Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Christmastime at the Moore Home.

Christmas....the most wonderful time of the year. Well in a decortaing since, for me it really is. I love decorating my home for Christmas. Follow me and I'll show you some of my Favorite things...

As we come into my home I adorn the staircase with a beautiful garland with red berries. On the entry table are my carolers to greet my guests as they get a glimpse of my family room tree. They are setting on a red velvet runner with gorgeous red glass candles.

And as you go into the family room you'll notice my beautiful Nativity across my mantle,

decorated with more Christmas Garland. It is a very special Nativity set that I love to set apart from

the rest of my decorations, and what a better place than the mantle, the focus of the room.

A special display to show what christmas is all about!

"Joy to the World, The Lord has Come!"

My tree, of course is always a highlight for me as I revisit all those ornaments from years past. And I love decortating with ribbon, making bows, and curling it and just letting it fall onto the tree.

And priceless ornaments my children made...

I have a snowman collection in the kitchen, that I have been collecting for 40 years, is so much fun for me. All kinds of snowmen as you can see...

Tall ones and melting ones...

And tiny ones...

The Kitchen helpers...

And the newest members... the first one my daughter brought me all the way from the North Pole in Alaska.

A cutie putie don't you agree...

And sometimes I treat myself...
As we go into the dining room I like to bring out my bears from the woods ...

In fact I love bears so much that I put up a Bear Tree in my living room...

Mostly Boyds Bears that I have collected...

Since decortaing my home is my passion I always want to share it with others. For the past 15 or so years I have given a special holiday luncheon for some of the family members . I get so excited creating a theme each year, and tying everything including the food to the theme. But do you think I have taken any pictures of these wonderful luncheons? Not very many. Well this year my theme was "A Charlie Brown Christmas". And my sister was kind enough to take a few photos.

I started with a Charlie Brown tree, simple red and green table settings Snoopy was there playing the theme song and we enjoyed Charlie Brown Pie for dessert, and my guests took home puppy chow to munch on (chex mix with peanut putter and chocolate sprinkled with powdered sugar).

Thanks for stopping by for my tour.
I hope I have inspired you to create a beautiful Christmas in your home!

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Saturdays with Sisters!

My sister Kathy , the painter, also writes a wonderful newletter each month that tells all about what she is up to, and her latest work. Here is a portion of that newsletter for you to enjoy...

As I concluded last month's newsletter I was packing up for a week long painting workshop at Ghost Ranch in northern New Mexico. Ghost Ranch is always a special place, but in October when the cottonwoods are golden, the chamisa shimmer in the sunlight, the mornings are cold and crisp and afternoons are warm and dry it is a magical place. I shared a room with my friend Teri in the old bunkhouse, bathrooms accessed outside, down the breezeway-- no internet or TV, and cell phone service only if you go to a certain place up on the hill--we seemed eons away from our everyday lives. A perfect setting to get the creative juju flowing.

Ghost Ranch south to Pedernal, photo by Kathryn Willis
Each morning I started the day with a run up a long dirt road to the old cabin sitting on top of the hill and overlooking the valley towards Pedernal and Abiqui Lake. I returned to a hearty breakfast at the lodge ready for a day of painting in this beautiful landscape. While exhilarating and inspiring, standing on your feet, painting all day can also be challenging and exhausting, but I loved every minute.

"Afternoon on Kitchen Mesa", 12x9" , by Kathryn Willis

Our instructor, Michelle Chrisman, led our group of painters, to sites on the ranch and in the surrounding area. We painted down the road from Georgia O'Keeffe's former home in the Painted Desert, on the red rock area of Kitchen Mesa, on the banks of the Chama River, and on the overlook at Abiqui Lake looking out to famous Pedernal. In every direction-- vast turquoise sky, amazing rock forms, and colors that didn't seem real --calling to be painted. As Georgia O'Keeffe said of painting in the New Mexico landscape, "half of the work is done for you."