Simply Christmas

I want to introduce you to a new blog!

One of my younger sisters (Hope) lives in the Central part of our state (NY).  She lives about a half hour from my hometown.  She and her husband have a home in the woods......literally IN the woods off of a dirt road! She just started a blog a couple of months ago, titled A Place in the Woods. You can find it here.  My daughters call her home, "the little house in the big woods". For those of you who are well read, you will know the reference!

farmland in Montgomery County, NYS
Hope lives near here

This month she is posting every day about decorating for Christmas.

So, I am going to jump in and join her, although with working full time now, I might only post on this a couple of times each week.  Here's my first post and please head over to Hope's to read her posts on this fun and festive topic!

Although I don't have a home in the country (Yet...our goal is to live in the mountains of NY (Adirondacks) or the mountains of NH or Maine once we are true "empty nest-ers"), my suburban home is decorated with a country theme. Most of my furnishings are Shaker style, Mission style, or cottage style. Simple. And definitely not expensive!

I have a ton of Xmas decorations and this year, with so much to do to prep for my oldest to return from college, working in the classrooms full time, leading a small group, shopping, wrapping, writing xmas cards, housework, and volunteering with Friends of Music, I am busy! So...I decided to not put everything out this year.....just a few favorites and some of the winter decor besides the Christmas decor.  And my theme is "natural" meaning lots of pinecones, berries, and wood.

Here is a sample of a simple look that I have on a dining room mini-cupboard.

c. faithe MTPics 12/2011

From left to right:

A couple of years ago, I bought 3 bunches of artificial red berries from a country catalog I enjoy. The prices are not excessively high in that catalog and the variety of country items is expansive.  I simply added the 3 bunches to a small glass jam jar!  I keep jam jars for drinking glasses. Once the jam is gone,  I soak them in a dishpan of hot, soapy water so the store labels come off easily and pop them in the dishwasher to sanitize them.  After Xmas, this one will be washed and put away in my Xmas Decorations bin.

Next to the red berries, I have an 18th century style candle holder.  This was used by fathers who had daughters who were courting.  The candle starts out high, and by the time the candle burns down low (there is a little crank thing on the side), the boy has to leave the house for the night.  I simply put some artificial evergreens in the pan, added some artificial cranberries to the greenery and popped in a Pine Green taper candle.  This one will not get lit.  I have lit them in years past, but this year it is for decorative purposes only.

The jam jar on the right, is half full of buttons.  This is out for much of the year.....I typically put it away in the summer and bring it out again in the autumn.  It is fun to just collect any stray buttons......I don't have alot as we tend to be careful with our clothing....but I have collected a few over the years. Several of them are from my oldest daughter's preschool dresses or my husband's work shirts.  I think various buttons in a glass jar look very festive, yet simple....and definitely very "country".

Do you have any decorating ideas for your dining room??  Please feel free to share.....and don't forget to check out A Place in the Woods......Hope is my sister (5 years younger than me!)

HAPPY DECORATING!