On the 8th day passed Christmas, my true love left for me...
"Christmas Blur"
...lots of mess to clean up,
and a blur of the Christmas tree.
Christmas has left the building. But before it paid us adieu, I took some photos. Because every freakin' year, after I lug up all the boxes of Christmas bits and bobs from the basement, I look at the mess and ask myself...WHERE DID I PUT ALL THIS CRAP LAST YEAR? Now I'll know.
So just when you thought it was safe to venture into a Christmas-free zone time of the year, I bring you a peak of our Christmas surroundings before they all got stashed and settled in for a long winter's nap. (Danger Will Robinson...photo dump approaching)
So just when you thought it was safe to venture into a Christmas-free zone time of the year, I bring you a peak of our Christmas surroundings before they all got stashed and settled in for a long winter's nap. (Danger Will Robinson...photo dump approaching)
There is something about Christmas that causes my inner voice to yell at me "Let's get our Martha Stewart on girl!" Luckily, that inner voice has laryngitis when it comes to any other holiday of the year. Otherwise, my house might explode.
(I confess, this was a new addition this year)
"Stacking Santas"
" One Swan a Sittin' "
For those counting:
3 Christmas Trees
To infinity and beyond ornaments
15 mercury glass Christmas trees (because "I have too much mercury glass" said NO ONE EVER!)
20 Christmas candle holders
22 Santas
2 Angels
Innumerable "bits and bobs" that defy classification
Innumerable "bits and bobs" that defy classification
And a "few" other things that MAYBE I don't want to admit having to the Better Half, shhhhh!
Where do I find all my treasures? Or in the Better Half's words "Oh fuuuuuudge (but he didn't say 'fudge") how much did this cost me?" Truth is, lots of different places. Some recent, some I've had for a long time. ALL of which don't cost nearly what it looks OR the Better Half believes...that's my story and I'm stickin' to it! Flea markets, family hand me downs, gifts (my family knows my weakness or mercury glass), craft stores, do-it-myselfers, lots of 're-purposed' things from around the house, and yes...HomeGoods too. But some of my favorite things have come from my mom's senior living community and their "sales". Otherwise known as their "I don't have room for this stuff anymore" sales. $5 goes a LONG way there!!
And because I get easily bored, altho I stick to my basics...every year I tweak a bit. This year? I added a bit more "red" to my bits and bobs. I felt it went well with all the "grey" I added to my home throughout the year.
"Tin Santa Collection"
I love when my home is decorated for the holidays. But I gotta admit...I also love when it's all gone too. Colorful to neutral. Fully decorated to minimalist. Just like I need the winter to truly appreciate the spring. I need Christmas decorations to appreciate how the house looks the rest of the year. At least that's how I rationalize my fully loaded basement to the Better Half.
Christmas has officially left the building.
Here's where I "link up" today
(Join me on Tuesdays for Song-ography. Click on photo for a full description)
Kathy > Martha Stewart
ReplyDeleteHands down.
SO pretty!!!
It's kind of hard to see it all put away. We spend so much time getting the house perfect for Christmas and so quickly it is over.
ReplyDeleteI have no mercury glass trees. I don't think I have ever seen one, but now you have me wanting one, or two, or ten!
Thanks for Sharing Your Cup!
I love the Bah Humbug sign, the pillows and the mercury glass trees! I have too much stuff too and added in a few new things this year but tried not to go overboard. I haven't packed it all up yet though...might be getting rid of some of the older, less used stuff. We'll see.
ReplyDeleteI am going thru the process of getting rid of the stuff I don't use anymore too. Last year I sold a lot of it on the Facebook yardsale sights. And I am going to go thru all my stuff again in the next month and do the same thing. I find I am becoming more discrimminating in how I decorate for the holidays. My photos might bely the fact that I actually 'cut back' this year on my decorating, haha.
DeleteI love the Christmas tree bokeh!
ReplyDeleteVery beautiful!
ReplyDeleteSo many beautiful decorations!
ReplyDeleteBeaUtiful!!! I looked for you in the red Christmas ball and found you. Yes you put a lot into decorating in just that tree alone. Wow! So the picture on Instagram where you were working on the joy pillow photo picture, can you share how there's no reflection on your computer monitor AND it's clear. Purdie please! I've got my iPhone and access to Papa Bear's fancy smancy camera but I don't want to ask him because he won't get it.
ReplyDeleteKenya, I replied on Instagram to your question but will do so here too. I have no "tricks" or "method" to get that shot without glare other than picking a time of day where the sun didn't shine directly onto the screen.
DeleteSweet post, Kathy! Thank you for sharing your beautiful Christmas season! I hate taking it all down. But the youngest one still at home on break said, "enough is enough" and started de-frocking the live tree where you can hear the pine needles hit the floor. Of course, I had to stop her, because everybody knows those ornaments don't go in that box, and the hand-me-down vintage glass ones from Grandma have their very own box duly named. And so it goes...until next year! Happy 2016 to you and yours and may it be full of loads of Love and Peace and JOY (I noticed your JOY pillows...my last year's word) and especially GOOD HEALTH! Aloha!
ReplyDeleteToo funny...I take it ALL down myself for those very reasons :)
DeleteI want Christmas back after looking at and reading your blog.....beautiful decorations and beautifully displayed....I am a bit of a Christmas decorating nutter but this year I only managed the mantle and the hall table as we are between houses atm and I just couldn't stand the thought of putting too much away again. Loved your pillows, loved your hurricane lamp with the candy and candle....we CANNOT get that candy over here...annoys me so much! I have the exact little stack of nesting santa's...well I could swoon from now till tomorrow morning so better go now.
ReplyDeleteCath, those "nesting Santas" are one of the treasures I've acquired thru the sales at my mom's senior living facility. Love them :)
DeleteHoly moly what an eye candy post!!! I'm not a baseball fan...but I'm smitten with your all american baseball tree and your peppermint candy candle display. I can't even imagine putting all those goodies away. It must take days!
ReplyDeleteOh believe me...it's comes down waaaaay faster than it goes up :). Still...it's always a bit sad.
DeleteYour house is magic! I love how dressed for the holidays it looks.
ReplyDeleteOhhhhhhhhh my! I love your decorations! And that baseball tree? I would be in heaven! I have tried to convince my husband that a second tree would be fabulous, but thus far he tells me there ain't no way. I just need to work on him a little more ;) My weakness is nativities. I add a new one to the collection every year...which he grouses at lol!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing with us at Photo Friday!