Historic Staunton Christmas Tour Part1

If you have seen the pictures that I am posting on my
Instagram and Facebook pages, you know that I have
been getting my house ready for the Historic Staunton
Christmas Tour. Last year they featured a house that I
helped decorate, this year they asked me to participate
along with four other neighbors. We live in the historic
Gospel Hill section of Staunton, my house (which I rent),
was built in 1877, I think. So last week  and this week I
am getting ready for the two day tour that is this weekend.

I am doing this in stages with what I have, Big Lots purchases and things
from my store downtown. I started Wednesday because of the snow, almost
all of downtown was closed and Thankgiving Day because the store was closed.
Thanksgiving Day was really fun because I could drink champagne and eat turkey
while I decorated.

I had bolts and bolts of burlap ribbon at the store, so that kind of became
my theme, natural and woodsy. The garland I bought wholesale and it was
a closeout, the gold ribbon used through out the house I found at Big Lots
along with the birds. The ribbon is about four inches wide, 60 feet for $7.00.
I bought four bolts and have only had to use about two!

I am going for a whimsical, non traditional Christmas decorating look

This house has massive mantels, which make it fun to decorate with.

I went over to my Mother's Thursday afternoon and picked greens to add
to my arrangements and the tree came Saturday night, it was donated by
Rick Chittum, from Chittum Tree Farms. I had to go back Sunday for more
greens.

I worked on the Christmas tree Saturday night and Sunday I went back to Mom's
for more greens and worked on the outside. Elfie and I took a walk earlier that day
and found all sorts of inspiration, everyone was out side decorating because it was
so mild outside. My Mom came over that afternoon for champagne and a look see
at what I had done. Post two, I will show you more of what I have done.

Christmas House Tour and Gardening

A couple of months ago a friend who is in charge
of the Staunton Christmas House Tour, asked me
if I would let the house I am renting be part of the tour
this year. This tour is out on by the Staunton Historical
Foundation and they are featuring new residences on East
Beverley Street. It is great for me because I have helped decorate
almost all of the homes on the list. So, I am starting to make a
few changes to get ready for this.This weekend I started in the
dining room......

The dining room had these dark heavy blue cornices with blue floor to ceiling
panels. They made the room very dark, so I brought home some curtains I had
in the back of the store. They belonged to a retired decorator from a job she
never finished.

The new drapes are a pink and tan silk and are very long, perfect for the
big windows. i am amazed at how much brighter the room is now, I left
the lace sheers in the windows to help filter the light. I may have an old picture
of the blue drapes in a past post.

 I found two old pictures were you can kinda see the blue drapes
in the background. I picked up my sconces from Ebay that I had
rewired. I bought them because they plug in instead of being a hard
wire, so if I move I just take

 them off the wall. And now off to the yard, which has nothing to do with
the Christmas tour. I put in some annuals and perennials in some of empty shade
beds and filled up the containers below these beds.

Astilbe, that will come back next year, impatients and begonias, caladium and geraniums
that I bring indoors in the winter. This shade side will be pretty all summer long.

Elfie, standing guard.

The Larkspur came from my old gardens by way of seeds, the rest came with the house.
Love the bell flower. Now for new plantings which I hope to be able to see grow.

The cone flower is an exotic pink, the delphinium was a big splurge, but oh so
hard to resist, it's huge with lots of blooms. The knock out rose was on the $3
discount rack and will be huge one day. The hydrangea is to replace the many I
left behind at the old house, including an oakleaf that I had planted some 5 years
ago. Now there will be lots of watering to do.