Holiday Home Tour of Pretties and Things

China cabinet decor

After we got all of the outside Christmas ornamentations done, we began working on the inside of the house. 

pie safe

Since this is our first Christmas in this house, it took longer to decide where to put everything.

entry hall niche

This house does not have a fireplace, so there's no mantel to decorate.

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hall table with nativity and teeny tiny battery-powered lights

You need to see this one  up close because it's one of my favorite places this season:

Figurines from Lifeway Christian Bookstore (in 1996), trees and some of the animals
have been collected over the years from Walmart

You can't see the camels in these pictures. We now have three, which is just right for the three wise men. I like the camels. My son tells me they really aren't very nice animals (they spit). But I like the expressions on their faces. I think they're funny.

what is this the door to?

The wreath on our front door in Colorado was perfect for there, but we needed something different here, so this one ended up on ... (wait for it ...) the door to the cleaning closet. Yes! We have a gorgeous Christmas wreath on the door to the vacuum cleaner!

yet-to-be-finished

Last year, after I had wrapped all the gifts, I began working on this quilt top. Then the holiday season ended and one thing led to another, including the move to Florida, so this project is not done. But when folded just right, it still adds seasonal color to the back of a chair.  

family room tree

Most years we have a tree dedicated to angels with a nativity at the base, telling the story of Christmas. Those were the years when we had 5 or so trees (of varying sizes) scattered throughout the house. This year we've downsized to only three trees, which means we had too many ornaments.  

I decided to add my collection of Barbie doll ornaments to the angel tree and everybody seems to be satisfied with that. 

table topper

Back to the subject of quilting, this is a table topper I made some 5 years ago that is a favorite with Beloved. It landed on my lamp table this year. 

mistletoe

Mistletoe hangs on the grill above our master bed. Yes, I know mistletoe is poisonous, but this is plastic, so don't worry about us.

custom made for our last house but it works in this one, too

The kitchen nook quilt is one of my favorites. That gold cheesecloth stuff dresses up anything it's paired with. And those are our stockings with cross stitched names. We don't use these any more except for decorating.

"Porch Puppy"

Porch Puppy is our only dog these days, but don't worry. We have three granddogs, two of whom come to see us at our house from time to time. So we're good.  Anyway, Porch Puppy came indoors for Christmas so he can hide some unsightly electrical cords in the dining room. 

dining room wall quilt

This is a quilt that I pull out just for Christmas. It really livens things up. As you can see, when this picture was taken, my table scape was 'in process.' I'm hoping to get a table runner made in the next couple of weeks. In the meantime, my collection of electric candles are awaiting their location assignments.

Art to Heart door knob decor

I made this little basket-thing years ago because it reminded me of May Day baskets. You can pack it with candies or other goodies.

one of the guest beds

There hasn't been time to do a lot in the guest rooms this year, so I'm hoping our guests are satisfied with a big red bow on the lamp shade and a cheery pillow.

Jim Shore Santa

Jim Shore pieces are a delight to me since he incorporates quilt designs. This one is sitting on top of the DVD cabinet in the den.

an acquisition from Michaels in 2016

"Get Your Jingle On" just brightens my mood.

the half wall above the foyer

I've said before that we have a number of rounded walls in this house. This half wall is above the foyer and don't you know that our grandchildren are fascinated with this feature!

When we have young guests, some things are tucked away to avoid unhappy mishaps.

tree in the den overlooking neighborhood light show

This is our big tree with all the cutesy, memorable ornaments that are tied to memories over the years. Beloved has his toy Santa from his childhood that he always places at the base of this tree.

I needed a new tree topper this year and couldn't find a star that was to my liking, so I opted for a giant red bow. I like it but it looks like a cartoon tree now.

sign from Michaels this year, 2017

When I came across this sign on sale at Michaels, I knew it would be perfect for our back porch with all the forest trees behind us.

another new thing this year

I don't remember where I found this guy, probably Hobby Lobby. His eyes met with mine and we both knew he needed to come home with me.

an elf-sighting 

This guy took a dive behind a living room chair just as I came into the room. 

So this is what we've done to decorate our new home this year. I look forward to seeing what my readers have done in their houses!