French Macaroons for Christmas

Last night, Linda DG and I attended SavvyCityFarmers Holiday gathering at her beautiful home. Christmas was in the air and I was so enchanted with the magical setting. I also met her beautiful daughter, Angela, also known as The Parisienne Farmgirl. Angela had baked the most gorgeous macar0ons (or macarons in the French spelling) in Christmas flavors - mint, cinnamon and fleur de sel caramel and sprinkled them with a dusting of shimmery sugar. Filled with delightful fillings, they were divine. I was lucky enough to be able to purchase a few dozen to share with friends. They colors were so pretty- I almost wish I could shellac them for Christmas ornaments! I can certainly understand why Angela was on the cover of "Where Women Cook"!

Christmas Berry Compote

Collecting millinery and sewing strawberries for many years, I love to display them all together. Sometimes displayed in an apothecary jar, this year I placed them in a silver square compote. Glass, velvet, chenille, and resin berries look so pretty all together. The little velvet ones were used to sharpen sewing needles, and some were just made for decoration. Millinery berries were hand made and embellished with little seed pearls to mimic the seeds of the berry. All of the colors and different textures blend together to give my sitting room a little Holiday spirit!

Christmas Floral by Twigs

Another little beauty by Twigs - our local Lake Bluff florist. I found silver champagne goblets at the flea market and took one to Twigs to fill with a petite Christmas bouquet for last weeks home tour. The vivid red berries and white ranuculus were a fabulous combination. I love the contrast of this colorful little arrangement sitting in front of the old chocolate advertising sign. It is amazing that this little bouquet was made last Thursday and still looks just as fresh today. We are so lucky that they opened their quaint store in our small town.

Beauty and the Beast- The Angel and the Lion

One of our best customers asked me to embellish a very pretty angel that we sold at the store. She wanted it to go from pretty to gorgeous! She had also purchased an antique lion toy during our Christmas Open House that she wanted me to decorate as a Christmas display for her husband's office ( who just happens to be a Leo!) Yesterday afternoon, I finally had the time to get out my trusty glue gun and my stash of embellishments. The angel acquired feather and rhinestone wings, a crushed velvet wrap and a crown. The crown was made by gluing a metallic braid to a curtain ring and adding the front detail from an old dress. Rhinestones were inset into the bodice, along with a beautiful pin and ribbon at the base.

Leo, the lion, got a new saddle for Christmas, made from a zebra fabric scrap, metallic fringe and more decorative details from an old dress. He also was crowned for the season! A Mark Roberts animal inspired Santa will ride him through the Holiday Season.

Christmas Shoes

For the Lake Bluff Christmas Home tour, I went to our local florist, Twigs, to create a fantasy shoe for display in my foyer. And they over achieved once again. White roses, rhinestone pins, and maiden hair fern made an exquisite combination in the wire shoe. It is displayed with a collage of vintage frames, statues and evening bags by a silver tree. Thanks Twigs for making the magic come alive!

Christmas in the Pinks

I love pink, so even though Christmas is red and green, I often use dusty pinks. I needed something for my back door and decided to re use some pink elements from the past years. I love this old Santa elf. He looks perfect tucked in the French wine basket with the frosted roses and hydrangeas. A leopard ribbon ties the basket together.

Lake Bluff Christmas Home Tour

The second annual Lake Bluff Christmas tour is this weekend. Join us for a fun filled weekend that includes five homes decorated for the holidays. And as an added feature this year, two of the homes will be having boutiques that feature handmade and unique merchandise. The tour benefits the Lake Bluff History Museum and features homes with vintage charm. My home is the oldest one on the tour and today I share with you a bit of the dining area in my kitchen. Tartan and rhinestones are combined for the holidays. Glittered reindeer, velvet Santa's, rhinestone frames, are mixed with a combination of 2 different tartan plates. Monogrammed dishtowels are used as the napkins. We will be joining www.betweennapsontheporch.blogspot.com for Tablescape Thursday.
You can purchase tickets at the store or online at http://www.christmaslakebluff.com/. The event is December 2 and 3rd from 11 am until 3 p.m.