continental calliope: December 2009

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells,
Jingle all the way!
We have joined these parties!
Transformation Thursday @ The Shabby Chic Cottage
Trash to Treasure @ Reinvented
Thrifty Thursday @ Tales from Bloggeritaville
Show & Tell Friday @ My Romantic Home
Home for the Holidays @ Southern Hospitality
Christmas Trees Unite @ Funky Junk Interiors
Christmas Tour of Homes @ Nesting Place

We have decked the halls early enough this year
to truly have time to enjoy the beauty & peace of the season.
The shopping is almost complete, wrapping is well under way
and the first of two Christmas parties,
here at Calliope, is just two days away.
We are so glad you came by for a visit.
Come on in & take a look!

OUR TREE

I wanted to change up our tree this year, so when I saw a fun tree topper at Grandinroad I was excited to give it a try.
It had a crown of branches, berries & snowflakes.
I called to order it as soon as I saw it,
but was told it was already sold out! gr-r-r-r!
So we studied the picture and decided we would try to replicate it.
We used birch branches from our yard,
two packages of snowflakes from Michaels,
some crystal berry picks I have had for years
& some twig wreaths we had in our craft stash.

WE. LOVE. IT!

THE FAMILY ROOM

We all enjoy the family room.
It is so cozy with the fireplace & coffered ceiling.
We all enjoy the flat screen TV & we all play lots of Wii in this room too! The child's rocking chair was my sons, 33 years ago.
Wow, could it really be that long ago?

We live just 5 miles from Duarte nursery,
one of the world's largest grower of Poinsettias.
It is a breath-taking place to visit every Christmas season.
Their greenhouses seem to go on forever with spectacular colors & styles.
The plants add such a holiday cheer to our home and yard!

The piece we placed over the sofa
is a vintage piece of exterior dental molding from an old Victorian home. We think it has the perfect chipp-i-ness & lots of shabby appeal.

This room was part of the original farmhouse built in 1948.
We left the original hardwood floors & fireplace,
but the 8 foot ceiling felt way too low.
Hubs suggested we raise the ceiling and coffered the edges.
We painted it red and added the ceiling medallion over the chandelier.
I'm not sure the ceiling will stay red much longer,
but I do love it at Christmas time.

THE GREAT ROOM

Our 8 foot entry door opens directly into the Great Room.
The ceiling is vaulted to about 18 feet.
One of our favorite parts is the eyebrow window
we purchased at a salvage yard.
I love it when the moon is full & it shines through.
(we will post about all our salvaged windows after the new year)

Again, we decorated with one of our favorite pieces
of vintage architectural salvage!

The antique barometer and the vintage pine bench
are both treasured gifts from our Aunt Joane.
The print is a signed & numbered,
Al Rounds painting of the Lion House corner
in Salt Lake City, Utah.
My friend Rieta & I each purchased one
on a special girls-only trip years ago.
Her number is lower than mine, but she saw them first!

This antique cabinet was purchased at an annual antique fair
held in an elementary school play ground in Modesto, CA.
Several dealers had made offers
but we were the only ones willing to pay the $100 asking price.
It had been painted and someone had attempted to strip the paint.
We love the patina that the half paint, half wood, look gives it.

We love old windows...
this one we purchased from one of our favorite sellers on eBay. ShabbytownUSA.

Hubs & I are suckers for vintage red & white quilts!
The carolers sit next to our CD player.

The little tree is wrapped in burlap
& we borrowed the antique railroad lantern from Aunt Joane.
Love old suitcases & things made from twigs & sticks!

The star wreaths were purchased from Pottery Barn a few years ago.
The Santa ornament is a vintage reproduction we purchased
at one of our favorite stores, Wisteria in Soquel, CA.

Our Santa figure was purchased at the Country Folk Art Show
from one of the artisan's at Stone Soup Santa Co.
We love the individual detail of each Santa
& enjoy displaying ours each year.

The Reason for the Season.
We celebrate the birth of our Savior,
Jesus Christ.
We love our print of a painting by artist Greg Olsen.
We display it all year in our home
as a reminder of His Love & His sacrifice.
We love Him.

This buffet got a make-over
when we participated at a Procrastinators Party
being given at The Inspired Room.
Melissa has a great blog with loads of eye-candy & fabulous ideas.
We posted about the buffet here.
The antique French shutters were a birthday gift from Hubs.
We decorated this year with Hubs vintage 1950's Christmas village
complete with houses, trees, church
& skating pond with all of the cute lead figurines.
This was a gift from his 2nd Mom, Ruth Horn.
We cherish it!
Christmas pictures of our grandchildren hold center stage
watching over all the activities.

We are so glad you stopped by to see our Farmhouse Christmas!
We wish each of you & yours
Merry Christmas
and a
Healthy, Happy New Year!

P.S. While I have been writing this post,
Hubs has been busy finishing an early Christmas present for me.
It involves an old wood ladder, two vintage lanterns,
airline cable & electrical cord.
He was inspired by something he saw in a PotteryBarn catalog.
Be sure and check back next week.
IT IS AWESOME!!!

~Our Front Porch Country Christmas~

With our love for all things vintage, we designed our front door wreath around a pair of antique boot stretchers.
Attached to a fresh pine wreath from Costco, we embellished the metal boot forms with frayed burlap and matte satin ribbon.
Tassels are all the rage right now, so we decorated our boot stretchers with a tassel we fashioned from velvet & organza ribbons, burlap, crystal beading & strips of torn drop cloth.
We attached the tassel to a rusty bell & tied it to the wreath.
I get tickled every time I look at it!
Like whiskers on kittens, this has become one of our favorite things.