Show Us Your Holiday Decor

Sue - love your decorations and those towels are so cute!! Eleanor

Very nice, Sue. Jyl, I'll be checking you out on eBay.

I'll be checking eBay, too. Of course, I'll get outbid because all of you are checking out eBay. Maybe I'll just wait a couple of days and then bid.

Does Zazzle sell DG Christmas ornaments yet? Surprised if they don't.

Wow, everyone's decorations are so festive and gorgeous! Eleanor, I only had room for a little tree for many years. One year we decorated it with the little airline bottles of liquor. No need to take the tree down, we just drank it :) I finally got to decorate the fireplace after waiting 2 years for its' completion. It's a start.

Venu - beautiful fireplace and you've done a wonderful job decorating it for the holidays. Eleanor

Very pretty Weeze!

Thanks Eleanor and Victor. If the wind ever dies down I might get a few lights up outside.

Noreaster - Seamus is THE BEST! Love his expression! I think I can read his mind! That vintage tree topper is terrific!

Jyl - you're right....this is one Fla. girl who loves your Santa/flamingo!

Sue - nice decorations!! The reindeer towels are great!

Venu - gorgeous fireplace and the decorations are classy and lovely!

What fun, everyone!!

Fabulous fireplace. You'd think that in this old house we'd have a fireplace. But nope. We don't. I'd love a fireplace to decorate for the season.

Oh My! What incredible decorating!

Eleanor - I love your little tree and all of your other decorations - What a great place to display your Christmas village. So cute! Up to now, I've usually had small trees and It doesn't always have to be big to be good!

Venu and Noreaster...Your fireplaces look fabulous! Love the vintage christmas items also, but those dogs or yours "Take the Cake" hahahaha...You don't even have to decorate with them around. Ohhhhhh so cute! Wish I could get mine to pose so nicely.

And Jylgaskin...You are just one talented woman! Your work rivals any I've seen in Frontgate as they showcased a couple designers this year, Dee Gann and Mark Roberts. Loved the Flamingo Santa. Sorry you're messing around in 18" of crappy snow, but I'm sure when you plug it all in you'll be glad you did. (Oh sure...easy for me to say, sitting here in 75 degree weather...cough!)

Kat

Here's my uncooperative pair - Well the angel is a little more well behaved, but Santa doesn't really want any part of it!

I put him in his parka and he's still not happy!

(Actually, somehow a bird got into my screened lanai and is trapped and flying around. Ziggy has his mind on other things - it's like, Enough with these stupid pictures...let me OUT there!) hehe

Adorable little guys, Kat!!

KatG - thank you and your little guys are sooooo cute and adorable!! Eleanor

Thanks Donnie and Eleanor...they are the best! Wish Zig was a little more photo friendly though...he's such a ham until I pull out the camera!

Candyce...as far as that Toy's for Tots party goes, they don't get any permit. They just rely on the neighborhood being receptive to it and if anybody complained, that really would be sad. With it getting bigger every year, I'm sure they have worry's about liability, etc., but so far so good. We live on a dead-end street, so maybe that helps with traffic control/parking etc. It's kind of funny, I live across the street and nobody parks on my lawn until it's dark! haha. I couldn't care less if they did. It is just an incredible thing for 2 individuals to do. They're not wealthy by any means, as they both work 2 jobs. One is a manager at Wallmart and part-times at Dennys and the other is in Real Estate which is the pits these days, and doubles at a local gas station. They're just so good hearted souls. The Marines do bring in a big trailer for collections and it was pretty full. When things calm down from the Holidays, I've invited them over for a Dave and Rich appreciation night! :). You gotta love people like this! There's nothing in it for them except the good they do for others.

I have the COOLEST thing!

One of my employees is addicted to HSN (Home shopping network). I came into work one day and she said...you're not going to believe what I found. I'm like, Yeah...I would! haha. WELL, it was a snow machine! Get out of here! Had to buy one! It is the coolest thing. I have it up on my balcony and you fill it with this solution (soapy like) and it looks like real snow! It also has a remote you can just push the button and "surprise" people! hehehe. I bought mine in July and I would put the outdoor fireplace on and click the button and it was just like Winter! My friends think I'm nuts, but they liked it! Had a bunch of company for Thanksgiving and the 4 little girls had a blast - they were doing "angels" on the pool deck in the foam! haha. Went back to buy some snow formula and found the thing on sale for $50 less. It really is unreal. I couldn't resist and bought another one! There's going to one heck of a snowstorm here at Christmas! LOL






This message was edited Dec 4, 2007 10:48 PM

Kat:

Thanks for the Toys for Tots info. And, may I say with all the respect in the world ... You are one crazy lady! A snow machine!

He's or she is outside and looks evil. At least he has a red head. Normally a pair comes every year. I did not see 2.

Love all the decorations, maybe I'll get mine finished this weekend.
Asked DH to get the outside lights up Thanksgiving week while it was still warm out,
no,
now we have at least a foot of snow - so will we get them up??

I always admire those of you that go to the trouble to decorate the outside...I just can't seem to find the motivation for that.

Sue, love the reindeer towels and the display.

Venu, your fireplace is gorgeous- looks like it was worth the wait.

Kat G- love your holiday pups, too. That snow machine looks like a lot of fun. Snow and palm trees isn't something you see too often

Donnybrook, thanks- Seamus is indeed a very expressive dog. He always seems to be trying to communicate with me.

What fun, Kat!......That's one way to make it feel like Christmas down here. You aren't very far away from us, so I'll have to keep my eye out for a fake snow squall to the north! LOL

Noreaster - Wouldn't you just love to hear what Seamus would say if he could talk for just one day?! Molly actually tries to talk to us at times. When she wants to eat, she almost forms words....no kidding! LOL Here she is on the seawall watching all the dogs enjoying sunset at the river tonight........

Here's one of my windows.

Another.

Very nice, Victor! I'll be the kids love them too!

All of the decorations look wonderful. Noreaster, I especially love that tree top you have. I showed it to Connie to see if we could make something like that for my own tree. My grandbaby Kaylee helped me put up our tree. First thing she asked me, "Gramma, where's your star?" We've always had an angel on our tree, but I couldn't find it in any of the decoration boxes. The only stars I've seen have been pretty tacky looking. Connie and I talked about making something 3-D. Then I saw yours. (wriggling eyebrows) When I showed it to her, she said, "Man that's a lot of cutting on the copper. Are you sure?" Cutting the copper is our least favorite thing to do, so it's back to the proverbial drawing board.

In the meantime, this is what we've got happening at my house.

I had these stained glass pieces on my tree last year. This year, I decided to move the bamboo divider into my dining room (where my tree is set up) and put the pieces on it. The TV is just across the room in the family room and the sunlight glares on the TV. I did this in hopes that it would help with that. It did... somewhat.

Janet

So, I get it all set up and decorated. THEN I decided to put some coleus cuttings into vases with sphagnum moss as my "soil". I'm the world's worst about not watering plants that come into the house for the winter. I'm hoping I can keep these cuttings growing till Spring when I can plant them back outside.

I'm pretending these are poinsettias this year and saving money, both coming and going. :-)

By the way, that helped even more on the glare business.

So, with all of the extra stuff around the house for Christmas, now I had to find a place to park more vases of cuttings. This year, I collected between 60-75 different varieties of coleus. Last year I had 3 kinds.

Yeah, I'm obsessive about them. What can I say?

Here's the little wall between the dining room and the kitchen.

Can you tell we like Texas around here? HAHAHAHA

So, the tree is up. It leans slightly. Has no star yet. But that's what happens when Gramma and a 3 year old put it up. :-)

By the way, the rope lights were half off at Wal-mart several years ago on the day after Christmas. All they had left was red. I bought all they had. Put them all the way around my back deck and these were what was left. I decided it was easier to use these this year, rather than fight with strings of lights with the 3 year old. :-)

These are some waybigo Christmas balls I picked up at Hobby Lobby last year. I found the pretty silver bowl this year at Goodwill and put potpourri under the balls.

That's it folks! Time for a bath. I'll show y'all the star whenever it gets done and goes up.

Janet

Begonia cuttings. Might as well. They're gonna bite the dust anyhow outside.

Louise - Molly is so cute!! Great job Victor and Janet - decorations look very festive! Eleanor

Very nice Janet!

Simply breath-taking, Janet. Thank you so much for coming 'home' to our Forum and sharing. Count me as one who can't wait to see the star. My 16-month-old granddaughter will probably be 'helping' to decorate the tree, along with her 6 year old sister. I just love decorating with the 'grands'!!

Hem started a new thread here.....come see more decorations!!
http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/795581/

Janet - love the look of the stained glass ornaments on the screen! All of your decorations look great! Did I spy a Yankee Candle sitting just south of Texas??? LOL That alone makes you a legit NEer.

I also love all of your different coleus cuttings......I have one pretty hot pink one rooting outside here, and hope to get lots more....I love the colors!

Victor - forgive my sloppy editing in my last post to you. I must have been really really tired last night. I have seen 2 of my posts where I dropped a letter last night. Gotta proof better!!!

Eleanor - thanks! Molly is a sweetie!!

Thanks so much DB! Once spring rolls around, I'll be happy to share cuttings with anyone. I have another 50-60 in my sister's greenhouse that are different than the ones I have on my tables.

Yes that is a yankee candle. Good eyes! I think it's my chocolate truffles candle. I have a few of those that I've picked up at Goodwill here and there. I never have figured out why anyone wouldn't love chocolate truffle scent! That one hadn't even been lit yet. Their loss and my gain!

By the way, though I've lived in Texas the majority of my life, I was born in Virginia.

Virginia is a lovely state, Janet. I still love passing through on our way south and north. I think it is one of my most favorite states. I've never been to Texas. I may have to go to HD or Lowes and help them deadhead some of their coleus!! LOL

I'm a pincher. I've been known to pinch the flowers off of coleus at HD and Lowe's. Somebody's gotta do it!!! Sometimes when I go to my sister's house and I see the flowers on them, I'll look at her and give her the "what are these doing here?" look. She always has a ready excuse for me as I bend over and snip their little heads off! HAHAHA

My Mom has a house in Virginia (the old family homestead) and also has one in San Antonio. The last time we went to Virginia was in the summer of 1997. I drove from here to there and then went on up into Connecticut to visit with a friend who'd moved up there. I loved driving in the mountains, but don't think I'd want to have to drive there in the wintertime. I'll stick with my flat Southeast Texas for the wintertime. :-)

Donniebrook, your Molly is a real cutie. And do I deduce from the flip flops in that pic that you pack your bags and flee New England this time of year? Can't say I blame you-It most certainly is not flip flop weather right now!


Victor- very nice display. Looks warm and inviting.

Your things look great too, Janet. I think coleus is not a bad replacement for poinsettias. Actually, some of the paler pink or mottled poinsettias do sort of look like coleus. I always thought pinching the flowers off coleus was "the thing" to do...so imagine my surprise today when I visited a big floral supply place down in Boston with my Mother in Law and saw some artificial Coleus WITH flowers!! Why would they make such a thing? (I'm sure you could snip 'em right off;))

I also brought my begonias in for the winter...only I really don't know what I'm doing with regards to cuttings, so I just brought two whole plants in. They seem to be doing ok for now. I have to learn how to do the cuttings thing, though, so that I will have more to plant outside next summer.

A lot of people go to a lot of trouble with "methods" of cutting. Me? I just cut them off and stick them in the soil. I've got several "sets" of cuttings going at the moment. My own (about 50-60) are either in Sphagnum moss or in tumbled glass. Sounds strange, but I thought it would be pretty. HAHAHAHA Yeah, I'm strange and I'm even admitting it. One of the gals in the coleus forum sent me (and some other people also) 2 waybigo "priority boxes" full of cuttings of her coleus - about 75. She's never been able to overwinter them without killing them. Those are in Connie's greenhouse and they have been planted in Miracle Grow soil in wire baskets with coconut liners. We only get a couple of really cold days and nights where it might freeze around here. This is going to be an experiment to see how they do best. Once Spring rolls around, we'll grow them for a bit and send them back to Oklahoma to Brinda, keeping some for ourselves too.

Until this year, I had absolutely no idea there were so many varieties of coleus. I like them better than my flowering plants (but don't tell THEM I said that!)

I am rooting the begonias in spaghnum moss and water. During the summer months, I usually just cut and root them in soil with a little rooting hormone. I've done it without the RH though and they did just fine. As a matter of fact, one in particular that i dug up from a friends house... I've found growing up through the bricks on my patio in various places. It's not the prettiest one, but I like it because it's so easy to grow. There are some pretty exotic begonias out there.