A Very Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!

I have to admit, these are some of my favourite days of the year.

I am enjoying today immensely. It's so close to Christmas (something that has seemed even more exciting this year with Willen being old enough to enjoy and anticipate the festivities that come with the season)!

My shopping is done, presents are already wrapped, dinners planned, and my house is being cleaned and readied for this coming weekend.

We have a very relaxing Christmas planned this year. Christmas Eve day will be spent together as a family, then we will be off to our Christmas Eve service, followed by our annual Christmas party at our family's farm. We'll open our gifts Christmas morning, then head to my parents for breakfast. The evening will be spent at Ryan's parents for Christmas dinner and then we are back at the farm again for dinner on Boxing Day.

In short, lots of family, and lots of food.

Just how we love it.

Anyway, I've been preoccupied and haven't gotten around to posting much this season, but I have a few last things to share before the end of the year. I'm very much looking forward to a quiet rest of the year.

Here is the rest of our house decorated, wrapped gifts and a few other details.

Have a very Merry Christmas and may you be blessed this coming year.

The Heikoops

Our stockings and decorated banister.

Gifts wrapped and ready for our family celebrations.

I used simple white newsprint, thin twine, and vintage stamps to wrap my gifts this year.

We don't have a mantel so I always decorate the piano. Simple White Pine garland, which smells so lovely, wrapped with white lights and a few cream pillar candles.

We (Willen) are making a small dent in our gingerbread house. He did eventually figure out it was a giant cookie that he could eat!

Sweet and simple. They remind me of something you would send to family years ago when you couldn't be with them on Christmas. I found that really homey.

The stamps were found at Anthropologie - $6/ pack.

It's Beginning to Look Like Christmas

All Photos - The Grower's Daughter

Good Morning!

It's been a busy week, and the business seems like it's going to continue right through to the new year. Christmas parties and family celebrations have begun to fill our calenders and Christmas is in the air.

This week we put up our tree. I would have loved to visit one of our local tree farms to cut down our own perfect tree, but a week of constant rain has made that nearly impossible. Needing to trim our tree in time for a holiday party I'm hosting, I took Willen to our nearest Home Depot and picked out the perfect tree there. We spent the afternoon decorating the tree, and later made a gingerbread house.

Our house smells magnificent!

Here are a few photos of what has been decorated so far. I still have greenery to trim and add to shelves and mirrors, and the rest of our stockings need to be hung. Our piano and banister both need garland, and a few windows are in need of some small wreaths.

But for now, its beginning to look like Christmas.

My ornaments are simple silver balls and some vintage looking mercury glass ornaments.

I found this large bit of stitched together grain sacks this fall, and thought it made the perfect tree skirt.

A simple birch star nestled on top and white lights finished the tree.

Simple, and pretty.

I've put out a couple swags of mixed greenery and this vintage tree plate I found at the Country Living Fair on top of my large frame. It's adds the perfect amount of Christmas.

 

Our perfectly imperfect gingerbread house. Shaky hands and a curious little boy make for squiggly details, but I still think it's cute. I didn't put any candy on it because if I would have, I would be fighting all day with Willen who would be constantly trying to pick off candies! At least this way he doesn't seem to notice it as much. Yesterday at breakfast, with his chin resting on this hand, he informed me that he "loved our birdhouse, Mommy." I thought it was so cute.

A small dish of chocolate filled mints.

Our simple stockings hanging from the banister, with simple white ribbon and a glittery initial. They will look even more beautiful with garland around the railing.

Our First Snowfall

All Photos - The Grower's Daughter

It began this afternoon, gently, without any sound.

Our first snowfall.

A delicate blanket of white draped itself over our evergreens and cedars as the snow fell softy to the ground.

We didn't know how long it would stay and brighten our gloomy day, so we bundled as fast as we could, and we raced outside to greet our beautiful reminded that Winter is right around the corner.

Willen made his first snow angel. We read about how to make them in one of his library books and he's been patiently waiting to practise ever since.

Sopping wet, and a bit chilly, we finally decided to come inside (something that didn't take much more convincing than a warm cup of hot chocolate). Unfortunately, I found myself completely unprepared! I have no instant mix, cocoa or milk - let alone marshmallows or candy canes! How did that happen? I guess I need to stock up for winter.

Looks like daddy is going to be bringing us home a Venti Peppermint Hot Chocolate to share.

We'll be ready next time!

Christmas Decor - A Rustic Christmas

via hviturlakkris.blogspot.com

As promised, here is my final set of inspirations:
A Rustic Christmas.

I can't help being drawn to the simplicity of this style, but also to the vintage charm.

I love the look of fresh greenery and potted trees tucked in a home full of old, beautiful things.

I find with this style, the seasonal decorating becomes less of the focus of a room, and more complimentary to it. It doesn't take over a space, but rather blends in here and there, adding bits of holiday cheer to each space.

Here are some beautiful rustic spaces decorated perfectly for the holiday season.

House and Home

Simple small trees, in simple milk jugs, with simple white lights.

via 1.bp.blogspot.com


Obviously a simple potted tree in a metal bucket is a popular choice and I can see why! It's so easy to do, and it looks so pretty. In the background, thin boughs make perfect accents to the tops of vents and windows, and form perfectly delicate wreaths.

via 4inspireddesign.com

More simple holiday decor from the same kitchen.

via 4inspireddesign.com

A pretty topiary adds a bit of festiveness, without looking typically Christmas.

Country Living

A simple holiday greeting strung from a cabinet.

via hviturlakkris.blogspot.com

I love paperwhites and other pretty white bulbs in old metalware, or even ironstone!



via hviturlakkris.blogspot.com

Again, a simple, rustic kitchen perfectly decorated for the holidays. I love the bits of red, including the red-striped linens, the simple wreaths, and again, more bulbs in a rustic urn. It's simple and perfect.

Christmas Decor - A White Christmas

Better Homes and Gardens

Anyone who knows me knows that I have an attraction to all things white. It's quite ridiculous actually, and has become a definite joke amongst family and friends.

What can a girl do?


I simply like white.

So of course you can imagine that quite a lot of my seasonal decor is white, making it very easy to pull off a White Christmas. Here are some lovely rooms to inspire just that.

via 2.bp.blogspot.com

I love simple greenery and white.

Jonathan Klunk

Frosted boughs make for a beautiful mantel, though it's not quite simple enough for my own personal tastes. I do love the boxwood in the urns though!

via klikk.no

A large tree, trimmed with a few scattered ornaments is still nice... I don't need a lot of decorations on my tree. I also love the lanterns and candles placed around the room for an ambient glow.

via bing.com


This truly white tree, all frosted and glowing, is beautiful. It's a gorgeous focal point, but it still blends nicely with the all white decor. Being frosted, and full of sparkle also lends nicely to the space and compliments the ruffled chair covers and pretty chandeliers.



Country Living

More on the vintage side, these pretty bottle brush trees, displayed collectively, with only a few decorations, make for a pretty white vignette. They look lovely tucked underneath the stairs.

via sweetpaulmag-digital.com

And a beautiful white tablescape complete with white candelabras, pretty white ribbons and silvery accents would make for a lovely dinner party or Christmas dinner.

Later this week, in hopes of finally coming up with a style for this Christmas season, I will feature some inspirations for a Rustic Christmas. There are some beautiful rooms I can't wait to share.

I'm in the middle of getting my rooms cleaned and ready for decorating and then, early next week we'll be off to hunt down the perfect tree and deck the halls!

Have a lovely week.

Christmas Decor - A Natural Christmas

via 4inspireddesign.com

I  love this room with it's dark wood, white walls and gold details (Similar shades are found in my living room). The topiaries and pots of moss add the perfect natural touch without feeling too "Christmassy".

In hopes of finding some inspiration for the quickly approaching holiday season, I have begun looking through photos to decide on this year's theme.

I prefer to keep my decorating fairly simple. I don't like have the space for a huge tree, and ornate decorations just don't work well with a two year old. Also, who needs the extra dusting?

On the other side, I do like trimming a tree, decking the halls and adding some festive cheer to our home.

So, what kind of Christmas would I like this year?

A rustic Christmas with woven baskets full of scented pine cones, sap bucks full of fresh cut greenery, and simple seedlings with twinkle lights?

Or maybe, a pretty white Christmas with glittering glass ornaments, frosted mantel boughs and pretty packages with plump white bows?

Or, how about a natural Christmas with ironstone full of blooming paper whites, fresh fruit tucked amongst the greenery and bouquets of fresh flowers?

To start, here are some pretty inspirations for a perfectly Natural Christmas. Next week I will be sharing some inspirations for a Rustic Christmas, and a White Christmas.

How do you plan to decorate for the holiday?

via heirloomphilosphy.blogspot.com

I love gold frames and I think that fresh greenery compliments it so beautifully. I love the assortments of clippings used here - and it looks a little more structured and full than typical white pine or cedar boughs. It's almost more of an arrangement. The pears are a nice addition and add perfect pops of a brighter green.

via amandacarolathome.com

Simple is always stylish and beautiful. The simple swag on the mantel, and the simple boxwood wreath are just enough to make this space feel festive. The potted white Poinsettia is also a nice touch, as are the fresh tulips which add a bit of freshness to the room.

Country Living

Here is an example of natural Christmas decor with a bit of a primitive touch. Again, the fruit tucked amongst the mantel and simple pine boughs.They work well with the gray walls and make the room even more cozy.

Mid West Living

And finally, more mantels. This time, with a few pine cones and some Granny Smith apples for pops of vibrant green. Sweet and simple.

A Day In The Country - Antique and Vintage Show

All Photos - The Grower's Daughter

I hope you're having a lovely weekend.

This morning, my parents and I drove out to Caledonia for what was to be an amazing antique and vintage sale: A Day in the Country. It was a collaboration of some of my favourite vendors and I was pretty sure it wasn't going to disappoint.

And it most certainly did not.

I did take my camera along to snap some photos, but being a rather dark (though surprisingly cozy) Quanza hut, they aren't the prettiest. However, they will at least give you an idea of what I got to browse all morning!

Enjoy.

PS. The show is on again tomorrow. See this previous post for details:

A Day in the Country

Only Kim and her husband could make a Quanza hut this inviting. Recognize those gorgeous urns?

The booths were full of a variety of things: Chippy rustic pieces, 19th century antiques, painted furniture and architectural details.

Beautiful things filled vignettes everywhere you looked.

This was one of my favourites. I just loved this little blue cupboard (though there were a dozen beautiful cupboards, any of which I would have taken home!), and the medicine cabinet, but especially that garden rabbit. Oh, and I did come home with a pretty little white cupboard, but I will post photos of that next week.

She always has the most curious collections of things and as a result, it usually takes me a long time to browse through everything. Of course, she pulls it all together beautifully as well, coming up with perfect displays.

I believe this was another vendors cabinet, and it was also quite nice - it was a faint green.

Until I looked at this photo, I didn't realize I had missed that lamp! I've been looking for one similar to it and now I wish I would have seen it.

And another beautiful piece - this one was very old, and very gorgeous. I was particularly amazed at her collection of ironstone. She has some extremely unique pieces, and some very old pieces. It's always so tempting!

Isn't the wear just perfect on this piece?