Hello everyone and happy weekend!  My little munchkins are bouncing off the walls awaiting the arrival of you know who and on their best behavior since the man in the red suit is comin’ to town. Don’t you love tossing around the ol’ “Santa’s watching!” line this time of year whenever they get squirrely?  We say that a lot. “You know Santa’s watching you!”  Funny how quickly they make their beds and remember to get along with one another…

Our oldest is home from college, so we were finally able to get together and snap the annual family photo. I don’t hire a photographer, I just set up the Nikon on the tripod with the timer.  We got lucky this year (unlike in past years when one of the young ones is pouting or frowning or making a face) and we finally took a good picture! 

Oh I know what you’re thinking, yes, that oldest girl of ours in the middle, isn’t she a beauty? Smart too, great grades, and studying to be a nurse practitioner, I’m so very proud of my stepdaughter. And those little ones sure are cute too, we’re very blessed.  

We’re an expressive family, yes we are. We can’t sit still just for smiles, oh no, ho ho ho.  We like to have a little fun with our faces… here we’re pretending to be angry or annoyed I think.  Which only led to more antics . . .

Read the rest of this entry »

Well it’s certainly looking a lot like Christmas around here which means some things are done like the tree and mantel, but much of it is not. I’m going very minimalist with the décor, perhaps it’s because I’ve had to bring it all out a few times this year, so I’m keeping it simple.  I’m in a ‘less is more’ mode right now and loving the fuss less look. 

Most of my holiday decorations are a mixture of white, gold, and silver, and every year I just pick a color to layer on top.  This year I’m loving crimson again. I’m infatuated with white ceramic things, you’ll spy a new snowfall tree from Z Gallerie and two white reindeer I picked up in an after Christmas sale last year ~ they’re both my favorites right now so they got the prominent placement on the wintery mantel.  

And how about that gorgeous mirror?  It’s the Bellasol from Ballard looking lovely in the living room but it’s really just visiting ~ it’s destined for the powder room in January.  I found it on sale at Ballard with free shipping two weeks ago, the sale couldn’t have been better timed since I’ve had my eye on it for a year now for the bathroom.  I’m loving the way it bounces images around the room. 

Those are the same stockings from last year, just embellished with red yarn and pom poms. The iron fireplace screen was an antique faire find last spring, a steal at $40.

Yes, I have a giant 9 foot moss covered branch in my living room and yes I love it. The story behind it is here.  I’m obsessed with this branch, it’s like it fell off the tree because it wanted to live in my house. 

The new club chairs with nailhead trim were acquired from Joss & Main (I saved up enough credit over there to only have to pay cash for half of one) and if you love them too they’ll be available at my sale next week.  The white furry pillow is actually a reformed bath mat (read about it here) and the lamb’s wool “throw” is just the cover to the West Elm mongolian lamb’s wool pillow I’ve had for awhile (seen here).  Red velvet pillow from World Market, red sparkle pillow from Crate + Barrel.   

Read the rest of this entry »

One of the most popular symbols of this season is the Christmas stocking.  Stockings are like Santa, candy canes, and fruitcake, they make their appearance every December (some more welcome than others!) I had never sewn a stocking before until the day before yesterday but I’ve had this project on my “Christmas DIY To Do List” for years.  I finally managed to stitch one together with some apple green velvet ~ here is my little cuffed creation.  

Sewing a simple stocking couldn’t be easier if you can sew a straight line (and around the little curved boot) on a sewing machine.  Of course I had to complicate matters and add batting for thickness, piping for contrast, and a decorative cuff, but in the end I’m glad I decided on those little extras. 

If you’d like to sew your own cuffed creation, here’s what you’ll need:  1.  ½ yard stocking fabric  2.  ½ yard liner fabric  3.  ½ yard cuff fabric (only for bias cut piping, otherwise just a scrap)  4. batting (optional)  5. thread  6. stocking template  7. piping cord (optional)  8. scissors and pins.    

Read the rest of this entry »

G’day friends!  That greeting rolls a little easier off the tongue today since I have a wonderful friend visiting from Australia. I think it’s so fascinating to read how different people in different countries celebrate Christmas around the globe, so earlier this year I asked my friend Sarah of A Beach Cottage to share how she celebrates the season with her family, Aussie style. 

Sarah’s story is fantastic, she was born and raised in England, but now spends her days with her husband and three children on the sunny beaches of Sydney, Australia. I’ve followed her blog for two years now and secretly wish we could trade lives for a few weeks! I adore her cheerful approach to life and ideas for living simply and we share a love of old furniture and an affection for white paint.        

Sarah’s table is a great example of how it just takes a bit of sparkle and a dash of color to create an effortless table for your holiday home. Please welcome Sarah from Sydney and enjoy the tour of her beach cottage tablescape and Christmas traditions!     

“I love styling for the holidays . . . it sure is one of my favourite times of the year, I get to play around with one of my fave hobbies, decorating and making things look pretty but all wrapped up in sparkly bits too. . . bliss!  

Since our sea change to Australia from London, Christmas and celebrating nowadays for our little family, means lovely long warm summer days and Christmas Day starts off on the beach.

 

Read the rest of this entry »