Saturday ... Culpeper Christmas Tour of Homes.
Culpeper is about 45 minutes from here. It's where my parents and my sister live. Its downtown area and surrounding residential neighborhoods are VERY historic. Saturday morning, Mom and I toured this year's homes, all decorated for Christmas by local garden clubs. Saturday afternoon, we worked a shift as hostesses at one of the homes. The day was sunny and warm ... it was a perfect day to
Here are a few representative photos from the day. (We were allowed to photograph inside the homes, which is unusual in my experience. I took photos of decorations, and steered clear of any of the homeowners' personal things.)
Crowds were steady all day, but the wait time for each home was short.
Magnolia, greens, and pomegranates on this mantle.
Holiday arrangement, with a beautifully set table.
Christmas tree in the dining room bay window.
Model log cabin displayed in one of the kitchens, decorated for Christmas.
Primitive cupboard, and Home Sweet Home.
Nothing more classic than a wreath on a bright red door!
This was my favorite mantle of the day.
Red lights on the porch and greens in the window boxes of this Victorian.
Skinny tree in the living room of the home where I was a hostess.
Sunday ... Wreath-making workshop at Monticello.
Every year, Monticello hosts workshops that teach folks how to make a boxwood wreath and decorate it with natural materials gathered from the gardens. Last year, my first year doing this, Mom and I made wreaths. This year, I brought along my friends Kim and Gale. We had so much fun, and our wreaths turned out beautifully ... how can they not, with such wonderful things to choose from to decorate them.
Boxwood and other greens were washed and prepared ahead of time, and available in plastic bags. Floral picks and tape in those little baskets were for preparing the decorative things.
Tables stretched the whole length of one wall of the room, full of so many things to choose from.
Hydrangea, apples, Lunaria, Pine cones, Miscanthus, Tansy, okra pods ...
This was my favorite of the display wreaths, and I used it as inspiration for the design of my wreath.
This is my wreath ...
... and here is a group shot of all three of our completed wreaths.
I used American Boxwood as the base for my wreath, and I decorated it with Magnolia leaves, pine cones, Miscanthus, Lady Apples, dried orange slices, Tansy, Juniper berries, Okra pods, and, of course, rose hips.
This is what it looks like on our front door.
My wreath is fluffy, busy, going every direction, and borderline out of control ... a lot like me, now that I think of it. :)
