deck the halls..
.. with boughs of various discarded tree clippings collected from a nearby park. i wish i could capture the true loveliness on camera, it really feels like a stark winter wood in our little place. chip is the visionary. in fact, i had nothing to do with it- while i was at the grocery store he and the girls gathered, carried and hung the branches with ribbon. lovely. and free. and earth-friendly.
the girls are very happy with all the "holiday and christmas day decorations" they begin each morning by turning on every strand of lights and then choosing two ornaments each to hang around their ears as earrings, as any and every super fancy christmas lady should. then, after the earring play is through, eve asks (about sixty times) how many days and sleeps are left until the big day. now that the counting is down to one hand the excitement is palpable. even little charlie is feeling it, there is nothing he wants more than to get his hands- and mouth- all over the christmas gifts under the tree.
this gingerbread house is a product of the enviable talent of our good friend, abby. two years ago she mailed out a modern gingerbread house kit as her christmas card, complete with pattern pieces and recipes. so smart and so very fun.
also, if you don't have a wonderful aunt ann of your own to send you beautiful candy horses replete with childhood memories and christmas nostalgia, you can order your own from startup candies.
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a christmas miracle may occur this week; i may get all the gifts finished and express mailed by tuesday and i may come back to report a little bit more about a few projects and happenings. but i may not. if i don't (and sadly, i probably won't) merry christmas! hope your halls are decked and you enjoy your holiday every bit as much as we plan to enjoy ours!
Sunday, December 21, 2008 at 10:00PM
Reader Comments (12)
wait, I don't think I've never been the first comment on your blog before, so I'm quite excited right now. Mark and I just enjoyed seeing Chip's Christmas decor vision- it's lovely! Your apartment looks wonderful. Merry Merry Christmas!
it looks very cozy and festive! and i get all sad when you say you may not post because then i just have to wait a really long time to see the cool things you are doing! ah well. i'll just be patient.
How on earth did he manage to drag all those branches home from the park, with two kids in tow? I'm impressed. Maybe Chip has been working out? I love it.. I wish I were there to see it in person.
I've been wanting to make Abby's gingerbread house too, but making my own gingerbread scares me for some reason. I guess I need to step up and stop cheating with the graham crackers. One of these days, the kids are going to figure out that's not what a real gingerbread house is made of.
i love the branches on the wall! they look beautiful...such a creative (and low cost) idea!
I love Chips Christmas visions. Your place always looks amazing and festive!!
Chip is a genius. Your walls look AMAZING! Congrats on having all your gifts done. I still have a couple to finish, but luckily they don't have to be mailed. I hope you have a WONDERFUL Christmas!!
*hugs*
Wow, your apartment looks great, good work Chip. I love the girls "earring" routine! Only one more day to wait! woo-hoo! Merry Christmas Katie
love it! Hope you had a very merry christmas!!
so breathtaking!!!!! i wish i could see in person. hope you had a great christmas, and so sorry about the fish.
I love, love, love your branch project...it's beautiful. Such a simple idea, and yet such dramatic results. I have a large empty wall in my basement that has been calling out for just that bit of "something" and I think this is it! Can you tell me what you put through the ribbon pieces to hold up the masterpiece? Thank you so much for sharing...you have a lovely blog.
SOOOOO beautiful! I'm inspired by your creativity. Truly. Just wish I could've experienced it in person.
I LOVE the branches on the wall. Years ago my husband and I lived in an apartment. I used thick vines on the walls in our kitchen to tie into our log cabin look.