Yet More Decking

More holiday decor for your review:

 

Tree:

Window box swags:

Fireplaces:

China cabinet:

C's family nativity:

Merry Christmas!

More Hall Decking

The process continues...

We will have to try to get a close-up of the flower boxes – they are decorated with swags of real greens and holly, each with a faux-cardinal perched on top. E's family is originally from St. Louis, so it's a bit of a nod, what with their big year and all, but what bird says Christmas more than a cardinal?

Sneak peak of the inside – more to come:

Hanging of the Greens

So it's our first Christmas in our new house and we are just atwitter with possibility. So much space to decorate! But we're keeping it simple, both because we prefer that, and also because we are still working on acquiring surfaces to gee-gaw up with Xmas-y things.

I am always torn this time of year because I simply like too many Christmas decorating styles. European/Austrian/Alpine woodsy greenery, Victorian postcards and sparkles, modern retro mercury glass and shimmer – so many directions at once! But as my Annie would have recommended, I gave myself a talking to and decided to keep it simple, Martha-Stewart-esque magazines be-damned. If the place is only semi-fab, I'm sure we'll muddle through just fine. So it all began today as E and I set for the to get the greens and some old-school C7 incandescent (you heard me – INCANDESCENT) lights. Can't you just smell the fossil fuels burning? Yes, I'm all for saving the earth but DO NOT make me do it with garish LED fairy lights. Get back in the lab, science types, and come back with something that doesn't look like it belongs in a club or a used car dealership and we'll talk. In the meantime:

 

Much more to do, but we're pleased with the start!

Mailbox Redux

So you may remember that, as part of our freak early snow storm this year, our old mailbox post met a slightly untimely end (although it was rotting and listing to port, so I suppose the heavy, wet, snowplow spray was only somewhat to blame). Anyway, we  quickly replaced the post and returned the undamaged mailbox to its right, now less slanty, place.

We next needed to put our house number on the box or post as it appears nowhere else. We looked for post numbers but couldn't find any we liked. I had seen vinyl decals on Etsy meant to be placed directly on the mailbox, and I preferred that, but the silver mailbox had a slight ridged texture that would have made a decal wonky. In a "darn-it, this-is-our-house-and-we'll-get-what-we-like" moment, E bought a new black mailbox with flat sides that would accommodate a decal. The silver box has been added to our growing yard sale pile.

So here's the new box:

I wish I could show it to you in all its glory, but I simply must obscure the address. Instead, here's the example photo from the woman who made it:

 

So now just squint and mentally merge. Pretty, no?

Plus it matches our spray-painted shutters. It all coming together! Slowly.