Sunday, December 13, 2009

Christmas In The Air



A weekend away with the girls was exactly what I needed...
Christmas was in the air from the moment I walked in to Paula's charming historic farmhouse...



Her home was filled with fresh greens and natural elements as well as rustic antiques, vintage Christmas ornaments and handmade treasures...
This ornament depicting her home was given to Paula by her former employer...(Paula works full time as a pharmacist when she is not having fun decorating or antiquing!)





One of Evi's Santas...
(Click on any photo to enlarge and see details better)





Paula's vignettes, which very often include birds and nests, have a bit of glitter and sparkle to them this holiday season which enhances the magical feeling of her cozy home...





I think I counted fourteen decorated trees in her home this year....but there could be one or two little ones that I missed. (Click to view a close up of her "snowflakes").



One of Evi's snowgirls...













A winter rabbit handmade by Evi...













Paula has been collecting doilies all year to turn into snowflakes...







Another of Evi's snow girls...



Paula's home is full of perfectly placed details meant to delight the eye...

Evi (our infamous dollmaker) and Ebbie came midday and we set out to visit Carole from Maynard Greenhouse and Deanna from Gather in Ivoryton as well as a trip to Stony Creek to another of our favorite shops...Taken for Granite.
Pure Inspiration!

Friday evening, we went to the open house given by Cathy Pendleton of The Cheswick Company. We were delighted with her wonderful creations which I will share with you later on in the week.

Tomorrow I will share some photographs from Carole's Christmas shop and Deanna's store Gather...We all found some wonderful things at each place!

Both Carole and Deanna and our friend Kathleen came over Friday evening for an impromptu get together...
It was great fun to sit and chat with these accomplished women...all business owners or professionals...all hard working women dealing with life's issues but ready to laugh and to listen...to support each other however needed. It is good to have girl friends.

The Essex Holiday House Tour on Saturday was lovely and I will have pictures of the outsides of these beautiful and charming New England and historic homes later on in the week. Unfortunately but understandably they did not allow photographs inside the homes this time.

To say that I felt welcomed and comfortable would be an understatement...
I was pampered and spoiled not only by dear Paula but by Bill who cooked us both a delicious breakfast and dinner...poured us wine and fixed us bowls of Ben and Jerry's while we watched "It's A Wonderful Life" all tucked in under comfy quilts on our sofas...

It was truly a wonderful and relaxing weekend. The icing on the cake was when I arrived home today, walked in the door and saw that Santa Baby did not disappoint...the lights were shining brightly on the tree...just waiting for me to add the ornaments and decorations! :)
I hope this will be a good week for all!

29 comments:

Ceekay-THINKIN of HOME said...

So glad you had a good weekend. Your friend's home is lovely...I love the candles in the crown especially.
Anxious to see that tree all decorated...
Have a great week!

Susie~From My Home To Yours said...

So glad you had a wonderful time. The pics of Paula's home are wonderful and inspirational to say the least. She is extremely talanted and I love her home. What a treasure to spend time with good friends!
Have a great week and have fun decorating your tree...
Susie

Sarah A Beach Cottage said...

goodness, that's a lot of trees to decorate...love it all, and I'd sure like to stop by...

Sarah

Florence said...

It sounds like you had a wonderful weekend, I loved all the decorations with bringing in the elements of the out doors, as just the right touch. You were blessed to have the tree up with the lights, now the fun begins. Enjoy! Florence

manon 21 said...

Que du plaisir chez toi!!
Ravie de voir ton 52 si bien .

amitiés de ton amie française

manon

Jacqueline @ HOME said...

What a wonderful weekend you had, Laura.
Paula's home is beautiful. Is that her house on the bauble? I want my house on a bauble !!!!
The inside is as good as the outside. I love everything, especially the rusty bell and crown, the little nest and what a brilliant idea to collect those doilies. They really do look like snowflakes.
Can't wait to see the photos of The Essex Holiday House Tour.
Thanks for showing us Paula's home (and thanks to her for letting us see it !!)
I look forward to your week of posts, Laura. I know that they will be amazing. XXXX

Theresa said...

Oh, what a fun weekend! Gorgeous decorations EVERYWHERE! Thanks for sharing all this beauty with us! Have a blessed day:)

BonjourRomance said...

Sounds as if you had a wonderful. What a lovely house. Like Jacqueline wanted to know, is that Paula's house on a bauble? Everything looked perfect, and watching It's a Wonderful Life' with Ben 'n Jerry's under some snuggly blankets - mmmm!

Zita - Mlle Magpie said...

What a wonderful weekend for you, Laura. Paula's home is just beautiful and delightful. Love all those creamy whites and Evi's creations are amazing! Wow!

trash talk said...

Her home is just breathtaking and I'm hard put to say what is my favorite photo. If pushed real hard, I would say the shot of her living area with the leg warmers on the cocktail table. Love that idea!
BTW, Did Santa Baby get rewarded with at least milk and cookies for the lights?
Debbie

Suzy's Vintage Attic said...

Hello Laura

Your photos convey a feeling of a peaceful Christmas, very calming.

Paula's farmhouse is beautiful!

Warm wishes

Isabelle x

Ange said...

Dear Laura,

What a wonderful weekend you had amongst girlfriends. You are right - friendships are the biggest treasure of all. Her home is also, without contest, simply beautiful!
Happy decorating of the tree...
Ange

Andrea @ Big Creek Cottage said...

I really enjoyed the tour of Paula's home...beautiful. I have a question..there is a tree pictured in front of a mirror with a white bird on top....it is a green tree...what kind of tree is that and where can i find one? Thanks so much

Jane said...

What a great weekend. The house is amazing...loved everything in it!
Jane

Garden Antqs Vintage said...

Paula's home is just beautiful and I always look forward to seeing more from either you or Carole. Thanks for tour. It also sounds like you had an awesome weekend. Merry Christmas, Theresa

FILIGREE MOON said...

So many oohs and aahs in one post. And so glad you had a wonderful time with friends. Thanks for sharing photos of your friend's absolutely beautiful home! ~ Angela

Sea Witch said...

How Extraordinary. One of the prettiest white homes I can remember. Sea Witch

Chemin des Muguets said...

Oh Laura,

You do live a wonderful life-surrounded by such love and beauty!

Cheers and lvoe from the West Coast too!

Marjorie

Carole said...

I've seen Paula's house so many times but it still makes me gasp everytime I see it. There's always something new and different to delight the eye!
It was a blast to see you and the gang!
xxx
Carole

Sammy Girl said...

Mmmm....
can't think of anything better to say!
Hugs!
Betty :)

Unknown said...

What a truly beautiful home!! Great job with your pictures Laura! So pretty!!

Glad you had such a lovely weekend!

:) T

Les Cotrions said...

Hello Laura! What a wonderful week end you had with your friends! I'd have liked to with you!
Evi's home is fantastic! She created a magic atmosphere!
I'm looking forward seeing your next post!!!
Happy new week!
Vale

BELLE BLANC said...

huh, I'm speechless! What a wonderful house filled with so gorgeous treasures. I love these decorating trees, they are so lovely, I wish I could have one of my own... it seems you had a wonderful weekend! Hugs, Mira

Leigh of Tales from Bloggeritaville said...

What alot of beautiful trees. Much to decorate, but she appears to have outdone herself. What beauty! Looks like a wonderful visit. I want to come next time!
Leigh

Susan at Charm of the Carolines said...

How precious! I'm truly inspired! Thanks for sharing all the lovely pictures and ideas for decorating for Christmas!

Susan at Charm of the Carolines

Room Service ~ Decorating 101 said...

One of those post that makes me go "ahhhhhhh", thanks!

June said...

Oh Laura, isn't Paula's home a treasure trove of beautiful things. I adore her style! Thank you for taking the time to take these beautiful photos and to Paula for letting you share them for us all to enjoy.
hugs

Anonymous said...

Hi Laura, thanks for the wonderful pictures.You make it look great. The gather pictures are great and so are the ones from Carol's. Too bad the weekend went so fast-I had much fun. love ,Paula

Annemary said...

j'ai beaucoup aimé ton ambiance ,tes décos ,tes "frosty" adorables merci pour ces belles images !!!!!tu peux aller voir mon blog aussi....il y a des décos blanches qui te plairont je pense !!!!!!!bonnes fêtes et Paix sur la Terre big kiss