HAPPY NEW YEAR

Wishing you and your

family a very Happy New Year!!

I love the old Victorian postcards

with their nostalgic message!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

TEA TIME AT A FRIEND'S HOUSE

Today three Columbia friends

got together for a lovely

Tea Time lunch (at Janice's house).

Her tree was so beautiful!

Janice's home was full of Christmas

wonder and surprises.  She prepared

a lovely meal of soup and salad and

cheeses, dips and finger goodies.

We had cold and hot tea.

(Gina below)

She made a cake that was out of 

this world delicious 

Coconut with Cream

Cheese frosting:

(Janice below)

Her kitchen was like a gift shop

with sweet treasures.

And then we shared gifts

and chatted for what seemed

like hours.

Will you be getting together with

friends for the Holidays?

EPHEMERA ENDEAVORS

I am happy to have some time now

to try my hand at some Shabby

Chic/Victorian Ephemera endeavors.

When I make things I don't always
spend a lot of time designing.  I
just pick up things in my hand that 
I have purchased or made
and gathered on
the table - in this case lots of
tables and then I go forward. 

 I know many people
draw out designs, etc first.  I did
use my sewing machine to hand
gather and pleat tissue papers that
I had cut into strips and also tulle
that had been glittered.  I tried using
my ruffler/pleater but couldn't get
it to work so I just did it by gathering
along on the sewing machine.

I guess I put the most in this cone:

I printed out some Ephemera paper
snow angels, etc that I purchased
on Etsy.  Right now I am also drawn
to French writing Ephemera 
and Madonna's.

This is called a Hearth room
 which is
part of our kitchen:

I set up a table temporarily
to enjoy watching Hallmark's
while I worked these last
two days.

And this last one:

Of course this means making some

messes too but that's ok.

I made a little label that I glued
on to the back of each one that
says "Victorian Ephemera in the
21st Century by Bernideen". 

CHRISTMAS AT THE FRONT DOOR

This year's front door is

decorated very simple with

a greenery base with a few

pine cones and some hydrangeas

a friend gave me!

Some snow would be lovely now!

I am finishing some red toile tea cozies today

to post on my Etsy page and then I hope

to have time to play with some Ephemera

Christmas ornaments a little!

HOLIDAY TIME AT LAFAYETTE PARK - ST LOUIS

I have some more photos to share of

our tour Sunday in St. Louis
in the Lafayette Park area:

 Here is one of the houses
on the tour and you can see

 the line of people waiting
to go inside:

I enjoyed seeing

 many beautiful 

chandeliers:

The garden statuary was 
really eye catching:

Quite a few of the larger homes
had their own carriage houses
behind them near lovely gardens:

And a few more of various
houses around:

So you get the "flavor" of this
area and I highly recommend
a visit here if you go to
St. Louis.  Be sure and
see the Lafayette Park area.

Do you know who Lafayette was?

LAFAYETTE SQUARE HOLIDAY PARLOR TOUR: St Louis, Missouri

Yesterday I went to St. Louis,

 Missouri to the Lafayette

Park area to visit their

 Holiday Parlor Tour!

My friends and I had

a great time even though

it was cold.  We walked

a lot visiting 10 homes

that were on the tour:

This home below is for sale

if you are interested:  $899,900.

It was not on the tour.

We were glad we all had coats on

because it was chilly.

We picked up our tickets

at the garden house in the

central park area:

The trolley was available to

ride to different designations too:

Mostly, we walked and

were quite tired by the end.

I did a post before here and

included this home.  Many of
the homes lined up are built in
the "French Second Empire" style.

This was a business on a nearby

side street:

There were row houses and free standing mansions:

I am quite captivated

with all the tall doors:

This was a lovely parlor:

This was a favorite staircase:

This will be a last photo for today

but more to follow: