Welcome to Quill Cottage where we are enjoying an old fashioned country Christmas! I'm glad the gate was opened when you arrived, even though the pine cones were closed due to our wet weather!.....
The greeting is painted on an old board from my Grandmother's kitchen table. If you were to look closely, you would see knife marks where she, my mother and her sisters prepared food.
I trust the angels ushered you through the arbor and up the walkway....
I made these two lovelies a few years ago out of some old tomato cages, garland and a vine ball and swag. She is embellished with twig arms, garland, white twinkle lights, silk flowers and golden wired ribbon! 
I hope my wreath gave you a glad greeting and tickled your nose with the smell of fresh cut Christmas greens..... 
Come in and warm yourself by the fire.....
I am so glad your here! Won't you join me for a cup of tea or do you prefer coffee or maybe some cocoa? 
Perhaps we can be a bit naughty and indulge in some homemade fudge!
The greeting is painted on an old board from my Grandmother's kitchen table. If you were to look closely, you would see knife marks where she, my mother and her sisters prepared food.
I trust the angels ushered you through the arbor and up the walkway....I made these two lovelies a few years ago out of some old tomato cages, garland and a vine ball and swag. She is embellished with twig arms, garland, white twinkle lights, silk flowers and golden wired ribbon! I hope my wreath gave you a glad greeting and tickled your nose with the smell of fresh cut Christmas greens..... Come in and warm yourself by the fire.....I am so glad your here! Won't you join me for a cup of tea or do you prefer coffee or maybe some cocoa? Perhaps we can be a bit naughty and indulge in some homemade fudge!
Why thank you for noticing my Christmas decor. I love this season, so festive and so meaningful. I've always thought that celebrating Christmas is a wonderful way to close out the old year and to usher in the new one. This year I decorated with my 19 month old grandson in mind. All the ornaments on our memory tree are totally touchable. Almost all of them are hand made of wood or fabric, take a peek.....
I did reserve a few areas that are more adult in taste, such as the area above the sofa and the hall table. My husband built the shelves above the sofa for me last year for Christmas. I saw them in a Southern Living decorating magazine and loved them. This year they house our Nativity, an angel my husband gave me for our nineteenth wedding anniversary, and a few items I handcrafted..... 
In the hall I displayed a pink poinsettia, some garland, and my favorite Willow Tree Angel, a gift from a friend, and some delicious vanilla candles. We use the decorative iron pieces to display our Christmas cards by simply placing a magnet inside the card to attach it.....
Oh, so you noticed my teeny tiny tucked away Nativity! I have had this since I was a child, it was my very own Nativity and I always sat it on my dresser.....
Come on into the kitchen while I refresh our cups. Oh, you love that china pattern too? Yes, I'm still working on the dining nook, I have not had time to set a proper table but I did have time to put up a few things. I inherited the china from my Great Aunt Sylvia, it is the Old Moss Rose pattern and was made by Ballerina. I almost always choose to use this particular set at Christmas.....
The angel hanging at the window? She was an unpainted yard sale find and I painted her folk art style many years ago, she always celebrates Christmas with us in one place or another around the house. Her crumpled horn is result of a bit too much Christmas cheer from my children but we love her just as Christ loves us, imperfections and all.....
I went really traditional in here, red and green, Santa, candy canes, reindeer, and gingerbread men with lots of fresh cut greenery! I wanted something cheerful and delightful to a child's eye (and mine!) Even the pot rack got a touch of Christmas. My daughter loves to use those huge hand made copper cookie cutters each year.....
My green upper cupboards do fit in with the season nicely don't they? I added a touch of red and green by using doilies, most of which were made for me by a very dear friend....
Clever window treatment don't you think? I got this linen piece at a flea market and it too has traveled all over the house from year to year. This year I simply stitched a rod pocket with some embroidery floss and hung it on a tension rod. Below it rests another family favorite, the tiny plastic Nativity scene. I purchased this when my son was quite small so he could have a touchable scene. The year my daughter was three she became fascinated with the little baby Jesus. She took him everywhere she went and told every passerby that she had baby Jesus in her pocket. I prayed that some day he would be safely tucked into her heart, and he is..... 
The Santa mugs are just a fun touch, the one on the bottom in the middle was mine when I was little. Every year my mom would take it down for the month of December only and she would make me hot cocoa, not the kind from a package but the real cooked kind, and serve me cinnamon toast for breakfast, what a feast!.....
The wreath and apron on my pantry door are two of my favorites. The wreath holds some of my cookie cutter collection and tucked into the pocket of my vintage apron is a little gingerbread man that my daughter-in-love gave me.....
I just love this area, it was built from what used to be a closet that housed our washer and dryer, still does, they are tucked under the counter top! There is a story behind this remodel, but I will save that for another visit. I wanted this area to look a bit like a candy store at Christmas.... 
This area is full of Christmas cheer, fond memories, and beloved pieces of Christmas past. By the weekend it will be filled with home made goodness in all manner of sweets and treats! The linen piece on the top shelf and the burlap ball tree were my mother-in-law's. The two sawdust stuffed leather reindeer were mine as a child. The tiny wooden shoes, the nesting Santa's, and the iron and clay gingerbread man were gifts from friends. The painted barn wood Santa was a gift also, he is painted on wood that is over 100 years old! That cute glittery Santa holding the bottle brush tree is a recent addition, the little guy followed me home from the flea market last weekend, so I kept him!.....
Let me show you our other tress and then we will sit an visit awhile. My daughter claimed the aluminum tree this year. This tree, the color wheel, and most of its ornaments were purchased by my parents on their very first Christmas together back in 1960. My mom gave this to my husband as a gift one year because he had such fond memories of the one his family had. We chose to tuck it away in our daughter's room so that it could be shut away from the hands of tiny grandson as the tree and its ornaments are very fragile. The tree topper is an old Christmas corsage that was found at a flea market last year.....
And last but not least is the tree I chose for my room. I used only the top section of our four foot off white tree and put it in a shabby tin in floral foam. I added some ivy to the base and decided to create a frosty feathery bird filled creation. I added tons of white twinkle lights and scattered them across my hand painted dresser and covered them with an old crochet table cloth. I added more ambient light by using the silver candle shields and flanked them by my two angel friends, Hope and Joy. I can't remember a time without these two at Christmas. I am told that one of my Grandmothers gave them to me on my first and second Christmas'......
In the hall I displayed a pink poinsettia, some garland, and my favorite Willow Tree Angel, a gift from a friend, and some delicious vanilla candles. We use the decorative iron pieces to display our Christmas cards by simply placing a magnet inside the card to attach it..... Oh, so you noticed my teeny tiny tucked away Nativity! I have had this since I was a child, it was my very own Nativity and I always sat it on my dresser..... Come on into the kitchen while I refresh our cups. Oh, you love that china pattern too? Yes, I'm still working on the dining nook, I have not had time to set a proper table but I did have time to put up a few things. I inherited the china from my Great Aunt Sylvia, it is the Old Moss Rose pattern and was made by Ballerina. I almost always choose to use this particular set at Christmas..... The angel hanging at the window? She was an unpainted yard sale find and I painted her folk art style many years ago, she always celebrates Christmas with us in one place or another around the house. Her crumpled horn is result of a bit too much Christmas cheer from my children but we love her just as Christ loves us, imperfections and all.....I went really traditional in here, red and green, Santa, candy canes, reindeer, and gingerbread men with lots of fresh cut greenery! I wanted something cheerful and delightful to a child's eye (and mine!) Even the pot rack got a touch of Christmas. My daughter loves to use those huge hand made copper cookie cutters each year.....My green upper cupboards do fit in with the season nicely don't they? I added a touch of red and green by using doilies, most of which were made for me by a very dear friend.... Clever window treatment don't you think? I got this linen piece at a flea market and it too has traveled all over the house from year to year. This year I simply stitched a rod pocket with some embroidery floss and hung it on a tension rod. Below it rests another family favorite, the tiny plastic Nativity scene. I purchased this when my son was quite small so he could have a touchable scene. The year my daughter was three she became fascinated with the little baby Jesus. She took him everywhere she went and told every passerby that she had baby Jesus in her pocket. I prayed that some day he would be safely tucked into her heart, and he is..... The Santa mugs are just a fun touch, the one on the bottom in the middle was mine when I was little. Every year my mom would take it down for the month of December only and she would make me hot cocoa, not the kind from a package but the real cooked kind, and serve me cinnamon toast for breakfast, what a feast!..... The wreath and apron on my pantry door are two of my favorites. The wreath holds some of my cookie cutter collection and tucked into the pocket of my vintage apron is a little gingerbread man that my daughter-in-love gave me..... I just love this area, it was built from what used to be a closet that housed our washer and dryer, still does, they are tucked under the counter top! There is a story behind this remodel, but I will save that for another visit. I wanted this area to look a bit like a candy store at Christmas.... This area is full of Christmas cheer, fond memories, and beloved pieces of Christmas past. By the weekend it will be filled with home made goodness in all manner of sweets and treats! The linen piece on the top shelf and the burlap ball tree were my mother-in-law's. The two sawdust stuffed leather reindeer were mine as a child. The tiny wooden shoes, the nesting Santa's, and the iron and clay gingerbread man were gifts from friends. The painted barn wood Santa was a gift also, he is painted on wood that is over 100 years old! That cute glittery Santa holding the bottle brush tree is a recent addition, the little guy followed me home from the flea market last weekend, so I kept him!.....Let me show you our other tress and then we will sit an visit awhile. My daughter claimed the aluminum tree this year. This tree, the color wheel, and most of its ornaments were purchased by my parents on their very first Christmas together back in 1960. My mom gave this to my husband as a gift one year because he had such fond memories of the one his family had. We chose to tuck it away in our daughter's room so that it could be shut away from the hands of tiny grandson as the tree and its ornaments are very fragile. The tree topper is an old Christmas corsage that was found at a flea market last year..... And last but not least is the tree I chose for my room. I used only the top section of our four foot off white tree and put it in a shabby tin in floral foam. I added some ivy to the base and decided to create a frosty feathery bird filled creation. I added tons of white twinkle lights and scattered them across my hand painted dresser and covered them with an old crochet table cloth. I added more ambient light by using the silver candle shields and flanked them by my two angel friends, Hope and Joy. I can't remember a time without these two at Christmas. I am told that one of my Grandmothers gave them to me on my first and second Christmas'......
I added iridescent beaded garland and bows to the wee tree, as well as a few glittery colorful glass ball ornaments. If you look closely you will see some lovely delicate snowflakes, these were all tatted by one of my dearest friends. She gives me a new one every year! I also added various little birds, some old and a couple of new ones and then the feathery goodness came in. I bought a bag of feathers at a local craft store and poked them into the tree and topped it off with a pink jeweled bird!
Why do I love my holiday house you ask? Because it fills my heart with joy and blessing at all the fond memories it brings. I love my holiday house because it is where love lives, sorrows are shared, laughter abounds, and a family is built. I love my holiday house simply because it is home.
I am sorry you must leave so soon but I know you have much holiday cheer to spread and visits to make. Thank You, Karla, for hosting this event!
Leave a comment to sign up for a Christmas give away! Tune in tomorrow to view the goodies and see who the winners are! (Yes, there will be more than one!) The goodies will go in the mail on Friday.
Christmas Blessings,
Miss Sandy
P.S. May each of your homes be filled with the Christmas Spirit where love abounds, peace, joy, and happiness reign.
One of my favorite things to do around Christmas time is to bake and decorate cookies. My children loved this activity and we always tried to do this the day after they were out of school for Christmas vacation. On the night before their vacation break began we would check over our cookie making supplies and see if anything was needed. My darling daughter declared that there were just not enough "prinkles" to suit her sugar lovin', sparkly sprinkler-self and could I please get some more. She wanted the shiny round silver ones, lots of crunchy red and green sugar ones, the teeny tiny dot ones in all the rainbow colors, and could we please have some chocolate ones too? I assured her that we would indeed have plenty of sprinkles. (I never should have said that!)
The next morning as I drove my children to school the self-proclaimed Sprinkle Queen gave me royal orders not to forget the sprinkles, "Or else, off with your head!" I'm thinking, "OK, no more Alice in Wonderland for her. I can see which character she is identifying with!" 
I see them off the their classes and then I am headed back home to get some last minute wrapping and cleaning done. I should have gone to the store right then but I thought I'd do that on the way back to town to pick them up. I didn't give it another thought and went home. The day seemed to fly by and I happened to glance up at the clock and realized that if I were going to stop at the store on my way to the school that I'd better leave right then. I grabbed my purse and keys and zipped out the door. Well, you know when you are in a hurry you are bound to be slowed down? That is just what happened. We live outside city limits in a semi-rural area where there is farm land and many in our area raise cattle, both of which necessitate the use of tractors. 
By this time I was getting anxious and mentally calculating if I still had enough time. I decided I did and I plotted out my route through the store. I only need a few items, milk, bread, fruit snacks, and cookie sprinkles. Luckily the store I was going to had the milk, bread, and fruit snacks all on the same isle and then I could head over to the sprinkles and then to the check out stand. I just hoped and prayed it was not senior day or double coupon day both of which would slow me down. Again, I had to pray and remind myself that I too would be old and slow one day and on a fixed income pinching pennies and I too would need those double coupon days! I finally arrived at the store with ten minutes until pickup time. I was still in a safe time zone IF all went well in the store. 
I grab the buggy and practically sprint to the checkout counter, looking at the huge clock over the customer service area the whole time I am unloading the buggy as quickly as I can while my brain is totally focused on time, how many stop lights there are between the store and the school, and will I make it on time. I'm praying again, "Oh Lord, please don't let me hit any red ones." I am brought out of my little revelry by the checkout clerk as she clears her throat and says, "Ma'am if you don't mind my askin', exactly WHAT are you going to do with ALL these sprinkles?" I looked at her like she was crazy and I'm thinking, "Well, I'm gonna bake cookies, what else?" And then I looked at the conveyor belt, the 
Rolling down the belt were BOTTLES of sprinkles, the 
When he got next door he calmly told Grandpa that mom needed him to come next door. He left out a few details! Grandpa and he were great computer buddies and he got interested in what Grandpa was doing, forgot all about that red nosed reindeer and me, and settled in for a computer session.
This news startled Grandpa who unceremoniously dumped young grandson in the floor and took off out the door, crashing through the hedge, and into our front door to be confronted with the sight of half of his daughter-in-law dangling through the ceiling. He asked if I was OK and all I could do was laugh. By this time I'd hung there so long my arm pits were numb and I wondered exactly what it looked like through my huge front window when motorists stopped at the stop sign on the corner in front of our house and looked right before turning and could see legs hanging down in my living room.
1, 2, 3, 4, & 5: I was once an elf! No, really, I was. I worked for a PCA Photographer at a Wal-Mart store as an elf one Christmas season taking pictures of children with Santa. I had a cute little elf outfit and everything. I am vertically challenged, ( On a big hair day I can almost tip five feet ), so this was a perfect job for me AND this is how I met my husband, I got him at Wal-Mart! (He is the best bargain I ever got at a super store!)