A bit of Christmas

Hi, everybody, and merry Christmas! Though Chris and I don't decorate for Christmas the way we do for Halloween, we do like to put out a few things.

Let me show you around!

Here's the table by the front door:




Here's a closeup of the compotes:



I like the old-fashioned look of fresh greenery with herbs and fruits. I was standing in line at Trader Joe's the other day (replacing everything we'd lost when the fridge died, from butter to BBQ sauce) when I noticed the guy in front of me had a lovely little crate of clementines. "Well, Mr. Man", I thought, "you're not the only one who's walking outta here with those citrusy treats!!", and off I dashed to the produce section. Note: I am so thankful that people can't read my mind-- they'd just think I was bizarre.


Here's the top of the entertainment center, with fir boughs (which I pulled out of the free bins at Lowe's) and ivy (which I pulled out of the yard):




Here's a closeup of one of our Jim Shore Santas:




The Christmas tree, which we decorated with friends. That's the way we do thing around here, see: we invite people over for potlucks and then force them to decorate Tallulah House. You'd think they'd have learned their lesson by now ;)





A pine garland from Ace Hardware, with ivy from the yard:




The chandelier, with ivy and rosemary:




The dining room doorway:




The pyramid that my parents brought back from Germany many years ago:





Now for the kitchen. Here's a primitive, folk-arty tree that my friend Lib gave me:





Next is our little nutcracker and some apothecary jars filled with festive M&M's!





Next is the top of the new refrigerator (yes, as much as it set us back, it has to be featured!!). I confess that I keep my gargoyle out year-long, though not usually here. I am very fond of my winged Christmas elf, and of his combat boots :)





Here's a few shots of the vignette in the sitting room (pardon the gap under the pug picture: I have been trying to get Chris's help in hanging things to balance it out, but he hates drilling into plaster as much as I do!):




Here's a closeup of my Dresden angels. My parents also brought these back from Germany and they're one of my favourite things:





Another closeup:





In keeping with the idea of greenery and natural materials, I decided to show off my ginger jar with some huge stalks of rosemary (I noticed today that the rosemary has bloomed, I suppose due to being inside. It's wonderful!):





I kept it simple in the bathroom as well, decorating with a silver tray, a candle, and my favourite Christmas linen: the flying pig towel!





Here's a closeup of my pig. If he doesn't make you smile, then there's nothing I can do for you and I suggest that you seek medical attention quickly!





From all of the denizens of Tallulah House, we wish you a merry Chrismas!

Kitchen corners

Hi there, friends and neighbors!

One of my favourite parts of blogs are the pictures. I get so inspired by seeing what cool stuff other folks are doing in their homes (and being jealous over their vintage finds and family heirlooms!). Now I'm not saying that any of my pics will inspire you, but its great to join in the fun of sharing :)

Tallulah's kitchen has been one of the hardest rooms to decorate because:

• it's a galley kitchen, not my favourite style though it has grown on me
• hunter green countertops-- I didn't want hunter green *sniff*
• it ran the risk of feeling more like a hallway than a kitchen

In my war with the hunter green countertops, I painted the walls three times before I decided that the countertops were going to keep winning every time :) I surrendered and painted the walls white, which I really like, though you should have SEEN the number of paint chips at which I looked. I didn't want a cold, blue-white, and ended up with a warm, creamy white that I really like. I ultimately embraced the white and green, but added purple as an accent colour-- nothing crazy, just little touches of here and there. But enough chatter!

Here are a few corners of my kitchen:

The window, with a bit of the sink thrown in (who can identify the things on the sill?)




To the right of the window:




A closeup of the Treat Jar, revered by the canine denizens of Tallulah House. Its importance entitles it to a pedestal of Jadeite ;)




A painting I bought several years ago, entitled "Louisiana Irises"




Both my husband and are of Irish extraction, and we got a kick out of this plaque, a wedding present from one of my aunts:




The plaque and my aprons (at which some people snicker disbelievingly: "You wear APRONS??" "Yep," I reply, "after I ruined a couple of shirts with olive oil I got smart. Hmmm, I guess you don't do much cooking, eh?")




A view of a counter that holds my silver (such a horrible way to display it!), a stack of my favourite platters and sugar bowl, and an aloe plant:




A closeup of the sugar bowl and one of my favourite spoons:




The view out of the kitchen door:




I know that it's wrong to love an inanimate object... I know it's wrong, but I do anyway!! This is Happy, my Francis!Francis! espresso maker. Happy was a birthday present from Chris, for which I am still thanking him two years later :)



Hope you enjoyed having a look around the kitchen at Tallulah House!
Kimberley