Free Printables for your New Year's Eve Party
It's not too late.... Do you have card stock and a printer and a few minutes? A quiet evening at home with your family or dinner with friends? Add some ribbon and glitter and make your New Year's Eve pretty with these printables. Included is a door sign, 2011 banner, cupcake toppers, candle votive wraps, dinner menu, napkin embellishment, drinking straw flags and anything else you can think to do with these pretties. Created by moi.
Download them HERE.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/46110738/2011-New-Year-s-Eve-Free-Printable
read more "Free Printables for your New Year's Eve Party"
Download them HERE.
http://www.scribd.com/doc/46110738/2011-New-Year-s-Eve-Free-Printable
Lake Home Construction Photos: Near Mt. Sunapee NH
Construction is ongoing on our lakefront vacation home being built in Blodgett’s Landing, Newbury, NH, right near Mt. Sunapee, a tear down project replacing a small, worn-out cottage.
It sure is cold after our nor’easter (Newbury received 14” of new snow), but the crew has a weather-tight shell and temporary heat to help. The site is very tight, with neighboring houses on either side, which can hamper snow removal efforts, but so far has not been an issue.
Interior framing, plumbing, and electrical is ongoing. Check back for progress photos!
Cafe Express has finally made it to Austin
Was thrilled to hear about their new location down by Seton Medical from my sister. Less thrilled to wait for a parking space on a recent lunch date with my hubby. Though I'm so happy Austin finally has a Cafe Express! Have y'all checked it out?
Happy Holidays
The year comes to an end and I will close the blog for a couple of days between the years! Time to recollect my thoughts and to think about my future plans and ideas. I am so looking forward to the next year filled with new adventures.
The last days before every new year are a good time to think back and to look ahead. It is for many a time to make resolutions and start with fresh ideas and flip open a brand new page. I love the idea to begin anew!
I do look back on my experiences, the joys and sorrows, the times with friends and family, work and play!
This year was wonderful for so many reasons!
We had a long time to be with our family in Europe, we traveled with the children and showed them a new culture!
We have stuck to our plan to simplify our life, we have learned to live with a little less buying, more reading, vintage shopping instead of new!
We have cleaned our attic and the basement...
Life has been good!
And the way ahead is full of promise!
I am filled with gratitude and hope! My plans for the new year are within me and I do not have to wait to January 1 to put them into action: To live a mindful life, to love my family and be true to my friends, to always keep an open mind and a open heart!
I want to learn something new and I want to discover more of old...
Wishing you all a festive days ahead and a happy New Year! May your hopes and dreams come true!
See you all back in January!
With love!
XX
Victoria
Photography all V.Zlotkowski, painting 'The five Senses' by Jaques Linard.
* Give - away * winner *
We have a winner!
Melissa from the lovely blog Reverie is the lucky winner of my last week's give - away!
Congratulations, I hope this will be a guiding light during the move into your new home! New beginnings are filled with promise and are wonderful opportunities to turn a fresh - green page!!
Mel, please contact me for your address, so I can mail the book out to you!
I found a few other samples of green cleaning and an eco friendly lifestyle. You can find them online or at your favorite book seller!
There are many more, I just picked some I liked!
Here is to a green planet!
xx
Victoria
Image via Emily Anderson website and Amazon.com
What I am reading now
I had written this post only a few days ago and send out on my House and Living part of the blog. I realize more and more that this blog part has become the "forgotten garden"... Since I feel this is such a wonderful book I decided to re-post it today. Now I can report that I have finished it and it held me captive until the very last minute!
I wish somebody would take on the task to make a movie out of it!
Image
Lately, with winter upon us I love to read more and hang out next to the fire place, after all the day's work is done.
I can hear my daughter singing upstairs, my son playing guitar and my husband still working next door on his computer. The dog cozies up next to me, expecting a neck rub and perhaps a treat and then I curl up on the couch and open my book! Heavenly moment! Well, until the familiar Maamaaa! call is heard from upstairs....
Last year I had read Kate Morton's The Forgotten Garden and when The Distant Hours came out a couple of month ago I could not wait to find the right moment to begin with it! The immensely gifted young writer, Kate Morton, a native Australian, lives in Brisbane with her family.
Her first book The House at Riverton is still on my list. I like to tease myself...Another long winter is ahead!
Image
So that's where I am now: An old English castle, family secrets and a young heroine, a wonderful recipe for a tale which has me in it's grip way later then my usual bedtime....I have been captured by the castle...
I found Kate Morton's website and check out this fabulous trailer to her new book!
So if you are in with me for a mystery with all the trimmings, go ahead, find a reading nook, get comfortable and open the first page!
xx
Victoria
PS: Click on the book titles to go to Amazon to shop!
And: There is still time until tomorrow! Do not forget to sign in for my give away here!
Pictures as indicated.
read more "What I am reading now"
I wish somebody would take on the task to make a movie out of it!
ImageLately, with winter upon us I love to read more and hang out next to the fire place, after all the day's work is done.
I can hear my daughter singing upstairs, my son playing guitar and my husband still working next door on his computer. The dog cozies up next to me, expecting a neck rub and perhaps a treat and then I curl up on the couch and open my book! Heavenly moment! Well, until the familiar Maamaaa! call is heard from upstairs....
Last year I had read Kate Morton's The Forgotten Garden and when The Distant Hours came out a couple of month ago I could not wait to find the right moment to begin with it! The immensely gifted young writer, Kate Morton, a native Australian, lives in Brisbane with her family.
Her first book The House at Riverton is still on my list. I like to tease myself...Another long winter is ahead!
Image
So that's where I am now: An old English castle, family secrets and a young heroine, a wonderful recipe for a tale which has me in it's grip way later then my usual bedtime....I have been captured by the castle...
I found Kate Morton's website and check out this fabulous trailer to her new book!
The Distant Hours by Kate Morton from Pan Macmillan on Vimeo.
So if you are in with me for a mystery with all the trimmings, go ahead, find a reading nook, get comfortable and open the first page!
xx
Victoria
PS: Click on the book titles to go to Amazon to shop!
And: There is still time until tomorrow! Do not forget to sign in for my give away here!
Pictures as indicated.
Glittered Jingle Bells
How fun would this be to DIY with beautiful fine glitters from Martha Stewart?
I found this garland for sale at Sweet Charity last week. Oh what fun it is....
read more "Glittered Jingle Bells"
A Window Wonderland
I love Illy coffee and I'm in awe over this Barneys New York window display.
Barneys New York teamed up with the Food Network, the Cooking Channel, and Illy to deck their Madison Avenue windows in a “Have a Foodie Holiday!” theme. A papier-mâché Mario Batali head sits on a platter, while a mannequin wearing a dress made of foil coffee bags and disposable cups sports an Illy espresso machine as a headdress. Simon Doonan and his madcap team have created a campy homage to the well-known foodies of today.
Elle Decor
read more "A Window Wonderland"
Barneys New York teamed up with the Food Network, the Cooking Channel, and Illy to deck their Madison Avenue windows in a “Have a Foodie Holiday!” theme. A papier-mâché Mario Batali head sits on a platter, while a mannequin wearing a dress made of foil coffee bags and disposable cups sports an Illy espresso machine as a headdress. Simon Doonan and his madcap team have created a campy homage to the well-known foodies of today.
Elle Decor
Bubbly chandelier
A few years back we bought some bubble lights for our chandelier at Captiva Island. We spent a few times there over the holidays and after visiting the Bubble Room - a quirky and very entertaining dining spot on the island, we fell for the old fashioned fun! The place is whimsically decorated year round for Christmas -yes - one of those....but the children were considerably younger at the time and yet they still remember!
Adjacent to the restaurant is a small shack, selling everything decorative for holiday fun, from masks to ornaments, wigs to toys!
Since then we pull out those bubble lights every year and our dining room transforms! Having painted the old thing red a few years back, they fit in perfectly!
If you like them, go here!
We love the effect, and we need candles at every meal now, since it's much darker suddenly...it only adds to the festive party atmosphere! Do you have some quirky decorations you want to share with me?
Happy weekend!
XX
Victoria
PS: Don't forget to check out my give away on the post below!!! Still time to enter until December 22!
Rejoice! Bay Hill Design
If you have never window shopped at this design shop/ design studio in 26 Doors, it's worth a looksy. 
Vintage Santa
These sweet vintage images make me so happy. I'm going to use them for gift tags.
Ten Reasons for Shopping Locally - New London, NH
Here is a re-print an article by Jessie Levine, New London NH’s town administrator on the benefits of shopping locally. To read Levine’s entire article (12/7/2010) titled “Budget Update & Shopping Locally,” visit the New London town website.
By Jessie Levine
You may have noticed that we have some new residents in New London, as the nutcracker soldiers began showing up around town early last week. The nutcrackers are the brainchildren of Destination New London, a group of local businesses working together to encourage people to shop locally this holiday season (and always). I thought I’d take this opportunity to remind everyone why I think shopping locally is important to New London.
Protect Local Character and Prosperity: By supporting locally-owned businesses, you maintain our unique and wonderful community. Our local businesses are here for us – let’s shop here for them!
- Enhance Community Well-Being: Locally-owned businesses are good neighbors and contribute to local causes. If we don’t support our local businesses, they will not be here to support our special events, golf tournaments, raffle fundraisers, etc.
- Encourage Local Decision Making: Local ownership means that decisions are made locally by people who live in the community and who will feel the impacts of those decisions. Local businesses are caring and responsive to our needs.
- Keep Dollars in the Local Economy: Dollars spent in locally-owned businesses have three times the impact on the community as dollars spent at national chains. Money spent in catalogs, on-line or in destination shopping centers does not come back to support our local economy.
- Create Jobs and Improve Wages: Shopping locally creates jobs and promotes community development. Locally-owned businesses create local jobs with better wages and benefits.
- Support Innovation & Entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurship fuels our economy and elevates our families. Empty store fronts do not.
- Reduce Public Costs: Local stores in town centers require less infrastructure and make more efficient use of public services than big box stores and shopping malls do.
- Advance Environmental Sustainability: Local stores help sustain vibrant, compact, walkable town centers, which reduce sprawl, automobile use, habitat loss, and air and water pollution. Save gas – shop here!
- Increase Competition: A competitive marketplace of small businesses ensures innovation and low prices. A rising tide raises all ships.
- Encourage Product Diversity: A multitude of small businesses selecting products based on the needs of local customers guarantees a broader range of product choices.
Why would you want to deal with Route 12A traffic, anyway? West Lebanon could really use a few roundabouts…
Houston Home Adorned for the Holidays
a little greenery in the master on the chandy
Even the library gets garland
Is that a real peacock by the pool? What an accent!
Traditional Home