~Vintage Bauble Loveliness~

Here's some vintage bauble loveliness! I've had a few lucky vintage glass bauble finds via my local charity shop and the car boot sale earlier in the year. I love finding them and marvel that they've survived intact.
The tree's up early as I'm having an Open House shopping event on Thursday.  I've decided to go for the full-on (bad taste?) Christmas tree from my 70s childhood because it makes me feel nostalgic and happy.  The tree is of course fake, for kitsch-ness reasons , as well because I am unwilling to spend another New Year extracting hundreds of pine needles from the carpet with tweezers.
Here are some of my favourite baubles...

The glass birdies with feather tails were bought as a set from

Sugar Pie Lemon Drop a couple of years ago.

and the full tree with coloured lights...

17 year old daughter L says it's 'Soooo Garish' and wishes we had a normal tree.  Well I don't do normal, so there!

I've made some wool felt bunting for the fireplace, and found this little tree in the charity shop...

So pleased I found it as I'd coveted Thea's little red tinsel tree at Hearts and Bluebells...

 In this part of the world we call this festive prettification  'trimming up' - what a fab phrase.

What do you call getting the house ready for Christmas? 

~Winding down for Christmas~

Catching up with reading lovely blogs and their beautiful seasonal photos just now makes me feel very cosy, smiley and festive - and a little guilty that I haven't done much in the way of festive posting.  To be honest, I haven't had much time spare due to work and home/family day-to-day stuff, but I finish work on Thursday for the Christmas break! Hurrah!
 I'm admiring nostalgic decorations on other blogs (especially at Beyond the Nook today).  My kitsch mini-kitchen tree is home to my thifted vintage baubles...

 ... unfortunately they're not family heirlooms; I only wish I had kept my Nana's Christmas stuff.

(Excuse the overflowing drinks trolley, by the way!)

My mantlepiece has been jollied up with a garland I've made by stringing together handmade vintage wooden decorations on garden twine.  My Mum gave me them this week to take care of...

I just need to do some hedgerow greenery-snipping this week and add the holly and ivy.
Fairy lights are everywhere, on mirrors, pictures, even in the downstairs loo!
I get them from Lights4Fun, a Yorkshire company based in Harrogate.
And I bought 2 tins of this gorgeous stuff...

Peppermint Bark...yum! Half price in M&S at £4.   Julie at Little Cotton Rabbits blogged about this last December and has a recipe for the homemade version here .  Yes, I really should have made it myself, but coveted the lovely reusable red tin it came in, which will be used to store my ribbons and buttons.

Have a lovely week everyone - I'm looking forward to Thursday evening when J will be singing at the Primary School carol service in the beautiful village church.