Christmas Memories of the Heart

There are so many memories as I look all around.  Memories of Mom, Uncle Jack, Mammaw, my Aunt Judy, Aunt Linda, cousins...all sweet memories that I will always cherish.  Each of them had such a huge impact on my life growing up.  Mammaw taught me who God is,  how to love, truly love and to be kind.  Aunt Judy taught me how to have a relationship with God and we shared so many creative ideas in person and on the phone.  Aunt Linda taught me how to love yard sales and how to giggle at the dumbest of things...she twinkled!  My Uncle was my dad, he taught me more than any man could ever teach me.  My cousins were my brothers and sisters I never had.   Each of them twinkled absolutely so beautiful!  Of course they all taught me so much more, too many to say, but they're a part of me that live on.  How very blessed I have been to have had them in my life.

So with that being said, we'll start with the tree.  It definitely twinkles!

I'm sorry this isn't the best photo of the whole tree...you see, I never have taken a full shot of it all decorated yet...can you believe it?  

Decorated in pinks, aqua and white...we all love it!  I used tulle and a garland I made a few years ago.  With the flocking, it really is beautiful!

Under the tree is a mixture of a tulle bed skirt and a traditional Martha Stewart tree skirt.  The soft ruffles along with the satin are a perfect match.

I found these pale pink flocked Poinsettias at Michael's while on a shopping trip with a friend.  I was broke, so I had to wait a week to go back and buy them.  I was biting my nails hoping they would still be there...and they were!

I had a planter that I stuffed faux pine in and then added the mixture of Poinsettias with some pine cones and snowflakes from Dollar Tree.  It adorns the "Letters to Santa" tin that the girls used to leave messages in with their wish lists for Christmas.  Those days are long past gone.  The angel was a present from my Mom....it lights up and silver glitter blows all around.  She knows me so well.

I added the large snow flakes to the window wall windows.....see the snowflake theme?

The glass vase was Aunt Linda's...perfect for a flameless candle that centers a wreath with pale pink glass candy canes, white glass pine cones, pine and aqua ornaments.  I love this centerpiece on the coffee table.

It goes perfectly with all of the other decorations.

And I should mention, it smells like peppermint!

It's not too big either.

The flower arrangement holds a very special memory, one of the very last memories I shared with Mammaw before she passed away.  I went for a visit one weekend in the beginning of December.  There is a little flower shop in that town that I love to visit...I found this there.  When I came back home, I showed it to Mammaw and she thought it was absolutely beautiful!  Eaxch year as I bring this out, those precious moments live on.

I add ornaments to it for some color each year along with lights.  I just love it!

Each Christmas, my Aunt Linda would go crazy with pine and Poinsettias.  She lived right up the road from me and would stop in after work to show me her latest find.  

I made the wreaths from pine garland , added the glass pine cones and bows and I hang them on the armoire doors every year.  She loved wreaths and had them every where.

They definitely spruce up and add color to the mostly white color scheme.  It makes it feel like a Winter Wonderland inside!

A little ceramic lighted house she gave me was painted all white then sprinkled with silver glitter on the roof tops for that perfect twinkle.  The pine cones came from Mammaw's yard that Mom had gathered for me one year.  A large glittered ornament purchased from Home Goods years ago goes nicely with the whole table arrangement.

When I see silver, I think of Judy's beautiful hair!  It was the color everyone wants when their hair starts to grey.  She loved Angels at Christmas time, so the Angels are a sweet memory of her love.  

I tend to do the same thing here each year...now you know why.

Now, the mirrors are a living memory for my Mom who I call every day.  We lived in a home that was dark when I was growing up, so she had mirrors everywhere to reflect the light.  I know people thought she was vain, but that wasn't her intent...she yearned for light!   I do the very same thing!

I have some beautiful mirrors that have been found at yard sales, all have been painted and 

re-purposed somehow.  Mom still has many throughout her home too.  One thing she taught me well is how to decorate!

The tree looks amazing reflecting in the mirror by the armoire.  That's what I love about mirrors, they reflect what I love about our home!

The hall mirror is the best mirror...it reflects so much light down a "what could be dark" hall.

This little guy was lost one year...I could not remember where I had it stored away.  Well, he now stays out all year long not to miss any Christmases!

He sits above a lighted topiary and a chair my sweet hubby sits on as he puts on his works boots every morning.

Our home at Christmas time is a place we all love to be.  It's a place my girls have sweet memories and I hope when we are gone that our memories live on in them.

Thank you for stopping by.  I hope you feel our home the way it feels to us...with lot's of love, memories and welcoming hugs.