Blog Parties

Thursday, December 10, 2009

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

It's definitely looking like Christmas at my house. I don't have everything done, but pretty close. All I need to do is put up & decorate my trees. Hopefully that will be done this weekend.

But for now, I will show you what I have done in my family room/kitchen. This is where the majority of my decorating is done. But I have to warn you, I've posted about a bazillion photos.

We will start off with a shelf in my family room. Everything on this shelf is Mercury glass and silver. The glass compote & the mercury glass candle holder came from Marshall's last year. The trees, the star and the battery operated lights are from Dollar Tree this year. The mercury glass birdies are from Target this year. The Merry Christmas sign is from Walmart this year. The silver tray is from a thrift store.

The silver trees from the Dollar Tree looked more like disco balls shaped like trees when I bought them. I watered down some burnt umber craft paint & painted it on, waited a few minutes & then wiped it off with a paper towel. Now they look more vintage. More my style.

When I saw these mercury glass birdies at Target, I had to get them even though they were $5.00 a piece.
Next is my white trunk that sits below the shelf & by the window. All the putz style houses were picked up from Marshall's last year. The Happy Holidays glass block was made for me by a friend about 2 years ago. The mercury glass votives came from Target this year. The "Candy Lights" lights I won from a blog giveaway a few months back.
I got a set of 12 mercury glass votive holders from Target online. But I did see them at the store being sold individually. I spread them around in my decor.

I have all my houses sitting on glass cake plates that I got for free (earnings certificate) this year from Bylane Home. A couple of them are sitting up even higher on thrift store glass blocks.

This glass block had a hole at one end so I stuck in some lights.
Everything in this cloche photo is new except for the jingle bell garland. I got that last year at Michael's. The cloche was actually the middle size in a set of 3 I got this summer from ABC Distributing on one of their weekly online only offerings. I found the base at Big Lots on clearance for $1.50. It fit the cloche perfectly. The snowman I just got but can't remember where. The glitter starfish were a part of my blog winnings this fall.

I just picked up these 2 tin signs at Deseret Book this past weekend.
I love Santa, but I want my family to remember that Jesus is the real reason for Christmas.

Here is the wall behind my couch where I hung my new signs. You can also see how it relates to the white trunk & the shelf. I'm not showing you my entire room as I had boxes everywhere. And I know that some of you can relate to that.

To the right of my couch is an old Eastlake table that I cover up with a lace tablecloth. Here is the vignette sitting on this table. Everything here came from a thrift store except for the Epsom salt used for snow, the trees (picked up at Marshall's & Home Goods a few years back) and the Believe sign came from Michael's this year.

Oh and the dangly from the lamp came from Dollar Tree.

When I saw these angels at the thrift store I had to get them (even though the boy is missing the music box portion). My mom had these same angels that she decorated with at Christmas when I was growing up. But mine are plastic & hers were ceramic. I am going to fix the music box portion some day.

Between my family room & kitchen there is this little alcove that is also the opening to our master bedroom. I have a little bookcase there with this shelf above. The shelf I got years ago from Collections Etc catalog.
The glass angels were a thrift store find. They are actually candle holders, but I didn't put any candles in them. The white trees came from Dollar Tree this year. The "Ready, Set, Snow" sign came from Tender Heart Treasures a few years back.
This plate is a thrift store find and is "Spode".
On top of the small bookcase below the shelf I have my collection of silver candlesticks. I usually have glass bobeches with hanging crystals on them, but some of the crystals have fallen off & I still need to fix them. I don't have any candles in the candlesticks as the shelf sticks out & would hit the candle. I just store the candlesticks here.
My silver brides basket was a thrift store find. I've filled it with glass door knobs (new and old) as well as some jingle bells I picked up from Dollar Tree this year. I threw in some battery operated lights also from Dollar Tree.
This sparkly "Peace" sign was picked up from Tom's Farms last year.
Next we will move onto my china hutch. Here it is all decked out from Christmas.

The mercury glass candle holder on the left came from Big Lots earlier in the year. The one on the right came from Target last year. I got 2 of each. The ones from Target have etched snowflakes on them.
The red & white transferware Christmas dishes came from Brylane Home catalog last year (I'm pretty sure that is where I got them). I got service for 8.

As you can tell, I have lots of Christmas stuff. I've been collecting for years. I can't seem to stop.

The red & white felt trees came from Dollar Tree this year. The girl with the muff came from TJ Maxx years ago.
And here is most of my cloche collection all decked out for Christmas. You can read more details about each one on my Christmas Cloche party post.
The only thing "new to me" this year is the little girl. I picked her up at a thrift store a few weeks back.
You can put just about anything under glass & it looks fabulous.
The tall cloche on the right is new this year. I picked up the glass dome at the thrift store for a dollar and glued a glass knob on the top for a handle. Easy peasy!!! The other two cloches are actually cheese domes from thrift stores. You can make a cloche out of most anything dome shaped. It doesn't even have to be glass.

To the right of my hutch is my TV armoire. This is how I decorated the top this year. Here is where I put my 2nd strand of "Candy Lights" that I won.


Did you see the twig deers on Pottery Barn website? I loved them, but didn't love the price. I found these at ABC Distributing earlier in the summer. They were $12.95 for the set of 3. I was originally going to paint them silver, but I like the rustic look of the brown better. At least for this year.
This tile was a Christmas gift from one of my sisters about 3 years ago. It sits on top of my armoire all year round.

I love this tin and crystal tree. I got it on after Christmas clearance from Target a long, long, long time ago.
I love this photo of my twig deer.

Next is my fireplace mantel. This is the first year I have placed my nativity set here.
The "Merry Christmas" sign came from Kirkland's about 4 years ago.

I picked up this snowflake candle holder at Costco this year. It came in a set of 2.

The topiaries were a thrifty antique store find this past summer. I paid $5.00 a piece. The wood snowflakes came from Kohl's just this past weekend. They were 55% off, plus I got an additional 15% off. I'm thinking about sparkling them up with some glitter or Epsom salt. Depends if I have time later to do it.
My nativity is very dear to my heart. My mom painted this set for my Grandma back in the 70's. When my Grandma died, they went back to my mom. Since my mom already had a set, she gave me this set. I just adore it. I didn't use every piece on my mantel as it took up so much room as is. I placed snowflake lights around the mantel & covered all the bare spots with moss that I picked up from Dollar Tree.

Next we move into my kitchen area. My family room & kitchen is actually one great room. I have this little cabinet that sits at the end of my cabinets.

The only thing new here is the silver glitter star from Dollar Tree. Everything else I've had for years.
On the wall to the right of this little cabinet I have my collection of Spode tea cups and saucers. I got them from ebay a few years back. The Spode plate above, I'm not sure where I got it. Probably from Robinson's May store. They always used to have great sales on Spode around Christmas time.
This plate I picked up from a craft show down in San Diego. The vendor had hand painted this plate.

The other side of my kitchen has a big wall where I have a small cabinet & my hubby's antique secretary. This is the vignette on top of my small cabinet as well as the plate shelf above. Oops! I forgot to put some Christmas tea cups and saucers on the cup stand. And my plan for the 2 big glass canisters is to put big peppermint sticks in one and pretzels in the other. I just haven't taken the time to go to the store to pick up. For now, the left one holds my reading glasses. You can never have too many reading glasses.

The smaller plates are part of my red & white transferware Christmas set. The larger plate is actually tin & part of a set I got on after clearance sale from Restoration Hardware years ago.
On top of my plate shelf I have 2 thrift store crystal glasses. I have filled them with faux snow and trees. The Santa's are S+P shakers. The large cup came from Joann Fabric a few years back.
I've had this little metal shelf stand for quite a few years. It originally came from Ross. The cloche is from thrift store. The Santa in the cloche, not sure where I picked him up.

I'm not sure where I got the angels. The white tree is Dollar Store.
The Santa mugs, candy canister and bowl came from thrift stores. The Ho Ho Ho sign from Walmart this year.
The white pitcher is part of my collection. I filled it with faux red berries that I've had forever. The archetectural angel was a craft show find many years ago. At least I think it was. My memory is not so good sometimes.

Here are the rest of the tin plates from Restoration Hardware.

To the right is the antique secretary. I only added a little Christmas to the top.

The moose I've had for years and years. The Merry Christmas sign is from Walmart this year. Did you notice the little clay figures sitting on the antique coffee grinder? Hubby makes little figures whenever he has some left over bondo from a project.
If you saw my cloche party post, then you have already seen these 2 cloches. But they are so cute I had to show them again.
And finally I hung glitter snowflakes from my chandelier. I picked these up as well as the hangers at Dollar Tree this year.

I'm not showing you my table in this area. I will share that with you next week or so for Tablescape Thursday. Ha!!! Did you believe that? Well, that is actually my plan. But right now, my table is a huge mess from decorating. Remember, I had to take strategic shots with my camera. But I guess I wasn't too strategic as I forgot to straighten up the pillows on the couch and move my son's computer. Did any of you notice that before I brought it to your attention? I didn't think so. I'm just making you all feel better. You know I'm not alone in forgetting to get everything perfect for a shot.

And see that area to the left of my white trunk? Where my white wicker rocker is currently sitting? You might not be able to see that area real good as the pink glitter snowflake is blocking your view. But that is right where I will be putting up one of my Christmas trees. So be sure to keep checking back to see when it gets done.

I also still need to move a sofa table to sit behind my couch. It normally resides in my living room in front of the window. But since I want to put another tree in front of the window in my living room, I need to find somewhere to stash the sofa table. And what better place than behind a sofa?

Once that is done, I will be putting up my Christmas village. I told you have I have too much stuff. And I still have boxes at my parents that I haven't seen for years. Who knows what goodies lie there. Maybe someday we will all find out. But don't hold your breath.

Well I hope that you enjoyed my Christmas decor. I'll bet it took you the better part of the day to see it all. I know it did for me to make this post.

I'll try & get my living room decor up sometime. It's nothing compared to what I've already shown you. I don't have as many places to decorate in there. Well I do, I just don't want to put all my everyday stuff somewhere. It's hard enough stashing away the family room everyday stuff. Plus, most of it belongs to hubby in there & he is quite protective of his stuff.

I'll be linking this post to various Christmas parties over the next few weeks. I will put the party links below. Be sure to visit each of the hosts and the participants. I love seeing how all you decorate for the holidays. I get such inspiration.

Kim

Metamorphosis Monday hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.


Home for the Holidays hosted by Rhoda at Southern Hospitality.
Hooked on Holiday House Tours party hosted by Julia over at Hooked on Houses.
Show and Tell Fridays hosted by Cindy over at My Romantic Home

Holiday Linky Friday party hosted by Melissa @ The Inspired Room
Christmas Tour of Homes hosted by The Nester

Deck the Halls hosted by Thoughts From Over The Rainbow
Three or More Tuesdays hosted by The Gypsy's Corner

Celebrate the Holidays hosted by Its So Very Cheri

41 comments:

  1. I love everything so much! Your home is beautiful and beautifully decorated. You can come and decorate my home anytime!

    Nancy

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  2. Everything is so festive...love it!!! I especially love the houses on the white chest. I keep seeing others displaying similar ones...now I want some for my home!

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  3. Wow!! Everything is beautiful. You have a great eye for putting vignettes together. I love all the silver and the whites!! Just beautiful!!
    Jane

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  4. beautiful decorations - my fave are the twig deer :D

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  5. EVERYTHING is gorgeous, Kim!! I can't even pick a fav, I just love it ALL!! How 'bout posting a few more bazillion pics so I can drool more!!

    Please come visit my holiday home when you get a chance!

    Big TX Hugs,
    Stephanie
    Angelic Accents

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  6. You've got so many great pieces, Kim! I love all your plates. The mercury glass is beautiful.

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  7. Kim,
    Your home is soooo PRETTY...you did a wonderful job on the decor! Love the birdie from Target and the little tree in the silver creamer. Hope you have a FUN time this weekend putting up your trees!

    Blessings,
    Linda

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  8. Kim your home and all your decorations are just beautiful girl...you really out did yourself my friend...Hugs and smiles Gl♥ria

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  9. Wow, Kim...you have TONS of decorations and all of them beautiful.
    Love all the mercury glass, bottle brush trees, rustic deer and transfer ware.
    Beautiful job!

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  10. Your home looks so lovely. I love how your Dollar Tree items look so great with everything else. I like how you share your sources too. Thank you for such a lovely visit!

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  11. Hello, Kim,
    Oh my goodness, you have such a lovely home. Each Christmas vignette was just a feast for the eyes!! Thank you for sharing all of your gorgeous decorations with us! Blessings to you! Vicki

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  12. Wow, you have Christmas going on. I love it. How festive and so pretty. I love all of it! Rosie

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  14. Hi Kim!

    thank you for taking us on a tour of our home! Everything looks so beautiful. I really enjoyed it all!

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  15. Such beautiful items! Great tour!

    Hope to see you next week for the Holly Bloggy Christmas Bash!

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  16. Kim, Everything is just beautiful. I have to come back and look once again to get the full effect. There are so many cute ideas to see!! I hope all is going well for you this holiday season.
    ~ Sue

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  17. So much stuff to ogle!! LOL

    I LOVE the twig reindeer. I want 'em.

    Mine's posted now...it's another new one for my collection of Holiday Decor..La Befana

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  18. Hi Kim! It's so nice to meet you. You have so many wonderful things it's hard to mention all the things I like. I love your mercury glass, the white houses are darling and that peace banner is awesome! (I might even try making one of those for myself) Thanks for coming by for a visit and leaving your sweet comment. Have a wonderful weekend and a very Merry Christmas!

    Karen
    My Desert Cottage

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  19. You are THE vignette guru. I feel like I should take lessons from you. Everything was so cute or beautiful that I can't pick out a favorite :)

    rue

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  20. I want your red and white transferware Christmas dishes! They are gorgeous! Merry Christmas!

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  21. Gorgeousness in every nook and cranny! Love soo sooo much of what you did throughout your home. I'm especially crushing the mercury glass everywhere, but truly everything looks flippin' awesome!

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  22. WOW!!! Now that's what I call a Christmas home decor tour!! LOL! Just gorgeous!!I love it all!

    Pattie

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  23. What a lovely sparkling and warm home you have. All your decorations are GREAT !

    I especially love your bells ;-)

    Thanks for sharing and have a GRAND weekend.

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  24. Love all the details! You have some very pretty pieces. I am going back to the top to check it out again!

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  25. Your home is truly lovely! Your little houses and bottle brush trees are so cute. Everything is perfect!
    My home will be *on tour* Monday, I'd love for you to drop by:)

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  26. WOW!! Your home looks great. I love the santa mug and your dishes.

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  27. Well look who ISN'T a procrastinator now??? You have way more done than I do, and I'm one of those "early birds!" Kim, I always say you have the loveliest holiday things. And you arranged them all so beautifully!
    Brenda

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  28. Your decorations are so pretty! My favorite pieces of all are the tin plates from Restoration Hardware. They are just gorgeous! Thanks for sharing. Merry Christmas!

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  29. Hi Girlfriend...

    It had been a few days since I've been by...wanted to come by and see what you were up to! I just knew that you would have more Christmas pretties...and I was right! Girl, I WANT TO COME TO YOUR HOUSE FOR CHRISTMAS!!! Kim, everthing is absolutely gorgeous! And...I still just marvel at how much we have in common! I have been using a bunch of my silver to decorate with in my dining room! In fact, today I was looking on ebay for silver birds! Ohhhh...I just love your little mercury glass birds...I wonder if they have them online? I'm going to have to go and look...they are soooo pretty!!! I just adore all of your mercury glass and silver...so pretty!!! And...I love how you used the glass blocks in your vignette on the trunk...they're so pretty! They just sparkle with the lights!!!

    Kim, what a treasure...to have that beautiful Nativity set that your Mom painted for your Grandma!!! It's perfect for your mantel! Love the little star shaped lights that your using there too!!! Well my friend, like I said...I wanna come to your house for Christmas!!! You know what I would be doing...right? I could just spend hours looking at and admiring all of your Christmas pretties!!! You decorated your home so beautifully, Darlin'! Your attention to all the little details just make it...and your love for your home and family is so evident in all that you've done!!!

    Love ya, Darlin'!
    Chari

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  30. Your house looks wonderful and all of your Christmas plates are AMAZING!

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  31. Kim, we're all coming to your house. My whole family. And dogs. Well maybe not dogs. But the rest of us. My house is blah and plain compared to this wonderment of Christmas decorating. Don't worry, though, we'll bring our own pillows and towels.

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  32. I love the mercury glass and your glittery houses!

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  33. Wow, what an ateention to detail. I love your vignettes, just beautiful, your pictures made me gasp. Happy Holidays!

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  34. Every detail is fabulous!!!! So magical!

    m ^..^

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  35. Your home is a feast for the eyes. You must have fun in your space. I love all the silver, as well as, the seamless mix of vintage with newer pieces. I hope there is a tour of your entire home on your blog!

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  36. Oh, and I so would have gotten those silver birds from Target. I may check to see if there's any left.

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  37. Wow! You have been busy. It all looks terrific. I love all the mercury glass that is avaiable now. Each of your vingettes look darling. Great job! ~ Sarah

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  38. I love your decor. The PEACE star is cool and I love the paris inspired stuff. Someone posted a pattern for making your own houses on one of my parties here recently and I thought that would be something I would like to try.
    Cheri

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  39. Stopping by from Met Monday. Your dollar store trees came out MUCH better than mine! I'll have to try your approach next year. =) Love, love, love your Xmas plates too!

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  40. I just adore your Christmas inspired metamorphosis.

    I have the mercury votive holders but now MUST find the birds! :)

    Be merry and bright!

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