I think every nook and cranny is now decked out for the holidays and ready for entertaining or just a night of TV, a fire and popcorn. Perhaps you might recognize some vintage Thimbleberries runners and quilts here and there. Because I have so many, I don’t always have a chance to use them all every year but it is fun to pull out different ones and use them in different or atypical ways. This is the view as you enter our front door. The quilt on the back of the couch was featured in Love of Quilting by Fons & Porter a few yeas ago. The black accents blend nicely with other black items in the room, as the pillows I made from a Moda holly print a few years back and balances the black granite surround on the fireplace.
I have also been using table runners on tables or sideboards hanging vertically over the side edge as I did here on the sideboard in the front entrance….a whole new way of viewing a table runner. My chalkware Santa collection is at home on this unusual antique tool box. Half the lid flips open to the interior space for (tools) or greenery in this case. It also creates a flat surface for the Santa display. The Merry Christmas sign was a find last year at Pottery Barn. This sign ties the entrance into the living space with the simple use of the color black. 
The island runner is the Cottage Runner from the Thimbleberries Pine and Rose Cottage project book. It is a nice big runner for my large island. When I need the runner for serving a large buffet, I turn it vertically on the island and use it and the arrangement as a centerpiece with the addition of a few candles.
My china storage piece in the dining room fills one whole wall and is 5-1/2′ tall which creates a great space for decorating because it is too high to use for serving. My approach is always to layer, layer and then layer some more, creating groupings rather that using items individually. And, as you can see behind the glass doors of the cupboard, I group items by color for a more massive visual impact.
The following are other spots around the house that have been decked out. It is a fun time of the year to over-do.
Here, wax tree candles and a celluloid reindeer are nestled in an apothecary jar. I used Epson salts at the base in the jar for a “snow”vignette on my kitchen counter.
More antique celluloid reindeer displayed with reindeer plates and vintage bottle brush trees.
Sitting room fireplace mantle with carved wooded folk art Santas.
Living room fireplace mantle with mercury glass accessories. The small picture resting against the larger picture is a framed antique German die cut ornament. It is a nice way to preserve the paper ornament and a good way to display it.
Glitter houses made with cardboard house forms, Mod Podge and glitter. I like Martha Stewart’s assortment of glitter. This silver and brass combo blends nicely with my antique Christmas collectables. When I run out of Mod Podge, I use a mixture of 1/2 white glue (like Elmer’s) and half water.
Winter Scape wall quilt mounted with double stick carpet tape on a large square of framed ceiling tin. It is a kit that is now available from the Thimbleberries Project of the Month collection for Fons and Porter. This is a small project that you really could still get made either for your own decorating and gifts.
Here the Mitten, Mitten Table Runner is used on the back of a couch that is visible from my dining room. Truly a long time favorite of mine. The pattern for the project is in You’re Invited which is available from Landauer Publishing. It is another way to use a runner other than on a table.
All of my red mittens, vintage and new, have found their way into “big blue”…the wonderful hand turned large wooden bowl on the floor in front of our fireplace in the sitting room.
Watch for more decorating and gift ideas next week. Enjoy “fussing up” your house with all of your treasures. It is time for me to stop….the house is full.
