Basteln

I thought it would be fun to capture some of the charm of the European cottage and give them as gifts.

I pick fancy pasta boxes because of their height and fun graphics.

I present the pasta first to the recipient and then the box it came in.

Their purpose is to be a saving bank for a journey. In this French cottage, you put the money down the chimney.

I made these last year right when we arrived in Germany when I didnt have a lot of materials on hand.

Its fun to see the creative solutions when you need to use things in your surroundings.

I also experiment often with watercolor for the stonework.

The thatched roof was made out of newspaper and provided a lot of texture.

Happy New Year!

Weihnachtsmarkt

Christmas Markets in Germany are a great escape from the dreary weather.

Cheery Gingerbread Cakes have fun sayings and taste great as well as look good as deco.

Hot Spiced wine is served in Mugs that look like Ski Boots and hang from the ceiling.

Colorful stands offer roasted almonds (vanilla roasted is my favorite)

Vendors set up stands that appear outside our door starting in mid-December...

And they have lots of intricate detail, even on the underside of the ceiling overhang.

We also got to visit the town of Rothenburg, Germany.

Their shops and restaurants look like Christmas all year long.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

zu Hause

Its Christmas Time at the Ley House. . . .

Advents Candle Wreath. A must in Germany.

This was the best depiction I could get of how fun view is out our window.

.... but here's what goes on every evening in December. I love it.

Cool jars of fake snow and a Hershey's Ornament.

Piano Glam Shot.

A game of memory from Maharam makes our guest room playful.

I discovered Masking Tape in fun colors. And used it lots of places including this stool.

... and to cover up our fuse box. Note the Mistletoe.

Our Advents Calendar scales the wall.

Wrapped all my gifts in Newspaper with pinecones and of course Masking Tape...

Our nice friends delivered David's Piano to us as an Anniversary Gift.

Its really hard to capture how cool our town looks outside our windows at night... all lit up.

Artwork from friends.

Christmas Dinner Spot.