Winter Vignettes or “How I beat the post-Christmas decorating blues.”

It is a well-documented fact that many of us dread the post-Christmas “blah” that is our home décor.  For many folks, it is the dread of the process of preparing our Christmas decorations for another 11 months of storage—that is part of my issue.  The larger dread, however, is due to the seemingly stark appearance of my house once I’ve stowed all of the greenery, lights and ornaments.

I guess that’s why my post-holiday decorations have begun multiplying and taking on a life force of their own.  I have started using many of the items I would normally display or store in our china hutch and making them a focal point.

I have also started collecting pictures with winter scenes—anything with snow will do.  This includes my every growing collection of vintage photos of children dressed in their snowsuits or finest winter coats.  (Credit for this idea goes solely to Auntie Bliss!)

My winter Santos fairy takes center stage on our living room mantel.

This year I’ve added a frosty bird’s nest or two, some pinecone candles and faux bare braches with hints of frost, as well.  as I’ve mentioned before, my velvet pumpkins are always on display, as evidenced here on the mantel . . .

. . . and here on a side table . . .

I am not a big fan of using hearts in my decorating.  {I blame this on the fact that I had started setting-up our first household  when country-style decorating was at the height of popularity, thus explaining my aversion to ducks and geese, as well.} I will, however, make the exception for vintage hearts and any hearts embellished with real glass glitter!

As I mentioned in my post yesterday, I am making a concerted effort to carve out a little time in my schedule to nurture my creativity.  I’m finally acknowledging creativity takes many forms (more on that later), but the form I am referring to at the moment is that which requires the use of scissors, glue, ephemera and other bits and bots; thus, the decorative bottles seen in this vignette.

I used these great bottles, which formerly contained a very nice bourbon, and decorated them with pages of a very old music book, vintage Valentines and ribbon.  My dining room table has been a wreck for two weeks as I disassembled Christmas, sorted through end-of-year papers and periodically applied Mod Podge  and tied ribbon to these bottles.

For my final winter offering, I will leave you with this . . .

I hope you are enjoying your winter décor as much as I am enjoying mine.  I’d love to hear about the ways you beat the doldrums, so please share.

Again and always, I thank you for your indulgence.

a merry “little” Christmas

it is December 3rd and I’ve yet to post a picture about the Christmas décor you will find at Hodgepodge, so here goes . . . a little Hodgepodge Christmas, before it’s all gone!

We have a variety of decorative accessories to help you create a traditional table setting or a vignette for your sofa table.  The vintage style “Merry Christmas” sign looks great on the table top, but will hang nicely on the wall, as well.  (We also have a super-sized sign for your lawn or house.)

Here is our Christmas blessing Santos; she holds a glittered silver egg.  This table combines soft greens with mercury glass, glitter silver bell garland and a few rustic touches, as well.

 

The snowy scene on our black and white transferware plates will carry your table settings through the winter.  The simple wreath is a perennial favorite of ours—perfect for a place setting or as a decorative accent on the back of your dining chairs.

 

I’ve said it before, put “it” under a cloche and elevate “it” to place of special interest—doesn’t matter what “it” is! 

These ceramic skates with a mercury glass finish are lovely on their own, but under glass they are truly special.

 

A touch of  sparkle with the glass glitter “Noel.”

These mercury glass canisters are perfect for year ‘round use, but especially appreciated during the holidays.  Incorporate them into a display of vintage ornaments and accents or put them to practical use storing pens and other desktop needs. 

It wouldn’t be Christmas at Hodgepodge without a suitable amount of  burlap!  These burlap trees, matching wreaths and distressed iron finials add a touch of rustic elegance to this display.

 

Here is a pair of winter white owls—perfect for perching in a bookcase.  I would put them on a stack of books and surround them with greenery.   

 

This year we have an nice selection of tree toppers.  Here’s my favorite, a paper cone adorned with  a glitter bird on a nest and a “NOEL” banner. 

 

I plan to post some pictures of our trees in the coming days, but first I need to google tips for photographing Christmas trees.  (Tips provided here are more than welcome, as well!)

Thanks for your indulgence!

Time for thanks

was it just last week?  it seems like at least a month ago.
we gathered together—family and friends—to celebrate the national day of gratitude.
the menu was much the same as it always:   turkey, dressing and the rest, but this year we tried a few new recipes.  my favorite among the new dishes was the the cranberry relish.  it was a last minute recommendation from my mom—she had enjoyed it when our friend, sherry, prepared it last year.  a quick search on the epicurious website yielded the recipe we sought.  a few improvisations made it my new favorite.  I’ll share it below, but first a few shots of our dining room on the big day.







Okay, the recipe . . .
Cranberries in Bourbon

• 
  1 pound (about 4 cups) cranberries
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup bourbon

Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine first 3 ingredients in 9x13-inch baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake until cranberries are tender and sugar is dissolved, stirring once, about 1 hour. Remove from oven and stir in bourbon. Refrigerate cranberry sauce until well chilled. (Can be prepared 1 week ahead.) Transfer to bowl and serve.
Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Bourbon-Cranberry-Sauce-2715#ixzz2DuEYh53B
my changes:
I used two packages of cranberries (didn’t measure); 1 cup sugar and one cup of light brown sugar; the cinnamon and I added about 2 tablespoons of finely chopped, fresh ginger root to the roasting process. 
it was delicious!
the other change this year was that I prepared the turkey using a brining method.  I am sold!  we always smoke our turkey—as we did this year—and I love it prepared this way.  the additional step of brining made the turkey even more moist and tender—if that is possible.  the brining ingredients are simple, but there are a lot of them—so I made it simple by using a prepared jar of brining spice I purchased at our local culinary shop, Ingredients.
Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Bourbon-Cranberry-Sauce-2715#ixzz2DuEQc0Ue
Thanks for your indulgence,

it takes a Friendly Village

This is my second attempt, in as many days, to write a blog post.  I actually wrote one, but it turned so long and pathetic, I decided to  trash it and start over.

I have, instead, decided to share the best part.

On Saturday, in between all of the “have to” stuff, I decided to make a run to one of my favorite antique shops.  It was actually a “have to,” too, because I was looking for the some props for my window display.  I plan to hang the plate rack I painted at The Hayloft and I was trying to decide what would look best displayed on it.  Then I thought of my favorite dishes.  Sure, I could have used something I already had in inventory, but where’s the fun in that?!?

I’ve decided to transition my window from fall to Christmas the week of Thanksgiving.  I mean, it’s bad enough that I already have five fully decorated Christmas trees!  Anyhoo, the plans for the windows are coming together and they will involve:

Anyone who knows me, knows of my affinity for Johnson Brothers Friendly Village.  It is the pattern I use to set my tables for any event from November through February.

 

I bought 8 more dinner plates, cereal bowls and bread & butter plates.

Those square salad plates . . . my first!  Love them.

A box full of a variety of loot.  The Pilgrim’s Progress book is for my personal collection—it’ll be part of my Thanksgiving display at the house.

 

Love this turkey platter with gold trim.  The beauty of Friendly Village is the variety of color mixed with the fact that it doesn’t have a Christmas specific theme, but the snowy scenes imply the holidays.  The blue  trim on this platter will blend quite well.

 

The mugs are a first, too.  I’ve never had them before. 

Well, there you have it.  The beginnings of a winter window . . .

Thanks for your indulgence.

A Country French Vignette

I left for our family vacation on the 29th of June. During the week prior to that Friday, I was running around like the proverbial “chicken without a head” trying to prepare for a week-long absence.

You see, I guess I have a bit of an ego. I like to think Hodgepodge needs me. Upon my return, it was painfully obvious I am superfluous to this operation.

Before I left, I made sure I put the finishing touches on the Chalk Paint™ decorative paint finish I was laboring over for this display case. I then rolled it into place and left notes for Patty to make it look good . . . boy, did she!

Here is the display I found when I walked through the doors Saturday morning . . .

Patty put together a Country French vignette to inspire!   (By the way, is anyone able enlighten me as to why we say “Country French” rather than “French Country?)

From these favorite melamine dinner and sandwich plates, to the soy wax candle, ensconced in a willow holder—the scene oozes French influence.

Our signature mixed-pattern silver plate flatware sets represent the casual elegance you’ll find in countryside of France.

The beverage urn makes it easy to serve your favorite fruit blend beverages. The Moroccan tea glasses, decorated in gold plate represent the “citizen of the world” feel so many Frenchmen/women can claim.

This reproduction ladder shelf represents the French ingenuity for repurposing items into an unexpected use—such as here, when it doubles as a server.

Evidence of my style—our velvet pumpkins can still be found throughout the store. They provide the perfect decorative accent for our transferware dinner plates. Note the bucolic scene as the plate’s décor—a beautiful half-timber home being the focus.

More transferware in brown to contrast the display shelf of our one-of-a-kind piece (a custom design), I’ve painted in Chalk Paint™ in Provence and French Linen. How a propos!

This display of books in a wire basket really caught my eye.

A few items common to a French pantry, a crusty loaf of bread, fresh cream (in the ceramic cow creamer) and eggs from the barn. The covered glass dish is perfect for the cheeses synonymous with the country!

Let’s step back and take another look.

Is your eye drawn to that barley twist lamp? Of course it is! I love the pillar stands constructed from railing balusters. Let’s get a closer look . . .

Oh yeah—still love.

There you have it. Patty is one talented lady and I am redundant.

Here’s hoping this means I can get away for more vacations!

Let me know what you think of the display or if you have any questions.

Thanks for your indulgence!

Arranging Furniture While Hanging Decorations

(This was my article for Dec 18th—getting there, getting there!)

Well, I’m at about 70% completion with my decorating efforts at the house. By the time you read this, I have to be done, because I will have company coming to the house in the evening. (The great motivator—company is coming!)

I have been diligently working each evening after I get home from work; trying to slip in a few minutes each morning before I leave for the shop, too. Why is it, at times like these, when there is so much to be done, do I decide to make things more complicated and confused?

“Such as . . .?” you may ask. Well, I’ll tell you. Such as reconfiguring the furniture lay-out in the living room. Not necessary, but I had a bee in my bonnet, so now the sofa is facing the fireplace, not the TV. I also put away my computer table. I had purchased one of those old typewriter tables on casters, thinking it was a great idea to use it for my laptop—I could just roll it to the side when I wasn’t using it. The problem was, I never rolled it to the side, so there it sat in the middle of the living room. Not sure I love the new layout, but I think that’s the sofa, not the arrangement. I’ll wait to make my decision after all of the Christmas storage boxes are put away—hopefully when I get home from work tonight.

So while this created a little more work when I should have been adding ornaments to our tree, I may have come up with a solution to my room feeling a little off balance for so long. The sofa was too long for the space of the wall where we’ve had it since we moved here. A portion of the back was blocking a portion of the window on that wall. Now, the chair sits squarely in front of the window, which looks better—more balanced.

(The new layout—couldn’t find a “before,” for comparison, but I believe this works better.  That’s my nephew in the chair and the cooler is a football day allowance.)

Now that I think about it, I usually try different arrangements in the house during the holidays. Usually it’s out of necessity—we have to put the tree somewhere, right? But often, it’s just to try a new look. Sometimes it returns to pre-Christmas arrangements, but there have been a few successes which we’ve permanently adopted.

Unlike me, you’ve probably already made all of your adjustments and tried the new arrangements, but if not, you might consider a different layout for the holidays. Make a cozy conversation corner with two chairs and a table. Change the “U” shape of your furniture arrangement to face the tree or the fireplace, rather than the TV. Try something new over your mantle—several vintage mirrors arranged so they’re leaning against the wall and each other. You can enlarge some family photos—perhaps taken in the snow—print them in black & white, then have them mounted to foam core for an inexpensive eye catching focal point. Either of those arrangements will carry you into the New Year, too!

If you’re looking to add a few final touches to your décor, try adding garland and bows. When in doubt, that inexpensive wired pine garland is my go-to decorative touch. It’s on top of our kitchen cabinets, intertwined in our chandeliers and draped around the tops of wardrobes. The bows add an “I thought of everything” touch to the house, as well. Tie bows—big ones, don’t skimp—around anything needing a little boost. Put them in your house plants; tie them around candles and the dog’s collar.

(This is the regular, everyday arrangement atop our German wardrobe—all I did was add some garland—tah dah . . . Christmas!)

(Same thing here in the kitchen—a little pine garland mixed with a white berry garland.)

I have one last inexpensive tip for the dining room. You can put a festive bow on your dining chairs by using 2 – 3 yards or tulle. Two yards will yield a nice square knot on the back of your chair; three yards will allow for a bow. If you don’t know how to tie a pretty, simple bow—google it. In either case, you can accent it with a sprig of holly, pine or rosemary from the garden.

I hope you’ve found enough time to do everything you wanted to do for your holiday decorating. Rest assured the day will come and all will be fine—even if you didn’t get the guest room painted.

Here are a few shots of the décor around our our house.  These were take after the fact—January 1st to be exact, so they’re looking a little rough for wear.  be kind!

One last picture, that dining room tablecloth I mentioned a while ago—the one that I was going “to make or pay someone to make it for me.”  Well, I ended up paying and it was well worth it!  Thanks to Vicki Aebischer for her skilled sewing and sense of adventure, I have my beautiful new tablecloth!

One more post before I can post the one that was published in the LC today.  The light is at the end of the tunnel.

Thanks for your indulgence!