~les fleurs francais~ white wednesday

this was a thrift store find a while back

couldn't decide on the right spot for it, it is quite tall

ahhh, used baby's breath on my christmas table here, in little ironstone pots

why not pile a bunch into my francais jar??

white. french. flowers. perfect.

linking up with Kathleen for White Wednesday.

Tracey

~keeping it real~

so how did you do that, in the midst of all the decorating and gifting and hosting??

here's what we did, we made tags for each place setting, each with a different name of Jesus and a corresponding bible verse

then tied it to a sparkly silver ornament, which our guests could later take home with them

and we went around the table and shared some of the names of Jesus (some even accompanied with spontaneous song!)

simple and meaningful

happy birthday Jesus!

Tracey

~ain't she sweet~vintage christmas~

i wanted to share with you some of my very favorite vintage christmas ornaments

three pretty carollers

they make me a little nostalgic for my childhood...

here are some close up shots

christmas blessings to you all!

linking up with Debra at Vintage Friday Inspiration

and Cindy at Show and Tell Friday

Tracey

~run, run Mr Gingerbreadman~

every year i say this is the last time i am making gingerbreadmen

and then my kids beg and plead, and plead and beg

.....and i give in

just to maintain that image of the good mamma baking gingerbreadmen in her cutie-patootie apron with a big smile and perfect hair

(not!)

you know what, i love to bake

but just for the record

i-do-not-like-gingerbreadmen

oh no, just look at this dough

hard to roll, all crumbly

(OK, i confess it was in the fridge 4 days instead of 4 hours, but hey, it's kinda busy round here you know!)

i huff and puff and roll and scrunch it back together and think not very christmasy thoughts

so there you have it, my very last batch of gingerbreadmen EVER

no, please don't send me your flopproof recipe and tips

i am done, finito, gingerbreadman-outed

.....well, at least until next year !!

Tracey

~mantles and mercury glass~

i started off the season with the mantle all decked out with greenery like this

it looked great.....for a while

but then it dried out and started dropping needles everywhere.....

and because i am lazy/busy/don't like vacuuming efficient

i decided to change it up

Target had the best tinsel this year, thick and luxurious

so i added white tinsel, which i love with the white frames and silver accessories

mercury glass candlesticks

cute glittered bird - how do you like her unusual perch!

and shimmery silver ornaments tucked in

simple and maintenance free!

and here's a peek at my other mantle

the nativity in all its simplicity and truth

Tracey

~little norfolk pine~

this christmas i had my heart set on finding a cute little tree

just for me...

and finally i came across this lovely norfolk pine

all green and christmasy

i had planned to put it inside

but it looks so perfect on my front porch

wrapped the pot in burlap and a bow

and hung just one little ornament

a vintage silver shiny brite

and it's just perfect!!

i think i like it even better than my decorated trees...how about that!

Tracey

~a warm hot choc hug~

have you seen some of the wonderful hot chocolate station posts in blogland?

well, since my kids have hot choc E-V-E-R-Y- D-A-Y after school

it was time for our very own hot choc station!

it was super quick to put together - i already had the tarnished silver tray and glass apothecary jars from thrifting adventures

gotta have candy canes

big

and little

yummy marshmallows

espcially christmas marshmallows 

and of course hot choc

being the no.1 customer, my 10 year old added some ribbon touches

and i've since added a jar of mini chocolates - gotta have something there for mamma!

Tracey

~santa's vintage boots~

how charming are these little guys?

i bought them at an antique store a couple years ago, because somewhere deep down inside they stirred a memory from my childhood.

they are candles, and the berries are missing from the one, but i kinda like them this way.

linking up with Debra at Common Ground for her Vintage Friday Inspiration

it's a really fun party to visit ~ see ya there!

and Feathered Nest Holiday at French Country Cottage

Tracey

~christmas decorating on the porch 101 - white wednesday~

i love how this urn looks filled with pine clippings

this tree was a great find, almost every branch had bunches of pinecones

so i piled them all in this white urn which lives on my porch

see all the pinecones!

this urn was a garage sale find, is is SO heavy the seller said i could have it for free if i would just take it away

which i gladly did of course!

it sits alongside this white chair, outside the front door

see my previous posts for the full series of ~christmas decorating on the porch 101~

linking up with Kathleen for White Wednesday

Tracey

~christmas decorating on the porch 101 - christmas wreath~

next exciting installment on my porch christmas decor!!

~keeping it super simple and natural this year~

here's my wreath ~ okay i admit i cheated

i bought the fresh wreath at costco

 and cut off the awful fake berries (sorry if you liked them!)

then I added my own fresh fir clippings to fill it out

tucked in some holly here and there

and voila!

~a christmasy welcome~

Tracey

PS. see my previous posts for the full series of ~christmas decorating on the porch 101~

~christmas decorating on the porch 101 - using what you have~

here are a few more random photos of decorating my front porch, i like to keep it simple and fresh

this is the chair outside my front door - i'm a little bit lazy pressed for time, so it's the same chair (garage sale)

 and coffee sack (gift) 

and basket (thrift store) 

and gorgeous white pitcher (gift) i had out in the summer

but dressed up with white bells and pine clippings it looks quite festive

 you can't see too well here but these clippings have wonderful pine cones on them and i like the variation in color

 here i tucked a vintage red plaid thermos on the bench next to a sap bucket of cuttings (i see it got a little faded by the summer sun)

you might remember my vintage summer picnic here

and further down the bench these skates (thrift store) and snow shoes (gift from my dad)

see the theme ~ snow shoes ~ skates ~ thermos of hot chocolate~

yes, i know you got it right away!!

should i fill the skates with holly do you think, they're a little plain?

Tracey

PS. see my previous posts for the full series of ~christmas decorating on the porch 101~

~christmas decorating on the porch 101 - decorating with greenery~

i have this old mailbox that lives on my porch year round, i simply adore it

you might think i'm strange but we don't have these mailboxes where i live

so this year i opened it up and have greenery and holly spilling out

see the cute red flag

and my vintage tin picnic hamper peeking in the background

it has black numbers on the other side

now this wasn't my own idea, saw it somewhere else (can't remember where...)

anyway, decorating with greenery 101:

~ i always carry garden clippers in my car, i carry them year round, you never know when or where inspiration will strike

~bring garden gloves - for the cold and it can be prickly

~ cut more than you think you will need, i always think i have tons and use it all!

~ ask permisson if you plan to cut from someone else's property - i'm usually too chicken to do this so i just find random trees on open land, which is getting harder each year as the area i live in is being rapidly developed

~ take a moment to smell the crisp air, notice the birds and squirrels and yes, even the sticky sap on your hands! this year a little robin sat watching me the whole time i cut holly, so cute

~ a small stepladder is handy, sometimes I see a great tree but by the time i've navigated ditches etc. i just can't reach the good stuff. i usually drag someone along for the ladder part, like i said, i'm chicken!

~don't cut from the lower branches, you know, like at dog's level....

~ my outside greenery lasts the whole season, inside i have to refresh a couple of times

~finally, smile sweetly when your family roll their eyes at you!!

Tracey

PS. see my previous posts for the full series of ~christmas decorating on the porch 101~

~christmas decorating on the porch 101 - the simple touch~

what do you love about christmas decorating?

trimming the tree and mantle...

the lights and sparkle...

i love all that, but my favorite of all is dressing my home with natural greenery

i love heading out with my boots and clippers, the air crisp with the promise of snow

and cutting all kinds of delicious smelling greenery

then i get to play around, filling planters

and old sap-style buckets (see my old thermos peeking there)

here's one of my porch projects this christmas

i have an old sleigh which i filled with a huge bouquet of greenery and holly

tied it up with a big burlap bow

love it's simplicity

i'll show you more in the next day or two...

Tracey