Saturday, January 1, 2011

Our Home: Christmas 2010

Welcome to our home....  We scaled down our decorations this year and we were VERY late getting things up.

After the dogs chewing up a few of these ornaments and the wind blowing them all over the place I hot glued them together!


I love, LOVE, LoVe, to see Christmas trees through the windows of homes-it's so warm and cozy.


Embarrassingly this tree went up on Christmas Eve.  Horrible I know....not sure what my problem was.  I think Lyndon was wondering what Santa would think.  This is also the first tree we haven't picked out as a family.  Cody was very busy with cotton and I ran over and grabbed a tree, but it then took several nights before he had a chance to trim the tree and bring it in.  We must do better next year.  
This tree looks to be on fire, but it wasn't I just over do it with the lights.  
Side Note: I do burn our tree after taking down the decorations each year and it amazes me that we put something that flammable in our homes....even when they aren't dried it out....it just takes a little longer to ignite, but when it does.....




I forgot that I put our stockings from last year in a garage sale with the intensions of finding new ones...but then forgot....I had trouble finding 3 of a kind but after two trips to Target I found these and added the initials from Hobby Lobby.

It was fun finding these glittery sticks I bought last year after Christmas.


I decided to not have a tree topper on the living room tree this year.

I didn't buy ANY ornaments this year.  VERY shocking for me.  I had bought these characters from the Nutcracker off of a Pottery Barn Clearance isle back in February.

Momma bought this for me when she and my grandmother visited in October.

I found these two ornaments I picked up after Christmas last year.

It's fun to find the new goodies as I am unpacking my Christmas decorations.

I decided to be a follower and added burlap to my tree as I have seen numerous trees in 'bloggers-ville' with burlap.


I kept the wrapping pretty simple this year, but did try and finish up using some old wrapping and ribbon-I have accumulated quite a collection.









Lyndon and I couldn't resist this deer a few months ago.

My dining tree is a collection of my tree toppers, birds, feathers, glittery sticks and beads, burlap, and this year I added snow.  I would like to figure something else out with the snow for next year because it was a mess.



Granny Dot's old tree topper...







Into Lyndon's room which felt like a 'clutter haven' to me this year.




Lyndon's tree branches had to be redone this year and I used a tree a friend of mine gave me.  It is the neatest tree, but it was so bushy I had trouble getting the ornament hooks to stay on the branches.  Also the branches were a lot longer than the old branches and it took up a lot of room even though the pictures don't look like it.

Lyndon's tree is made up of ornaments he has made, picked out, my childhood ornaments and Cody's childhood ornaments.  Lyndon has a lot of fun with his tree.  Lyndon has requested to not use the upside down tree in his room next year and I am ready for a change as well.  We have been scoping out the after Christmas sales for a tall skinny tree.

Memere helped Lyndon with his garland.  She gave him the guardian angel ornament and it wouldn't work on his tree since it only has big bulbed lights.

It spins and changes colors.

Lyndon's 'disguise a turkey' from 1st grade.

& the nutcracker collection.  Lyndon's new nutcracker for the year was a fireman from DG.


In the kitchen I only hung greenery and had my baking Santa on one side of the sink and an apothecary jar with snow and my copper cookie cutters on the other side.

I used the big round bulbed lights like we have on our patio....it's a stollen blog idea as well.





Lyndon decorated the side of the fridge with his artwork as it came home from school.  We will hang them on his tree next year.


His poor Santa lost most of his fluff before getting home.

I bought this silver tinseled wreath on the dollar isle at Target after Christmas last year.  The other two are on the back doors.



I didn't do much in here either.  I moved some sparkly pillows from the living room to our bed, tree, and an ornament nested in snow.




My topiary tree again.


I simplified the topper this year.


Here is one of my beautiful ornaments Lyndon gave me for Christmas.  He picked it out & it definitely says.....Audra!!!!

Here is the other one.  Funny thing about this one is I already had a bigger one, so it definitely says me!

Here are a few of my other favorites....



I found this one at DG last year after Christmas.  I also bought a box of colored ones for Lyndon's tree.



I know what you are thinking.....Wow, that's a bunch of stuff from VS.....Not, I just like their packaging and save the bags and boxes from year to year. The darker pink is the same color as my ceiling so they match perfectly.  The only thing that came from there this year is cologne for  Cody.




Snow in a jar to greet us at the back door.


Our Christmas card collection.   Lyndon and I LOVE Christmas cards, especially with pictures.  It is a joy to check the mail during the holidays and know there might be more than a yucky bill in the mailbox! :)


The backdoor which is where we come and go every day as well as most of our company.....not that we have much besides the visit from a grandparent....part of living in the middle of 'no where'.

2 wreaths for $1 tied with a cream satin ribbon.

More left over plastic ornaments from several years ago.

Here are some left over branches from the tree in Lyndon's room-I just love the bushy look of the branches.  I have never seen a tree like that before.

Momma's old ice skates and my garden clutter!

These silver and baby blue ornaments are the only Christmas decorations I bought this year...I am proud of myself!!!!  I put them in the bird bath with a strand of lights in it.  We could see them out our dining room window and out our laundry room window.  It was a fun twist for the outside and was enjoyed inside nightly!
For now the inside decoration have been down since Tuesday and the outside will be down today.  I am promising myself I will start at my usually early- end of October, beginning of November to begin decorating so I am not putting up a Christmas tree on Christmas Eve.  I also won't be repainting when I should be decorating.....I did enjoy my decorations with my new paint.... 
I hope that everyone had a wonderful Christmas as we did....It's sad that it is already over with.
Sorry about the 50+ pictures!!!!! ;-)

3 comments:

  1. I wish I could have come out and taken a personal tour. Your Christmas decorations were just like you would see in a magazine! You are so talented.

    Clint got cologne from VS, too! He and Cody are going to smell so good.

    My boys and I love checking the mail during the holidays, as well. We have a huge wall of Christmas cards, similar to yours. I save all the picture ones each year, too. I get them out at least once a year and look through them all. Your card was great this year--very unique and Audra like!

    Enjoy your last day tomorrow!

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  2. WoW~Love all of it!!! Everything was so pretty and def has your name all over it~you have a great touch!

    I LOVE all of your ornaments~so colorful!!!

    You should go on the tour of homes during the holidays.....you give such wonderful inspiration to me ;) Happy 2011!!

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  3. BEAUTIFUL! Audra you are so talented! Love all the pics!

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