Creating Christmas

Welcome to Day 1 of the Creating Christmas Link Party hosted by Jann of Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson.

I have been busy for several weeks Creating Christmas at our house -

from the entry

to the kitchen 

and the dining room.

Changes were made in the guest room,

 the living room

and our bedroom.

 Christmas is everywhere.

Yet, it is so much more than just decorations.

I've been "creating Christmas" for my family for 45 years and the stockings I made in 1971

now have companions to accommodate our larger family.

This ugly Santa, all tattered and torn

 has been a part of my Christmas since I was a child.

A vintage copy of A Christmas Carol just looks like at old book,

but it belonged to my 92 year old aunt who passed it on to me.

Maileg pixies look cute in a little rocking chair

that belonged to my grandfather

while my grandmother's school slate is tucked into a vignette in the kitchen.

This little book sitting on the tray

was purchased by Steve for his mother, Virginia, as one of her last Christmas gifts.

Although I have quite a collection of Maileg pixies,

these two are dear to my heart because they were purchased on a special vacation.

I know you too have been busy creating Christmas around your house, 

so please join the party - there is a different theme each day.

Head on over to Let's Add Sprinkles to see Katie's beautiful Christmas trees.

Cecelia of My Thrift Store Addiction for Keep Calm and Collect Jadeite

Today our wonderful host, Jann, of Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson is sharing Christmas Crafting and Cooking.

For our final day of Creating Christmas, visit Camp and Cottage Living for Creative Christmas Porches.

 The parties will stay open until December 24 and you're welcome to come back and link up again and again.

Cozy At Christmas

Welcome to the Cozy at Christmas blog tour

hosted by Katie of Let's Add Sprinkles.

Thanks for dropping by our little beach cottage.

It's a beautiful day in Southern California, the Dutch door is open so come on in.

Our cottage is small and our entry is the perfect spot to add a tree without feeling overwhelmed.

Of course, that tree needs to be tall & skinny so a pencil tree works best.

Weeds from the garden look festive adorned with berries and ribbon.

I'm using red all through the house this Christmas.

The clocks have been on the shelf in the dining room for months, but they look Christmasy with the simple addition of greenery and gingham.

One of the few purchases I made for Christmas decorating this year was the green metal basket on the table.

I spotted it in a favorite shop and knew it would be perfect for holding my glass ornaments.

I warned you that there would be a lot of red!

I went through my cupboards to find anything red & white

and discovered many long forgotten items.

White slipcovers make holiday decorating easy - I just swapped the white pillows on the sofa with red pillows that used to be on the dining room window seat.

Adding greenery and a few ornaments quickly gives an existing vignette holiday flair.

And Christmas wouldn't be Christmas without my first Maileg pixie Olaf -he's the one who started my Maileg addiction.

As you can see,

my childish side comes out at Christmas

and fortunately Steve puts up with my silliness.

The mint green of my old pie safe is perfect for Christmas decor

and I had spent way too much time styling it with a spool of cloth ribbon I found the other day.

I replaced an aqua bench with a bright green one for Christmas in the guest room.

and added the polka dot quilt.

It's amazing the difference in the room just by changing the accents from aqua to red.

I have always used this metal Christmas tree outside, but this year it's in the guest room.

I had no idea where I was going with my decorations on the old door in the guest room, but I love how it turned out.

I had a lot fun and used my creativity in decorating the guest room.

  I printed sheet music from the internet and attached it to an old clipboard.

I found a roll of narrow butcher paper (left over from my mother in-law's art supplies) in the garage and used it to create a banner for an old wooden spool.

After painting a yellow metal pitcher white, I realized I was all out of greenery so I cut branches from a neighbor's tree that hangs over into our yard.

I got creative with our bedroom as well.

Last night I gathered together all the little bells I could find and watched a movie while I strung them to make a garland.

The boss has already spoken to me about how impractical it is to have the garland across the doors, but who needs to be practical!

When Steve made me the headboard a few months ago, my first thought was how fun it would be to decorate for Christmas.

 I wonder what his reaction would be if I hung the bells on the headboard.

Stars and hearts made last Christmas out of drop cloth are quiet and don't bother anyone sleeping.

You would think that after 12 days of decorating, I would be finished, but I still have to decorate the garden.

 I guess you'll have to come back next week when I am joining Jann of Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson for the Creating Christmas Link Party - start working on your post so you can join in.

But first, you need to visit the other homes on the tour.

Let's Add Sprinkles

Hyacinths for the Soul

Southern Daydreams

White Spray Paint

Garden Up Green

Have a Daily Cup

Ellie & Elizabeth

Brookhollow Lane

At Home With Jemma

My Heart Lives Here

The B Farm

Botanic Bleu

Kitty's Kozy Kitchen

Ashtree Cottage

Sweet Nothings

At Rivercrest Cottage

Opulent Cottage

Decor to Adore
The Dedicated House

Bluesky Kitchen

Fern Creek Cottage

Blue Sky Kitchen - Your Inspired Design Link Party