Saturday, December 20, 2014

My Home For The Holidays: 2014 Edition

I love changing up all my tabletop holiday decor around the house each year, so here's a quick photo tour of the newly arranged sparklies at the Yates' place:
 
 
 

 







 


 


 



 




 (Note how I deftly avoid photographing the dining room table, which is perpetually buried in project materials. ;))




I've been waiting to wrap this chandelier in garland since the day we bought it:


There's also a convenient little knob in the middle for hanging one big ornament. :D






I don't think I've ever shown you guys this back bookcase, since it's always been covered in junk and spare parts. I finally cleaned it up, though, and found a nice use for my great-grandfather's old planer:


It makes a great display ledge for tiny treasures! In fact, most of that will be staying out year-round, including those great steampunk Mickey ear ornaments:


And here's the steampunk tree again:


John and I will be putting the finishing touches on the Harry Potter tree as soon as we're back from our trip, so final pics of that'll be coming up later. Hope you enjoyed the virtual visit, everyone! Here's to glittering up ALL the things!

39 comments:

  1. Can I just please buy your house with everything in it? Please? :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow. I don't think I have that many surfaces in my house to decorate (plus I have a two year old that would undecorate it all as fast as you can say Cheerios). I love the way you mix your year round treasures (all that steampunky goodness) with the Christmas pretties. But my absolute favorite is the chandelier! Something to ask myself in the future when I get the opportunity to buy my own lighting fixtures - how fabulous will this look wrapped in garland? And that center ornament is perfect. Seriously, you have a talent for staging. And I'm jealous. Sometimes that sort of thing just looks cluttery, but yours doesn't at all. It's like a little museum. Thanks for letting us all take a tour!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Everything looks so beautiful! When I squint, I can DEFINITELY see Songbird in the upper left of that wall art - the dark glowy one. ;D

    ReplyDelete
  4. Oh, it's all so pretty! So much to look at! Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. So pretty. My labs are the sort that if it isn't weighted or plastic it doesn't last very long. Question though - is that a patina'd companion cube?

    ReplyDelete
  6. WOW! What a wonderful world you live in!! Thank you soooo much for sharing- you and your husband are incredibly talented in so many ways! You are both amazingly inspirational!!!!!!! Wishing you a warm and wonderful Christmas and a happy, happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  7. The chandelier looks SO FREAKING GORGEOUS. Someday when I have my own house I have a feeling I'm going to be looking at your blog a lot for inspiration!

    ReplyDelete
  8. All the decorations looks absolutely gorgeous (as does your house!). Just beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  9. You could be an interior designer. Seriously.

    Can I get some help to get my jaw off the floor before I start drooling?

    ReplyDelete
  10. I love that you have a wood plane as decoration. It makes the preservationist in me happy.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Jen & John, your house and decorations are absolutely gorgeous. Major kudos on everything! I need to know more about your bronze/gold Epbot bot...was it a gift? Did you make it and I've forgotten you sharing? Golly, I'm just loving it all. The big chandelier ornament is perfection!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Epbot sculpture featured here:

      http://www.epbot.com/2013/05/birthday-goodies.html

      (No, I don't actually have the entire Epbot website memorized, though I can think of lots worse ways to spend my time; I just find any random internet stranger asking for information an irresistible challenge.)

      Kimstu

      Delete
  12. Ho. Ly. Cow. My house feels underdressed and its owner feels inadequate! This is amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Absolutely love the metal inserts on the cabinets above the card catalog. What did you use to get such a great pattern?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Those are actually inexpensive wall art pieces from Old Time Pottery; we just cut off the edges & used them for cabinet inserts! Here's a closer shot.

      Delete
  14. Oh, I love that Rocketeer print. I bought the same one at Dragon*Con this year. I haven't framed mine yet, though.

    ReplyDelete
  15. I love your home. Period. *sigh*

    ReplyDelete
  16. Oh just come decorate my house, pretty please! Kentucky isn't really all that far, is it?

    ReplyDelete
  17. I love all your decorations and I am just in awe of how you pull it off with a *cat* in the house! My furry little sweet monsters would have that all overturned for gravity tests in no time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Two cats, no less! I'm spoiled, I know; Tonks & Lily may not be angels, but they're great about mostly leaving my pretties alone.

      Delete
  18. Wow, Jen! It's so beautiful! I wish I could hire you to come decorate my house! I love your style!

    ReplyDelete
  19. I absolutely love all your decor. Thanks for sharing and Inspiring us all year long!!
    Happy Solstice, Festivus, Christmas, and New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  20. What a delight for our Winter Solstice treat! Thank you so very much! You two put a festive and fun twist on EVERYTHING. And I'm with Jeanne - how do you keep the ladies from knocking everything askew? Or shedding on everything? Such a neat and tidy house - if only for the photos...

    ReplyDelete
  21. Everything is gorgeous, and I demand a tutorial for the conical steampunk trees with owls!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Ho ho ho, @Jammies, she already done did one!

      http://www.epbot.com/2012/12/diy-steampunk-cone-trees.html

      I love all the sparklies displays but what I can never help wondering is WHAT ABOUT THE DUSTING. I love putting out interesting-looking gadgets and goodies and tchotchkes, but I have to be kind of restrained about it because otherwise it would take me forever to dust them and I don't like to see things all dusty and sad-looking. I have no idea how Jen keeps things looking so sparkly and fresh, maybe she has an anti-dust filter in photoshop? :)

      Kimstu

      Delete
    2. Ha! Well, Kimstu, it all gets a thorough once-over when I put all this stuff out, and again in January when I put most of it away again. The rest of the year the house isn't quite so cluttered with pretties, so dusting is pretty easy; I just use one of those Swiffer doo-dads. (Although, yes, for photos I *do* have a duster on hand for last-minute touch-ups. :D)

      Delete
  22. I need you to come decorate my house. You do such a beautiful job.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Your cats must be so, so well behaved. I have a cat, and my roommate has a kitten. Needless to say, there are no ornaments on our tree this year. Not to mention, I would be terrified to have anything like your decorations on the tables, since my cat's favorite way of getting my attention is to stare at me while knocking things off the desk or TV stand.
    Your home looks beautiful! I always love to see the pictures from your holiday decorations. Hope you're having a great trip!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Beautiful! I love the white round clock (in front of the gold and white angel.)

    ReplyDelete
  25. Your home is so beautiful and gorgeously decorated! WOW.

    I've been curious for a while where on earth all your seasonal goodies hang out out-of-season? Attic, garage, storage unit? We ust got out first house and I'm surprised at how I simultaneously have lots and no storage. :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Trip? Are you coming up to Williamsburg? We'd love to tour Busch Gardens Christmas Town with you and hang out again, if you're going to be in the area!

    ReplyDelete
  27. Jen! Your HP tree is on Cheezburger! WIN!

    https://cheezburger.com/8399676416

    ReplyDelete
  28. pure perfection.
    thanks for sharing the pretty!

    ReplyDelete
  29. Can I pretty please just come & live at your AWESOME house?

    ReplyDelete
  30. Your displays are soooooo cool! I love your style, but i do have one question; how well do you like dusting? LOL

    ReplyDelete
  31. To be completely nosy...in the pic where you show the wide doorway with the garland over it (LOVE the garland) I see what appears to be floating shelves on the left side. What's behind the shelves?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The shelves are part of our tiny galley kitchen, which you can see here in an old house tour from a few years ago. And if you're asking about the wall finish, that's a custom paint job we did to replicate a really cool tile pattern that we couldn't afford. :)

      Delete

Please be respectful when commenting; dissenting opinions are great, but personal attacks or hateful remarks will be removed. Also, including a link? Then here's your html cheat sheet: <a href="LINK ADDRESS">YOUR TEXT</a>