Advent 2015

Pretty much every year I am at least a week late with celebrating Advent. It's not that I forget - this is simply not possible with three Little People nagging for weeks on end about their pressing need for chocolate filled Advent calendars. I am always bang on time for that particular Advent tradition, woe betide me if I forget to purchase the precious chocolate giving bits of cardboard. This year I went the extra mile and jumped on the train for a twelve minute ride to a nearby town which still has a Thorntons shop (sadly the Thorntons in our town closed down last year), and procured three beautiful Advent calendars with the LP's names iced beautifully on each chocolate name slab (see here for what I'm on about!) Thorntons chocolate really is rather yum and and the Littln's were suitably impressed that a) I bought them in time and b) they weren't being fobbed off with the last minute purchasing of inferior supermarket offerings.

I fetched the rest of Advent out of the depths of the Attic eaves on Monday, so only six days late this year. We have two whole boxes dedicated to decorating bits of the house in advance of the Christmas tree making an appearance, and once I get stuck in I really love doing all this in the quiet of the day whilst the Little Peeps are at school. First thing to be installed was my Christmas Wreath, it's always such a  joy to unwrap it each year and reunite myself with it's colourful pom-pom loveliness.

This was the first seasonal wreath I made (three years ago) and is delightfully over the top, a celebration of colour and exuberance. You can read all about it in my archive post {here}, which contains links to many of the small patterns I created for this wreath (holly, flowers, stars, balls etc)

Next up was another crochet favourite of mine, my star Advent garland. For some reason I don't think this made it out of the box last year as I was ridiculously late doing any sort of Christmas decorating, so it was extra lovely to unpack it again this year.

My star garland is very simple (no chocolate or hidden gifts with this one), just a visual marking of the days to help with the constant question of "How many more sleeps until Christmas?". The answer from me is "Count the Stars!", it works a treat. You can read more about this garland {here}

If you look closely at the above picture, you may spot a little bit of creative activity in progress at the coffee table. Glue, pegs, cardboard.....

....I was sat here yesterday, indulging in a little bit of easy creativity. I didn't even need scissors as all the delightful little cardboard decorations are pre-cut and just needed popping out of their sheets and folding/gluing/pegging.

I absolutely LOVE these angels, they were gifted to me a few years ago by my bloggy friend Nancy Nicholson. Nancy designs stitch kits and an appealing range of "interactive stationery", with some wonderful designs made especially for Christmas. I am a little embarrassed to admit that I actually "lost" these angels for a year or two in the piles of paper mountains here around my desk (yes, I am blushing). I re-discovered them earlier this year and put them somewhere a little more memorable ready for this Christmas.

Oh so cute! These angels are really nostalgic for me, they evoke a little snippet of hazy childhood memory and I'm certain we had some similar ones on our tree when I was little. You can find them on Nancy's website {here}

I decided to perch my angels amongst the sweet smelling hyacinths that are in full bloom on my mantel, they look very at home there I have to say. Sweet indeed.

I made up some of Nancy's robins yesterday too....

....and they flew over to the mantel to perch amongst the little bits of Christmas there.

I haven't added a huge amount of Christmas decor to this mantel, I decided to keep most of the things that usually reside here (hyacinths and little houses mainly) and add a few Christmassy bits to it.

I replaced my everyday candelabra with my wooden Christmas Nativity one, hung up my cloth angels (made by Tracy of Handmade Over Yonder), added in a few little silver Christmas trees and miniature pom pom snowmen. And then my Snowflake Garland also came out to play - a crochet make from five years ago. If you're looking for an easy-peasy crochet snowflake to whip up a hooky garland, I've got a simple pattern {here}.

Over at our other fireplace, I have much the same decorations as in previous years. It took me a good morning to clear and clean this mantel which was in complete disarray and dusty disgrace. Once it was free of clutter and dirt, I unpacked some favourite Christmassy things from years past and really enjoyed being reunited with the memories they hold.

Awwwww I just melt when I see these little pom pom critters and characters, honestly, they are hilariously handmade by the hands of my Little People in years gone by and I love them dearly. Those robins crack me up every year, they are just so wibbly looking!

I enjoyed decorating my twigs with the little mini baubles I bought from Paperchase a few years back, the colours of them make me so happy. I have these same twigs in a ceramic jug on this mantel all year round, decorated with crochet flowers and hearts, and festooned with mini eggs and chicks at Easter. I love their Festive transformation very much. The happy mouse couple are another Handmade Over Yonder make, it was lovely to unwrap them from their tissue paper nest and bring them out to sniff the air again, sweet things that they are.

I saved the wooden Christmas tree for Little Lady to decorate when she came home from school (she does this every year)...

....ditto the setting up of the wooden Nativity scene. And there is our Christmas House tin with it's wind-up musical box inside, stuffed full of little foil wrapped chocolates for an after-dinner treat. All these things are years old now and very much a part of what I hope the Little People will remember of their childhood Christmases.

And so the season of Fun and Joy is upon us once again, I truly can't believe we are so close to Christmas already. Where have the weeks gone? I hope you are feeling the fun and joy in your own household at this time of year, and that your days are happy. Lets just slow them down a bit though, I've still got soooo much to do!

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Comments

[Madeleine]

Hi Lucy, just found you online, what a colourful world you have created for you, family and for us to share. Thank you so much ! Very inspirational. I also am starting to design my own creations, would love to share some ideas with you if I could email you perhaps? Hope you are safe up north and not affected by the terrible floods. I live in south west somerset. Madeleine :O)

[Nancy Nicholson]

Happy new year Lucy! Happy to the angels in their new home! An awful lot have flown out from the studio this Christmas! Xx

[Florence]

22 december actually, Solstice .. :)

[Bernardita Cardemil Jaramillo]

Beautifull ¡

[Patty]

A beautiful, magical home you have created for your family. I enjoy your posts and look forward to the new year and projects.

[Miriam]

Ah, what a colourful Advent you are having! I too have memories of paper Angels, equally hazy but cherished. I love Nancy's work too and had the pleasure of meeting her a could of years ago at the makegood festival, such a warm and passionate and super talented lady!

Wishing you and yours a very happy Advent!

[Yvonne]

Ah Lucy, I love love your idea with the twigs and baubles! I am definitely going to magpie that idea they look so fabulous! Placing them in front of the mirror is a clever idea too doubling the colour! I have been finding things running away with me a bit too but getting back on track now. Merry Christmas to all at Attic 24. XXX love von x

[DebW]

To be honest, I've felt a bit humbug lately. This morning I read your post while eating warm oat bran applesauce and cinnamon raisin toast with steaming mug of coffee. The cozy Lucy house nudge was all I needed. I'm in the mood to decorate and add some of your ideas too. Thanks Lucy!

[crafty mema]

i have just gotten hone from a very long week of baby sitting
in neded your christmas

much love crafty mema

[Brenda]

Dear Lucy, your home is looking lovely and festive. I find it interesting,the different traditions in different countries. My mum is English, born in Horsforth and came to Australia after the war with her parents as part of the ten pound Pom scheme. So our ancestry is not that far apart, yet here in Australia we put our tree up on the 1st of December, even with our English background, I wonder when things changed.....

[Ali Whale]

I love your Fun and Joy garland. It could almost be up all year round with those words.
Our decorations are all old and nostalgic. Sometimes if we are out as a family somewhere nice I might buy a new one but most of them are ancient, have a history and bring on bouts of nostalgia. My daughter and I decorate the house and because of that it takes ages!
One of my favourites is a cardboard circle with glittery stars on; she made it at nursery. She's just turned 17.....

[Rose from Happy Ramblings blog]

I love your decorations. Your house looks so warm and cosy. I haven't put my decorations up yet as it doesn't quite feel like Christmas here in New Zealand...it is so hot at the moment. I love your twig decorations. You have inspired me to start decorating :)

[Jo]

I remember the advent calendars we had as kids. We had two with pictures not chocolate behind the windows. We had the same two every year and my mum would blutack the windows shut so that we could open the afresh. My brother and I had 1 each and they were rotated so that we got a 'different' one each year!

Where did you get you lovely wooden nativity candelabra from? It's really fab.

[Charlotte]

Beautiful,cosy home. Thanks for the reminder that I had crocheted the snowflakes last summer. Now I will be making a garland from them as soon as they dry from the spray starch. Have asked from some yarn packs for Christmas.

[Patty Boyer]

And I got so involved telling you how I love the things you do - I forgot why I was writing.
Is the original pack the same as the "Lucy Pack" that Dedri speaks of?
I am totally smitten with the colors she used for "Sophie's Garden"! It might be easier and better to buy it in a pack...
Thanks!!

[Patty Boyer]

Well, I live in Wyoming, USA. I LOVE your stuff. So colorful, and I have far to go to have all those pretty colors in my house. And, I'm 69, have crocheted off and on for a long time, but just got serious-er about it recently. I am so impressed with all the things that can be done and the wonderful colors!! I wish all I had to do was to crochet!!

[Kelli]

Your blog brings me so much joy! I just purchased all 18 skeins for the granny stripe blanket and cant wait to recreate your blanket all the way over here in the U.S.
Your home looks absolutely charming and welcoming with all the colors and homemade goodness:) Thank you for sharing so much of yourself with us. God bless

[Kathleen Wintet]

Very pretty as always. Merry Christmas.

[Pam Wilson]

Thank you for sharing all your loveliness and pettiness. It was a great to see first thing this morning. Has cheered up a grey dreary sky morning for me and made the sun shine!!!!

[Carol]

I am sure that your children will remember all this. My sons, now with their own families, say Christmas is cancelled if I don't produce all those little things they remember!!

[Thistle]

Aw, I remember FUN AND JOY from way back! I'm glad you've kept so many old things to decorate with. The handmade ornaments and decorations are the best kind.

[Jennifer Crewe]

Lovely post really makes me long for a fireplace so I could have a mantlepiece on which to put things. I have no where to hang bunting or place decorations expect a small flat top of a tall boy and the edges of the TV stand. Not quite the same! Ah well Aussie houses are just different but I sure miss cold Christmases and this year I am house sitting for my daughter over the holiday period so I don't have any decorations up at all. Hope I don't turn into a Scrooge!

[Susan]

Gorgeous as always Lucy.looking forward to decorating our own home when r daughter returns from uni on Monday.merry chrimble🎄

[Jean]

What fun reading about all your pretties taking their Christmas (Advent?) places!

[Bernadette]

PS. Please excuse my typos. My Ipad frequently thinks for me. LOL