St Nick from 1921

I have a new favorite Christmas decoration.... On Saturday morning, I stumbled across this neat-o framed Gimbles ad from December 24th, 1921....I love the illustrations, and the wording of the copy. Fantastic.

AND I found it in what is surely going to be one of my new favorite stores: Rose Hip in Thorton, PA. If you live in the area, you really must go. You won't regret it!

I am so thrilled with my new St. Nick, and how charming it looks behind the Christmas tree...

and I can't wait to go back to Rose Hip this weekend!  Maybe I will see you there??.....

My House This Christmas!

It is only twelve days until Christmas! So much excitement!! I thought it would be fun this week to snap a few pictures of things around my house.....

As I have talked about in past weeks, it is my goal for my clients and myself that this time of year is joyful, peaceful and simple.  So, the decorations in my own home need to be shining examples of these qualities as well. 

The stockings have been hung, and our favorite items (only the favorites) have been placed here and there....

To date, our tree just has the lights on it, and I have to admit that the simplicity of that is so beautiful to me. I know I will be outvoted, and the rest of the goop will be put on by week's end, but nonetheless I will savor it the way it is for now. :)

In our house, the word Christmas is synonymous with TRAINS. Half of our family room floor is covered with a seasonal layout that my husband and son have put out....

Of course, the scene would not be complete without the requisite Christmas Canine who waits patiently for the train to come around...

The bookshelves in this room also have little vignettes with festive red trolleys, etc. Don't you just want to stop in to this diner for a cup of hot coffee or hot cocoa right about now??

I hope that your house is delighting and welcoming you and those you love at this special time of year! Remember to take some time to put your feet up, sip some hot chocolate (or something stronger!), admire the twinkling lights and enjoy!

A Gorgeous Table Setting

With all of the hubbub around the Christmas holiday coming up, Thanksgiving seems like a distant memory, doesn't it?I am a little behind (so what is new?) in posting these, but I just had to share since it was so beautiful... We were so excited to be invited to Thanksgiving dinner at my mother and father-in-law's in the city--delicious food, wonderful wine, great company, lots of laughs and fun, and an elegant setting for sure. After the previous weeks of long work hours for my husband and I, it was a real treat.

My mother-in-law had set an amazing & lovely table with all of the china, silver, flowers, candlelight....And then, as if on cue just as dinner was starting.....

the lights of the city began to twinkle just as the sun was going down, giving our meal a magical, twilight glow---gorgeous.

Thank you, Mom & Murvin, for a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Have You Been Dreaming Of Adding On??

Does your house feel cramped to you? Dark? Awkward? Maybe an addition is the answer....  Or maybe NOT.

The house pictured here was a typical house built in the late 1940's-early 1950's--lots of charm, but not a lot of space compared to today's McMansion standards.

My clients called me after they had already met with an architect and had plans drawn up for a complete renovation, including an addition.

But after we talked and I saw the spaces, I could see why they were frustrated with the house. Of course, an addition would add space, but it wasn't going to fix the existing problems--problems that if addressed properly may negate the need for an addition in the first place.

It seemed to me that the biggest obstacle for this house working to its potential was the poor relationship between the main living areas. Narrow doorways and an odd traffic flow added to the cramped, closed off feeling.

The front hall did everything it could to make guests feel unwelcome...you would never know there was all of that sunlight and elbow room just on the other side of the wall...

No wonder they felt they needed more space.

The kitchen was a planned part of the renovation, and the wall dividing it from the rest of the downstairs was slated for removal....

A plan was needed to make the best use of the square footage available and provide a beautiful and functional kitchen.

So, what to do?

To make spaces live larger, you want to create longer sight lines, so that rooms can share visual space and also natural light...a huge component of making a house feel spacious and welcoming.

Walls were removed, doorways were widened,....and an opening was created along the stairwell, so the front and the back of the house now are open to one another....

In the new kitchen, we created a layout that would keep the existing openings with all of their beautiful sunlight and views (changing a door to a window, and shortening the large picture window) but still give us acres of countertop, lots of cabinetry and a super functional work area despite losing a whole wall....

The addition has been subtracted from the plans for now, and I am proud to say that the house no longer feels dark or cramped, but rather light and spacious.  And because they didn't have the added expense of new foundation, walls and roof spent for an addition, money was directed into beautiful craftsmanship and the best possible materials. Stunning!

If you have been contemplating adding on to your home, be sure to read another post I wrote about this topic a while back (you can see that one here ) before you call the backhoe in.

A Tart? Or A Vicar? So Hard To Choose...

When one of your best friends in the whole wide world asks you to help with her husband's birthday party...and the theme is Tarts & Vicars, what will that mean?? It means a whole lot of crazy fun is about to ensue... In case you don't know, Tarts & Vicars, a British party theme, means that you either are to come dressed as a prostitute or a priest, or as we put it in the invite "devilishly delicious or priestly proper (and nothing in-between!)"...

SO, how to decorate? HOW TO DECORATE??

WAIT! How about some tree branches (the birthday boy is an arborist) strung with gaudy red ruby lights, lacy panties and bodacious bras! Along the table itself, we put prayer books, glow in the dark rosaries, tealights, pink stilettos, and a black feather boa....fantastic!

I love how the room looks with all of those bras aloft!

It was a bit difficult to capture with the camera, but we laced every surface we could with red lights, lingerie and religious icons. Everything was in place for when the sun went down and the guests arrived! Time to go get dressed...

So, remember the choice was Priestly Proper or Deliciously Devilish...so my husband chose a combination of the two for me. I am a bit embarrassed to show you, but this is what I wore:

This picture was taken as I was running out the door. You can see the car keys in my hand...SISTER SASSY CAN'T BE LATE!

The stage was set, and party started....My husband is the one on the left below. Don't worry--no one else recognized him either...

If you look just under the all-too-prominent black panties here, you will see our hostess toasting her husband, the guest of honor (the one in the bowler hat and angel wings, of course).

I don't think anyone will forget the evening and all of its wacky fun for a very long time--not to mention, many have new undergarments in their top drawers--a very useful party favor for sure. :)