For the final part of my Christmas All Through the House
post, we will head to the kitchen. Someday I may be brave enough to post pics
of the whole kitchen-kaboodle but for now I’ll hold off until I can get a fab
before and after pic. Currently, our kitchen is stuck in the world of
“Before”. No, its not terrible. No, it
is not shameful. It’s just plain boring and slightly off centered – makes my
eye twitch to look at my stove-fridge area. That’s what happens when you take a
1950’s ginormous range out and stick a new millennium stove in its place – big
gaps between the sides and no way to scooch them together when your overhead
cabinets were made to align with their long lost companion. Sigh….. Someday we
will smash those cabinets to smithereens!!! Muyhahahaha!
Anyways, enough maniacal mulling….back to Christmas Cheer!
For starts, my huge World Map got trimmed-out with greenery
and berries, berries and more berries. It seems, while the Snow Fairy blustered
through the Living Room, a strange growth of rosy Styrofoam balls spouted here,
there and yonder amongst its culinary counterpart.
I’ve had my behemoth map since I was 15 years old after
hovering over it for months as it went from $300 to $75 at an after-Christmas
sale at Kirklands. I had saved up my Christmas and birthday money just to
purchase it – a pretty big feat of discipline for a teenager whose birthdays
and Christmases stretch six months apart!
Buying it was easy. Getting it home was a fiasco as my
sister and I had to carry it above our heads while unsuspecting mall-goers
jumped out of our path. Mom pulled up the station wagon and lo and behold the
car didn’t even come close to fitting in my prize. Three hours later Mom found
a random truck to carry her home.
Luckily for me, 6 years later when I brought her to our
newlywed home, my husband ACTUALLY LOVED IT! Unfortunately for me, I realized I
had become the third-wheel in our little love triangle when I suggested we get
rid of her in lieu of a chalkboard wall. The fight that followed was one for
the ages as he practically threw himself in front of her and let me know in no
uncertain terms that if she went, he went as well. I found to my consternation
that I was obviously the most besotted of our trio as she still remains,
preening in her triumph. Beware ladies of bringing a worldly, larger-than-life
lady in your life! What begins as admiring glances could turn into everlasting
devotion.
Well, I found that if she must remain I might as well do my
best to hide her beguiling ways from our unsuspecting holiday guests. Using her
as a Christmas card display did the trick. I wanted a way to display the cards
without taping them to the wall or taking up valuable counterpace with a
card-holding contraption. Using simple Baker’s string and miniature clothespins,
I lined them up. I love the way they look framed and layered over the Old
World.
This year, I wanted to have Hot Chocolate readily available
to our family and friends – ha, who am I kidding! – it was all for me. But
anyways, I placed my cheery red mugs on a $3 laquer tray I got also at
Kirklands and put my homemade mix in one of my many beverage dispensers (I just
turned the front around so you wouldn’t see the spout.)
Add in two classic Ball jars (read more about them in my
Junk Gold post) with marshmallows and chocalate chips and you have a
choco-lovers dream.
And in case the display wasn’t obvious enough, I found an
old Chocolate typography graphic, added in “hot”, printed and taped it to one
of my many gilded frames. More berries, a dirty Santa and a bearded gnome round
out my Christmas-meets-huh? Shelf display. Hey, it makes me smile!
My kitchen-Christmas decoarating would not be complete
without several more snowglobes sitting on my cabinet shelves. But, my most
elegant snow globe holds the place of honor serving as a centerpiece on the
table.
My newest kitchen addition, a pair of gold framed
chalkboards, got in on the Christmas spirit too when I drew in some of my
favorite holiday lines. Next, year, I’ll take a friend’s suggestion and write
“Silent Knight” “Holy Knight” instead of the traditional carol lyrics. Hate it
that I so obviously missed such a clever idea!
Finally, my host of Nutcrackers stand guard atop the
refrigerator. Sometimes I see that they have moved about in the night. Nathan
says it is just because the fridge vibrates but I swear they must be having
some manly party, comparing brass buttons and shoulder-pad fringe.
Well this concludes, my Christmas All Through the House
tour. Makes me exhausted just looking at all of it! I go brain-dead at the
thought of putting it all away and setting the house back to normal. You’ll
know its still up if no new house pics are posted for the next three months!
Hope your New Year's is all Bright and Shiny!! Personally, I am ready to move on from 2013. Raise your glass to 2014!
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