FINALLY!!!!!!!!!!

 

WELCOME

As you enter my home, this couple greets you with smiles of happiness!

The wreath is hung on a pillar in the entry way.

The dining room light is decorated for Christmas!

An empty Victorian terrarium awaits festive Christmas decor!

Some dolls have been placed in the terrarium~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A photo of the completed terrarium with dolls, Santas and a gift.

Apple Cheeks dolls

The dining room hutch

A luncheon place setting with a spatula favor and "Welcome" card that reads, "Old friends are treasured gifts."

A Christmas glass on a gold snowflake

The manger that I remember as a child.  It is old and the lambs have seen better days.

A kitchen table place setting with a luncheon favor

A peppermint centerpiece for the kitchen

Our family room Christmas tree in red and gold

Trees, angels, Santas, and a clothesline with St. Nick's laundry

Stockings hanging over the fireplace

A very untidy couch with pillows and Christmas decor...my mom made Mr. and Mrs. Claus and the small snowman

Floor decor

Jim Shore angels and snowman

A gingerbread tree that my friend, CeeKay, really liked.

The entrance to the master bedroom

The pink and white tree in the bedroom

A tree for the bathroom

Another bathroom...another tree

A small tree with my mom and dad's vintage ornaments

Another tree in the spare room

Vintage decor and a tree on a 1930's dresser

Mom and dad's 1943 wedding picture with Christmas pieces that my mom made many years ago

Iced tea, Sangria, and apple juice wassail for a recent luncheon at my house

Some high school friends at a recent gathering at my house

Oh, what fun and memories!

I forgot to take pictures BEFORE the luncheon so the full impact of the place settings is missing.  

Christmas decor 101

I had my wonderful husband bring in all of the Christmas boxes the second week in November so I could start decorating early.  Since we went to Tucson and had Thanksgiving with my daughter, I knew no one would be at the house to witness my insanity first-hand!  I puttered around with the smaller decorations...the trees just recently went up...because I'm having a high school alum luncheon this Sat. and I didn't want to wait until the last minute to complete the decorating. 

The light in the dining room needed something but I didn't know what!  I found an anemic-looking piece of greenery (entwined Christmas tree branches) and twisted it around the light.  It looked sad and awful so I started to embellish with things that I packed away from yard sales and after-Christmas sales at Michael's, etc.  First came the big colorful ornaments that captured my eye at a yard sale.  Next came the white and gold-looking ornies from another yard sale.  Next came the picks and beaded garland from Michael's and a yard sale respectively.  Finally I found the crystal-like hanging ornaments mixed with other stuff in a box that I forgot I even had!  All of this was done with mostly yard sale finds!

Last year I went to a workshop at Meri Wiley's house, and I liked the the name tags that she made for each participant.  Therefore, I decided to duplicate them (with Meri's help) for my luncheon.  Actually the only thing that I copied was the white part of the name tag.  Meri programmed some sort of machine to produce the cute edges on the name tags, and I used stuff that I had on hand to embellish each tag.  Meri also sewed the little red netting things from material left over from my daughter's wedding 7 years ago. 

Like I said, I only started with the smaller decor like my dolls and miscellaneous things.  The trees were just finished this past weekend. 

One of my Jim Shore angels with a Jim Shore sleigh in the background used as a centerpiece.

More standing ballerinas in something (I wish I knew what to call it) that I recently bought at an estate sale.  I think it is some sort of display case.

I'll post more photos from before, during and after the luncheon.  I'm still busy with last minute preparations!