Talk about being late for the party...

For someone who has is habitually looking at her watch and is generally five minutes or more early to all appointments, I seem to have totally missed all the Christmas Decorating Parties. 

But, in my family - Christmas isn't officially over until "Old Christmas" on Jan 6th...so technically I'm not that late.  :)

I just wanted to post a few pics showing just some of the decorations around my home.

Compared to last year's decorations (see the side links to the right), they were understated - to say the least.

While the fresh greens have lost some of their...well,

freshness... hopefully you still get the idea.

First...here is the Dining Room Fireplace Mantel...

For anyone who knows my home, you may remember

that the fireplace brick was red. 

(*Was being the operative word here.) 

Just before Christmas, on a whim, I added a coat of primer.

I have further plans up my sleeve, but decorating for

Christmas put those plans on hold for a while longer.

Cedar, pine, magnolia, wild holly and camelia stems...plus

 dried hydrangea, red berries, green apples and pears and pheasant

feathers. I used a faux-greenery garland as the base.

I used my French-Countryside oil painting and two lamps,

which were added several months ago.

I love the natural feel of the garland, and would love

to create a year-round version. 

Most of my home was filled with containers of fresh

greenery...such as the Pink and White Staffordshire

pitcher, seen above on my sideboard.

In the kitchen....

Paperwhites were placed inside a tin ice bucket

and adorned with berries.  My favorite Christmas

platter features the North Carolina State bird....the

cardinal.  I bought this last year at Cracker Barrel.

A glass cannister is placed on a small cake stand,

resting on a ring of pine, and filled with pine cones.

A homespun-style bow and red berries add color.

A large wreath hangs center stage on a bank of

windows in my breakfast room, surrounded on each

side by Mr. and Mrs. Ginger. I ,also, added garland and

berries to the top curtain rod. 

***Don't forget...you can see my Kitchen and Breakfast

Room decorated for Christmas, as featured in Country Woman Magazine at...

http://www.countrywomanmagazine.com/

Click on Kitchens!

Next - let's go into the Family Room...

I placed two black lanterns on each end of the mantle,

and in between...

... I added a container overflowing with soft green and white

hydrangeas, green pears and assorted greenery.

Here is a close-up of the arrangement in the

center of the mantle.

More hydrangeas, pears and greenery is tucked into

the garland...along with white lights.

I love the soft green affect.

The Family Room mantle just glows.

Our tree...white lights and an assortment of red

and white ornaments, berries and grapevine "garland."

I wanted to create a one-of-a kind tree topper...

so I used my large, grapevine sphere...

...and filled it with various sizes of red and white

ornaments, surrounded by lots of red berries.

I hope you enjoyed my mini-tour of some of the 

Christmas cheer that filled my this year.  Maybe next year,

I will be on time.  :)

With Love, Barb