Home for Christmas 2010 - Family Room

Alright already!

Enough of the RED!

Time for a change...

A hint of pale pinks and greens mixed between a lot of white

is what is needed now.

Our white fibre optic tree always looks amazing!

Especially at night!!

It has constantly changing colours twinkling through it's branches.

Not a whole lot of ornaments.

Just a few to embellish the clear glass candlestick holders

and an assortment of decorative clear glass 'lolly jars'(for want of a better word)

which have been found over the years at various flea markets, antique and opp shops.

No Christmas would be complete without a

sweet Nativity scene.

Again, purchased many many years ago, and very lightweight.

Made of paper and a very small amount

of resin or plastic for the hands and faces.

Below, is a composite photo of the fibre optic Christmas Tree at NIGHT.

Hope all this has set you in a festive mood,

and inspired you to create a

wonderland

your loved ones can come home to.

Home for Christmas 2010 - Dining Room

A couple of metres of inexpensive red panne velvet fabric

makes a wonderful tablecloth.

No sewing or ironing...ever!

Our small tabletop fibre-optic Christmas tree

that had once glowed many changing colours,

was sort of not working.

John removed the bit that was broken

and now we can use it...but only in one colour.

I chose RED...of course.

So now it glows red alongside

the large wooden birdcage.

John used a strip of LED lighting, in RED,

from Supercheap,

(the ones that are used as extra brake lights in the back window of cars)

to position inside the cage.

It makes the whole inside glow a gentle RED at night.

Inside the birdcage,

there resides a trio of

 'Cathedral Cats'.

I think it is very ironic that they have chosen

to live in what apparently was supposed to house birds.

Short, clear plastic beaded curtains

add a bit of sparkle

to the dining room.

(again, purchased from my favourite pharmacy!)

Atop the ornate wood carved framed mirror sits a small set of

'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs'

that John bought me as a surprise,

while touring NSW a few years ago.

'Santa and a small boy'

were a bargain I picked up one year,

half price, from a Jewelry Store

during the sales a few months after Christmas.

'Scarlett' is our resident mannequin

that I picked up from an Overflow store a while back.

She helps to make the day Merry and Bright

by displaying more beads and greenery.

Small faeries oversee the dining and lounge rooms

from on top of a cabinet

which has a very ornate tassel

to embellish the handle.

Next : the Family Room...

Home for Christmas 2010 - Lounge Room

Want to know the best place to buy

good quality Christmas decorations,

nowadays??

Answer is : the Pharmacy.

Yes, you read it right.

Terry White's Pharmacy.

They must have a person with some definite talent,

in charge of buying the goodies to sell in their chemists at Christmas.

Each year I am happy to discover what new delights they have in store.

This magnificent 'Angel' was bought a few years ago.

Again, very lightweight, and mostly made from paper and fabric,

with just a touch of plastic or resin for the face and hands.

The annoying fireplace.

Each year, I try to come up with some way of

making it invisible.

Or at least, not so noticable.

It's wonderful during Winter, but totally useless over Summer.

(Click here to view last years make-over of the fireplace!

and here for photos of our foyer, last Christmas)

The beautiful big red and gold trimmed boxes,

which were purchased from Lincraft a couple of years ago,

are used to store some Christmas ornaments in through the rest of the year,

but actually make a wonderful display...and they help to hide the fireplace.

'Olde Bears' charming neck ruff is simply

an inexpensive elastic and ribbon hair scrunchie.

..made to appear so much  more.

This little fellow in green and white

is a reminder of our wonderful

visit to the

Hunter Valley Gardens.

We found him in their gift shop.

Beside the fireplace, this Christmas,

I have a beautiful old metal firewood bucket,

given to me by a very special lady.

(thanks Desi!)

As can be seen, the bears have decided to hog it all to themselves

...pretending to be Santa's helpers.

Also sprouting out the top are two big glowing branches

of fibre optic flowers in red and white.

Below: This is a shot looking up the fireplace flue...or chimney.

This amazing little Christmas Elf was one of quite a few purchases

we made while travelling around Tasmania.

Bought from my all time favourite shop!!!...'Reliquaire'

which is in Gilbert Street, Latrobe.

 (delightfully fond memories ...*sigh*)  

The building that is now 'Reliquaire',

was built in 1870 and ran as a hotel

up until 1959 when it was made into flats.

The Christie family took it over in 1992,

transforming it into what it is today.

Now made over into a fantasy wonderland.

 So huge, that they hand you a mud-map

of the place upon entering, so you won't get lost!

...as well as some delicious chocolate fudge to nibble on as you explore

the vast rooms full of sensational delights.

Two inexpensive plastic beaded curtains were easy to fit

to the top of the large window...just a couple of nails hammered

into the very top of the wooden window frame (out of sight).

For extra 'bones' on which to flesh out my decorating,

this year I decided to add a long plank of wood.

Positioned on top of a cabinet and stretching over to the top

of two smaller pedestals that I had stood on top of each other.

After a couple of lengths off panne velvet  were

thrown around and about,

the plank became invisable and prestented itself nicely as

a perfect spot to sit some more Christmas goodies

as well as more of my collection of Jesters.

My Jesters are special.

'Fools' as some would have once called them.

I am always reminded of the beautiful song,

(one of my favourites) by Michael Card, called

'God's Own Fool'

(1 Corinthians 3:18)

Above: These two 'twins' were each found separately,

in two different opp shops.

I got them for a pittance.

I think they started life as display items for MYER or DJ's one year.

They both have slight blemishes from their ordeal...but then again, don't we all.

There are the 'usual suspects' (the Nutcrackers)

and teeny tiny elves,

as well as a few nice big teddy bears.

All mixed together with birdcages and holly leaves.

A new set of twinkling, warm white LED fairylights

were needed for this display,

as I didn't want too much heat so close to the fabrics.

The LEDs are cool to touch, unlike traditional bulbs.

A simple fabric wreath of gold hydrangea

makes our tablelamp look a little bit special

for Christmas.

This tiny, painted chest of drawers is a find

from one of our trips to Montville.

The shops up that way, always delight.

For anyone who has ever been to our home at Christmastime,

this years decorating may seem a little tame and a bit under par.

Not like the completely over the top decorating

of Christmas's past.

But I am not as young as I once was

and a lot of things are just too much bother now.

Still. Christmas will always be special for me,

and I want to make many wonderful memories

for our little granddaughters to cherish.

(And it still does delight the inner child in me!)

Next : the 'Dining Room'...