Advent Calendar Frugal

Tomorrow is December first and this evening I gathered a few bits of recycled things to make an impromptu advent calendar. What we do for chocolate! This one is not so traditional looking but is fun and anyone could have one in a matter of minutes without running off to the store for supplies. The sweet little nest came out of the fir trees during a storm and it is so tiny and perfect. Had to add it.




For supplies I had left over white styrofoam cups from a shower. (I used a crayon to poke a hole in the center to insert fir twigs.) My collection of cinnamon sticks. Fir tree tip cuttings from the yard, and an empty starbucks coffee bag. I will tell you the scent when I was finished was the perfect combination. Fir, cinnamon and coffee with a tiny hint of chocolate! It's a wonderful little holiday decoration in itself.




I've never really cut open a starbucks coffee bag before, and I was surprised how pliable and wonderful it is to work with. It feels like a metalic fabric, not all flimsy like baking foil. It was worth forfeiting my free cup of coffee to make this advent Christmas calendar.





I cut little squares to resemble scrabble pieces and set them in the rolled up section of the cinnamon bark. They slide in there and stay. I could have used some twine, but this is what I settled on for the time being.




I have a little fir forest 'garden' on my diningroom buffet that smells heavenly and I also have a feeling I will have to keep a close watch over it. My son is excited about 25 days of chocolate. We will see who is the first one up in the morning.

Connecting up with White Wednesday at Faded Charm Cottage.

Sock Monkey Christmas Santa

Sock monkey is in the holiday spirit...and I can honestly sing, Baby, it's cold outside. I found this link for sock monkey original socks and dolls supplies here by Fox Sox.





I read the cutest article in the Washington Post newspaper today by Emily Matchar. Young women today are going back to domestic bliss. Making their own jam and learning to knit. It's empowering because you have some sort of control over what you wear and what you eat! Yay!





She tells about a 31 year old Brooklynite who left her desk job and today her life is more like a 19th century farmwife. She soaks dried beans, dries herbs, bakes bread, feeds her chickens and keeps bees on her apartment roof! She is frugal and happy and now makes a living teaching diy (do it yourself) projects and writing. Wonderful. There is a big movement in dazzling diy that Emily is writing a book on the subject called New Domesticity.

Art of Collecting Seeds

Today was a perfect fall day. There were still some seed treasures to collect outside. As I emptied out the pods on a white sheet of paper (that I would fold into a seed packet) I noticed a semi- doodle of a westie with a little imagination. Some days we have lots of that. I helped move a few seeds here and there...ahhh, our westie showed up!





Our westie boy fell asleep as did my doodle here. Is it called a doodle when you use seeds to draw with? 'Seedle' doesn't sound as cool, you know.




These seeds came from my perennial double-balloon-flower plant which has died back for the winter. The blue flowers rise tall and elegant and dangle like bells. A few months back the seed pods were still green so I left them to cure or dry still on the stems. Today I remembered them and went digging through leaves.




It's pretty clear that I am crazy about westies, art and gardening! Anyone can have a garden. Seeds are everywhere.

Vintage Sepia Photo Look App

Thank you Blogger for making it easy to catch the latest posts on the blogs I read. Tonight when I got online Minna from Blomsterverkstad introduced me to Old Photo Pro app on her iphone. (We learn so much from other bloggers!) I fell in love with her photo and immeditately went to the app store on my iphone and downloaded none other than Old Photo Pro for free and it took about one minute and I was taking old-timey pictures! Mina is a garden stylist that shares her art with all.

I have always admired Z, from the old grey mare, blog's sepia photographs for her white Wednesday posts. (I learned what pop-up blogger means from her blog recently). Now my orange pumpkins are instantly white in this photograph. It's neat how the photo looks like it was folded and came out of someone's wallet. Yet it's not seen paper yet.

My education continues...pretty soon I might be above average!

Tonight my feet feel like they belong to someone else. Nothing that a little rest won't take care of.

Thanksgiving Bittersweet Berries

I was fortunate to get these beautiful branches loaded with berries from a perennial vine called bittersweet the day before thanksgiving. They really add color.




Did everyone have a good time with family and friends? We did...and still are...still eating and having a good time. I'm going to bed earlier tonight.






The weather was great today. It really cools down at night though. We are ready and have marshmallows. Big decisions...in the hot chocolate or toast by the fire.

White Thanksgiving Dining Room

It happened. I painted my dining room walls white except for one wall. No doubt tomorrow I will wish I had painted it but tonight I still like the two tone effect. It's so bright in there it makes me feel ten years younger. It is going to be a white thanksgiving inside at least. I hung my little aceo size canvas of a pilgrim girl, my version, in a gray dress with a gray cat from the handle. It's simple just add a thumbtack into the back wood and tie string around it and attach other end to the handle.






The patina on the galvanized pails is sparkly. I've noticed that the more white a room is, the less you want on the counters. Just a few objects are perfect. This bucket is filled with thyme. The room smells wonderful.




The tall bucket is filled with a rosemary standard topiary. The back wall looks darker here than it is. It is a light khaki color. This was the original color of the dining room.




I will turn into a minimalist if I keep painting things white. Wouldn't than shock my husband? A ten years younger minimalist. Although I could keep bringing in plants, but I won't. The buffet cabinet will be full in a few days. The herbs will have to be in the turkey stuffing.

Romantic Home Dishes-Norway

It's wonderful to discover places to find romantic dishes from Norway and Sweden. Thanks to a darling blog by Emmeline I found these treasures. Be sure to visit her blog.




These are for sale online by Boligfryd.

Against their white dining rooms and white kitchens these are like eye candy. Roses and polka dots .

Flowers and lace. Wouldn't these fit nicely into a farmhouse kitchen? Yes.

Berry Heavy Holly Fruit

Winter is here and we are bundling up. Fleece and down feather jackets sound so good right now. It's 27 and I've still got to get some perennials in the ground that have been in pots for awhile.


I have one small bush of this wonderful winter shrub. It's a holly called "Berry Heavy" that looses it's leaves early on so the red orange berries are on parade. I recommend it for gardeners and crafters who make their own winter wreaths. Put it next to your ornamental grasses for a pleasing garden plant combination.

Cinnamon Sticks Table Decorations - Holiday

Vintage silver sparkles for the upcoming holidays. I played around today experimenting with different cinnamon stick arrangements (sweet spicy scent) and other outdoor organic finds I gathered. I am a gatherer! My cream and sugar doing double duty. The tarnished look makes them even more primitive especially against burlap, don't you think?





Cinnamon sticks are versatile! I bought a big box last year of them and their scent is not as potent, it's subtle and yummy now. Some fir tree tips (wonderful scent) were inserted into one cinnamon log/stick and they make quite a cute vase. I like this gingham ribbon better than baker's twine. (Probably because I'm out of it!) The ribbon is soft and silkier and easier on little fingers. I'm thinking of the little sweethearts that will be around our thanksgiving table.

My idea of country farmhouse decorating is to use what you have to make some eye candy. If it's useful too that is even better. Now if it's eye candy, useful and also smells heavenly...I sit up and take note. My cookie cutters came out of their box.

The copper colored bird pulls out the warm browns of the cinnamon. It also means our creativity is taking flight ;-)

A bird filled with holiday greenery. There is a nest in it's heart.

So much fun. Arranging and rearranging and even more ideas blinked in my head.

Lavender stars in this napkin topper. Mini tree bouquets. I did add a pinch of lime green cedar. Greenery and plants make us happy especially as it dips into the 20's tonight.

The cinnamon woods! This year I am hoping the table decorations are just as good as the food. Now to work on the menu again........

I am connecting up with these friends.

The Shabby Creek Cottage

Friday's Unfolded

Inspire Me Friday

Country Cottage

Farm Friend Friday

My Romantic Home

Inspiration Friday

Features and Simply Creations

Industry West Chairs Galvanized Metal

These industrial chairs came directly to me today on my blog ad! I've seen similar ones on European blogs around dining tables. The buffed gray metal appeals to me. It looks similar to watering can metal, but it's actually galvanized steel (not zinc) from Industry West. Check out their web site as they are on sale today for $125.00 each plus shipping. They tell me they are reproductions of vintage french chairs.

They have a great Facebook page with lots of pictures.

Sweater Chair Slipcovers - Recycle

A pure wool sweater gets a new life on the farm. I had the washed burlap to make slipcovers, but when I laid this thrift shop sweater 3.00 across the chair. The light bulb went on. Make a sweater slipcover!

That is what I did. The sweater was too large for me so I bought it because it was beautiful and would make quite a few mittens. Wool is warm and cozy and I'm always trying to save wool sweaters and recycle them.

Today was it's been drizzling but warm. I took the chair outside for better lighting, but then I went under the pine trees, so it was probably darker there than in the house. I just wanted to be outside enjoying the weather maybe that was it. I tucked the bottom ribbing under, but you could leave it out. I turned the sweater inside out and stitched about an inch under the arms all the way across the chest and back together. I used pinking shears to cut an inch above seam. Instant slipcover for your head, neck and shoulders. I have plenty left. Should I make wristlettes? ;-)

Now we have a bit of irish in our livingroom. I love the color of natural wool. I do not think it scratchy at all. Connemara is a beautiful area of Ireland.

The recycled sweater before picture.

My lambie giving the heads up approval.

I had all kinds of stylists taking breaks around and on the chair! This is Bravo.

Our westie ruffles and curls match the burlap on the chair. The chair is from Ikea. I washed and washed burlap earlier to make slipcovers, but now since this is a work in progress I might make the bottom cover out of burlap and add a ruffle or two or maybe pleats. Til then I am stitching away.

I am joining these friends:

Tip Me Tuesday

A Little Birdie Told Me

White Wednesday.

Stop by and look through some lovely ideas and photographs.

Hawaiian Quilt

A citrus splash of color on my wall today right where you enter our house. Don't you love the patterns of Hawaiian quilts? The two stripe vases I've had for years. They look stunning with one large stem sunflower in each of them.

The metal basket I recently picked up and I'm thinking of dipping it in enamel paint. But first before I do that I should paint it a burnt orange so that when I wipe the white off the edges it will have that ages-old-rusty-and-chippy-white appeal.

The basket could be used in the garden on new plants in the spring so that the deer and rabbits can't reach their sweet new shoots. I guess I could still do it when it's chippy and white.

Another option is to turn it upside down and make it a lamp shade!

Connecting up with Show off your Cottage Monday.

Beautiful blogs - photography

Here is 3 beautiful blogs I found today. Above is Seelenstuebchen Outstanding photography. All are in Europe, but we all understand the language of beautiful photographs.







Roses and flowers always impress me! Check out Gledeligbryllup




This blog Town & Country Home has the cutest shabby ideas.

We also have it easy because of google translate.

Have a great weekend!

French Garden Leaf Combinations

Floral arranging doesn't always mean using flowers for me. I use what nature provides at this time of year in our yard. I love texture and different leaf sizes and shapes. If you are a gardener you are your own florist and designer. How fun is that? I aim for it to be fun! And pretty.




When I have to throw hay to the sheep I like to pick a few things on my way out to the barn and a few more on the way back. I used the hydrangea leaf as the plate or vase and added the arrangement on top. The gray is hidcote lavender, the orange is dragon head, a chestnut and a pinch of the tip of a fir tree branch. A sweet little garden vignette on a leaf.




Nature offers so many beautiful colors to work with. I am amazed at how beautiful everything is when we stop and really take a look. Just because some plants have died down there are still lots of pretties out there in the garden.






The chestnut is smiling for us here on a chestnut leaf and an added hydrangea flower. Browns and golds and creams. I think it's romantic, but I do like vintage botanicals. Even faded ones.




You know those little brown glass bottles you get your flavorings in, here they are as vases. They even look vintage! They look like ink bottles here with quills in them.




A beech leaf with a ornamental grass head and a liriope leaves tied in a bow around the base. I wanted it to resemble an anthirium! Well, it looks like a rather radical anthirium...like one I've never seen before.

Connecting up with friends at:
Feathered Nest Friday
Potpourri Friday
Inspiration Friday
Fridays Unfolded
Farm Friend Friday
My Romantic Home
The Rose Garden
Designer Garden
Simply Creations Friday