Christmas Stairs

Ever since I was a little girl, I've always wanted "Christmas Stairs".  I grew up in a one-level home and I thought houses with stairs were the best, especially those with banisters that could be decked out for the holidays.  Even our realtor would say when we went through houses last summer, "It has Christmas Stairs!"  Well...I got my Christmas stairs in the new house.  This is what we saw when we first walked in the door a few months back...

A Christmas Mantel

After showing you some sneak peeks of my Christmas decor, I wanted to share the finished mantel for my formal living room.  Even though it's a new house, I only purchased a few items for all my Christmas decorating, including the boxwood wreath.  I've always wanted one and I figure I can use it all year around in different places around the house. 

All my greenery throughout the house was free from a local tree farm.  I stopped by to see if they had fresh garlands...which they didn't, but I got a truckload of free trimmings that they were about to haul away.  Score!

Aged to Perfection

Three and a half years ago, I came upon a set of furniture (dining chairs, buffet, and cabinet) that I fell in love with.  Even though they'd been stored away for many years and were covered in grime, I could see through the dirt to the wonderful shape and ornate detailing.  The woman that I purchased them from told me that they had belonged to her grandmother, then mother, and at last came to her.  They had even been moved across the country from Pennsylvania all the way to Spokane, WA  (hmm, sounds familiar).  Her mother had painted them many years ago and since she wasn't a fan of painted furniture, I was happy to take them off of her hands. 

A Few Christmas Peeks

A new home is always exciting and fun to decorate for Christmas and to be honest, I was pulling out my Christmas decor before Thanksgiving.  I really needed to take stock of what Christmas decor I still had after the big move, but I couldn't resist putting a few things out.  I was sad to see that all of my wreaths that I used on the outside of my previous home didn't make it.  I don't remember donating them, but when the moving truck was filling quickly, I had to be picky about what went in.  Darn, I had big plans for those... maybe next year.  I've feel like I've been knee-deep in pine needles, glitter, and Rubbermaid totes for the past few days, but I only have a few little areas to finish up and I'll be done!  Here's a bit of what I've been working on:

A Great Day with Miss Mustard Seed and Fellow Bloggers

I've always been so inspired by Miss Mustard Seed.  Not only is she amazingly talented, but her blog is so authentic and a joy to read, so when she put the call out to do some shopping and socializing in Raleigh this weekend, I was so excited to have the opportunity to meet her and some fellow creative women from the area. 

My Favorite Collection Ever

As I've slowly been settling into our new house by unpacking, painting, and moving furniture around, but there is one box that has remained unpacked though it's contents are my favorite collection ever.  I actually didn't trust putting the box in the big U-haul truck, so it rode with me all across the 3,000 miles it took to get here... Until this past week, these guys have just been waiting for me to unpack!  

Vintage Show Love

When my husband and I were deciding to take the plunge and move across the country for his new job, a big factor for me was that I would be missing so many incredible vintage and antique shows that are a part of the Pacific Northwest.  Since The Farm Chicks Show began several years ago, the Pacific Northwest has become a mecca for these incredible shows.  I knew that I would miss them.... a lot!   Sure enough, now that I'm mostly settled in the new house, I'm pining to be a part of the shows again and I certainly miss all my wonderful and talented friends that pour their hearts into these shows, like Jennifer and Kathy Walker of Unexpected Necessities.  This mother and daughter team have their annual show this weekend in Nine Mile Falls, WA.  Even though I won't be able to be there, I'm living a little vicariously through my oh-so-talented mom and step-dad of Angel's Attic right now.  As they've been getting ready for the first show in which we haven't shared a booth, they've shared some of their projects and I'm in love...