The door is done...

and now we wait for the verdict.  

 

My door came out exactly as i had hoped.

Finally made a snowman wreath. 

With sticks for arms...and cotton balls for snow.  I'm pretty proud of it, and i've been told it's a favorite.

Now for my coworker's doors...

This was the 12 Dogs of Christmas...9 pugs a prancing!

A giant present

A cute tree with some meaningful ornaments

Like what our agency stands for...

And something my in laws need to learn...

She's a MAJOR Flyers fan.

A minimalist approach.

Her door is titled "How to get coal in your stocking."  This poor friend's foster dog has destroyed all of these items...

A shoe, some stuffed animals, her sofa, and you see her affixing the chewed up remote control...i think she may get the sympathy vote!

This is my biggest competition.  It's so stinking cute!  Those antler head bands give it a dimensional look.

This one is super cute, but apparently her engineer husband put it up for her....we're all trying to disqualify her for it.

It's even cuter with the battery operated candles lit.

 

My artist coworker drew that Snoopy, but it's a little too similar to my door.  He was the last one to decorate, so he had lots of ideas to compare with.

 

 

First prize gets a half day off from work, but we've now decided 2nd place gets out at 2, and 3rd place gets out at 3...I'll take it!  I like my chances, but what do you think?

Anybody ever do anything like this at work?  I know Lisa's place goes all out. 

As 2012 comes to a close-this will probably be the last post before a recap of the year-i want to thank you all for reading, for commenting, for lurking, and for just hearing my bloggy voice when i hit the publish button.  You all flippin' rock!


Craftomaniac, Motivate Me Mon @ Keeping it Simple, DIY Showoff, Met Monday, Anything Goes, home stories a-z, nifty thrifty @ Coastal Charm, Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, be inspired @ elizabeth and co, tabletop tues, lil luna, get your craft on, sugar bee crafts. sugar and spice @ 733, wow us weds @savvy southern style, wicked awesome weds @ handy man, crafty woman, whatever goes weds @ someday crafts, 52 mantles, fall into fall, Transformation Thurs @ The Shabby Creek Cottage, vintage thingy thurs @ the colorado lady, Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple, hooking up @ house of hepworths, open house @ no minimalist here, share awesomeness @ 36th ave, tutorials and tidbits, simply link @ simply designing, Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring, happy hour @ Craftberry Bush, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, feature yourself fri @ Fingerprints on the fridge, Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity now, free for all @ 5days5ways, Feathered Nest @ French Country Cottage, frugalicious friday @ finding fabulous, potpourri @ 2805, thrifty things fri @ the thrifty groove, show and tell fri @ my romantic home, overflowing w/ creativity @ it's overflowing, nifty thrifty sundays, under the table and dreaming., shaken together, seasonal sundays @ the tablescaper, 

Christmas, Christmas time is here

Can somebody tell me how it got to be only a week until Christmas?  Oy yoy yoy.  It's officially time to switch from music about latkes to music about lists.

As many of you know, i like to keep it religiously neutral in our household except for the tree and the menorah--so i'm real big on snow and wintry themes.  This also allows things to be very low key and very lazy.  Just dangle some snowflakes here and there, and bam, you're good to go all season.

Sparkly snowflakes from the dollar store, big sparkly snowflake from Country Junction General Store, pinecone Smith and Hawken ornament from Target clearance last year, and you've got yourself a snowtastic vignette.

True, let's not forget to sprinkle a little dreidel pizzaz.  The Jonathon Adler bird's gotta hold something.

Finally figured out a way to display the holiday cards with this duo from Wuslu/Decor Steals that was part of a gift code win.  Stuffed underneath the table, it reminds me of a real mantle...just instead of a fireplace below, it's cards.

 Wintry vignette behind the sofa with sweater looking flameless candles.

QVC and i are likethis.

There's no way to show you this without the tv there.  You're stuck.  And i'm stuck decorating the sides only.

Some close up shots with mercury glass owls, ornaments, and books.  And random chinese good luck cat the boyfriend brought back from Asia work trip.

You're tired of seeing the dining room, i know.  Corks, ornaments, silver candles, and pinecones in a thrift store tray for the texturey win. 

 

Loook!  Sometimes my pictures DO turn out good!

 

So of course the sunroom got all festive, with some Christmas Cactuses, a green blanket which the cats love since they insist on being out there in the cold weather, and...

 

this guy from a yard sale way back.  He's as tall as the sofa, stands on his own, and i love him.  In a very non demanding way, he demands you pay him proper winter respects. 

 

The tree is in the basement because we need to close it off from the kitten.  See that dreidel?  I love adding some Jewishness to the Christmas tree, it cracks me up, and it makes it more "ours." 

And yes, yes, yes, this is basement progress!  Carpet! Paint! TV!  Don't look too closely, because of course i will do a basement only before and after post.

So are you telling me you don't have a vintage fridge and a pile of baseboards gathered round your trees?  Yeah, clearly we're not at the "after" mark yet.

 

How bout some velvet ropes?  No?

 

However your home looks, enjoy it!

 

Celebrating the season at Christmas Hosue Tour @ The Nester,  House Tour @ Inspired Room :Tablescapes @ Stone Gable, Traditions @ Jennifer Rizzo, Vignettes @ Southern Hospitality, Craftomaniac, Motivate Me Mon @ Keeping it Simple, DIY Showoff, Met Monday, Anything Goes, home stories a-z, nifty thrifty @ Coastal Charm, Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, be inspired @ elizabeth and co, tabletop tues, lil luna, get your craft on, sugar bee crafts. sugar and spice @ 733, wow us weds @savvy southern style, wicked awesome weds @ handy man, crafty woman, whatever goes weds @ someday crafts, 52 mantles, fall into fall, Transformation Thurs @ The Shabby Creek Cottage, vintage thingy thurs @ the colorado lady, Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple, hooking up @ house of hepworths, open house @ no minimalist here, share awesomeness @ 36th ave, tutorials and tidbits, simply link @ simply designing, Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring, happy hour @ Craftberry Bush, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, feature yourself fri @ Fingerprints on the fridge, Weekend Bloggy Reading @ Serenity now, free for all @ 5days5ways, Feathered Nest @ French Country Cottage, frugalicious friday @ finding fabulous, potpourri @ 2805, thrifty things fri @ the thrifty groove, show and tell fri @ my romantic home, overflowing w/ creativity @ it's overflowing, nifty thrifty sundays, under the table and dreaming., shaken together, seasonal sundays @ the tablescaper, tablescape thurs @ between naps on the porch, xmas tablescapes @ stone gable, xmas tour @ nesting place, xmas vignettes @ a thoughtful place

 

winter in white

I'm being seasonally lazy this year! Just like for fall, when i didn't change the decorations for halloween, i'm now in winter decor mode, and have yet to add in any xmas or chanukah. And i'm not sure that i even will.  Aside from the tree, this set up could take me straight through the whole season.

Hehe, if you look in the mirror you see a sans decorated tree in the above photo, and then with ornaments in the photo below.  I added some extra snowflake ornaments to even further winterfy this table/quasi mantel.  Those white "snowballs" are part of my summer woven ball filler, but i thought they could work for winter grouped in this way. 

This is the maiden voyage for this tree, and she ain't so bad.  Much narrower than our other tree, yet much better for the space.  And she went up in literally one, two, three....as opposed to our usual assembly line of "find correct branch color.  separate into piles.  fluff each branch.  add to tree.  repeat.  repeat.  repeat" over an hour or so.  Not to mention then string the lights.

I was suckered into spending 10 bucks on this sparkly winter beauty.  And by suckered, i mean i saw it, and i needed it. Darn you, big lots and your aisles of seasonal goodness!

Continuing with the white, we adorn the outside.  And by we, i mean the boyfriend.  No way I'm going onto the roof for those dormers!

Frosty aglow and gentlemanly.

His big lot friends (who miraculously have lasted through 4 years and were 8 bucks for the pair).  That left guy looks like he's up to no good with that smirk.

Because we're on the corner (hence the name of this blog) S thinks it means the lights need to span the entire perimeter...

And circle the entire house.  He threatens to add lights to the bump out (which you can kind of see above the sunroom) and to around the detached garage.  I fear it would be bordering on Griswald-esque if that takes place.

I promise there's nothing green being projected on the house-that's got to be coming from the street light.  In case you were wondering if that green glow was purposeful.  Surely not on my neutrally decorated half Jewish house.  Surely not.

  Don't you love seeing other people's lights up?  It's the internet equivalent of driving around aimlessly-think of the gas we're saving! 

Christmas scapes @ It's Overflowing, Vignettes @ French Country Cottage, Mantel Party @ Southern Hospitality, Tablescapes @ The Lettered Cottage, Mantel Party @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia,  2011 Holiday Mantels @ From My Porch to Yours, Xmas Mantles @ Home Stories A-Z, Xmas doors and porches @ At The Picket Fence, Sunday Showcase Party @ Under the Table & Dreaming, Motivate Me Mon @ Keeping it Simple, Amaze me Monday @ Dittle Dattle, Making the World Cuter @ Making the World Cuter, Making Monday Marvelous @ CRAFT, DIY Project Parade @ DIY Showoff, Met Monday, Xmas Outdoors @ Sassy Sites, Tabletop tues @ A Stroll Thru Life,  Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Show and Tell @ Blue Cricket Design, How Pinteresting @ The Vintage Apple, Transformation Thurs @ The Shabby Creek Cottage, 100 and Under @ Beyond the Picket Fence, Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple, Share Awesomeness Thur @ The 36th Avenue, Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, SAS @ Just a Girl, Feathered Nest @ French Country Cottage, Addicts Anonymous @ A2D, feature yourself fri @ Fingerprints on the fridge, Weekend Bloogy Reading @ Serenity now, Catch as Catch Can @ My Repurposed Life, Open House @ The Answer is Chocolate,

out, out, damn (empty) pots

Nothing like starting the morning off with a literary reference to keep you on your toes, eh? 

So this is the ol' homestead all suited up for the season.  We like the snowmen.  We don't like the empty pots adorning the stairs.

Frosty says top o the morning to you.

This picture was inspiration for the empty pots.  S's dad graciously scoured New Jersey for large pinecones and brought me back a grocery bag full.  None were the mammoth size that this person has, wonder where they live.

Source: ploughyourownfurrow.wordpress.com via Thecape on Pinterest

Glee!  Not too bad, right?  I knew there was a reason i left these things on the stairs! 

Just the right amount of cheer, just the right amount of "huh.  would you look at that."

These are at the end of our walkway, by the sidewalk.  Perhaps as you're walking by with your dog,

you notice a bit of bling, a bit of holiday cheer.  Puts a little more spring in my step when i see something i like and maybe haven't seen before.

Sure, my pinterest inspiration was full of lush greens and undoubtedly taken with fancy camera-so what! Super happy with my now not empty and holiday-fied pots. 

Whadya think? 

What do you do with your pots when it's too cold for plants?

You can find me here, and also in my sidebar:

Xmas Crafts @ House of Hepworths, Multi Color Holida Decor @ DIY Club, Holiday Crafts @ Centsational Girl, Sunday Showcase Party @ Under the Table & Dreaming, Motivate Me Mon @ Keeping it Simple, Amaze me Monday @ Dittle Dattle, Making the World Cuter @ Making the World Cuter, Making Monday Marvelous @ CRAFT, DIY Project Parade @ DIY Showoff,  Met Monday, Xmas Outdoors @ Sassy Sites, Tuesdays Treasures @ My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia, Show and Tell @ Blue Cricket Design,  How Pinteresting @ The Vintage Apple,  Transformation Thurs @ The Shabby Creek Cottage, 100 and Under @ Beyond the Picket Fence, Strut Your Stuff @ Somewhat Simple, Share Awesomeness Thur @ The 36th Avenue, Flaunt it Friday @ Chic on a Shoestring, Frugal Friday @ The Shabby Nest, SAS @ Just a Girl, Feathered Nest @ French Country Cottage, Addicts Anonymous @ A2D, feature yourself fri @ Fingerprints on the fridge, Weekend Bloogy Reading @ Serenity now, Catch as Catch Can @ My Repurposed Life, Open House @ The Answer is Chocolate,