Christmas Eve at the Grove Park Inn

I love this place.  Wish I could live here!  Being here on Christmas Eve with all the guests arriving in the big lobby with the fires going and all the decorations takes you back in time to when it was a great lodge of the 1800s.

We also came to see the National Gingerbread contest.  I am partial to the houses, but some of the characters were pretty neat, too.  This is the one aired each year on Good Morning America.

Then home for some cake and a fire.

A trip to Atlanta this past weekend to look at all the imaginative decorations at some of my favorite stores and to see Jacqui and her new home.  

A house I have always loved will soon be a thing of the past, the bulldozers are salivating, and the condos will go up.  For decades I have passed this house and renovated it in my mind.  A twist of fate had me pass it this weekend and finally get photos because on my next visit it will no longer be there.

Daddy Pops is gearing up for the holidays donning his glittered antlers.  Fur is coming in thick and Dr. Fitch says his bloodwork was fantastic, so many more Christmases for Daddy in the future!

A reality check to Atlanta every eight months is a good thing! Was missing some things I don't have here, but the traffic and crowds made me happy to be back to this quiet town of Tryon and Morris the horse!  Christmas Eve will be spent at the Grove Park Inn looking at Gingerbread houses, then Christmas day we will be hiking to one of many waterfalls in the area, just haven't decided which one yet.  

Christmas Trees are Up!

The traditional tree with glass woodland ornaments and flickering candle lights

A vintage hooked rug with deer was used as a tree skirt for the traditional tree

A video of the traditional tree in the daylight

 A video of the traditional tree at night (Please ignore Daddy's snoring!)  His doggy pen is right next to the tree and he had a busy day!

My lunar tree complete with moon tree topper and shooting stars.  The Ikea lights were perfect for the "lunar" feel, icy and gray.  The shooting stars happened by chance when looking for the Ikea lights!

 The moon is actually a kid's nightlight and does the phases of the moon, but for the tree the moon will be full the whole month of December.

A video of the lunar tree at night so you can enjoy the shooting stars!  More decorating to do, baking, gift wrapping, cards, a shopping trip in Atlanta with the girls, eggnog for the neighbors, homemade lasagne for xmas dinner, all fresh, even the noodles.  Always so much to do!

Bargain Lamps!

I must say, I have never been a big fan of lamps. They always seem to be on a table in front of a window, and I never understood why you would want to block the view.  Moving into an old home, there were no overhead lights or recessed lighting, which I love. We plan to have spotlights put up in the living room vaulted ceiling, but we needed to see in the dark until we get that done, so the big lamp hunt began! 

When in PA visiting family, I went to my mother's local equivalent of the Goodwill, and I must say it has some quality buys.  There are lamps galore at great prices, and not the ginger jar lamps you find at most thrift stores. A lot of them are antiques.  This ceramic/brass beauty was only $12.  I found the silk shade that fit it perfectly at my local Habitat for Humanity store for $10.  Total of $22 for such a beautiful lamp.  Can't beat that!

This smaller brass lamp was given to me by my aunt.

Another thrift shop find, etched glass with silver plated base, which I have on my nightstand and will match nicely with my mercury glass collection once I get my shelf up to place them on.  A T-Day project for Bob!

This one was a little more than I like to spend, a whopping $25, but I had in the back of my mind that if it didn't look right, I could sell it on Ebay.  Well, I can't part with it right now, just too pretty.

Not a fan of lamps, and never have been a fan of brass or gold tones, but this room screamed brass when I brought in some brass candlesticks that looked so good with the wallpaper.  This is a tall reading lamp for what will become Bob's library/reading room.  This was another find at my mom's local thrift store for $10. It is big and heavy and will look great once I find another bargain shade.

This is the antique wallpaper in the reading room.  It has a metallic background and the deep gold ferns are velvet.  It's a keeper!  I was looking for a place to get some candlesticks out of the way as you can see on top of the cupboard, and the brass just struck a chord.  Funny how things happen like that.  

One of my own lamps I got for a Christmas present a decade ago from Ethan Allen.  Looks antique, though.

This marble barley twist lamp was made by an artist in Virginia.  It was a pair, and a friend and I split the cost and each got a lamp.  The shade came from a favorite shop of handcrafted items in Atlanta. It's beeswax and wire. The lamp is being rewired.  Another T-Day project for Bob.  I think we're good with lamps for right now, but I will be looking for a few for My Tiny Farmhouse in the future.