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Thursday, December 13, 2012

CHRISTMAS AT THE GRIFFIN'S {2012-PART 3}


Welcome to the third and final installment of our Christmas Home Tour!  Thank you so much for all of your kind comments and sweet words about our home.

The urns filled with tall branches and cut cedar branches have been a staple for the past few years, but I added a few new things to the front porch.


I kept the front door simple and classic, covering a faux evergreen wreath with sprigs of fresh cedar branches.  Last Christmas I showed you via video how I make bows like this if you want to check it out.


I've had this photo from the Pottery Barn catalog ripped out for years and have always wanted to do a similar look with the large hanging ornaments.
 

The mirrored ball and red polka dot (shatterproof) ornaments are from Hobby Lobby, and the gold balls are from Garden Ridge (years ago).  I hope to add one or two more during the after Christmas sales.  This side of the house is fairly protected from the wind, so they don't move around too much.
 

A corner in the kitchen holds a little tree that we're using for our Advent activity this year.  We're working together to make ornaments for it.


I saw this idea for Advent Ornaments on Pinterest from Kojo Designs.  There are 25 ornaments for some of the different Names of God.  She has a great list and good resource links to choose the names you want to use and Bible references to go along with that name.


We are choosing one per day to read and hang on the tree, and talking about what that name means to us.  My friend Denise is doing this too...such a great idea! (She's a fellow minister's wife at my church and a new blogger-go see her front door and entry transformation...amazing differences!)

  
This tree got a fancy base, too.  It's a skinny metal urn that is about waist high, so it works well to fit this little tree into a tight corner.  The tree base is secured in a small bucket of rocks that fits down into the mouth of the urn, and then I covered the base with moss.  Bubble lights were one of my favorite things on our tree when I was growing up, and I added a few strings here.


The big tree in the living room is always a mixture of whatever I like.  I've never done a strict "themed" tree, I don't think I could stick to it!  Anything goes with this one.


This was my first year to play around with deco mesh garland.  With the urn base, my tree is so tall it needed something big on top.  I mixed a huge poofy bow with some of my plaid ribbon, and added the sticks and pheasant feathers again like I did last year to balance out the top a bit. 



Our new Scrabble Tile ornaments add some fun and extra personality-


At the end of January last year I stepped into Pottery Barn and stepped out with 12 of these large metal beauties...for less than a dollar each!  




I included this photo so you could see the ornaments hanging in the window-they are impossible to capture in the daylight!  You can see a closer look here but I love their glitz and glam, and during the day that mirrored ball throws magical sparkles all over the ceiling.

After all of the decorating this little reindeer was all tuckered out...


For the rest of our Christmas Home Tour, click on the following links:


Would you like to comment?

  1. Beautiful! Seeing your porch always tugs at my heart a little. Yours is very similar to our porch in Edmond. I love that style of home.

    Don't you love having kitties in the house? There's a little hair to deal with but they are worth it. We love to watch our cat sleep. They are so peaceful.

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  2. Every inch is so warm, creative and classic! Your front porch is one of my all-time favorites, I love your black urns, I've thought of painting mine several times, this may have sealed the deal! Wonderful job, hope you get to sit back and enjoy it soon! :) I just caught my little reindeer tearing wrap off a present!

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  3. Thanks so much for the shout-out!! Love it all :)

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  4. Jennifer that first shot should be in a magazine!! Your front looks beautiful! Love your trees, the topper on your big one is beautiful!

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  5. LOVE (as usual!) The decor you did out front! GORG! And I adore how you have an "anything goes" tree. We had that growing up and it was always so fun to have people over and share the story behind a lot of the ornaments on the tree. The "themed trees" are pretty, but not conversation starters! Once again, swooning over your casa :)

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  6. LOVE those big ornaments! I might steal that idea for our porch.

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  7. I have really enjoyed your tour. LOVE that advent tree idea and the scrabble letters. Did you actually use some from a scrabble game or buy them somewhere loose. I have always wanted bubble lights...are those vintage? May God bless you with His peace and prescence throughout the season. Suzi pblapere@att.net

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  8. I love the large ornaments hanging outside! It's all so beautiful!

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  9. I love your front porch ~ the branches in the urns are wonderful. And I love how you hung your ornaments, it turned out even better than PB. Your tree is so pretty, and I think your advent tree is an especially good idea. The whole house is just great Jennifer. Relax and enjoy all your hard work.
    Merry Christmas
    Sue

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  10. Love your front porch! I wish I was able to hang ornaments by my front door, but the ceiling in that are is super high, I have eyed that same pottery barn picture for years now as well, just gorgeous. And the urns with the branches is a clever idea, I may just have to borrow it for mines ;) Your Christmas trees are all lovely as well. Hope you have a great weekend, loved all of your tours btw.

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  11. Where to begin? I have loved seeing your bright and happy home all decked for Christmas - thank you so much for sharing it! The big bow on top of the tree is fabulous, I need to remember that for next year. Also you entry with the large ornaments looks so pretty and makes me so excited to have a portico to hang ornaments from sometime in the future! Your details are so lovely…..I really enjoyed seeing them all. You inspire me so much!!
    Have a wonderful weekend, Lisa

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  12. Just now getting caught up on all my Reader reading. Wow Jennifer! Your house looks beautiful.

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  13. Hey Jennifer! WOW!!! Your house looks incredible! I love every detail! Thanks for stopping by housebyhoff.blogspot.com. Come back often! Newest follower! :)

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