...visions of sugarplums...

Well, it's arrived...holiday decorating week. It's a crazy month around our house; my husband's birthday is Christmas Day, and the kid's birthdays are in December, and the first week of January.

I'm also hosting the family dinner here on Boxing Day, since the boys are with their dad's family on the island for Christmas this year. Here is a peek of what I've been doing... more to come yet...

The Holidays at my house are all about the bar and the kitchen...my favorite is champagne and Chambord...with salmon skewers and goats cheese appy's. It's a bit about over-indulgence around here at Christmas.

My husband made this wood log candle holder when he was 8 years old, and it sat on his grandfather's mantle in Anacortes for all of their lives. When he passed away, we brought it home, and it sits on our mantle every Christmas. The candles are from Restoration Hardware, and the little raindeer are from Canadian Tire...yes, love these little guys, and I can change my look next year for the price.

My mom brought me back this nativity scene from Mexico over 10 years ago, and I love it. They remind me of Finnish and Dutch patterns, and are cheerful.

The twig tree from Canadian Tire is perfect for displaying the cut chandelier pieces from the Paris flea market. I thought I would put them on the main tree, but need to get some more on my next trip to make any impact. I love the way the light bounces around them, especially the faceted ones.

I have collected Santas for a few years...

















Some of my tree decorations...my tree stays pretty much the same every year...no garland, no tinsel, just a growing collection of sentimental ornaments. This year I didn't get a fresh tree. I have a new car, so I didn't want to clean up the needles for months to come, and I have a heat vent in the only spot I have for a tree, so I went artificial, slim and tapered.

I like the look, but you really have to spend upwards of 500 dollars for a good artificial tree. I like the fact that it is pre-lit though! I always dreaded that part. Since I have boys, I have been the sole decorator in my house. They would put a couple of ornaments on the tree, and then wanted to play in boxes, so it's nice to get the part done quickly, and get on to the decorating. Nowadays they come in the room, give their critique, and eat the candy, and be on their way.

I just love these two in multicoloured glass...they remind me of the sixties, and my mom's tree decorations...the indented ones are the the best.

Others that are very special are the snowman frame with a picture of my sister and my first baby within an hour of his birth...he's now 21. Gheesshh.
Crocheted skates with paperclips as the blades...these are from my Nana Tyne in Cape Breton; she also made me mittens, boots, icicles...all crocheted.
The little paper stars are Danish and from the mother of my first husband, Sigrid. I found others at IKEA, but they were much larger. I cherish these little ones. She has great taste.

We made little pipe cleaner ornaments a long time ago, when the kids were little; I'll never get rid of these things...and love the memories they provoke.











The fun continues today...Happy Holidays to you!

Iittala's Taika Collection

While in Amsterdam, I visited the Iittala store at De Bijenkorf, and bought these amazing dishes from the Taika collection.

We received Arabia mugs for our wedding from a friend of my husband's over ten years ago with crazy characters on them...they always made me laugh. I have come to find out they actually depict the characters of Moomin Valley by author Tove Jansson... and are just darn cute.

I purchased the Ivory Taika dishes, although I loved the black and white as well. It would have been easier in hindsight to have bought them here, but I have this thing about making things more difficult.

With Christmas around the corner, I can only imagine how beautiful the red dishes would look on the table :)

"Taika means ‘magic’ in Finnish, and Designer Klaus Haapaniemi wanted his illustrations to inspire your own imagination and storytelling."

I'm having my morning coffee out of it now...I like the shape and the creamy colour of ivory with splashes of red. It says allot about me...Bohemian, rustic and bold to the point of just enough ;)

penthouse update, storm watching, christmas decorating

I am spending this weekend in Ucluelet, looking after a client's house while they are in Vegas. This has given me a chance to check on the Penthouse progress at the Moorage. These are private clients separate from the Moorage contract. It's coming along beautifully.

Sometimes it's the collaboration with the client that gets the best results. They have a very European aesthetic, and I had to get my head around what they wanted, and keep resale value in mind. The result is a very trim and moulding heavy look, with dark marbles and a 48"medallion in the entry. You can see the dwgs I did a few months ago here.

You've seen the home where I am staying many times on my blog, and know the client and I have become close friends. While they are away, I am decorating the house for Christmas; here are some pics of my progress. It's a great house to decorate, and with fir, cedar, spruce and pine readily available, it has been lots of fun.

Last night the storm watching (and listening) was amazing...you can never get the full feeling from pictures, but you can imagine the sound of the ocean. There was such a storm, that the outdoor microphone was crackling and moss and pine cones were hitting the windows :0

Today, I sit, on the edge of a continent, facing the sea, listening to Carla Bruni, typing a blog entry and drinking a diet coke.

Life is good