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Happy New Year to all of you! I hope the new year brings joy and lots of creativity ! I've spent the holiday planning new projects for the year to come but I think I'll continue well into 2009 with all the inspiration I've been receiving lately!
Here is some inspiration for you Take a look at at the weird and wonderful creations at Urban Flower/Grange hall !
Or actually at my house everyday is a cleaning day right now.... I feel a bit insane, but with two big Rottweilers its not easy to keep it nice... A friend once told me "If you had to choose would you have a spotless home or Hector and Luna? " Of course I would choose my dogs!! And I have learnt to relax, and a few paw prints in the hallway never killed anyone ;-) If you asked me the same question about my messy husband however, I would at least take some time to consider it ;-)!!! No, seriously, a spotless home is no fun to be in without a husband and two Rottweilers to mess it up! Anyway I try my best, and by putting on some nice music, a cool little apron, and using some good tools I actually find it quite enjoyable. In these party hosting times, here is a small tip that I learnt from my grandmother: To get your tabel linen (or bed linen) really white, boil it for about an hour in a mixture of water, salt and baking soda. I do it to all my linens when I feel they've turned a bit yellow and it work wonders. Sara: Thanks for the reminder!! :-) The measurement is not exact, but I fill one huge pot with about 8 - 10 l water and add 1/2 cup salt, and 1/2 cup baking soda. Then I boil it for about an hour. Rinse and dry. If its really bad, I might even add bleach to the water and leave overnight before rinsing. If the fabric is too delicate to bleach try leaving it out in the sun for a few days after rinsing.
I'm back :-) Thank you so much for all the nice and heart-warming Christmas greetings! I sooo appriciate it! This is such a nice and relaxing holiday, and I'm not going back to work until 3 of January! Jippi! We celebrated Christmas with my family, and it was a really lovely Christmas eve, with nice people, wonderful food, and really thoughtful gifts ;-) (For some reason, every Christmas my mum gives me beautiful and sizzeling hot french lingerie from Chantell or my favourite Princesse Tam Tam. I'm beginning to think its a hint , and that she thinks its time she got some grandchildren ;-) Christmas day was also celebrated with family and friends. For once we've not been hosting any Christmas parties, which has given me the time to do nothing except watching old christmas movies on tv, playing with the dogs and spending quality time with my husband. I love it! The image above is from the January 2007 Veranda (One of my fav. magazines. Sooo many great images!) If I were hosting a New Years eve party I would be serving those blue cupcakes! Luckily I'm not, so more time for relaxing! I know I sound lazy right now...but its the holidays that makes me this way ;-)
I just want to take the opportunity to thank everyone who has visited my blog these two months I've been posting, and I want to wish you all a Merry Christmas! I've truly enjoyed communicating with you and I'm so grateful to everyone who has left me comments! It is so inspiering and encouraging. I'm also a regular reader of many of your blogs, and I'm so thankful for all the inspiration I've received from you.I hope to get to know all of you even better in the year to come, and I will continue posting from my house, my craft, my garden and from all the inspirational sites I find out there. Tomorrow is Christmas eve here in Norway (We have our celebration on Christmas eve here in Scandinavia) so I'll not be posting, but I'm back again on the first day of Christmas! I hope you have a wonderful christmas with your families, friends and animals!
Regards,
Monica
M&Co - Around The House
My parents are so nice. They had an old chair in the attic, planning to throw it away. However before they did my mum asked if I would like it. I've always loved the classic shape of the chair, so ofcourse I said yes. Then my mother told me I could pick a fabric from KA International, and she would have her it reupholstered, unless I wanted her to buy me a new chair!? I chose the old chair. It's something special about reupholstering an old chair and picking the perfect fabric. You can see the result below. My picture do not do it justice tough, asthe fabric is weaved with silver threads.. Anyway my mum got her neighboor to do the work, and he put everything else aside, working with an injured hand to get it done by Christmas (Ofcourse I was horrified as I had told him to take all the time he needed and more..) And now its here! Which ment I had some last minute redecorating to do! And above are some pictures of the result :-)
My grandmother always had a passion for tabelware, and when my mum got married she got a full set from Porsgrunn Porselen, as my grandmother got a beautiful green tabelwareset from Willroy & Boch from her mother when she married my grandfather. My grandmother was always planning what tabelware to give me when I got married. Even tough I married quite young (23) my grandmother had passed away when I was to be married, but my mum knew that she had really wanted to give me this, so for my wedding she bought this gorgeouse tabelware set "Contrasts" from Wedgwood from my grandmother and grandfather. Using this tabelware now makes me so touched and gives me the feeling of beeing close to them again. Its also part of the story that I later was given my grandmothers green tableware from my mother. The glasses is from Stuart Chrystal, and is also from my grandmother. When I lived in the Uk, she gave me money every birthday and christmas to collect these.
Looks like we're having a white Christmas! Jippi! I was so nervous as I've been waiting for snow all of December. I really do'nt get that "christmas feeling" until its snowing! So I'm sharing some wintery white pictures with those of you who is still waiting for the snow! :-) (Look at my "baby" Luna, is'nt she cute in her Saks Fifth Avenue white cashmere scarf...hihi, no its mine, and she is only allowed to borrow it for this picture ;-))
Ps! My computer is up and running again, so I'll be posting through Christmas :-)
Here in Scandinavia we have a strong tradition with nisser. They are not like Santa claus, actually I think the only thing they have in common is that they are important at Christmas, and they both wear a red hat ;-) The Norwegian nisse is part of a large hidden nisse community. Every farm and household have at least one. During the year they take care of the household animals, but only if you've been treating them well. If not they will do all sorts of mischiefs (Some quite drastic like poisening the hay for the animals etc.) For this reason every Christmas we leave a bowl of rice porridge with butter, sugar and cinnamon outside for nissen to eat. As you might have noticed my house is quite nisse free (At least that I know of) however for my husband nissene are very important, so every year there are complaints on the lack of nisser. So for house peace I bought a white santa (1) but my husband was not happy as this was clearly Santa and not a nissen......it was'nt even red...... Then I bought a more rustic, red one ....but again my husband complained that this was not a nisse ...so in the end I had to give in and get the real thing (3) I think he's already up to something ..... ;-) For a traditional Norwegian nisse Haslenissen is making the same nisse today as the one they created 50 years ago.
Welcome to my holiday home! I hope you enjoy the tour. For more Holiday decorated houses visit Notes from A Cottage Industry or BooMama's Christmas Tour 2007
If you want to se the images in a larger size,click on them and they will pop up in a new window.
My green, white and silver christmas tree!
The ornaments are a mixture of bought and created. I collect white and silver decorations, so I can change the "theme" color each year. This year its bright green :-)
White/Nature Christmas wreath with deers
No christmas without fresh flowers. I love fresh flowers and during christmas I have boquets everywhere like here in a giant urn my husband bought me som years ago.
The fresh green color of white lilys before they bloom tie well in with my green christmas theme. Another good thing is that they are really long lasting ;-)
Christmas sweets for you!
One last peek ;-)
Thanks for visiting me! Have a wonderful Christmas!
To all my friends and everyone leaving comments; I will reply on your comment, but I'm having some computer trouble at home so I have to use the work computer after hours, so be patience with me :-) To all my dear blogging friends I really miss your wonderful, inspirational blogs! I sneak peek from work but its not the same as having lots of time browsing your site, talking to you etc.
My beautiful niece, my two cute Rottweilers (Hector & Luna) and myself :-)
I've been looking everywhere for clean white christmas bulbs, but could not find it anyware. Friday I had a friend from work over for dinner and I was sooo delighted when she had heard me saying this and bought me a whole box of these huge white and shiny white bulbs! Perfect for my tree!
I also got this really cute scroll of the Christmas gospel in French. Its so beautiful, and I'm thinking of a special place to have it! Thats all from me for today! On Wedensday I'll show you lots of pictures from my home as part of the Virtual Holiday Home tour. (See last post) I hope to see many of your houses there too?!
