The Year That Was

Our Very Merry Christmas Elf

Sometimes, if we are very fortunate, we are granted years of pure perfection... 2010 has been filled with so much happiness for me that I'm overwhelmed with gratitude. I married the love of my life - a man whom I adore, totally and unreservedly - and together we produced a little boy so precious, he's like a rare jewel twinkling in our lives.

Happiness and contentment can be such illusive fellows... funny how they can be found deep within us, often the very last place we think to look.

Merry Christmas wishes to you all from a happy little household in Oz.

See you in the new year.

xxx

Christmas Favour

CHRISTMAS CANDY CANE BARK

I came across this great recipe for Candy Cane Bark... something I'd never heard of, but an ingenious idea for quick Christmas gifts.

You will need:

1. Candy Canes (a handful will do)

2. White Cooking Chocolate (melted)

3. Peppermint Essence... to add an extra zing!

Method:

1. Smash candy canes into little pieces (pop into a plastic bag first to avoid mess)

2. Smear melted chocolate thinly onto a tray lined with baking paper and sprinkle candy cane chips on top

3. Pop into fridge for half an hour or until set hard. Break into small pieces.

4. Put pieces into cellophane bags and tie with ribbon

5. Lick the bowl!!!!

QUICK, EASY & SO MUCH FUN!

25 Days of Christmas for Little Folk

When Leo is a little bit older, I want to replicate this gorgeous Christmas idea from Canadian House & Home:

Instead of an advent calendar with sweets, you fill 25 little bags with Christmas ornaments. On 1st December the tree goes up and every day from then on, your little one gets to unveil an ornament and hang it on the tree. What a beautiful way to count-down the days until Santa's visit... so exciting!

My Brilliant Excuse

I've been a bad blogger... since Leo came on the scene, finding time to make continual contributions to two blogs has been trickier than I ever would have imagined. He is just so incredibly beautiful that I'm totally absorbed in looking after him (as nature intended!).

So in an effort to simplify life a little, I've decided to consolidate my two blogs into one. When I first started Wicker & Stitch (almost 2 years ago) it was a purely design focused platform... but now, I have so much more in my life to share and write about. In the new year Wicker & Stitch will undergo a make-over and emerge as a beautiful new blog full of vintage and Scandinavian inspired interiors, musings, photography and little snippets of my daily life with my two gorgeous men. I hope all my lovely followers will approve!!!

xxx

It's a Cowgirl Thing

I blame my country upbringing for a rather macabre fascination with sun-bleached animal skulls. As a kid, I used to roam the hills looking for the perfect, bone white specimen. There is something so appealing about the use of the skull in this interior... it adds a sense of authenticity and drama... the hurricane lamps are the perfect accompaniment, heralding a time spent camping out on the range under the stars.

Images from here

Christmas Thrift

I finally managed to locate the Christmas decorations and turn our back sunroom into a little piece of holiday heaven. Magic doesn't have to cost the earth... I used some lovely (and inexpensive) fairy lights from Ikea and some tree branches from the park... easy!

Photos by me

Pretty, Pretty

Some beautifully composed images to drool over:

...the little blue lamp shade above, and the wallpaper below are my favourite bits x

(images from here)