Monday, December 15, 2008

Welcome to the inside....away from the cold.

I figure I do a fair amount of decorating, but it's gotten to the
point where I'm cutting down as I have to think of where I'm going to store all this stuff after I buy it. Plus cutting back on the decorating helps with the knitting schedule. Click to embiggen any of the following pictures.

The front living room. This year we bought a new Christmas tree. It's artificial pine/spruce slim tree. It's in a smaller box that I can lift myself, and putting it away won't be such a chore.

Close up of the Christmas tree decorations. My DD is a graphic designer and she fell in love with this colour combination....it's sort of a dark plum/brown with coordinating gold ornaments, and tinsel garland.










Looking in the other direction in the living room.

My DD was at a Christmas function a couple years ago and won these wire deer. Something I never would have thought to buy, but I'm sure glad she won them as I really enjoy them.











A little closer look at the guardian of the liquor cabinet.






















Santa Claus.













Off the living room area is the dinette where breakfast, lunch, and supper is served, or to our American friends its dinner, or to the British its tea.













Heading downstairs to the basement is a antique buffet we recently received which promptly got decorated. I think it looks happy.




















The final decoration I usually put up is in the rumpus room downstairs which sits on a mantel above the TV. It's a metal house bought from Costco a couple years ago. It holds three tea lights inside which light it up from the inside. This year I was surprised that Costco wasn't carrying much for different decorations such as this one.



Finally after all this is mostly a knitting blog, and of course I've got a sock in progress. Pattern from Favorite Socks 25 Timeless Designs from Interweave. Page 39 Merino Lace Socks by Anne Woodbury.
Yarn: Trekking Pro Natura.
Made in Germany
100G=420m
75% New Wool
25% Bamboo
Colour: 1515



Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Fantastic New Year!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Peace and Love from my house to yours
See you in the New Year!
Charlene

Thursday, December 11, 2008

Day 1.....I'm such a joiner........

I saw this.....












on Susan In Stitches blog, and thought it was such a cool idea. You can find the link in my sidebar, or go directly to BooMama's blog.

So today is day 1 for me. I'm starting with the outside of the house which I've been trying to take some nighttime pictures of Christmas lights, but haven't figured out my aperatures/shutter coordinates yet. Bear with me more research is needed.....





The backyard.....
I think it's been almost 15 years I've had these candles and I still like them. I've also had the large red bows for many years and only now thought to put them on the fence and trees. They sat in a box for the last two years because I didn't know where I wanted to put them.












The lights were on and I thought they'd show up more in this picture, but it still needs to be darker outside. I've already filled that bird feeder for the second time in two weeks. The sparrows and chickadees are really chowing down.










This is the front door with a bit of garland and another couple of trees decorated with some red berries on either side of the door.



Front door wreath and bells >












I was inspired by Susan's blog and her talent at taking Christmas pictures of all her animals/pets. I recruited my daughter to help with my Noodles to do some sort of garland arrangement, but there was so much movement by the model, this one turned out kind of blurry.















This was the best one, but as you can see by the placement of the ears she wasn't thinking this was fun.











Yeaaahhhh....this was fun. As you can tell by the tinsel shredded on the floor this wrestling match ended quickly. I had to save the garland.









There has been some knitting going on. Sparse as it is. I've made five of these hotpads in different colours, and given most of them away. I am using them as hotpads, but the pattern is calling it a dishcloth. The pattern is free and was found on Ravelry here. If you're not on Ravelry then it's here. Yarn used: Bernat Handicrafter Holidays, Colour 47706 Mistletoe, 100% Cotton, 100g/3.5oz. Any of the Bernat Handicrafter cotton yarn works great with this pattern. I can make one in about four hours while watching television, and I'm not a fast knitter.

Tomorrow I'll have more pic's of Christmas decorating inside the house.