A Merry Christmas to One and All!

I have been very busy this week with cleaning, organizing and finishing off last minute gifts.

I'm almost ready for the big day.

This will be my last post for a week or so.

While wondering through antique and vintage shops this fall, when we were on vacation, we saw many old typewriters. Most of them were very costly, until we happened into one particular shop in North Dakota.

And there we found my typewriter!

It's been busy typing out the Christmas story.

No, not really, the carriage doesn't move, but I'm sure that it can be oiled and fixed and it will move again.

I also found the ink there, apparently the ink will last forever. That's what the dealer told me, anyway.

My antique dresser is ready for Christmas.

The typewriter sits beside a vintage telephone and a photo of my mom and dad. The photo on the typewriter is of my grandmother with her sisters and dad, now that is a very old photo.

I made the sign last year. It's painted on a very old piece of wood that came off of our 1927 Craftsman Bungalow, before we repainted it a couple of years ago.

The poinsettia embroidered runner on the dresser came from South Africa or Madagascar, I can't remember which. My husband, Ray, brought it back for me when he was there several years ago.

The wash stand is still on the wall, it's been festooned with greenery, a couple of real birds nests, one found by my grandson and given to me recently. The puppy picture shows them with red ribbons around their necks and there are three vintage Christmas cards up there, also, that were given to my mom and dad many decades ago.

Well, that's it, I'm ready for Christmas, are you?
I will be around to visit all of you over the weekend.
Thank you for your wonderful comments, I read and appreciate every one of them.

Merry Christmas, my friends!

Hugs, Cindy

And a Happy New Year to one and all!!!

Christmas Lights

Hello my friends, it's just a little over a week until Christmas day... this is my favourite week 

of the whole year. 

There is still so much to look forward to... 

I'm such a kid at heart.

I love the lights...

My tomato cage Christmas tree.

And I love the snow...

and I love the anticipation of what comes next...

My neighbours ice sculpture candle lights along their driveway.

Our son and his family will be here on Christmas Day. 

We'll open gifts and we'll play games, it's always so much fun.

I'm so grateful that we have my son Greg and his sweet wife Maranetta and children to share it all with.

Perhaps hubby and I will go ice-skating a couple of blocks away at the neighbourhood outdoor rink...

Maybe we will have fresh snow to make snow ice-cream with...

Who knows, perhaps friends will stop by and we'll have coffee and  

                       Butterscotch Confetti Squares ,

a traditional Canadian sweet that is one of my husbands favourite Christmas desserts.

What are you anticipating, my friends?

Whatever it is I know it will be wonderful.

Hugs, Cindy

My heart is with the families of Connecticut who lost loved ones, and will not be celebrating Christmas with them this year.

It is my prayer that this kind of thing would never again happen, in any country on Earth.

It's just too sad.

Knock Off Pottery Barn Pillows

While I was at my daughter's house in November, she had a project for us to do together.

We made knock off Pottery Barn pillows.

She had red velvet and white felted wool for us to work with.

What do you think?

Then she purchased silver bells to go in the centre.

I love them!

They are a beautiful pop of colour on my white chairs.

I purchased extra red velvet, just in case I was inspired to make a third pillow and sure enough, I was!

My sweet friend Ana of A Petite Cottage, made herself a deer pillow and it was so lovely that I knew I would have to make one too.

Thank you, dear Ana for inspiring me so! Take a look at hers, it's beautiful.

Time is passing swiftly and I feel like I am slogging through mud!

I haven't sent off ONE Christmas card, normally I would have them all done by the end of November.

And I have not sent off my Christmas packages yet, either.

I'm embarrassed to say that, but it's the truth.

Do you send off Christmas cards? So many people don't anymore, but it's one thing that I try to do.

I think I will have to cut back this year.

I'm hoping that I can accomplish some of it today, though.

Have a wonderful week!

Hugs, Cindy

Oh Deer!

Do you like the trend of using antlers and sheds in your decor?

I try not to jump on every new decorating trend that comes along, despite the fact that I may LOVE them. 

But this is one that I really had to have. While we were in Wallace, ID, I found several and this is what I did with a small rack that I found there.

The top of it is hidden there amongst the evergreen branches, I am going to hang this one, it's so perfectly beautiful.

These are my little vintage choir boys that I found last year at the GW. Singing around the Christmas tree!

And atop my armoire you'll find another thrift store find in a new coat of white with a pretty ribbon tied around his neck.

My Dollar Tree reindeer are hanging in front of the mirrors, with pretty bells around their necks.

And I added the deer prints to compliment all of the other deer that are hanging around.

And if you have been wondering what I've been doing for the last three days... well wonder no more.

I have been trying to sew a "Little House On the Prairie" dress, apron and bonnet. It has taken me at least three days to do it, working for hours at a time. I'm not sure why it's been so difficult, but it has been. Actually, I'm not done, I still have to make button holes.

My little grand-daughter, Miss B, has always loved the Little  House on the Prairie books and dvd's. When she was tiny, Carrie was her imaginary friend and she named her stuffed dog Jack. 

She was with me at a garage sale last summer when I found this pattern. I asked her if she would like it and she very excitedly said "YES!". So, she will have it. What a grandmother won't do sometimes. 

I'm smiling, I would do anything for my grands, they are all truly grand, and I know you know what I'm saying, if you have grands of your own.

There is no love like the one that you feel when you see your own grandchildren. Right?

Have a sweet day, friends and readers.

Cindy

A Christmas Mantel

I'm seeing beautiful Christmas mantels everywhere in Blog-land, so I may as well join the party, so to speak.

I should be at my sewing machine making Christmas gifts, but I don't have what it takes today... so here I am, showing you my mantel.

It's a very basic, natural one this year. No sparkly lights, only candlesand lamp light to brighten the manger scene.

Simple vintage turquoise ornaments, old bottles, and spruce branches.

Norman Rockwell prints and fuzzy stockings, pinecones and antlers and my dear father-in-laws tiny tree that my husband inherited when he passed away. 

These truly are a few of my favourite things.

I found the antlers in this charming little town on the I-90.

Wallace, Idaho, is a Silver mining town and is lovingly preserved for visitors and residents alike, to enjoy today.

It's surrounded by beautiful mountains, and as you can see in the photos below, they are right at the peoples doorstep.

The people were very friendly and welcoming.

My  husband and I spent a couple of very enjoyable hours there.

We found several antique stores. Some carried truly antique items and some carried vintage items that I had not seen anywhere else. We will definitely visit Wallace the next time we are in that vicinity. It was lots of fun!

I hope you're enjoying your week!

Cindy

Christmas in the Dining Room

I have made a few changes around here, trying to make what room I have work a little a little more efficiently. It's difficult with a small house to do that, sometimes.

 I want to try and make good use of the room that I have, so I moved the dining room table and chairs into the sunroom.

And I moved the small table that was in there, into my kitchen. I think it will work better, particularly when we have company. We don't often have people over, mainly because my house is just too small.

Hopefully, this will make it live larger.

I aim to paint this room the same as the living room, soon. 

Then it will look much better. 

I am thinking that I will make slipcovers for the leather parson chairs, and I have the light fixture that was in the kitchen that I can put in here. I will show you that when it happens.

The hubs is not working right now, so I will prevail upon him to do this for me.

The Christmas decor is simple and sparse.

I hope you're enjoying your weekend and looking forward to another beautiful week.

Our winter weather has been above freezing off and on, and the snow is melting. Hopefully, very soon it will get cold and stay cold!

Hugs, Cindy