Christmas Packages--Cotton Branches--White, Silver, Gold

The PACKAGES are wrapped. . .and ready. . .In WHITE and BLACK and SILVER and GOLD, they are as unconventional as the TABLETOP TREE of left-over Cotton limbs I made for the smaller gifts. . .

You could easily make a 'stick tree' yourself. . .Cotton stalks are not necessary. . .A LIMB from any tree would do. . .Gather the ones that are TALL and have SEVERAL BRANCHES on them. . .Stick them in a VASE. . .add ORNAMENTS. . .and you have a UNIQUE Christmas Tree!!!!

Here's a tip I learned making ours. . .Wire on ornaments when necessary. . .or if you have a cat. . .

I wrapped the packages in NEWSPAPER (without the print, of course). . .and tied with a mix of HEMP STRING and CURLY RIBBON. . .The MEDALLIONS were a banner that I cut apart. . .I also added some SNOWFLAKE ORNAMENTS for bows. . .No commercial bows for us! . .Remember. . .I'm decorating outside-the-box. . .I like this MIX OF FORMAL AND FARMHOUSE. . .

The little SANTA PILLOW goes back twenty years. . .I never tire of it, though. . .Reminds me of all the secrets I kept from Santa while growing up. . .and that makes me laugh. . .

 

Everything fits well together. . .don't you think?

Hopefully we'll have some sunshine today so I can photograph the rest of the house for you. . .

It's been cloudy for days. . .dark. . .and rain all day yesterday. . .

My old camera doesn't do well when it's dark outdoors. . .

I have the bath, the kitchen, and the keeping room to photograph and share. . .

Rooms that reflect the common theme I have going on for this Christmas. . .

PLAIN AND SIMPLE. . .GLISTENING . . .FARMHOUSE STYLE. . . .

A Reminder for Rag Ruggers

Just quickly popping in to remind you that

OUR OLD COUNTRY STORE

will be closing for the holidays on December 5th. . .

If you plan to order looms or gift bags, now is the time to do it. . .

The Elves will be busy for the next week or so, 

but will be taking time off time to enjoy the Holidays with family and friends. . .

Thanks for shopping with us!!!!

You Won't See This Christmas Tree in a Store

I'm anything but TRADITIONAL when it comes to CHRISTMAS TREES. . .For years Fred (the ficus) was decorated with lights and tiny baskets, red bows and small glass balls. . .I think Santa got a little confused for several years. . .not sure where to put the packages. . .but it all worked out. . .This year, in keeping with my unconventional sense of humor, I chose something fairly unorthodox. . .a COTTON TREE. . .

Most folks don't know that COTTON is actually a tree. . .If you leave it alone and don't harvest it, a Cotton stalk will continue to grow. . .That's what happened to this beauty. . .I spotted it in a ditch at my cousin's farm a couple of months ago. . .Evidently a stray seed landed there while planting in the Spring. . .Since it was in the ditch, it wasn't susceptible to the usual spraying and chemicals and harvesting. . .I watched it as it grew. . .and grew. . .and grew. . .

In fact. . .it grew so much that John returned for a chain saw after I had sent him down to cut it. . .Yes. . .This is all one tree. . .Yet another of my INSPIRATION for a Christmas tree that you sure won't find in a store. . .We LOVE it. . .

We'll Have a White-Silver-Gold Christmas

Not only am I DREAMING OF A WHITE CHRISTMAS, I'm planning to add SILVER AND GOLD, too. . .This will be a UNIQUE Christmas for us. . .Gone are the Reds and Greens. . .mostly. . .(I will have live greenery). . .You know what I mean. . .Pops of color only this year. . .

It has finally turned chilly here in the SOUTH. . .not cold. . .no snow. . .but the mornings are crisp and the temps call for a sweater or light jacket. . .I'm beginning to get in the mood for the HOLIDAYS. . .and I've begun pulling out a few decorations. . .and piling them onto the counters. . .many that I have never used. . .

I think I have the makings of a FINE CHRISTMAS, so far. . .

There are a couple of things I know for sure. . .From now on our FARMHOUSE CHRISTMAS DECOR will be all NATURAL where possible. . .SIMPLE AND UNCLUTTERED. . .MAKE-DO. . .Instead of keeping so much STUFF from year to year. . .I plan to look around the farm and decorate with what we have. . .AND I don't have to pack up all those boxes again. . .I'm giving away much of it to family and friends. . .and will certainly enjoy the extra space in our storage room. . .

Not to worry, though. . .I won't get rid of it ALL. . .

 

I'm looking forward to finding a day very soon to start seriously decorating for the HOLIDAYS. . .

Can't wait to show you our totally UNIQUE WHITE CHRISTMAS TREE. . .

Definitely different. . .and FUN. . .

One more Thought: There's a TUTORIAL for the CORN SHUCK LADY/ANGEL,
seen in the opening photo. . .

CLICK HERE

. . .UNTIL NEXT TIME. . .

Top 50 Farmhouse Blogs

What's this little guy singing out loud about? . .Well. . .He has just heard the news. . .THE COUNTRY FARM HOME has received the TOP 50 FARMHOUSE BLOG AWARD. . .Was I surprised? . .A giant YES. . .I hate to admit it, but I thought at first it was a scam because I knew I hadn't applied for the award. . .With a little Googling, I realized it must be true. . .So we all started singing. . .

The AWARD is from FEEDSPOT (a popular RSS  Feed Reader). . .and was based on:

• Google Reputation and Google Search Ranking

•  Influence and Popularity on Facebook, Twitter and Social Media Sites

• Quality and Consistency of Post

• Feedspot's Editorial Team and Expert Review

 

Want to see the other 49? Of course you do. . .

Here's the LINK

FEEDSPOT'S TOP 50 FARMHOUSE BLOGS

There are some really Amazing Blogs that were selected. . .

I spent most of the night reading them. . .and setting up FeedSpot to try for myself. . .

A warning, though. . .It will inspire you to change some of your farmhouse decor. . .

I have already begun. . .(wink)