Friday, December 3, 2010

Holiday Queen

Do You Know Who This Is?
Isn't she a vision of Christmas loveliness?
Hint: She's provided us all visions of Christmas Perfection for years....
Yes, that's right...it's Martha at age 14!

I don't care what anyone says about her...I love her.
I admire her so.
I even love how she gets curt with her show's guests when they aren't doing something right 
and then takes it out of their hands. You go Martha!
Or corrects them when THEY are suppose to be the expert on something.

She has changed how we all decorate for Christmas. 
Well for all holidays, really.
She also set the bar pretty high.
So as you slave away over your perfect Christmas decorations, you only have Martha to blame.

Her Christmas special is on Monday night on the Hallmark Channel.
I'll be tuning in, will you?

And now a little Christmas decorating straight from the Holiday Queen herself.
I've adored this one for ages.

I love table top trees.

Of course me showing these images means that I still don't have my mantel up. 
I swear I don't want to sand another thing ever again.
What I thought was going to take just another couple of hours has drug on and on.
I'm still going to try to get my mantel up and on here today but 
in case it doesn't happen...I still wanted to share something.

Why did I think I could get all that furniture done this week?
Right now, I just want to get to the point that I'm painting instead of preparing to paint.
But my Mom says...a good paint job is all in the prep.

source: Country Home

I just keep trudging forward....thinking about all that white furniture I will have soon.
Of course after its done...I'm thinking I'm going to want to repaint the whole room.
But not before Christmas.

15 comments:

  1. I wouldn't have guessed who she was in the picture. Looks like she's always portrayed the image of perfection. A little too perfect for me at times. But I still enjoy looking at all of her decor, etc. These images are a nice break from the painting, I'm sure. You'll finish before Christmas! Don't worry about us. We'll be here to see it when you get it done.

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  2. Thanks for the heads up on her Christmas special. I would've missed it. She definitely changed the face of a lot of things! I think she was the beginning of all the big box stores adding designers, i.e., Target, KMart, etc. . . She was the first one to bring beautiful design to the everylady. I think we can thank her for that. Thanks for the beautiful images. I'm in the middle of sewing a costume for a Christmas musical and can't decorate or post photos of my house either. Eventually it will get done!

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  3. I know just what you mean about projects!!! If we knew how much more work it was going to be than we first imagined, would we even begin? Hence, it is good to be naive I guess, or I'd get nothing done! I also am working on gettting white furniture into my office/studio. The drop-leaf table that became my desk is finally finished. It was painted white to start with when I found it, and my plan was to leave it as 'shabby chic', but then had to get the paint and brushes out, and then realized all the sanding that had to be done first...... it took so much longer than I expected, but am so glad now, as you will be!

    Those photos are inspiring, and what fun to see perfect 'little' Martha!!!!

    Your mantle will be stunning, I just know! Can't wait to see.
    ~ Violet

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  4. you are 100% right in saying that she changed how we decorate for all the holidays. all holidays. and seasons. sometimes i think we forget that, and become bitter at her brilliant ideas and seemingly perfectness. or maybe that's just me. hehe.

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  5. I'm a Martha fan!!!

    I like the pictures you've chosen.

    Can't wait to see your furniture when it's done.

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  6. I think Martha has relaxed a bit from watching her new shows. She seems much less formal to me when interacting with others on the show. She has changed homemaking forever. I used to get her magazine and I think it is beautifully done. Do not over do all this painting and hurt yourself lovey. merry♥O

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  7. I saw Martha on Oprah a few weeks ago and Oprah sometimes she would wake up in the middle of the night think "Martha Stewart is in prison!". But Martha said the floors were the cleanest they'd ever been while she in there:) I think she's very nice looking, I believe she even modeled at one time!

    Happy Friday and have a lovely weekend:)

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  8. I love Martha! I don't get to catch her show often but I love all of her decor books (I have one from the mid 90s and it's amazing how much inspiration is in there and doesn't look dated). I'll try to tune in to her Christmas special.

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  9. I love Martha too. Especially when she rolls her eyes and puts her nose in the air! LOVE her. Sometimes I find her style a little bit too straitlaced for my tastes but I still love all the she has accomplished!
    I once really got into a "comment war" on one of the blogs I follow. She had posted a horrible remark about Martha and I couldn't just be nice and ignore it! I was like "Oh NO you didn't"!
    Good luck with the sanding! When you are done will you come over and do MY kitchen table! LOL!
    XOXO - Cindi

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  10. Thank you so much for sharing your cherished Christmas memories with me today on my blog. YOu totally get it!!! The Holidays take on new meaning when your kids come home for Christmas. My Mom told me this would happen. I guess it's something for us parents to look forward to. The grown up version of the anticipation of Santa Claus as a kid!!!
    I love this holiday post and tribute to Martha! I'm going to forward it to Eddie as I know he will totally love it :)
    Much love,
    Terri
    XO

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  11. THese pics and this story is so great Nita! I really enjoyed it. I feel the same way about Martha. She is queen of decorating.

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  12. Nita, I just love your Christmas header with the vintage cardboard houses and pink trees. My grandma used to have those little houses when I was a boy in the early 70's.
    And they were old then.
    At least until I discoved and played with them....they didn't last long after that....they were
    sort of a fire hazard because each house had a hole in the back for those very hot old style string lights. Still brings back memories. I love that style of tree in the pink room with the little girl...What kind of tree is that? I love all the space between the levels of brances...
    Still a great blog Nita.
    Adam

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  13. this is so funny! i think i want to do a post entitled...blame it on martha. too funny and too true.

    good luck with the painting cause it's a drag.

    ~janet

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  14. I agree, a lot of people hate her, but I have always loved her. I even got a book of hers autographed about 18 years ago before she got really popular. I was hooked after I saw her first Thanksgiving episode back when she aired on PBS. She has inspired me more than any one person I can think of. I have really learned a lot from her. I was even a charter member of her magazine back in the early nineties and have saved many of my copies. There are few women who have achieved what she has, her story of success is very inspiring. PS. love the lamp, it would be cute as a finial thingy ;)

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  15. Your final image is from Country Home Christmas issue in 2006. It is the home of Jill Merkle. I know this obscure fact because I fell in love with this home when it was featured and saved the article. It was featured on the cover and her whole home is drool worthy.

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