Falalalala.......

 Hello friends, 

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It is starting to look a little more Christmassy at our house every day. A  local nursery goes all out with Christmas decor every year so my daughter and I just had to go check it out! ( I should have taken pictures of the shop, but I'm not sure they would be totally keen on that idea....). Anyway, despite my hubby mentioning last year that I had a LOT of Christmas decorations and I really should think about getting rid of some, instead we decided to ADD some more. Daughter and I each decided to decorate a fireplace mantle so set about shopping for a "theme". Do you know the story "the Mitten" by Jan Brett? Well, daughter decided that would be the idea behind her mantle decor. 

The story basically tells of a boy who loses one of his mittens and the various animals of the forest all decide it would make a nice, cozy home. By the end of the story there are so many animals squeezed inside, ranging from a rabbit to a bear, and the last occupant, a teeny mouse, makes the bear sneeze, thereby blowing  all the animals out of the mitten. It is a super cute story~ I recommend all of Jan Brett's children's books, if you are looking for gift ideas for children!

Anyway, back to the mantle....here is a photo of the finished look: 

So cute, isn't it? And there is so much to look at! Did you notice the wooden mittens?

That is one thing that I really took note of at the store: The Christmas trees are just overloaded, not only with ornaments and ribbons, but also with extra greenery stuck in here and there.

While daughter did the living room, I decorated the mantle over our wood burning fireplace. I went for a bit of a nordic theme too ( who can resist red and white at Christmas? 

After finishing it, I decided it needed to be a little fuller, so set about painting and glittering the pinecones that hubby, son , and I collected on our walk a few weekends back. This was so fun and easy..and addictive! I ended up doing a whole bunch more than I planned on :). 

But I think it was worth it because I love the sparkle they add to my display! 

And then a few more closeups of some of the fun decorations: 

So far I am enjoying decorating a little bit here and there.

 I am a little worried that I might get tired of seeing my Christmas decor for such a long time because I started decorating early, but I guess I will wait and see. I do know that most years I pull out EVERYTHING in one weekend and do NOT enjoy the giant mess and unorganization that that creates, so this might be the way to go for me. ;) It certainly helps put me in the Christmas spirit as I make and wrap presents for our families in Canada, because those need to be mailed out early if they stand any chance of getting there in time....

Well, that is all for this week, folks. Next week I am hoping to have some more completed quilt projects to share with you...and maybe some new ones that I just can't resist....yes, I am a very bad influence!

Until next time~happy creating!

Monique