Thank you for finding That Old House amidst the chaos of the Internet. We are delighted that you are here.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Tarting Up The Old Gal For Christmas

(No, not me . . . it's That Old House we're tarting up for Christmas!)

Santa brought me a new camera this year.  Early.
In fact, he brought it on the first night of Chanukah.
He's an ecumenical kind of guy, that Mr. Claus.
Now I haven't watched the entire CD of instructions that came with the camera.
Or, any of it.
But I did read the "Quick Start Guide" and quickly got started, taking some test pictures.

Above is a beautiful Christmas centerpiece Howard's sister and husband sent us.

Below, gorgeous flowers from Josh's parents.
 Ask me why I didn't use the Macro setting to take these.  Well, I don't know.  Oops.
But they still look beautiful!

My Christmas Cactii are all merrily bursting with bloom, right on time.  They usually bloom for Thanksgiving
or Easter or Groundhog Day, so I'm pretty pleased by their first-ever on-time performance.

I wandered around our creaky old house, taking some random shots.
(Creaky is right; you can't sneak anywhere in this place.)
Come into the front hall with me.  The girls and I decorated the stairs.
 The greenery is a mix of white pine and cedar.
I wish it could smell fresh all through the season!

This shot makes me dizzy.

Just off the front hall, the Parlor sports twin trees.

No stars on their tops, but bunches of gilt feathers,
twisted into swoopy, fantastic shapes by daughter Anne.

On the tea table, the big blue and white bowl from Martha, with red berry garland.
I'll add some bling to this bowl . . . hopefully by Saturday.
 The mantel is just simple cedar roping, with white lights, and one poinsettia at the end.
I think there's enough going on in this room, without too much around the fireplace.

Basically the same picture as above, but a different camera setting.  Which do you like better?

Through the parlor, into the dining room, where . . . 

. . . the chandelier sports three tiers of poinsettia bracts for color.

 Mr. Dion DiPoochy wants to know
what is going on in his house.

"Hey Mom, is that my crate under this stupid tablecloth?"

Sigh.  "I guess I'm just going to have to sleep behind that tree,
where no one will find me.  Go away!  I'm hiding."

And through all the holiday hubbub, the Cinderella pumpkin from October is still holding court.
I haven't the heart to toss her outside to the chipmunks and squirrels.
Not yet, anyway.
Tomorrow . . . more of the trees and decorations here at
That Old House, and a couple of recipes for Christmas gatherings.
Is there anything harder to photograph than a Christmas tree?  Sheesh!!!
 
Merry Christmas! -- Cass
 At French Country Cottage, it is Feathered Nest Friday.  Click here!
At Common Ground, it's Vintage Inspiration Friday.  Click here! 
At No Minimalist Here, it's Open House Thursday.  Click here!
At Ivy and Elephants, it is Whatsit Wednesday!   Click here!

 

11 comments:

  1. I like the first setting better. It's warmer.
    Have fun with your new camera!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your decor looks so perfect for this house -- you have very good instincts.

    ETS

    MERRY CHRISTMAS

    ReplyDelete
  3. Everything looks great!!!! Happy holidays!!!! Sara

    ReplyDelete
  4. Mr Dion is adorable and love all the deco, esp the chandy!!!

    Visiting from French Country Cottage's Feathered Nest Friday linky party today,
    ~Suzanne in NW Illinois
    Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Hey Cass your new camera is doing a good job...you sound like me, leave the direction reading til later, much later. It all looks lovely. Like the two trees in the parlor!

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh, everything looks gorgeous at your house. The living room, the dining area, and the parlor with the twin trees, just fabulous! Mr. Dion is adorable too. Dropped from F N Friday. Oh, and yeah, I never read instrucctions, until maybe a year later when I don't get something, lol! Wishing you a terrific Christmas.
    FABBY

    ReplyDelete
  7. Congratulations on receiving your newest toy. What a fabulous gift. I can tell you are having a blast with it because your pictures are wonderful. I would love it if you could share this wonderful post by linking it to our What's it Wednesday linky party for this week, I hope you can join us.

    Paula
    ivyandelephants.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  8. You're not supposed to read the instructions are you? I think the first of the two photos looks much brighter and artsy. The second is a little blue/gray.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Funny! I, too got a new camera this year thinking I would instantly become a professional photographer! Ha! I even took an evening class to learn how to use all the settings AND read the manual. So far, I've only used the auto, no flash, and macro settings. There's always next year.

    I appreciated your comment about the creaky floors. I was visiting at our daughter's new home last week and she said, "Mom, you don't have to tiptoe up the stairs. They're quiet."

    Your home is lovely and I hope you have better luck photographing your tree than I did. :@

    Visiting from Common Ground. Merry Christmas!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Just Gorgeous!!!I Love your decorations and stunning home:) Thanks from your newest follower! Deidre~

    ReplyDelete
  11. Cass, Congrats on your new camera. Your Christmas decor is beautiful and I love the two trees. Mr. Dion is so adorable. Happy Holidays to you and your family.
    Hugs,
    Sherry

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting That Old House; it's always exciting to find new comments -- they are treasured! Because of increasing spam, I have reluctantly eliminated "Anonymous" commenting. Legitimate anonymous commenters, please forgive me! You might try using "Open ID" instead. Blogger's spam software worked for a good long time, but, sadly, no longer.