The House

I've been in my house for 18 months now and I will admit that whilst some progress has been made....it's been slow and I want to get more done!

The kitchen hasn't made much progress in months although I have had the sink unit reinstalled and a door hung - how nice it is to have a kitchen door! 

The hall cupboard no longer has a door (that one was used for the kitchen) so I have had some shelfs installed and created a small coat hanging/shoe storage area. 

I started stripping all the doors so now I have semi stripped doors all over the house! 

Last weekend I bought some new towels and things for the bathroom.....so now I know that I want to paint it grey and white to replace the hideous mustard colour that the previous owner left.

I love the "Chalk Town" pattern from Marks and Spencer so much that I also bought bedding the same!

Oh Christmas Tree

The tree is decorated, I've finished work for the holidays....Christmas is a coming!

The tree is decorated and the lights are bright both inside and out!

Here's a few of my favourite decorations:

This little Inuit was bought at the shop of the Newfoundland and Labrador Craft Council in St Johns, Newfoundland - she and 2 of her sisters came home with me - there was a black felt one for my mum and an orange felt one for my friend Ally. They are beautifully made and I know I will always treasure mine.

The grumpy Christmas panda - made by me with pre-felt and needle felt.

Snoopy and Woodstock - my oldest decoration, given to me by my parents when I was a child. 

Hanukkah Santa - bought at the Christmas Market at the Jewish Museum in Berlin when I went to the Christmas Markets with my friend Allyson and drank gluwhein at 11am and felt a little merry!

And here's the natural Christmas lights from sunrise the other morning!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas Chez Moi

I went to buy my Christmas tree yesterday - it was already netted when I bought it so it was only once I managed to get it in the stand (had to buy 2 of those and take the first one back as the trunk was too fat) that I realised I had a tree that was as wide as it was tall!

I didn't go out with the National Trust today but did do a little tree destruction at home - took quite a number of the branches off the tree just to neaten up it's shape a little.

I always love getting my Christmas decorations out of the boxes, but it was all the more special this year because this is the first time I have had a tree in my flat (well the first time in the flat that I bought last year - my first owned home) as I didn't have a tree last year (too much going on). So out came the box of decorations and with them many happy memories.....

The 3 moose on the tree, one I bought myself when I visited my aunt in New Hampshire, one my mum bought me when she visited my aunt in New Hampshire and one my relatives in Vermont (one of whom died this year) sent me......the Snoopy ornament I have had since I was a child, the Inuit I bought in Newfoundland, the many I've bought at German Christmas markets I visited with my parents or friends in Aachen, Cologne and Berlin, others from Freshly Blended's Annual Ornament Swap .....I am still in search of my "new" decoration for this year.

I love this traditional German decoration that my friend Mariana gave me - it's from Seiffen, a small town in eastern Germany famous for it's Christmas decorations (that have spawned many a cheap imitation).

Here's the mantelpiece - my parents gave me most of these decorations -  apart from the Danish tomten which I bought myself from the Danish Christmas shop 2 years ago. 

Woollie Home

I've been almost a year in my new flat and hmm.....I haven't achieved a great deal - the kitchen is still not finished, the spare room is still more junk receptical than bedroom and there are a few areas in need of some paint......but I have done a few things......

Bought some furniture:

I got this pre-loved Ercol wardrobe at an auction a couple of weeks ago - solid elm and filled with my growing collection of COS clothing (another habit to break!!)

It goes with my coffee table that I bought last year.

My wool has a home in an Ikea Expedit unit with a hint of red..... 4 little drawers full of wool.

My friend went to Japan for 3 weeks - and no I am not the slightest bit jealous ;-) and she left me her tomato plants to look after so I created a little garden in the living room window....not sure that the plants are exactly thriving - but I haven't killed them either!

Woollie House

I bought a new coffee table at auction....well, by definition, it's new to me. It's definitely not new. It's a vintage Ercol Windsor drop leaf coffee table.....and it looks fabulous. Now my only problem is that I have 2 coffee tables in my living room. Is it right to buy a house just to put your coffee table in.......