Bits and pieces! ( Christmas of course!)

 

Life seems to have got in the way of blogging, just lately, and as family takes priority with me, I’ve had to put the blog, and blogging in general, to one side! 

However, I  did manage a few snaps a few days ago when I changed everything on my kitchen dresser…something that I love to do at Christmas. Out comes the, ‘Christmas Village’…the lovely China that I started collecting many years ago when it was first produced. I think that was in 1983 and so it’s 40 years old now!

Meanwhile, other things that I love at Christmas are the Christmas plants. I usually buy a Poinsettia for indoors but this year I thought that I’d go for something different, to ring the changes. I happened to spot this, ‘Ardisia crenata’. It’s tender, so an indoors only plant. Having never owned one, I decided to go ahead and purchase!

The RHS says:

‘A lovely plant to get you into the Christmas spirit with stunning berries, which emerge yellow but turn a bright red as they mature. They hang in clusters and look great offset by glossy green foliage. Perfect for decorating your Christmas table. What's more, as an added bonus in the summer it has small fragrant flowers that last for many months.’

Another of my favourites is the ‘Gaultheria procumbens’ ( below)

I definitely recommend these! I’ve had mine for a few years and they add a lovely festive feel to my outside pots.

The RHS says:

‘The partridge berry or checkerberry is an excellent choice for containers (when potted up using ericaceous compost), but it also makes a handsome ground-covering plant for a shadier spot. It forms a carpet of thick glossy evergreen foliage, which is covered in early summer with white to pale pink flowers. These are followed by aromatic deep red berries (which appear without the need of a pollination partner), and these also put on a good show in autumn.’

I happened to spot these, this week, on offer, and so I grabbed three for extra gifts! Too good a bargain to miss!

Meanwhile, little trips out and about, have certainly stirred the Christmas Spirit in me…

And before I forget, I finally decided on my four, 

‘ New Yorker’  posters!

I just had to choose this one, above!

‘Santa Claus, give a gift’ from The New Yorker, 1937.

And this one, below, of the music hall was so appealing to me; it’s a newer one from The New Yorker,1988.

Next, was this one of the Outdoor Art Festival, from The New Yorker 1959: 

I had to choose a garden themed poster and so this one, from The New Yorker 1977, fell into my basket:

That wasn’t the easiest decision because there are too many from which to choose!

And finally, there’s my Christmas tree!

Last Christmas, I made a bit of a mistake when I bought a new Christmas tree…which was slightly too big for our smaller lounge!

And so when my daughter mentioned that they were looking for a new Christmas tree, I enquired as to what size, and luckily for me (and for her family), mine was ideal for their needs. That sorted and transported to its new abode, I soon found a new tree for our lounge.

I love an old fashioned, traditional tree. I’m not one for colour co-ordinating or gimmicks. What goes on my tree is a mixture of vintage baubles from the 1950s and a few more modern decorations plus anything that I’ve made in the past…such as these little choir boys, of which I once made many for a school, Christmas fair, when my children were little!

So that’s Christmas so far! 

I hope that your festive preparations are going well too! 🌲🧑‍🎄 🌲

The New Yorker!

I really love ‘The New Yorker’ !

‘The New Yorker’ magazine was first published on February 21st 1925. Below is the cover of the first issue, depicting Eustace Tilley, the mascot of the magazine.

Founded by Harold W. Ross, ‘The New Yorker’ is an American weekly magazine, famous for its variety of literature and humour. Initially, its focus was New York’s amusements, social and cultural life, but as time passed, it acquired a broader scope, encompassing literature, current affairs, short fiction, essays, comic drawings, cinema, theatre and book reviews and other arts…and many other topics! It has always appealed to a sophisticated, well educated audience!

 I came across ‘The New Yorker’ around 15 years ago, when I purchased this book, above. It’s a fab book which I love to dip into at Christmas…a proper coffee table book, designed to get you well and truly into the Christmas Spirit!

But that’s not all! 

Posters! 

Unbeknown to me, a few years ago, my son had also discovered ‘The New Yorker’, and he had purchased 4 posters;  he keeps these in one frame and then he changes them every so often.

There are, indeed, a wonderful range of posters that can be purchased! And so when my other half asked what I would like for Christmas, I thought, ‘I know!’ 

Thus, right now, I’m browsing one or two sites that have the most amazing selection of ‘New Yorker’ posters!

What a dilemma..or is it dilemna? ( This is often a discussion in our house!)

Here are just a few:

           I love the variety as well as the history!

Tagging along…

When I was doing the vintage fairs, quite a while ago, especially when the Christmas fairs were held, the halls were quite a sight! 

Reds, greens and golds, were the dominant colours and everything was so bright, colourful, enticing and inspiring, shouting out, ‘Buy me!’ 

I loved doing those fairs and I’d take along my offerings and try to display them to show off their very best side!

And as well as my vintage fabrics, I sold loads of these Christmas themed tags.

I only have 13 remaining and so recently, I decided to team them with some vintage fabrics with a few modern fabrics added to the mix.

I also think that they make lovely gifts for a crafter!

And not only that, quite often I’ll leave something on my work desk for ages, just because I find it so inspiring. And quite often it’s almost too good to want to take apart and use!

So what do you get in these delightful packs?

You get:

* A lovely tag with a selection of 4 vintage trims…according to the photo.  Approx one yard of each trim.

* A fat quarter of modern, cotton fabric as on the left of the photo, measuring approx 22 x 18 ins.

* 8 small pieces of vintage and modern fabrics. These measure 4 ins x 4 ins or 

slightly smaller. 

And as with all of my eBay sales, I always put in a little something ‘ extra’ as a surprise, thank you! 😁

Anyway…I’ve had fun putting these together in the hope that someone might love them as much as I do!

        You’ll find my Christmas gift tags and fabrics 

     here