Tuesday, November 29, 2016

IT'S USUALLY ABOUT THE TREE FIRST...










Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving 
with your families and friends 
gathered round. 

 Our's was fantastic.
  An excellent meal 
eaten in the glow of a beautiful sunset, 
in the company of loving family, 
counting our past blessings 
and all the 
blessings to come...





...and while
 we were enjoying our time together,
 Jake was strolling the streets of 
Spain and Italy, 
making memories 
that he will be
 blessed with 
forever.







I am certainly enjoying 
all the preparations for Christmas 
that are abundant in blog land now. 

 As excited as I am, 
I can't seem to get much of 
my own up and doing. 
 Usually,
 I start with the main tree 
and that sets the tone
 for what is 
to come.






Last year (above) 
we got rid of our big faux tree
 and put up a fresh one.

 We have decided 
that is the way we wanted to go
 in the future, 
but the trouble with that idea is 
we don't have the luxury
 of having the tree
 close at hand 
to be able to put it up when we want to.

  I normally like to start 
the day after Thanksgiving 
but this year
 we have had days that were 
so wet and nasty 
that we didn't want to get caught 
in the down pour.






I have a theme in mind 
so decided to jump ahead 
and carry that through to
 the parlor mantle.






Since I want to use fresh greens, 
I picked from some bushes 
in the garden 
until we get the tree.

They looked pretty at first 
and the ones in water, 
in the red Dollar Tree vases, 
look pretty still, 
but they don't hold up well
 out of water.

 But, still 
I have managed to set the picture
 of what I want
 the final outcome 
to be.







~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~





The sitting room, 
as opposed to the parlor, 
is telling me
 what the theme should be.

 It definitely says 
it wants to be 
a more casual 
woodland setting...






...I think the plaid ribbon on the wreath 
dictated this particular way to go.

  I wanted a tree 
in this room also 
but the floor space is limited 
so I took the top of a 
smaller faux tree we had 
and put it in an old stoneware crock
 and placed it on the oak end table.

  Because of the earthy feeling
 I was getting from the room,
 I thought the cotton stems
 might be a good addition 
and then some yarn pom poms
 for a touch of color
 instead of 
bright and shiny ornaments...






...it's funny 
how ideas just 
seem to evolve.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~






I have to tell you
 about these pillows I got on Amazon. 
 I found them quite by accident 
and the prices were so good 
that I had to give them a try. 
 I figured I didn't have 
much to lose...






...they didn't look too bad
 when they first arrived,
 at least not something
 that an iron couldn't cure.

 They took awhile to get here 
and I still am waiting for two more.

 They say they are 16" square
 but they are bigger 
one way than the other
 so a 16" pillow form doesn't fit.
  The openings are zippered 
but not very large 
so it was almost impossible 
to get the form in.
  I ended up stuffing them 
with loose filler. 
 I had the idea of adding the pom poms
 all the way round 
but the letters are so close to the seam 
that they would be covered up
 on the sides,
 so just did the four corners.

I might yet add 
some to the other one
 after I stuff it a little fuller. 
 What I thought looked like a green tree
 is actually dark blue, 
although it looks black in the photo, 
but it does go with
 the colors in the room.
 The others that I haven't received yet
 look black with white writing,
 but that remains to be seen.

 The Captain thinks 
the pom poms are ridiculous 
but it looked too plain for me.

 No matter how you might feel 
about their looks, 
you can't dispute their price:

Blue Tree: $1.81 
and
 Merry Christmas: $ .91.

 The two yet to come
 are $2 and $3.


 How do you like me now?


~~~~~~~~~~






Today
 was a beautiful day and,
 hopefully,
 tomorrow will be the same
 so we can go look 
for our tree.






We are still working 
on our current project 
and I'm counting on a Christmas reveal 
and I promise 
it will still be Christmas,
 even if it is
 in July...





...but,
 more Cottage Christmas next time 
and don't forget
 the new season of 
Fixer Upper
 starts tonight!


...Judy...






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15 comments:

  1. Love the pillows...and the price. Totally worth the wait for that kind of a bargain! We have an artificial tree and I love that I can put it up when I want, but real is always so pretty and that smell is divine! Can you believe I have never seen Fixer Upper? Not a one...

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  2. Fake trees or real trees - what a decision. After years of real, we have a "skinny spot and a 8 ft ceiling we are back to "fake". I will miss the real deal!

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  3. Oh everything is so lovely - the sitting room tree is so sweet - and the white tree - and the plaid bows and the lovely candles and the tree from last year - and oh just everything - mustn't forget those cute (and inexpensive) pillows - so wonderful. You always do up your house so wonderfully for every season and holiday - perfect for enjoying an afternoon cup of tea.

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  4. I love a real tree but they are to hard for me to handle alone, so it's my fake one. Everything looks good so far and I think you are right on the money with your setting room.
    WOW you can't go wrong with the price of those pillows and they look good.

    Looking forward to seeing tree all decorated. I am finished, just a few more things to do.

    Hugs,
    Mary

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  5. We have always gotten a live tree, I guess my husband and I never wanted to do anything different than what we knew from when we were young. I used to wait for that tree, usually the second week of December and then we would decorate. I've just recently been able to switch it around. I spend the first week of December decorating the house and then the tree is the icing on the cake. I also use a tree preservative which you add to the water your tree sits in. Our trees have done beautifully.

    Your decorations look lovely, Judy. I saw another blogger raving about these pillows from Amazon so I'm very happy to hear another opinion. Some things are meant to be seen, held and felt! I've learned the hard way with online shopping.

    Keep us posted on your holiday merry making! :)

    jane x

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  6. Oh everything looks so "country" and rustic and so perfect for your cottage! I always got fresh trees until about 4 years ago. I hated putting on the lights and thought how nice it would be to have a tree with the lights on it.. so we got about a 5 ft tree so sweet and perfectly shaped with THE LIGHTS ALREADY ON IT! I do love it and I get these little long green things that you hang on the tree that smell just like a fresh tree! I hang those all over the house so I can still have the smell of a fresh tree. Now I can leave it up as long as I want to,,, sometimes to the end of February! I love the lights at night. Everything else you've put out so far is lovely.. and the idea of cutting your fake tree to make a smaller tree is a very ingenious idea! I've always wanted a very rustic tree with fresh things from nature on it, but hubby likes the bright and shiny baubles, though I do put alot of my handmade ornaments on it too. I'm so limited on space, whether it be floor or on top of something, so I don't even know where I'd put a small tree for rustic decorations.. but where there's a will, there's a way, right? I look forward to your tree decorating this year! Marilyn

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  7. Well, even without your big tree up it is starting to look like Christmas at your house. We did go with a real tree for a few years but went back to the faux one for the same reason you are finding- locating the perfect tree and getting it set up. I do take the faux tree and stuff some real green fir branches in there . It makes the tree really FULL and it adds the real tree smell.
    Everything you have done so far is great.

    Bet you were missing your boy on Thanksgiving even though you know he is making wonderful memories for himself. xo Diana

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  8. I think Jake is doing it up right in Spain and Italy!
    Judy, even without the tree, your home looks so pretty and festive. Just beautiful!
    I just watched the new episode of Fixer Upper and loved it, of course. I just kept feeling so bad for them knowing how hot it is while they're filming in this Texas heat!
    Enjoy the rest of your week! xoxo, T.

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  9. Very fun and festive! Thanks for sharing at Dishing It & Digging It!

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  10. So much brilliant idea... Love all the decorations..

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  11. Lovely Judy! We always had a faux tree growing up, and a white one at that. Remember those? When we got married, we started getting real trees and for many years it was always fun to go out and get one, but for about three years now we haven't even gotten a tree because we are not home for Christmas. I miss it sometimes.

    Anyway, your home looks so cozy and warm, and I love the woodland theme.

    xxx

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  12. Judy, your home looks so festive and pretty. The tree will come. Loving your previous faux tree. We have a few faux trees, that make it easy to decorate and put away. Love the real trees and the amazing smell. I didn't like how the needles made a mess and the tree dried out. My hairdresser said she buys a real tree every year and it is tall. She pays $180.00 for her tree. I am sure once you get your tree, it will be as beautiful as the previous ones. Merry. Christmas to you.

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  13. How fun for Jake to be in Spain and Italy. My daughter spent a semester in Spain when she was in College and loved it there. Good for him. Your home is beginning to look so pretty for the holidays.
    Enjoy getting ready.
    Hugs,
    Kris

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  14. I love your decorations. I love the beads you have on your tree too. Every thing looks so nice and Christmasy. Ready to sit down there and have a hot coffee or hot chocolate, looks so cozy.
    Glad Jake is doing so well and gets to see two places I would love to see, Spain and Italy.
    I haven't decorated as much this year , didn't drag all of the stuff down like last year and sort of glad I didn't because I think I have just enough out.
    Happy Christmas to you
    betsy

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  15. Judy,
    I am playing catch up!! Everything looks so pretty!! I will be spending a bit time visiting your posts.....
    Hugs,
    Deb

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Your comments are so special to me...Judy