RUG HOOKING BLOG

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I'm a mother of four grandmother of seven and great grandmother of three. I live with my husband in the house that we built with the help of my brothers and will have been married for 57 years this February.

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

SPREADING SOME CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

I finally started to decorate the entrance inside the house and since I have a banister on my stairs I've decided to hang my old skinny evergreen garland on it. I've added some pinecones and little thrift store birds and some ribbons. It could use some more fillers but I'm not planning on spending money unless I accidentally find somethings  to spruce it up at the thrift store.

My husband doesn't usually get interested in the decorations but he felt that I should take some pictures and put them on my blog. So here it goes.



The same decorations as last year except that I had the garland on the mantel last year and I added a  different ribbon. I love my little snowman who is holding to the spindle on the stairs. My little guys say
WELCOME.


This is a view of the bow in the front







One of my little bird sitting on a branch



This little red bird is missing an eye. There are some more but I'll only show two here.


Another thrift store buy from last year including the pine cones, the bow and the basket


This year, I added the little santa in the train and the carollers. both thrift store finds. The two other thrift finds were from last year.


I've added one snowman from the thrift store on the left  end of the table with my other thrift store find  collection and  the sign says "Snowballs for Sale Cheap"


This tiny nativity was in a little bag with other ornaments that I bought this year at the thrift store . I'm missing Mary and the cow.  I'm hoping that my artist granddaughter can make me some replacement pieces out of Femo clay.


My ceramic village that I made several years ago.  some pieces missing and I will not be able to finish  it because the moulds were damaged in the flood.


I make due with this piece I made as part of it was broken in the flood as well.


One of my old poinsettia that has survived except one section has died. It was neglected and wilted badly.


This one also is from last year.


This one from several years ago. Not in the best condition as they all need repotting.


This is an old one too but it has lots of red bracts starting to turn. It should be red for Christmas



This one was won as a door prize at our Christmas party last year. It's a bicolor one and is starting to turn color.  It looks a bit anemic. As you can see I don't spend much as I make due with what is given me. I didn't bought a single poinsettia again this year.

I hope that you are getting in the Christmas spirit without having to spend too much if you are thrifty like me and that you enjoyed your little visit at my house.
JB


21 comments:

  1. You have some nice collections. I can't believe that the flowers still look so good. I know my MIL was able to do that but not for a year.
    So far I haven't spent any money on decorating this year. I have so many that I am not even using. I got rid of many a couple years back.
    How do you handle presents for all your kids and grandkids? Always looking for ideas.

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  2. This inspires me to get to decorating, Julia. I'm slow this year...maybe because we've been having unseasonably warm weather since Thanksgiving. Your banister looks great...and the village and carolers that you made are very nice!!

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  3. I love your decorations your stairs are so pretty.
    You must have the greenest thumb. I have never been able to get a pointsettia to bloom a second time ever.
    Cathy

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  4. You amaze me that you can grow Poinsettias. I thought if there is one flower that I can kill with no problems it is that. I thought they just died after Christmas. I am not kidding it wasn't until I saw yours and how old there were that I knew they were supposed to go on living.
    I like all of your decorations. Yes, it would be easier to get excited about Christmas if it didn't start at the first of October, but now that it is here I am pretty excited. I love all of the babies around here and how happy they are. I hope your grand daughter can make you a Mary and a cow. I like that set too.
    I really like how nice your bannister turned out. It is really beautiful.

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  5. Hi Debby, I usually buy some new presents or give money or gift certificated. I'm only thrifty on my decor, lol. I like to buy something useful to give as presents and I'm not big on just buying silly or trendy. In the past, I've bought some expensive gifts but lately since I'm a senior and the grandkids are older, I'm spending much less. My grandkids are not demanding and it's hard to know what they would like for Christmas. I'm not much of a shopper in my old age. I find that a DVD movie is a great gift that the whole family can share, a nice puzzle too. I haven't yet thought of what I'll get. I will consult with my daughter as to what the kids would enjoy.
    JB

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  6. Hi Julia, Your stairway is so pretty and the snowmen are so cute welcoming visitors. I can't believe how well your poinsettias are doing...very impressive how you have managed to keep them going year to year. Down here in Florida, people plant their Christmas poinsettias in the ground and watch them bloom in their yards the next year.
    Thanks for sharing all your great collections.
    Robyn

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  7. Julia ~
    I've never known someone who could actually get a poinsettia to bloom again. I have a green thumb, but I can kill a poinsettia in record time...lol!
    Thanks for sharing.
    Hugs :)
    Lauren

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  8. The Poinsettias are gorgeous! How you do that!? I had a couple live from one Christmas to the next but that was it.

    Your home is so cozy Julia .... I can smell the cinnamon and warm baked goods emanting from your kitchen.. sigh

    warm spiced cider?

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  9. I want to be You when I grow up! ;) Hugs.

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  10. Julia,
    I love your staircase all decorated for Christmas! It reminds me of the one in Gone With The Wind! I've always thought a staircase with a gorgeous bannister would be so fun to decorate! Those poinsettia's are fabulous! They must like whatever you are doing to keep them growing.... I've never had much success keeping them alive.
    Enjoy your Holiday Season! Do you have snow yet? It's so strange to see it raining here in Dec.!! I think Santa better get a set of wheels on that sleigh!! LOL!!
    Hugs!!
    Cathy G

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  11. I just can't believe your plants are in such good condition. Honestly, I'd like to see a plant that you thought WAS in great condition. You ought to see the pitiful ones that I have. No, on second thought, it's a good thing you can't. I have such a beautiful Christmas plant from years ago. It is still alive, but it hasn't grown much and it has never bloomed since that first year. That is the only plant I have been able to keep the whole year. My poinsettias ALWAYS die. It could be that I have to have them in the house all year because none of those house plants would survive outside in our HOT HOT summers. The rest of your decorations looks pretty darn spiffy too. I'm amazed that you were able to get such deals at the thrift store. I always think I am going to have the time to shop in a couple of my favorite thrift stores here, but I never seen to have the time to do any shopping any more. For one thing, I hate to go shopping because I just can't walk very far anymore, so Dick always has to push me in my wheel chair, and I always feel so sorry for him that we don't stay any longer than is absolutely necessary in any one store. As it is, we are both exhausted when we get home. We do a bit of shopping on line, and that's about it for Christmas. We usually send the grandchildren and great grandchildren money. That is so much easier for us and they are happier to get it too. It's so hard to figure out what they would like.

    We do have our decoration inside the house done and it all turned out pretty well, I think. I am going to try to get Dick to take and post some pictures on my next blog. I just hope we can get them to go in the right place this time. I still don't know why that is so hard for both of us. I often have to have Sue go in to my blog and fix them for me and I hate to keep bothering her so much.

    I'm glad to report that I am feeling a lot better each day and I'm still so grateful that I didn't break any bones with my fall.
    Your hot turkey sandwiches with gravy, french fries and vegetable sounds interesting to me, but I have never heard of that combo being a common thing to do after Thanksgiving. I personally like my turkey sandwiches cold with lots of cranberry sauce, dressing, lettuce and mayonaise on mine. Oh yum, it makes me hungry just thinking about it.

    You know, I forgot to mention in my post that you are from Canada. So sorry. I forget so many things these days. That means I have five blogging friends that live out of the country. Canada is so close to the U.S. that I sometimes forget that you are actually a different country. At least we are on the same continent.

    Thanks again, Julie, for being such a great blogging friend of mine, I love and appreciate you so much and wish someday that I could visit your wonderful farm, but my travelling days are over, I'm afraid.

    Take care dear friend,

    Darlene

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  12. Hi Julia, I along with many cannot believe you get poinsetta's to rebloom. Mine always die.Your decorations look so nice. I love your staircase.Everything is pretty and I love your little village.Hugs Cheri

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  13. Merry Christmas to you! Your bannister decorations are beautiful and love all those snowmen and the villages! I'm thinking you should give a tutorial on how to keep pointsettia's after the holidays... lol! Are they always in light? Are they watered year round? Pruning? We don't have very good light in our house which is why I am asking...

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  14. Your home looks so inviting and warm. I love your banister. Perfect simple and lovely.

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  15. I love Christmas & visiting you was a pleasure! thank you Julia!
    I'm starting to get into the home decorating as I'm hosting a neighbourhood party in 2 weeks. Sharing & caring is what I love most about Christmas.
    Your banister with all the add on bows & birds, looks great & inviting. You've a lot of oak in your home & it looks so rich with the evergreen decor. You do have a green thumb! Inside and outside your home!

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  16. I love pinecones... and your home looks so warm and inviting. Thanks so much for sharing it with us, and you plants are remarkable. I have NEVER been able to keep a Poinsettia plant from year to year, let alone have it bloom again. Green Thumb Julia!

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  17. Julia it is all just beautiful. I love decorated stair cases. I always wanted a home with one but never got it. Too old now and don't want to ever move again so I will just enjoy seeing pictures of yours and others. Hugs

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  18. Your home looks so festive!
    I just love that little village. Amazing that you can keep the poinsettias looking so great from year to year. It's another tribute to your excellent gardening skills.

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  19. Usually by the end of February, I name our pointsettia "stem" because that's all that is left! The house looks beautiful Julia.

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  20. I've loved visiting here and seeing your beautiful decorations. Isn't it fun to share what we do in our homes? Your pointsettias look so fresh and green, I need to get some today!! :)

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  21. Very beautiful decorations, Julia...One of your snowmen is exactly like mine...:)
    Taking this opportunity to Wish you and your family a Very Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy, Fruitful
    New Year...

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