Before and After: The Christmas Tree

The tree is up and in the stand and decorated for Christmas 2010.  This always  seems like a major accomplishment at Christmas-time, since it's a busy time with year-end issues at work, shopping for gifts, and a few holiday parties in between. 

Here's the "before" photo of the tree.  We cut our own tree, as we have for the past few years and always on the Friday after Thanksgiving week when there are no crowds.  I'm sure if there were more people at the farm, I'd get some odd looks for photographing pictures of bare, soon to be cut trees. 

I was concerned with getting a tree that wouldn't be too tall for the living room, thinking that we needed a tree less than eight feet tall.  As it turns out, nearly all the remaining trees were no more than seven feet tall and we were hard pressed to find a tree tall enough!  We went home with a six-footer. The owner informed us that 250 people descended on the farm the day after Thanksgiving, which was why there were so few tall trees left.  Apparently it's better to brave the crowds during Thanksgiving week than risk having a Lilliputian-sized Christmas tree.

So here it is in all its glory and waiting for a few wrapped gifts.  Most of the ornaments are vintage mercury glass from my childhood along with many that I've been collecting on eBay. 

 

And lastly, thanks to Brooke Gianetti for the sweet Christmas ornament that I won during a give-away on her beautiful blog Velvet & Linen.  I've hung it on a boxwood wreath which hangs over a mirror.  It's difficult to see here, but the ornament is made from a vintage silver spoon and is stamped with "Happy Holidays".

So with only thirteen days left until Christmas, I hope you're having a festive holiday season!

Beacon Hill Decorates for Christmas

The nearby neighborhood of Beacon Hill in Boston is charming anytime of year, but I especially like to walk there during the holidays.  Many of the doors and window boxes of these historic homes are beautifully adorned for the holidays and a walk around the neighborhood is a good opportunity for inspiration and ideas.

This pale blue door is my favorite. Most of the doors on Beacon Hill are painted glossy black.  The blue is a nice change and really sets off the evergreen wreath and miniature trees.

This striking facade with a statue of a reclining woman is very unexpected.  The soft greens and grays of the plants in the window box complement the gray trim of the window frame.  She looks to me like she is waiting for someone to return.

Here's a window box filled with a classic combination of evergreen, ivy, pine cones and red berries.

An unusual, but pretty yellow door with traditional swag and wreath.  A classic gas light is just to the left, with an equally classic Boston "no parking" sign.

Another black door. This time with a contemporary container and traditional window box fillers arranged in a modern style. 

A pretty window box filled with a variety of greenery

A vibrant cherry-red door

I was taken with this gray brick house with gray shutters and a bare tree.  It's difficult to see, but the homeowner has hung gilded wreaths on the windows inside the home.



Plantings don't have to be elaborate.  Here, simple boxwood and variegated ivy in black containers are all that's needed to enhance this simple entry way.

A closer view

This box has leathery magnolia leaves tucked behind miniature evergreens. The magnolia leaves provide an interesting contrast to the lacy ornamental kale at the front of the box.  I like the variety of textures used here.

Another simple and striking arrangement.  Evergreens and ornamental kale with pink highlights.

This entryway caught my attention from down the street.  A beautiful stained (instead of painted) door is paired with tall copper planters and small concrete containers.  I'm not sure what the green vine-like plant is, but it's a nice alternative to evergreens.

A closer view of the copper planter


Colorful fall gourds and kale.  They still look fresh, even in December.

I hope this post has given you some ideas for decorating the exterior of your home for the holidays.   Even if you don't have an elaborate home or your own gardener (I have neither!), a little greenery and color can go a long way to brighten the outside of your home during the winter months.

All photos by me and my trusty Olympus D-520 Zoom camera

Blue and White for Christmas

Interior Design by Lisa Luby Ryan, Veranda Magazine, Nov - Dec 2010. Photography by Erica George Dines

Here's an alternative to the traditional red and green Christmas decorations.  Lisa Luby Ryan's interior design for this home in Dallas, Texas features holiday decorations in a Tiffany-like blue accented with white and the natural textures of raffia, burlap, and fresh greenery.  Not everyone may appreciate a gift wrapped in burlap (i.e. my mother), no matter how trendy it is, but who wouldn't like to receive a gift that looks like a box from Tiffany's?

The gift-wrapped boxes also give me another idea.  I still haven't found a reasonably priced Christmas tree skirt that I like and don't want to tackle sewing my own.  Throughout the year, I've been saving cardboard boxes and plan to wrap the empty boxes and place them under the tree along with the gifts.  We're not big gift-givers at my house anyway, so the wrapped boxes will hide the tree stand and keep it from looking so bare. 

So, what do you think?  Has anyone else tried this look before?

Happy Thanksgiving

19th Century Carved Wood Turkey. This proves my theory that one can find absolutely anything on 1stdibs.

We are trying something new this year and treating ourselves to Thanksgiving dinner at The Taj Boston, since we've been eating out less often lately. No worrying about my Thanksgiving turkey being as dry as this one (although I've not had this problem in the past). I love to cook, but preparing the feast takes hours and it's over in about fifteen minutes. We thought it best to let someone else to do the cooking so we can savor the meal and the day at a leisurely pace.

I hope you all have a great Thanksgiving holiday and long weekend. Here's to the official start of the holiday season! I've vowed to be more prepared than ever this year.



Free Ride

 American Weathervane from the Art of Americas Wing at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
I don't have more details about the piece as I was more focused on making sure that the flash on my camera was disabled than I was about recording what I photographed. 

The Museum of Fine Arts in Boston is offering free admission today from 10:00 am to 4:45 pm to celebrate the grand opening of the new Art of the Americas Wing, which has been under construction for quite some time.  It's sure to be a full house, but it's a great way to spend an afternoon, even if you have to wait in line for an hour or so.  I usually don't have the patience to stand in line, but do make exceptions now and then.   

Bright Ideas

 

Continuing on from my last post about the bedside tables, it's time to consider some new lamps for the tables. I've chosen three options and any of them could work as they're all about 27" tall.

The first candidates are--do you believe this?--old cast iron bathtub feet made into lamps. I'm surprised I'm considering these and willing to admit so publicly. Usually when I see something like this, I tell myself: Gee, I could make these for a fraction of the price. But do I have time to scour antique and salvage shops for old bathtub feet with just the right amount of patina (okay, rust), have them mounted onto bases and then find the perfect shades to match? I think not. I do love the lampshades. Perhaps more so than the feet.

Next up is a pair of crystal French balustrade lamps. Not only are they beautiful, but also elegant and classic, which means I'd have them forever. They do seem a tad predictable though as these lamps are everywhere lately. I still like the quirkiness of the bathtub feet lamps. 

My last choice is a pair of silver-plated candlestick lamps. They are the least expensive of the three options, however, there are no shades, which means I'd have to shop for just the right ones. They are pretty with an old-world look, but they could be somewhat small in scale for the tables.

So, there you have it.  This is what I think about when riding the bus home from work.  Really.

All opinions welcome if you'd like to leave a comment.