More Photos of Christmas at Fursdon House!

Hi Everyone and Merry Christmas!

Hope you enjoyed the first set of photos!  Well, I'm still so far behind I think I'm actually ahead.  So please - don't anybody burst my little bubble!  Here are the Christmas photos of my Dining Room!

I always have great fun with this chandelier!  Sometimes I put red berries on it (as seen above).  Last year I had these long green "worm" looking pieces of greenery on it.  Strange but a nice change.  And sometimes I put garlands of small beaded fruit in with the greenery.  The greenery is strands of ivy so you can use this arrangement year-round.  Just add and remove the different seasonal pieces.  It's a great conversation piece and usually the last thing I take down when Christmas is over.

My French Doors! These lead out onto the deck and out to the back garden.  Originally there was a large double window here, looking out onto a very empty back yard.  Maybe I'll do blog entries for all the changes Nigel has made to the house since we've moved in!  But that's another story!  Here you see the strands of what I call my "lacy greenery".  I found these at Dollar Bill's in Atlanta (sort of like our Dollar Tree here in Madison).  I couldn't believe how beautiful they looked.  Oh. . . I forgot, they weren't garlands when I found them.  They were loosely woven wreaths!  Silly!  So I redid them and made them into garlands, which are much better.  I've added the butterflies and the "fruit plaque" I made a couple of years ago.  I was inspired by the decorations I'd seen in a book about Colonial Williamsburg at Christmas time.  As a result, I created four different "fruit plaques" which I use throughout the house in various arrangements.  Nigel helped me by cutting out the plaque shapes.  He only did it because he didn't want me around any power tools!  Wise man!!

Here's the hanging corner cupboard that holds my Chinese porcelain pieces!  But my favorite treasure, which actually belongs to my daughter, Liz, is the antique high chair!!  Both my girls used this chair, a gift from my mother-in-law, Valerie Fursdon.  She owns one of the most unique and beautiful antique shops I've ever seen, specializing in English and French antiques, here in Huntsville.  I LOVE visiting and, as you can probably guess, she's been very generous to us over the years at Christmases and birthdays! The high chair is actually three pieces - the table on the bottom, the chair on the top, and a wooden rod that runs between the two.  You can take the chair off the table by unscrewing the rod.  Then you have a table and chair!  Just imagine the ingenuity!!  Not to mention the quality!  Not only did it survive my two daughters and, most recently, my granddaughter, it's also supported countless little tots for the past couple of hundred years!!  Lesson learned - there really is nothing new under the sun!  We just interpret things differently down through the ages! 

 

What do you do with antique glass balls (aka: waddy waddies) when you don't have enough to make another wreath?  You can't just keep these beauties in a box hidden away!!  You guessed it - you get another tree!!  See! There's logic to my madness!! Or is that reason?  No matter; it's all madness just the same!!

Last picture for this post!  My Welsh Dresser with my pewter collection, lovingly enhanced by my collection of vintage and new bottle brush trees and Santas, with an occasional snowman and wreath thrown in for good measure!  Why is it called a "dresser" I asked, when Nigel spotted it in Valerie's shop and practically drooled all over it!  Simple enough - this is where the kitchen staff would "dress" the birds they were going to eat.  I've never understood why "dressing" a bird involved taking all its feathers off, stuffing it, etc.  I mean - where's the dress in all this?  Okay, it's late and I'm tired (obviously!) so I'll close with wishes of a merry Christmas and a happy and prosperous New Year for all!   May God Bless, Jan