This past Christmas as I was buying presents for friends and family, I bought a present for myself. I belong to a book club that always has an amazing sale at the end of the calendar year so I bought myself a treat – and quite the treat it was! The book Restoration Home by Mark and Sally Bailey is a guide to using what is in your house/home to its best advantage – obviously right up my alley. Their look is very raw and minimal but the textures, colors and shapes are beautiful. The couple living in England has spent the last 25 years promoting their “recycled” look. While I was living in England in the late 1990’s, I did see this minimalist trend emerging – probably a backlash to the traditional English style of layer upon layer of fabrics coupled with ornate carved wood furniture.

The photography in the book is gorgeous too – and the front cover really captures their design viewpoint. I love using the worn wood pallets to display dishes…I’ll have to ask at work tomorrow what they do with all of those shipping pallets… - Amy

Furniture Test Drive at the Studio

Our customers, Sabra in the middle, with her daughter, Paloma on the left, along with Lisa doing a test drive of a five piece rattan set at the studio. We told them we’d hold the set for them for a week, so they could think about it without any pressure. Although, Sabra looks pretty relaxed in this shot! -- Beth and Lisa

Nature's Decoration

I put on my rain gear yesterday and trekked back to our swale to check on the water flow because of the downpour of rain this week. So while I was bundled up I took a quick tour of the garden and I found this little treasure. Helleborus niger, also know as Christmas Rose, had popped up during all that cold and snow and was putting on a show.

It is part of a planting in the Sunset Garden joining a small maple tree and some ornamental grasses in an oxblood red container. It is a bright spot on a cloudy day.

During the heavy snow, we had lost a branch from our Cedrus atlantica in the front garden. It is a stunning tree full of wildlife all year round. Part of the attraction are these darling cones. They sit on the tops of the branches and look like a neighborhood full of happy, chubby people.

I gathered all the cones from the fallen branch (before the squirrels did!) and placed them in this hypertufa bowl I had in the garden.

You can't get much better than nature for decor! -- Lisa

Undecorating

It is taking me forever and a day to undecorate our house this week. I love putting the Christmas decorations out, but it doesn’t work the same way in reverse. Most everything is back in their storage tubs. Our holiday season was terrific. And I’m ready to put all the extra hubbub behind me. Yet as I start to gather our everyday decorations to find new nooks and crannies to arrange them in, I stop dead in my tracks. I want to get that stale wallpaper off of the kitchen walls. I am bored with some wall stenciling done years ago. A bedroom set would look better painted cream. I received one of Lulu’s gorgeous wreaths with my new favorite shade of blue for Christmas. So now I want a whole bedroom to reinvent itself to complement the wreath! I’m looking at creating even more hubbub.

Here is our living room mantle. The mirror and the candleholder I fashioned from an old lamp will stay. I put the urn there for the sake of the picture. The usual suspects will not be returning to their home there. Creating a new vignette on the mantle will be easy and fun. Stripping wallpaper is not fun. But I have Micah scheduled to start that project on Monday. I’ll keep you posted. -- Beth

We're ending our blogging year with a tour of Colleen's House of Christmas.
She is one of the finest Queens of Christmas Decorating that we know.
Thank you for all the love and support we have received from all of you this past year. We wish you health, happiness and joyful junking in 2009!
Beth, Lisa and Amy

One of Beth's Bottles in this display.

So peaceful....

Colleen's back patio...a winter wonderland.

Nature's beauty

Colleen has done these mirrored doors proud!

The girl never met a spire she didn't like!

Colleen found this dress form at the studio. It was made by a customer friend...Linda B. Then Colleen really dressed her up in Christmas finery.

Truly one of the most spectacular ornament wreaths we have ever seen.

Terrific forest of bottle brush trees.

Colleen's new mirrored top dining table.

Lovely item by Susan Wheeler that Colleen picked up at the Sandpoint Antique Show.

A bay window never looked better.

Colleen also found this lantern at the studio. She cleaned it up and add Vera the Angel for a stunning wall display.

Judy had recommended Colleen use these Congressional record books to elevate this tree.

Maybe Santa will bring me a velvet box next year!

Colleen's front courtyard.

A group of four of us have a special tradition of spending a day touring each other's homes to see their Christmas decorations, with coffee, cookies, lunch, more cookies and presents at our various stops.

Today we will share some photos of Judy's house - the Queen of the Perfectly Edited and Composed Vignette. Every time I leave Judy's house, I feel like I've spent time in this oasis of calm.

A fine collection of enamel pitchers in Judy's kitchen.


Who wouldn't want to wear this necklace?

We all have a crush on this beauty.

Judy created this wreath out of a card holder and fun dibs and dabs.

Happy snowmen! Their faces say it all...

The blue in this crown is made of feathers. Wow!

Judy has a 'thing' for mirrors.

Lisa's gloriously wrapped gift from the girls...check out the tea strainer ornament!

Beth's divine gift wrapped to perfection. Love the vintage photo.

Hope you have enjoyed the tour of Judy's house as much as we did. Tomorrow we get to take a peek at Colleen's house.

Love this Week!

This is one of my favorite weeks of the year. The Christmas deadlines have been met. No matter how busy my business life is, I still want to fit so many fun activities into my personal life. I love all the holiday decorating, the baking, the homemade foods, getting caught up with long distance friends through sending and receiving cards and entertaining. And now there is a nice pause. A few days to spend more time in this chair, reading fiction books, hearing this kitty purr and dreaming about plans for 2009.

I hope you have some special spot in your home to relax in and catch up on your daydreams. --Beth