables. Some of the older stoves and ovens are great too. I like that tall guy next to the Santa.

Terri, Your buffet and other pieces are beautiful and I love the violin. I've never seen one displayed that way and it is lovely. My grandfather was a tailor and for years I sewed on his oak treddle machine. Had the hardest time getting used to an electric one.

Holly, those pieces of yours are wonderful and the decorations and fresh greenery look so right with it. If you can't tell, my preference in furniture is definitely antiques :-)

Stormy, the violin was my grandfather's. When he and my grandmother were moving from the big old house in Pittsburgh to a retirement village in Florida back in the early 80's, he actually had it out on the curb with the trash pile!

Richard, my brother-in-law (I guess BIL for the lingo?), is taking more pictures right now, so I'll post more in a little while.

Stormyla, No my kitchen isn't big enough either. I have a great room, living/dining/whatever with a very small working kitchen at one end. The kitcheneed sits in the dining area and I store my dishes, glassware, silverware in it. Some of my bigger appliances are in the bottom. The center section usually ends up holding magazines, mail and other paper clutter. The metal sculpture came from Pier 1 several years ago and is very handy.
Critter, After being at your home I knew you would like my John Perry's. Ric gave me the first small dolphin after a trip alone to Fl. to visit his parents. It was the first time he had traveled without me. We have been collecting them ever since. We vacation mostly in beach areas so most all of them have come home with us from trips.
Terri, I too noticed the violin lovingly displayed. I liked the gold deer hanging on the kitchen buffet and the larger ones in the center look very much like a pair I made for my youngest son Jamie several years ago.
Here is a pic of Josh's house with the swags he made. The large lighted artificial wreath belonged to his Dad and looks so very nice at Josh's place now. We are having Christmas at his house this year and he has really gone all out decorating.

more pictures - old washtub in the basement rec room. This had been left in the basement of my grandmother's house by the previous owners when she moved in as a new bride in the 1930s.

dining room