Christmas Decorating ideas

You MUST check out Country Living's 30 tree looks and think about changes and additions to your own decorating.
I have some prim looking ornaments coming up - just in case you go for this type of tree - the tin star is cool, but are those just tags as ornaments?? A little on the sad side, but very interesting look.


As for these Victorian ornaments - I love them, I have some of my own, okay, my mother's own, but they look really great when I wind the garland around my banister and add ornaments, these I hang at regular intervals and they are very cool to me.

Oh bottlebrush trees, how have you taken my heart?? I love them so but cannot find a single good one this year that isn't the typical little green ones, so, going with some of the items I'll be selling very soon, I added a great deal of old fashioned glitter and made them look much better and actually in great masses - a beautiful forrest just after a heavy snow.

Oh, and I know I can by reproduction ones for outrageous prices on ebay and even real vintage ones, but I found some great ones at a store once for a great deal and I've got medical bills to pay and our washer and dryer are dead and so are all our Christmas present ideas. Luckily we got a good deal with the holidays for new ones.

I already have my gingerbread house kit so as soon as I post at least most of my items on Etsy I plan to outdo last year's. Anyone else plan to make one? They are just so fun to look at. I miss being a kid and coveting eating all that candy or finding a big one to live in that didn't have the witch from Hansel and Gretel in it.

One year an aunt bought a beautiful one at a bakery and then when the season was done let my cousin and I eat it and the glee of eating the walls and the sugar cone trees and little peppermints and who knows what else is a Christmas memory I cherish.

If anyone else does a gingerbread house and would like me to link to yours send me a link or a pic or just invite me on over to your blog because I LOVE looking at Gingerbread houses. They did a Challenge on the Food Network for gigantic houses, but as usual humidity and time limits just ruin what might have been a cool competition in better circumstances. Oh, and it doesn't have to be gingerbread - many people use graham crackers, too.