My house looks beautiful. B-E-A-U-T-I-F-U-L.
I probably shouldn't say that. Humility and all that stuff. But ... it does look beautiful. I love it. I really don't feel bad saying that for a few reasons which I shall list for you right now.
1. It was a lot of work 3 days, no elves, 2 injuries.
2. One injury involved spray flocking, a sparkle and four eyelashes. People are always prouder of things that involved getting an injury.
3. After standing proudly decorated for a total of 2 hours, my Christmas tree fell over. Scratch that. It didn't fall over, it smashed spectacularly to the ground accompanied by the sound of artillery, resulting in my diving for cover under the nearest thing. A Triscuit cracker. As it turns out the "artillery" was actually dozens of my antique glass ornaments shattering into pieces.
I did not cry. I came close. But I did not. It wasn't until the THIRD time the tree fell I cried. Mostly because it fell on me. People are always prouder of things they accomplish by overcoming the odds. I overcame all odds.
So those are my reasons for unabashedly proclaiming my Christmas decorating to be beautiful.
I followed my usual rules this year.
1. If you put something out, you have to take something away. Reindeer on the buffet? Then take away the vase. Just put everything you take away in a box or two and stick it in the basement until Christmas is over.
2. Just because you own a Christmas decoration doesn't mean you HAVE to put it out. If you hated it last year and only put it out because you felt like you owned it and you had to, you're going to hate it again this year. Just leave it in the box and get past the guilt.
3. If you put it on a glass block or under a glass dome it'll look like it cost more than the $3 you paid for it. That rule works any time of year.
And this year I added a new rule. Use more fishing line to attach your Christmas tree to the wall than you think you would need. In fact, factor in the amount of fishing line you think it would take to capture Jaws and then double it. Then use more than that to tie up your tree.
This would be the tippy, topsy, toppling tree.
One final point for those who are wondering. If a tree crashes in the living room ... it does make a sound. And by it, I mean me. And by sound I mean swear words that would warm Gordon Ramsay's heart.
→Follow me on Instagram where I often make a fool of myself←
cc
You always just make my day... and yes your house is Beautiful
I love it all especially with the deer and tinsel on the tree..
Loved the idea of not feeling guilt for not putting something out... Amen and then the idea of taking away something too. Makes it feel fresh and not cluttered... How did you get so smart. ?? LOL
Merry Christmas my friend..
Marion
Goodness, your home is beautiful. I particularly love the Merry Christmas on the lampshade! So creative. Good luck with your tree, maybe it won't decide to fall over anymore. I'm sad for you that you lost some of those beautiful antique ornaments you bought at the antique show. Maybe Santa will bring you some more!
SK Farm Girl
Well . . . if you didn't water your tree with wine it wouldn't pass out and fall over! And besides what would your mother think of you wasting perfectly cheap wine on the Christmas tree?!?! LOL! I love all the rustic touches - twine, burlap, pinecones! It's stunning and I'm going to steal more than one of your ideas! Speaking of stealing - don't be surprised if that sweater goes missing, I covet it! Merry Christmas Karen, the fella, pussa-cat and all the hens (and can't forget the dust-bunnies - face it we all have 'em)! Much love, light and laughter in 2013.
Karen
You don't need to covet. Just go buy it at The Bay. Ralph Lauren Denim & Supply Intarsia vest. On sale now! :) ~ karen
Janet
Wow! It's beautiful! Karen, you make me laugh, sometimes so hard I cry....and you totally inspire me. Thanks for that....After seeing your beautiful pics of your gorgeous home....I'm actually feeling the Christmas spirit come over me. Have an incredibly joyous and awesome Christmas! PS...thanks for allowing me to feel NO guilt about the Christmas crap I'm NOT putting out this year. You are so sensible.
Alex
Gorgeous! All of it! Merry Christmas to you and yours!
Patti
Love it, Karen! Your house pulls in so many awesome textures, both rustic and modern, and I absolutely LOVE it. LOVE IT.
Also, I feel like we`re friends because I'm all like "ooh! Look! There's her rolling pin in the cupboard", and "oh, I love how she used her egg basket to hold candy!" and on and on and on! I feel like I've been in your house before or something, because I recognize so many items! Does this make me a stalker?
Also - LOVE that you used burlap (or is that natural linen?) as a tree skirt! I SO wanted to do something fancy for a tree skirt (mine is currently just felt) and that is the PERFECT idea. You're so smart!
Signed, Your friend, Patti.
Karen
LOL. Hello my pal Patti. It is burlap and it cost 0.39 cents a foot at the local garden centre! Best investment ever. I also made my mother buy about 10 feet of it! ~ karen
Liz
Butt gusting funny. I mean gut busting. Hysterical. And beautiful. Yes, you deserve to brag.
Now I'm going to squirrel away a bunch of non-Christmas decor into a box and take it down to the basement (where there are 193 more boxes of stuff). Thanks for your inspiration!
LAURA
I'm sure Pottery Barn would pay you mucho big bucks to help in their store. You have more than one calling in life. Your photography skills amaze me as well. My own pics of random house areas don't intrigue me to stare even half as much as yours. I'm like centimeters away from the computer screen at your blog.
Cathy
Karen,
It's beautiful, even more so that it is simple and uncomplicated in the way it feels; though I know it had to be a lot of work. Our tree fell 3 years ago and destroyed my favorite ornaments, too. I'm blaming ours on the Great Pyr's tail hitting it. Merry Christmas and thank you for sharing your beautiful home via the great photos!
Lisa
Same as you, I like to decorate with greenery and pinecones, etc. because it also says "winter" and not just Christmas. Then I put away the ornaments and some things can stay out until February-ish.
Also - don't you have a cat? Do you own the only cat in the entire world that doesn't eat tinsel??
Where is this magical place?
Elen Grey
That did warm the cockles of my Christmas coffee cup! There, I got four C's!! I loved the fireplace swag and the metal egg basket used for Christmas candy. Okay. Okay. Okay. I loved everything. The incredible crashing tree is fabu!
laura gerber
Amazing as always Does the reindeer sweater live on the chair all season or do you get to wear it?
Karen
Laura - Hah! I got the reindeer sweater for my birthday from my mother (a few days before I took the pictures) so it was hanging on the chair. I decided it looked pretty damn good there, so I left it for the picture! ~ karen
Debbie from Illinois
Your home is lovely! I love the tinsel. I remember way back in the day that my Grandma would save the tinsel. She would layer the strands between sheets of tissue paper. This was back in the 60's so I imagine it was the real metal tissue.
Merry Christmas!
Ann
Gorgeous. But I know it must have been tough to lose some of your antique glass ornaments. I am not even putting my tree up this year because I have a new, fairly young cat in the house. All my ornaments are glass, "Old World Christmas" and Radko and I can't imagine how much it would hurt to have any of them break. Especially since every year when I buy one, it is purchased in tribute to the passing year. Like last year, after having to deskunk my dogs hundreds of times, I bought several varieties of skunks to go on the tree. This year I couldn't find one with any connection to our year so I just bought a pretty woodland snowman. Next year when the kitty is 2 years old, I will dare to set the tree up!!
Barbie
.....sorry about your tree falling over so much! Your a stronger woman than I for not crying!
Barbie
Love the white pitchers and pinecones! Also the fireplace with the burlap....brilliant!
Kelly
Karen,
I love that I'm not the only one who still puts tinsel on a tree. I've been told by my kids that no one does that anymore but now I have proof that at least one person on this planet, besides me, does. My husband likes tinsel and colored lights and because I still really, really like him a lot after all these years, I try to keep him happy......... even if I'm more of a white light and themed tree kinda gal. The white lights are on the upstairs tree :o)
Your house is beautiful Karen and I really love the country charm it has.
I hope you have an awesome Christmas and all the best for good health and happiness in 2013!!!
Kelly
Karen
Kelly - This is the first time I've put tinsel on my tree since I was kid! I like it. It's very sparkly. ~ karen
Jack
Your home is indeed a scene out of "Its a Wonderful Life" but I must say as I scrolled through your many rooms of festive cheer I did not see any Christmas cards perched atop mantles or strung across entranceways. Where might you be displaying your many Christmas cards.......particularly the one from me??
Karen
LOL! The Christmas cards always get slipped into the slats of the slatted door leading into the basement. And your particular card happens to be on a small sideboard in my hallway. ~ karen!
Deb
BEAUTIFUL!!!! Love the simple white pitchers and the pine cones!!! Too cute, but one thing confuses me. HOW do you get the "girls" to lay those holiday appropriate beautiful colored eggs?
Karen
LOL. It just comes to them naturally. https://www.theartofdoingstuff.com/eggs-in-a-basket-2/ :) ~ karen
Tara
Magazine worthy!