Christmas decorating 2014

One of my husband's work socks, embellished; this is from a previous year when we had a different picture window.

Over the kitchen sink

Okay, now that it's nearly time to take it all down and bring on the snowmen, it's high time that I show you some of our Christmas decorating for this year.  I will just show pictures and add a comment in the captions.  These photos are not in any particular order, just as they loaded.  Blogger added the first few pictures in the wrong place and, apparently, won't allow me to change them anyway.  A photo of the Christmas tree had been first, and now you get an embellished work sock to introduce the post!  Oh well, I think everything I intended to include is here, anyway!

Closeup of my candlewicking tree skirt

The base of our tree with the lighted houses around it.

A little cake dome in the middle of the table with a snowy scene within

Two shelves of my Christmas hutch.  I love the glittery little houses on the top shelf, and the cross stitch was stitched by me some years ago.  I love how it looks with the houses.  The colors just go so well.

The lowest shelf of the hutch.  Lots of fun memories here.

View of entire hutch

Ribbon board filled with vintage cards

A closer look at some of the cards.  As always, to see a larger picture, click on it.

Christmas runner and placemats I made several years back.  Sorry not to have gotten a photo of the table all set for Christmas dinner.  However, these table linens make me smile every time I walk into the dining area.

Fresh cut pine trees -- love this little tin holder

I made these family photo ornaments several years ago.  Lots of work, but they came out so nice.  This year, I hung  the ornament on the window of the back door.

Christmas tree in our bedroom

Brown-bag gingerbread men and calico trees dangle from the chandelier

Most important of all, the true reason for this lovely season -- the birth of Christ

Hope you have enjoyed this look at our Christmas 2014 decorating!

Blue Christmas

From my collection of vintage cards

... Christmas cards. that is!  I mentioned the other day about how much I enjoy cards with certain types of scenes on them.  And I also find myself drawn to Christmas cards and wrapping paper with blue backgrounds, or with much of the design in blue.  These cards and papers vary in shades of blue and in intensity, but they are all so beautiful to me.  Enjoy!

a detail from a vintage card

Another detail from the same card

A newer card, but I find it no less beautiful

Such pretty coffee cups, some with a blue design.  From an A&P coffee ad.

Blue city scene.  Love this.

Vintage girl in blue

From my collection.  I have always loved this skating scene.

Snowy night.  Love the peaceful feeling this evokes.

The inside of the skating card

Walking to Town by Fred Swan.  More of a midnight blue.  I love this card.

So pretty

Headed to church on a snowy day

Love the blue shadows on the snow

From a vintage carol book

Red farmhouse by Fred Swan

Isn't this snowflake coffee service lovely?

Greeting friends on a snowy afternoon

And now for some scans of Christmas wrapping paper:

What a glorious winter scene!

Winter activities

This scenic paper belonged to my great-aunt.  She taped it up every year for a decoration.

I've always liked this interesting paper.  This is all that's left of it!

I'm not sure just why I find these blue Christmas items so beautiful, but I think it may have something to do with the blue light we often see on the snow at dusk.  Something about it just "says" December.  Hope you have enjoyed these blue Christmas scenes!

Mailboxes et cetera

I've mentioned this before, but some of my very favorite vintage cards involve mailboxes.  I'm sure I've also shared that I've wondered why they appeal to me so much, and I think the answer lies in this photo, from the back cover of an old New Hampshire Troubadour magazine:

From The New Hampshire Troubadour, December 1950

You see, I grew up in the 1950s and 1960s.  Things were so much simpler in the 1950s and the earlier years of the 1960s.  You could load up your mailbox with festively wrapped packages, holly, or whatever, and they would be perfectly safe.  No one worried about leaving packages unattended (other than not wanting them to get snowed on).  That would never fly nowadays!

In return your mailbox might be stuffed with more festive packages along with cards.  The photo of the girl heading down to get the mail depicts things as they really were.  So that's probably why I love mailbox cards so much: they offer a hefty helping of nostalgia!

So festive!

Now look at this!  It's not exactly a mirror image of the card above it, but it's sort of painted from the other side.  Clearly by the same artist.  I love this!

Forest mailboxes

So pretty.  This one is from the 1960s.

I think this one is from the 1970s or 1980s.

From the late 1960s or early 1970s. 

A mailbox devotional to share with friends

Some of my mailbox cards are much newer.  I am glad to see that artists are still drawing them.  Both of the cards below are recent.

Mailbox card by Linda K. David.  Love the footprints going up the driveway!

Mailbox card by Ruth Sanderson.  Oh, how I wish I could paint!

So there you have it!  Maybe more mailbox cards than you ever wanted to see!  Hope you have enjoyed this peek at my mailbox card collection.