Christmas Cheer

Happy Christmas.

Christmas 2013

I thought I would share with you my Christmas tree decorations and my homemade cards.
This is the tree we bought from a local farm. It is a Fraser spruce so the pine needles do not drop. Luckily it reaches to the ceiling, a necessary prerequisite  in my house. It is decorated with many sentimental decorations including those made by my children when at primary school. 

A happy smiling Santa.

Christmas cheer

This angel is always positioned at the top of the tree. She  is very old and has eyes that can close.

A dainty angel

This tree decoration is also old. It has lost some of it's shine but none of it's beauty.

Hand painted in blue and silver

The bird is made of glass and the owl of wood.

Birds of a feather

This lovely felt bell was made by one of my daughter's  when she was in the infant class at the local school in my village.

Twinkle bell

The little nutcracker is one of several on the tree. One has a mouth that will open.

Nutcracker and horse

I have made these decorations from rolled paper.

A paper angel.

Paper angel

Christmas trees decorated in different styles. I pegged them to a card with a small golden clothes peg.

Decorated with red baubles

Decorated with beads

Decorated with coloured thread

A forest of trees

A Christmas pudding that is featured on my Christmas cards.

Spot the pudding

The Christmas pudding card complete.

Spot the cake

This is my Christmas cake. Again some of the cake decorations are old. The cake tastes delicious.

Cakelicious

Who said what to offend the snowman?

For the first time this year Baby Doll who lives in my home garden was presented with a Santa suit. It was rather on the large sized but a little tinsel helped. On a frosty morning she was still smiling.

I like your style

Happy Christmas to all my readers.

Stop Press
Looby Loo has been spotted by talent scouts who have asked her to make a celebrity appearance in  Kirkoswald village shop window. She will be the star turn for New Year celebrations.

Seasonal Santa Special

Christmas celebrations have arrived at the Artful Garden. I am currently battling against the strong winds and rain and visit the garden every day to ensure nobody has fallen over due to too much Christmas cheer.

Pop the corks and let us celebrate.

Champagne bottle, part of Leeds city celebrations

Welcome to the Artful Garden.

Fir cones and bells

Looby Loo and Bobby Barley have really entered into the full Christmas extravaganza. I am not sure if Bobby has over stuffed his pudding as twice now I have arrived to see that he has fallen off the seat. I think his centre of gravity is a bit extraterrestrial.

Proper stuffed

 Looby  Loo I looooooove your earrings

Christmas tree bunting hangs from the apple tree.

Can you see the Halloween broom and acrobatic cat?

Boozy Floozy keeps making trips to the off licence. She thinks that by wearing her red suit she will not be easily recognised. Little does she know that her shoes and tights are her trademark.

I wonder what has caused those rosy cheeks and nose

Crazy Maisie is auditioning for a part in panto as a silver ballerina. Since when has a dancer worn wellies?

Should she audition for Strictly Come Dancing?

Lotta Bottle will soon need surgery on her right arm as it is coming out of its socket, it must be due to all the money in her purse. She has managed to fit a Santa hat over her hairdo but I am not sure about the facial hair.

Twinkle twinkle

Charlie Barley looks as though he could do with a few good turkey dinners.

An undernourished Santa

The festive threesome

The Bottle Boys have been having a few too many bevvies. They are trying to look festive as they greet visitors who see them over the garden wall. I have found a few empty cans and bottles around the base of their canes.

Mine's a pint

Bling Boys

This is the wreath I made for my front door.

Holly berries and fir cones

The back door wreath.

Ivy, fir cones and berries

A ray of sunshine, winter jasmine.

Yellow bows

Cloud Creations

This week the weather has been very mild for the time of year. I have been harvesting my dried flower heads so that I can paint them gold, silver and red to use in the church Christmas flower display.

It was a lovely mild day yesterday which started with a glorious sunrise so on my travels to and from Hexham I took photos of the clouds.

8am sunrise across the fields from my back garden

Can you see the fish cloud?

Milky colours

Looking into the sun at Hartside cafe

Whispy strands of cloud

The blends of colours are so beautiful

Cloud patterns continually change

Swirls and drifts

The setting sun

An illuminated sky

Floating islands of cloud

Just a tinge of red

The view of the setting sun from Hartside cafe

This is one of my favourite bookmarks.

 It is always worth remembering to check in the mirror before you leave the house

Mists, Magic and Miller Howe

Last Saturday I went to the Penrith Winter Droving torchlight procession. There were some amazing animals made from wire and tissue paper. They were lit with LED lights. Getting photos was not easy.

Geese

Horse

Horse

Bull

Ram's head

On Sunday I had a trip to Miller Howe on the edge of  Lake Windermere. This swan did not have far to go to find food as all the shops along the lakeside sold bird seed. A swan's feet are huge.

 A swan on the look out for it's next meal

We just got to Miller Howe in time to see the sunset over the lake.

Lake Windermere

The sun setting over the lake

Our afternoon tea was delicious and there was a wonderful selection of cakes, the scones were superb.

Scones with jam and cream, lemon drizzle cake, gingerbread, pistachio cake

The furniture at Miller Howe is superb and all the rooms are decorated to a very high standard and it feels as though you are in someone's private house.

Beautiful furniture

There are very few plants still in flower. I love the pale pink berries on this rowan tree.

Pearl drop rowan berries

The rosebay willowherb has gone completely to seed, The flowerheads blow in the wind and remind me of horsetails.

Floating horsetail willowherb

On Thursday the mist over the river gradually progressed towards my house. It was fascinating to see it drift and reform.

Moody

Hazy