Originally a Nordic tradition, Yule is the name of the old Winter Solstice festivals of Scandinavia, and other parts of Northern Europe, such as Germany. The Yule log is a specially selected log burnt on a hearth as a Christmas tradition. My Yule log was gifted to me on Christmas Eve by my brother-in-law. He had made one for their dining room table out of … Continue reading yule log
Last year I decorated a few paper mâché boxes for Christmas. Not only do they make great decorations to use around the house, but they’re perfect for packaging that special little gift. Here are a few that I made last year. Every year I buy a roll or two of wrapping paper with a brown background. I keep them in an old crock next to … Continue reading little Christmas boxes
I haven’t been doing any baking for the office lately, and with a broken bone in my right hand, I haven’t attempted making any Christmas cookies either. Most of our office works from home, but there is about a dozen of us who come into the office on a daily basis, and I wanted to do something to surprise them for Christmas. Since its getting … Continue reading a Christmas treat
Sunday was a warm day for December, and the perfect time to finish up raking leaves and redecorate the urns for Christmas. I pulled out the fall arrangement of cornstalks a few weeks ago and arranged a trio of birch logs. I follow a blog called Dirt Silver, written by Deborah Silver, a landscape and garden designer who owns Detroit Garden Works. She writes posts showing the … Continue reading christmas urns
I found this lovely picture at our large fall flea market in September, and knew instantly I wanted to decorate my fireplace mantel around it for Christmas. There was something about the picture that spoke to me and made me feel so peaceful. Snow falling and softly covering everything, always fills me with a sense of peace, especially when I don’t have to drive in … Continue reading christmas mantel
A few weeks ago I found this poster size reproduction botanical print at Elm & Iron, a local store which carries a unique and lovely collection of home decor. I love the detail on this print and knew it would go nicely in my living room/dining room area which is decorated in greens, beige, and wood tones. I started by cutting a piece of … Continue reading a diy winter wall decor
Sometimes it takes me awhile to get in the mood to decorate for a new season. Usually, it’s just a matter of being too busy. But, this Sunday afternoon, I felt like playing and fiddling with the cement urns that sit on each side of my garage. The urns held Boston ferns all summer, so I pulled them out, put them in black plastic pots, … Continue reading fall outdoor decorating
This week’s bouquet starts with some golden rod that I nabbed from my elderly neighbor’s yard. Usually it is only found along the road side or in a country field. No one purposely allows this weed to grow in their yard. This year, while she was away, her son’s chopped down every weed and flower growing in her yard, but fortunately they missed her golden … Continue reading this week’s bouquet
This simple corner of my bedroom always reminds me on Valentine’s Day and Easter of the true meaning of love. I found this lovely machine embroidered “LOVE” on a piece of linen, some years back at a yard sale for just a few dollars. It’s detail is simple, yet exquisite. I found the frame at a flea market for $10, and married together, the two … Continue reading a simple love note
This week’s bake is Valentine sugar cookies that I made for my office for Valentine’s Day. I’m giving them a little early since making and decorating them is such a long process, it’s not something I can do in an evening after work. This is the same dough recipe I used for the snowflake cookies and the recipe can be found here. The dough did … Continue reading this week’ bake – valentine sugar cookies
in my spare time 