A Vintage Junky Christmas



The tree is up.  I am finished with the snowflakes.  I made a few wreaths.  I just need some outside things finished and one project inside.  Then I can fold the laundry again!  So here it is, a Vintage Junky Christmas:



I made this boxwood kissing ball about three years ago and it has held up surprisingly well.  In the background you can see some of the many snowflakes that I made.




The garland on the stairway that has more snowflakes... next year we will definitely buy the real stuff... I was just using what we had.




Strands of snowflakes that brighten up a corner in our dining room.




I don't really like putting away our everyday stuff... I would rather work with it.  This is the bar between our breakfast nook and the kitchen.  I added greenery, lights, and beaded glass garland.  My Dundee jars all have tealights and they look so pretty lit.




We got our yearly rosemary plant that is sentenced to die.  I put it in an ironstone bowl.  The ugly plastic pot still showed though, so I stuck some vintage light reflectors all around it.




Some little boxwood wreaths I made by simply wiring cuttings from our bushes around a small wreath form.  Then, I hung them up with some vintage striped ribbon that I found at the flea market.  Then, I just tacked them on the back of our glass cabinet doors.




I did change up the cloche on my cake pedestal a bit.  I put Mr. Hughes' Santa in it. It is very special since it used to be his Daddy's.  He has chips and is very weathered and perfect.  I have the neatest old Christmas lights in an ironstone bowl.. they have a design in them and they are a pretty aqua color.




Our mantle... still deciding on whether to make new stockings or to use the ones that I made do with last year.




I love the greenery that we found this year.  Some years we use magnolia leaves, but this was much easier to work with.  I put up some new and vintage mercury glass candlesticks.  The trees are from Target a couple of years ago.  And the letter garland (one of my favorite decorations) was a present from our friend Janet.

And finally....



...the tabletop tree!  I painted this table last week... it was a sight!  The veneer was peeling off so I had to rip off all the veneer so I could have a smooth surface to paint.  I love it though.  It originally was destined for the studio, but it is too small to do projects on-- so I rescued it from the garage.  Who knows what I will do with it after Christmas!




Our tree is live.  It is some kind of cypress, so it is difficult to hide the light strands.  I put it down into a vintage drum that Mr. Hughes specifically decreed that it could not be painted or altered.  Good thing I liked it!  I added some vintage light reflectors to holes that were already present.  Then I decorated with more snowflakes, tiny mercury glass ornaments, light reflectors, and some balls that I painted silver or covered in real silver glitter!!  Exciting, I know!!

Then I got a little surprise.  I had been kicking myself for not picking up this incredible tree topper.  And, what should I find when I was unpacking all our Christmas stuff?




This beauty!!  I bought it after Christmas at Pottery Barn last year!

And, that is all I have photos of.  Mr. Hughes took them for me while I was at work today.  I don't think he captured the depth of my snowflake insanity though.  These photos make it seem like I only have a hundred... no, there are many more.   They are in the lower half of each window (with a special "hole" so Baby Hughes can look out.  Then there are several garlands, vertical and horizontal!  And, there are a few on mirrors. I am even going to use them as part of our gift wrap.  I have such a good time making them.  I saved the ones from previous years and I have to replace some of them here and there.  They are inexpensive and easy and I think it makes the whole house look magical!  Baby Hughes points at them and whispers  "wow!"  And that is enough for me to keep cutting away.

So, if you would like to make some yourself, follow this link.  There is a PDF with folding and cutting instructions.  If you would rather not guess what they will look like, there are also a few templates for some pretty fool proof designs.
 Enjoy!

*** I am linking up with the Nester's Grand Tour of Homes, so go grab a mug of cocoa and some cookies and enjoy all the Christmasness!

49 comments:

  1. It's all just beautiful Michelle. I love how everything flows with your existing color scheme. The bowl of vintage lights are wonderful! And, don't you just love it when you find something squirreled away you forgot about? :)
    D.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Everything looks wonderful. Your table top tree looks great on your newly painted table. It all turned out beautiful!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Your rooms look like a winter wonderland. Everything is so lovely, especially the snowflakes sprinkled throughout your home. Simple & wonderful! Lori

    ReplyDelete
  4. I adore all of the paper snowflakes and the boxwood wreaths on you cabinets. It looks home made and fun, yet sophisticated. Everything is just lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Michelle, everything is so GORGEOUS!!!! you have captured the perfect balance between elegance and coziness! and tell Mr. Hughes i am impressed with his camera skills! have a lovely day!!

    alicia

    ReplyDelete
  6. It's all gorgeous! I love how your mantle turned out.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Absolutely gorgeous! I love all the snowflakes & the table top tree! The Santa in the cloche is fantastic - & so sentimental! Love your home!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Just beautiful. I have a vintage Santa on the ironstone plate and dome I bought from you. LOVE IT! Want lots more.

    Your kitchen makes my wanting to paint our kitchen cabinets white even more great. Ugh!

    Love it all!!!

    ReplyDelete
  9. Beautiful! You did a great job on the snowflakes - lots of detail. I know what you mean about the rosemary plant - I have managed to kill a few! :( I love the smell of fresh rosemary.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Hi Michelle, Everything is absolutely gorgeous, I love your snowflake mania that's going on! Your home is lovely! I still have to get my house put back together. Have a wonderful week!
    Debra

    ReplyDelete
  11. Michelle, how do you find the time to decorate so lovely? Your house looks amazing, I love al the little details, all the snowflakes, all the greenery! perfection...my favorite is that old Santa under your cloche...so Sweet!! thanks for sharing your home and for your husband to be your right hand photographer...

    ReplyDelete
  12. Beautiful! Love all your fresh greenery, the table is fabulous, and adore that drum. (I need to get one of those...) The boxwood wreaths add so much festivity to the glass cabinets, and your snowflakes are incredible!
    Kate

    ReplyDelete
  13. WOW! What a fabulous job you have done. It looks like winter wonderland.

    Cheers,

    Jo

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow. Wow. Wow. I love it all!!! Mr. Hughes' Santa is my favorite, especially in the cake stand. The snowflakes are amazing and the mantel really looks beautiful. I'm swooning!

    ReplyDelete
  15. So pretty! I love all of the snowflakes!

    ReplyDelete
  16. Everything looks so beautiful!! Very welcoming.
    blessings
    Roxanne

    ReplyDelete
  17. Yay! Thanks for the link!

    Everything looks so beautiful! I really like the topiaries in the kitchen, as well as your table top tree. Very cute, what a great winter theme! You are smart~ you'll be able to keep this up all January if you wanted to!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Everything looks perfectly lovely, friend! Love the snowflakes!

    Smiles,
    Rachel

    ReplyDelete
  19. It all looks stunning. You have done a great job. I bet Baby Hughes loves it. I really love your fireplace and your mirror is amazing. XXXX

    ReplyDelete
  20. It's so beautiful! A winter wonderland. I'm so inspired!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I am new to your blog. It is delicious! I specially like the pictures of your home. My kitchen is alot like yours. Have you posted more pictures previously? Where? Thanks. mrsb

    ReplyDelete
  22. Thanks so much! Your approval means so much *wink*

    Mrsb... I couldn't find an email for you, but here is a link to a previous post on the kitchen... I would love to see yours... do you have photos posted somewhere?

    http://vintagejunky.blogspot.com/2009/06/kitchen-check.html

    smiles~ Michelle

    ReplyDelete
  23. LOVE IT - those snowflakes tie everything together.

    And I didn't post in your giveaway post before but I wanted to tell you how much Im drooling over that vintage post office piece. GORGEOUS!!

    ReplyDelete
  24. All so beautiful! I love your snowflakes.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Thanks for you quick response. I do not have a blog or any posted pictures... maybe someday. Thanks for the link. So very inspiring!
    Martha

    ReplyDelete
  26. Beautiful and stunning, amazing job.

    ReplyDelete
  27. Yikes Michelle, everything is so beautiful. I just love the color scheme of white and silver. I love that your rosemary plant comes with a death sentence. How funny is that? The drum that the tree sits in, incredible. So, so pretty.

    ~janet

    ReplyDelete
  28. can you come to my house and decorate for me???? it all looks so lovely....jules

    ReplyDelete
  29. love those wreaths! you are so crafty! :)

    ReplyDelete
  30. love all of the decor!!! AND congratulations giveaway winner!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  31. Let me help you decide what to do with that mantle....that mirror there? Give it to me. There, done.
    What else can I help you with?
    ;-)
    Anne

    ReplyDelete
  32. That hanging snowflake garland is just what I need for photos this weekend!!

    ReplyDelete
  33. LOVE LOVE LOVE it!!!!!

    Thanks so much for the awesome inspiration!!!

    Hugs to you!
    Kristin

    ReplyDelete
  34. your house looks sooo amazing! I'm like freaking out!

    ReplyDelete
  35. Oh, I love everything. So. Beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  36. I love all of your wreaths and snowflakes!

    ReplyDelete
  37. OH MICHELLE! It looks BEAUTIFUL!!! I love all the paper snowflakes and your wonderful vintage goodies.

    Merry Christmas, my sweet friend!

    ReplyDelete
  38. Love your newly painted table and all your snowflakes! Wow sounds like a great description to me !

    ReplyDelete
  39. Soooo pretty. I love it all, especially the snowflakes and mercury glass.

    ReplyDelete
  40. Wow... it is all so beautiful. I love all the snowflakes! :) Thanks for showing us around your home.

    ReplyDelete
  41. Your home is just beautiful! May many wonderful Christmas memories be made within its walls.

    Our home is having an old fashioned handmade Christmas this year. I hope you will stop by.

    ReplyDelete
  42. I love that your decorations are beautiful and creative and that you keep it real by disclosing the pot thing and how you covered it up. Merry Christmas!!

    ReplyDelete
  43. Love your snowflakes! I have a snowflake theme to but yours is so much more extreme, I love it! My favorite is your mantle. Just beautiful. Thanks for sharing and have a Merry Christmas!!!

    ReplyDelete
  44. Looks great...and it's good to know I'm not the only one killing rosemary!

    ReplyDelete
  45. It all looks so festive! I am stopping in from Nester's Tour. If you would like to see my tour posts you can click on the 'Christmas 2009' tag on the left sidebar of my blog. Have a great holiday season!

    ReplyDelete
  46. Terrific! I am so opposed to tacky Christmas decorations that I hold back in decorating my own house for fear of looking cheesy. Your decor is amazing and so modern!

    ReplyDelete

Hi! Thanks so much for leaving me a comment. I do try my best to answer every question through email. Please leave your address if it isn't connected to your account.

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.