Sweet November...

Sweet November...for those of us who are Canadian, November is a time to sit back, take a quick breather, and recharge our batteries in preparation for the holiday season. Having celebrated our Thanksgiving in October, we can free our homes of the autumn decor if we choose, and enjoy the relative sparseness of our homes. Having already removed all traces of Halloween, I literally felt a sigh wash over me as I saw my home in its unembellished state. The return of the soothing, calm colours made my home seem more clean to me, and the removal of the excess clutter associated with the holiday soothed my overstimulated senses.

Although I am skipping ahead in my mind to Christmas, I vow to not decorate my home for the holidays too early. I pledge this every year, but somehow, our annual Santa Claus parade inspires me to poke around in my many boxes of Christmas decorations...Usually, by then, the frost is consistently in the air, despite the lack of real snow, and all the holiday music and decorations in the stores puts me even further into the holiday mindset. By the time my birthday rolls around in mid-November, I am not craving the serenity of an unadorned home as much. Slowly, ever so slowly, I bring out the snowy decor that seems perfectly acceptable to display before December 1st. My resolve then crumples, and Sophie is yet to have a birthday (Dec.3) where the house is not decked out for Christmas at least to some degree...

So, for now I will enjoy these calm photos that bear no committment to any holiday...and try to quiet the little voice in my head that whispers "Christmas, Christmas" in a slowly rising voice. November is a great month to start a book or read your favourite magazines...

Sleep in on a Saturday or take a long soak...

Enjoy your fireplace...

Get out your boots for those muddy, slushy days...

**All photos: www.landstil.com

Cheers!

Losing the wood, blue pumpkins, and "scary" crows...

Well, I have been continuing my home improvement frenzy. Fall cleaning, touching up (or completing in some cases) paint jobs, and decorating for Thanksgiving have all added up to a busy two weeks, albeit a very satisfying period. I love to spruce things up, wash my windows (well, I don't actually love doing that...) and declutter drawers and cupboards. Soon, I will be able to pack up all the summer clothes, and pull out the cozy sweaters, blankets and flannel sheets. While I don't love winter and all that comes with it, I do like the coziness of it...the Sunday dinners, lighting my fireplace and sitting there staring at it until I doze off and wake at 2 a.m. (wondering where am I and why is the t.v. still blaring??), even the odd flannel nightie (aka "granny gown"...I know, I know, but sooo cozy!!).
Speaking of fireplaces, I redecorated my mantel for Fall. Not Hallowe'en, but Fall (Hallowe'en comes a bit later). Goodbye seashells and sand dollars and hello candles, crows and blue pumpkin. Yep, blue pumpkin!! I know it sounds crazy, but when I plunked the real (orange) McCoy down on the mantel, it just didn't quite fit with the rest of my decor. Now, I'm not one of those decorating-obsessed mothers who forgets that holidays are really for the little ones, honestly. I have plenty of traditional pumpkins and such for Halloween; but, I like to mix things up, and rarely keep things the same from year to year, decoratively speaking. I love to try a new twist on things, while still respecting the tradition of the holiday. In fact, every Christmas, I alter my "theme" to include a new collection, but more on that later in the season...

So, I stared at that poor pumpkin and decided to spray paint it blue, and while I was at it, why not add a bit of white glitter to it? Why not indeed?? You may think I'm crazy, but I like it!! In fact, it makes me smile every time I enter the room. Isn't that what seasonal decorating is all about? Oh, and it was just screaming out to have a crow adorn it. A big, squawking crow! I also added the little orange pumpkin perched atop the pedestal...both the pumpkin and pedestal I got at the Dollar Store a few years back. They were very generic, so I glittered them up this weekend and I think they look rather fine. The silver dollars I got at the flea market, placed them in a vase, and used Dollar Store orange beads to hide the stems. I like the result...a nice change from the typical mantel arrangement. I like the unexpected...and I search for new ways to introduce it into my home. Let me know what you think!

I thought I'd show you my completed dining table. It was brought to my attention that I never showed a picture of its completed state. I wrote about the table before (if you recall, My Dreaded Project), and although it is not the table and chairs of my dreams, it will likely be with me for awhile and it is greatly improved from its "ugly colour wood" previous state. I also am showing the new Pottery Barn runner my friend, Krissy (a transplanted Bostonian) picked up for me this past weekend. I adore crows (the silent type) and I had to have this beauty when I spotted it in my new catalogue (thanks Chris!!). The runner is cotton and the crows are "velvet" and it is creepy enough to be a great Halloween addition to the room. I am like the Americans after their Thanksgiving, with one exception: while you all (or y'all) are dragging out the Christmas decorations, I am hauling out the witches and ghosts and gearing up for the spookiest time of year. I can't (insert cackling witch laughter) wait!!