Some Ideas for the Vine wreaths.

The wreaths I made a few weeks ago waiting to be decorated.

I always decorate the front door of our own home

 and  La Petite Maison  for the festive season,

This is a reminder of what I did a few years ago

La Petite Maison 2012

For the greenery of the base I usually give a few shrubs a trim
just before I start, then it's easy to fill in with whatever you have.
I used small pine cones which are in abundance where I live.
I also dried some apple rings
( but a word of warning, the birds will come and eat most of them )
Also with the very wet winter we had that year, they became soft.
So next time I would keep dried apple or orange rings
 for an indoor wreath.They do give a pleasant spicy aroma
especially if you sprinkle them with a little cinnamon or allspice .

This one had dried orange rings and a few whole dried lemons & tangerines.
I just leave my fruit to dry and harden off a little by our wood burner.

My home  2012

I've been doing a bit of searching for some different ideas.

Guess where I did my search ? Of course, my favorite Danish  magazine

Isabellas

Here are a few I've picked out for you

Photos shown without Barbara Lilian in France typed on them
are taken from  Isabellas 2014 Christmas magazine.

They might give you some inspiration to try.

How about one of these for your front door ?

If you're like me, when out on a walk you arrive home
with pockets full of natures treasures,
 that could fill your wreath, Fallen nuts,
pine cones & twisted branches with lichen
Or maybe a selection of berries from the trees,
but be prepared for the birds, they think it's a take away.



Any of these I would love to hang on my door and all could be made.
Give it a try,  don't say 'I could never make that'
Your first attempt might not have a professional finish to it
but it will be your own design and so much nicer than one bought from a store.



This would look very nice on a hall entrance table;
with a few of your special baubles and a little statue
all piled up in a shallow dish with a wreath just placed around it.

One of these would look very pretty in doors.

This one could be hung on the kitchen door.
It looks like the tiny cones I collect
and then spray painted white.
Now what could be easier than that ?
all you need is a reel of fine wire and some paint.

I love this dried flower one using lavender. maybe not true Christmas style,
 but could look  pretty and smell very nice in a guest bedroom.

This frothy one on a side table.
with candles in lanterns placed around it looks lovely.

 

If you have been successful drying some Hydrangea  heads
this is a very show off way for them to be seen
along with a few other dried flowers and thistles.
I  like the way it's hung with a leather belt,
a very original smart country idea .

I hope I've chosen something to suite every ones taste.


If you do decide to make a winter season wreath
I hope you enjoy making it.
I would love to see the style you choose to make yours.

à bientôt

Barbara Lilian

My Christmas Decor

My Christmas decorations have been minimal this year.
as Mr France and I will be spending the holiday with our daughter and our grandsons.

No sapin de noel .
a
 few branches collected from the woods, with some of my favourite things hanging from the twigs. 

 Present wrapping time, using my vintage lace.

and

another chance to use the music.

I wish all my friends and followers a wonderful

 Happy Christmas.

Joyeaux Noel

God Jul.



 à bientôt

Barbara Lilian

My fantastic music find for a decoration.

Look at my fantastic find, from a Brocante shop in a small town near where I live.

I was wandering down a side street looking for ideas for Christmas, when I saw the sign Brocante. The door was open and the owner was sitting in a comfy chair, soaking up the sun that was shining into his doorway,

I decided to go in have a browse. 

Knowing I had some ideas in my mind for making some decorations using sheet music, in my best French I asked if he had any pieces of sheet music, he said he thought he might have a few books of music, but wasn't sure if he could find them, so could I wait while he went out to the back of his shop. 

I had plenty of time so I looked around and saw lots of things I would have loved to buy, but as I was with Mr. France who hates old and dusty things, if it's not brand spanking new, he calls it junk.

I thought this was not the right time and I'd just wait to see if the owner could find any sheet music.

A few minutes later he came back with this book and asked if it was of any use.

Now as I hadn't gone out suitably dressed for rummaging about in a brocante shop, I had to be careful as he might think I was a collector or maybe a  dealer, as he could have put a high price on it. 

Also being English and smartly dressed in a small town didn't help, I was wondering how much he would say he wanted. I looked at it, as if it was of no use to me, but wanting so much to have this lovely vintage book.  I could see the pages were thick and not flimsy like the books of today. I asked how much he wanted, for it, thinking I was going to have to barter with him. I couldn't believe it when he said 2 euros. I couldn't get out of the shop quick enough, in case he changed his mind. 

Now that I have the book at home and have looked at the lovely design on the cover, even though it's torn and tattered it tells a story. It's the music for a comedy opera, written in German and French. 

I'm sure it's not valuable, but I almost don't want to tear the pages out from it, just to make decorations.

I never deface books, so now I'm in a dilemma, do I tear out the pages 

 or should I try somewhere else that might have sheet music ?

Do you ever feel like this when you touch something vintage ?

 that's so worn because it's  been used so many times.

The tattered cover.

I can't read music, but to me it looks as if it's quite lively.

That was yesterday and now I'm still wondering, should I use it for the decoration I want to make,
 or keep the opera music book ?

I'd love to have your opinion to help me make up my mind

à bientôt

Barbara Lilian

Chrysanthemums for remembrance

 Outside of the supermarkets big and small are pots & pots of  Chrysanthemums for sale

 in all of the lovely colours, which are bought  and then placed on the graves

 of their loved ones,.in remembrance for 'All  Saints day'

All over France this time of the year you can see masses of Chrysanthemums in pots,

 as beautiful floral decorations in the towns and cities and on the roundabouts.

.

In France

Chrysanthemums are never given as a gift to anyone,

 and you rarely see them planted in the gardens.

In the first village I lived in I soon learnt it wasn't the done thing

 to use them as a floral decoration outside my front door.

These lovely arrangements are in our local church.

This one amongst many others was in the entrance area.

 in front of the alter.

This was my favourite.

After our visit inside the beautifully decorated church we had a wander around the market stalls.

and I couldn't resist snapping this little fellow

 who seemed  to be on guard 

at a market stall.

I hope you liked seeing how the French people use

Chrysanthemums for remembrance.

à bientôt

Barbara Lilian

My ornamental Orange plant

I have to thank my Mr France for getting this house plant to look as good as this.

Most of my house plants are nothing special.

I have lots of Chlorophytum / the common Spider plant, 

and several Bridgessi / Christmas cactus, along with a few Begonia - erthrophylla. 

Plants that almost look after themselves, helped  with the occasional watering. 

I'm more of an outdoor gardener.

Botanic name
Calamondin  Orange

Two years ago we were given this ornamental Citrus plant, 

which came with an abundance of flowers and fruit.  

I did my usual occasional watering, watched the new flowers come and go, 

but never turn into fruit. 

As I've said before if plants die on me, I never feel it's a disaster.

However Mr France was not happy with how it was looking so he took charge and bought a special feed for Citrus type plants and hey ho what a difference.  He's been counting all the flowers which gradually turned into little green fruit, and have grown now bigger & bigger. I know he's feeling quite proud of himself, as he took these photos,  and giving me a telling off, for neglecting this plant.

After all the tender loving care Mr France has given this plant,

Unfortunately these juicy looking fruits can't be eaten.  they are only ornamental.

but he's done a very job, don't you think ?

Now I'm back into my painting mode, I was looking through all the things I'd done 

and found this little watercolour painting of a lavender field, 

it was my very first  effort.

I think I've made a big improvement since then.

From now on, I think I'll stick to the outdoor garden & keep trying to improve my painting.

  and leave the indoor plants to Mr France.

à bientôt

Barbara Lilian

1st Blossom

Japonica (  Japanese Quince )

My first shrub to blossom.

Last week end I cut some of the longer branches I'd missed when  pruning it in Autumn,

I brought them into the house to force the blossom

and

now I have a lovely vase of the blossom almost in full bloom.

This picture is an aerial view of our last house taken in 1990 just before we left 

to live in France

We lived on Dartmoor in Devon, which is the south west of England. 

A beautiful part of England.

This little arrangement is in small jar that I had found in the old barn of our first house in France.

I also found these shoes in the barn.

can you guess what they were used for ?

Do you remember me telling you  in an early post Sowing seeds at the right time - in tune with the moon.  about Leonard my old friend
who used to tell me how to garden , he told me they used to fit them on the cows feet
 when they went on the road pulling the cart to take their produce to the city for the big market.
This city is Limoges 40 km from where I lived.
Can you imagine having to travel all that distance to sell their chickens and vegetables.

I hope the spring blossom is in bloom where you live.

If  not, I'm sure Spring is just around the corner.

à bientôt

Barbara Lilian 

I'm still thinking of Spring.

In my last post I told you I had found some tulip tips just peeping up through the cold ground.

Since then our weather hasn't improved. It's still cold and has poured with rain everyday.

Yesterday we had some publicity posted  in our mailbox

 advertising these tulips in a basket for only 3.99€

Similar to the ones waiting to flower by the front door of my ' Petite Maison '

We dashed off to the S/market ( Aldi ) which is 30 mins. drive from where we live, hoping to buy at least
 two baskets, but  I was so disappointed.as they  had sold out early that morning. 

 I did the next best thing & bought a bunch of tulips @ 1.99€

Tulips are not easy to arrange as they will soon bend over, drooping to where ever they want to go.

Have a peep at the pictures I've taken to show you what I was able to do with just one bunch.

I brought out some of my small white containers that I love to use for flowers.Then chose     

 a few tulips, cut the stems short and  opened out their petals to make them look like this.

Have you ever tried doing this?

I first saw this method about 30 yrs ago, when I wanted to learn about flower arranging.
I'll always remember it, as the demonstration was given by a man who showed simple ways of using just one
or two flower stems with  clusters of flowers and buds cut  to produce a very decorative arrangement.

As you can see, one bunch or bouquet,  I should say, as I live in France,  goes a long way.

Hope you liked what I did with one bouquet of tulips from  the super marche.

and @ a Bon marche prix.

a bientot 

Barbara Lilian