I'm Dreaming of an Aqua Christmas . . .

Or should I say aaahhhhqua Christmas?!!?



Oh my goodness, do I love this color!!















I just love the aqua glittered butterfly and the pretty little silver bird. So pretty on this little white tree!!

Feather trees are my favorite and I decorate with several of them around the house for the holidays.


Mine are too small to hang bulbs from which is fine because the simplicity of the little trees alone is perfect to me.






I could look at these little glittered houses all day!!









I can't wait to display my collection for the holidays. I actually keep them out all year 'round. I leave them on top of my kitchen cabinets. I just can't get myself to pack them away in boxes!!

Who needs "silver bells" when you can have "aqua bells" ?!!?

Now . . . what color to do next?

Many blessings ~ Wendy

I'm Dreaming of a Pink Christmas . . .

I recently listed the sweetest Melissa Frances pink bottle brush Christmas trees in my Etsy shop . The holidays are so not just about red and green anymore. I thought it would be fun to pick a different color each week until Christmas to see what kind of decor I can find in that particular shade. Of course, I just HAD TO start with pink!!

To be honest, I was never a really big fan of the color pink until the last couple of years. I don't even really know what made me decide to like it more than just a little. I think it may have been when I discovered blog land and all of the pink photos that people post and all of the pink goodies that people create. When I fell, I fell HARD!!

How can you not help but adore pink vintage ornaments? I had several of them on my tree until last year when my tree fell over and we lost a lot of our delicate decorations. Needless to say, it was very sad. I was lucky enough to find a wonderful Estate Sale early on in the summer and found a fantastic bunch of vintage ornies. And, some of them were pink!!! : )

I don't think I could get myself to put up a pink Christmas tree but I certainly love to look at them and love to see when other people have put them up.

Could you imagine a whole forest of these?!!?

I collect these glittery houses and keep them out all year round. I like to add one to my collection each season. I haven't looked for any yet this year. I think I'll have to make that a priority. I've found some wonderful ones in Marshall's the last couple of years. If you wait until after Christmas, they are marked down about 80 percent!!

Couldn't you just look at this picture all day?!!?

Now what color should I pick next?

Hmm . . .

Many blessings ~ Wendy

A Little Bit of a Saturday Rant . . .

Since the middle of October, whenever I look out my front window, my view has been a Christmas wreath hanging on my neighbor's garage door. At first I thought he put it there because it was new and he wanted to see how it looked. As each day passed and it was still hanging there I realized that it was there to stay. My neighbor also put up his icicle lights at the same time. He hasn't had them lit and I know plenty of people that keep their unlit Christmas lights up all year round so that was okay. We are in New York and it gets pretty cold by December. I truly understand the whole light thing but it takes two seconds to put up a wreath. Why would anyone want to decorate for Christmas before Halloween?!!?

I thought about how I would feel about this if he was a kind and friendly neighbor. Would it bother me as much or would I be able to tolerate it more? I can honestly say it would bother me just as much. Did he put out any Halloween decorations? Nope. Not even a pumpkin. Is he skipping Thanksgiving this year? Not sure about that. Odds are he's not.

We have another neighbor who has his entire house decorated to the nines, including Santa and his sleigh on his roof, before Thanksgiving. I haven't noticed any decorations there yet but his next door neighbor already has faux greens and a big red bow around their lamp post.

Yesterday, while driving home from a wonderful new thrift shop that I found (pictures of findings will be forthcoming) I saw a very large house decorated from top to bottom with greens, red bows, Christmas lawn ornaments and lights. I couldn't believe my eyes!!

Is it just me or is anyone else greatly disturbed by people decorating for Christmas in October and early November? I offered some of the neighborhood kids $10.00 if they would take my neighbor's wreath off of his garage and then thought better of it when they all jumped at the chance. I guess that wouldn't have made me a very good role model, huh? : ) I was actually quite serious about it but then "mature and responsible" Wendy (oh, how I hate her sometimes!!) popped into my head and I had to tell the kids I was only kidding even though I really wasn't.

On the grand scale of things, this really is no big deal and I understand that. I've been thinking about why this bothers me so much and I think I've figured it out. I guess I think of decorating your home for Christmas as part of the celebration of the season of lights. There's something special and sacred about winter solstice and what many people believe to be the time of the birth of Jesus. No matter what your beliefs, lots of us have rituals and traditions that are a big part of our families this time of year. I just don't understand how you can put up a wreath in the middle of October and have it feel the same way as if you hung it closer to the holidays. Am I being judgemental? I think I probably am and that's why I needed to write about this. Now I can let it go.

Thanks for "listening" to me. : ) Happy Saturday to you all!!

Many blessings ~ Wendy

Ready or Not Here They Come . . .

I've honestly been trying to block any thoughts of the impending holidays but the reality is that they're just around the corner ~ ready or not. Last nite, we were able to all sit down for a nice Sunday dinner. Since son #1 has gotten older and now has his license this has become more and more of a rare occasion. I'm sure the fact that I was cooking roast beef, homemade mashed potatoes and gravy had a lot to do with him being here. Whatever works!! : ) I took the opportunity to tell them that they had to start making their Christmas lists. Jim and I are going to start doing a little shopping at a time so I don't turn into a crazy woman mid-December when nothing has been done yet. Son #3 still believes in Santa which makes it fun. Son #2 told me last nite that he wishes he still believed because that made Christmas much more exciting then knowing it is your parents that set up all the gifts under the tree. I told him that there is a part of me that will ALWAYS believe there's a Santa and he got a gleem in his beautiful eyes. I think I had just given him permission to feel the same way and that made me very happy. : )

When I was playing around on the computer this morning I found some wonderful pictures of my version of a Country Christmas. Most of these photos came from Country Living magazine, either here in the States or abroad. I hope you enjoy them!!

I just love how Christmas isn't about just red and green anymore. Aqua and white are so pretty and peaceful which is how our holidays should feel.

Isn't this railing so, so pretty? I love how the greens pool at the bottom of the stairs. Everything flows so beautifully.

I loved this adorable country Christmas card holder. It doesn't hold very many cards but I would use it for my extra special ones that I hold onto year after year. I'm always on the lookout for a pretty card holder and have found several nice ones over the years. Currently, I'm using a vintage looking basket that has an old advertisement on the front for Better Homes & Gardens. I think I found it in Target a couple of years ago.

A pretty little Advent calendar that you can

make yourself.

What little girl (or grown up little girl) wouldn't love this fairy stocking?!!?

I hope you have a wonderful day!!

Many blessings ~ Wendy