Category Archives: Decor

Decor – Holiday Decoration Storage

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The holiday season is over – it is now time to take down the holiday decorations and store them until the next year.  Depending on how extensively you decorate your home for the holidays this process could take several days.  A good rule is that the time it takes to set up the decorations is the same amount of time it will take to put away the same decorations.

I have several large plastic storage boxes that we store in the basement.  I found that storing the holiday items in these tightly sealed plastic containers will keep everything safe and secure from damage.  I have used cardboard boxes in the past and there is always a risk of the cartons tearing or little animal creatures chewing through and destroying the decorations.  This happened in our other home when the holiday decorations were stored in the garage.  In our current home, my husband has built wonderful shelving that keeps the majority of the boxes off the floor since the water heater is located nearby.  Even if there is a problem with the water heater, there would be no damage to the holiday decorations.

When I converted to the large plastic storage boxes after our move to the new house, each was labeled with the contents.  Such as: Easter decorations, Halloween decorations and Christmas Nativity Set, North Pole decorations, etc. It is easier to find the boxes you are looking for when you are decorating during the holidays.  Also, inside each box is a sheet of paper with a detailed inventory of the contents because if I am looking for a particular item I could know immediately from the list.  This inventory list is checked twice (just like Santa’s list!) Once when the items are being taken out to decorate for the season and to make sure nothing is missing and then again when the items are being put away after the holidays are over to make sure everything is returned to the storage boxes.  A copy of this list is put into my craft folder that I take with me when I am shopping for seasonal decorations, this way I know exactly what I have and what I need.

At this time, when I am putting the decorations away, it is a good time to make repairs on any items damaged during the holidays or to create a list of items to purchase for the next year.  I know it sounds like a complicated process but this way everything is organized.  It will also save you a lot of time and money.  Time – because if you make the repairs before the items are put away then the next year you can begin decorating as soon as you unpack everything with no delays.  Money – because it is a good opportunity to shop the holiday clearance sales.

During the holiday season I always find craft ideas or projects that I want to try for the next year.  Now is a good time to make a list of items needed for those projects.  Take advantage of the holiday clearance sales when the prices for the items are severely reduced.  Another good idea is to shop during the year for those items so the holiday projects can be completed without the time crunch and pressure of a holiday deadline.  Another tip is that if you are prepared with a shopping list of items required for those projects, the following year when the holiday supplies and decorations are first available in the craft stores there is a better selection with no risk of those items running out stock.

Holiday decorations can last for years if they are properly stored and maintained with minor repairs.  We spend so much money and time on these decorations it makes sense to store them properly.  Also, I have several heirloom items that I would like to pass onto to my children, so I’m willing to take the time to store those items securely from damage.

Decor – New Year’s Party Decorations

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New Year's Day Buffet 8There is something classic about the color combination of silver and white.  These are the perfect colors for our New Year’s buffet this holiday season.  Whenever I am shopping in places like Home Goods or antique stores on a weekend trip, I always keep my eye open for beautiful serving pieces to add to my collection of party and special occasion tableware.  I have several silver bowls, silver serving platters and a beautiful silver/mirror cake stand.  I also have several crystal bowls and a lovely clear glass serving platter with frosted snowflakes.   Several of these pieces will be used for the New Year’s buffet.

Currently on the dining room table is the Fall Victorian Centerpiece that I made this year for Thanksgiving and it has remained for the Christmas season.  (Please see the November Craft post for photos and instructions)  This centerpiece will be removed for the buffet and I will use a white tablecloth with a simple holly leaf design for the party.  Next I will set out a new floral centerpiece I made of white poinsettias with crystal and pearl accents in a silver bowl and on either side I will use two newly polished silver candelabras with white candles.  For some additional interest to the table, I will hang crystal snowflakes from the dining room chandelier.  To add even more sparkle I will scatter around the table glass tealight holders.  For this party I will be using our Noritake Rothschild china, antique silverware and Italian crystal glasses for an elegant New Year’s buffet.

New Year's Day Buffet 9    New Year's Day Buffet 10

New Year's Day Buffet Centerpeice    New Year's Day Buffet cake

I think these decorations will make a festive party for our friends to ring in the New Year!!

Decor – Christmas Home Decorations

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CHRISTMAS… the weather has turned a little frosty and there might even be snow on the ground. (if you are lucky!)  If you live in a warmer climate, don’t worry about it because as soon as you put on some Christmas music to set the mood and start to unpack those Christmas decoration boxes you will definitely get into the holiday spirit!

After Thanksgiving, I pack up all the fall decorations and the boxes are stored down in the basement. Then, my husband brings up the Christmas decorations and it can take awhile because I have several boxes!  The process of decorating our house for Christmas can take several days but I enjoy every minute of it!  The interior house Christmas decorations I have collected over the years are not specific to a certain room and I can be creative with the different accessories, so I’m not limited to the same decorations in the same place every year and this keeps things interesting and fun!  I have fewer exterior house decorations and generally they are the same every year.  For the last couple of years we have decided not to decorate the outside of the house with lights to save both time and money – please don’t call us Scrooge!!

Like most holidays when I start the decorating process for the holiday season, I begin with setting up the Christmas decorations outside on the front porch.  Living in the Midwest the weather conditions can get very harsh and I usually keep all my exterior decorations under the roof of the porch to keep everything safe from the elements.  I start with a couple of pre-lite artificial Christmas trees and for the last couple of years I have added a pre-lite snowman bought at a Target after holiday sale.  I liked the size of the snowman but embellished him a little by gluing on larger black buttons, topped it off with an old black winter hat and this year I’m going to change the wire nose and add a large artificial carrot instead!  To complete the front porch, I hang a Christmas wreath on the front door.  I have three different wreaths that I rotate from year to year. One is a large pine wreath decorated with pinecones and red berry sprays, another is a wreath covered completely in velvet holly leaves and the third one is a pine cone wreath accented with holly leaves and red berries.

With the outside of the house done I can now start decorating the inside of the house.  In the entry hall I set up a whimsical 24” Santa displayed with two elves hanging onto the branches of a small Christmas tree.  Nearby I have a pair of black ice skates hanging from an antique sled with a Boyd’s moose named Mortimer.  Whenever I am shopping in the antique stores, I always look for holiday items – on my wish list is a set of old skis and poles and hopefully I will be able to find it before next year.  This year I have added a Christmas Kissing Ball and I think it will be fun for our guests’ arrival and departures this holiday season!  (Please look for the December Craft post for instructions on how to make your own Christmas Kissing Ball)

    

The next room of the house is our library; this is the room where all our books and vacation memorabilia are in bookshelves that fill up an entire wall.  On the other side of the room, I keep my Boyd’s Bear collection year-round in a small lawyer’s bookcase.  I add my Boyd’s Christmas figurines and I decorate the two shelves with pine branches to give it a festive Christmas look.  The bottom shelf holds the Boyd’s Bear Village and I decorate the display with winter trees and tiny snowflakes.  I also add a Boyd’s Bear Santa to one of the ivory chairs in the library.  On another side of the room, I have displayed for the last a couple of years our Fontanini Nativity set on an antique table that my husband’s Grandmother kindly gave us.  This heirloom table is very special to us because it has been in the family for a very long time. (Please see a previous December Décor post for more detailed information on the Fontanini Nativity Display)

The next room to decorate is the family room.  One wall of the room has a fireplace and mantel flanked by two bookcases/cabinets.  For the past few years I have displayed our Department 56 North Pole Village in the bookshelf but this year I will be doing something new and it will be displayed across the fireplace mantel.  The fireplace mantel is also the place where we traditionally hang our Christmas stockings.  Next, to complete the family room, I will set-up a display on the fireplace hearth with a traditional 29” Santa, his two reindeers and a small Christmas tree. (Please check out my previous December Décor posts for more detailed information on the Department 56 North Pole Village display and the Christmas stockings and Fireplace Mantel decorations) 

In the dining room, the Memory Tree set out for Thanksgiving will be moved to the family room.  (Please refer to last month’s Craft post for ideas and tips on how to create your own family Memory Tree)  In November I had displayed in the china cabinet three Currier and Ives porcelain houses I purchased at a local craft store a few years ago.  Our china cabinet has a mirrored back so you are able to see both the back and the front of the display of the houses.  I add a few small pine trees and additional figurines and these are set-up on a beautiful elongated mirror and silver stand.    This display is an example of a decoration that works for both Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons – I love when that happens!  This year I have added two new Craft projects to our dining room decorations – a Victorian inspired fruit arrangement that I made last month for our Thanksgiving table and a Cranberry topiary inspired by one I had seen in a past HGTV White House Christmas shows.  I think they are great additions to our traditional dining room design.  (Please look for full instructions on making both projects – the Fall Victorian Centerpiece is a November Craft post and the Cranberry Topiary is a December Craft post)

The last room on the main floor of the house to decorate for the holidays is the kitchen.  Now, this can get a little tricky because the room needs to function as a full service kitchen, so the counters need to stay clear of decorations because food and meals are being prepared and eaten at the table on a daily basis.  We have a fairly large kitchen that is open to the family room and these two rooms of the house are where we spend most of our time.

Several years ago I found the perfect Christmas theme for the holiday decorations in the kitchen – gingerbread and candy canes!!  Since there are several areas in the kitchen that I decorate for Christmas, I start with an area that has a long chair height counter with upper and lower cabinets.  This is the area my daughter does her homework and the counter needs to stay free of clutter.  So, in the space above the upper cabinets I usually set-up a Department 56 gingerbread train that is displayed with pine boughs, red berry sprays and this year I have added “white icing” snowflakes to give it a different look.  I also hang two holly wreaths with red berries and gingerbread snowflakes on the cabinet doors.

    

The last area that needs some Christmas attention is the area by the stove and oven.  Please be careful with the holiday decorations in this area because with the extreme heat from cooking you don’t want anything that is flammable or a fire hazard.  I have a basket of artificial vegetables on the counter and I add a cute “North Pole Candy Canes” container that holds some wooden candy canes and pine sprays.  I also hang some Santa towels from the oven bar handle.

I hope you enjoyed the tour of our house decorated for the holiday season and I try to create decorations that are classic and traditional but fun and interesting.  Please let me know your comments or suggestions; I would love to hear what you think.

Decor – Fontanini Nativity Display

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When decorating our home at Christmas it is never complete until we set up the nativity set.  When I was a child my mother had a beautiful nativity set with hundreds of pieces that she always set up under our Christmas tree every year.  I remember lying on the floor just looking at that display and sometimes when my mother wasn’t looking, I played with the pieces. Unfortunately, after my mother passed away this year, I don’t know what happened to her nativity set.  It would have been nice to have one or two pieces for remembrance!

1971 Christmas - Mom and Barbara

When I first got married and started decorating my own home, I knew I wanted a nativity set and I took my time looking for the right one.  There is a wonderful Christmas store in Solvang, California that has been there since 1967 called Jule Hus. (solvangschristmasstore.com)  They sell beautiful Old European glass ornaments, German Nutcrackers, Christmas Angels, and Fontanini Nativity sets.  We loved going to the store whenever we visited Solvang and it didn’t matter what time of year because as soon as we walked through the doors it was always Christmas!

After years of searching I finally found the perfect nativity set that I wanted at Jule Hus.  I bought a beautiful Fontanini set that included a stable, Gloria the angel, Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in a manger.  Over the years I added more pieces; the three wise Men and their camels, shepherds and their flock of sheep, also a set of ox, donkeys and goats, palm trees and a star that hangs suspended over the nativity set.  It will never be as big as my mother’s nativity set, but it is small enough to display anywhere in the house.  We have display it in an oak cabinet in our California house.  Now that we have moved to the Midwest, I have displayed the nativity set in several different places, such as: in the library on top of an old piano from Germany and last year I had displayed the nativity set on a lovely heirloom table that we received from my husband’s Grandmother.

One thing remains the same no matter wherever it is displayed, traditionally the manger stays empty until Christmas Eve.  On that evening we read from a beautifully illustrated book that tells the story of the birth of Jesus.  After we are done reading, my daughter will put baby Jesus in the manger and we say a prayer.  It is a lovely moment to remind us of the true meaning of Christmas and a family tradition that we love to celebrate every year.

    

Tradition of the Nativity scene or crèche

A nativity scene or crèche depicts the birth of Jesus.  The main figures are the infant Jesus, Mary, and Joseph.  Other figures include angels, shepherds and the three wise men known as the Magi.  Usually the scene takes place in a barn or stable with Mary and Joseph and a manger for Jesus.  Usually displayed with nativity are various animals such as a donkey, ox and the camels belonging to the three wise men.  Sometimes, more elaborate nativities will display different scenes from the village, such as: the Inn and the Innkeeper and the other village merchants and craftsmen.

During the Christmas season, the tradition of the nativity scene is created all around the world.  There are many different types of nativities that represent the various countries and the cultures of the native people.  Known as the Szopka, the traditional Polish nativity dates back to the 13th century and was originally carried from door to door by performance groups that told the story of the birth of Jesus. There is a famous annual competition held in Krakow’s main square and prizes are awarded for the most elaborately decorated nativity scenes. The construction of these modern nativity scenes often use the design elements found in Krakow’s historic architecture and include Gothic spires, Renaissance facades and Baroque domes.

Mass produced nativity sets are now available worldwide in all different types of materials and every price range.  One of the most successful companies is Fontanini.  The House of Fontanini was founded in 1908 in Bagni di Lucca, Italy.  They produce and hand paint cast resin figures in several different sizes that range from 2.5″ to 50″ tall.  The most popular sizes are the 5″ and 7″ figurines and are currently distributed by the Roman Inc. since 1973.  They are usually sold by Christmas ornament suppliers such as Bronner’s. (www.bronners.com)  These treasured nativity pieces are very collectible and would make a great family heirloom to pass onto future generations.

If you also display a Nativity Set, I would love to see your photos!

Decor – Department 56 North Pole Village

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North Pole Village 2012

The Department 56 North Pole Village is one of the highlights of our Christmas decorations.  It brings me great joy to create something whimsical for the family during the holiday season.  Even with the same main buildings displayed every year; such as Santa’s Workshop, Elves’ Bunkhouse, Reindeer Barn and Santa and Mrs. Clause’s Home and the North Pole Gate – the display can look different from one year to the next.

When I unpack the boxes from storage every year, I will try to arrange the various buildings and accessories in different ways.  Some years I will even display the Department 56 North Pole in a different room of the house.  Last year I added a mountain platform and a blue sky background.  Please, take a look at the photos below and see how the display has changed over the years.

So, if you have one of the Department 56 villages, think about displaying it in a new way or perhaps even in a different room.  Maybe purchase another building or accessory to add to the collection.  Suddenly, with a little creativity or spending just a little money, a Christmas village can look fresh and new.

    

History of the Department 56 Villages

Over 25 years ago Department 56 began as a part of the premiere retail florist, Bachman’s, in Minneapolis, MN.  Bachman’s used a numbering system to identify each of their departments and the number assigned to the wholesale gift department was 56.  Department 56 has been a leader in the collectible, home and holiday decorative products and is now a division of the Enesco Company.

Known for their Christmas Village and Snowbabies collections, the brand began with the Snow Village six ceramic houses in 1976.  Some of the names of the original houses were the Mountain Lodge, Gabled Cottage and Inn.  Currently the collection consists of over 225 pieces and accessories.

The Heritage Village Collection started with the porcelain Dickens Village in 1984.  The charming houses depict the time of Charles Dickens and are named for places or characters relating to the stories he wrote.  Some of the pieces are The Old Curiosity Shop, Scrooge and Marley Counting House and the Cottage of Bob Cratchit and Tiny Tim.

The New England Village was introduced in 1986 and includes churches, such as the Old North Church in Boston, lighthouses and other buildings and places in the New England area.

The Alpine Village collection started in 1986 and some of the pieces have very European names, such as Josef Engel Farmhouse, Bessor Bierkeller and St. Nicholas Kirche Church.

The Christmas in the City collection was introduced in 1987 and depicts American life from 1930 to1940.  Pieces include the Palace Theatre, Ritz Hotel, Dorothy’s Dress Shop and St. Mark’s Church.

The North Pole Series started in 1990 and the first pieces introduced were Santa’s Workshop, Elf Bunkhouse and Reindeer Barn.

The Little Town of Bethlehem collection was issued in 1987 and there were only twelve pieces.

For further information on Department 56 Villages or to see what houses and accessories are currently available or to get additional ideas see their website.  www.department56.com