Sepia Saturday challenges bloggers to share family
history through old photographs.
In keeping with the traditional Christmas season prompt
at Sepia Saturday, I send holiday greetings to my fellow Homo Sepians and to
all my readers and followers.
I always enjoy seeing how people decorate, and at
Christmas I look forward to special home tours that various neighborhoods and
organizations host, usually as a fund-raiser. I do not have the kind of home
that gets invited to be ON a tour, but let’s tour my house anyway. Besides, it’s
free.
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| Welcome to my house! |
In the foyer, my staircase always makes a dramatic
welcome at Christmas. Again, this is the work of my talented sister.
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| My foyer photo courtesy Mary Slade Pollock |
To the right of the foyer is the living room with “The Pink Tree.” It’s a silver tinsel tree with a combination of pink and crystal ornaments. A few pink floral picks and silk poinsettias add a little sump’n sump’n. Some of the ornaments came from my mother who used to do a white and pink tree.
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| The Pink Tree |
To the left of the foyer is the dining room. I have given
up trying to create a flow from one room to another. While the foyer is white and silver and the living room is pink, this room THIS year got the red and lime green treatment. And I love it.
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| Chandelier with mostly Dollar Store ornaments |
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| My grandaunt Helen's tea service |
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| I love these big snowflakes from the Dollar Store, I'm proud to say! |
But then I have rather schizophrenic taste: I love glitz and I love traditional. The
family room exhibits my traditional side. This is where we put the main tree
and where we gather Christmas morning. The tree has a gazillion ornaments and
well over 1000 lights – Barry says it’s probably 3000, but I can’t believe
that. I followed a tutorial on how to put lights on the tree like the
professionals do so that all the wires don’t show. As a result, Barry got to
make 2 extra trips to the store for more lights. Lucky guy!
The mantle is another sister creation as is the mesh wreath.
It’s the perfect blend of traditional and glitz.
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| photo courtesy Mary Slade Pollock |
Please visit my friends at Sepia Saturday for more
holiday greetings.
Merry Christmas y’all!
Happy Blogging in 2015.
©
2014, Wendy Mathias. All rights
reserved.
Hello Wendy, I love your staircase. I like to ‘dress’ ours but as the hall was painted earlier this year, my husband has decreed “no decorations anywhere near the stairs!” I’ve added a few small bits, but nothing like in previous years – next year will be different – the paint will be chipped by then!
ReplyDeleteEverything in your home looks so pretty, thank you for the tour. Have a wonderful Christmas, Barbara.
Fortunately, our banister isn't painted, only the posts are, and very little touches them. Merry Christmas to you, too.
DeleteYour house looks like something out of a magazine! I love the traditional look too. It’s amazing what can be achieved with a combination of heirloom decorations and trips to the dollar store (in your case), Pound Shop (in UK) or one of the many, many Chinese Stores here in Lanzarote. Sending wishes for a very Happy Christmas Wendy.
ReplyDeleteOh you're much too kind. And yes, I like finding cheap decorations that don't look so cheap. I guess you'll be having a lovely Christmas in the warm temps of Lanzarote.
DeleteYour house is always fun to decorate!
ReplyDeleteYeah, loads.
Deletethanks for the tour. You really go all out with your Christmas decorations.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, I do, yes. Sometimes I try to simplify so as not to kill myself.
DeleteI love your Christmas decorations and your traditional home - it's the ideal Christmas look.
ReplyDeleteWhy thank-you, Linda. And thanks for stopping by!
DeleteHow fun! A Christmas tour! I love it and I love your house. You have done a beautiful job of decorating (and love your sister's touch as well!)
ReplyDeleteThanks. I should do a tour of my sister's house.
DeleteLike Barbara, I love your stairway in particular, and your traditional style of furniture. Such a great idea for a post - I wish I had thought of that, as I have no photographs of family get together's at Christmas and was giving this prompt a miss. With best wishes for a happy holiday season.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Susan. Merry Christmas to you too!
DeleteOh Wendy! I am deeply envious of your staircase....what a picture! Christmas must be fun at your place. Thanks for sharing the joy with us and a Very Merry Christmas to you and your family xx
ReplyDeleteMy sister is going to love reading all the compliments about that staircase. We do try to keep it fun. Merry Christmas to you as well!
DeleteLovely decorations and a beautiful home.
ReplyDeleteThanks Sally. (I'm wondering if you, Blogger, and I are having problems again -- I don't recall seeing any posts from you lately.)
DeleteWhat a quaint collection of photos! Love the pink tree.
ReplyDeleteThanks. Merry Christmas!
DeleteIt's just beautiful -- all of it! And an incredible amount of work!
ReplyDeleteThe putting away -- now THAT's the work as I try to remember where it all goes.
DeleteAstonishing! No one I know decorates their house anything like this. You must have a whole room dedicated to storing Christmas decorations. It looks great and obviously gives pleasure to a whole bunch of people.
ReplyDeleteI wish I had a room to store it. Then everything would be in one place.
DeleteThanks for giving us a tour of your beautiful home! Oh, that tree with all of those lights! So pretty. And the garland on your staircase banister is stunning. Merry Christmas to you and yours Wendy!
ReplyDeleteThank-you, Jana. Merry Christmas to you and all the Lasts!
DeleteLovely Xmas decorations. Your house should be on the tour! Americans get into the decorating spirit a great deal more than we do in Australia I think.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if traditional Christmas decorations look too wintery/snowy and therefore out of place in Australia.
DeleteYes, the stairway in particular is gorgeous. And your pink Christmas tree. We rotate with 3 different tree decorations. When we bought our faux tree several years ago, I bought a whole new set of Victorian tree ornaments. After the second year with the Victorian decorations, my husband asked if we were going to have a pink tree forever-on. So the next year I was prepared to decorate the tree with manly outdoorsy ornaments. But we still had all the usual general-type ornaments. So now we alternate from year to year. This year, it's the "general" tree. Last year was the "manly" tree. Next year will be my "Victorian" (or pink) tree! :)
ReplyDeleteHey, I like the idea of rotating themes. That's an idea for the day when I decide to downsize my tree. If ever. . . .
DeleteWendy, your home is beautiful! I just love your Christmas decorations. I like to follow the decorating blogs that do the Christmas Home Tours . . . you go from blog to blog touring homes at Christmas time, I could sit for hours just looking at the different styles and ways other homes are decorated and I have gotten so many ideas. I love decorating at Christmas too. Thank you for sharing your lovely home. Merry Christmas to you and yours, Wendy.
ReplyDeleteI like those blog home tours too -- I have visited quite a few this season. Merry Christmas to you, too, Gini.
DeleteYou have a real flair for decorating, Wendy. Every room looks fabulous. I love the wreath on your front door. It is spectacular!
ReplyDeleteThanks Nancy. I like the wreath too and seeing it now, I can't believe I lived with an undecorated wreath for so many years. Merry Christmas to you!
DeleteThank you for inviting us into your lovely home, Wendy. It's a rare treat to be a Christmas guest on the blogosphere. And for this special occasion the color photos do make more yuletide cheer than those in sepia tone.
ReplyDeleteYeah, that's what I thought too -- in honor of Christmas, I broke out of my comfort zone where Sepia Saturday is concerned.
DeleteIt all looks so classy! Very classy and beautiful. Season greetings from room to room.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful holiday!
Thanks! And Happy New Year!
DeleteThese are lovely!! Merry Christmas!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jackie. Happy New Year!
DeleteBeautiful display!!
ReplyDeleteMy heart goes to that wreath above the fire place.
I also have no issues mixing expensive pieces with less expensive ones,
as long as it all works well together.
Happy new year, my dear!!
:)
Glad you approve. Yeah, I like mixing cheap and fine, too -- it's like a personal victory or something.
Delete