“Drink your coffee, read your books – it’s chaos out there. ” Anonymous
Happy almost Christmas, dear friends! I didn’t mean to keep away for so long but, as you all know, December has a pace and will of its own. So far it’s been a fun month over here, filled with things to do, people to see, pets to care for. School concerts, recitals, bake sales, ballet performances (my daughter’s, not my own, haha), and a few precious moments of quiet contentment in between, have made it nearly impossible to touch the keyboards at a leisurely pace.
December light in our living room last week, before we decked the halls…
But here I am now, wanting to talk to you about my latest hoarding tendencies and decorating obsessions, while sipping coffee and enjoying the calm of a rare and quiet morning at home. I have kept our Christmas decor minimal this year, in part due to my laziness, in part because we’ve lost a couple of boxes of Christmas stuff we’d stored in our basement to humidity. Luckily, the sentimental keepsake ornaments were saved but instead of buying new things, we’ve decided that what we have is enough.
Later today we’ve planned some sewing – we’ll make new stockings to hang over the mantel, and we’ll string a bag of popcorn into garlands to drape around the mantel and the tree. Then we’ll start baking and basting and tasting. Fun, fun, fun!
By far my favorite find this season has been this cute little ottoman on casters matching a larger one in our family room. The legs need a bit of TLC and the wheels are rusty and don’t swivel smoothly, but I’ll take care of that later this week. It came covered in a reddish-brown faux leather, which I immediately removed, and then spent some time recovering it in a soft green velvet fabric that used to be curtains but is now, much like Scarlet O’Hara’s dress, repurposed.
Another lucky thrifted find is this continuous length – 4 1/2 yards – of a vintage weave that I found for $10. It’s not a designer fabric – not that I’d care, considering how pretty it is – but the lovely little floral pattern is quite charming and fits my country cottage aesthetic beautifully. Plus, the color scheme is exactly right for our downstairs rooms. Now all it needs is my deciding on what to do with it. It’s not enough for curtains, but perhaps a small chair, a bench and / or some pillows might do.
The Saint Nicholas Bazaar at our Grace Episcopal Church is an event our family looks forward to each year, and it never disappoints. We call it the major shopping event of the season because there’s so much to pick from, so many good vintage and antique finds and, since it supports a wonderful cause, we try to go all out. We found books, framed old architectural sketches, and bits and bobs you can certainly live without, but why would you want to?
Anyway, my break is over and I’ve got a million things to do, but it’s been lovely chatting with you again and I’d very much enjoy hearing about your holiday season, and what you’ve been up to.
