Newspapers / The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, … / Dec. 15, 1988, edition 1 / Page 13
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J ? uncle s Think Chi This Picture F Is Ready For BY SUSAN USHER "Think Christmas" isn't just the title of a book on Martha McClure's coffee table; it's a way of life this time of year at the McClure-Johnson home near Bent Tree off N.C. 179. And it's contagious. Once visitors enter the door, they begin to "think Christmas" also. At a time when others homeowners were just beginning to think about the upcoming holiday, by Nov. 25 Martha McClure and Bob Johnson's home was already dressed in finery, both the great room and lofts on either side. The couple?she a homemaker, he a real estate agent?marked the start of the holiday season with an open house, entertaining for the first time since moving in this past April. "We've just now finished unpacking and getting the house like we want it," she said. Their house, which follows a mauve and blue-gray scheme inside and out, drew rave reviews from visitors such as Rae Gibson, who described the Victorian-style interior as "a fairy wonderland." When McClure and Johnson found the house last year, it was an unfinished shell. While living at a condominium at Ocean Isle Beach, they spent two months simply bringing the structure up to the county building code and adjusting the floor plan. Among other changes, they jacked the roof up and added large beams for structural support of the great room's vaulted ceiling. They moved all but one of the many doors and windows. The spacious great room provides ample area for much of McClure's extensive collection of Victorian furniture, setting the tone for the entire house with its expanse of raspberry carpet, the slight rose cast of the painted interior walls and crystal chandeliers and lamps in the formal living and dining areas. T? *l~~ a r ?? .... - - - in 11 ic L-eiiLer 01 me rear wau, tne local point is a formal portrait of McClure centered above a large wooden mantel decorated with festoons of greenery. On either side of the room doors open into the guest bedroom suite. A pair of staircases, also accented with swags of greenery, lead to cozy, informal lofts on either side. From the tea set set out on the guest room canopy -bed to the shell accents in one bath, Martha McClure nF$y * i HH 1,W*" *4 BTIj^^M V Afi||ta?MggKhi|ap^p9VII Bafi^HS1 I 18 inHMMl WHILE SNOOPY joins the bears for tea, Bob Johnson tree. """ ^ B^ G"f>-B tho I Ken's Pawn i . Invites too lo do your E| PIGX |3 f^|l ', Christmas shopping with us B& I ^ ,lld *listlts erenrooe i MS It ^ ^' I cf.ifci Merry Christmas! IIC3 O ftlfl i/t I Heilig Meyers Shopping Center ? Uje Hwy. l7NShollo.te s| fWpH -^n **//> 754 5570 s>oN .WtJU.-ja t t the "istmas' 'erfect Home The Holidays acknowledged she has a knack for decorating using materials she already has on hand. The resulting rooms look as perfect as pictures in the magazines where she culls many cc her ideas. Its miniscule branches filled with sparkling sih'er charms, the tiniest of couple's four Christmas trees rests on a coffee table in the den, one of the two lofts overlooking the spacious main hall. In the corner, Wallace silver bells and crosses shimmer on a taller tree. The largest tree welcomes guests in the light of the entranceway chandelier of the main room. Tucked among its crocheted cornucopias, bells and butterflies are satin balls and glass ornaments, nosegays McClure fashioned with dried flowers and bits of lace, and assorted other Victorian-style pieces. Arranged around its base are dolls and doll paraphernalia from a collection McClure began "seriously" around 1970 when her only granddaughter was born. "I have no idea," McClure said regarding the size of her treasure trove of dolls. After- a pause, she added, "At least 10 antique dolls, plus bears and collectibles. But I had to leave a lot of them in Charlotte at my daughter's." One of her favorite and mast valuable dolls is a "ByeLo" baby, modeled in the late 40s or early 50s from a foundling home infant. This infant nestles in the second loft, in a cradle McClure first bought for her own granddaughter. The room is a little girl's fantasy?dolls of all sizes, shapes and material everywhere, in chairs, strollers and beds. In one corner there's a dollhouse in the making; in another, a Viritrtrian mir?Vnc cfrnllnr * ivvviiun M tvnvi uw Uiiv.1. l/UU V1UUICO IJUI1? 11U111 Santa and Mrs. Santa welcome visitors as the}' enter. In the middle of the room, before a live, toydecorated cedar Christmas tree of the dolls' very own, several bears and a Christmas Snoopy take their afternoon tea at a child-size round table. Especially at Christmastide, the gracious McClureJohnson home evokes the best of modern design, with echoes of the eclectic and gracious styling of the Victorian era. "I love this house," said McClure, as Johnson beamed at her side. "I don't want to ever leave it." r^sKfli am KjS&'W :VS. <HA Jalll mm if MM VhIV Br^a* mil .A B ^ H Jw tSrli ? & UVQ rn i&B, Ttt^.'. ' -''' * [.'' ^omcwv checks out toys beneath the dolls' cedar Christmas insignment Shop on Ked Bug Road t to Shallotte Glass & Mirror 'Now i Am Eight" book by Shirley Temple t. 10-5 754-8939 Accepting items to sell sun mm DOLLS FROM Martha McClure's collection figure prominently in her Christmas decorations?from the dolls' MARTHA MCCLURE adjusts swags of greenery and pine cones draped along the fireplace mantel. Mauve . "t~ Anchor Hwy. 17 Sol _^p^Treated & IP Lumbc bave big on ply\ exterior panel Open All Day Saturday. ! All Your Lumber Nee _^J988 THE BRUNSWICK BEACON i - - -- ---r??... P. I "W|. w m P' Wl THE BRUNSWICK# BEACON CI Thursday, December 15, 1988 Bj r own loft to the foot of the tree in the Victorian-style living area. mm f / , iyrw mjilj I yj m il I ' J... v r velvet bows accent greenery arrangements throughout the house. Lumber Co. jth, Shallotte, 579-8038 U ritreated^|^| erSaie ^f| /vood, moulding, ^^ _. _, ii iy, iuuyn-cUT 3ss timbers, y-to-de liver s & fence panels. See Kenneth Campbell For ids Today. We Deliver. i
The Brunswick Beacon (Shallotte, N.C.)
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Dec. 15, 1988, edition 1
13
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