Christmas On Crooked Creek!

Dear Ones, Christmas On Crooked  Creek has presented us with a few challenges this year. But the one that had become a real dilemma for me was our hearth. On Crooked Creek came with a fireplace in the lower level family room. . .but no mantle. So~o~o. . .I attempt to decorate the hearth!

In keeping with a lodge theme and an eclectic mix of furnishings, "Mr. Ed" feels that this is his domain. An avid Trout Fly Fisherman and Deer Hunter, I try to incorporate many of his personal tastes in the decor of this room. With the rise of recent showings of deer sheds in home decor, I knew I had to use them On Crooked Creek this Christmas!

Beginning the Christmas decorating, I always start with the table. Once that is completed, the rest just falls into place. Usually. Most of the time.

Next comes the Christmas tree complete with all its trimmings.

Followed by the vignettes I create on the tabletops!

Add candle light for ambiance.

But. . .when I got to the hearth. . .I either ran out of creativity or inspiration. All I could come up with was this!

The hearth On Crooked Creek looked like I'd just turned the boxes over and dumped them out! NOT what I had envisioned at all!

 My dear blog friend, Pat @ Back Porch Musings, posted a lovely Christmas Table for Two showing a lantern and deer sheds! Click here to view Pat's lovely In The Lodge post and see for yourselves what an elegant design talent she has! Thank you Pat for all your inspiration! http://backporchmusings.typepad.com/blog/2010/12/christmas-table-for-two.html

So~o~o. . .being all inspired, I tweaked the hearth .

Now for some ambient lighting. . .

Our Christmas On Crooked Creek seems to be shaping up quite nicely this year. Thank you to all of my new found blog friends for all your help and inspiration through your posts!

As our son and daughter~in~law come down the stairs, this is the sight they will see first!

Ah~h~h. . .

                  Christmas On Crooked Creek

Until next time. . .

Gingerbread Invade Dining Table!

On Crooked Creek will be joining Susan @ Between Naps On The Porch for Tablescape Thursday. Be sure to stop in and see all the lovely tablescapes full of inspiration for the Holiday Season!            http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/


Gingerbread abound On Crooked Creek! Everywhere you look there are gingerbread boys and girls! As mentioned in my previous post "Mr. Ed" gifted me with these cute gingerbread plates one year for my birthday. So~o~o. . . naturally they will be on our table for hosting Christmas On Crooked Creek this year.

Newly purchased red and white peppermint place mats sit atop a white snowflake round tablecloth. The tablecloth was a $5.00 find at Gizmo's Flea Market in El Dorado, Kansas last Summer. Great price ~ and it's NO IRON!

Placing my golden plates rimmed with brown and chili pepper centers might appear a bit odd at Christmas. Trust me . . . there's a method to my madness!

See ~ not plates, but used as chargers under those cute gingerbread plates. The hue of the gingerbread man and the rim of the plate match. Who would've thought?

Using a circular serving platter as a base for my hurricane centerpiece elevates it to a better height and allows for easier removal at dining each evening.

Intertwining two varying wreaths gives dimension and contrast to the base of the centerpiece. One is red berries ~ the other soft green with miniature pine cones.

A cranberry scented candle sets atop a bed of Hazelnut coffee beans. The aroma is heavenly to coffee lovers such as "Mr. Ed" and I!

Unique features of the place mats are one button and one button hole. This allows you to button several place mats together creating a table runner, if needed. However; I saw an opportunity to thread a ribbon through the button hole and tie a candy cane stripped bow to attach the solid red napkins. Too cute!

Replacing my Artland bubble stemware are my Libby goblets. Although I adore my clear bubble glasses ~ this time it was a bit of a distraction from the centerpiece.

These cute candy cane wreaths were purchased 2 for $1.00 at the Dollar General Store. The To: and From: will make darling edible place cards. I was smitten that they were a perfect fit at the base of my stemware!

The frosted stripe glass votives hold cinnamon bun candles with a faux raspberry on top.

Since the Gingerbread Invades Crooked Creek post, we have a new gingerbread couple. They are my birthday gift from "Mr. Ed"! Don't they put you in the mood to bake a batch of Christmas cookies?

Until next time. . .

Gingerbread Invades Crooked Creek!

On Crooked Creek is joining Susan @ Between Naps on the Porch for Deck The Halls Party! Please join us today and be inspired by all the Holiday home decor.

http://www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com/

Gingerbread Invades Crooked Creek!

It's true. . .the gingerbread  have invaded On Crooked Creek's kitchen! ! ! . . .and quite nicely, I might add! For the past three years my kitchen Christmas decor has become an invasion of gingerbread cookie jars, dolls, people, villages. . .you name it. . .I probably have it!

What began as a sweet gesture from one of my library helpers has grown over the past years to enormous proportions. Every year there seem to be more added to the collection! Just when I think this tiny little kitchen can't possibly hold one more gingerbread item. . .another one arrives! Amazingly enough, I always manage to find space for the newest arrival.

The darling gingerbread doll came to me in the early 90's from Sarah. Her mother told me Sarah had seen it in a mail order catalog and brought it to her and said I needed that in my country kitchen! This gingerbread doll is one of the few that actually has a name. Can you guess what that might be?

Next came the arrival of this darling little gingerbread lamp. It showed up in the work room at the middle school where I was employed. One of my fellow co~workers hosted a craft fair of handmade items and had brought those that didn't sell for us to purchase. How could I resist? I couldn't!

The next two years, same co~worker. . .same scenario, different purchase! I found that the gingerbread man brought back fond memories from our military years of baking cookies for the troops in my husband's command. Yep! He came home in a brown paper bag! Don't you just adore his flour sack and rolling pin?

The following year, I came across that same co~worker at our Church Bazaar! You guessed correctly. . .this time the gingerbread girl made her way into my heart with her jar of ginger , rolling pin, flour sack and heart~shaped cookie! That same year we were again tempted with the bazaar left~overs.

This darling little mason jar filled with peppermints gingerbread girl with her sweet dolly couldn't be left with no home for the holidays! Now could she?

The same year another co~worker gifted me with this sweet gingerbread doll  ornament made from a brown paper bag with a fabric dress! The list just keeps going, and going, and going!

Now, even "Mr.  Ed" is clued into this conspiracy and brings home these darling ornaments of Mr. and Mrs. Gingerbread so~o~o. . . you guessed correctly again. Thus the gingerbread tree was created to hold all the soft felted gingerbread people!

You'd think by now that would be the end of my story. Wrong! My darling daughter~in~law tied this little gingerbread man sitting on the rolling pin cutie to my Christmas gift one year!

The gingerbread tree was becoming a bit too brown, so I dug into my collection of metal cookie cutters and placed them on the tree! I used red and white gingham checked ribbon to tie them on the tree remembering each place and duty station where they had been purchased. To complete the look, "Mr. Ed" brought his mother's donut and biscuit cutters up from the basement storage.

One of the funniest additions to our gingerbread collection was the year we both purchased gingerbread houses for the kitchen. Yes! We have two! Both could be used for cookie jars, but we just use them in our decor! The same year, for my birthday  "Mr. Ed" gifted me with the gingerbread plates!

A dear friend, now deceased, brought the gingerbread metal tray over one day and said, "Here. . .this belongs in your kitchen!" Wouldn't it be great to live to be old and give your things to those you want to have them? I cherish that little plate and find a special place for it year~after~year! This year it is nestled on an easel in my favorite vignette.

New, already, this year are the cute little gingerbread couple on the stove top. Purchased early in the season for only a dollar each at the Dollar General! The recipe cards are from years, long ago!

I replaced the red gingerbread towels with new flour sack gingerbread towels! They add a country look and accentuate the little yellow stool from my husband's youth! I placed these cuties on the range handle. Gingerbread boy and girl made of corduroy on red and white checked fabric!

In keeping with the brightly hued decor to compliment the gingerbread, I hung red berry garland from my chandelier and varying heights of red and gold vintage appealing ornaments on red and white checked ribbon and bows.

"Mr. Ed" and I seldom agree on candies and condiments, thus the difference and variety in my apothecary jars! Can you guess which one of us is plain and which one is peanut?


Just another quick look around and then it will be time to begin my Christmas cookie baking.

Confession of the soul:
This is our year to host Christmas On Crooked Creek. I was wanting to change out the kitchen decor this year for something different. As we talk and reflect on family Traditions, last years Christmas came to mind.

Our son stopped by with his list of food items for me to contribute to Christmas dinner at their home. While I was going over the list, he stepped over to the Gingerbread Tree and gently caressed a few of the tin cookie cutters. Our cookie baking Tradition started when he was three years old and could help "cut out" the cookies.  A tradition we kept together through his college years! I'm sure those memories of the people who helped make the cookies and the recipients of our labors must have come flooding back over him. A gentle, quiet soul; he only smiled. No words were spoken; none were needed between Mother and child.

As I began to finalize those decor ideas and prepare for our Christmas On Crooked Creek, I carried each box upstairs with a smile on my face and warmth in my heart. Dear ones, the Gingerbread Invasion Continues On Crooked Creek!

Until next time. . .