Friday 4 December 2020

Photo Scavenger Hunt :: December 2020 #1 Decorations

Hi there everyone 😀 

Remember my post last week? I made my first contribution to Kate's monthly photo scavenger hunt for November over on I live, I love, I craft, I am me.

Well, the scavenger hunt for December is a little bit different ... it is going to take place on a weekly basis, so there will be the chance to link up every Friday with photos with a definite Christmassy vibe ... starting today with the theme of 'Decorations' and the tales behind them.

I knew there was no way on this earth I would be able to limit myself to just the one photo and I also knew I was going to be digging through the archives as we won't really start to be getting festive until the weekend.

I’ve always loved decorating the house for Christmas but things have changed a bit over recent years. I no longer have room for a full sized real tree though we did have a small potted one which lasted for about three years. this year though the potted tree is no longer alive and well and I have no plans to buy another, so we will just make do with scattering a few of my Christmassy bits and bobs around ...

Christmas Wreath
Last year the craft group that I'd been attending held a Christmas Wreath making workshop and I spent the loveliest of mornings with one of my closest friends and my Goddaughter grappling with greenery, ribbon and Christmassy bits and bobs. This was my first attempt at my very own festive wreath ...


Christmas Angels
One of Martin and I's first trips away was to Austria. We went in November and everywhere was ready for Christmas and we couldn't resist buying a few bits and pieces to bring home. We just loved these pottery Christmas angel tea light holders and getting them out always reminds my of our visit to Austria ...


The Glass Snowman
The glass snowman was bought back from another trip, this time to Amsterdam ... I think I bought him from Schipol airport ... he is a bit heavy for hanging on a tree, but looks lovely on the mantel ...


The Christmas Reindeer
We bought this little chap from a fellow stall holder at a Victorian Christmas evening that we attended last year with our own craft stall ... I just loved him and it was great to be able to support a fellow stall holder ... sadly, there will be no Christmas fair this year, but this little chap will always remind me of the festive atmosphere from last year ...

The Christmas Robins
As my birthday falls in November, we often go away to spend a week in a cottage somewhere nice and quiet and try and get into the festive spirit early, often visiting a local Christmas event or picking up a few bits and pieces. I couldn't resist these robins that I picked up in a cafe in Castleton in The Peak District where we'd stopped for cake ...


The Wobbly Santa
This little chap was another Peak District holiday find, from a fabulous little shop in Tissington. It was literally crammed to the rafters with gorgeous bits and pieces and we couldn't resist another holiday reminder ...

My own makes
Running a small craft business I've also made a few bits and pieces myself, either as gifts or for the craft stall and here is a bit of a selection of my favourites ...



And ... I really couldn't leave out this collage ... it's of some of the decorations on the trees at last year's Christmas event at Chatsworth House. I know they aren't mine but they were really beautiful ...

Oh my goodness ... I promise this is the very last one ... This was a photo taken when we visited Castle Howard's Christmas event back in November 2017 ... Visiting Castle Howard had been something on the list of 50 things I want to do before I'm 60, so it was a real treat to get to go and see it all decked out for Christmas ...
Well, that has been a real trip down memory lane ... apologies for the photo overload, but I really was struggling to limit my choice as most of my bits mean something or evoke a memory from somewhere.

It has made me feel like I definitely need to get everything out and get festive though ... that will definitely be my priority for the weekend 😀

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16 comments:

  1. How wonderfully colourful! Such a lovely selection of decorations - no wonder you could not narrow your choices down :) thank you for sharing and for joining in x

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    1. It was tricky ... apologies that there are so many ... I will be on a mission this weekend getting them all out and starting to get festive 😃

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  2. Love, love, love all your photos. So glad I'm not the only one who did not stop at one photo. It must be magical to visit a 'big house' to see it all decked out in its Christmas finery. As I type I can see it has started to snow!

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    1. Thank you ... we really loved visiting Castle Howard and Chatsworth ... they really go to town ... it’s a really good way to start of the Christmas festivities 😃

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  3. It's so nice picking up decorations on holidays and trips, I do that with tree decorations. I have ordered myself a wreath from a friend who makes them. Maybe next year I will find a class and have a go. :)

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    1. I would definitely recommend a class if you get the chance, we spent a lovely morning together making up ours and then went for lunch afterwards. It was a lot easier having someone there to guide you on how to build your wreath up ... I’ve missed being able to do it this year. I was hoping it would become a new Christmas tradition 😃

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  4. What a lovely selection of Christmas decorations - all so different and special to you with the memories they evoke. I don't know which I would choose but the robins may just be my first choice or perhaps the fat wobbly Santa, or maybe your knitted ones!! Those beautiful Chatsworth house decorations are magnificent. Kate usually holds a wreath making day at her house for family and friends but this year it will be limited family only as we are in her 'bubble'.

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    1. Thank you ... the robins are one of my definite favourites. It was a lovely cosy little cafe we bought them in, whilst warming up after a cold walk 😃

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  5. What a lovely selection & good to see some of your own too. I love your paper stars. The ones with special memories are always worth putting out even in the period of mayhem, which seems to be never ending. I've never been to Chatsworth House & it's been on my wish list for ages, but have been to Castle Howard several times, including an outing last year with my stepdaughter when we were in UK. Thanks for joining in, take care & stay safe.

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    1. Thank you ... I would definitely recommend Chatsworth when things are back to normal. I preferred the Christmas decoration at Castle Howard but the market at Chatsworth was a real treat and we did lots of Christmas shopping there 😃

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  6. So many lovely mementos of your travels, it's always nice to remember where they came from. And the ones you made are very sweet, I love the snowmen!

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    1. Thank you ... I must admit it is nice to be surrounded by bits and pieces that mean something and bring back good memories ... we always tend to try and bring something back when we go away ... even if it’s just shells from the beach 😃

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  7. What lovely selections, I can see why you couldn't stop at just one photo. I love them all but my favourite just has to be the reindeer, he looks so cute :)

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  8. Thank you ... we couldn’t resist him when I saw him at the craft fair last year ... he just had to come home with me 😃

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Thanks for taking time to comment on my blog. I love to hear what people think about what Martin and I have been up to.