Welcome to the 468th Metamorphosis Monday!
The last few days I’ve been away visiting family. A week or so ago, I wasn’t sure I’d be able to make this trip since I was still quite sick. But the antibiotic worked so well, I was fine to make the drive to see family and celebrate a late Christmas with my grandchildren since we weren’t able to be together at Christmastime.
The weather turned snowy so I left a day earlier than originally planned to beat the snowstorm. The beautiful old homes here look so pretty in the snow.
I need to drive around a bit and snap some pics for you of the lovely snowy scenes, especially the lights at night.
I was so happy to see a lot of Christmas decorations are still up.
Love these beautiful Victorian homes!
For this week’s Met Monday, I’m sharing how my friend, Marie, decorated her husband’s study for the holidays this year.
He enjoys hunting and Marie made over his office giving it a beautiful woodland-animal theme.
Previously Marie placed a full size tree in the bay window of the study. This year she went with a smaller tree and will be leaving it up through winter since the theme is more hunt/woodland than Christmas.
All the ornaments have a masculine feel that works well in this beautiful paneled study that’s also a lovely library.
The ribbon on the tree and across the mantel was really unique. It’s actually made from cork! It’s very thinly sliced pieces of cork. It reminded me of the trip I took to Morocco where we actually walked through a cork tree forest. It was fascinating seeing and feeling the cork bark on the trees. I don’t think I’ve ever shared photos from that part of the Morocco trip before…need to do that sometime.
Here’s a closer view of the cork ribbon…so unique and pretty!
Thanks so much to Marie for sharing how she decorated her hubby’s beautiful library/study for the holidays this year. Looking forward to seeing all the great Before and Afters for this week’s Met Monday!
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Metamorphosis Monday
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Don’t Victorians always look so pretty with Christmas lights highlighting their gorgeous detail?! 🙂 Liz
Love these pictures from Ohio, makes me homesick,
Wow, Susan, those pictures from that beautiful neighborhood look just like the snowy village scene on your holiday table! I’m glad you got to visit your family and see your grandsons. How did they like all the trucks on your holiday packages? Glad you’re on the mend. Take care,
Rosie
Thanks, Rosie. It’s good to be feeling so much better!
What a lovely snowy historical town — so nice you got to visit decorated for the holidays too. I was glad to see you posted this morning!
Thanks, Donna…that was such a nice surprise, getting to still see the decorations up in so many places. It’s so snowy and cold here, no one wants to stay outside long enough to remove them.
So glad you are well enough to come north! Hope you brought your extra heavy new coat as it very cold up here, 18 this a.m. Enjoy the family and your tour of the old neighborhoods, I am sure you will still see Christmas decorations as it has been too cold to remove. Enjoy!
I know, it was 11 here yesterday. Ugh.
Would love to see some grandchildren pics!
Beautiful! I’ve never seen cork ribbon. Who knew? Thank you for sharing, Marie and Susan. Glad you’re well, Susan.
Oh, those Victorians!! Turrets…yes!! I’ve read on several blogs about leaving up “a decorated tree” for the winter, etc. I’m thinking of leaving my “night stands” flocked lighted trees up…we’ll see. EnJOY those GRANDkiddos!! franki
I love this idea, too. We need something festive to get us through January and February.
So glad you’re feeling much better! Those houses are so beautiful! I do like them with the snow! There are a lot of decorations still up in my area because it has been so cold. Nobody wants to go outside & take them down. We’re expecting around 5 inches of snow today. I love it! The snow makes everything so pretty at a time of year when everything underneath has pretty much died off & looks blah! Marie’s husband’s room is very nice! It really is Christmasy in a more masculine way.
It has been snowing every single day since last Thursday. I think it’s coming to an end, though. Stay warm, Laura!
Susan, I am so glad you were able to visit your family for a late Christmas! The Victorian houses are so charming. I absolutely love a paneled library and Marie’s is just beautiful!
I love the whiskey bottle ornaments for the masculine tree, and the wine cork ribbon! I say this every time we visit Marie, but she must have a big warehouse to store all her stuff! The snowy houses are magical! So glad you were well enough for your belated family Christmas, and thank you for the party Susan
I have finally outdone Marie. I’m leaving two trees up. Of course not intentionally and both are under two feet. Like you, struggling with getting well. Marie’s library is gorgeous. She is a first class decorator. With all the trimmings.
Feel better. This was a monster.
Thanks, Kem…much better now!
Love the quaint neighborhood you son’s family lives in. Marie’s mad skills of decorating never cease! Love that tree, Susan, and wonder if you know what brand and how tall it is? Would love to have one that looks that realistic.
Nice to hear you are feeling better and were able to visit your grandkids!!!
Thanks for sharing Marie’s home with us, that’s always a treat!
Susan: So glad you are on the mend after all you have been through in the holiday season!! I love old Victorian homes. Your pictures remind me of the homes I often saw in upstate New York while I lived there. Victorians are so solid and beautiful! I also love how Marie decorated her husband’s study with the tree and garland adding whimsy and richness to the room!
Love those old homes, Susan! Where is that? Looks like my home area in New England! Very nostalgic for me. Thanks for sharing!!
Such a lovely neighborhood; we need more tours. Would love to hear how the grandkids reacted to the cars/trucks on the presents. And just love the deer head and simple wreath in the library–holiday perfect to me.
Such beautiful and non-froo-froo decorations for a man’s study! Marie is so very talented and she apparently has more energy than the Energizer Bunny. Thank you for sharing, Susan, and thanks for another great Metamorphosis Monday.
So happy you are feeling better and spending time with your Grandchildren! The snow covered houses & lawns are so pretty. I don’t know how Marie does it, she has such creative ideas. It must take her weeks to decorate her home. Have a wonderful visit!
Glad to hear you are well! I appreciate your post about the Flu test. I, too, was bedridden, after reading your post, I went to the Dr, had the same test and of course, did have Type A influenza! Got tamiflu, now antibiotics and just now am feeling alive. Thanks for telling all of us about the flu! And the homes you show above are picturesque!
Glad you went to the doctor, Kay and got some goods meds. That flu is really awful! You should start to feel better with each passing day. Just get lots of sleep, I think that helps sooo much!
So glad you are up and running. Was really concerned for you and your long journey home, but that’s all past and now enjoying life. Love your pics. Would love to see more pics of the familyx. Jennyx
Love the Victorian homes in your son’s town. I’ve always enjoyed that style of architecture. Would love to see some photos of the night time views. Marie’s den/library is beautiful. She is a decorating machine. LOL Vikki in VA
That cork ribbon is so interesting! Do you have any idea where it is sold? I’m so glad you got to go to OH and visit with your family. Thank goodness you’e feeling better finally. I’m getting ready to go set up my hot cocoa bar on the hutch in the sunroom. It’s supposed to snow a few inches here tonight, so hot chocolate will hit the spot. Our ice is just melting, in time for another covering of the white stuff. Are you getting this next snow?
Thank you for commenting on my husband’s study. I must tell you that the liquor bottles are only for show. Roy doesn’t drink. I only put them on for decoration. I bought the cork ribbon at Acorn Home and Garden, a local design shop in Marietta. I have not run across it any where else.
I don’t have a link to share but wanted to say I am glad you are feeling better and that you got to see the grands!!! That is what makes Christmas so special. The houses are so pretty. We just got our outside decorations down the other day when we had ONE day in the 50’s. It is back in the teens and 20’s again now so glad we got it done.
Susan, where in Ohio do you travel to (if you prefer not to specify, what general region?) Both my own family and my husband’s family are from the same town in the Cincinnati area — oddly, when we met here (Washington D.C. area) we discovered that both my parents and his parents were from the same town in Ohio. Our parents had never met, it’s a rather good-sized town, but what a ‘small world’ to discover that we had very similar family roots.
It’s the Dayton area. I pass through Cincinnati to get here. I just discovered on my last visit that there’s an L.L. Bean in Cincinnati and had to stop there. So fun visiting one in person. They need to put one down here in GA somewhere! 😉
Hi Susan….wow! So glad you are feeling better! I was born in that Cincinnati~Dayton architectural environment and so appreciate it!! Thanks for sharing as I miss it all!
Hi, Susan! I was so pleased to hear that you recovered and were able to go visit with your loves. The pictures of your son’s neighborhood so remind me of the quaint towns of NJ where I spent much of my youth–just charming! I remember how cold it was when I lived in Ohio. It’s odd that we now live almost straight across the map from Columbus yet it rarely gets as cold here as it does in Ohio… with the exception of some single digit all-time record lows we experienced this crazy winter. Just the other day we had temps in the low 50’s–Mother Nature can’t make up her mind. Thanks for sharing Marie’s beautiful room. You know how much I love that look. I do a very similar tree for our fox hunt den, where our Mr. Fox has his reserved spot each year. We purchased an old world black forest stag bust this year to add to our family room for a hunt themed decor look next fall–can’t wait to put him up with his autumn colored tartan scarf. I have just the perfect china to match him, that I got from Nell Hill’s a few years back but haven’t used as yet. But, for now, I’m going to enjoy the season I’m in. Hope you had a lovely birthday on the 13th. Hugs!
Beautiful photos! I am so happy you are better and,able to travel to see your grandchildren! I have been thinking of you and hoping your recovery is a speedy one. Take care!
What a gorgeous feature! I am new to this link up and am excited to be following along for all the inspiration. Glad you are feeling better!