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Friday, December 11, 2015

Welcome to my home


As you come up the drive, two urns flanking the walkway to the front door. These were bare, with frozen soil. Too heavy to move to warmth, I used a mug of hot water to thaw the dirt, then a screw driver to jab holes into it, so that I could add branches of cedar and barberry, plus an outdoor bow.


At the front door sits a bench which needs repairs. Too rickety for anyone to actually sit on, but nice for placing decorative items.


If you come to the kitchen door, there's an urn, similar to the 2 urns flanking the opening to the walkway to the front. This urn was lightweight, and could be brought into the kitchen to thaw and place branches into. I used cedar, juniper, ivy, salal, barberry and cotoneaster in this planter, and another outdoor bow.


Inside the kitchen, between the two windows, a faux wreath. It lives in a box in a closet out of season, along with all of the other lasting Christmas decorations.



Out the back door, outdoor bows tied onto railing posts. the bows bought on clearance at Jo-Ann's, for 50 cents each last January.


Around the house, messages in Scrabble tiles.


A lighted garland above and around the dining room window.


The dining table centerpiece.


Several faux poinsettias, grouped together.


A faux floral arrangement (below). (I've collected these faux floral/greenery items bit by bit, on clearance, over the years. At this point, I spend very little on new items and just use what I've got stored away. When I am wanting something new, I look at what I already have, and find a new way to use the materials, or display the items.)


I can't forget what we're really celebrating.


Wishing you . . .



31 comments:

  1. Such a beautiful job decorating! Looks like your home must be in a lovely setting, as well.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Cat,
      we're in the suburbs in the Pacific Northwest. With all of our regular annual rainfall, homes are always surrounded by greenery. It is nice, but we miss the sunshine that other places enjoy more of!
      Thank you! I tend to go more for the "plunk it down and enjoy" rather than spend oodles of time creating.

      Delete
  2. Hi Lili,
    Thank you for sharing your lovely home and decorations with us. You are always inspiring. I love the Scrabble tiles and the sheet music candles you shared the other day.
    Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas!
    Jo Ann

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jo Ann,
      Thank you.
      Wishing you and your family a Merry Christmas, as well. And may the blessings abound in the new year!

      Delete
  3. Your house looks so inviting, both inside and out. Thank you for sharing and giving the rest of us great frugal ideas for decorating our homes.
    Jayne

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jayne,
      Thank you.
      As I said to Cat, above, I am definitely more of the "plunk it down" type. I go for quick and easy, without too much expense.
      I'll tell you what's the most satisfying. It's when I can take basically nothing (like the bare soil urns/planters) and within a half-hour have them filled with beauty from nature.
      For those of you living in the snowy regions -- you get a Christmas snowy landscape to admire, no charge!

      Delete
  4. Lovely, Lili! And you answered a question I'd been wondering about--if you have amassed a lot of stuff over the years, and tend to re-imagine its use each season. :) Looks like you've been busy. Have a wonderful weekend! Sara

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. PS... Just caught the Christmas tree party food post at the FB. That looked fabulous, too! Yum! Sara

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    2. Hi Sara,
      Thank you. Surprisingly, I don't have a basement full of Christmas decorations. I have one small-ish closet that holds everything but the tree. It also houses everything related to other holiday decorations. The tree comes apart and lives in a closet under the stairs, for most of the year. So, to make it fresh each year, I do tend to try and think up a new way to use or display items.

      Delete
    3. Oh, and that one closet with holiday decorations also houses luggage, some bedding/quilts, and boxes from small appliances that could need to be shipped to a manufacturer, under a warranty, if they should need repairs -- so, what I'm saying is I don't have tons of Christmas decor stuff.

      Delete
  5. Looks like a good setting for a cup of tea or cocoa with a friend. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Kris! The kitchen door is always open for friends!

      Delete
  6. Lovely, Thank you for sharing Lili.
    Dee D

    ReplyDelete
  7. Your decorations are so lovely! I especially love your grouping of faux poinsettias. I always enjoy looking at potted poinsettias in the homes of other during the Christmas season. I avoid them myself because we have dogs and the poinsettias are poisonous.

    Now, I'm thinking I need a couple of faux poinsettias!
    I'm not sure I have a storage area large enough to keep them looking as nice as yours, though.

    Angie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Angie,
      Thank you. Actually, on the condition of the poinsettias -- they do get smushed a bit in the closet. They all fit on a section of a shelf in my holiday/storage closet.

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    2. Well, yours look beautiful. So they must 'un-smush' really well. Faux poinsettias are on my list of post Christmas clearance items to look for!

      Angie

      Delete
  8. All so pretty and festive, Lili!
    Mary

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  9. Thank you for sharing your beautiful home. The decor is lovely. It was fun to see how festive you have made your home.
    Have a great weekend.
    Blessings,
    Patti

    ReplyDelete
  10. Replies
    1. Thank you, Carol!
      Wishing you and your family a wonderful Christmas!

      Delete
  11. You decorations remind me very much of one of my sisters. She always makes everything look so nice--usually simple and very tasteful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, live and learn!
      I think simple aptly describes my decor style, and I do aim for tasteful!
      Wishing you and your family a blessed Christmas!

      Delete
  12. I recall a remark that you said once about your decor blending well because you have chosen what you like....not sure I said it right but that was what I remembered. Certainly your love of Greco Roman(?? just my guess) shows through and mixing up holiday decor items is just the spice to a beautiful museum back drop :)

    YHF

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi YHF,
      Yes, I think I am drawn to classical design.
      Thank you! I do find that when I stick just to what I love, it all blends together, well.

      Have a wonderful Christmas, YHF!

      Delete
  13. You decorations are very pretty. Your home looks very festive & happy!
    Rhonda

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Rhonda,
      Thank you. I enjoy decorating for the holidays.

      Have a very merry Christmas, Rhonda!

      Delete
  14. Your home looks lovely, Lili. I love the glass house on the bench outside. There is a local grocery store that has one that I have been looking at for about one year now. They are so pretty. I like the Scrabble tiles spread throughout your home too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Belinda,
      Thank you!
      Oh, maybe that tabletop glass house will go on sale soon? If it's been at your local grocery store for a year, now. Myself, I was wanting one of those old-fashioned lanterns with a candle and greenery inside. But I couldn't warrant spending that kind of money on something I would only use for a month out of each year. So, I've used the tabletop conservatory/terrarium in it's place. You can't see it in the photo, but there's a candle inside, with small branches of cedar and a couple of pinecones, surrounding the candle. I think when you can find a substitute that gives you, personally, the same feeling, it's so satisfying.

      Delete

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