Second week of Decembrrrrr ...

This weeks had a welcome repetitive theme running through it:

Christmas trees.

Ours went up. Friends and family have adorned there's and twinkly lights reflecting off pretty decorations are in full swing through the land.

 If only this was smell'a'vision'.

The gorgeous aroma when walking into this covered area full of freshly cut Christmas trees was immense, there are only two words to describe it, those being

'Ahhhhh Christmas'

 

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Please, please, please (if your not already doing so) bear in mind when receiving Christmas Cards in the post that the stamps are a valuable commodity to many charities. When you receive post, please don’t throw away the stamps – recycle them and help one of the many charities and organisations who collect them.
The 'Stamp out waste' website here has lists of some of the main stamp collecting schemes in the UK from Hearing Dogs for the Deaf to Oxfam.
Please note though, before getting carried away most charities and organisations request that you leave approximately 1cm of paper around each stamp and separate UK from foreign/overseas stamps.

I know this time of year is off the scale busy without faffing around with used stamps but just imagine how much money could be raised for good causes if we all spared the time x

 

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 My clever husband baked the most delish cake this week. We never quite manage to stick to tradition and we inadvertently go our own way, the below photo shows 'proof is in the pudding' (pun'tastic) of this!! Christmas cake was not on our menu this December, it was Beetroot and white chocolate all the way. This is my fav cake of all time and my husbands version was up there with the best (Liz's to be precise). This photo doesn't do it justice (like, not at all) but believe me, it was perfecto ~ nom.

 

 

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Confession time. I am soooo miserable when it comes to festooning our home with a Christmas tree. I'm happy to deck the halls with bells of holly but a Christmas tree, nerh ~ it's too much hassle to put up only to take back down again a couple of weeks later. I know, I know ~ please don't hate me. This lil foible of mine comes as a surprise to my friends as I spend all year making things look pretty but when it comes to the time of year when the world goes bonkers making things look pretty I'm not the least bit interested.

Don't get me wrong, I love nothing more than admiring everyone else's twinkly evergreens and I go all gooey eyed over pretty decorations but ~ my own tree? Nerh, not interested one iota.

I have managed to avoid having a tree on the odd occasional year and I've been secretly hoping to avoid all tree like things this year too. That was until I mentioned this to my friend Suzanne. We have been friends for over twenty years and she knows me very well. She told me it is just NOT an option for my poor family to go without a tree during this festive season and she would come over and put up and decorate our tree.

This was music to my ears.

O.M.G... The excitement, firstly because Suzanne is one of the best Christmas Tree decorators I have ever met and secondly she was happy to work her magic in our home.

 

In preparation of her arrival I foraged around trying to russell up a decent amount of Christmas decorations for her to work said magic. Poor Suzanne had her work cut out, what I managed to find was nothing short of a random mish-mash.. Colour scheme? Pardon? What colour scheme?  

 

 

 

 

 

Our sad forlorn tree, neglected for years hoping for a chance to finally shine.

 

 Eeeeeeeeeeeek!

Ta Dah!

One stunningly beautiful tree that makes us all full of festive happiness.

 

 

 

This is one of the bestest festive presents, what a treat. It's a gift that keeps giving as every single day all four of us look at our pretty, twinkling tree looking all majestic, gorgeous and perfect.

For the first time in a very long time we have a really pretty tree put together with care and love ~ yippee.

 

Thank you soooooo much Suzanne XX

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  The continuous Christmas mission of a Bessy Bear puppy dog:

"If I just tuck myself under here, avoid all eye contact, look cute and keep really still they'll never notice me"

"Right, I'll just slowing remove this decoration without attracting any attention"

 

"Bess, are you steeling the Christmas decorations again?"

"Who me? Um, no" 

... Damn I've been rumbled ~ again. 

 

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My friend Wendy and I spent a really lovely day at our favourite auctioneers last weekend.

 It just seemed to be one of those un-expected perfect days.

The lots for sale were diverse in every way from regal gilded console tables to first class vintage port and Champagne. Some lots had come from a town house clearance in Bath. These were my favourites. I poured over crystal chandeliers, silver wear, cut crystal decanters, hand painted pictures mounted in the most luxurious guilt frames, Persian rugs and fine quality furniture. Amongst an array of purchases I was lucky enough to make were these candlesticks below. I think these have to be my all time favourite purchase from the auction to date. They are brass and solid silver, to me they are so classic.

 

 

 

It's the prefect time to bring them home with it being winter and long, cold, dark evenings but also Christmas. They currently take pride of place on our mantelpiece but I can't wait to lay a festive table with them as a glowing centrepiece.

They may only be candlesticks but they make me oh so very happy every time I look at them :)

 

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Jack Frost
By C.E. Pike

Look out! Look out!
Jack Frost is about!|
He's after our fingers and toes;
And all through the night,
The happy little sprite
Is working where nobody knows.He'll climb each tree,
So nimble is he,
His silvery powder he'll shake.
To windows he'll creep
And while we're asleep
Such wonderful pictures he'll make.Across the grass
He'll merrily pass,
And change all its greenness to white.
Then home he will go
And laugh ho, ho ho! What fun I have had in the night.

 

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

The first hard frost of the year turned the land into a magical place.

Harsh brown trees took on a magical winter wonderland look with a coating of sparkly frosting.

What was once easily over looked is suddenly illuminated and every detail is accentuated.

 

A journey to even the most mundane of places seams to take me through what can best be described as the set from a Tim Burton film.

Truly magical 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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 Below is my fav photo taken this week ...

 

  A pointless but fun experiment with the camera.

 

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The finishing touches have now been sprinkled on our handmade gift tags (how to make the tags can be found here)and they are ready to adorn Christmas gifts. 

 

 

Ahhhh glorious glitter ... where would Christmas be without it? x

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 Until next Sunday, bye y'all X

First week of December ...

December has finally arrived, as the floods subside and the land starts to disperse the torrent of rain that fell cue cold wintry weather. Thick socks have appeared poking out of the top of winter boots and wellies and hats, gloves and scarfs are everywhere you look, including poking out of children's coat pockets and school bags.

We are joining in with the European tradition of celebrating St Nicholas day this festive season. For those who are unfamiliar with this tradition, St Nicholas had a reputation for secret gift-giving, such as putting coins in the shoes of those who left them out for him, thus becoming Santa Claus.  His feast day is 6th of December and it is a tradition around Europe to leave your shoes out on the eve of the 5th and feast on any treats that may have been secretly left on the 6th. My husband and I are very keen to participate in this tradition (as it's something we as adults can indulge in too ~ nom nom) so our shoes were left by the fireplace in the hope St Nicholas left a lil feast of tasty treats for us. We must have been a very good family this year as we had a secret visitor and delish chocolaty treats were waiting for us on the morning of the 6th ~ yippee.
Those Europeans are very clever people discovering this lil tradition!!!

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 This weeks craftiness has been 'button' shaped.

 I bought these pretty buttons with a project in mind.

 This jacket has such sweet and pretty lining but (for me) the buttons let it down. When on, the lining can't be seen and green plastic buttons are all that feature against the main fabric. 

Bring on a quick and easy re-vamp ...

Ta dah. I love them. My jacket is pretty both inside and out ~ hoorah!
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This weeks happiness came in the shape of ...
 

A pretty pink cake with glittery bits on during a glum day at work.

Having the choice between a bag of Doritos or freshly wrapped Christmas presents to destroy.

 

Warming up in front of the fire after a brisk walk on a winters evening.

 

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 Winter

A widow bird sate mourning for her love

Upon a wintry bough;

The frozen wind crept on above,

The freezing stream below.

There was no leaf upon the forest bare,

No flower upon the ground,

And little motion in the air

Except the mill wheel`s sound.

by Percy Bysshe Shelley

 

 

Lets all spare a thought for the birds at this time of year.

With the hedgerows bare of leaves and plump berries our poor lil feathered friends are exposed to the harsh winter frost and bitter howling winds with very little to eat.

 

Meet Pudding the Partridge.

 Pudding visits us regularly and pecks on the front door to announce her arrival. As you can see from these photos, she is very tame and even lets us pick her up.

 My son and I love to stoke her gorgeous feathers ~ they are so beautiful. 

Before old fruit, bacon rind, breakfast cereal or anything else that would be a real treat to a lil cold and hungry bird goes into the bin/recycling please consider putting it outside in a sheltered spot. Bird seed can be expensive (I buy ours from the 99p shop or similar) and try hard to be vigilant in making sure it's topped up daily during this time of year. My heart goes out to those lil birdy families huddled in their nests during these dark, cold winter months ~ lets all spread a lil love to our feathered friends X

 

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My fav photo taken this week is ...

  

 

Our Bessy Bear Puppy Dogs fabulous eye lashes.

Way to go Bess!

 

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 Amongst many other, one thing we do effortlessly well here in the Cotswold's is a traditional olde English Christmas.

Bay Trees twinkling with fairy lights against a backdrop of Cotswold Stone cottages.

Christmas Court.

Who could resist a peek inside these

tiny shop windows?

Stuffed Bears are definitely not my thing but

there is no denying this is a very festive window display.

Shining through the dark along a small lane, a cosy glow from a cottage window.

Peeking through a pained glass window into a tea room with a roaring fire and a table laid for two.

A perfect way to spend a cosy winters afternoon,

cream tea for two in front of a roaring log fire ~ heaven.

 

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 Until next Sunday, bye y'all XX

 

December is ...

December is ...
Frosty mornings, a chance to festoon rooms with diamante bejewelled gorgeousness, when we bring the outside inside from Holly and Ivy to Mistletoe, twinkly fairy lights shining through cosy winter windows, singing along to The Fairytale Of New York and spending quality time with family and friends sharing gifts, tonnes of food and laughs.

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 I love the pretty presents that fill our shops and the imaginative window displays that draw me inside at this time of year.

Who could resist one of these beautiful boxes above containing posh treats? Not me!!!

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Here's part of my Christmas doodling on our Kitchen chalk board ...

It currently has the kids after school club info and boring blah sensibly written on it, it was crying out for festive Crimbo doodles!!!
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Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful

Author Dr Norman Vincent Peale.



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Candlelight for me is a must during December and I burn a tonne of candle wax during this dark winter month. Below is one of the quickest and easiest ways I create a sweet tea light holder to illuminate our porch. A jam jar filled with dishwasher salt (this to me looks like teeny tiny balls of snow) then finish with a ribbon around the top.

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 The above is currently in our porch along with ...

 our lil collection of autumnal delights which have been found during walks hither and thither and our Halloween munchkins who are both still in their prime, happily firm and ripe.

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Sorry y'all, in typical 'me' stylie heres one of this weeks bargain buys!! Below is a beautiful wrap I picked up for a mere £1.00. 
I'm going to use it as a table runner during this festive season as I'm thinking a selection of silver mercury leaded glass tea light holders will look really pretty against the silver crushed silk. One item with two purposes, I'm all up for that :)

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 My lovely daughter and I have made personalised gift tags this week ready to adorn Christmas presents.

We found this really fun and my daughters favourite part was being able to print her friends nicknames making them extra personal and special. They are currently drying in the airing cupboard and we both can't resist peeking to see if they are dry yet (a watched pot and all that). We used DAS modelling clay which is really easy to use, just take it out of the packet, make your creation and leave to air dry for several days cookie cutters. Perfect for a quick crafty projects.

 

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I treated myself this week ~ shhhh.

I splurged on posh things that, to me are a real, real treat. I bought a Danish, dip dyed candle that is one of the most elegant candles I have ever seen. The whole display of candles were attached and I chose the one I liked and it was cut free from the others ~ that for me was a novelty factor in itself. I then bought a matching holder and to finish the ensemble off nicely a meter of the most pretty and perfect ribbon known to man. In fact I love this ribbon sooooo much I think I'm going to use the colours as the theme in our bedroom when we re-decorate it next year.

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It was our Bessie Bear Puppy Dogs 1st birthday this week and to celebrate this special occasion a doggie birthday tea was in order. Bessie and her brother from another mother (Bertie) enjoyed a birthday tea party together (sadly we don't know when Berties birthday is so he celebrates on the same date as Bess) . They each enjoyed a salmon starter followed by a bowl full of fried minced meat then finished off with human biscuits for desert ~ to dogs these clearly are the holy grail of biscuits and taste much better than their own expensive doggie biscuits! All of this was washed down with a bowl of milk. Their tails nearly wagged right off!!!

 

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And finally, December just isn't December without advent.

 I kinda made a rod for my own back with our advent. It all started when I fell in love with a set of advent tiny rusty buckets, I could just picture them hanging up looking all festive and appealing. They ended up coming home with me there and then. That year the relevant lil bucket had two chocolates poking out of the relevant day/date and the first of our two children to wake would race to see if they could pick the biggest, roundest, plumpest chocolate (they were all the same size but they lived in hope). For some unexplainable reason, other than one year I must have been really into Christmas, I decided to alternate between a chocolate one day and a small novelty present the other. BIG mistake! Now, added to my 'never ending things to do at Christmas' list is ' buy 13 small, cheep presents for one child and 13 small, cheep presents for tother child, wrap said 26 presents and add name tags to avoid a potential horrendous start to the day, hide really well then remember to fill relevant bucket with treats before going to bed to save being woken up at silly o'clock the next morn by a child with a very big frown and tightly folded arms glaring at me.' This years advent has all 26 presents 'present' and correct along with yummy treats and is strung up much to the delight of the kiddywinks.

 

 

 

 

December has finally arrived and the count down to the Christmas festivities has begun ~ yippee.

 

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Until next Sunday, byeeeee y'all XX