Christmas in the Kitchen

Everyone is doing it

I've seen so many cute cars with trees strapped to them that I had to have one too. 

I pondered where to get an old vintage vehicle when I remembered I had this one upstairs.

I got several mini white trees at Walmart. 
Oh so cute!

This little item has set the tone for the rest of the kitchen.

I loved the car so much that when I saw this little truck at CVS, I knew it had a perfect vintage style for a tree of it's own.

The pie safe was in the laundry room. I moved it in here and painted it when I painted the buffet in the dining room. 

You haven't gotten to see it yet but let me say, I love it white!  

It fits perfectly under the stairs. 
I think this piece was once part of a bedroom set from the 40s.It had solid panel doors but I took the panels out and put in chicken wire so I could see my cute white stuff.
When I was a new teacher just starting out, I found a pie safe out in Canton (you have got to come to Texas and go to Canton,) for $100.00. I didn't get it and have kicked myself a dozen times over it. Back then $100.00 was a fortune. I had a choice between eating or getting the pie safe. I like to eat! 
Bill and I saw this piece shortly after we got married for $35.00. It had the same lines as the pie safe that I left behind. I've pondered letting it go but it has such a redemptive story. :)

It has been in almost every room. 

I carried the cottage and pine tree theme around the room.

There are pinecones in this room too.

The bear was a birthday gift bought for me in Alaska.
  

I'm wild about pinecone dishes.

I found the white Santa mugs years ago. 
 They are one thing I put out every year regardless of my theme.

There are a few pops of red.

The vintage stockings were from my grandparents.

A very gnomish elf sits next to our Target lantern.

I knew I would love a wreath on the new vent hood cover.
  

Thank you all for your kind words on my last post. 
Blogging is so therapeutic. It is my journal of sorts, and it soothes the soul to share my struggle. 
Thanks for stopping in,
Katie   
Between Naps on the Porch   
Amaze Me Monday  
A Stroll Thru Life     
Cozy Little House

Woodland Tree in the Living Room

I ordered this pinecone botanical off of e-Bay. It has set the tone for the living room decorations this year. 
It took some time to get here from England, I'd forgotten I had ordered it.  
  It's beautiful. 

 

This print plus the pinecones we collected at the lake have created a warm and rustic feel that will be easy to live with well into January.

I wanted simple, rustic and organic.

Once I had the theme in mind, I pondered the tree. Usually our tree is heavily adorned with hundreds of ornaments.

  I just didn't want that this year. It seemed too much and too overwhelming.

I was too tired for that.  
Since Bill is traveling throughout the month of December, he didn't care about having a tree in the man cave. He had quite a few cool "lodgey" ornaments that would pair well with the antique mercury glass ornaments from my grandparents.

   

This is the way my sister-in-law does her woodland tree. 

Tasteful and not too cutesy. 

  

I just don't feel up for a lot of kitsch.
 The moose on skis just didn't make the cut.

The tree is embellished with mushrooms,
owls, acorns, pinecones,  

a few forest creatures,

and a few sweet birds. 
 I threaded burlap and white ribbon through out. 
The ribbon was giving me fits but I just kept messing with it.

We really did a lot of shuffling to try to get everything to fit but I had to put a chair in the garage. 
I like the loveseat in its new spot.

 My neighbor said it made the room look bigger and more open. I knew this but Bill likes the cozy L configuration of the old arrangement. I hope he gets used to it this way.
  I draped my new gray plaid throw from Pottery Barn across the back. 
I got the throw for 70% last winter.

 My friend, Sara and I each made a jingle pillow during our craft night a few weeks ago.

 

   
The cat and I are enjoying the big leather chair.

Actually we are sort of fighting over it but I usually win- sometimes, 
kind of. 
Okay-
 I never win but who wins against a cat?

I love our cozy Christmas living room. 
Katie    
Linking with,
Between Naps on the Porch   
A Stroll Thru Life   
Savvy Southern Style   
Coastal Charm 
From My Front Porch to Yours   
Common Ground   
French Country Cottage  
Everyday Vintage @ Helenes Legacy

Natural Christmas & Dialing it Back

I'm having such a problem. 

For the first time ever, I just don't feel like decorating for Christmas. 

I can see a lot of the bloggers have done almost all of their decorating, but I'm not there yet.
That scares me since Thanksgiving is late this year. 
I did want to put away the turkeys so those are safely packed up for another year. 
About two weeks ago, I went through all my Christmas boxes looking for stuff to purge. 
I have small collections each of Dept. 56 houses, putz houses, bottle brush trees, gingerbread men, snowmen, Santas, baby Jesus, sheep, angels and some lodgey Christmas stuff. Obviously I didn't put all this out but even with a few favorites from each collection the house can look very junky, VERY JUNKY!  

 Last night I was looking at some photos from my last two years of blogging. 
I have too much crap!

(I hope I don't get in trouble for saying crap on a family friendly blog, but really!)

What I thought looked cute last year looked junky. 
Oh some of it did look cute and you saw the good pictures.

 I experimented with live greenery from the grocery store and I'm going to be honest. It was a mess. 
I decorated too early so it all got too dry.

I think that if I do live greenery again, it needs to be done twice.

All the real pine needles were super sharp once they were dry. 

This was my favorite display last year, but I killed the plant and the dog tried to eat the little glass mushroom.

 She got it down and left it broken on the floor. 
I tried to get another one but they were sold out. 
:(
This year I really am going to try to dial it back.

I found some bags of pinecones that I collected at the lake so I'll sprinkle those about.

I ordered a pinecone print off of e-bay. I forgot about it until it came the other day. 

I think that is my theme.
Pinecones, natural, and not sheddy. 
I know not sheddy isn't really proper English but it is expedient.
It sounds better than "that which does not shed."
Actually "that which does not shed" has a nice ring to it too!

Anyway, I have bought exactly three gifts.
Two of them are stocking stuffers. 
 I am in trouble!

I'm going to take the advice of my sister this year and keep it simple. 
Katie    
Linking with,
Common Ground