Finally in the Spirit

I have had a difficult time getting into the Christmas Spirit this year.  For some reason, it's just seemed too early for Christmas. But, over the weekend, I did a little decorating, and it transported me into the mood.  I put on a Christmas CD and got busy both inside and out.  I still have a bit more to do, but here are the results so far.

This is an arrangement in our entry way.  Since the greenery is fresh, it will not last the entire season, but it is so enjoyable at the moment!  Over Thanksgiving, we traveled to my parents house in Mississippi.  They live outside the city limits of Laurel on about 40 acres of land.  It's very serene and relaxing, and their property is beautiful.  My Dad and I went out early Saturday morning and cut all this greenery.  To help keep it fresh longer, I used floral foam in a container hidden inside the wrought iron basket and covered it with moss.  

BTW, that's our dog Lottie on the right.  She loves this time of year.  Even in this picture she is looking out the front doors for the UPS guy.  She goes crazy when he rings the doorbell - attack mode!

Here's a closer look at the arrangement - I included some dried pomegranates, pheasant feathers and some curly willow in with the magnolia and wild pyracantha.  My Dad brought the feathers back to me from a hunting trip he and my brother took this year.  

This is our fireplace.  Notice I did not say mantle!  We do not have a mantle (really wish we did).  So, I have to be creative in how I hang our stockings each year.  As an aside, my very sweet Mother needlepointed all these stockings for me over the years.  She did mine when I was in college, John's when we got married, and then one for each of the kids.  They are all different, but have a common Santa theme on them with a green background.  Well, all except one -  I bought the one on the right (with the white background) for our dog, Lottie.  My Mom put her foot down when it came to making one for the dog! 

From this close up picture below you can see there are two very large deep holes under the TV (I think the previous homeowner used these for their TV components).  So, I stuff these full of greenery.  Here's a little tip: in order to keep the magnolia fresh longer, I use bud stem vases on each magnolia stem. (I get the stem vases from a floral wholesale place here in Birmingham that is open to the public - Davis Wholesale Florist)  Once the greenery was in place, I added ribbon and some artificial gold berry branches to complete the look.  

Here's a closer look at the berry branches.  I picked these up at Garden Ridge for a dollar! 

I then worked on the outside decorations.  I pre-order all my outside greenery from Davis.  The prices are good and the quality is great.

I decided to add garland and a large badge at the top of the door this year.  (And yes, I do realize that our shutters need painting :)  I have a color picked out, but just have not had time to contact the painter to get it scheduled!) 

I just learned how to make the badge.  I was helping work on decorations for our church and this wonderfully talented woman showed me how to do it.  She worked for Southern Living for years, and I loved watching her make such beautiful arrangements.

This is a shot of the windows of our dining room.  Here's another tip: I start by hanging the wreaths on fishing line, and then I wrap the ribbon around to cover it.  This keeps the ribbon looking pretty and not crimped from the weight of the wreath. 

I am still working on our Christmas tree and will try to post about it later this week.  I would love to hear from you on all the things you have done to get your house ready for the holidays!! 

Happy Decorating! M.