And We Are Off.... Christmas Decorating !

Okay, so it is no secret to my family and friends

that I love decorating for Christmas.

I don't go overboard but I do try to 

create as much as I can with natural materials...
no allergies in that sense around our home
so we are good to go
with all the cedar and pine boughs
we can muster!!

I usually like to do

something with a sense of tradition

and well of course

I am a sucker for the 'pretty' factor!

So, I have been collecting ideas on Pinterest

and here are some of my possibilities so far...

Pinterest

Absolutely loving the colour here and

even though I am a bit of a white fanatic

I want some colour at Christmas!

so,

tree in the basement.....take note!

Pinterest
Feels a bit like our kitchen....love the simplicity of this little tree with the window wreath

houseandhome.com
Okay, love the decorations but I think I am really lovin' that plate rack!! Wow-za!!

Houseandhome.com

Hmmm.... this would have worked in the old kitchen design when we had our hanging
pot rack!
Got to find me some more pine cones...

houseandhome.com

Love the wreath on the inside of the door! Why not!

houseandhome.com

 How cute are these wreaths off the back of the chairs...would not last long at our place kinda' fun.

Houseandhome.com

This is definitely happening on my outside decorated urns!
Perhaps not as bright as Sarah Richardson chose.... but you get where I am going...
I have my 'santa' hidden in the pantry (just click to check it out)
but
there is lots more to do!
let the decorating begin!!
Anybody else doing decorations au naturel?

À tantôt

Pantry Santa

I love to find ways to decorate that

 incorporate fun hints of the holiday season....

and this year I enjoyed some good chuckles while sewing up this one!

a slight sign of Santa?

or more to the point

Santa's suit!

what's under that suit you ask?
simply
washer and dryer....

and I am calling this one

the Pantry Santa

À tantôt

linking this up to :
Sassy Sites

Shabby Creek Cottage

Good Life Wednesdays

Bowl Full of Lemons

Debbiedoos Newbie Party

Tuesday's Treasures

Coastal Charm 

Amaze Me Monday

Mod Mix Monday

Procrastination Turnaround #2 Complete

Well, it took me awhile to figure this out but

I eventually did get there

and of course the football game happening

in the background did not help

Grey Cup Sunday is big around here....

so without further adieu

here it is,

another project off the list!
I guess if I was a true trend follower then these should be made of burlap! ;)
but I am a bit slow and

I saw lots and lots of ideas over the months
but

I finally went with this one for inspiration

Of course I could not duplicate the room and am not exactly giving the same look to the chair

but I do have a bit of a skirt goin' on....

sorry for the low-quality image....rainy day....iphone camera.

I will share a full table shot but
I have a few more left to make!

À tantôt

Sharing this over at Motivated Monday!!

Procrastination Turn Around #2

Weekend is quickly approaching

and I have some major plans

to complete in my procrastination turn-around

and a basement re-do to reveal following that...

oh yes

it is all coming together!!

well....

more or less....

here is a little more inspiration for you

that is driving me forward....

decorpad.com

aren't they lovely...
cute little ruffle skirts!
love them....

coastalliving.com

A tad too pyjama-ish-y??
maybe
but I do like it!!

coastalliving.com
pretty ,,,,,,,

countryliving.com

Okay, a little more modest approach...
covering that leg!!

Apothecarie

 Wow-a!! talk about ruffles girls!


Oh, and maybe off on another tangent 
check this out
really, 
I would love to have larger chairs on either end of our table...
space???

I realize ...
I really am an eclectic at heart!!
But
with another project behind me
the winner is.....

À tantôt

Holiday Decorating with wreaths

I realize that many of you are busy getting ready for a lovely Thanksgiving,
with your family and friends (best wishes)

and then there are those of you
that live like me...
above the 49th parallel
You

are possibly getting ready for snow

and maybe

getting excited about Christmas decorating?

Well here is some inspiration to get you going!!

I love love the feel of this space..... definitely there are some wreaths on my to-do list  this weekend..... 

Curated Style

Min lilla veranda

 Country living magazine

 House and Home Magazine

and maybe some smaller Christmas trees

here and there!!

This will be somewhere...just for fun!
And yes
now the indoor decorating can slowly begin....

So...which image inspires you?

À tantôt

Gingerbread Houses Made Easy

 I know, I know....

gingerbread is a process,

you don't mess with gingerbread...

BUT for 15 years we have been hosting a Christmas party 

with friends and family

and the main attraction 

is the chance to decorate your very own Christmas house...

this becomes serious stuff...

not just for 5 year olds...

As you can see....some serious effort here with this log cabin.

Oh and such craftmanship here with the licorice detailing....

and they all started as this....

Graham Wafers held together with Royal Icing...

Royal Icing
4 cups of icing sugar
One half teaspoon of cream of tartar
3 egg whites
mix together the sugar and cream of tartar
beat in the eggs for a good 5-7 minutes until the icing becomes thick.
Careful!
Keep a damp towel on the bowl so it doesn't harden before you use it.
I give all the children a small bowl and a popsicle stick to use.

Then simply let your creative effort take flight!!

oh and
after that let the picking begin...

a candy a day?

Oh, please go ahead....... there is more baking here.....

just click on these cookies and treat yourself!

À tantôt

linking this up to Mosaic Monday at the Little Red House
and A Bowl Full of Lemons 

Shortbread Cookies - Decorating Favourite- DITTO in 2012

 I cannot do Christmas baking without

shortbread cookies!

I basically do the shortbread recipe that

we have used forever

and then let my children 

get busy with the

decorating...
AND
they are good!!!

So, this recipe is what I call an old-fashioned version of the shortbread cookie....
limited ingredients!

Four cups of flour
2 and one half cups of soft butter
1 cup of white sugar

mix well, so that you get a nice consistency for cutting

then pull out your favourite cookie cutters,

cut, bake for 15-20 minutes at 300F

and then decorate away!!

More cookies?? Yep.....Click here for Pecan Melts

À tantôt

Linking up to Thistlewood Farm

Christmas Baking - Pecan Melts

 These little ones will melt in your mouth...

don't overcook...

when cool roll in icing sugar!

Oh so easy!

Throw into your food processor

1 and a half cups of flour

1 cup of pecans 

one-third (less sweet) to half a cup (little more sweet)  of brown sugar

1 teaspoon of vanilla

            

Bake at 300 for 15 minutes. I have a convection oven so I seem to keep

checking them all the time since you don't want to overcook them!

Roll them in icing sugar when they are cool 

and try really hard not to

pop these one after the other into your mouth!!!

Resist!

More Baking? Yep... 
Click here for Shortbread Cookies

À tantôt

oh and sharing this with everyone over at:
Chic on a Shoestring

Changes are a comin'

Yes, changes are definitely coming soon...

when I said I was on a procrastination turn-around

I meant it!

So...

here is a peak...

a project that has been long overdue..

Bad photo I know...sorry
but

 a real mess
just wait until you see!!!

the basement transformation.......

À tantôt

Sapin de Noël

 The Christmas tree is a big part of our family tradition

and 

as with all traditions it has developed over the years.

A few years back our tree looked like this...

looks rather "brown" to me! (what was I thinking!)

but then those were the years of our

Charlie Brown Christmas trees.

Not always preferred by our children,

 as

they didn't even know who Charlie Brown was!

 .... for them the practice of going in to the forest,

 selecting  our  tree 

meant...

we were not getting that beautifully sculpted tree...

that they saw in the parking lot at the bottom of our hill.

they were....

somewhat more skinny.....
I would say.... 

(as in this beauty above, skinny and tall?)

but, 

decorating them was such a creative endeavor.

We had to select the right spots to overload

and the right place to fill with garland 

(garland that wasn't really garland.... know what I mean?)

 but, oh .... this one.... this was my favourite year!!

Just look at that tree!!....

arms stretched out wide to hold on to that beautiful green garland 

(actually spray painted fine mesh screening strips)

and then last year

this happened....

Yep.... we got in the car and drove down the hill

to the parking lot

and got this one....

Well, the rule around here is 
no official Christmas decorating of any kind

until December 1... (that includes music but excludes baking)

so I have time to think about all of this....
well...
we all have time to think about this!

À tantôt

sharing this over at A bowl full of lemons 
and of course
Motivated Monday at Be Colourful (sorry, in Canada we add a u ...)

Outdoor Decorating Begins

The snow is falling

so before the soil in my planters and urns freezes

I have to start the outdoor decorations

fresh pine boughs and red dogwood branches

are the beginning.

In a few weeks I will add some mini white lights

and bulbs to the branches in my urns.

So...it begins!

Update! 

I took some old maple syrup buckets and am using

them for my outdoor natural decorations...

so, pine branches, dogwood and sumack

make up the final look.

linking this up to:
A Bowl Full of Lemons

À tantôt

Je me souviens

Je me souviens

 can be somewhat divisive in my part of the world

but 
Today it means only one thing,
I remember.

would be a good day to go back here for a peaceful hike in the woods ...

and see once again this lonely yet beautiful birch tree....

À tantôt

Road Trippin' Lamps

As promised, I am sharing my final find

from my road trip...

these beauties were so inexpensive

and although a touch 70's??

Solid brass was big then....I believe....

anyway these are solid and sure heavy but

I love them.
I thought about painting the brass but it is showing up again in a lot of mags that I am going to
wait and see

They will be a major player in another of my Procrastination Be Gone posts......

anyway, a weekend ahead so we will see how far I get on that one!

So, they were just sitting there lonely as could be...

no shades...

looking like this

I found some shades for 10 a piece at Home Sense (on sale)

and then bought some fabric paint to turn them into this...
hmmm??

they are looking a bit like silver in this upper photo....

et voila!

They are going to look fantastic in our bedroom as tall reading lamps!

So, 
not bad, eh?
Pretty pleased with my road-trip finds...
yep, not usually that lucky with these kind of finds but
here they all are....

hot cider, hot toddies....just dreaming of the possiblities
and then of course these little sweethearts...

Oh, and I am saving one more thing...
not a flea-market find so
it will have to be a post of its own!!

À tantôt
I am linking this up with Inspiration Friday at the Picket Fence 
Frugal Friday at the Shabby Nest