Christmas is coming!

Welcome, Friends!

You’re just in time for a cuppa tea!  I think you’ll agree that there is perhaps no other time of year as highly anticipated as the Christmas season. Like many of you,  I have begun making holiday plans and to get our home ready for Christmas.  I like to start early so I have plenty of time to enjoy the house in all its sparkle and glamour for as long as possible.  I think this is when the house looks its best.  I thought I would decorate first and clean after because I expect there will be glitter from one end of the house to the other by the time everything is finished!

For a change, this year, I started in the kitchen with an old dresser repurposed as a sideboard.  (I normally start “Christmas at the End of the Hall” but change is good. A tin-framed mirror hangs above the dresser. I thought it would look nice with a generous pine and cedar wreath layered over it and then added a few glittery sprigs and delicate ornaments. The wreath looks very real.  What do you think?

And, I began playing with a new camera that my husband bought for me! These images are of a few little nooks and crannies in our kitchen and are the very first photos I took using it.  I am really liking the way they turned out for a first try and I feel like a grown-up, finally! Lol  Now, I’ll have to look into that photography course that I’ve been wanting to do.  Maybe Santa will drop a gift certificate in my Christmas stocking…Hint.

I’ve shared photos of my amber glassware before, but I thought you might enjoy seeing it again since these images are more detailed.  This pretty jug and juice glasses have been used to serve family and friends on many happy occasions throughout the years.  I remember finding it in an antiques barn by the side of the road when my husband and I were vacationing in beautiful Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario. That was when we were first married and so many years ago that I’ve lost count.  Where does the time go?

I love the daisy pattern and swirls.  It looks rather ‘snowy’, don’t you think.

The sweet miniature reindeer is actually a place card holder. You can see the little slit in his back that holds the card.

The carnival glass jug is a special treasure and quite old. It belonged to my great-grandmother.

My prized egg nog bowl, circa 1950’s, has served up many holiday drinks topped with peaks of delicious whipped cream! I can’t wait for egg nog!

The pedestal crystal plate that the bowl sits on belonged to my father’s mother.

Aren’t the eggnog cups cute?  They fit nicely in the palm of your hand and the eggnog tastes even yummier in such a pretty cup!

Sometimes I find unexpected places for precious ornaments.  You never know where you’ll find one around here!

I like to tuck in family photos amongst the Christmas decorations here and there throughout the house.

This photo is of my mom when she was in her twenties.  My mother lives in a seniors’ residence now.  You’re welcome to have a peek at her room that I decorated for her here: “A Room With A View!”

I like to mix gold and silver when decorating for the holidays to allow more possibilities, rather than using all of one or the other.  These glasses with the bubble pattern are used for champagne.

I love mixing in natural pinecones in our holiday decor.

A few special ornaments are displayed on the stacked cake plates in the centre of the kitchen table.

All the greenery is artificial but the natural pinecones help it to look fresh! With the addition of the pinecones, sometimes its very hard to tell whether the greens are natural or not.

I don’t use all of our ornaments for the trees.  Here are some ornaments atop the Lazy Susan.  Others can be found in bowls, peeping out of stockings, dresser drawers, hanging from mirrors, on cake plates, under cloches…just about anywhere you can think of that could use a little surprise of glamour!  These green sprigs are faux, too!

I like using cookies in the same way – in places where you’d least expect to find them!  These sugar cookies in the shape of snowflakes are part of the centerpiece for the table.  My friend Maria made them for me last year and I froze them so I could re-use them this year. When they are fresh, they are delicious.  I save these, though, purely for decoration and are not to be eaten!

Aren’t they adorable!

 They are such a sweet touch!

I am in love with these little reindeer place card holders!

Pedestal plates can be used for much more than pretty desserts!

The caribou look more like “cow-a-boo!”

This is one of my favourite things! Gingerbread under a cloche!

Last year, I hung these same cookies from an evergreen garland over the kitchen sink. Can you see the ‘straw holes’ where the ribbons were slipped through.  Gingerbread keeps well.

 Angels are a must throughout the house.  Don’t you love the ethereal look?

I nestled a sprig of faux greenery and a teeny bird in her between her hands.

I hope you have fun dreaming of your Christmas plans…I’d love to hear about them!

SECOND ANNUAL “CHRISTMAS WREATHS FOR THE CURE!”

For those of you who live in our area, please remember to get your holiday wreaths from The Wreath Maker as part of a fundraiser for breast cancer research and community programs. The Wreath Maker’s creations make wonderful Christmas gifts for friends, neighbours and clients, too! Why not give a wreath earlier in the season so the recipient can enjoy the magic leading up to Christmas! When you order a fresh holiday wreath by ‘The Wreath Maker’ this Christmas season and (mention Pink Days In Bloom), a portion of your wreath purchase will be donated to the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation – Atlantic.

Wreaths come in various sizes listed below; all fit a standard size door. These wreaths are expertly constructed of fresh balsam fir, decorated with berries and pinecones, finished off with a weatherproof red bow!
Small – 14” ($25), Medium – 18” ($35), Large – 24” ($45) and Extra Large – 30” ($60)I LOVE the look of an evergreen symbol of the season and circle of life on my front door or gate, especially during the holidays! I have been buying wreaths from The Wreath Maker for over 25 years. It is a beloved Christmas tradition for our family! Now, you can, too! AND, while you’re at it, create a future without breast cancer…Until next time!

Thanks for stopping by!

Wishing you a beautiful day,

Linda

 

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