The countdown is on now with just 10 days until Christmas!
Grab yourself a cup/glass/or mug of your favourite beverage & let us go on a Christmas tour through the house before the kids start to arrive!
The weather is still being unusual... so much wind with no snow! I know once it starts it is like looking into a snowglobe that just does not settle to see the view inside or in this case, outside.
Last week we had a sleepless night with the wind as Baxter would not settle & barked all through the night. Come morning with the daylight we saw why!
Two very large trees outside the house were blown down, severed from their large trunk, these were healthy trees that were blown over with the winds that night!
This large evergreen was noticed by Bill, it was huge!
Bill cut off some branches for me to attempt my first cedar rope swag to hang off the front railing.
This is the poplar tree that snapped like a twig! It could have been much worse, the propane tanks that were just checked the day before, were missed! The other side of the snap was the dogs' pen, the fence was spared too! Thank heavens for guardian angels that look out for you!
Bill made lots of kindling for the firebox.
It was a freak thing as the two trees are in line with each other as the wind went through.
A loud windy night & we were the only ones to lose any trees in this area.
I love this black/white photo of Bill & me, I couldn't delete it & continue with the weather story.
Two smiley happy people, my heart sings at how content we are living here in a rural area with wild weather that is always surprising us & the outstanding seasonal beauty it evolves into.
I'm glad Bill & the Boston terriers enjoy the outside work that happens after a storm!
Look at where this large evergreen fell & the stack of wood was not even touched by that wind!!
Mitchell has some cutting to do with that tree! He loves the outdoors like his dad!
Yesterday the winds were wild here again.
I was watching the dining room bay window flex in & out... not an easy feeling!
I started to do a photo tour for you & noticed, Baby It's Cold Outside! The winds are what make it so cold, no wind & the weather is great! That cold Atlantic wind goes right through you if you are not wearing wool or insulated clothing.
OK, enough of what we cannot change!
Let us tour, more decor has been added to the great room, I love this Bargello quilt that I made at Heather Stewart's workshop so many years ago.
See the TV tray runner hanging off of it? I made that with my dear friends' scraps that she would save for me. This was done from her Snow Days embroidered quilt's HST scraps.
Liz (RIP) would be surprised with what I made from what she used to put in the garbage.
I saw it as playing with colour & design, I added the dark brown vertical lines, an accent line in the binding to keep the design all inside. I miss that woman but am so glad that I had my time with her in my lifetime. She makes me smile just thinking of her & the things we did together.
I used flannel on the backing as I plan to use this on the dining room table.
So I played all day Monday & quilted the pinwheels & put the binding around it.
Snow Days is on my to-do list, I enjoy embroidering in the evenings.
This is the corner of the landing going upstairs.
It's filled with antique & vintage toys of yesteryears and some items that I have made.
The Twelve Days of Christmas quilt & the cardinal quilt of moms add bright colours to a dark corner. The Partridge in a Pear Tree advent calendar will start on Christmas day, filling the tree with pears each of the 12 days. I thought it was a great place for it to hang this year.
Another embroidered quilt from Crabapple of the alphabet of snowmen!
I was watching a video of how Megan designer of Crabapple, coloured with Prisma pencils, I had to try it too! It is a long process as it must be done in a circular motion to fill in then blend with pen blenders.
Kris Kringle got some colour & I liked it!
It does help the focal design stand out with all the white backgrounds.
I started colouring with the Holly Berries leaves...
I plan on colouring more later as it is very time-consuming & with the countdown on it has fallen to the bottom of this Christmas list of things to get done.
Now we are upstairs! This is the hall that connects the guest room with the sitting room & washroom in the west wing.
The bonnet chest has Lynn's Christmas runner on it that I leave on year-round as it is as beautiful as the person that made it & Karen, the one that machine quilted it. xXx
I put the antique Christmas postcards that I purchased years ago whilst antique shopping with Sandy the owner of Red Door Antiques in London ON. We had such fun on our day trips looking for 'the finds'!
She has rare finds & knows so much about antiques & has taught me so much over the years. xXx
The sitting room upstairs is adorned with outside wreaths. There are six wreaths on the front of the house. With the winds, the fishing line holds them in place at the bottom & the cloth-wired tartan ribbon on the top rolled on a dowel to the inside of these crank open windows.
These are the same wreaths used years back on the Kennon Place London ON home.
The guestroom is made up & awaiting the kids that will arrive this weekend for their 11-day stay.
Bill found Nick's Mr. Beans Teddy & he's waiting for him too!
I filled the advent calendar with wee chocolate bar treats for them to enjoy.
I like the old world look of this room & decorated it with that in mind.
Lots of April Cornell holly in red to warm the room with colour.
The window view takes in the wreath & evergreen swag that Bill secured very well surviving the winds off those whitecaps from the water.
Still looking out that window here is the Bay du Vin Island, see the ice forming on the shoreline!
This is my childhood dresser & mirror, so many memories of those simple days.
Another view looking from the sitting room, see the mezzanine & great room window.
Looking down the stairs to the great room.
A corner of the great room with the beautiful Christmas village!
I had an idea & Bill ran with it! He did a beautiful job sculpturing & constructing this scene! xXx
So glad you came to visit!
Now let's go to the new addition of the east wing!
The landing is in view with the modern glass railings. The rug goes to the elevator door.
A view from the upstairs by the elevator door. It is a bright area!
A view on the top, the walkway has live plants that sit on the table & have taken over the area. The artificial swags are hung in the foyer area.
This is the other guestroom/stained glass room. It was my teaching classroom before Covid changed everyone's life. I closed that business down & will do projects on my own to beautify this house.
This holiday season it has turned into the Snowman Room!
Every time we found a snowman in the Christmas decor, it came into this room!
The pole snowman came from our neighbour in London when she put it in her garbage...I took it out!
This year he got a new coat of paint on his hat & feet! So many years ago now, he got a new nose & hat decor too & it still makes me chuckle thinking that I saved his fate by seeing the value of this homemade snowman.
I don't know how many snowmen are in this room, it is loaded with them though!!
This VIP panel snowman I made years back reminds me of a Jim Shore with the scene on his tummy.
The Fons & Porter table-topper from years back & the merry Buffalo plaid Christmas of years back.
The Frosty still sings and Bill says he knows where I am by the turns that are playing, I press the buttons to hear the songs! Burl Ivies is a legend he is the voice of Christmas from years ago. XO
A stained glass snowman that I made a couple of years back, I added the copper edging to look like a postage stamp.
A snowman garland & crazy patch tree I made from the Farmhouse & Friends, with a snowman holding a star.
My favourite, well one of my snowmen is the Bonnie Sullivan of All Through The Night pillow with the cardinal. Wow, I sew a lot through the years. I love the colour & design & to bringing it to life for my eyes to see.
I made this quilt from a kit Liz & I purchased at an Amish area so many years ago & it was the love of it that I had made all the Christmas stocking from it & other smaller items from the scraps!
Christmas past is what I see when I see the black/red Buffalo check & the blues are of our last Christmas together. This year it is the village & the kids coming home. xXx
The view from this room, the kids are going to love this room!
The wreath is illuminated with lit snowmen!
The queen-size murphy bed is one of our best investments & is a game changer to this room!
I remember Bill taking me outside last year during my recovery & making a snowman with me.
What's not to love about snowmen?!!
The Christmas tree is a fiberoptic tree & will be plugged in upon the kids' arrival to the room.
The cement gargoyles that once sat outside my sewing studio in London now sit on guard outside this newly purposed room awaiting the arrival of guests & me to make new stained glass creations in the new year 2022.
I love these mythical creatures, they calm me & make me smile.
This Deanne Fitzpatrick wallhanging was a kitted gift from Elizabeth several years ago.
He now greets those on the landing in the east wing. xXx
Bill had some fun with my homemade items & placed the knitted gnomes on Harry Gardiner's ladder to show them decoring the tree!
I see Rexton by the tree, she loves to photobomb my pics. lol
This is the back of the tree you just saw with the gnomes, they are a surprise when you see the front for the first time, such characters!
I knit them many years ago from a knitting book that I purchased when I was in England visiting.
This cat family was made in cotton from the 1980s' from a Better Homes Magazine.
I like these creatures for their cutiness.
Boston terrier & a button wreath are at the front door too!
I want to make another wreath from my white button collection with a darker green wool background.
This corner was cozied up the red wallhanging of Christmas memories from the past.
Cannot remember the designer but loved how the old picture holders in the corners hold the pictures together. I did the embroidery on natural muslin with a civil war red border & red wool for the photo clips in the corner.
Red is the Christmas colour!
The elevator door blends nicely with the grey doors around it.
The mantel in my sewing room is decorated with mercury glass beads & garland. This room is where I do my favourite thing...I sew & create!
This is my childhood Christmas stocking that my mother made for each of us from the Passmore's sewing store in London. It was so big when I was small & the toe always had a juicy orange & mixed nuts were around the items placed inside.
I took this photo yesterday to show you the Charlie Brown Christmas tree that Bill made from roots washed up on our shore. Then I noticed the upside-down lawn chair that had blown in from the strong winds! See it on the left by the tree?! lol
It was hard to get a good pic of the little tree with the big tree shadowing the backyard but there's a red bulb hanging off the branch!
I got these in the mail yesterday from my girlfriend Sandy! She knows me so well & we both love Charlie Brown. These are just the sweetest towels! But wait there was more!!
She surprised me with this orb that lights up, so beautiful with the red cardinals! xXx I love it!
And in the past week, I received another surprise from a second cousin on my father's side through 23 & Me. We are going to meet for the first time as the trip to PEI for Christmas, Jo asked if it would be OK to meet on the way through. Of course, I said yes! More family for this Christmas 2021!
So everything is shaping up for this Christmas season that will be quickly coming to an end with a brand new year close on its tale.
I'm going to thank you for coming on this Christmas tour with me & being with me through my blogging. I try to stay positive even through hard times because I know 'This too, will pass.
I want to wish you the very best that life has to offer you at this time of year & I wish you health & happiness in the New Year 2021.
Until 2022 when you visit again, enjoy all this season has to offer wherever you are.
A big virtual hug to you!
Cynthia
I put the antique Christmas postcards that I purchased years ago whilst antique shopping with Sandy the owner of Red Door Antiques in London ON. We had such fun on our day trips looking for 'the finds'!
