A difficult good-bye

I've wrapped up the Christmas season in different ways, but 2013 will stand out as a doozie in my memories. In Newfoundland the season is "officially" over on January 6- Old Christmas Day - when most people begin to think about taking down decorations. 

 Family room looking festive at night  with magnolia and wreaths

  The season was chugging along quite nicely until  January 2nd. when everything fell apart because of extremely low temps, a snowstorm, and then massive power outages prefaced and preceded by rotating outages to conserve.  Needless to say that is a recipe for all kinds of problems including broken water pipes.  I've been learning the not so pleasant ways of insurance companies ever since. Enough said!  Living in a bit of a disaster zone with ceilings ripped out, dehumidifiers and air blowers going, plumbers and carpenters banging and dragging materials through the house, etc. is not my idea of perfect harmony.

It was like Christmas dribbled away without our noticing it.  Couldn't turn on the Christmas tree or the outside lights, couldn't entertain unless you wore your long johns, brought a flashlight and served melted snow. Much was reported on Twitter about the events, and I particularly enjoyed two blogposts by Heidi Wicks that are definitely worth a read.  I love her humorous take on the everyday. True and funny.

In the midst of construction I removed my Christmas decorations and looked for inspiration for next year.  

A nature inspired theme perhaps

My love of birds takes many forms and I have a friend who gives me one each Christmas.  I think next year I will pool them together and see what I can come up with.

Birds and dragonfly

 A winter display

 I can't bear to put it all away, so I find little ways to add sparkle and colour to the winter months.

Poppy with birds

And finally my little spot of red. Good- bye Christmas 2013.

A nature inspired Christmas

Wooh!  I am overwhelmed with all those over the top Christmas home tours popping up on Pinterest and blogs.  Is it me or have people gone totally overboard  with Christmas decorating? The practical in me rebels.  Where do they store all those new decorations each year?  How much money is invested yearly when one does a complete decor  change at Christmas?  Where is tradition in all of this? 

It's was so refreshing to visit  my sister's home this week and see that nature and thrift inspired much of what she has done to invite Christmas cheer. We both love a good bargain and forage our gardens for materials to decorate.  Some of the objects get used year after year in different ways and a small portion are purchased new.   So come along and see what she has done.....

Christmas Welcome

She  has the perfect roofed entry for welcoming  Christmas decor. A centre layout doesn't hurt either.  She couldn't pass up these  lovely birch pots even thought she went looking for something larger. I love the colour and texture of them. They  are so versatile and  could easily be used inside too on a table or buffet.

 Birch Pots

 A closer view.  The local dollar store had lots of inexpensive ornaments to add to the cedar and pine.

 Berries and Birds

The red tub and a sprinkling of snow adds to this delightful combination of birds, berries, twigs and greenery.  Happy holidays to all who decide to enter by the back door.  That would be almost everybody in the town where she lives! While I was visiting there were high winds and we were afraid the contents  of this arrangement would  end up in the neighbour's yard.  Decorating outside in Newfoundland is a risky business.

Dove with greenery

 And inside a stained glass dove, a gift from us several years ago, is incorporated into  this very simple arrangement of greenery in a basket that gets used every year.  This arrangement also serves a practical purpose - it creates privacy and allows the outside in.   Taken at night this shot shows the inside wreath on the opposite wall,  the bare tree outside and  the neighbour's lights.  I wished I had my camera and not my I Phone for better shots.

 This  versatile candle holder might appear anywhere during the year in her house, but this Christmas it is on the buffet in the dining area. 

 Add a red candle.... 

 

And a $2.00  mini wreath, you guessed it from the local dollar store,

 

 and viola .... ready for Christmas. 

We were wishing there was a third one to balance out the wreath.  Spreading them out a little helped.  That shot never got taken.

 And a lovely 3 D snowflake on a spent orchid stalk.   So simple and so riveting .  Your eye will  follow  red anywhere.   We had great discussion about where  the snowflake should be placed.  We decided to put it on the edge of the vignette to move your eye on to the next thing. Two sisters who are both decorators can spend hours talking about very little (according to family)!

An inviting home and a great sister.  Merry Christmas Vera, and thank you for allowing me to show some of your Christmas cheer.

Simple Christmas decorating

  Margaret Ryall

We all have our Christmas rituals and mine usually start December 1st..  I  always make something for my entrance first.   I am not one to overdo things.  I re-use what I have or forage in  my garden or the gardens of friends. Then I added some LED lighted twigs and silver balls and a hit of mesh ribbon.   The purple connects with my front door. The blown leaves remind me that we are between seasons.

Margaret Ryall

 Each year I allow myself one  or two new purchases and send at least one small bag of assorted objects to a local charity shop.   I'm extravagant this year with two purchases.  I've been looking for a plain wreath to change around each year and found this great one with LED lights  for 25% off at Canadian Tire.  This year the theme is snow flakes and silver... just because.

 

 Margaret Ryall

 This year I embraced our new Target ( very near my home) and purchased three  dark silver vases that you will be seeing around my house through out the coming seasons.  I love repetition in threes as you can see.   A little sparkle with red is refreshing.

   Margaret Ryall

I have a fondness for trays to corral objects into a composition.  This lovely white one was a gift from my husband last year. It has silver leaf leaves and birds on it (see below). 

Candles are always a must at Christmas time and I usually arrange those I have on a tray, add in some flowers and ornaments and call it a day.  I am still fiddling with this arrangement and I may need to invest in some new candles  because these are looking a little worn.  There's nothing like a photo to help you refine a composition.   The finials are going and I must put in one more pillar for a chubby candle.     Love plain white mini carnations because they last forever.

 

 The new  version with finials removed. Looking better.  Every time I pass by I move something!

That's it until December 14 when I usually add the second layer of decoration and put up the tree.

I hope you are putting a little sparkle in your home. 

Rich and Simple Table Settings

 Christmas entertaining calls for an extra effort  in the decorating department.  Don't let  a busy lifestyle and budget restraints put a damper on your table settings.  A little ingenuity and do it yourself  is all you need to wow your guests.

Rich and Simple

 The addition of gold charger plates, simple gold  ornaments,  and a puffy silver and gold garland can  tie a table setting together. Of course, it helps to have beautiful china  and crystal, but your could  use plain white tableware and spray assorted napkin rings with gold metallic paint. Dollar stores offer a range of inexpensive containers for tea lights.

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A Little Crafting

Your table setting can echo metallic decorating schemes with a little crafting. White  napkins can be decorated with metallic paint using a stencil.  Check out Lumiere fabric paint. Ribbon and simple gold decorations complete the setting.

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A winter theme

There's nothing like blue and silver to give you that cool, shimmery feel of winter.  The white snowflakes, small clear glasses,  and silver glitter balls can be found at most dollar stores. And who knows what other ideas you will get when you start to look around for inspiration. 

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 Do you have a favouite table setting you would like to share?