Ashes of Roses

These vintage bottles aren't particularly seasonal, but they were so pretty that I wanted to show them to you. The bottles are the handiwork of local crafter Dana Ruprecht.

Dana takes vintage bottles and adorns them with antique bits of paper, stamps and pretty stickers.

Each bottle is tied with a pretty ribbon or bit of lace.

Dana also does handmade cards, gift tags and other crafts that are re-purposed, designed or simply inspired by antique materials. Visit Dana's website, Ashes of Roses by clicking the link.

Today, I will link this post to Lisa Gordon's the Creative Exchange. To see some really great photography click the link. I will also link to Tuesdays Around the World. To see what is happening in other blogger's worlds, please click the link.

A Little Wishful Thinking

Wooden Cutout Trees at West Elm 

Today, I have a little visual distraction to break up your busy week.

I don't know about your family, but we only plan to do some very modest gift giving this year. Times are tough and it doesn't seem appropriate to so lots of lavish spending, when there are so many hard-pressed families out there this year. I want to make sure there is enough money left over to donate to local, charitable food and toy drives after our own shopping is all said and done. 

Still, it is fun sometimes to do a little wishful thinking and look at nice things. 

So, that's just what I have here for you today. A wish list of pretty things, many of them garden or nature inspired items. 

Wire Terrarium at Pottery Barn

Wooden Terrarium at Pottery Barn

Farmers Market Baskets at Anthropologie

Porcelain Ring Dish at West Elm

There is a large selection of pretty lucite earrings to be found on Etsy. Take a peak.

Handmade, Rustic Porcelain Pedestals at Herriott Grace. 

Nikole Herriott is a Canadian blogger who has a small online shop where she sells unique, one of a kind handmade items, many of them made by her own father. 

Check out her blog here: www.fortysixthatgrace.blogspot.com Check out her shop here: Herriott Grace.

I love her father's wooden creations like this Red Cedar Candy Dish. All the shop's wooden products are hand-carved or hand-turned and finished with corn oil. This particular item is sold out at the moment, but you can sign up to be on their mailing list by clicking the link: Herroitt Grace

Organic Woodgrain Towels at West Elm

Perforated Porcelain Bath Accessories at West Elm

How about the Rolls Royce of watering cans? Haws watering can at Lee Valley

Canada's Garden Therapy has handmade floral pillows are created from flowers grown in their home garden, photographed and printed on linen-cotton canvas. Check out the Garden Therapy blog by clicking the link or purchase a pillow at their Etsy shop here: Garden Therapy Handmade Store.

Martha Sturdy Shallow Resin Bowl in Shimmer Red from Provide Home. I have always wanted one of these exquisite and pricy bowls by Canadian Designer extraordinary Martha Sturdy.

From the top left :Ehrman Tapestry Gatherings by Margaret Murton Fire Flowers by Kaffe Fassett Fleurs by Raymond Honeyman India Garden by Raymond Honeyman

These are not pillows, but rather are needlepoint kits from the English company Ehrman (they have distributors worldwide). If you have often wished you had something to do while watching television other than nibbling, then this may be the hobby for you. The needlepoint stitch is basic and dead easy to learn.

So what's one your wish list this holiday season? 

I am being more practical this year than usual and am asking Santa Claus for a very basic sewing machine. I am sure there will also be something pretty and maybe even a few books under the tree for me as well.

My son is the hardest person on my list to shop for. Why are men so darn hard to buy for?

It never rains, but it pours!

It seems as though we have experienced one disaster after another. First, it was unexpected and expensive car repair bills.

Then the furnace just up and quit. (Actually, it is a boiler not a furnace, but "it" packed it in just the same. We have hot water heat and ancient radiators in this old house.) 

Trying to find someone who knew something about repairing a ten year old boiler was like searching for hen's teeth, they were kinda hard to find!

Many fruitless call later, we finally found a guy who came out and told us we needed a new "motherboard." 

Sounds like a part from space ship doesn't it?  We were advised that this new motherboard would have to be ordered in at a cost of almost $600. 

Days later, we were still waiting for this supposed "motherboard" arrive from the far reaches of outer space and land here on earth. 

The house was as cold as a mummy's tomb and there was not a single drop of hot water. We had to heat water in pots to bath and do the dishes. I don't mind loading on an extra sweater or doing the dishes by hand, but a hot shower at the end of the day is one luxury that I find it hard to do without, especially when the house is stone cold.

I don't want to bore you with a long, sad story, but in the end we discovered that we did not need a new motherboard at all, just a $2 fuse. The only problem is that there is a short somewhere in the system that is causing the fuse to blow repeatedly. This mystery is still on going...

But at least we have heat and hot water for now!

If you think this is the end of my tale of woe, well it isn't. 

There was fresh misery today. The toilet backed up at 6 am this morning and flooded the bathroom. The water seeped down through the cracks in the wood floor and flowed on to the kitchen ceiling below. 

Then it began to rain from all the pot lights in the kitchen ceiling. 

I was making lunches at the kitchen counter, when it began to rain on the red pepper I was slicing. After I took a moment to recover from the shock, I grabbed some pots and placed them all over the kitchen floor to catch the rising flood waters.

It took a good part of the morning to clean up the mess.

I am sure you must be wondering about this little guy. He is my other news. Meet Mador!

I know. I know. What another dog! Believe me, this wasn't my idea. Three dogs was more than enough, as far as I was concerned.

Mador is my daughter-in-law's Christmas gift from her own mother. Hanna has long wanted a dog of her own. 

I have nicknamed him the "Poop-in-ator", because all of the little puppy accidents. He is very loveable though, with his one ear up flying up like a bat wing, and his tail that seems to be permanently set on wag.

The only bad thing is that Mador's care has fallen a lot to me, while Hanna is at work. As a result, I am hopelessly behind in my own work. 

And time for blogging last week? Well, that flew right out the window! 

I apologize that I haven't returned many of your visits. I promise to catch shortly on all your news and will post some pretty, new garden pictures shortly!

So what do you think Mador? Should I change the blog title to "Three and a half dogs in a garden"?

I linking this post to the Creative Exchange. To see some great photography, please click the link. 

Tomorrow, I will link to Tuesdays Around the World. To see what is happening in other blogger's world's, please click the link.

A Couple of Holiday Decor Ideas

It has been mild and raining; hardly the weather to start getting into the holiday spirit, but I have begun to pull out a few holiday decorations anyway.

It is always nice to do something a little different every year. I found these chandelier crystals at a flea market and thought that they might add a little sparkle to my standard arrangement of branches.

I was able to find a couple of shapes for a bargain price. To hang them I simply used the original wire.

I was rather sorry after the fact that I did not fill the glass jar with some white navy beans to make it a little easier to arrange the branches and hold them in place. It might be a good idea if you want to try a similar arrangement. 

I added a few glittery snowflakes, tied a ribbon on the vase, added a few sprigs of greenery and my arrangement of branches were done.

In the kitchen, I have tree with homemade gingerbread man. Unlike baked goodies, this gingerbread will last forever because they are made of wood. I can pull them out and use them next year as well.

To make them for yourself, pick up some wooden shapes at the craft store. (If you can't find the gingerbread men, try stars or any other cookie-like shape). 

Apply several coats of wood stain with a brush. (I used Minwax 'Puritan Pine' Stain for my cookies.) Wipe away any excess stain with a dry cloth.

Allow the stain to set and dry as per the manufacturers recommendations.

Then with a fine brush and some white acrylic paint, create the "icing" by painting fine line around the perimeter of the cookie. Add a smile, some eyes and a bow-tie.

I did not add a top coat of varnish, preferring instead a flat finish. If you prefer to varnish your project, apply a coat of which ever varnish the wood stain manufacturer recommends.

Today I will link this post to Tuesdays Around the World. On Wednesday, I will link to The Happy Homemaker's Post of the Month Club. Please click either of the links to see other interesting and beautiful blog posts.

The Garden in November

Spirea 'Little Princess'

I seem reluctant to leave gardening aside this year. I find excuses to go outside to putter around, rake some leaves and put things in order.

The weather has been unusually warm.

A few roses ignored my prediction that they were finished for the season. In the last couple of weeks, the temperatures have dipped a few times and they are now freckled and battle scared. Finally, at the end of November they are ready to be cut back and put to bed for the winter. 

This Pokeweed was one of the last plants to put on a fall display of berries. I forgot to show it earlier and thought that I would do so now. Two weeks ago the leaves turned brown, but the berries are still shiny and black.

Despite the mild temperatures, we had repeated hard frosts.

I continue to watch the skeletonization of this hydrangea with wrap fascination.

I have also been collecting seeds of all kinds.

These Amsonias or Blue stars have long, pendulous seed pods.

Rudbeckia seed heads

Dictamnus fraxinella,Gas plant

The trees are all bare now. It has been interesting to observe which shrubs and perennials have hung onto their leaves despite the frosts.

The freckled leaves of a Ninebark.

Ninebark

The odd leaf still clings to my Ninebarks.

Spirea 'Little Princess'

Spirea 'Goldflame'

It seems that a few of the Spirea are refusing to give into winter without a fight.

Viburnum leaf

Until last week there were still a few leaves left on this Viburnum.

Common White Lilac

I noticed this Lilac early this morning. I think it is downright confused by all this mild temperatures. 

There are fresh green leaves budding!

Thyme and Parsley in a glass bell.

The warm weather has also meant that my vegetable garden is still going. There are spring onions, carrots, thyme, sage and parsley.

More mild temperatures are forecast for the weekend. I plan to take full advantage and plant just a few more spring bulbs. Yes, I am still planting bulbs in November. Shameless, I know!

To all my American friends, have a very happy Thanksgiving!