It's still Christmas over here!

Hi there!
December 25th is Christmas everywhere, but here in the Netherlands there is a second day of Christmas celebrations too, which is today. The first day we usually have guests, but this year we have visited my aunt and today we are staying home, relaxing.

This is our Christmas tree. I never have a theme, or a theme color as I just keep every ornament that I have got and I really get attached to it. I prefer glass blown ornaments, especially vintage ones. Well let's take a closer view.

This is one of my absolute favorites!
It once belonged to my parents, who are no longer with us anymore. I inherited their Christmas decorations. This glass top, whip or tumble (I'm just not sure which word matches the dutch word 'tol') was in our Christmas tree as long as I can remember.

I don't have many ball shaped ornaments, only some vintage ones which are all decorated, just like this one, which belonged to my grandparents. Many of them still have candle grease over them, remember the time we only had real candles in the Christmas tree? I still can remember when my father came home with the new electric candles, oh boy weren't we modern people?

My father's workmate and buddy 'Kees', was a glassblower, working at the same laboratory as my dad. Of course our glass ornaments were vulnerable, and I loved playing with them, so once in a while my mum asked Kees to blow some new ornaments for us. This bird is a real 'Kees' and we had several psychedelic ornaments like this one, including a very large treetopper, which came out of the box broken last year.


Once a year Kees held a demonstration blowing glass and then there was the opportunity for children to blow a glass ornament as well. Blowing glass is a special job, you have to blow precisely, when you blow too soft the glass ball will not get bigger, if you blow too hard the glass ball will implode and you will end up with something like this:

Kees died of cancer about 25 years ago, but we still cherish these ornaments and he will come alive a little bit every Christmas in our house.



I also have a lot of crafted ornaments, starting with the paper Christmas bells my brother made with real glass glitter that has tarnished over more than 40 years
My daughter and son have made several ornaments as well.
Unpacking the Christmas decorations is a true walk down Memory lane to me. I wouldn't want to switch with anyone in the world!


This little Christmas gnome is my husbands pride. He, his elder brother and his sister got one each from their aunt and every year this little fellow gets a very good spot during the Christmas days.

My children used to choose a few ornaments every year and had their own little trees, but this year we only had one tree. The yellow cab was one of my sons favorites of course. I also like to buy christmas ornaments during the holidays, of course in Disneyland Paris. This 'watch'ornament says summer 2007 Germany.

I can talk hours about my Christmas ornaments, I really enjoy them and that is exactly what I am going to do now, wishing you a very merry Christmas as long as it takes!

Swapping again

Hi you all out there!


I haven't been able to write for a while due to the loss of my uncle Willem December 9th. My uncle was 87 years old and ill, but still so much enjoying life. We miss him. I wasn't in the Christmas-mood at all and I didn't feel like writing.

Though I am still not entirely in the mood, I'm going to write a post, as I promised Anja to do so, which is good, this is a good opportunity to start writing again.

A while ago Anja asked me whether she could make a special Christmas gift for me. Yes those people really exist!! Of course I was flattered, but let's face it; I'm not the queen. So I told Anja that it was alright for her to make a gift to me, as long as I was permitted to make a gift for her as well and Anja agreed. Yes! Another swap was born, it seems that I can't write about anything else.



And a few days later this beautiful package was waiting for me!

And these beautiful things were inside



Anja crafted me a Christmas card and bought me an genuine antique card, both are so nice!
She made me an object; a jar with a nostalgic image, so lovely decorated, well look for yourself. On top of this page you can see this goes sooo well with my other Christmas decoration.
Last but not least she sent me a Christmas ornament-bird. Anja is a 'clairvoyante' apparantly, because I have Christmas birds in all sorts and sizes; I love them and this one was not in my possession. Thank you Anja!!

Oo it's so nice to receive such presents and to be able to give something back. Swapping is so 2008!

Remember to check Anja's blog it's all about her home, a true classic house, enjoy!

Just a few words about another swap; Vicki from Hollyhocks received my part of the swap after about six weeks, but she isn't angry with me at all. On the contrary hahaha, it was such an exciting swap, thanks again Vicki and good luck!

Well I hope to pick up blogging from here again. Wishing you all happy holidays!
Hugs xoxo L.

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

Yes! Our Santa (Saint Nicolaas, yep the real one) is in Holland! It's the time of giving and receiving presents. And today it just looked like Santa visited my home already, as our postman delivered a package from Norway. The generous sender is Sol from My kind of blog.

A while ago I asked her whether she could buy me the Norwegian home decorating magazine "Vakre", as I couldn't get it here in the Netherlands, or perhaps we could swap. And yes she did!! Isn't that wonderful, just helping a complete stranger?? Thank you so much for that gesture. But that is not all! She sent me a Swedish magazine as well, and some pictures she has made herself. You should check her blog as she is a very talented lady. On top of all that some very lovely "Tilda" pictures, I'm sure I am going to use them while crafting some Christmas decorations. Thank you very much Sol! Hope you will not need the hankies for too long!! Take care!
Does Santa looks familiar to you? Well sometimes he is in my bedroom too...need I say more? Hoping he will bring some more presents to our home on December the 5th!