A Can of Silver Paint

It wasn't that I didn't already have plenty of tasks to keep me busy today. There were sweets to make, house to clean and all the other daily activities. It's just that I remembered I'd bought a can of silver spray paint and I was itching to try it on some of the things I'd gathered from the outdoors.

I decided to spray paint magnolia leaves, magnolia seed pods, privet berries and sycamore balls with the silver paint to give them a holiday-ish look.

Soon I was out gathering cedar branches, because an idea was forming. I wanted to make a natural arrangement for the sun room coffee table.

Here's the result:

I didn't wire everything together; just placed everything around a fat candle and called it finished.

I may have to rework it a bit because the magnolia leaves, still on the stem, don't want to stay put. I'll probably break each one off and make them lay flat.

The magnolia pods were gathered in the spring, before they opened and shed their red seeds. They look awfully much like a pine cone, don't you think?

Privet seeds, which grow on that most despised nuisance plant, the privet hedge.  The more berries I paint, the less plants that will emerge from the ground come spring?

Sycamore tree seed pods. Who would have thought they'd look so pretty with a coat of paint?

The artificial light at night reflecting off the silver tinged magnolia leaves give the room a magical feel.

No more decorations! I said I wasn't going to do much this year, but you know how it is, you get started and don't know when to quit.

Don't you just love Christmastime, when you can deck every table top with things we wouldn't use any other time of the year?

Are you finished with decorating your house for Christmas? 

Let's Ban Glitter from Christmas

How pretty and festive it looks at Holiday Time, but oh the mess it makes!

A tiny silver tree for atop the mirrored chest in the bedroom. I first placed a few ornaments around the base but soon removed them after they began shedding their glitter coating!

Now, I think this is better after all!

I'm speaking of glitter. It seems that every ornament I've placed on the tree is covered with it. And you know what that means: glitter on the floor, on my hands, on the pets after they swish their tails against the tree.

I've been fighting it for a week now and have come to the conclusion that it will be banned from my house next year. Already I have boxed up many decorations that are going out the door, and these glitter-covered ornaments will soon join them.

In browsing the shops this year, glitter ornaments are everywhere. But another trend I'm seeing is more the local, handmade ornaments that are rustic in nature. Little wooden carvings, birds nest made from twisted twigs, ornaments fashioned from burlap -- these things are appealing to me more and more.

So next year I'm going to concentrate on the natural look. In fact, I may join a growing trend to have a totally unconventional tree such as the one Heather has on her beautiful blog, Lost in Arles. A branch tree! The idea appeals to me very much. And of course, I love silver and white at Christmas anyway.

If you, like me, are tired of messy glitter, lets ban together and buy no more!

What do you think?

Happy 90th Birthday to a Sweet Aunt

Beautiful then (1941)

Aunt Helen Faye, who celebrated her 90th birthday today, pictured here with hew new husband James, my daddy's youngest brother. Shortly after they were married, he was shipped overseas to serve in World War II. He was stationed in Belgium. 

And beautiful still (2012)

Aunt Helen Faye at her 90th birthday party Dec. 15, 2012.

She was joined my many friends and family members for the special occasion.

Aunt Helen Faye visiting with her brother-in-law Paul. In the  background is her daughter Barbara.

I have such good memories of this aunt from when I was a child. I visited her daughter, my cousin Jackie, at their home and we had such fun together.

At my grandfather's house, the children always drew names for Christmas giving, and I always hoped one of Aunt Helen Faye's daughters drew my name. She always selected the neatest gifts and they were wrapped and decorated in such a festive way.

One year I received two Little Golden Books from Jackie (it's written on the inside). I still have them after all these years:

Aunt Ruth, my father's only surviving sibling.

Mother at the party.

Party guests Claus, Edith Wayne and Barbara.

 I couldn't resist taking a photo of my cousin Jeannie's new manicure. A big University of Alabama football fan!

Christmas Old and New

A meet up for lunch with three special women -- my sister and two cousins -- also included a visit to a very unique store in Athens, the U.G. White Hardware Store. In business since 1917, the store carries specialty products in a unique atmosphere.

ugwhite.com

To be found there are housewares, lawn and garden items, knives, nails, bird feeders, outdoor clothing, kitchenware, groceries and best of all - recreated old time toys.

White's toys are made by Channel Craft, which uses skilled craftsmen to create these aesthetically appealing toys of yesteryear.

How nice to find the games of Tiddly Winks, marbles,dominoes, jump ropes and Tin Penny Whistles, and many more, all made in the U.S.A.

What a neat store. I love visiting it, especially at Christmas.

I LOVED these Wax Lips when I was a kid. Haven't seen them in years.

You might know I couldn't resist buying one and of course my sister insisted she make my picture made wearing them! A lady walked by, laughed and said it looked like a Botox job gone wrong!

Penny candy on the carousel (Mary Janes, Banana Kisses and many others, now sells for $5.99 per pound!

Note the man whittling cedar in the upper right of this picture.

I asked the lady behind the cash register what is done with the shavings produced from the whittling demonstration. She replied they are just swept into the trash. I asked if I could have them and she gladly produced a bag to pack them into.

More closet sachets!

Remember these? Made from a man's work sock

How funny is this? Clever marketing, no?

Wash day accessories from times gone by

Peanuts are roasted and sold in the store

The lunch crew - Darry, Becky, Edith and me.

 A little further along, we visited some gift shops featuring the typical Christmas bling:

Bright and colorful things, but I wasn't tempted by anything! Isn't it funny how very pretty all these things look when massed together in stores, but when you get the two or three things home they don't look nearly so nice; they just look lost, at least to me they do.

Lots of Vera Bradley!

A nice day indeed! And I only bought the red wax lips. My lunch was on the house, but that's another story I'll tell you about later. My companions thought I made out quite well -- free lunch, free cedar shavings and $1.50 for the lips.

I hope everyone has a great weekend.