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Day 4, My Mudroom...

Well, I didn't think I was going to make a post today, been very busy, but I'm sticking to my goal and so here we are on Day 4 and my mudroom. I know I have been asked this in the past, so for those of you who aren't in New England(or other northern areas, not sure where else they call it this), a mudroom is basically a stretch of house between your main house and your garage or outside door(if you don't have a garage). A lot of the times, this area has a door to the front of the house and then sort of takes over as the main door of the house and the "true" front door is never used. That is how my house is set up. Why "mudroom" you ask? Because it helps contain all those muddy boots and shoes in the Spring and all the sand and snowy boots in the winter, so it's not tracked into the rest of the house(we take off shoes in this area and they are not warn in the rest of the house).

I really haven't changed the decor in this area in quite awhile, just no need to I guess. I can't stand the tile floors, but hopefully this upcoming summer it will change. As for the Christmas decor, I just couldn't get it to look right, so I gave up and this is what I have. I just have too many other things to get done and do so worrying about this area seemed trivial.

This is the door that visitors enter through..

It's hard to see in the pic, but there are itty bitty lights in the flower arrangement.
Love my snowmen.

This cupboard holds my cake stand collection and other various glass pieces.

The door with the gingerbread girl leads to the garage, and to the right of that is a staircase to the bonus room over the garage.



Remember this little sled from this summer? I was going to use it for display, but Mason loves it. He crawls right into it and sits down and wants to go for a ride. So I'm going to make a padded liner for it and use it when the snow comes to take him out when the kids are playing.
You can't see the nice age of this cradle in this pic, but I won it today at a silent auction and I absolutely LOVE it!!! And it's full of the goodies from the church sale and retirement home sale this morning. It's all still out in the garage until I can bring things in to clean them.
I bought this wooden runner sled at my friends Sherrie's shop today, and the wood clamp on the floor a few weeks ago from her(yes, it's still in the garage, I just haven't had time to bring it in yet).
At the church sale, they had these vintage look 4' flags still in their packages for $5, they are from a prim shop and the original tags are still on and say $17.95. I bought one for me and one for my mom.
This is a horrible pic , but the color of these dishes is really pink. I'm not sure how old and if they are really depression glass or not. They are marked France, but for $10, I couldn't pass up the set.
It was a good day. Woke up to a thin blanket of snow on the ground, went to the sales this morning, took pictures of the kids for the Christmas cards(not easy getting everyone to smile and look at the camera at the same time), went to Sherrie's shop and ran into a neighbor and had a nice chat(wave to Michelle!), went back to the church for the silent auction(I've never done one before and what an adrenaline rush at the end), won the cradle that I fell in love with and a week at a cabin on a lake next summer(a whole week for all 9 of us for dirt cheap!!), hung up the fresh evergreen wreaths on the outside of the house, cleaned the garage with hubby and the boys, and now I'm off to make supper. I hope you all have a lovely rest of the day.

Tiff

Day 3, My Kitchen

This year, I didn't do a whole lot of Santa or snowman stuff(though I do have some, just not all of it), I stuck mostly with greenery, berries, and lights. So on Day 3, I share with you my kitchen...

I repainted the corner cupboard a taupy color and got rid of the white. I like it better, but I'm still not sure I'm sold on the color yet.


Remember the tin bread box I got for $10? I turned it on it's back and stuffed it with gingerbread. And that is the new little tree from goodwill sitting on top of it.
Here is the back of the display, which can be seen from the dining table, so I thought I would turn the tree skirt around so you could see it from that side.
This is the desk area of the kitchen(which is never used for that purpose).
I emptied the black wood breadbox and stuffed it with my rolling pins and greenery.
The view of the table from the front entry doorway.
Simple tablescape...


I picked up this wool felt crow in the stocking at Salvation Army this past summer for a whopping 49 cents!!! I love it and would love to make some of them. Oh, and all my berry wreaths throughout the house were bought last January at The Christmas Tree shop for 90% off, I think they cost me between 99cents and $1.49. The red fabric with ice skates is actually a skirt from LL Bean that no longer fits my daughters.
I bought this cabbage slicer with candle holder this summer by my parents in Ohio and it looks cute on the wall next to my hutch. I just added the wreath that I just got at GW to give it a seasonal touch.
And last but not least, I got this neat light from Birgit's Open house last month. It is a painted coffee can with a flag fabric modge podged over it, then sitting in it is a tin candle holder and the star light. It came with the berry wreath, I just added a greenery wreath beneath it.
I'm off to a church sale tomorrow morning, then cleaning the garage so hubby can get his car back in the garage before the snow flies, and hopefully I can get some crafting in.

Have a wonderful night,

Tiff

Day 2, Where to Hang Things...

In general, my house is never decorated for Christmas the same way twice. Which can make for very challenging(and long) decorating days because I don't have a system or a specific place for anything. I like it that way. I decorate by the "what feels and looks right for the moment" method.

So for Day 2 of my countdown, I'm sharing how I improvise with things and find places for the things I like, and sometimes, there is just no choice but to hang them.

I pulled my Christmas apron collection out of one of the bottom drawers in the kitchen and decided to display them. My first thought was "where"? A peg rack would be nice. But wall space is limited in my kitchen. However, I have a door! and with a few ornament hooks, Wallah! instant apron display....

And remember that picture from Sturbridge village that I loved with the wood planks hanging above the fireplace? I finally did one in my kitchen. Of course it took me awhile to figure out what I wanted up there. At first I tried all my vintage wood handle utensils, but it looked too busy, so I took them all down. I put up a few baskets for now and I really like it, I just need to hunt down some more to fill it in a bit.

Have a stocking hanging dilemma? I did. We have a lot stockings and not enough room on the fireplace to hang them, plus we USE the fireplace. I made these wool crazy quilt stockings for everyone last year, I wanted to be able to see them and enjoy them and not just see the Christmas morning.
So I took one of a pair of old skis and hung it on the wall in the family room(I had to move some pictures to make room) and hung the stockings from it. Instance warmth to the wall and they fit into the room nicely.
Close up of a few of the stockings....
And Mason says "Hi" from his carseat. We are off to the grocery store.
Have a lovely day,

Tiff

25 Days of Christmas, Day 1....

I thought it would be neat to have a countdown to Christmas with pics of my home and crafts that I will be doing this month.(sorry if I'm copying anyone else, I haven't been online in over a week and haven't looked at any blogs in just as long). It will keep me on my goal, of doing something Christmas related each day, and it will help keep up with my blogging during this busy season.

So, Day 1 is my Laundry Room...

This is the first year I have put a tree in this room and I'm really enjoying it. Plus, it looks great from the outside of the house too, the big window is in the very center of the 2nd floor of the front of my house. Here is the view as you walk into the room. I collect old ironing boards and started stacking some of them in the corner.

I decided to put all my retro Christmas decor in this room as it doesn't go with the rest of the house, but I still love it all.
I found this foil Santa and reindeer at goodwill in a bag with "Merry Christmas" and 4 foil carolers for $1.99. I'm not sure how old it is, but it as a nice vintage feel.
Mine and my hubby's stockings from when we were little. Mine is crocheted and his is knit.
My wall of stocking stretchers.
Vintage decor on a shelf.
More of the shelf.

You can see the foil "Merry Christmas" in these pics. It's not marked anywhere, anyone have an idea of it's age? And yes, I put wreaths on the washer and dryer :) And BTW, those were my birthday presents from hubby and I absolutely love them!!! They sing to me when the cycle is done.
One last pic. I really love having the room decorated. It feels warm and festive when I walk in to do laundry and makes me smile every time.
Stay tuned for the next 24 days!!!

Have a terrific day,

Tiff