Saturday, December 12, 2009

Farmhouse Christmas



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!!!

15 comments:

Sherry said...

it is 5:45am here and i am having my coffee while i tour your beautiful home, what a wonderful start to my day. eveything is just lovely.

sherry

Brenda said...

Wow everything looks wonderful. I love it all do not think I can even pick a favorite thing. Your porch looks just as awesome. If I had the money to hire a personal decorator I would hire you!

Sherri said...

Your house is BEAUTIFUL decked out for Christmas. Loving all the touches. I have my mom's rocker from when she was a child. Sits in my living room. She is 74 now, so I have no idea how old it is...but it's OLD. LOL

Cindy said...

Your house looks wonderful, very warm, festive and inviting. I loved all of it. Hugs, Cindy S.

Teresa said...

Love it all- thanks for sharing- I also love the bike sitting out front next to the fence- perfect.

Decor To Adore said...

Such loveliness has me swooning with happy sighs.

Beth said...

I love what you are doing and can't wait to come back for more wonderful ideas to decorate my own home!

Susan said...

Very warm, inviting and lovely.
Susan

Unknown said...

I'm having a terrific time visiting everyone's home.
All the decorations are just beautiful! Thank you for the tour!

Rhoda @ Southern Hospitality said...

It's all beautiful at your house! And I love that tree topper you made, it is just gorgeous. Who needs those pricey catalogs?? Merry Christmas!

Unknown said...

So pretty, I just love looking at picture of your beautiful house, especially all decked out for Christmas! thanks for linking up.

patty said...

stopped by on nester's tour {still!} where to start? love the snowflakes and tree-topper on your tree; the black branches w pointsettas over your grandchildren's photos; the real greens in your chandelier; the old window.. sigh.. love it all! merry christmas!

Jenkins said...

Sure thing, scrap golds are not valued by high end dealers, but if you are determined enough you can try. However by investing in Micro Cap ETFs, you can reap the rewards with only a few micro cap stocks soar and take the micro cap index up with them. Bo Anderson Facebook. Bo Anderson is on Facebook. Join Facebook to connect with Bo Anderson and others you may know. Facebook gives people the power to share and makes the world more open. Its okay to make mistakes in stock trading, as long as you learn from them. This stock exchange was established in 1849 during the California Gold Rush and the Curb Exchange. Such index investments might be in a company that mines gold or in one that processes gold. GM picks A123 Systems for battery pack contract Maybank Gold Investment Account Facebook. As one of the world?s most precious commodities, gold remains to be a secure investment. And with the Maybank Gold Investment Account (MGIA), you can start.

Corsini said...

This makes them a very high environmental risk and one of the main reasons some countries place restrictions on the number of nickel-cadmium batteries that can be used. Agenda appear with actual bright and advantageous complete quality. The Secretary of Transportation has determined that a hazardous material is a substance that can pose an unreasonable risk to health, safety and property when it is transported in commerce. Pros:New throw-away batteries actually last longer initially than freshly-charged rechargeable batteries.They are relatively cheap and widely available, and you don't need to purchase a charger or carry it with you.They also perform better in intermittently-used devices such as flashlights, and they do not lose their capacity in storage (or lose it very slowly).

Anonymous said...

What's up, I would like to subscribe for this blog to get most recent updates, therefore where can i do it please help out.

Also visit my site :: online graduate certificate