A little Christmas Tour

A little Christmas Tour

The Entry:

A Christmas village which my  daughters always enjoy setting up.

 With a tiny nativity scene

The Duke who was kind enough to pose for me.

The Tree
It's always real because I like how it smells.
We chose a simple red and silver theme this year. You can imagine I have a really lot of hand made ornaments from when the kids were little ( 6 kids)  but this year we decided not to put them up. Something different. Mary and I chose something more simple we went with all the red and silver things we had and many are from long ago, some the last few years.

I love the simple silver beaded garland

The Mantel
inspired by a picture in Southern Living magazine for Debbie-doos Holiday copy cat challenge,
posted about here

The Nativity
Now set up on that table to the right of the mantel.

I gave the Nativity it's own table this year next to the mantel.

This gave me more room to create the clouds with snow and lights behind for a heavenly appearance.

My mom gave me this set purchased from Avon some thirty years ago.

I love how they are all porcelain white figures.

The angels I purchased about 10 years ago, at a dollar store.
They are porcelain too and go perfectly with it.

A bit of Christmas bling in the Family Room

The kitchen gets a tiny bit of Christmas. The very little houses are really vintage, they were my moms.
I used to love to set them up as a kid.

And the Dining Room, which was the first room to get dressed and I posted about that here.

I still have a few lighted garlands to put up on the steps and doorways.

For the most part it's pretty simple this year.

I hope everyone has a happy and healthy Holiday!

Posting at the following

~White Wednesday # 130~

Christmas Scapes Party

Wow us Wednesday

Before and after French Provincial table

I should have been Christmas shopping but..

This morning while I had my coffee, I transformed this table with a nice cleaning and freshened it up with some creamy white paint.

This is how it looked when I found it. It was in dire need of some care, some love, some TLC.
And since painting and working with my hands is good therapy for me, I was in the mood today.

It has the prettiest marble top

And now it's quite the gem...Don't ya think?

What a difference some paint makes, huh?

I put this one in my booth in North End Garage in Cape May New Jersey.

sharing at Metamorphosis Monday

Show Off Your Cottage Monday

White Christmas Dining Room

I am making it simple for myself this year and keeping my Christmas easy peasy.

A pretty all white wreath that I made hangs by the door,

I'm bringing out the hand  crochet tablecloth that I love. It reminds me of snowflakes.

Our dog Duke decided to help with the decorating this year. He came hoping in the back door dragging this big old wintry branch with him. (How he got it in without breaking it,  I can't figure!) but as I picked it up to throw it away, ( grumbling at him and the mess he was making for me) I took a second look at what the dog had just dragged in. ...It rather resembled some branches I'd seen around for sale in the home Decor stores that I liked. .....I really liked it. And I knew the perfect spot for it.

with some book page angels added

Silver balls, little brush tree and greens from the yard. Thanks Duke for the inspiration!

And a vintage  book that says KING to honor Christ

The table gets my frosty vintage bottle dressed in greens

 It's a  simple centerpiece that will leave plenty of room for the Christmas feast.

To create a tiny village, the corner cabinet is getting my mom's biscuit jar 

Which I accidently dropped the lid and broke in my 20's

 and I remember mom and I glueing it back together!

I've added a few dollar store houses and figures to it to create a little town.

So that's pretty much it for my Dining Room this Christmas, I might add some white lights that's all.

I'll be joining some fun linky parties this weekend.

Vintage Inspiration Friday

Feathered Nest Fridays

No Minimalist Here

White Wednesday

My Christmas Mantel 2011

Today I finally got my Christmas mantel together. Yippee Skippee I am so excited!

I was inspired by a picture in Southern Living magazine. 

Southern Living Mag

I had fun gathering stuff I had already to create my version. I made these stockings from dropcloth and vintage lace, I picked up in Cape May, NJ

Some fluffy white snow

A bit of white tulle fabric with silver stars.

Filled the top with greens picked from the yard and white decorations I normally stick in the tree, silver balls and pine cones.

 Love the fluffy white and silver.

 And although I don't have access to paper whites, like the magazine shot, I love how mine turned out.
The Southern Living shot, top left.

My Mantel, top left..

These little pails are the only thing I didn't already have in the house, and I found them at target for 1 dollar each. So I spent 4 bucks.
I have a deep dark desire to paint my entire mantel white, but no time this year, so when I found a picture I loved of a wood mantel I made a note of it, and planned on doing something as similar as possible.

The bottom area on the left in Southern Living Mag..

and my version..

I was going to wrap a real gift with some brown paper but I couldn't resist these cute bags at Target, I know I will use for $ 1.00

My final version after a few tweeks. I like the addition of the large jingle bells.

 I moved some of the bottom items to something a bit more agreeable for us.

I will probably change the center to a manger scene in a few days. 

I have a great old pure white manger scene from avon that my mom bought me many years ago and I traditionally always use that.  Unless I decide to go elsewhere with it.

This one will do until I get to more boxes in the basement though.

So this is my christmas mantel for 2011

And this is the Inspiration Photo

Well, I don't have those wonderful built ins next to my fireplace, but I used what I had.

I am participating in the Holiday Copy Cat challenge 

there's a party all week long 

Lot's of great parties I will be joining:Met MondayShow off your cottageThrifty Tuesday @ Coastal CharmMantel Link Party White Wendesday