The Holiday Apartment

Favorite photo from the apartment kitchen, Christmas 2009

At closing time in the Atelier today,

we turned out the lights (except for the sparkling Eiffel inside the corner glass door), and stepped away for a few days.  We'll reopen Thu-Fri-Sat Dec 26-27-28; and the week after that, join us on both shop levels for our January 2-3-4-5 Anniversary/big sale Market!

 Would you like to browse a few 'Christmas past' photos from my third floor apartment in this great old building?

 You'll find botanicals here at the holidays and all year

 View one in the entry

 View two, a different angle

 More paperwhites

 Parchment and packing paper gift tags

 1957

 View from entry to living room

 Holly, a favorite of mine~

 Thyme, in the kitchen

Wishing you relaxation and simple joys, TERESA

The Holiday Apartment 2012~

Well, by now everything has come together - for all of us, right? Best holiday and new year wishes to you!
My decorating was simple this year. The dinner napkins were tied with vintage millinery wired leaves~

Fun for me this year - the tree posed on a petite industrial staircase~

Full view of the staircase, before trimming the tree~

I joked that the tree could easily be staged anywhere, but it stayed in the living room, where you could also see it through the entry leaded window.

I've had fun with the concrete urn rim. Here, it's gathering up the vignette on the entry table~

New for me this year - a few light orbs. This one rested in a plant stand by the paperwhites quite well, don't you think?

Next to the apartment entry door, as you enter the kitchen hallway

You'll find alot of mirrors here - I love how the entry chandelier and architecture are reflected here~

I used alot of battery votives, so great when you want to add a vine~

Creamy parchment paper....

Perfect for lining gift bags, too

A favorite card prototype, its velvet overlay accents the details.

Thanks for taking a look today! We're now all about the new year, and our 9th anniversary clearance Market, which opens next week. See you soon, TERESA

Holiday decorating denial

It's easy to do, we've been decorating holiday in the shop for several weeks now~

(Paperwhites were my surprise find at Home Depot yesterday, on one of those rush trips for more paint-see below)

I love Christmas in the third floor apartment here, and it's starting to look like it!
You see, there's been an ongoing bedroom renovation, and it's just about complete~

I'll be showing you the process in detail, but here's a peek: brick has been exposed on the two exterior walls, there's a new planked ceiling, and fresh paint paint paint on everything but the brick.

There are subtle touches showing up everywhere here~

This too-fun match box (from Shayne at Style Minneapolis) rests at-the-ready near a wine candle at the top of the apartment entry stairwell
By the time I finished photographing this morning, this petite statuette was resting in the paperwhites. Too much fun, but for now I'm off to the Atelier~ We're open today and tomorrow (12/22-23); closed Saturday 12/24. ~TERESA

The Christmas Apartment Wrap-up

I'm a 'quick' holiday decorator, you've probably noticed that what you've seen is impromptu~ I like the paper twist on some of these green glass balls - their original protective wrap, and the way they sit on the kitchen sink drainboard in the white ironstone bowl~

Back to the apartment entry: an old iron sconce with Anjou wine candle and wreath~

The wreath is actually an inexpensive 'candle ring'. Take it out of the craft store, add beautiful ribbon, ah.....frosty boxwood and berries~ In the hallway toward the kitchen, the bench sits across from the bar. A trash-to-treasure piece: find a lonely curved footboard from an old bed and make a bench~

The bar in the kitchen hallway~Chocolate snowmen and petite French cafe' spoons wait in liqueur glasses
A fresh thyme plant hangs at the kitchen sink - fragrant and pretty~
Dinner plates waiting on the cart by the window. It makes me very happy to have fresh holly, displayed to full effect in a tall, clear battery jar~
By the time everyone arrived on Christmas Eve, I'd added the large Ikea wreath to the vignette~
View of living room from the entry~

The candles were all lit~Then, at the end of the evening, all lights out. Time to enjoy everything just with candle and tree light. Do you do that, too?
My granddog, Sammy. Can you read his mind? Yes, it's time to go home~

Merry Christmas Part One~

Welcome~ Step in to the apartment entry'I'm happy you're here!' To your left, a large silvered vase serves as a grand lumiere. The leaded glass window gives you a peek into the living room~

A fresh rosemary topiary sits opposite, toward the hallway and bar that leads into the kitchen~

The mirror above the living room mantel gives you a great view of the room. The felt icicle garland is early 1960's; the white pressed mache' bells are a personal treasure. I found the nine bells stacked, with their original price tag in old ink script: $1.13/dozen~You can see one of a pair of stately Alan cabinets; the wine box with holly pots (on top) was shown a couple weeks ago. Note another glimpse of the tree!

Turn, see the living room from another angle. Left to right: architectural entry with cedar garland; the open door to the bath; and the second Alan cabinet, with eyebrow window on top~ From the entry on to the kitchen, this lumiere hangs at the hallway bar. R. Lalique - found in Angers, France

I've never used a pillar candle in it - the light should come from the bowl, but I did like how it looked~

Wishing you a simple, kind, and good Merry Christmas! More to show you, TERESA