Happy New Year 2012

 Wishing you all a wonderful,colour full! new start!

 This year I hope to be braver with my colour choices:

 Inspired to take on clever projects big and small:

And not be afraid to climb that staircase!
Success is not a doorway but a staircase.
 So let's take one step at a time..............

Christmassy snippets from my home

 With all this pink thinking .....I fell for it and indulged my two girls/myself for two mini pink trees to decorate the landing in front of their bedrooms! Needless to say they love them :) Yes papa, girls need pink christmas trees!!

 And then I fell upon this little christmas star.......the last one all alone on a shelf. How could I resist?

 A liitle chalet settled at the foot of this huge "snowy " cake mountain!

 And hand made gifts that will never arrive in Dublin on time :{  Sorry Andrew I didn't want to forget you)

 Experimenting with my new ceramic paint pen....... I'll make portraits of the whole family on plates!!!!!

                                                          New Christmas tablescape.

                                                         Paper trees and jacinthes

                                          Flower soon please and show all your white glory..........

 I love the smell of jacinthes and once they've  bloomed each year I plant them outside so now in the spring time I have quite a collection!! Love.

                                         The end ................................................for now! :)

Think pink!

 Don't you think a pink christmas would be just dandy?!!

 Loving those big furry floor cushions and that little munchkin. Wouldn't mind one of those!!

And who said you have to play it safe? Be daring and see the results are just inspiring. What do you think? I'd  love to know. :)

Christmas workshop

 At the coffee shop this week-end we held our first adult workshop!

 It was great fun. Everyone seemed pleased to have come and stayed an hour after it was over!

 The theme was table art: how to prepare a festive table on a budget!

 The first table presented had a natural vibe with linen tablecloths and little olive branches to mark places.

 And a painted branch as a center piece. A simple idea that doesn't cost much but gives a poetique feel.

 Next up a more traditional style with red and green but wth a simple leopard twist which modernises the look.

 Unexpected but that's how I like it!

 Making a flower arrangement with hedge finds and supermarket flowers is cost efficient and beautiful at the same time.

Mixing up old and new plates.

Next and last a "fun" table with gigerbread biscuits and the Christmas trees that we made earlier.

Christmas baubles scattered on the table. Easy, cheap and charmante.

 Making these stylised Christmas trees are so easy to make.

 Made with old magazines(or books if you're brave enough).

 It's a very simple fold technique. My daughters who are 11 and 8 years old loved making them.

 You could leave them as are or spray paint and glitter them as we did whatever colour your going for this year

Cute in groups. Check out The happy home blog (actually it's called kidspot) but I found the link via her beautiful blog, for instructions and other christmas craft ideas!!

Pre-Christmas concert

 Total enthusiasm!!

 There he is in action!

Madamoiselle is getting ready. This was her first ever concert.

Look at those rosey red cheeks! They betray her every time she is shy or embarresed or in this case totally stressed out.

She did a wonderful job. She only started in  September and we are so proud of her.

Lots of memories to keep in our hearts.

Christmas decorating and winter cozy

 It's that cozy time of the year again. Cosy, that is if you happen to have a warm wood fire burning.

 Last year at this time of the year I had a little taste of how horrible it is to be cold. Those of you living on the southern hémisphere are the lucky ones not to experience such low temperatures that we have here every year. For nearly one, whole day I was unable to get our fire going and I was wearing my coat inside and making survival trips to Ikea to keep warm! Finally a freind came to the rescue and it felt SO good to be warm again. I certainly don't envie people living on the streets in winter here in France, although really, there is no reason for anyone to be out in the cold here as the French infrastructure is excellent in providing shelter for those in need. I am very thankful for the warmth our wood stove gives us.  

 The christmas decorating has started here with these dramatique sort of gold leaves I picked up for a song. Big effect for little. I like that! Don't they look Kelly Wearstler worthy?

 And here is a peak at our table scape with the last hydrangeas from our garden.
Now it's time for a early Christmas concert for the kids, more on that later!