The Winter Blues

I'm so excited that so many of you felt a connection with my post from yesterday!  I think the Year of US is full of endless possibilities!

Now that almost all of my Christmas decor is snugly packed away for another year, I thought I would throw a little color around the house.  My collection of blue Ball jars and old insulators will now be providing me with a much happier version of the winter blues.


 

When I come into the kitchen each morning I will be greeted by their various shades of blue and aqua.  And at nighttime I might just throw a few tea lights up there to illuminate their beautiful blueness.

And I will smile when I see the light dance through these wavy, undulating, bubbled, glass vessels.

Yep, now that's what I call the perfect winter blues...maybe I'll even sing the blues.  What makes you sing this time of year?

Home for the Holidays

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I think I'm finally done.

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Done decorating...

Done shopping...

And just able to sit back and enjoy the season. Enjoy the blessing of having a place to call my own, a place to welcome friends and family and share in the spirit of the season.  This is home, where I can hang my hat and my Christmas ornaments!

Coastal Christmas in the Kitchen

First of all, I want to take a moment to remember those who lost their lives during the attack on Pearl Harbor on this day 70 years ago.  May we hold them in our hearts forever. 

I finally have something I can share for a few link parties, which I haven't done in a REALLY long time. 

I gave you a sneak peek of my kitchen windowsill a few days ago, but I finally finished it up by adding some greens and a few other things here and there, so I thought I would share the whole thing with you today.  I know it's not the 9th yet, but I'm not good at being patient, so here goes!

Plus, I still have a few more things to put out in here, so I will share more once I have the whole room finished, but I didn't want to miss out on the party.  I love a good party after all, and I've loved seeing the wonderful  posts others have shared over the past few weeks.  There is so much talent in blogland, it boggles my mind sometimes!

Ok, enough chit chat, on to the decorating!  The inspiration for this year's windowsill was mother nature, burlap, and turquoise/aqua.

I started with my blue ball jars, knowing that I wanted them to be a focal point and provide some color.  I wasn't sure if I wanted to put lights in them like I had done in years past, but finally settled on a more simple approach and added little baby cedar trees to them instead.

I lived with those on the windowsill for a few days before deciding which direction to head in.  Then I remembered that I had some burlap ribbon, so I strung that all along the windowsill which gave it some nice texture.

I tend to let my decorating evolve over time, but I usually have some sort of vision of how I want it to end up, or at least which elements I want to use.  I loved the blue of the mason jars, but I felt like something was missing until it dawned on me that I could use my turquoise/aqua insulators as votive holders.  They add just the sparkle I was looking for, and they look so pretty when I light the little tea lights each evening.   And I also love that they are chipped, don't all match, and are well worn, all part of the rustic charm I was hoping to achieve this Christmas.

As I wandered around my house gathering things to add, my collection of seashells seemed like a logical choice to incorporate into my coastal themed vision.  I have all sorts of shells, so I just grabbed a few and spaced them out over the sill.

I debated on putting 3 blue ball jars, one in front of each window, but I felt like it needed a little height in the center, so I grabbed these wooden shore birds which normally sit on top of the TV armoire in the living room during the warmer months.  And I fashioned a wreath out of cypress to hang on the biggest birdie.

Just below the windowsill, next to the sink, I added some vintage ornaments that had belonged to my parents and grandparents and a few other ornaments I have collected over the years.  I purchased the peppermints on copper wire a few years ago, and since I didn't have anything yummy to fill my candy jar with, they did the trick!  A pretty white Cyclamen I picked up the other day when I bought my wreaths is nestled into a big red bowl.  I love to have flowers around all throughout the year, but especially when everything outside is on its way out.

Santa seems to be eyeing something to his right...not sure what, let's hope he's not trying to make a break for it!

And because it's Christmastime, it never hurts to remind ourselves to believe, in whatever makes your heart sing.

Candy canes fill a pudding basin and get weighed in along with some fresh greens on top of my vintage scale.  My little sea urchin votive holder adds a little more sparkle to the kitchen.

So there it is, my coastal cottage inspired Christmas kitchen.  I think baking will be a lot more fun in here this year!  I can't wait to see what the rest of you did in your kitchens!

Click HERE to see more Christmas in the Kitchen inspiration!  And to visit some of the other Christmas link parties you can check out the list below.

 AND

Click HERE to visit the Christmas Home Tours at The Inspired Room!

AND

I am also linking up to the 24 Days of Coastal Christmas at Sally Lee by the Sea!  Click HERE to see more Coastal Christmas decorating ideas!

Sing for Your Supper

Today, I thought we'd take a peek inside my cupboards and around the kitchen.

I love my glass fronted cupboards.

And my napkin rings given to me by my sweet daughter!

You can't live in Maryland and not have a set of crab glasses.

And this blueberry creamer and sugar came from my parents who raised blueberries, yum!

This beautiful white platter was a gift from my neighbor last Christmas, I think she knows me pretty well!

The plate above the range came from Giant, the etched bottle was found at a local gift store, and the green bottle is from my dear friend Celia, she gave it to me in high school and I added the slate tag years ago.

On the hutch are some treasured kitchen items from my mother and grandmother, and that wooden block with the beach babe is from the talented and oh so sweet Linda at Itsy Bits and Pieces!  Thank you Linda, I love it!

As you can tell, I don't worry too much about jamming things into my glass fronted cupboards.  Storage is at a premium in this little house of ours so everything has it's place and there is a place for everything.

Gravy boats, milk glass salt and pepper shakers, and even chickens find themselves at home here.

I love my fishy chowder bowls.

The strawberry topped sugar bowl and butter dish peeking out behind the blue vase belonged to my grandmother.

Above the hidden microwave are my fancy smanchy glasswares.

And a few pretties too.

And because no kitchen would be complete without one, here is my cookie jar.  To see more kitchen pictures click here.

Now, go sing for your supper! ;-)

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