Karla at Karla’s Cottage is having a “What do you love about your holiday home?” party and BooMama is hosting a “Christmas tour of homes.” I’m using this same post for both events. 🙂 All of these have appeared on my blog before — I don’t think we have added anything new this year. Yet. 🙂
So come on in…
Have a slice of Harvest Loaf Cake.
Even though its name sounds fallish, we like to use it for the holidays. I don’t make it at Christmas because we have all those pies then, but usually some time in early December I make some for us and some for gifts.
I am a Christian and believe Christmas is a celebration of the birth of Christ who came to die for our sins. I’ve been saying “Happy Holidays” for years, though, to include Christmas and New Year’s Day, so I am not trying to be “PC” by saying Happy Holidays. 🙂
Decorations on the piano. I did the calligraphy about 20 years ago in an adult ed. class — but I haven’t done any calligraphy since then.
My mom gave me this several years ago. I has a button in the back that you can push to hear Christmas music and watch the lights flash. The boys have loved this. Since my mom passed away almost exactly two years ago, these gifts from her are even more treasured.
This is something else my mom sent: a Nativity musical figurine.
This is one of my most special treasures, also from my mom. I collect Boyd’s Bear figurines, and somewhere she found this Christmas tree with little miniature scenes all though it.
Here are a couple of close-ups:
On the other end table are these snowpeople. I got the three snowboys because they reminded me of my three sons. Then the boys got each of the bigger snowmen in a crane game. So we put them all together as our family representatives. I should get a little feminine hat for one of the bigger ones to represent me.
I have pastel colors and a lot of pink in my home. That’s a bit of a dilemma at Christmas with all the reds: some of my ornaments and things that were given to me have red in them. In recent years I’ve leaned toward the maroonish bluer reds and dark pinks that would go better with the rest of the decor. But, as I said in the earlier posts about ornaments, I want this all to be family-friendly more than “designer” decorating, so for the most part I just don’t worry about it. However, I was delighted to find this little snowman in my living room colors:
One of my favorite decorations is this little mouse. If you light the candle in the back it looks like a fire in the fireplace.
Here is the fireplace in the family room with the stockings. I made the plaid ones after we were first married and a dear friend knit the others for each of the boys as a baby gift after they were born. The rest of this room is in blue, tan, and off-white, so the red doesn’t clash with pinks in here.
I need to redo the white fluffy parts on mine and my husband’s stockings and maybe appliqué something on them.
Here is our tree with a few favorite ornaments:
These are some felts ones I made early on in our marriage, I think from a kit. I love the little sheep.
This is a Boyd’s Bear ornament my dear friend Carol gave me:
This is from a set of Victorian ornaments that I love which includes a ball and a teardrop shape with the same little flower cluster:
This is a nativity ornament which clips on to one of the light bulbs so it shines through. Someone gave this to someone else at a Secret Sister Christmas party at church, and I liked it so much I went out and bought one for us. I think it is the only Hallmark ornament we have.
This is one I made early on. It has about 1/3 of a toilet paper roll inside and is wrapped in a strip of red felt. White felt circles go over the ends and cross-stitch floss is used to sew the tops and bottoms on in that drum-like pattern. Then little strips of felt are rolled around the end of toothpicks for the drumsticks, and they are glued on. This is made to sit on a branch, but you could use the same floss to make a loop through the edge of the top white felt circle.
This is from a cute little felt snowman set I liked. I bought it rather than made it, but I made the little plastic canvas candy cane.
This one is special to me because it is one of the first ones I ever made. I found the little circle, stained it, found the little miniature tree, dipped the tips of its branches in glue and then it different colors of glitter, then glued it into the circle and added a gold thread loop.
This is one of our newer ones, bought last year at the Christian bookstore. Having all boys, I’ve loved cards and ornaments with little shepherd boys.
This is one of my two attempts at One Stroke painting.
This is one of several cross-stitch ornaments I made several years ago. I think these were the first things I cross-stitched. Sorry this one is a little blurry.
I made this ornament last year — after Christmas, actually — after seeing various button wreaths on a few blogs:
I realized afterward that the little Christmas tree is a charm rather than a button, but that’s ok. 🙂
Thanks for visiting! I hope you have a Merry Christmas and a blessed New Year.
Thanks for joining in! I’ll add you to the links.
I love your “Boyd’s Bear” tree, it’s so cute. Your snowman family is great. Love all the special individal decorations that have many memories for your family. Thanks for your comment on my blog too. Happy holidays to you and your family.
Vickie
Oh, I loved this! Your bears are soooo cute, and the snowmen are adorable. You are so creative. Your ornaments are wonderful. Thanks for sharing your “holiday” home.
Blessings, e-Mom @ Chrysalis
I love the bears! Very pretty decorations!
I used to collect Boyd’s Bears, but gave them up a few years ago! I still love them! Very pretty decorations! Merry Christmas!
Brittany
Loving all the bears…
So very precious!
Happy Holidays…
Priscilla
Your home is decorated beautifully, Barbara! I love all the cute snowmen!
Kelli
Lovely ornaments and the bear tree is amazing. Merry Christmas and Blessings – Rachael:)
WOW! Everything’s just so festive and BEAUTIFUL! I really like this post, Barbara. Thanks for sharing all the lovely pictures… 😀
I’ll be right over for some harvest loaf cake! Everything looks wonderful!!
your house is beautiful.. love all your decorations
Merry Christmas
Your snowmen family is so cute! And I love your button ornament (I think I’m going to steal that idea from you). Thanks for letting us in your beautiful home!
Your Boyd’s Bear tree is spectacular!
Everything on you tree looks so delicate and fragile…I love it, love it all.
I have a slide show for my tour.
I hope you can get connected to view with me, if not, I have a few thumbnail images on my regular blog too.—
My Slide Show Tour
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I enjoyed your tour Barbara. Love the snowmen! Blessings on you and yours…
You have such a lovely home, and such pretty, personal decorations! What a warm and welcoming home!
Merry Christmas,
Andrea
It just looks like such a warm and festive home!! I’m so glad to see all your treasures!
Blessings.
Everything looks so nice. Thanks for sharing! Merry Christmas!
Beautiful! I am a Boyds collector as well. I used to do it all! Just have a few favorite bearstones and plush left. Have you ever been to a signing, Jamboree or Reunion? We have may met!! ;o)
I enjoyed your tour. I copied the bread recipe. I think I have all the ingredients in the pantry so I might make some tomorrow. I am doing a little baking tomorrow evening.
I was also interested in the button ornament. If you get a chance, let me know what you used for the base.
I only have one Boyd’s ornament. A friend gave it to me. It is an Angel holding a banner. I saw something similar to your tree. I think it was a house.
I did a little tour of my own today.
Thanks for stopping by my blog today. I enjoyed your home tour. It certainly seems like a warm and welcoming place to be.
I love the Boyds bear Tree!!
I love all your snowmen, i need to get me some snowmen dangit!!!your tree is beautiful!
Your home looks lovely. I love all the snowmen and your Boyd’s tree is really gorgeous!
Everything looks so warm and cozy!!
Sue
I’m still touring even after New Year’s! Hope you had a wonderful holiday. Thanks for sharing! 🙂