From the fading Winter garden

Yesterday was cold and dry, chilly rather than freezing. The kind of Winter day when it is still and quiet in the garden without a breeze to rustle the fallen leaves. I bundled up in sweater and scarf, thick socks and tall boots. Wrapped white lights around the front porch railing, then took a break, sipping hot chocolate while watching a bold woodpecker fly back and forth to the feeder for supper. DH raked........and raked, for several hours.

It was hovering around freezing at 5 PM when dusk settled over us like a pale blanket as we pulled the last leaves down to join the mountain at the curb. I'd pruned back some frost-damaged plants, then cut the last hydrangeas to dry, and together we hauled those leaves, brown, crinkled, and dried to such a lightness they can dance in a breeze.

I leaned over the back fence and snipped the pyracantha berries -planted in my neighbor's garden - he doesn't mind. Added trailing variegated ivy from one of the many urns around my garden. Nature now fills the bare spaces around the house.

We will soon be having some large trees removed because they are dangerous. I have a nice feeling that this will mean a much smaller mountain of leaves next year.............hopefully more time sipping hot chocolate and less raking on these cold Winter days.

Pink Saturday

Beverly, our Pink Saturday hostess at How Sweet the Sound, has suggested that we share a favorite holiday decoration today. I really can't pick just one thing so will share some of my favorites around the house which are quite simple vignettes I've gathered together and placed hither and thither. I read somewhere, just recently, that the Christmas spirit should be everywhere in your home, even if just one tiny thing in each room - that's what I'm trying to accomplish.

Meanwhile, outdoors, a favorite for the past several years, is my Victorian gazebo with a Christmas tree decorated with Nature inspired objects such as pine cones and wooden ornaments. There are two large paper stars and strings of clear fairy lights. In the dark of night, the entire gazebo glitters and gives the now somewhat dreary garden a new lease on life for Christmas.

Wishing you each a wonderful weekend. Everyone is very busy now as Christmas draws near. Remember to take time out from your decorating and holiday preparations............stop for a warming cuppa, take a breather in the cool air, sit by a glowing hearth and listen to carols and seasonal music.............or, like me, start packing a suitcase and take a holiday trip!

No, not off across the pond again, but will be somewhere very 'Christmassy' for few days........if the weather doesn't let us down like last year!!!!

Almost too busy for blogging

Feel like you need to put your skates on? The days fly by far too quickly, don't they?

Are you up to your eyeballs in tinsel and glitter,

holly and ivy and no time to 'twitter'?

Your lists grow longer, gifts, food and booze,

all you really want to do is kick off your shoes.........

.......sit down and snooze - or at least have time to blog!!!

I am literally covered in glitter.......after hanging this otherwise very pretty, silvery mistletoe garland from Jo-Ann's in the dining room. Wow did it shed!

I still have to organize my time for baking Christmas cookies.......meanwhile I love these cookie ornaments.
I don't have to shop for a real tree but I did head out to the garden center this week. For my dining room I chose a creamy white Poinsettia named Polar Bear. Just 10 mins. from my home is the second largest Poinsettia grower in the country - wonderful displays and so hard to choose as they are all beautiful, healthy and perfect. I added a lacy fern to soften it and an Aspen candle with an outdoorsy perfume, named Goddess. The engraved 'silver' lid is beautiful, reminds me of antique powder bowls.

Homewood Gardens, Raleigh, NC

Perhaps my Christmas decorations are becoming less traditional now......not so much red and green, much more neutral. I love the softened look which seems to suit my year round decor which has become more decolored. I do love colorful decor, have had it myself over the years, and am always amazed at those of you who pull it all together so well.

Here's some color in the hallway...........do love the 'old world' Santas in rich colored velvets, and their little helpers.

More peeks at Christmas decor next time.

Junk Gypsy is my name........

..............finding hidden treasure

is my game.

Porcelain glove form from 1987 - found at ScreenDoor in Asheville, NC - my other favorite place to hunt.

Who would have known that in my 'golden years' I'd be on the hunt! Traipsing through antiques malls, vintage and re-sale shops, flea markets, even wonderful furniture makeover shops hidden away in dreary old warehouse buildings..........places that are boiling hot in Summer, but freeze your extremities in Winter as you poke around, muffled in scarves and gloves, looking for something special. Me, who used to like everything perfect, non-chipped, no cracks or crazing, perfect paint, polished and shiny. Things are much different now.

Then there was France, the entire country a repository of beautiful old things for the home. You know how my eyes were opened there, and my heart leapt so much I was in danger of never making it back to the USA!

Here is my wonderful 'name tag'. Perfect for my forays into junk land. Remember my recent weekend in Charlotte, NC and my three visits (in two days, no less!) to the fabulous Sleepy Poet? It was there, amid an amazing array of treasure, I found Janna's two booths full of the best stuff. Artsy Fartsy Junk Finds is the name..........really fabulous vintage, painted, chippy, tarnished, much-loved, mostly neutral shaded items are her game.

Janna and her hubby also craft beautiful jewelery from found items, adding special words. When I opened my little parcel from Janna I was thrilled with my necklace. It has already brought interesting comments when I wear it, which is often! I also bought another but as it's for a special someone for Christmas I can't show you until later!

Do you have a special piece of simple jewelry you love to wear? Something made by a family member or friend. Perhaps not expensive, but pretty and meaningful to you. If you can't get to Charlotte, do visit Janna's online shop and see more of her special jewelry which you can purchase online............and check out all her other fabulous finds.

Beginning to look............

.....................somewhat like Christmas around the cottage.

Huge bunch of wonderful dried gigantic oakleaf hydrangeas from my 'tea lady' dear friend, Mary Ann. Great decorating potential in these.

Martha Stewart 'jingle bell wreath' from a few years back, on a silver hanger engraved with our family name - a lovely gift from dear friends.

If you ring my doorbell I'll be happy to show you around however I'm not done yet! This is the year I'm simplifying so holiday decorations have been edited, that takes time, and I'm just using things I really love to look at and which tie in with my simple French country, with a bit of Nordic thrown in, look.............mainly in white, cream and silver.

Busy weekend. Beautiful Christmas music concert, an annual treat, along with Moravian sugar cake and sweet coffee. Spent time in the gazebo yesterday afternoon putting up the Christmas tree - quite chilly so had to make a steaming mug of chocolate to warm my frozen hands. Worth it though, the lights sparkling in the crisp air really brighten up the night garden.

Wishing you happy, fun times decorating. I'll have more pictures to share later.

TIME for another Pink Saturday

I don't remember if I had a cute alarm clock such as this one...............

................but I do remember waking early before any buzzing or bells disturbed my Christmas Eve slumber.

I recall clearly the weight of the white stocking at the foot of the bed. Very early on Christmas morning, while the house was still quiet, I would wiggle my toes until I felt it there........much too large to hang, it was draped across the bed, the weight exciting, the anticipation building. My stocking was a knitted fireman's sock, long, thick, and woolly, given to me by an uncle who had fought fires following WWII bombing raids along the Devon coast. I used that sock for many years, Father Christmas was generous in the simple way that Christmas was in those days.

Money was tight at that time, there were only a few presents tucked in the big stocking, but that was just fine. There were no TV commercials, catalogues and gigantic toy stores displaying so many mass-produced and unnecessary gimmicks and toys. A doll with clothes sewn by Mum, perhaps a tin of watercolor paints, always a book to read.......and one year, when I was very young a big, brown cuddly bear, named Teddy of course. At the toe of the stocking were some unshelled nuts and always the special traditional Christmas orange........a fruit we rarely found in British shops during the year.

Oh what lovely Christmas times we had. Simple, quiet, not really starting until a couple of days before the 25th. No month long rushing about, stressing out and emptying the back account.

Happy Pink Saturday...............thanks to our hostess Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for making us think back and relive those lovely memories. I know I'm going to enjoy reading other bloggers stories today.

Sitting Pretty............

Some time ago I moved my laptop to the dining room table. After the redecorating project early this year, I decided it was the room I most enjoyed sitting in to write my blog, send my e-mails etc. The window is large and looks out onto the front porch and garden where the birds and squirrels come to the feeders. It's a bright room and the French blue grays make it peaceful and conducive to thinking and writing.

I didn't get far with the Christmas decorating last night. The rain came down in buckets, tree branches were snapping and power outages occurred in the area. It was scary, I was here alone as DH is on a business trip.

But, I did have a pretty chair to sit in! I'm thrilled with the way the French linen hemp grain sack used as upholstery fabric has changed the appearance of this aging chair.

We used the dark blue striped sack for the box seat, front panel and cording.....................the section with the monogram MT has been saved and I will make a pillow cover with it.

The textured dark blue-gray velvet was used for the back. This same velvet will be used to re-cover the seats of the regular dining room chairs.

What do you think of this little makeover? I think it looks great and it's very comfy, especially the padded back which the dining chairs don't have.