*Happy New Year*

I hope you all had a truly wonderful Christmas filled with lots of lovely surprises & much love.
Thank you to everyone who sent Christmas blessings our way & wishing us both a happy anniversary ~ you are all very special.

I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish each & everyone of you a wonderful New Year & hope it is filled with lots of love, much happiness & good health.

Thank you to everyone who has visited Vintage Amethyst over the last year, you have all made 2009 a perfect year for Vintage Amethyst & myself, I am truly blessed.
Thank you for all the beautiful messages you leave here at the blog & e-mails you send, you are really all super super lovely!

*Happy New Year Everyone ~ see you in 2010!*

*T'was The Night Before Christmas ...*

Merry Christmas everyone ~ *eek* it's Christmas Eve & we woke to a huge snow fall in the night & with big fat fluffy snowflakes still falling! It's been snowy for a week now ~ lovely!
It looks soooooo wonderfully Christmassy.

This little book is one I received as a child & I loved it so. I had to read it every Christmas Eve in bed.




Sending you all lots of love for Christmas & hope you have a truly wonderful time.

***

Christmas Eve is also mine & James' wedding anniversary.
5 years ago today we were married in our secret ceremony.

*Happy Anniversary James*

*Christmas Eve Eve*

*eek* it's Christmas Eve Eve!!!!!

I always remember being soooooo excited about today when I was a child, were you?

The day before Christmas Eve, oh it should have had a name all of it's own but I did always call it Christmas Eve Eve, it really meant that the big day was going to be soon upon us & it was just so exciting to think that the next day was Christmas Eve and the stockings would be hung!

I loved my stocking, it was huge! We didn't hang them by the fire though we always hung them at the end of our bed.

I always had to have a mug of hot milk in bed on Christmas Eve to try & send me off to sleepy land and the best feeling in the world ever was when I would wake in the night I would feel a heaviness at the end of my bed & hear a rustling which meant that Santa had been & filled my stocking with lots of sweetie delights, an apple, a satsuma & some new pennies!

*squeal* not long to go now before the big man arrives, don't forget to leave him a mince pie, some brandy & a little something for the reindeer to eat too ...

*More Christmas Decor ...*

So following on from the last post with the Christmas tree this is our living room again ~ the fireplace with lots of festive goodies!

I just love this heart I bought it a few years ago & I still love it! It hangs here just above the fire.

Some more fire-side goodies. A simple box wrapped in brown paper & tied with gingham ribbon!
The lovely red box was a gift box I received a few years ago with lots of lovely smellies in & it's such a lovely basket that I had to keep it for decor purposes ~ I love it's little snowflake hangy at the side!

Inside sits a bundle of candy canes tied with ribbon & a little felt santa & a little felt snowman.

The little sign in front is from The Blueberry Patch.

This vintage beauty used to belong to my Nana & I always loved it as a child. She used to hang it on the back of her front door & I remember always gazing at it wanting to stroke that little cute flock reindeer.

Oh my I just love these Christmas garlands, I bought a welcome one this year too for the hall!

This little fella is a little gingerbread hangy I made last year! He is hanging from the knob on a cupboard we have in the living room that used to be a full desk but James grandad split it all up years ago & we inherited one of the side bits (no idea where the rest of it went!!!) but I of course painted & distressed it!

Here is another little gingerbread man I made from tea stained calico. James always says he's anemic poor thing & then decided to call him Simon ~ a reason only known to James himself!!!

*Oh Christmas Tree*

Well I thought I would share what our tree looks like as a lot of people have, I am a bit late but I have been caught in a whirlwind of time disappearing lately but now the shop has shut all the cards & presents have been delivered & wrapped I have a little more time ~ hurray!

So as you can see here is our tree in the corner of the living room, and the eagle eyed among you will notice it isn't a 'real' tree but as I mentioned last year this is because I can never find 'perfect' Christmas trees & I'm always disappointed in their shape so I have given up & opted for a huge 7ft fakey cakey one ~ lets say a 'faux' tree, much nicer than artificial! *giggle*



It is decorated with candy canes, little handmade hearts & stars in red & white, handmade larger hearts in gingham & stripe, some adorable little gingerbread men that I bought a few years ago from The Blueberry Patch & some of those cutie little birdies & hearts I was selling in the shop ~ well I had to keep some for myself didn't I?



I do so love the chalky white-ness of these little birdies & hearts!



And here at the top of the tree is a star that I made a few years ago from willow twigs.
I will be back to share more festive decor photos before the big day too, I'm sure!

***

Hope everyone is enjoying the snow if you have it. We have had lots which of course I love love love, but it is soooooo icy too! We have huge icicles hanging from our house & little ones hanging from the sash windows! We are experiencing fog too & are expecting another heavy snowfall tomorrow night & then fog all day on Thursday Christmas Eve ~ which is also our 5th Wedding Anniversary! *yay*
I hope everyone is staying safe & only travelling if you have to. We were meant to be at James' mum's in Lincolnshire at the weekend but decided against it because of the weather which is a terrible shame but it certainly is better to be safe than sorry isn't it?
So stay safe & keep warm everyone ...

*Wonderfully Wintery*

Yesterday whilst wrapping up the last of the orders, midmorning the wonderful happened, it started to snow!

It kept snowing on & off with a mixture of hailstones thrown in too for a while & we had plans to meet a friend at the local arts centre for a drink on the afternoon ~ I was really looking forward to a big cup of steaming hot chocolate with big chunky marshmallows perfect for a snowy day!

So all wrapped up with hat, scarf & gloves we set out in the snow & blimey was it freezing! Luckily the arts centre is only a short walk away from us & is just perfect for a snowy winters day as it is a huge impressive Victorian building & we have to walk through a Victorian park surrounded by huge big Victorian town houses in a square to get there ~ it was wonderfully Dickensian.

We arrived and excitedly I ordered my drink of choice only to be told they didn't have any as the machine was broke! I was devestated & had to settle for a cup of tea, oh they do many a wonderful coffee beverage but little ol' me hates coffee so I had to have boring old tea ~ and on a perfect winters day like that a cup of hot chocolate is a must ... a must!

Anyhoo our friend arrived and we swaped Christmas cards & then she suprised us with a beautiful wine bag & inside was a beautifully wrapped bottle of Rubis! I've never had it before but it is a mixture of fortified wine & chocolate. The label on the front of the bottle says 'Chocolate.Velvet.Ruby' ~ mmmmmm sounds wonderful & our friend assured us it is completely delicious! This of course then made up for the fact I didn't get my hot chocolate & marshmallows.

Whilst we were chatting & gossiping, looking out of the huge windows the sky darkened & the snow started to fall again & this time it was those wonderful huge fluffy flakes & within a few minutes everywhere was covered in sparkly white! Not long after this we braved the cold to walk home again & it was wonderfully wintery.
Walking through a Victorian park at dusk with snow falling & the wind whipping at our faces, it was magical.

We snuggled up at home on the night at watched The Christmas Story ~ a sweet & funny film about a 9 year old boy who all he wants for Christmas is a BB Gun & keeps being told 'You'll shoot your eye out' by various people. We then finished the night off with a hot drink, a mince pie & Charlie Browns Christmas whilst outside the snow kept falling ~ a perfect winters day.

*Peppermint Place & other Gingerbread Houses*

*eek* how adorable is this little Peppermint Place from Martha Stewart?
I just love Gingerbread Houses at Christmas time but have never actually made one ~ one year I really must set aside some time to do one!!!

Visit Martha Stewart for a step by step guide on how to make your own Gingerbread House *here*

*A Pretty Pink Christmas*

Mmmmmmm totally scrum-diddly-dumptious!!!!

If the color pink is already a favorite at your house, it's easy to add holiday touches to match. The pink painted trim on this front porch makes the perfect backdrop for pink packages, a pink door wreath, and pink glass jar luminaries. Additions of white paper snowflakes and garland keep the frilly color scheme from going overboard.



When decorating for the holidays, choose decorations that fit into your existing decor.
The vintage flavor of this room already features pink and white, so pink holiday touches ~ ribbon woven into a wreath and patchwork stockings are a natural choice.

These pretty images & ideas are from Better Homes & Gardens



I am just so in love with this pretty pink Christmas tree here found over at Martha Stewart.
It is sooooo completely delicious!



Here a simple white-on-white interior provides a perfect backdrop for a glimmering tablescape.
Tall flower arrangements in silver containers alternate with smaller bouquets to create visual interest.



Be creative and maximize a piece's potential.
Stacking several antique silver compotes allows for a much more dazzling display than would solo shows.



Use the holidays as an opportunity to showcase your favorite color.
When wrapped in patterns and shades of the same hue, stacked presents can double as decorations. Matching bunches of flowers punch up the effect.

These last few images & ideas are from Country Living

***

A couple of these images have already been posted over at Vintage Amethyst Inspirations & I will certainly be adding more wonderfully pretty festive images over there before Christmas has arrived I'm sure, so do pop along won't you ~ *click here to visit*

*Last Day for Christmas Orders*

Don't forget today is the last day for Christmas orders!

It may seem early but it is just to make sure that all Christmas orders are sent out this week so that they have time to arrive in the Christmas post!

Any orders received after noon on Friday 18th may not be posted until after Christmas.

I know a lot of you who read the blog have ordered already but if you are wanting anything for Christmas please do get your order in today & don't forget the Twiggy Heart Wreaths are still on offer for £5 so if you are wanting one of these please hurry as they have been selling fast over the last few days & there aren't too many left!

Visit the shop *here*

*Vintage Goodness*

A few weeks ago we headed out to Knaresborough, it was cold day but just lookie look what I found to warm my heart on a cold day!
These wonderful vintage baubles which I found in a charity shop.

I just fell in love with the colours & thought they were perfect for our dining room.

I absolutely adored the original box they were in too, so 50's! Plus they were a bargain-licious price of £1.50!!!

I'm afraid they are still in their box at the moment as I just haven't the heart to open it yet but I think they look pretty as they are anyway! They are just sooooo completely delicious!

I was actually looking for vintage baubles in these types of colours as I wanted to make a pretty bauble wreath a la Rachel Ashwell as shown on one of her Shabby Chic DVD's (I just love these DVD's) I think you need about 50 at least & I just haven't got around to scouring thrift shops for more!

Whilst we were in Knaresborough we found a fab vintage shop with lots & lots of pretty vintageness but I was still on my 'vintage high' from just buying my baubles & so just floated around not really looking at anything closely but James spied these wonderful old Picturegoer magazines from the 50's. You know he loves his old magazines for painting inspiration & there were only 4 of them so he bought them all for £12. We have so many old Woman & Womans Own magazines in the house & these magazines gave a slightly different perspective to the 50's with them being only about movies which was lovely. You get a real feeling of how exciting film going must have been back then & how exciting reading gossip & news about your favourite film stars must have been before the heady days of the internet & mass media.

The articles in them are so fab, I of course headed straight to the Marilyn Monroe 'news' in the magazines & devoured all the 'recent' goings on!

*Heart Shaped Wreath ~ Christmas Special Offer*

*Christmas Special*

I've reduced these lovely festive twiggy heart wreaths from £10.00 to £5.00 for Christmas.
So hurry hurry if you want one for Christmas time ~ find them *here*

*Feeling Festive*

Are you all feeling festive?
With lots of festive markets about at the mo, I'm really feeling in the Christmas spirit! We went to a Christingle market in town last Thursday night & then on Sunday we visited a Dickensian Christmas Festival which really put us in the mood.
All the stall holders were dressed in Victorian outfits, there were bell ringers ~ dressed up too, carol singers that were dressed as street urchins, a brass band dressed in stripy victorian band wear, a carousel & of course many many stalls!
I did of course like this sign for Mulled Wine ~ there's nothing like getting ones priorities right is there?

*New Goodies Arrived*

Some new pretties have arrived at Vintage Amethyst.

Some of which I had ordered at the begining of October & they have only just arrived yesterday, can you believe it!!!

Anyhoo on with the pretties ...

I am so in love with this pretty clock shown above. Heart shaped & pink pearls, although faux it doesn't matter it is lovely & perfect for a boudoir don't you think?

These are £6.00 & can be found *here*

This is a really pretty love bird hanger with two little birdies & two hearts.

It compliments the other 'vintage range' items & is wonderfully chalky white & distressed for a pretty shabby chic look.

These are £5.00 & can be found *here*

Here are the Merry Christmas garlands, part of the 'vintage range' collection.

These are so pretty with two little birdies at each end & of course the wording Merry Christmas. These are £6.00 & can be found *here*

Another pretty garland are these LOVE garlands, again part of the 'vintage range' collection with the adorable little birdies.

Perfect as a gift for a loved one & so lovely for weddings.

These are £5.00 & can be found *here*

And finally some new little birdie hangers as the other cream ones I have are no longer available & I only have one left I think!

These are made from light wood & are carved. I think they make lovely little festive decorations but lovely hung up all year too.

These are £3.00 & can be found *here*

***

It is sooooooo busy here at the moment with Christmas orders, I was still working last night packing orders up so that they could be posted this morning whilst the Post Office was still open as Friday nights & the weekends are sooooo busy with orders I really needed to try & keep ahead a little or otherwise come Monday morning I would have be swamped & ready for a nervous breakdown!

I am working like a little elf painting, trying to keep up with orders for chalkboards & the painted words, of course NOEL is selling like hot gingerbread men! James has even been roped in at times to paint things too! Everything is selling out so quickly but luckily I did have stock arrive yesterday so at least some things are back in stock along with the new items ~ oh & the chalkboard heart tags are back in stock now too for anyone who was waiting!

*Phew* it is a little crazy here at the moment as James is really busy too with enquiries & commissions after the show on Tuesday & is at the moment at the Gallery doing a little 'meet & greet' sort of thing!!! It is obviously fab to be this busy but I think we are both looking forward to Christmas & a little relaxation time together ...

*Instant Chocolate Mousse*

The other week I made this ~ Instant Chocolate Mousse from Nigella.
It is really easy to do & it is super delicious too!

The recipe says it serves 4-6 so obviously being greedy as we are I only did the 4 servings & poured into wide cocktail glasses, but really this is sooooooo rich it needs to be made into 6 ~ the next time I make it I may do it into 8 it is that rich & chocolatey!

Anyhoo here is the recipe:

INTRODUCTION
When you haven't got time for overnight setting in the fridge or you don't want to use raw eggs, this mousse is perfect. In fact, at all times, constraints or not, it is chocaliciously gorgeous.

INGREDIENTS
150g mini marshmallows
50g soft butter
250g good dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids), chopped into small pieces
60ml hot water from a recently boiled kettle
1 x 284ml tub double cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Serving Size : Serves 4–6

METHOD
1.Put the marshmallows, butter, chocolate and water in a heavy-based saucepan.
2.Put the saucepan on the hob, over heat, though keep it fairly gentle, to melt the contents, stirring every now and again. Remove from the heat.
3.Meanwhile, whip the cream with the vanilla extract until thick, and then fold into the cooling chocolate mixture until you have a smooth, cohesive mixture.
4.Pour or scrape into 4 glasses or ramekins, about 175ml each in capacity, or 6 smaller (125ml) ones, and chill until you want to eat. The sooner the better!

***

Be prepared it certainly is chocaliciously gorgeous & any dinner guests will just love you!

*Butterflies from Mollycupcakes*

On Tuesday in the middle of all the chaos that was our lives with the art show about to be shown, a little handwritten parcel arrived for me & inside was this incredibly pretty little butterfly card & butterfly magnet from the lovely Catherine from Mollycupcakes for my birthday ~ how sweet.

Obviously she knows how much I *heart* butterflies! *giggle*

The pretty card is from Rubyred & is so adorable. I just love it!

Thank you so much Catherine you are a sweet heart.

*It's all over now ...*

Thank you so much to everyone who left comments yesterday about the art show ... well it was on last night & we were so nervous watching it but it is all over now!
The show was a tad odd at times ~ Alan yentob stood next to a thrift shop with knitted tea cosies in the window was perhaps one of them but certainly not the oddest by far but it also had some moving moments I thought.
James was pleased that the painting came across well & that was the main thing for him, oh & that he wasn't actually in it that much!!!! *giggle*
Not sure who that little chubby faced camp voiced little man who was speaking in our studio was though, I'm sure it wasn't my husband, it looked & sounded nothing like him! But it made us laugh.

It is busy busy here today as James & the Gallery have been receiving lots of e-mails & phone calls which started as soon as the show finished last night so that is wonderful news.
James is a popular artist as it is & as the programme mentioned last night he did have 35 commissions last year & that was only for the portraits as he sells his own 'retro/vintage' inspired artwork alongside his portraiture so goodness knows how busy he is going to be after last nights show!!! *eek*

*Imagine ~ my husband on tv.Tonight!*

As some of you may remember in the summer my husband was filmed for the BBC1 art show Imagine.
The show itself is based around art collectors & the Own Art scheme which helps people invest in art.
Two art collectors are followed through the process of commissioning a piece of art & one of them Regan Harle shown above with Alan Yentob commissioned a portrait from my husband James.
The show filmed James at various points in the portrait procedure & the finished portrait is shown above.
Regan is a huge scooter fan & the way James works is to make the portrait about the person rather than just of the person & Regan wanted his commission to be more about his scooter rather than of him & so the scooter plays a huge role in the painting.

We haven't actually seen any part of the show & so really don't know what to expect & so it is all very nerve wracking & James is really rather nervous about watching the show.
When he was being interviewed he did say he was rather red faced & stuttered a few times from nerves poor thing ~ he said he doesn't think he has a career in TV! *tee hee*
We will be watching tonight with a few glasses of bubbly!!!! *eek*

***

James has also recently updated his website with new work so pop on by & take a peek at *here* & he has recently started a blog & twittering too!!!
The gallery featured in the show along with James is Gallerina & they also have a new website too which you can visit *here*.
The Telegraph also ran an article about the show in Saturdays paper and you can read it online *here* if you wish to take a peek!

The show is on tonight on BBC1 at 10.35pm & will be available on iplayer too!
*squeal*