Pamela Pierce Decorates for Christmas, Veranda 2005

Since I'm sure that there are many other admirers, like myself, of Pamela Pierce's design skills, I thought I would share these images of a beautiful Houston home she decorated for Christmas back in 2006 which was featured in Veranda. As you will see in the images below, her holiday decorations are very simple, yet they look so beautiful and elegant.
18th c. Walnut Doors, French 19th c. Gas Lanterns

I love the natural greens on the railing trailing down to the floor along with the beautiful collection of antique French and Italian lanterns on the staircase.

The greens and pears displayed on the mantel accent the beautiful 18th c. limestone fireplace, while there is a wreath made of greens crowning the 17th c. wooden angel.

Six sepia engravings are beautifully displayed above an Italian console c. 1750.  This is a view of the right side of the room displayed in the above image with the angel and fireplace.

Since I have become more of a minimalist while decorating our tree, I appreciate the all silver ball ornaments and tree top crown.

Italian 17th c. door surround with mirrored panes.  French 18th c. fauteuil in linen.  Italian 

17th c. sconce.

I absolutely LOVE this 19th c. carving of a shepherd.  The table is Portuguese c. 1720.  

This over sized antique wood bowl on the dining room table is filled with an abundance of golden pears and evergreens, and a small topiary with greens is displayed on the buffet.  Since I am constantly burning candles throughout our home, I really love all this candlelight.  Even the chandelier has candles.

Louis XVI trumeaux over French buffet and a Swedish side chair. 

The evergreen wreath with a few pine cones is displayed in the center of the arched window.

Italian 18th c. lyre table made of old elements, 19th c, bibliotheque with Delft and French faience, Italian Painting, Italian 18th c. wood chandelier.

The Christmas tree in this family room is decorated with white candles and white lights.    Greens and pomegranates are set atop the fireplace mantel.

Pair of 18th c. terra-cotta baskets on French limestone mantel.  Oval 19th c. French wine tasting table, French 19th c. round garden table with marble top.

The evergreen roping is beautifully displayed on the railing.

A pair of antique doors on sliders with custom barn hardware.  Framed herbs on wall, Biot jars from France.  

Another simple display of evergreens, pomegranates and candles.

A 19th c. still life above, 18th c. French limestone mantel.  

The small burlap wrapped pots of evergreens add a very subtle holiday accent along with this pair of stunning 18th c. candelabras.

The custom cabinets in this butler's pantry are made of reclaimed Swedish pine.  The sconces are 19th c.  and the cherubs are 18th c.

There is a grouping of topiaries displayed in Italian confit pots on the island.

You cannot miss this 4-inch thick limestone counter with a butcher block inset atop the island.   A 

French 19th c. shop sign is displayed above the range.   Antique iron chandelier.

The white rose and evergreen arrangements add a nice touch to the bathroom.

Iron 19th c. garden table.  

17th c. panel over bed, French 19th c. chandelier.

Lastly, another beautiful mantel decorated with an abundance of evergreens in the master bedroom sitting area.   French limestone mantel and French mirror, both 19th c. 

I hope you enjoyed these images as I cannot tell you how many times I have looked back at these pages.  Pamela's homes are always beautiful, elegant, and comfortable - a look I admire most.




While I like to keep my holiday decorating simple like Pamela, I have been working on it for a few weeks and I'm still not done. Therefore, I have consistently had a mess in my house with evergreens, ribbons, and other accent pieces all over the place.   Am I ever going to have clean floors without pine needles and pieces of pine cones, and finally get to enjoy the finished product?  Maybe its because I have not been very consistent, and have dragged this out way.... too long.  What about you?  Are you the kind of person that is finished decorating your home for Christmas the weekend after Thanksgiving?  Or, are you still decorating in mid December like me?

Holiday Tabletop by B.D. Jeffries

Since I enjoy looking for creative ideas for holiday decorating, I always look forward to the December issues of my magazines.  This year, I was most impressed with this tabletop design by B.D. Jeffries featured in Atlanta Homes.  This rustic and elegant design is a perfect combination for  my holiday decorating.

This red ribbon on this beautiful mercury pedestal bowl adds just the right touch of color.

These twig trees are fabulous - I might have to find some of these.

The Faux Bois dinnerware  is by Kon-tent.

The glassware has a beautiful shape and the etching adds interest.

If I stacked all of my December magazine issues I have saved over the years for inspiration, it would probably be about three feet high.    While I receive the Veranda and House Beautiful issues online, I still get the hard copy so this pile continues to grow.   Do you have a pile of holiday issues of magazines that you find you can't part with?   


While I have about seven crates of holiday decorations, I now prefer a much more natural look and mostly decorate with fresh greens.  Since our girls are older now and I am not decorating with small children in mind, I prefer "less is more".   I look forward to picking up some greens at the local flower markets this weekend, and start my holiday decorating. 

A CHRISTMAS SCAVENGER HUNT

Are you like me and stress over what to get your kids for Christmas?  The older they get, the bigger the challenge.  Did I spend the same amount on each one?  Will one think the other got more?  Will they be equally happy with their gifts? 

Then I started thinking "Why not get them all the same gift?"  Of course, I couldn't find anything that they would all like so that killed that idea.  Hmmm, "What about cash?"  They can have fun shopping all the after Christmas sales.  I liked the idea, but opening a card with money takes less than a minute, and it is not very exciting compared to opening all those beautifully wrapped packages under the tree.

I wanted to come up with a fun and creative way to present the cash.  I decided they would have to work for it.  Well not really work, but hunt for it - our first Christmas scavenger hunt.  Since we are taking the girls on a week escape to some warm weather during their Christmas break, we had been telling them that we were not giving them presents on Christmas day so they were not expecting anything. 

After we had our brunch, I handed each of the girls four satin cords with jingle bells to tie on their wrists and ankles.  (With the girls wearing these, I could listen to know their approximate location in the house as I was going to take photos while my husband managed the video camera.   We told them we had set up a scavenger hunt, and handed each girl their first clue.

1)  My husband and I had decided to give a small amount in the 2nd thru 6th clue and a larger surprise at the end in their last hiding spot. 
2) We created five different clues for each person.

 3) We rolled the money and wrapped it in different colored ribbon (one color for each girl) and inserted the clues.  We did the different colors in case one person discovered one of the other's clues, they would know it wasn't theirs and they would leave it in place.

 4)  The 6th, 7th, and 8th clues were the same for each person.

The sixth clue was to look for a package under the tree "from Santa Claus".  Two of the girls received reindeer antlers (headband) along with a round plastic blinking red nose and our oldest daughter received a Santa hat along with a wide black belt.  They thought it was hilarious, and didn't know what to expect next.

 The 7th clue was "To put on their shoes or boots and hunt for the #255".  (We live on a dead end street and the family at the end of the street's last name was HUNT and their address is 255).  While all the other clues were for items to be found on the first floor inside the house, we told them this part of the hunt included the outdoors, afterall, I wanted them to have fun wearing these outfits where they could be seen in public.

 Since our house number is 401, they thought it could possibly be a house number or maybe it was a number on a meter outside.  Off we went, the girls in their outfits and my husband and I with our camera and video. 

 After searching our back yard, the girls strolled down our street in their pajamas, to discover their last clue which they found in the mailbox at the end of the street.   

 Their 8th clue directed them to a hiding place back at our house where they were each surprised to find a larger sum in their last hiding spot.

As you can see by the smiles on the girls' faces that we had a great time.  We discovered that we had much more fun playing this game than we had opening gifts under the tree.  It was exciting and we all had so many laughs. 

If you are in the same dilema of not knowing what to get, I highly recommend giving this scavenger hunt a try.  You do not have to spend hours shopping and being stressed about making sure you spend equal amounts on each person.  The best part of all was that it was a great enjoyable family activity, and we will have fond memories to look back on.

Now, the problem is I have to come up with an idea for next year as I love to surprise the girls.  Have you had a similar experience?  What does your family do?  Does anyone have an idea they would like to share with us for next year?  It is always the most fun to do something unexpected.

I'LL BE HOME FOR CHRISTMAS

While I started Christmas decorating early this year, I didn't really finish until today.   Since I get bored doing the same decorating every year, I like to experiment with different ideas.  As I mentioned in a previous blog, I have about 17 plastic crates with Christmas decorations and used just one of those boxes this year.  For the past 14 years, I have been collecting antique European baskets (mostly French).  This year I decorated the tree with some of my small baskets along with German brass candle holders, and glass snowflakes I made with our three daughters about ten years ago with a kit from Martha Stewart.  These glass snowflakes are beautiful the way they catch the light and you can create so many designs.  

How do you decorate your home for Christmas?  Do you have one tree, two trees, or many trees? I once met someone who had 14 trees in her house - one in every room including the bathrooms. 

 A very long time ago, (I can't believe it's been about 25 years), I travelled with my Mom and Dad on a trip to Europe.  We had stopped in a craft shop in Switzerland, and my mom purchased this adorable doll by Meike Riedel.  My mom passed away four years ago, and I treasure this charming doll with its cloth painted face, her hair in braids and a dress made of a fabric that looks like a "Liberty of London".  The old wooden tricycle on the right was my mother in laws when she was a child and the bears I have collected  at antique markets along with the small wooden sled.

 One of the many snowflakes our girls made from our Martha Stewart kit.  Since she no longer sells these kits, I have gone to our local bead store and picked up all the supplies to make more. 

Look at the amazing details of this finely crafted French doll basket.  I love the beautiful patina, and the fact it has survived all these years in such fine condition. 

Who doesn't enjoy candles and a wood burning fire?  It feels so good to sit by the fire on these cold, short days in Michigan.

 The lowest shelf of this antique Welsh dresser holds a collection of various old books.  My husband is always asking me why I purchase these books when I can't read them as some of them are in different languages.  Well, its all about the binding and covers, isn't it?  The architectural piece in the center is actually from the Lee Plaza Hotel in Detroit.  Our daughters like to go into these amazing old dilapidated buildings in Detroit to take photographs and they came across this incredible piece. 

We celebrated my husband's birthday the other night and you can see our golden retriever loves to prance around with the wrapping paper in her mouth.  She always knows how to get our attention. 

I can't believe Christmas is just four days away...

OUTDOOR DECORATING - KEEPING IT SIMPLE

When visiting Vermont this fall, I came across these lighted willow branches (electric)  in a design shop.  Since I like to decorate with neutral colors, these branches were the perfect way to brighten up my outdoor pots for the holidays.

Now that I decided to use them, I had to locate three more sets as I have four front outdoor pots.  So after my online search, I found the lights on http://www.amazon.com/ with one company offering six sets of lights for only $96 plus shipping.  Having spent a little less than that for just one set from the design shop, I was thrilled to find such a bargain.  Of course, the bargain was too good to be true!  When they arrived, I discovered that they were not exactly the same. In the first photo, each little individual light is wrapped and can be bent back from the main branch.  The less expensive lights (used in pot above) were taped down.  While I was tempted to return them, I just couldn't justify the difference in the cost. 

My favorite of all outdoor holiday decorations, is that glow of a simple candle in the window.   While we have to live with plugs and electrical cords, I despise them.  My solution - hurricane lanterns using a base of a few old leather bound books.  While living in England, I purchased eight antique celery vases.  These work perfectly for the holiday or any time of year. 

Now that's it, I'm done with decorating the outdoors.   Except for...... adjusting that electrical cord I see in the third photo.   Yeah! 

CAN YOU TELL I LOVE HOLIDAY DECORATING?

Country Living

Country Living

Designer, Lisa Luby Ryan

Here are just a few photos of rooms that really appealed to me, especially the white bedroom.  The natural greens are so beautiful in these rooms decorated in neutral colors.