Teatime Tomorrow.....

Aspen, Colorado

....................I'm invited to Mr. Toast's first annual Christmas Tea. Imagine, a real British holiday tea right here in the beautiful mountains of Colorado.

Today I'm busy packing my warm clothes, making my teatime goodies and tonight I'll be on my way to Aspen...............IN MY DREAMS of course!!!

Hope you'll stop by too - there should be lots of yummy food, the very best warming English teas to sip, lots of fun caroling and meeting new blog friends.

Want to share in some pre-Christmas spirit before the rush?

See you for tea in Aspen tomorrow.

The Highway Home

A late Autumn evening. One major holiday over, another quickly approaching. Driving the highway toward home as the sun goes down. Clouds turn orange and pink behind the leafless trees. I love to see a deciduous tree's 'bones' when the leaves have been whisked away. Thoughts cross my mind.......will there be gentle snow or diamond hard ice coating these branches come Winter? Will the squirrels' nests remain safe as the North wind blows?

The road is straight, the traffic light, the sunset gentle........home creeps closer as miles fall behind us. I knit a few rows, read a few pages until the light dims. We chat about the last couple of days. The bright lights of the great city where we first met - visiting family and friends even older than us, wondering how many Thanksgivings remain for each one of us. It was lovely sharing stories of the days long ago.

Traveling I-95 South toward North Carolina.

The journey home was the destination.

Thanksgiving in Alexandria

This afternoon I strolled along King Street in always interesting historic Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. Walking feels good following a celebratory meal.

The day started off with thick fog and changed to dreary, misty rain, but despite the dampness, colors were still there.

I love this street with quaint old buildings leading gently down to the Potomac River. Now the home of restaurants, coffee shops, an elegant hotel, the weekend outdoor market, and shops with inviting windows, it still wraps one in history during a stroll along the brick sidewalks.


Sometimes when I return here shops have changed......today was no exception. This beautifully decorated home and design shop, new to me, grabbed my attention and was my favorite. Of course it was closed due to the holiday. All I could do was press my nose against the glass and sigh.

Taking photos through windows often result in nothing but blurs and weird looking images. Sometimes though, the reflections of the goings on in the street make very beautiful scenes.

Inside these windows, now dressed for Christmas, were the most beautiful chandeliers, furniture, statues, candles, and ornaments. It was like peering into Aladdin's cave.

A sign on the window says that everything will be on sale tomorrow! Can I persuade DH to brave the 'black Friday' crowds tomorrow? Take a left to Old Town prior to a right turn back home to North Carolina? The weather forecast is gloomy, cold, wet and windy............what shall we do? We also plan a quick, if that's possible, stop at IKEA.

What a quandary if I have to choose.........beauty from an Old Town shop, bargains from the big box store!!!!

A Thanksgiving Message

t this time of year, when we give thanks for the many good things in our lives, I feel compelled to write to all of you who have followed my blog for almost three years. To you, I offer special thanks for being friends I can count on, and people I enjoy interacting with. To those of you whom I've had the extreme pleasure of meeting in person ~ and this year there have been several ~ I sincerely hope we meet again next year because it was such fun.

I've refrained from making this blog a soapbox for either personal or social issues. For me this is a journal in which I can express my love for the beauty of Nature, the pleasures and decoration of house and home, the garden and its glories, the preparing, cooking, and of course eating, of healthy and delicious foods, and love of family and friends. I enjoy sharing images of my travels to places many of you will visit some day................just be sure to keep them on your wish list. Some of you have interests totally opposite to mine. You may not even have the desire to travel far from your comfy homes, and this is just fine. I love the fact you still stop by to look at my images, read my words, and leave a kind comment when you have time.

My wish for a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with family and friends goes out to all of you, and, as this busy holiday season arrives, I wish you and your loved ones good health, much happiness, love and kindness - it's really that simple.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

It's all in the numbers.............

Do you have a special number?

This is mine 77


I lived in just two houses growing up in England...........well three if you include my grandma's flat where I spent my first few years along with my mother during WWII. There, we apparently scurried to the lower floor and hid under the stairs when the air raid sirens sounded........and stayed until the 'all clear'.

When my father came home from the Royal Air Force, we moved to the '40's version of modular housing, cute little cookie cutter homes, lining curving roads on an 'estate'. Built by the local government, using prisoner-of-war laborers, they provided much needed post-war housing. That house no longer stands, being replaced by newer, modern homes some years ago. The number of our house was 17.

We moved to the next house, just a 10 minute walk from No. 17, when I was 7. Our new bungalow was (is) number 77. My fondest memories are part and parcel of that little brick bungalow. Sold some years back following my mum's death, I still stop by when on a trip home. To catch a glimpse of the brass numbers by the front door is to remember all that happened from age 7 to almost 19 when I emigrated to America. Fond memories all and brought close to my heart when I see the number 77.

Linen towels ~ old silver candlesticks ~ four Mason's Oak Shape antique plates (marked 'first designed in 1813') ~ brass number 77. All from Sleepy Poet Antique Mall, Charlotte, NC

At the Sleepy Poet I found this brass number. It was beaming out at me from all the treasures in Janna's 'Artsy Fartsy' booth and I had to have it...........after all it's MY number.

Sharing beauty................

Remember me showing you this gorgeous vintage sideboard/buffet recently? A grand piece, displayed at Revival Antiques here in Raleigh, NC during their Holiday Open House. My friends, photographer Dorothy Blum Cooper and artist Bobby Cooper from Louisiana, who moved to North Carolina following Hurricane Katrina, are restoring a beautiful historic home. They saw my post, came to town, and have purchased it! This is great news. I can't imagine a more perfect home for this beauty, or a nicer family to care for it.

Silver service at 'Sleepy Poet'

ILVER..............................

Remember the treasures I told you about at the Sleepy Poet Antique Mall in Charlotte, NC? It was there I found this great buy.........the three piece silver plated pot with sugar and creamer, plus the tray they sat on......all for $18.00.

For the time being I'm displaying this set in the secretary in the guest room, which, as you can guess, is because I've run out of little nooks to place irresistible treasures!


Still quite 'silver' and shining, I know these pretties will eventually start to tarnish.................and no prompting will make me polish them!

Other 'silvery finds' at the POET......................................

The tag reads, "Old rusty crusty dust pan, perfect for a candle". What a good idea - and I have one already so know what to do with it now!

Gorgeous serviette rings - kicking myself for not buying them!

With Christmas coming and decorating on our minds, silver items always look special, reflecting tiny white lights, holding glowing candles and serving special treats. I can see the unusual shaped glass jar on the shelf full of candy, the bowl and plates offering cookies, mince pies and chocolates.

Are you 'silver' or 'gold' when it comes to decorating for Christmas? Of course the two mixed can be awesome too and both are exquisite mixed with white. Gold perhaps warmer in the firelight, silver bright and glistening, especially if you are lucky enough to celebrate where there is snow outside the windows.

Have you started decorating for the holiday season, or do you wait until Thanksgiving is over, the turkey leftovers eaten and the china packed away? I haven't done a thing yet but realize I must get a move on......................and soon!

Pink Saturday at the Little Shabby Shed

Little Shabby Shed, Raleigh, NC

Over the railroad track, down the dirt road, and beside SuzAnna's Antiques, one can't miss Tracy's very cute, very pink shop, the Little Shabby Shed. Chock-a-block full of shabby/vintage/antique furniture and accessories, one is welcomed by Charlie the Yorkie, Tracy, and often her sweet daughters who come to help out in the shop. Tracy hopes to start a blog soon, meanwhile I'm happy to promote her business today. Be sure to visit when you're in town!

"Hi Charlie"

Loads of shabby and chic stuff to browse through.

Tracy's recent painting projects.......chairs and frames.

Tracy always has a can of spray paint or a brush in her hand............she's a whiz when it comes to refurbishing chippy old bureaus, tables, chairs, picture frames, mirrors etc., and.............................


...........she's always creating something cute such as this pink patchwork Santa. He may be just what you're looking for if you've planned a non-traditional red and green Christmas this year. Inside the pink shed, Tracy has a zillion pretty things for you, or for you to give as gifts. Hope you can stop by soon.

Happy Pink Saturday - do stop by How Sweet The Sound to see Beverly's list of participants today. Have a wonderful weekend.

Revived at REVIVAL

Late on a warm Sunday afternoon. Golden light fading, rusty leaves hanging from the trees. Meet a best friend. Head over to a favorite shop. A Holiday OPEN HOUSE was in full swing, mix of soft jazz and Christmas music. The first of several gatherings I plan to attend as the holiday season begins.

I love the offerings at Revival.............antique and vintage furniture, restored, re-purposed, recycled, refinished or repainted (don't you love all those re-words), and turned into stunning pieces, often at affordable prices. One can visit the warehouse where furniture is stacked to the ceiling, awaiting some TLC.

Furniture seen earlier this year at Revival shop and warehouse.

The accessories here are awesome. Some are old and one of a kind, others handcrafted more recently.

This buffet from the 1920's was really beautiful.

The back drop behind the coffee station was a vintage hand-painted velvet panel - a country snow scene with a border of holly leaves and berries, absolutely stunning.

Tonight I'm off to historic downtown Hillsborough, NC where their Ooh La La - Ladies Night Out will kick off the holiday season with an evening of fun and friends. Perhaps I'll start to get some Christmas spirit - time is getting short.

Keep cutting............................

................those hydrangeas from the garden. Mine are really changing now, colors so different from their brilliant blue of Summer. The change to chartreuse green was lovely, now that shade is becoming deeper, tinged with dusky mauve and cottage pink. I think cutting blooms for drying at different times during Autumn gives a variety of shades when the drying process is complete. Later some tan and cream shades appear as the blooms eventually die on the bush, these can be added to give more definition to large bunches in a container.

Having fun with that delightful, and so easy, little editing program, Photoscape, you can see the mix of colors of the hydrangeas from my garden. All these blooms are from the two blue Endless Summer bushes in front of my porch. Looking out as I write, they are still heavy with flower heads and I'll be cutting more for drying soon.

These blooms are mixed - last year's have turned lavender, blue-gray and tan, new ones are green.

Same image edited with Photoscape ~ no color change just a vintage look.

Photoscape is very easy to use for creating mosaics.

Do you have any special tips of drying, displaying hydrangeas? I strip all the leaves from mine, place them in a little water and then just allow them to dry in the vase - no further water added - simple. Within a few weeks they are ready and of course look lovely during the entire drying period. It's not necessary to hang them upside down in a dry place as I do the roses.