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Monday, December 3, 2018

Trying to get that Christmas Look

The new church, situated in the little mantle village...


I've been busy trying to make things look a little like Christmas around here, or at best, a little like December.

Do you ever get your Christmas decorations pulled out, get the furniture moved around and pictures taken off the wall, then feel like the whole house is up-side-down. Well, I do, and did! and now, not even sure I like what I've done...  

Things do look a little out of proportion.



Wanted the look of cedar trees in the background of the mantle village. Oh, did you see the "real" bird's nest up there? Second picture up?

So, between rain showers on Saturday, I cut a wheelbarrow load of cedar boughs from another fallen cedar tree...


I'm not good at making wreaths for the door, but I do like tying a handful of cedar and holly together to make a swag.



Did I mention the acres and acres of brown leaves?




reminds me of another neat line in that famous Christmas poem by Clement Clark Moore...

"as dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky. So up to the house-tops the coursers they flew, with a bag full of toys, and St. Nicholas too".


Can't even see the paths here! I'm thankful to say the sun has come out this morning and if these leaves dry out, I just might rake a teeny tiny bit!!

and Eli says he just might sleep through all this fuss...

and guess what else I did with that wheelbarrow load of cedar? Outlined the entire fence around the front porch. I surely did...


Oh gosh! I've done way too much here; the post, I mean.  Will be back with the Christmas tree.  Just not happy with how it looks. :( 

Thank you so much for putting up with me. Best friends I've ever had! Oh, and thank you to a new follower. I appreciate you!

Love,
Henny 






47 comments:

  1. YOU are the sweetest kind of friend, Henny. I love the way you've festooned your cozy place. Can I come over?

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  2. HaHa! Well...I always like a good laugh...! :).
    The out of proportion Christmas display, it's
    one for a Christmas card..laugh! HeHe! I sat
    here and studied it..like one would..Now! How
    is Father Christmas gonna get down the chimney,
    let alone the front door! :).
    Never~the~less..! I think you should leave it..
    It's a talking point..Your friends/family will
    love it..!
    I've always asked myself...Father Christmas must
    be 'stupid' all the windows and doors in a house..
    And, he still tries coming down the chimney! :).
    He must have the IQ of a rocking horse! :o).

    And all those leaves..reminds me of that old Nat
    King Cole song...The Falling Leaves.....
    The falling leaves drift by my window
    The falling leaves of red and gold
    I see your lips the summer kisses
    The sunburned hands I used to hold
    Since you went away the days grow long
    And soon I'll hear old winter's song
    But I miss you most of all my darling..
    (you all know the rest)..

    I~LOVE~IT~ALL..Henny! Brilliant..! But l
    think Eli has the right idea...Bless!x
    Winter 'draws' on.... 😃 💤 💤

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    Replies
    1. You know Willie, when I was a child I wondered the same thing about Santa Claus coming down the chimney. Why Mama and Daddy didn't just leave the door unlocked. I love the words to that Nat King Cole song, but can't remember how it sounds. I'll Google it. You amaze me how you think of a poem or song to go with every post. That's so neat. Thank you!!

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  3. Like all your Christmas decorations!! Wish I had some evergreens to take branches from ... I really don't think the City of Blue Springs would appreciate my taking branches off its roadside plantings!! Nor would the county park!!We do have as many leaves as you... but they are all oaks, maple and gum.

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    1. Hey Bettina! Wish I could bring you a wheelbarrow load of cedar and holly. Seems like every time we have a storm, a cedar tree falls. We do enjoy having the trees that stay green through the winter. Right now the Robins have arrived and are eating the holly berries. I'm happy they found them. Thank you for following. I just looked at your blog and will be back.

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  4. Great decorations. We've put all the decorations in the living room but I haven't unpacked much yet. My cleaning ladies are here and after they're gone we're going to get our tree. Then the decorating can begin.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Janet. Gosh, I should done a lot more cleaning before putting up the tree. Have fun!

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  5. Love your village with the "trees" behind. It turned out adorable! I'm a lights, lights, lights type person, so I think I would just add some small twinkle lights on all the branches and admire it every night.

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    1. Sharon, I love the idea of small twinkling lights on those cedar limbs. Now if I can just find the small twinkling lights! Thank you!

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    2. Walmart and Target have little lights for around $8 that take a couple of little batteries (AA or AAA) and if you set them to the "timer" setting they will come on automatically and go for 6 hours. You have to set it on timer at the time of day you want them to start (i.e., 4 pm you put it on timer and it will go off automatically 6 hours later and then come on the same time next day.)

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  6. The leaves will insulate the ground and should make for great worms come spring. And your guineas should love digging through them!
    Merry Christmas and God bless!

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    Replies
    1. Thank you Linda. We are leaving most of the leaves this year. I'll be happy to get just the paths raked clean.

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  7. What a wonderful display you have made, the mantel looks delightful. I love the swag and how you have made a garland from the cedar.

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  8. Your decorations are perfect for your cabin.

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  9. Why you have created a magical Christmas world! I love it all! The greenery behind the Christmas Village looks wonderful and the new church is just perfect. The proportion of things don't matter in a Christmas Village because such villages are magical things. The picture of Eli sleeping with the Christmas tree behind him looks like visions of sugarplums from the story. All the greenery around the porch makes the house look so inviting - I wish I didn't live so far away!

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    Replies
    1. Bonnie, I wish you didn't live so far away either. Thank you. I guess Christmas villages are magical. :)

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  10. I love your decorations and wouldn't change a thing! The greenery around your front fence and the swag on the door is especially pretty. It looks just like a log cabin should look at Christmas time and sweet Eli looks like your very own polar bear!

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  11. Everything looks so lovely! Love the photo of the dog lounging ha ha! For once, I am not a in a tizzy with decor this year.

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  12. We got more leaves here than I remember in the last few years.

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  13. The cedar looks wonderful, Henny, and I bet it smells terrific! I kept things pretty simple this year, but hopefully I'll get pictures posted someday soon!

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  14. I love how you made a long garland all along the porch raining!!
    The church on the mantel looks right at home with the boughs behind it.
    I would have missed that nest if you hadn't mentioned it.

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  15. Aw Henny, it all looks so festive. I love the church and I am trying to peak in the window of the other house...is it a bakery? I love that you can see the goings on inside. One of my favorite Christmas decorations is the glitter houses and all the buildings done up for the holidays. So, so cute. I have a few...my favorite being a red plaid house. lol I did spot the nest...must be from all that bird feeding I do. It is going to get colder here again and I am just in from filling feeders. I have decided to decorate at the feeders this week so looking for big pine-cones to hang covered in seed. Honestly, I'll decorate anything if it stands still.
    Love all the greenery on the fence. It looks so festive. Don't even look at the leaves. Maybe a good wind will come by and send them to your neighbours. hahaha! Bad! Give Eli and all a big hug for me. Annie & Wilson are waving. =^..^= =^..^=

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  16. Looking a lot like Christmas around your house. Very pretty.

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  17. diane in northern wisDecember 3, 2018 at 5:18 PM

    Henny...your place looks fabulous. I love all the things you've done from your village including your beautiful new church....to the christmasy swag on your gate to the cedar boughs hanging all around...everything looks just awesome. You are so ambitious and seem to know just how you want things to look. I saw a glimpse of your Christmas tree and that looked beautiful too. I'm still working on my decorating...just got my nativity scene completed today...tomorrow I will start working on the tree. Thanks for a super good blog always!!!

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  18. Dear Henny ~ I'd say it's looking a lot like Christmas at your place. Your decorations are lovely.

    Happy Christmas holidays ~ FlowerLady

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  19. I see the nest. All the natural decorations are beautiful. A break from phony Christmas glitz. Phil/MN

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  20. The leaves! Looks like our place, but our hubby cleaned them up again today. Hope that's the end.
    I love that little church!

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  21. Not "our" hubby! It was supposed to say my hubby cleaned our leaves up today! Good grief...

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  22. Oh I love you Christmas village. and the porch is so pretty decorated with the cedar. I love christmas!

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  23. I love your photo of the cart filled with greenery and the guineas happily going about their day. Henny Penny Lane is looking just lovely all dressed up for the holidays.

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  24. Eli is SO handsome. What a sweetie. You did good work, and your house is looking lovely and festive. I still haven't started, and today would have been the day to get out in the garage and get those boxes. I think I'm afraid to go look -- they are probably wet or mouse-eaten :( Your holly branches are so pretty!

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  25. Your home must smell wonderful with all the fresh greenery, I have been inspired by you to start a little village up and may have to cut some green stuff myself.

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  26. It all looks great. I really like the fresh greens on the porch. Your home really does look Christmasy. I don't do all that anymore. It's just too hard to get it all out of the attic. I did put up Christmas Lights and it IS really cheerful. Gosh Eli is a beautiful pooch. I would never be able to have a white dog. I can barely keep Bosco's white paws clean.
    xx, Carol

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  27. Very nice with all the cedar. Cedar smells so good, too! It's so funny for me to imagine Christmas with leaves on the ground! -Jenn

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  28. I wasn't going to decorate... we're having some work done at the house and it's a crazy mess and I thought why make a bigger mess by doing Christmas,too? But then you showed that photo of the church you found at the thrift store and I felt so motivated to try and create something beautiful and magical like I knew you would.
    I think your village is pretty and I love the effect of the cedar branches in the background. The bird's nest is sweet and I really like the swag and the trimmings on the porch. Christmas is a lovely time of year, I'm so glad I did pull out the decorations. That poem excerpt was perfect, by the way! Blessings

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  29. Hi there, I am the new follower and am excited to get to know you. I fell in love with your dining room and the new rug. Love the church and all you did around it.

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  30. Goodness, but that all looks so pretty! The greenery swag has inspired me to do something similar around here, it looks very effective. You live in a truly beautiful, magical, setting and in a really lovely house. Love it!

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  31. Dear Henny - at your house it is "looking a lot like Christmas". Love your mantle piece as well as those swags. Thanks for sharing - I haven't begun my decorating as of yet...hopefully sometime this week I will drag out the decorations and get busy. Hugs!

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  32. Everything looks so Christmas-fied...I love how you've also decorated the outsides! I have always enjoyed decorating with natural greenery too. We have a huge holly bush out back but only gets berries every other year or so. I need to go check and see if this is the year!

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  33. Your home is lovely!!! It really should be in a magazine!

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  34. The outside pictures are so nice and your mantle looks like Christmas to me.
    Phyllis

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  35. I have never seen a Christmas church that lovely! I have fallen in love with it. Also, you are an artist! I love all the branches behind your church and village. You presented your village well. It matters not to me the proportions of the people to the houses. They all make a statement about the festivities of Christmas. I love it all.

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  37. Your posts are so sweet and special. Merry Christmas and happy dreams to Eli. :0)

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