Two Gifts

We received an early Christmas present. Open immediately ~ use now. The box was flat but huge. On removing the wrapping paper the words Pottery Barn appeared - ooh! this is going to be something really nice. Sliding out the cardboard took four hands ~ and there it was, a pretty metal tree card holder which fits perfectly on this wall.

Our treasured friends are more than generous with their gifts. Their enclosed Christmas card is the most beautiful Madonna and Child I've seen. Later I'll add more cards but for now I love to look at just these two gifts........................ simple, pure, and very beautiful.

'The Sleep Of The Child Jesus'
Bernardo Luini

Blue Box Baking

Have you seen this blue box?

I rarely bake anything from a mix ~ exception being brownies. These I sometimes gussy up with a layer of Grand Marnier flavored orange butter cream topped with melted chocolate ~ a great party take along, everyone loves them!

I love Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten) cookbooks and when I saw these coconut cupcakes with her name, and as they were on special, I decided what the heck, give 'em a try. I haven't made cupcakes in years and they do seem to be in vogue right now. I especially liked how she included a little note on the box telling you what NOT to leave the shop without in order to be ready to bake when the call came.

Quite easy to pull together - supposed to make ten, I got eleven good size cakes, and the amount of cream cheese frosting and coconut was very generous. They baked up a pretty pale gold and flat on top so easy to frost when cool.

Bottom line - the first day when just baked, OK but not fantastic, still crispy around the edges, somewhat crumbly - dh wasn't too keen. Second day, much better, cake more moist and coconut flavor more developed.....................and today, third day, really great - richer tasting and we split one for dessert because all this taste testing was putting me on a guilt trip! I've put a few in the freezer so see how they fare. I would recommend keeping this blue box on the shelf for a quick sweet treat ~ but try to bake a least a day before you plan to eat for the most enjoyment.

Christmas baking coming up soon. Being English, I have to bake traditional mince pies with a glob of rich rum butter plonked on top while still warm, yummy! My cookies are always ginger krinkles and almond slices.

If you bake, what glorious concoctions come from your kitchen?

Pretty Little Treasures

I have to share these lovely items made by Kelly at Dove Grey Art Studio in Canada. They arrived a couple of days ago - don't you just love opening the mailbox and finding a package waiting?

Before heading to the garden with dh to rake ten tons of leaves today ~ and in 73 degrees ~ I hung the pretty charm on my rosemary topiary. One side is a vintage picture of a little girl and her puppy standing by a Christmas tree, the reverse is sheet music with the words 'Sweet Child'. There's a tiny heart hanging at the base. All these pics should enlarge for you.

The NOEL banner is made from vintage sheet music - I like how Kelly used pinking shears when cutting them out. Since taking this pic I've added some tiny clear lights behind the angels - looks very pretty at night.

This is a little garland of sweet vintage music swallows. Holding silky white ribbon they are perfect flying across the top of my Welsh dresser in the dining room. As you can see I have a Nature theme going on there with the English Country Diary china, birdhouses, and my decoupaged pots.

Go visit Kelly's blog ~ she has lovely things for sale. Thanks again Kelly ~ hope you enjoy seeing your pretty treasures hanging in my home.

Time to care

If you've visited Deborah at Pictures, Pots & Pens you will remember that we discovered each other via our blogs a couple of months ago. We live in the same city so have managed to go thrifting and have lunch together.

Deborah's post on Thursday was very sad as it announced the passing of her sweet Mother.

This afternoon my husband and I attended the memorial service for this lady whom we unfortunately had never met. She was apparently a pillar of strength in her congregation....................the words said were generous and kind, comments from people we conversed with enlightened us. This was one sweet and feisty lady who will be long remembered.

I understand how Deborah is feeling having lost my own dear Mother a few years ago. I traveled 'across the pond' and reached her side just hours before she passed away.

You may wish to leave a few words of condolence on Deborah's blog. I know she will appreciate you thinking of her at this difficult time ~ she is a very sweet person.

"O, Christmas Tree - where are you?"

We've been waiting for a while now - a bunch of angels and cherubs expecting to see a Christmas tree appear.

We're getting a little bored passing the time reading your decorating books.......................

.......................hanging about up here in the heavens playing music on ancient instruments

......................playing guardian angel over the potpourri

..........................keeping the peace with the doves


.............................and taking long naps on the hard dining room table.

Oh, we see it now. Our Christmas tree is in the gazebo!

The perfect solution to that question we all have when our nest is a small cottage - where on earth to put the tree? Many years we squeezed a narrow fresh Fraser Fir into the corner of the dining room but, since the gazebo graced our back deck, we've put a tree out there. We enjoy seeing it from the windows of several rooms........and sharing it with our neighbors.

With the door closed, and as it's screened, the birds, squirrels, raccoons, possums, foxes, cats and whatever else comes through the night garden, cannot bother the tree. I only use my natural looking ornaments out here to blend with the garden - the more precious glass and delicate things which might be damaged by damp are saved for indoors.
We'll enjoy it this year - perhaps next we'll decide to bring a tree inside again - have a lot more beautiful ornaments just longing to come out of storage!

A Rose is a Rose

Another find from my Replacements Ltd. visit. Could you resist these? Napkin (serviette to the Brits) rings just being unpacked as we stepped inside the front door of the showroom. Made of fabric and quite beautiful at just $2.99 each!

Of course I couldn't resist, neither could my friend. We both brought half a dozen to our respective homes, saying we would share if each of us does a dinner party for 12 some day! Meanwhile mine will sit in a bowl - just cannot bring myself to hide them away. In fact I'm thinking of many ways to use them other than napkin rings.

And among the many amazing porcelain art figurines costing thousands of dollars, this one was stunning. Bet these muses never saw a kitchen stove or donned an apron, and can you imagine baking in those dresses......................let alone cook a dinner for twelve! The picture I'm conjuring in my mind is reclining on low sofas being hand fed grapes, and sipping wine from silver goblets.

Pieces of Silver

I missed posting yesterday as I took a 165 mile round trip to Greensboro, North Carolina to meet a wonderful friend for a pre-Christmas lunch and a visit to Replacements, Ltd., the world's largest and most amazing china/silver/crystal repository.

If you break a dish, smash a glass, or put one of your Grandma's silver demitasse spoons down the garbage disposal - as I did - most likely you can replace it here.

The story of Bob Page, Replacements founder/owner, is wonderful in itself. An auditor for the NC State Government, he started collecting odd pieces of china at yard sales and flea markets, and then friends asked him to search for pieces they were missing. Within a few years, with no space left under his bed to store stuff, he gave up his daytime job and went into the business full time. The annual sales have gone from about $40,000 to something like $30 billion - yes that's billion!! Beside spending an hour viewing not only the china, we enjoyed "oohing and aahing" over the fabulously decorated Christmas trees, holiday table settings, and the thousands of decorations for sale.

We also took the guided tour of the gigantic warehouse and watched the entire process from merchandise arriving, to shelving, then wrapping and shipping. Among the hundreds of employees, who by the way are allowed to take well behaved dogs to work (and we met some cute ones), are silversmiths (apparently a dying breed) from many countries who work restoring and repairing the beautiful silver culled from estate sales worldwide. Below, a magnificent solid silver tea service........................I'd put it on my Christmas list but don't want dh to have a heart attack when he sees the price!

My silver bits and pieces are being mixed in with the touches of gold I showed a few posts back. This sweet crumb tray (brush was missing) I found at SuzAnna's, along with the silver and crystal cruet.

Love this mica silver star year round but it looks really pretty at Christmas.

A silvery ribboned tassel - always a place to hang one of these.

Some vintage looking silver backed crystal drops which are tree ornaments.


The tarnished silver look I'm liking, bugle ornament found at Replacements, Ltd. yesterday. I wish I could, I wish I could - play it for you - instead I'm sending each of you Christmas WISHES and hope your holiday decorating is fun at your house.

Porch Pleasures at Christmastime

Early yesterday morning, peering through my snowflake collection at the dining room window, I decided it was time to head for the front porch.

Despite strong gusty winds, once the sun appeared, Christmas mug of coffee in hand, I was out there breathing fresh air, hanging the white lights, which you can't see twinkling in the brilliant sunshine, and having a fun time. We are fortunate here to have so many sunny days in Winter........................even when it's chilly the legendary 'Carolina Blue' sky shines forth and lifts one's spirits.

My favorite wreath at the front door - several years old - faux has redeeming features like staying fresh looking all through the holiday season.................................................

...................as with this wall display, new this season, and which for some reason is attractive to passing birds who perhaps check out the faux berries. Sorry feathered friends, take a right and head for the feeders - I filled them!

The moon and stars ceramic globe is Vietnamese and looks lovely with a lighted candle in the evening.

The tiered baskets are stuffed with white lights..........

.......................tied with a simple bow and guarded by one of my sweet ceramic wrens.

Both the center hanging chandelier and this glittery candolier have fresh candles ready to light on calm evenings.

I love having a front porch, small though it may be. With a few floodlights placed out on the lawn, at night the cottage is bathed in light to celebrate this special time that is Christmas.

Better than an 'Oscar'

I've been all pink and glowing the past couple of days because I was given a much appreciated award.

Nancy at Knitting Paths of Life took time off from collecting more snowmen to add to her collection to award me with this Friendly Site Award. Thank you so much Nancy.

Anyone who visits Nancy gets a huge bonus........................visits to her fabulously talented, always friendly daughter, Heidi who lives in Holland, and her two very special Granddaughters, Mandie here in North Carolina whose husband has just been deployed to the Middle East - please keep him in your prayers, and Kristen in upstate New York, also a military wife. These four gals have a wonderfully close relationship and share decorating, crafting and sewing skills. They are a real inspiration and it's refreshing the way they support one another daily with laughs, giggles and family memories via their blogs. I really enjoy you gals.

It's difficult to pick someone to pass this along to - everyone has a friendly site and I love visiting all of you. I feel if one isn't a friendly person one wouldn't be blogging to begin with.

So, I will pick Pat at Back Porch Musings because she shares so much elegant beauty on her blog in a downhome, friendly way, and she's always ready to give technical help which I definitely need. Pat, I want to be on the list for the next Open House, will you, can you, squeeze in another person and make it three hundred and one invitations? Please!

Touches of Gold

Welcome - come on in and enjoy some of my golden touches for the Christmas season.

I was reminded today that there are just 3 weeks until Christmas so it's time to decorate, if that's your thing. There are many really beautiful homes dressed for Christmas being shown on blogs - and the most spectacular has to be sweet Pat's at Back Porch Musings.
Pat's gorgeous home has been chosen for the Old Painted Cottage 'Cottage of the Month' award - go here to see it. If ever a warm and loving home deserved this award, Pat's certainly does.

The runners up are wonderful too - be sure to visit and view them following Pat's pictures - perhaps they won't mind if we borrow some decorating ideas!

"Deck the halls with boughs of holly,

Fa la, la, la, la, la, la, la, la."