Getting My Christmas ON

I talk a mean game but when it comes to the Christmas Season I am a big softy. This is what we accomplished this weekend and I do mean WE. I have a nasty, nasty cold but have to admit all the Holiday Cheer made it seem less dreadful.

First there was a little of this

and then a little of that

I like taking old Christmas pictures and putting them around the house during the Holidays

We got a Tree

Okay, Jack and Sadie got the tree whilst I lay in a comatose state in bed 

and the kids decorated it, but I did put the lights on, I swear!

And yes, our Christmas Tree does have it's own room in case you were wondering

 A little more of this

and a little more of that

A snowman for good measure

some lights and a few bows

and it is beginning to look a lot like Christmas if I do say so myself

Let's Talk About Boots

Forget Christmas, the best part of Fall AND Winter is that we get to wear our boots.

With a name like Puddleskipper what is not to love?

And really who does not look better in a pair?

The Clog and the Boot get married - need I say more?

Since I saw my first pair at Sole Searching, 

I have been fascinated by Artisan Cowboy boots. 

Old Gringo is a brand to remember.

Now, true, some of them are just downright tacky.

Or just over the top for moi but in a "you could totally work these if you were hip and cool enough with maybe a few piercings, some rad tattoos and wore them with skinny jeans and a black t-shirt" sort of way - which is cool and I would like these on you. 

In fact you, my friend, could rock these boots I am sure. You know who you are.

But what I am getting at is that there are some nice 

cowgirl boots out there and I need a pair. 

In fact, we CAN talk about Chrsitmas if you think

you might want to get me some as a present. Just saying.

Here are some interesting selections I discovered. 

They are all made by Old Gringo.

EYE CANDY

And then there are all the other kinds of  boots and 

I am thinking that I need a closet just for boots.

What about you? Do you wear boots like I do? 

How many pair do you have?

all these can be found at zappos.com

And now it is back to decorating. Sigh.

Holiday Decorating

Well it IS December 1st, Thanksgiving is behind us (and like Sissy over at Blue Hydrangea, if I was Thanksgiving I would be really pissed off at Christmas - next year, I swear, all the Christmas decorations will be up before Halloween)! 

So as of right now I have 10 days to get ready for this Holiday Home Tour. I decided I needed a little inspiration.

These got my creative holiday juices flowing

That pretty much sums it up. Happy December ALL!!

~All pictures from Country Living and Better Homes and Gardens~

Weekend Project

My mom designed and help make these units for me when I was still in Jr. High School. Seriously, she worked on them at some guy's warehouse workshop in a seedy part of Birmingham, Alabama. I vaguely remember going with her there after dark one night and someone trying to break in and hiding in a closet with a hammer or an axe in complete fear for an hour or so. For years and years I had all three of them pushed together and  framed out at the top with a piece of molding she created to fit them all together.

Over the years I have used them apart and for various purposes and more than once my mom has hinted that it would be okay for me to paint them, add new hardware, refinish them, as if maybe the reason I had not was because I was worried she would be offended. Ha. Ha.
                                                                                        

Two of the pieces are in my bedroom now. I use the one on the left with the secretary as a desk and this one on the right is for Jack (picture taken post me checking out new hardware so it is looking really gimpy). We don't have an office anymore in our new house so we've tried to create some space for that in the bedroom.

So Mom, if you are reading this, I picked out the paint and the hardware and yes, Jack did all the real work last weekend because, as you know I am the big picture girl and he is the hoss.

With a little TLC, everything old can be new again or at least respectable - which until this Christmas Tour is over, is the "Word Of The Month"  And see, once again without said accidental Christmas Tour participation my mom would still have to be giving her little hints because it is true - all of this was really long overdo.

The universe works in mysterious ways.

new pulls from Lowes - love how rustic they look

New knob for the secretary from Anthropologie

these are knobs I ordered for the piece I have in the living room below - also Anthropolgie

This will be the next transformation. I am really trying to convince my husband to go with some color on this one. He even suggested a little two tone action. I'll be sure to let you know how it turns out. We might not try to tackle this one until next year but we've got the knobs!










And here are the finished results for the bedroom pieces. Nothing dramatic, just polished up and functional without sticking out like a sore thumb.

Now all I need is a couch in here under the window - something decadently plush and comfortable without taking up too much space. I am thinking something along these lines from Blue Hand Home in Wilmington but with a less neutral fabric and more pillows. I can look at it and tell you that I could read all day in that. What do you think? I might have to drive to Wilmington and check it out.

Getting settled with some finishing touches

I guess I haven't told you the story about how we accidentally ended up on the Southport Home Christmas Tour to benefit the Southport Historical Society. It goes like this: we'd been here for a week and the nice lady stopped by while I was at work and talked to my husband and he told me about it and I said something very along the lines of a distracted and overwhelmed "that's nice" (meaning how lovely of them to ask, I'm honored but we just moved in). I do realize that I have been married for almost 20 years and still am surprised when my husband cannot read my mind.I am not sure a Dr. can cure this. A week later when I said "I've been thinking about the Christmas Tour and I just don't think we will be ready for it," he looks at me and says, "Oh, I thought you wanted to and I already told them yes."

It is a good thing I don't get too worked up about this sort of thing but we are the first people to live in this house and so nothing was done at all and the good news is that it has completely forced me to get the house done. This could have taken YEARS otherwise and I am SO not kidding. So curtains and shutters are up.

Morning Light

My bedside table and the Roman Shade

 

 

 I was a little panicked about the orange after I sent her (Jill Berry, Curtains from the Back Room and my new hero) the twenty yards of fabric but I am thrilled with the result and as Jill herself said, "It really does draw out the orange in the pillow." And well, it really IS all about the pillow.

                                                                                                                                                   

In the living room I went with shutters

Ruby Girl!!

And to top things off, we walked into Southport Antiques a couple of weeks ago, owned by our friends Bobbie and Brian Hennessey and saw this table. It was a foot too long but it was made in Black Mountain where Jack and I fell in love and so I got them to cut it down for us because while I have always longed for one of those old Pine farm tables, the Tiger Maple twist just stole my heart and clearly, because it was from Black Mountain where my dear old honey and I started it all, it was just fate even if we had to tweak it a little to create perfection. I just love the symbolism in that too.

and see how my mind works: now I need new chairs

So sometime not long after Thanksgiving I will show you all my "Holiday Finery" or just come tour the house on December 11th. Afterward you can take a ride in the carriage and check out The Christmas House for some ideas of your own.