Christmas day has just passed, the busy craziness of getting ready for the season is hopefully done for most of us, and now is a time of respite…
Here at The Manor, our door is still quietly surrounded with colorful twinkling fairy lights as well as a pretty lit wreath…
Hubby brought a bunch of poinsettias from a big box store’s Black Friday sales and some have gone to new homes as Christmas gifts. Such a nice way to say hello and I love you to friends so dear!!!
Come inside and enjoy our living room! Even not quite finished and late on a school night, it was fun to snap a few photographs as the Christmas decorations were brought out and the regular decor put away…
A tree skirt was fashioned from an old double bed bedskirt. An antique English child’s school chair pulled out for our soon-to-visit grandson… He did touch it but didn’t climb on it this time.
He did sit in a very old one, though! Originally a handmade rocking chair from the 1870’s, I bought it in Carlsbad, California on one of my first antiquing expeditions when I had a day off from apartment managing, when we first moved to Southern California with the US Marine Corps. I think I bought this chair in 1989 and I immediately knew I’d weave a seat for it!
I found a spool of calico trim, which has some padding inside the length of it. I used the whole spool running the trim first one direction then back across perpendicularly. I made all kinds of home furnishings back then as a newlywed!
This year’s decor all began with the mantel… Quiet decor with just woodland animals and little Christmas trees, it was perfect with simple greenery tucked in and around each little figure!
Setting the tone for the rest of the room’s decorations:
- the aforementioned woodland animals up on the fireplace mantel and soft sculpture animals I’ve collected since high school sitting along the hearth and around the Christmas tree
- the little children’s chairs
- coloring books and story books for gifts
- a very simply decorated tree with lights and just a very few non-breakable ornaments
welcomed everyone home!
My original plan to bring down all the boxes of family ornaments went awry… Hubby has travelled since late September almost every week to California on business, so… I didn’t have anyone to help me bring down the boxes. Our son and I talked about his helping me the week before they drove down. But when it came down to it, the tree was pretty just with the very few paper houses and churches, a Nordic Christmas star with a little straw reindeer inside it, and one snowflake garland placed casually across the tree’s midsection.
Sometimes simple is best. 🙂
And what do you think of my husband’s creative gift wrapping?? That’s my Christmas surprise inside that red throw and two belts…
More about that another day. ;)’
But for now…
From our family to yours,
Happiest of Christmases and a Happy New Year!
Barb 🙂
Your home looks beautiful, Barb. I love the woodland animals and greens and bottlebrush trees on the mantel and the colored lights. I’m a huge fan of colored lights! Those chairs are darling and it looks like you were with those you love — you can’t beat that! Happy New Year!
Thank you, Jeanie! We had the best time!!! Happy New Year to you, too!!! 🎉🥳☃️