Playing Hookey and a bit of a mish mash

I have been out again today and not doing what I should be doing.  Big sigh!  This time to The Range and I have come back with some goodies. I like The Range.  As usual I have a couple of things on the go and I am busy collating bits and bobs towards those things. I have even this year sent for a Christmas bedding seen in golds and creams.

I am very much a collector.  The bedroom will get sorted and probably decorated after Christmas but as I have a couple of large mirrors in the bedroom I have been looking for something to accentuate said mirrors.  I have come away with two turquoise butterflies which will do what I want them to do.  I have a few more decorations as well ranging between country folksy and Victorian decorations and some very large jingle bells to hang off some of my garlands.  I have also bought some crafting items.  I have plenty of  Christmas style stamps already and I thought that some of my brown wrapping paper could be stamped in red, green or in clear and then have some sprinkles popped on to create the base for some of my Christmas paper.  I thought simple and then wrapped with ribbon with maybe a little bit of greenery threaded through somewhere along the line.

I have also been to Homebase and picked up two large white box lanterns for £7 each they were reduced to clear and I think will look good with some of those battery artificial candles in outside the back door.  I am not sure about the white colour but we shall see.  If I do not like it then I can always paint it black.  I have bought Cuprinol for the shed and some paint brushes and also a small pressure washer to clean the pavements with as we have a little moss growing where it should not and also a palm sander for me to attack the skirting boards with. I have the front garden as well as the back garden to sort but it needs tidying up.   I have also seen some plants that I would quite like to turn the piece of the garden outside the back door into a tidy winter garden. I have two box baubles from last year and one of the standard bay trees (one of them has died), four wooden planters which are currently dark but which I intend to turn into the same colour as the shed.  I have seen two standard holly trees and also a couple of miniature fir trees which I think will be ideal for out of the back door I have then to sort the shed out. I also have two ivy hanging baskets and I have enough ivy to do two more hanging baskets.  I thought that I might also do some of the black cauldron plant holders I have done out with some pansies. That will probably be early Saturday morning I start on that but this will also depend on the weather as well.  The fence also needs a coat of stain well at least in the bit before the shed.  So I do have a lot to do.

I have also gradually over the past few weeks been acquiring different pieces for the Christmas table.  This year I am going for a silver colourway for the table.  I normally do gold and that is it.  However last year I managed to find two Mercury silver glass candle pillars and two candle lamps.  This year I have managed to find two storm lanterns decorated in white with scenes of deer on them, the two Stag Candleabra from M & S and two small domes that have deer on them for a tea light candle lamp.  I have also found from the Range two small deer sitting with room for a tea light in each.  I am planning on having a pure white cloth and knapkins with a little greenery on the table but also with faux ivy leaves with a touch of silver scattered over the cloth down the centre.  There are a couple of more pieces that I am after but they are not in stock at the moment and that will be the centrepiece for the dining room table sorted out. I have a long 8 seater table made of pine in the dining room. Slowly that part of the Christmas planning i.e. the table centrepiece is coming together.  I have also found at The Range two strings of lights with reindeer on them so I shall probably drape these with an Ivy garland on each of the dressers.  We shall see how things will go but I want it to look as pretty as possible.  I also have to see if I can get some plain green fabric to make covers for the dining room and front room candelabra chains to try and tidy them up a little.  I have wrought iron in the dining room and brass in the front room.  I am also hoping to go back to The Range another day as there were a couple of other items that I could not manage today.

I have also added to my collection of cutting dies for the Accuquilt Go cutter and some of those arrived this morning.   Although there are some more due.  My cousin is a terrible influence on me!

Anyway I am off to do a bit more.

Hope everyone is well and slowly getting there with their Christmas planning.  I am off to get busy again.

Catch you soon.

Pattypan

xx