25 Days of Christmas ~ Hang a Wreath

 

Here is a sneak peek at a little project we have been working on for months. The bathroom was pretty tired and we completely redid it. I love how it turned out and we should be finished with it soon. I'll do a big reveal post in January.  Right now, this is what I'll tell you, the bath faces north and is the darkest room in the house. Hanging a curtain makes it darker and not hanging a curtain provides w-a-y too much entertainment for the casual passer-by.  So what to do?  Have some reeded glass added to an old garage sale cottage window frame and hang it for privacy.  The reeded glass means nobody can see in but the light comes through beautifully. 

I found a couple old beaded ivy wreaths in the Christmas bin and thought they would sparkle nicely in front of the window. They do.
L♥ve.

25 Days of Christmas ~ Light the Tree

I'm a fly by the seat of my pants kind of girl, and if you don't know that by now you must be new around these parts.

I've been planning to try to blog more and the days leading up to Christmas seem like such a great time to do that. I have to admit to feeling a bit out of my league now, (because I'm also a wear my heart on my sleeve kind of girl) There are plenty of blogs that have big retailer sponsors and a budget that is out of this world. I have neither and my Christmas is pretty simple, and since the wonder years are pretty much over for my kids, I'll be honest, sometimes I have a hard time getting into the decorating that I used to find so much fun. Can anyone relate?  But I think there is room for simple Christmas don't you? My Christmas isn't about the latest gizmo or getting just the right vignette in just the right place, I'll admit vignettes are not a talent I was born with.  It's about people, and sharing fun, and enjoying all the beautiful things that make Christmas so special.

So my tree doesn't sport a new theme every year, not that there is anything wrong with that! Some years I would theoretically love to start from scratch and see how creative I can be, and maybe some year I will throw caution to the wind and do that.

 

But this year, especially this year, as my babes have all but flown the coop, We opened the ornament box with a special tenderness and hung that pretzel ornament Lauren made in school when she was 6, who would have thought pretzels could last 19 years unscathed?

 The photo of Earl's parents taken on the night they eloped. Mom all shy and dad all smarty pants

 The photo of Earl as a little boy helping Gramps with the milking, holding buckets as big as he is.

 then drinking milk right out of the pail.

And the beaded can lid ornament Victoria made in "pretty school" (her name for pre-school:>)

With my first grade photo sporting the spit curls that my grandmother so lovingly put in my hair that morning.

We found the macaroni angel that one of the girls made in Sunday school, (one of my favorites), and of course, we filled in with sparkling stars, mirrored balls, ornaments sent from blog friends around the world, bead and wire ornaments made as a project when the girls were little and tiny toys that Earl and I have collected since before the children came along.

My simple Christmas comes with memories, like yours. It may be time to sit down and see what we need to change about our celebration, after all, our lives have changed, and at some point we all have to adjust to different circumstances that change the way we view the season.

I hope as you deck your halls, you enjoy the best of the past and the merriest of futures.

 

 I would love to hear how you have adjusted your holidays if you are an empty nester, or how you decorate. Is it the same each year? Different each year?

Simple Christmas or elaborate, do tell :>)

 



Holiday Shopping

I will just start out and say that I don't have a single photo of Thanksgiving. Not one.  Once the family starts to arrive and begins milling around preparing their contribution to the feast, it's fairly hectic, and warm and loving. Just the way Thanksgiving should be :>) And I just can't be bothered to run for the camera and stage a bunch of pictures to post. There is too much going on and every moment is to be savored and enjoyed. Everyone looks for their favorite dish, and there are hugs and greetings and the latest tales from Uncle Clarence. This year the story was about how earlier this week his car was hit by a semi and he walked away unscathed. Another thing to be thankful for! And typical of the adventures he has lived through. We love Uncle Clarence and his stories of survival!

So here we are the day after. The house is still clean and, I don't know about you but I am not one to brave the crowds for the Black Friday sales. Can I just ask? Why do people even go to WalMart on Black Friday? It seems every year someone gets trampled or a fight breaks out. Christmas spirit anyone? At any rate, I have been doing a lot of my shopping online. And that doesn't mean I hit the big box websites and Amazon exclusively.  I love etsy and I love buying products from cottage industries who really care about my business. This year I purchased this beautiful photo for my brother who has been looking for some pastoral art for his walls.

 It's from Jenn Diguglielmo's beautiful etsy shop, and it is a photograph that has the feel of a gorgeous vintage painting. My brother was up for a visit last week and I gave him the gift early and he loved it. Her prints come in a variety of sizes, and the delivery was lightning fast

I also admire the products in the Happy Little Cottage shop. Oh my, the gorgeous colors and the wonderful work that Debbie does will make anyone's heart happy! A darling pincushion stocking stuffer, pillow, quilt or holiday banner is like a little drop of sunshine for your home. Go. Look. You will be so glad you did.

My dear friend Trish is a sewing dynamo. She does quilt pattern testing and still finds time to make beautiful things for her shop natnkat. Adorable tissue holder covers for your purse make a great stocking stuffer, but she also has pretty Christmas pillowcases for sugarplum dreaming, and a candy colored scarf that will keep your loved ones so warm and cozy:>) I have one of her scarves and it is a favorite that I pull out again and again.

Last but not least is my sweet friend Karen Harvey Cox. I have several of her lovely watercolor paintings throughout my home and I love their vibrant color and the dreamy style she paints in. She
has an etsy shop called French Script where she sells her fabric designs in totes, pillow covers and by the yard so you can make your own beautiful creations if you like. She even has cut and sew tea towels by the yard so you can make a set for someone special, or for yourself! She has delicious designs that take advantage of her original art in so many different ways. I have ordered from Karen and always been thrilled with my purchases.

So there you have it. Some of my favorite shops this year and all accessible from the comfort of your home with a nice cup of coffee and preferably still in your cozy flannel jammies. Don't forget to check out my shop, I have my sparkly Christmas stocking marked down for the Black Friday weekend.  So who needs to get trampled at the big box stores?  If you have a favorite shop please tell us who it is! Do you go out on Black Friday?

Wreath Pillow

Just checking in.  I'm still around but enjoying family time with all the kids home.  I mentioned in my last post that I would be decorating for Christmas early this year since we would be having Christmas with the newlyweds while they are here. Can I just say, I don't think I will ever go back to decorating after Thanksgiving again? I have been pulling out the decorations slowly, as the fancy strikes, and it has been glorious to realize that I won't be cramming all the joys of Christmas into three short and hectic weeks! After Thanksgiving I will have most, if not all of the shopping done and the decorations will be twinkling. I have really relished the extended enjoyment of having them up, and those weeks between the two most wonderful holidays of the year can be devoted to baking, wrapping, and all the fun aspects of the season. I even had some time to sew this wreath pillow, not for the shop, just for ME! You know the old saying, "the cobblers children go barefoot?", well I am a bit embarrassed to say that what I sew usually gets offered up to etsy. Well lets face it, my house would be full if I kept everything!  But I had some felt and some canvas that were just itching to be a new Christmas pillow and I whipped one up. I love it and I may have time to make more since the decorating and shopping are out of the way :>)

I have a bit of cleaning and some last minute details to finish up for Thanksgiving. It has been a joyous bit of family time with all the little chickens back under my roof.  I hope you all have a spectacular Thanksgiving with lots of good food, and warm family time together.

Do you usually decorate for Christmas before or after Thanksgiving?

Let the Holidays Begin!

The newlyweds arrived Sunday morning feeling a bit under the weather from a stomach bug after driving all night from New Jersey.  I was able to point them to a comfy fresh bed in the guest room for a little rest, but oh, I am so happy to have the whole family under the cozy little roof of this cottage!

Brian was able to rally enough by afternoon to start preparation for the big family hunting trip at the family cabin up north. It's an annual event with all the men of our family cozying up in an extremely rustic cabin complete with wood stove and outhouse. They love it. They hunt and we send loads of food up with them for a nightly feast around the wood stove. This will be Brian's first trip and I think he would crawl there if he had to:>) We women plan a girls night, pampering and some chick flicks while they are gone.

 Yes, it's a bit early to start talking about Christmas, and I am usually not one to begin decorating for Christmas before celebrating Thanksgiving, but it feels like Christmas came early this year with my kids home! They leave the day after Thanksgiving and we won't be able to have Christmas day together, so we are having our little family Christmas early this year. I'm breaking out the decorations early, I may see if the boys will look for a little Christmas tree to cut and bring home from the cabin and there will be cookie baking and gift giving and all the things we love. 

Can't. wait.

And just so you know, I'm not one to follow trends. Burlap is pretty, but for me Christmas is about sparkles and glitter and light, so I made these sequined stockings for the shop. Lined in satin and backed with various metallic brocades, I think they'll reflect the candles, firelight and Christmas lights quite gloriously:>) 

Add a vintage rhinestone brooch for even more sparkle!

 I don't have a mantle, but we usually set the table Christmas morning with our prettiest dishes...

 and hang the stockings from the backs of the chairs or lay them beside the plates...

We always have breakfast and stockings before we open gifts.

There are a few sets of these in the shop if you want them.

Are you thinking of Christmas yet or totally focused on Thanksgiving?

This year for us seems like both holidays rolled into one :>)