• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Art of Doing Stuff
menu icon
go to homepage
  • HOUSE
  • COOKING
  • GARDEN
  • HOW-TO
  • EXTRA
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • HOUSE
    • COOKING
    • GARDEN
    • HOW-TO
    • EXTRA
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » House Stuff » My House at Xmas

    CHRISTMAS HOUSE TOUR, OUTSIDE 2015

    December 17, 2015 by Karen 77 Comments

    Pin45
    Share
    Email
    45 Shares

    Most years by this time we've had at least one snowfall here in Southern Ontario.  We don't always have snow for Christmas, which surprises anyone outside of Canada, but it's usually at least cold out.

    It's not cold out.

    How not cold?  I'm not sure that I've worn a winter jacket more than twice and I'm growing radishes.  Outside.  In the garden.  And they're actually growing. This doesn't mean winter is going easy on us, it just means Old Man Winter is recovering from a bit of a bender and won't be making an appearance until January at which point he'll vomit enough cold and snow on us to last until April.

    So the photos of the outside of my house at Christmas look as though they could have been taken at a Jamaican all inclusive resort this year.  The only things  missing are the drinks with umbrellas and the beach.  And bikinis.  And lounge chairs and lots of food and a misshapen man wandering around in a most unfortunate thong bathing suit.

    Actually now that I look at the photos, really the only thing missing is snow.

     

    door

    Flanking the bottom of the photo are my two huge rosemary bushes which I'm hoping I can get to live through the winter outdoors somehow.  I'm just 1 zone shy of them being hardy.  Just above the rosemary you can see the beautifully distressed porch floor I've done.  You'd almost think it was actually a mangled, peeling, porch instead of what it really is, which is obviously artistic genius.

     

    door2

    The wreath was the cheapest, biggest natural wreath I could find (I think it was $19) which I dressed with a red velvet bow I made from Dollar Store ribbon and tails of gold ribbon added behind.  I wanted classic Christmas.

    sled

    If you have any old winter sports equipment now is the time to drag it out. Now is also the time to go to second hand stores or flea markets to find this stuff.  The sled you may remember was hanging on the living room wall for Christmas last year.  Now it's on the porch with my birch logs, a pyramid of styrofoam balls I glued together to look like snowballs and some extra greenery tied with the same ribbon that's on the wreath.  An antique sled like this is normally around $150 but I found this one for way cheaper at a flea market. I can't remember how much it was but I bet if you read my post from last year I remembered how much it was then.

    Would you like to save this stuff?

    We'll email you this post, so you can refer to it later.

    planters

    Yeah, a broom, cause it's December and I'm still sweeping my porch.

     

    axe

    No snow doesn't mean no fires.  A roaring fire and making chocolate chip cookies is my #1 wintertime hobby.  Just ask my local fire department.

     

    shed

    You can see the potting shed from my kitchen window so I like to put a few Christmasy things out there for me to stare at while I lean on the counter and wait for the dishes to do themselves.  Last year I had some of my wood stacked there with fresh greenery on it. That's all I needed because everything was covered in snow and it looked beautiful last year.

    This year I added some skis. I bought the set of skis at my local thrift store for around $6.  I was going to paint them white but when I propped them against the potting shed they looked so great with the red bow that I just left them red.  Maybe I'll paint them next year.  Or maybe I'll have a live moose in my backyard next year instead. Who knows. At this rate I might be installing a pool with swim up bar at this time next year.

    Other sports things you can pick up at flea markets or second hand stores for decorating outside are snowshoes (expensive though), old white figure skates, which would look GREAT hanging from a hook on a garage or front door or any wood sled.  Oh! If you're going to put the skates out make sure they have some kind of blade protectors on them.  You don't want to slide through a jugular while walking past them.

     Those are the things I'd recommend you go and buy if you think your outdoor decorating is missing something.  A sled, old figure skates, or snowshoes.

    If you can't find any of those things for a good price you can set a chalkboard outside and literally draw a pair of skates or a sled on it.  Chances are if you don't have enough money to pay for $6 used skis it's because you're a creative artistic type who doesn't get paid your worth,  so you'll have no problem with the chalk drawing.

    More HOME stuff

    • 67 Spring Cleaning Tips — But Just Pick 5 😆
    • 12 Cleaning Tips You Need To Know
    • How to Stop Your Crisper From Freezing
    • The Christmas House Tour 2023

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      The maximum upload file size: 512 MB. You can upload: image, audio. Links to YouTube, Facebook, Twitter and other services inserted in the comment text will be automatically embedded. Drop file here

    1. Rosemary Burrows

      November 18, 2016 at 1:11 pm

      Lovely vignettes, thank you so much. I brought back home a baby sled that I had refinished for my grandson 8 years ago; have some old dairy cream cans; an old galvanized watering can; some old copper wash boilers; some old brass containers and an old large granitewear pressure cooker that I want to use in a winter vignette. The only problem here on the we(s)t coast is all our rain will dAmage some of this stuff. So I'll have to put it under cover closer to the house in order to give it some protection. It won't be all that visible from the street unfortunately but can't be helped. Have to go and find some winter greens and logs. I'm kicking myself for selling my old maple tobaggan when we downsized! At least I think we still have some old ice-skates around. Your photos have inspired me and I'm excited to do this!

      Reply
    2. Website detials

      March 22, 2016 at 4:20 am

      Very lovely, but unfortunately it was difficult to enjoy with so many ads everywhere, especially the pop-up type that appeared at the bottom of your pictures.

      Reply
    3. Amie M

      January 06, 2016 at 1:55 pm

      We must have followed the same tutorials for how to DIY an artistic, well-worn, paint peeling front porch.

      The decor looks lovely! Now, how does it all look with the white stuff?

      Reply
    4. Feral Turtle

      December 24, 2015 at 8:21 am

      I loved your tour Karen. Wanted to pop by and wish you and your family a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!! Hope this season is full of family and friends and a great New Year to you too! Cheers.

      Reply
    5. Jill

      December 19, 2015 at 4:51 pm

      Does anyone still have the link for the free printable Christmas tags (wildlife)?

      Reply
      • Shirley

        December 21, 2015 at 12:28 pm

        Hi, Jill:
        Google "Woodsy Seating Tags Brooklyn Limestone" for a set of 6 wildlife tags. Are these the ones you're looking for?
        Cheers, Shirley

        Reply
        • Jill

          December 21, 2015 at 8:32 pm

          Thanks Shirley and have a Merry Christmas!

    « Older Comments

    Primary Sidebar

    SHOP ON AMAZON

    Use it 👆 to support my work. LEARN MORE

    My name is Karen Bertelsen and I was a television host. In Canada. Which means in terms of notoriety and wealth, I was somewhere on par with the manager of a Sunset Tan in Wisconsin.

    I quit television to start a blog with the goal that I could make my living through blogging and never have to host a television show again. And it’s worked out. I’m making a living blogging. If you’re curious, this is how I do that.

    So I’m doing this in reverse basically. I’m the only blogger who is trying to NOT get a TV show.

    More about me 👋

    Seasonal Articles

    • The Subtle Signs of a Sick Cat

    • One Of My Best Backyard Hacks Ever

    • The First Long Weekend of the Season

    • How to Remove a Tick - Barf

    • Vegetable Gardening Ideas for May

    • The 2025 Dahlia Pageant: Meet the 21 Contestants

    Popular Articles

    • This Is Where I Try To Buy Your Love

    • Guaranteed Crispy Sweet Potato Fries & Sriracha Mayo Dip

    • A Year Full of Pots: Win Sarah Raven's New Book

    • The Difference Between People Who Eat Mayo & People Who Eat Miracle Whip

    • Your FIRST look at my new kitchen in Canadian Living Magazine.

    • How to Print an Image on Wood.

    Footer

    as seen in

    About

    • About
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Social

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Twitter
    • Pinterest
    44 shares