A Christmas Carol ( not a Scrooge in sight!)

As promised here is, on my last post of the year, a feature on Christmas.

I think I said in a previous post, I am not one for restraint at Christmas. Not for me the single coloured tree with a few bits here and there.  Raffia, string and brown paper is just not me. Christmas is all about tasteful excess, if that is not an oxymoron

So here is my Christmas tree with, as mentioned before, the thirty or so 19th century to 1950′s baubles ( all glass and terribly frightening )! I don’t know how many glass baubles I have in total but it must be in excess of 100.The really old ones were bought, for my Grandfather, in the 19th century when this sort of thing was very new in the U.K. Then I have all my childhood and my Mother’s childhood baubles and some from my brother Ian’s, who is twelve years younger than me- so they are late 60′s, early 70′s.

e Some of my early decorations in their original box and the incredibly fragile tissue paper.

The 60's and 70's

On the tree you will see some hand made cones which I’ve done this year. These will be handed out to friends as they come and go over the season and will be filled with sweets and chocolates, as they would have been in the Victorian era.

A Victorian type cone.

My Christmas Tree and candlebridge

Some cones made with Stampin Up papers

These I get from my friend Jenny who is a demonstrator for Stampin’ Up – a wonderful company supplying stamps and papers, dies and punches and much more. Go and have a look.

A cone nestling in my tree branches

No…I don’t do this…”less is more mullarky!”

Below you will see what I have done to the mantelpiece and hearth.

All white, silver and iridescent

You might just be able to see the lovely figure of a reindeer made in wire which my husband bought me many years ago. Bea, as she is known, ( because she is a HIND) comes out every year and sits in the fireplace. She will be surrounded with tiny tea lights come Christmas Eve.

I have a large collection of silvered glass and the ( real antique mercury glass ), items. They too come into their own at Christmas on the mantel.

In the Dining room, I decorate with pale blue and silver with a touch of pearl. The room is painted a duck egg blue and the curtains are a pale gold silk so it all blends well. The flowers lights were a present last year from a good friend and were an absolute find. I hang my collection of tiny blue baubles from it nowadays.

The blossom lights and Fairy Floss ( left)

I used to make bespoke Christmas Tree Fairies for Harrods, Fortnums and General Trading years ago and one of these sits on the bookcase. She is the last of her kind and Christmas just wouldn’t be right without Fairy Floss.

I drape a magnolia and hellebore garland over the dining room doorcase and Mabel ( our lovely Maple and Co bureau ) gets a pearl and glass leaf garland too. Remind me to polish the silver on top!

The dining room

The Hall is a painted a fantastic colour called Pale Hound by Farrow and Ball. It changes colour with the light (or lack of it ) and really comes into it’s own at Christmas when I add a lot of red and green. I made the doves last year and added a fake garland with mistletoe ( to catch people as they enter or leave!) round the light. You can see that Delphi Dog has her own hand made stocking. < yes well….ahem>

The photo is rather light but it's very atmospheric really.

And she also has her own advent calendar in which ( you’ve guessed it ) reposes a bone a day! That too I made for her in patchwork. Some days we forget…and then she has a whole load of them all in one day! ( Don’t tell the vet).

The advent tree

So there you have it…. Christmas in the dummy board house!

And talking of dummy boards…a while back one of my loyal readers, Penny,  sent me some super photos of Christmas figures she has made over the years. Santas and Winter characters, every one. I thought you might like me to share them with you?

THANK YOU PENNY.

All that remains is for me to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to my loyal readers and to those who have dipped in and out all year. May you, whatever you do at Christmas, have a fun filled time.

See you in the New Year when we shall once again put our toes into the murky waters of the 17th century and plumb the depths of the crepuscular world that is the home of the dummy board figure….

MERRY CHRISTMAS

My Christmas siting room.

And my ONE concession to  Christmas religiosity? The medieval carol…brought up to date…

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