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| This is the Stair Case looking down from the upstairs hallway. |
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| Again, these ornament are from Walmart at there end of the year clearance sale. The silver beads came from a rummage sale. And the small silver ornaments came from the Dollar Tree. The ones that are grouped together in threes are connected by one hanger. |
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| The Den. I never have a room decorated the same way. The den, for example is set up and decorated different year after year. Mostly this is done for me. Think about it, you don't like to walk into a department store, every year, seeing the exact same thing do you? |
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| Looks like the birds having a bad day! |
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| OK, this is the last picture of the Den. The common thread in here, as well , as every other room, is that I've repeated everything. There are feathers, apples, leaves,pine, greens, etc. everywhere. I didn't put apples on place and purple balls another, and a little ribbon here and there....its all conducive. |
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| This is the view from the Parlor, looking into the Office. To the left of the door is the staircase, and to the right is the Den. |
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| This tree I do in all antique balls and beads. I can shut the french door, and little hands, can 't touch or break the ornaments.... |
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| This is Christmas 2011! Here's the dining room table, I can seat twenty people! My husband, bless that man's soul. He doesn't ask for much, and especially in the "home area", but one request was that we have a big enough table for everyone to sit at when we eat our meal, juring the Holidays. Wlep...he didn't have to ask twice, I found this farm table at a garage sale. It was $125.00. If you know me, I never pay asking price, but the table was just perfect for what I was going to need it for. The gentleman that was having the sale ,approached me, and started talking about it, and I listened and slowly drifted to another area (NEVER SHOW EXCITEMENT). Now, I really was going to buy the farm table at full price. But he followed me right over to the other goodies I was looking, and says" I'll take 100 for it", my head literally rotated 180 degrees..."you deliver it,and set it up in my dining room, and you've got yourself a deal".....I WAS gonna pay full price AND have to get my husband and grown sons to help move it!!!! |
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| All the roping and some of the lights were all garage sale items. And all the ribbon intertwined with the lights, is also from a garage sale. The key is here, that its all the same color, or in the same family of colors. And when it wasn't, I spray painted the object so that it blended with the other ones. And don't tell me that something can't be spray painted, because your talking to the woman who spray painted a lamp shade! |
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| Notice the curtains, they are velvet. I really have a sickness to change things OFTEN!All of the decorations on the tree came from an auction. I knew the lady who had passed away, and when her estate had the auction, I went. ALL the gold decorations were from her estate. $6.00 for ALL of them!! And I got the tubs to store them in as well! And the oil paintings were from garage sales or thrift stores,well all but two of them, my grandmother Mimi painted two of them! |
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| The tulle on the ceiling was purchased at a rummage sale. I put it up in October for Halloween, went right thou for Thanksgiving, and BAM, still good for Christmas.. 20 yards for $3.00....Oh yeah! |
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| If you are seated in the Dining Room, this is what you see .These curtains are also changed to velvet. Dark, warm pillows replace light and linen pillows from the summer months. I made the slipcovers from a dust ruffle and a queen sized sheet.I have about $4.00 total in the chairs. I also always add greenery around picture frames, and vignettes around the room. Not much effort, but high results. |
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| We live on a really busy street, but I thought it would make someone smile if they happen to look in and Santa waving from the front porch window. Do you want to know how many times I awoke to screams from men's voices? Yea, husband and sons kept forgetting he was there, and would come down in the middle of the night to get something to eat....they'll teach them... |
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| Ok, I did buy these, BUT, and its a BIG BUT...I waited for them to go on sale for 90% off at Target. I was on pins and needles the night before, wondering if they'd have any thing good. Now let me just let you in on a secret....DO NOT plan on anything! If I'd set my heart on something they were selling at the beginning of the season. I would have been setting myself up for BIG disappointment. Friends always ask me where I get things (duh), the thing is, I don't go anywhere planning anything. If you want the deals, you have to keep an open mind! |
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| This is looking into the Den, from the Parlor. |
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| This is the Den looking out into the Parlor. |
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| Everything on this coffee table is from Goodwill, garage sales, and thrift stores. Oh sorry the coffee table was free.... |
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| This is what I think adds a lot of meaning to Christmas. This is a picture of my Mimi and Papa Clark. This was taken when they were Seniors in High school. I put this framed picture along with other, 'wintery' scenes out during the winter months.These are the extra touches that people love, but don't neccicserly notice as a whole, but put together, makes a big impact! |
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| And yet, another example of going the extra mile. The garland that was fifty cents at a garage sale, is strung with lights, and, tucked into it's branches are gold leaves, silver grapes and some pine cones from the yard. |
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| So here we are, Christmas 2010...Mr. Deer is still here, but I've add some "snow". And I think my mantel scape is getting better....The change in curtains is a much needed improvement.... |
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| The same pencil tree as the year before, except, I put it in an urn...helps with the height problem, from the year before. |
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| Pictures are arranged diffferently also. |
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| This is looking from the Den out into the Parlor.... |
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| Front steps, off of the Parlor |
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| Looking down, from the top of the steps. |
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| This is the top railing on the second floor. |
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| Dining Room...some of the furnature has been rearranged, from the Christmas before... |
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| You, really notice, everything thats crooked, when you look at the photos.... |
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| Note, way more roping, and deocorations on the tree then last year...and a new chandelier! The one that was here, I had moved into the Breakfast Nook. Scored this at the last day of a tag sale, for 1/2 off.... |
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| From the slipcovers, to the chairs, to the pictures on the walls....all collected through the summer months, at garage sales... |
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| Kitchen |
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| Here's where things take a little turn...I didn't even take pictures of the Breakfast Nook , last year, because there wasn't that much to show.... |
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| Built in's , in the Breakfast Nook... |
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| Back staircase...it's different then the Christmas of '09... |
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| Down Bathroom |
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| Excuse the empty T.P. roll, and the spray bottle on the floor. I'm going to get better at this photo taking thing.... |
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| Game Room |
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| Game Room |
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| Here's another change, this is the Media Room, which is at the top of the back steps, I hadn't done, anything up here, the year before either.... |
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| I made this Santa and painted myself, in 1989....But.... |
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| The details to Santa weren't this impressive, til I had Catie, the girl who did my witch , give him the details, he deserved. She is SUCH an AWESOME artist...I can't wait to see where she goes with her talents. So when she becomes famous, I'm excited that I have a few of her paintings. I'm sure you have a talented artist in your community! Use them, it's a win win for everyone. |
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| And here's another spot where, I got to decorate more then the year before. This is the side door, to the wrap a round porch. |
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| And yes sir, I climbed the ladder myself, and hung all of the wreaths by MYSELF!!!! |
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| Front door |
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| Front door, looking into the enclosed wrap a round porch. |
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| The view from the other side of the french doors... |
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| This is looking down from the dining table out on the porch, the french door to the right, leads into the Dining Room. The sled to the left, was my mother, and her sisters, when she was growing up. My Aunt Martha had it, and gave it to me, when we moved! I love to have things like this....!!! |
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| These french doors, open into the Dining Room. |
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| Now , here's were it's really different from before...This is a bedroom, that I had in the year before, done nothing to.... |
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| And our bedroom.... |
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| This is our daughters room. She's a grown woman now, but she picked the color....not what I would have picked, but all the kids got to pick what they wanted. See the teal ish color in the bottom right hand corner, well the whole room was this color.Too, too, too much for me. So I painted the one wall white, and covered the other wall in green curtains, and left the other two walls alone.... |
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| See? |
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| I didn't do anything to this upstairs Bathroom last year either. This room is right off of, the room before this photo. In fact you have to go through another set of french doors , to get to the bathroom. |
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| ...And there you have the Christmas in July 2010 tour. I'd say I added about 50ish storage bins, that year....and yet again, I was VERY impressed with, how much I had decorated. Then I look back on these photos, and think, what was I thinking? I didn' t take all of these pictures for my blog. At the time, I hadn't even started blogging. I just always take a lot of pictures, so I can study them, so that I can improve the following year...I try anyway! |
