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anyone still interested in christmas photos???

16 years ago

hope christmas pictures haven't gotten old; i am always so late ... just finished tonight AND we leave for our christmas vacation destination (galena, illinois) in about 40 hours! ... oh, well, better late than never; (grin) i plan to enjoy it all when we get back!

the pictures are of our foyer & family room ...surely hope someone out there is still enjoying looking at christmas decorations?? ... happy holidays everyone, phyl

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Comments (15)

justretired
16 years ago
Never too late to share beautiful Christmas decorations! You have done a wonderful job. Please share how you put the last vignette together.

JR
oceanna
16 years ago
Wow, Phyl, that all looks just gorgeous. I love your stairs garland, it's so rich and opulent. Great job!
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A great big THANK YOU to all who looked and commented. It's nice to know you all are still sticking around! To answer questions..... I have many raised beds, all built up with native granite rocks I collected. They are all free-form, nothing fancy, just what I stack up and then fill with wheelbarrow loads of purchased loam. I cannot plant directly into my soil here. My yard was all woods and once I took down the trees the roots remained as well as many rocks.....New Hampshire is called 'The Granite State' for a reason! I probably have about 10 raised beds and borders with these stacked rocks.,...and yes, I built them all myself. The bed you are asking about is too long to fit it all in the photo....it must be at least 25 feet long....so lots of rocks!! I refuse to buy rocks, even though the landscaping rocks you buy are prettier and make a more professional-looking wall than these dug out of the ground....lol. It is bad enough that I have to buy soil. The blue clematis is 'Perle d' Azur'. The watering cans hanging on the trellis started out being functional but now they're just decorative. This summer we actually got some rain so I never used them. Then someone commented that they liked them hanging there so I left them. The pale daylily in the lower left in photo #8 is Cerulean Fringe. Last Lama is unfortunately planted in a less than optimal spot in partial shade and I think the bud count would be more in full sun....it is almost all bloomed out now but it had at least 15 buds per scape. Nancy, YES...goldfinches do enjoy eating the sunflower seeds fresh on the flower. They literally flock to my yard since I have way more sunflowers than pictured here. I also notice them on the coneflowers and liatris. Funniest thing I saw today was a chipmunk hanging off the sunflower head, stuffing his cheeks with seeds....haha. Celeste
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I promise we did not buy the house for storage!!! :) But I have to say that it's been nice!!!!! What I really like about it is that when I'm waiting on customers to get back with me, I can go into the other room and get things ready to just carry over to the main house and still monitor emails, etc. Lynne, on storing the garland, I just really started doing that last year (before they were in individual sterlite tubs in the attic) and I was amazed at how fast they went up this year and not to mention how many more lights worked than in the past....but that is probably due more to the fact that they are not stuck up in the attic with the drastic temperature changes..... Lynn....not only are we obsessive about the decorations....we're obsessive about OU as well! What's sad is that when we bought the house, we had a red roof and shutters put on without even thinking....I then took a picture to document our progress and there it was....this white house with red accents and red and white vehicles parked out front! My brother played basketball there back in the mid-90s. You'll have to guide me on some of the other good forums on gw....I've been lurking for a few years and have posted a couple times on the Oklahoma gardening section. The house is pre-1900s and we bought it 10 years ago this Dec, gutted it and have been rennovating ever since...it's been an adventure! Alex
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phyl345
Original Author
16 years ago
thank you for the kind words, oceana, they are much appreciated!

justretired, o.k. i'll try ...

i bought a $50 mirror (4 tuna cans used as risers!) at homegoods,covered the table with a black tablecloth; then scrunched in a light-weight faux-leopard scarf (transparent)and a black lacey shawl (it is difficult to see any of these details in the picture)... oh, phooey, i have close-ups still in the camera, but hubby has already taken himself off to dreamland, but i will have him put them in photobucket tomorrow (i don't know how!)

see you tomorrow! ... phyl
phyl345
Original Author
16 years ago
sigh, i guess i was right ... not much interest in christmas decorating anymore. huh ... oh, well, i'm always late to the party, as the saying goes .... anyway, justretired, here are some closeups showing the details ... btw, the mirror & tuna cans *make* the vignette!(grin)... phyl
patricianat
16 years ago
What a beautiful job you did. Lots of ideas here for next year!
teacats
16 years ago
Well - I'm ALWAYS interested in Christmas decorations -- and yours are really really gorgeous! Lush and wonderful and really unique! Thanks for sharing!!!

Have a fun and Safe trip too!
justretired
16 years ago
Thank you for the additional pictures, phyl. I am done for this year but am always on the lookout for useful bits and pieces after Christmas. I will keep the photos and try to create something as pretty next year.

Merry Christmas!

JR
texanjana
16 years ago
Gorgeous! I never get tired of looking at Christmas decorations!
skypathway
16 years ago
I love your charming dear on your mantel - very pretty.
robbyrob
16 years ago
Absolutely stunning! Thank you for giving us directions on how you did that vignette. It's gorgeous. Merry Christmas!
donnawb
16 years ago
It's never to late to show Christmas decorating. You did a fabulous job. I love how you did the stairway and the dear look wonderful.

Have a great time on vacation.
kathleen_li
16 years ago
Very nice...so different.
I think I saw some of yours on Holidays?
teeda_2006
16 years ago
Very beautiful--looks like a designer did it!
cindyxeus
16 years ago
Very nice!
phyl345
Original Author
16 years ago
what nice messages you all posted; guess i wasn't *late to the party* after all! ... i spent more time than i usually do with christmas decorating this year, but - BUT now i have already started looking at it & thinking, geez, it's going to take soooo long to disassemble it all (grin)

i hang the garlands on heavy coat hangers, so it's actually not that bad ... thank you everyone for the *kudos* & merry christmas ... phyl

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