CHRISTMAS TOUR OF WHOLE HOUSE(WELL MOST OF THE HOUSE)

First of all, please excuse the shabby pictures. I am going to have to learn how to use my husband's camera, because this one isn't very good for inside lighting. I always turn the flash off because it looks too "white" and over lit with the flash.

I have been so busy since before Halloween, I have not been posting anything. I am having a fairly large Christmas party for my fellow women pilots of the International Organization of Women Pilots Inc- The Florida Suncoast Chapter. It is coming up next weekend and I have been very busy decorating the best I can with what I have. My house is the cleanest it has ever been! What a great time to snap pictures and post them here. The only rooms not featured on this post are my husband's office, the master bedroom, my back porch, and my sewing room. I haven't really done anything to those rooms yet.

I am going to start out front. These are some pics of the outside and property. Just simple wreaths on each window with a candle. The candles and wreaths I have had for about 12 years. I did paint the base of the electric candles an oil rubbed bronze to give it an updated look to match all my other updated door hardware.
I bought some inexpensive flannel from Walmart and recovered my summer cushions for the chairs. I actually pinned the fabric on the back-NO SEWING! It took me about 20 minutes. I will be able to take them off and store them for next winter.

>















Now entering the foyer: Nothing fancy. I am on a budget.







This picture was taken at different time of day.



To the left is my dining room. I am in the process of setting up dishes and plates for the desserts. Again, I used what I had and bought some inexpensive bulbs for the table. Love the napkins I bought. Sorry. 1st pic kind of blurry.










To the right of the foyer is the Living room. I am using the same simple garland through out the downstairs. The table in front of the window holds several of my inlaws' polo cup trophies from West Point Military Academy and a polo ball signed by many polo champions of the day. The cups date back to 1904! They add alot of sparkle. On the front part of the tray are my three sons' baby cups.







My husband owns several vintage Harley-Davidsons. He has collected many Harley Christmas porcelains over several years and they have been at home in a curio cabinet since 1985.



My family room is straight ahead from the foyer. The two doors that flank the fireplace lead to my back porch.

In 1984 I made about a dozen of these elves and every year I pose them around the tree. You can see a couple on the ladder "hanging" the ornaments and around the fireplace.



















To the left of the family room is my kitchen and breakfast room.










Department 56





My laundry room will be the drink station at the party.












Across from the counter in my laundry room is a built in dresser in an alcove. This is where I set up the rest of the Department 56 Harley-Davidson villages.













This is one of my upstair's guest rooms. The furniture belonged to my in-laws. They bought it when they married in 1936.















In my upstairs hall,I have an alcove that used to be a computer station for my three boys when they all lived at home. The lighting makes the yellow walls look hideous!!





This is the second guest room upstairs. I think it is the flourescent lighting that makes the yellow walls in the hall look so bad.






















My upstairs bathroom. The green color of the walls look wierd also. Doesn't look so "green" in real life Some day I am going to update it.













This room belongs to Casey, my youngest son. He is away for the next 8 months flying around the country doing contract work for an aerial survey company. He flys everyday the weather is good-even Christmas. The room looks nothing like this when he is home! Hope he doesn't see this.

















CASEY