A French Country Christmas Living Room

In my last post I'd decided not to have a tree this Christmas. Wait! What?
(If you missed that post, you can read it by clicking this link.)

A French Country Christmas Dining Room

Instead, I thought I'd decorate my living and dining rooms with vintage pieces,
while giving these rooms a little French Country flair.

So, let's start in the foyer. 

Welcome to my French Country Christmas!

This old nativity scene is actually Italian so it has that European feel.
I love the blue and red together.
The angel wreath always hung in my mother's kitchen window when I was growing up

and my sister hand painted the three sheep.

Come on in to the living room.

The mantel is always the focal point in holiday decor.
I love to use lots of candles and a few bottlebrush trees.

Cozy up to the fireplace.
An ironstone pitcher holds a stash of white candles on the console table behind the couch. 

A few baubles on a vintage wire tree and a candle bring sparkle to the living room . . .

and a French market basket, filled with holiday goodies, adds a bit of French soul.

An urn laden with holly, pine cones and antlers is a simple natural touch,
an important element in French Country design. 

Of course, I think everyone should decorate with whatever makes them happy.
But I've decided I'm content with how our house looks this year (without a tree).

So enjoyed hearing all your comments and I wish you a very Merry Christmas!

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Transitioning from Christmas to Winter Decor

As we put away our holiday decorations for another year, it's easy to transition from Christmas 

to winter decor.  We store our Christmas trees, mangers, Santa hats, and stockings 

but are there some decorations we can leave out and enjoy for a few more months?

Yes, please. 

Outdoors, after the Christmas lights come down, try using some of your garden accessories 

with some left-over greenery in your front porch urns for a fresh wintry look. 

Snowshoes and ice skates slide easily from the holidays into a wintry foyer. 

Table centerpieces are easy to transition. 

Just remove your vintage holiday collectibles and add some pine cones or greenery. 

Antler sheds connect us to the outdoors 

and make us feel like we're in a snowed-in mountain lodge.

I loved adding red satin bows to Ron's silver bells for Christmas this year. 

So much so that I just couldn't pack them away. 

Instead, I took a few out of the windows and mixed them in with my kitchen ironstone.

A grouping of white candles in silver candlesticks

reflects a warm wintry feel in an old dining room mirror. 

The display on the console table didn't change at all after Christmas.
I think the white palette still works well with my ironstone and other white accessories
and I think it looks more wintry than Christmassy.
Besides, it was so pretty, I just couldn't dismantle it.

So, if you love your holiday decor like I do, take a second look around 

and see how you can mix it up to enjoy in the winter months ahead.

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A French Country Christmas

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here at the foot of the Rockies!

I had such fun decorating the house this year for Christmas and didn't spend a fortune.

I like using the things that have been passed down over the years
and those things I already have but can be used in a new way.

Like this vintage candelabra.
It usually sits in the front living room window facing the street
but this year I decided to add a little Christmas spirit to the kitchen.
It really makes the kitchen feel festive.

In the farmhouse sunroom, silver bells bejeweled with red satin ribbons 

line the windowsills and the top of the seed bin. 

A family tradition, Ron's mother gave him a new bell every Christmas and he now has about 40!

A metal Christmas tree adorned with Shiny Brite bulbs sits atop the farm table. 

When I was unpacking the bulbs, one fell onto the tiled floor and shattered. Mwaaa!

The foyer halltree has a cheery look with Santa hats . . .

. . .  and a French market basket filled with stuffed toys.

Draping a couple of thick scarves on the halltree hooks adds texture and warmth to the entry. 

I love this scarf from the Stanley Hotel in Estes Park, Colorado. 

The Stanley was made famous in the movie "The Shining."

In the living room, we decided to put our little tree in the front window.
It's simply decorated with white twinkly lights and silver bulbs that I've had for years.

An old toy horse on wheels is hitched under the tree with more bears.

The mantel always takes on a new look each year. 

This year I placed my red-berried wreath on the mantel instead of on the front door. 

Surrounded by vintage books and holiday decorations,
it looks warm and cozy with a battery candle nestled inside it.

The dining room mantel is spiffed up with stockings and red accents. 

A simple centerpiece lies on the dining table with a linen runner and an old ironstone tureen.
I couldn't resist adding a few deer sheds. 

So, from our house to yours, a very Merry Christmas . . .

and a Happy New Year!

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My Garden Visits -- Weather or Not !

Whether I visit my garden or not is always up to the weather!

Last week, we were hit hard with a spring blizzard. 

It started snowing during the early hours 

and didn't slow down until 16 inches of the white fluffy stuff had dumped on us.
It was beautiful but I worried about my plants.

The week before we had enjoyed 70 degree weather with sunny blue skies. 

I thought we had seen the last of winter but Mother Nature fooled me again.

I should have listened to the Canada geese as they glided across the sky in a big "V"
above my garden. Aren't they supposed to head south before winter?
Guess they knew winter weather was still headed our way
and they were hightailing it out of Dodge.

Now, a few days later, most of the snow has melted and it's a soggy mess. 

I wonder if the perennials I had just cut back survived 

and if the Wichita Blue Junipers that had been plastered flat on the ground will spring back up.
This tree in a nearby park wasn't so lucky. 

A few years ago we had an unseasonable hard freeze 

that killed many shrubs and fruit trees in Denver. 

We lost an ornamental plum and our big crabapple tree's blossoms got nipped and turned brown. 

Which meant no blooms. Not one. So sad.

But the tree seemed to have recovered this year and was filled with tight rosy buds on each limb.
I hope the buds will bloom when it warms up.

Will everything come back with renewed vigor? 

I try to remember that struggles often make us stronger. 

Still, I'm almost afraid to look.


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~~ The French Attic in Winter ~~

The second-floor space in my home isn't really an attic 
but it's always felt like one to me. 

I like to imagine it's one of those tiny Parisian attics like this one where the maid lived. 

I'm sure she'd never be able to afford it now!!

Today this room is my office where I write my blog, 

but if I had a hot plate, a mini-fridge and a daybed, I could live in this small space.

Filled with natural light from tall east-facing windows, 
the room continues to evolve as the scene outside changes. 
Today, as the temperature dips and a snowstorm blows down my street, 
the trees shiver and bare their bony limbs. 

Back inside, one of the recent changes we made in this room was cutting back the lower shelf 
above my refurbished desk by about three inches. 

I was always banging my head on the shelf every time I stood up. Merde!

(That's French for "Who put this stupid shelf here? Oh yeah, that would be me.") Ha!

The other changes are more temporary and easily changed when warm weather returns. 

I brought my vintage birdcage inside from the front porch for the winter.

I love the wiry lines of the cage backlit by the window.

I draped a lacy piano shawl over the stand for a soft look. 

Potted begonias and ferns that I wanted to winter-over inside 

have found a spot next to the sheer-draped windows, bringing a touch of spring to this room.

I've also moved this stained-glass window several times 

and think I've finally found a perfect home for it in front of the windows. 

It brings a bit of color to a mostly white room. 

A linen floral slipcover has been removed to show off the warm red leather 
of the deep club chair and ottoman. 

Here's the summer look . . . 

. . . and here's the winter version. 

I've tossed a white sheepskin over the back of the chair 
and added a chunky throw for a cozy feel. 

The white wicker planter has a new look filled with my favorite books 

and swathed with vintage linens. 

(Yes, it's the same stained-glass window. It moves around a lot.)

Some pretty white silk flowers in a copper flower bucket 

and an evocative Paris poster with my red heels add a sultry French mood to the room. 

This room may not be an attic in France but 

it feels cozy, a bit bohemian, and a perfect place to hibernate this winter.

Let it snow!

Only 58 days til Spring!!!

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