My Christmas Parlor

I love decorating for Christmas! I'm very slow about it, though.  After 31 years of marriage and keeping a house and 31 years of Christmas decorating, I've gathered quite a few decorations.  So every year it takes me longer to get the job done, but I thoroughly enjoy the process.  With each box of decorations I bring out of the basement, I take out each and every bauble and bulb with excitement, partly because I forget what I have until I see it again!  For the past several years I've been putting up five trees.  The first one I always do is the Parlor/Tea Room/Piano Room tree.  It's my favorite.  And I leave it up until after March, changing some of the decorations for Valentine's and St. Patrick's.

This room is very frilly and  Victorian, so that is how the tree is done.  I use mostly pearls and lace.  Many of the decorations have come from Germany and Austria, where my parents lived for 6 years.  Mom doesn't put up a big tree anymore, so she passed her frilly European  pretties down to me.  

This angel topper came from Germany and Mom gave to me one Christmas years ago.  It hangs in my bedroom when she comes off the tree.

I like to use romantic tea pot and tea cup ornaments.  I've collected these over the years.

This is an antique fainting couch that my sister-in-law had and re-upholstered.  After she did some re-decorating of her house she couldn't use it but felt it would look perfect in my room, which it does, so she gave it to me.  I love it!  So does my little Fergie.  He's asleep curled up on the pillow.

This chair I bought at a local antique store and this darling little footstool I just couldn't pass up from a local boutique furniture store. The counted cross stitch "K" on the back of the chair I made.  The rug came from Europe.  Another hand me down from Mom.  Thank you, Mom!

I have a collection of antique vases and tea cups.  My favorite cups are the little demitasse ones.  A couple of them are Limoges.  The tea set on the little stand was given to me last Christmas by my son and DIL.  They had been to Germany to visit her mother and found this in an antique store.  It's a black rose design. 

My piano has also been handed down to me from my Grandma, to Mom, now to me.  It must be over 60 years old.  I took piano lessons on this piano when I was in elementary school.  We've replaced just about all the key hammers and pads.  It doesn't get used a lot, but I'll never give it up.  

The antique crystal candlesticks were given to me by a good friend last year for my birthday.  

I had made this piano cross stitch several years ago and it was just laying in a closet.  A few years ago I decided to incorporate it into a mini quilt.

I found some music themed border prints that I used.  The total size of this quilt is 17-1/2" square.

I also made this counted cross stitch picture a long time ago and had it matted and framed.

My decorating leans toward the busy side.  I call myself a neat and organized hoarder!  But all these things have meaning and a story and I would have a hard time getting rid of any of it.  

I hope you enjoyed my first Christmas tour.  I'm going to link this post to "Showing Off My Cottage Monday" hosted by Cielo.

http://houseinroses.blogspot.com/

Also linked to Bavarian Christmas hosted by Simone at http://dobermans-by-the-sea.blogspot.com/2010/11/1st-christmas-linky-party-at-dobermans.html

And linked to The DIY Show Off - Holidays hosted by Roeshel at http://thediyshowoff.blogspot.com/search/label/Christmas