Flutterby Patch

Christmas is coming.....when the carpet arrives

You can see through the study window that our pretty festive pre-Christmas snow has all melted and we are now back to dismal days of drizzle and mist. Never mind, we are keeping snug and warm indoors and there is plenty to do. Thankfully the newly re-decorated study is finished and is ready and waiting for the Christmas decorations. 

 
We are very pleased with the oak floor my husband spent so long stripping and polishing and the new rug makes a welcome change from fitted carpet.

Although the rug is 'Persian' in design it has never been anywhere near near Persia! It was made in Belgium and very nice it is too. 

After he'd finished stripping and polishing the study floor hubby decided it might be a good idea to do likewise in the dining room. The old carpet (and it was old) was lifted and a new carpet/rug ordered. That was 3 months ago and we are still waiting for it to be delivered! After a very heated conversation last week with the supplier I have been assured that it will arrive before Christmas. I don't want to decorate the dining room until the carpet is here, so watch this space!

Meanwhile my job is to lengthen the dining room curtains which are too short now the old fitted carpet and underlay have gone.

After a grumpy week of carpet chasing I needed cheering up so treated myself to a box of 'Quality Street' chocolates. I read in the newspaper that Cath Kidston (the much revered interior designer) decorates her home at Christmas in 'Quality Street' colours. I thought that was a wonderful description.

I never decorate the house until 3 or 4 days before Christmas but when I do I can guarantee you'll find plenty of Quality Street colours (baubles not chocolates as the box will be empty by then).

There are still quite a few things to attend to before the big day. For example, this little knitted fairy must have wings before she can fly onto the tree and I have dining room curtains to stitch, so excuse me if I get back to work.

Christmases past and early snow

An elderly neighbour gave me this Nicholas Thomas book when I was six years old and as you can see it has been well loved. I always enjoyed reading the story about Christmas.

The chapter entitled 'The Special Christmas Tree' starts with Mummy saying to Nicholas and Timothy "Now is the time to dress the Christmas tree. Pop up to the attic and bring the decorations down." 

And just look at their excited faces when they open the box.

When I was a girl the decorations were stored in the loft which was reached via a rather rickety ladder that my mother would climb whilst we children watched nervously from below. What excitement when the box was set safely down. You hadn't set eyes on its contents for a full year and seeing all those shiny baubles and festive trinkets brought memories of past Christmases flooding back.

Unlike the characters in the book I won't be trimming our tree just yet but when I do I'll spare a thought for poor old Woolworths who recently went into administration after 77 years trading in the UK. Their first shop opened in Liverpool in 1931 and it proved so popular that very quickly every town had a Woolworth store. Their baubles, tinsel, and paper chains have decorated millions of homes around Britain for decades and many of their vintage bits and pieces will doubtless be seeing the light of day once again this year. When I was young 'Woolies' was the only shop selling Christmas trimmings, but now the competition is enormous which, of course, is part of the reason for their downfall.

I can remember Woolworths at Christmas time had several huge counters overflowing with inexpensive decorations. Items like these crepe paper garlands that I found amongst my Granny's things. She carefully stored them away each year in a crumpled Woolworth's bag. Why did grannies always store things in the bags they brought them home in?

And here's an unopened bag of Woolworth's festoon garlands dating from the 1970s (55p according to the label). 

And who remembers this cheap and cheerful wrapping paper? This is some that Granny will have carefully smoothed and put away for another year!

And the little tree with baubles that are now covered in several decades of sticky fingers prints. Crackers and a Santa disappearing down a chimney, and a plastic trumpet that made an ear piercing din and was blown by young brothers throughout Christmas just to annoy everyone.

And best of all, this little Santa with a concertina tummy. I remember him from being very young. He lost a leg many years ago but still makes an appearance every Christmas as it wouldn't be the same without his jolly grin.

And here is the story tree trimmed with all kinds of edible goodies. It has drawn quite a crowd of hungry animals. Timothy and Nicholas feel so sorry for the little animals outside in the snow that they hatch a plan.

They trim a tree with edible decorations for the animals in the garden. I doubt the hungry animals will have obeyed the instructions!

The story concludes with rabbits carrying away armsful of carrots and mice scampering home with biscuits. I love happy endings!

These pics are for you Michele at Cowboys and Custard because I know you are a really big fan of Nicholas Thomas books. Michele has a passion for vintage toys and ephemera so do pay her a visit.

And finally

We rarely see snow before Christmas but on Thursday I drew back the bedroom curtains to be greeted by this wintry scene.

The sky was grey and heavy giving the impression there was more snow to come so I was happy to spend the day snug and warm indoors.

Although I feed the wild birds regularly I can't help feeling especially sorry them on days like this. A robin watched my husband put more food on the bird table.

Needless to say he was first to the food as soon as hubby's back was turned. Amazingly this chirpy chap will hop around your feet when you are digging the garden in the summer but aim a camera at him through a kitchen window (as I'm doing here) and he's decidedly nervous and on his guard. 

The snow started to melt after lunch but the slushy remains quickly froze again as the sun went down and today is not a day for venturing far. Wonder if I should start writing the Christmas cards!

Damask baubles, shiny brass and a clean chimney

Isn't it strange how one person's trash can be another person's treasure. Many years ago I was horrified to find a friend discarding a bundle of gorgeous damask fabric samples. They dated from the 1960s and she couldn't find a use for them. Needless to say I volunteered to take them off her hands.

Brights as well as soft muted tones

Over the years I've found many uses for the fabrics

   
The smaller patterns were ideal for the dresses and waistcoats I made for my 18th century dolls house family and I have other pieces put by for the four poster beds. The samples aren't large so I always cut into the fabric with caution and save small left-over scraps just in case I find a use for them at a later date. That 'later date' arrived during the week when I used some of the scraps to cover 9cm polystyrene balls to make Christmas baubles.

Recently several talented bloggers have posted pics of their bauble handiwork and I've been itching to give it a go. The small off-cuts of damask were just right for the job and I was pleased with the results. I have a selection of gold metallic braid left over from other projects and this came in handy for covering the joins between the different fabrics.

I'd planned to use beads and buttons as finishing touches but they didn't look right so I attached tiny brass bells (with pins) around the centre of the plainest bauble. I'd like to say the bells tinkle beautifully when jiggled but I'm afraid the sound they make is more of a dull rattle.

Whilst I happily created festive baubles my husband was hard at work doing a more important job, sweeping the chimney. Our sitting room chimney is a law unto itself and has twice caught fire only a few weeks after it has been swept, so hubby likes to keep it spotless. The second time a fire caught hold the chimney pot exploded and the sharp fragments landed on the car roof (we still have the dents to prove it!)

With so much 'useful' activity going on in other parts of the house I decided I should also be seen to be doing something more essential. Now this is a job I always put off doing because I don't enjoy it...cleaning brass. Throughout the year I convince myself that tarnished brass doesn't look out of place with our 'older style' furniture but I do like clean shiny brass at Christmastime, so this week out came the cleaner and the rubber gloves.

No sooner had I laid newspaper on the kitchen table than my husband arrived and plonked our dining room chandelier onto it. He must have thought this would be a good opportunity to disconnect it from the electricity supply and bring it to me for a clean but its arrival on the table quickly made my apathy for brass cleaning a whole lot worse.

I persevered and confess it didn't take long to get it shining again and within an hour it was reconnected and fully working. I think you'll agree it was worth the effort!

Then out came the candlesticks. I just love mellow candlelight at Christmas. A few years ago I spotted a picture in a magazine of an old oak dresser decorated with Christmas greenery and a large collection of mismatching candles. It looked wonderful. I knew I had to recreate that 'look' so I trawled through Ebay and before long I found the perfect lot. One dozen vintage brass candlesticks, all different shapes and sizes (no pairs). A pair of candlesticks can fetch a decent price but mismatched ones aren't always popular and as a result I got a bargain buy. Cleaning them was a lot easier than tackling the chandelier and I'm really looking forward to basking in the glow of warm candlelight over Christmas.

Holly, ivy and mistletoe have been brought indoors during December since Pagan times as a way of brightening homes during the dark days of winter. According to Robert Herrick (an Elizabethan poet who lived 400 years ago) the tradition was to keep the Christmas evergreens in the house until Candlemas (2nd February) when they should be replaced by Box which should stay indoors until Easter. I love these old traditions!

Ceremonies for Candlemasse Eve (with original spelling)
by Robert Herrick (1591 - 1674)

Down with the Rosemary and Bayes,
            Down with Mistletoe;
Instead of Holly, now up-raise
            The greener Box (for show.)

The Holly hitherto did sway;
            Let Box now domineere;
Untill the dancing Easter-day,
            Or Easters Eve appeare.

 
It is the start of Advent on Sunday (30th Nov) and I will be bringing more evergreens into the house. I wonder if they will survive until Candlemas. In Elizabethan England there was no central heating so my guess is they will have dried and withered by New Year. I will let you know.