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    Christmas House Tour 2012: Vintage and Pastel Foyer and Little White Lies

    Christmas Decor, Decorating, Holiday & Seasonal

    I never lie to myself about the important stuff. But I have been known to tell myself some little white lies over the years.

    Those stirrup pants look great!

    Wow, that Sun-In and QT make you look like a bronzed babe! 

    He’s just afraid of smart women.

    Those kind of lies, and this one, from earlier this week: You’re finally finished with Christmas decorating.

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    Yeah, right. Tell that to the buffet in my foyer.

    buffet vignette santa and paper Christmas village by AttaGirlSays.com

     I had it all done up in a merry vintage Christmas motif, the minty duck egg blue of the buffet a perfect setting for my collection of vintage McCoy pottery, bottle brush Christmas trees, glittery paper houses and vintage Christmas ornaments.

     handpainted vintage buffet decoarted in pink and green for Christmas by AttaGirlSays.com

    But then I started poking around the Internet look at all the gorgeous Christmas vignettes. And I went shopping at a store with a winter wonderland of Christmas decor. And I started thinking that my buffet was just a little underdressed for the party.

    Like showing up to a black tie event with nary a sequin or rhinestone.

    And so I set about bedazzling because my decorating style is decidedly more is always better. Except when it comes to dusting.

    handpainted vintage buffet decorated in pastels for Christmas by AttaGirlSays.com

    I needed an excuse to buy an antique white garland, and this was my excuse. The garland is like a feather boa on the buffet. Come to think of it, a feather buffet might look nice, too, and it would have probably been cheaper.

    Vintage Pottery Christmas vignette by AttaGirlSays.com

    No matter the holiday, I always try to keep a few vintage pottery pieces on the buffet because the colors and styles work so well together. And the vintage pottery sets the tone for my decor.

    When I was starting out on my own, decorating my first $325 a month apartment, I started collecting pottery from the 1940s and 1950s, namely McCoy. The aqua blue-green color is my favorite, and after more than a decade, I still gravitate to that hue in my decorating.

    So, is it any wonder I painted the buffet a matching shade? Or that I was attracted to this vintage-inspired ornament with a snowy scene under glass?

    vintage pink and green Christmas ornaments in McCoy vaseMy vases are perfect for displaying vintage Christmas ornaments and newer pastel ones.

    McCoy leaves of grass vase with vintage Christmas ornaments

    This is my favorite piece of McCoy pottery. It was my holy grail as a collector. It is not perfect. The rim is chipped, but it is one of the most beautiful things I own.

    I first saw this vase in a book, and I fell in love. I stalked it for years, hunting antique shows and stores. But I never ever found one. Until one day on eBay. And it just happened to be near Christmas. I sent the link to my husband with the direction to please, please buy the vase no matter how high the bidding reached. I wanted it so badly, and I’d searched for so long.

    And clearly, he won the bid. I don’t know what he paid, but probably more than it was worth. But not more than it is worth to me.

    Through the years, I have also collected little paper houses, dusted in glitter and snow.

    A few have come from fancy schmancy accessories shops.

     vintage Christmas village in white garland vignette by AttaGirlSays.com

    But many were purchased at the after-Christmas clearance sales at Target and Kmart, back when Martha Stewart was designing for them.

    pink bottle brush tree and vintage christmas house vignette

    The pink bottle brush tree was a $2 find this year at Walmart. I mixed in a few mercury glass candlesticks, some silver bells and some fragile glass and mercury glass Christmas ball ornaments.

    buffet vignette santa and paper Christmas village by AttaGirlSays.com

    Of course, Santa had to join the mix. But he’s dressed for the party, too, in white robes embellished with glitter. His everyday red suit just wouldn’t do.

    With the vintage winter wonderland I created on the mantel, I thought the handpainted mirror was looking just a little bit bare. So, I repurposed an old faux pine wreath by carefully wiring some vintage and vintage-inspired Christmas ornaments to it and topping it with a sheer pale blue bow.

    But alas, there was one casualty. A pretty pink vintage glass ornament dropped to the ground and shattered. But I couldn’t throw it away.
    how to decorate with broken Christmas ornaments by AttaGirlSays.com

    So I scooped up the broken pieces — I think there might be a life lesson there — and made something out of them. You wouldn’t have known they were broken unless I’d told you, right?

    Tell the truth. Or a little white lie. They’re OK in my book.

    I hope you’ll check out the rest of my Christmas House Tour. So far, I’ve shown off my front porch decorated for Christmas and my Christmas mantel in the keeping room, and later this week, I’ll be revealing my dining room, living room and Christmas tree. Oh, what kind of tree will it be?

    Filed Under: Christmas Decor, Decorating, Holiday & Seasonal Tagged With: Christmas, foyer, home tour

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Rhonda ~Ramblings of a Southern Girl

      December 15, 2012 at 10:47 am

      Beautiful vignette! I love the pastels and use of pottery! And the white garland really did take it over the top! 🙂

      Reply
    2. Ann K

      December 13, 2012 at 10:02 pm

      Enjoyed your post! I found you through the Better Late than Never link party!

      Reply
    3. Debbie

      December 13, 2012 at 8:52 am

      Everything is so pretty!! I have the same Santa , actually 2 of them but both are slightly different.

      Hugs,Deb

      Reply
    4. Suzy @ Worthing Court

      December 13, 2012 at 7:48 am

      So pretty, Amy. I love the soft aqua color. The white garland is a great addition and makes a huge difference! I’m pretty sure that I tend to fall into the more-is-more category too.

      Reply

    Trackbacks

    1. 40 Random Things about Me says:
      January 4, 2013 at 12:01 AM

      […] My dog, McCoy, was named for my collection of McCoy pottery. […]

      Reply
    2. Christmas House Tour 2012: Glittery Gold & Silver Dining Room Decor says:
      December 18, 2012 at 12:01 AM

      […] hope you will check out the rest of my holiday home tour.  Last week, I shared my front foyer and entryway, decorated with a pink and blue color palette inspired by McCoy pottery, vintage Christmas ornament […]

      Reply

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