Ghosts of Christmas Past.... Photo Album...

Now that Christmas 2011 is behind us.. today I walked around the house and decided I really wanted to remember the decor this year... so I took a photo album of the things I liked the best... and thought I'd share them here with you...

My Nativity, pared down quite a lot this year... just the creche, angels and sheep... along with a few newly bleached white bottle brush Christmas trees (an idea I ran across on Pinterest)... set under glass in a cloche where French birds normally reside in my office... but I really like it here, on the kitchen counter during Christmas dinner...  

My great mercury glass candle stick find at the Antique Mall in Seguin... only paid $16 for the set of three... then added red candles and snowy white Epsom salt... I'll be changing to white candles for the New Year celebration and then leaving the candles on the dining room table all year round!

My hot drink bar (another Pinterest idea) complete with cocoa and candy canes, vintage Holt Howard Santa candle huggers, peppermint tree from Hobby Lobby, holiday melamine plates from Target and a lighted Christmas tree...

I adore vintage Christmas candle huggers!

Kitchen niche, usually reserved for wine glasses we've collected from various wineries...

set aside to make room for my vintage Santa mugs and those bleached bottle brush trees... this was another Pinterest idea!

I bleached so many trees white, I put them everywhere... including as bottle tops in my kitchen window.  Candy and I found the little Santa hats at Blue Hills in Geronimo a few weeks ago.  I thought they would fit perfectly on wine bottles... but they were a little too small... so I made the one I bought a "bottle cap"... hehehehe...pun intended...

This year I played with putting many different items under glass... here, a candy dish with a tiny creche and a Cupie doll standing armless amongst Christmas trees... and see my sweet little Holt Howard Angel candle huggers...

I admit having fallen in love with old sewing cabinet drawers... I love them, but I've had no idea what to do with one... I purchased this one for about $10 at Blue Hills on my most recent shopping trip with Candy... It had a pretty blue knob on it when I bought it, but I traded that out for this fancy green glass knob purchased at Hobby Lobby... Here, I've used my drawer to display this years Christmas cards... now don't ask me what I'll do with it after Christmas... 'cause I don't know!  But if you have any ideas for me... share them with me here!  I could use the help!

and I don't know if you can see her wrapped around the white candle at the back of the drawer... but it's another candle hugger... this one is Mrs. Claus...

My garden art, Freddie Flamingo, is sporting a polka-dot Christmas ribbon... Freddie was meant for our camper when our daughter gave him to us for Christmas last year... but he's stood in the living room ever since... with a ribbon of the season as his only outfit!

My Paper Whites have begun to bloom finally.. I think I started them a little late this year... but I'll enjoy them through the new year and beyond... I brought twigs from the yard to stake the tall stems, and I love the way they look!

Last, but certainly not least, my vintage 1960's aluminum Christmas tree, complete with stand that turns and plays "Jingle Bells" and two rotating color wheels (Ricky like to "go big")... This was my Valentine's Day present in 2010 from Ricky... that man is full of romance!

and while I know that my decorating mentor, Sarah Richardson, said this season, she would never decorate her tree in green and red ornaments... my tree was a big hit at our Christmas Day family & friends get together... and I love the way it looks all decked out in bright green and red... it looks like... well... Christmas!

I hope that each of you had a joyous Christmas, and I wish you a safe and Happy New Year...

from down here in French Lique!

I'm linking to...
Mod Mix Monday
White Wednesday
Time Travel Thursday
Vintage Thingie Thursday
Show & Tell Friday