Hello, y’all from the very wet and grey low lands. The weather has done nothing to entice me to go out, so I have kept myself crazy busy inside all weekend. This Monday will be the start of me working full time at the office. That is five whole days out of the house and in an office behind a computer or in meetings. Wowie, I’ve almost never worked five-day work weeks. Most of my career I worked four days, and the last years I only had three office days. I really got used to having so much me time, and with the blog and a little side-business and the house and garden, I kept myself nice and busy.
This period of working full-time came rather unexpected. I will reap the benefits of it later, but right now it has me in a kind of panic. I wasn’t prepared for it at all and with Christmas approaching fast (yes I am going to do another 12 Days series this year too) I have been frantically trying to get some projects finished, so I can breath.
Click for more info on homemade beads tea trivet
My love has been a very good sport, not only has he done the lion share of grocery shopping and cooking, he has also not objected to my stealth Christmas decorating. Here in the Netherlands we really don’t start Christmas decorating very early, most people won’t even think about it until St Niklaas has left the country on December 6. I used to decorate even later than that. But now, in my life as a blogger, I have to start earlier and earlier. Not only to get it done in time, but especially early enough to have some time to spare to photograph it. Cause that is a major hassle this time of the year.
I think next year I am going to do a Christmas in July thing. Decorate the whole house and take pictures when the light is nice and bright and even. This time of year I really struggle to take good pictures of my decor. There either is no sun outside and inside it is like a gray, dark cave. Or the sun is shining and since it is so low it is shining directly into the living room, making my windows look totally blown out and casting huge long shadows everywhere.
Aah, the troubles of a home blogger….. Can you relate?
Anyway. I came here to show you the last bit of Fall decorating I did. I couldn’t resist dressing up my newly painted farmhouse table. I made a vintage grain sack table runner. Easiest no-sew table runner ever, the only thing I needed to do was remove the stitches on the sides and wash and iron it. Ready.
Grain sacks are a very rare find in these parts. I saw quite a few of them when I was in southern France a couple of years ago, but those were crazy expensive. So it totally rocked my world when I came across a huge stash recently, for a very doable price. I got this blue one to keep, and I got a pair of red ones too. I will list them in the shop soon, when I have time and light to photograph them (you can see them on the chair in the left of the picture above) and if I can part with them.
I think the grain sack pairs wonderfully with my white table. I love my white table. I wished I had painted it white eons ago.
The bread board was another recent thrifting find, I had been on the look out for bread boards for some time now and then I found two in one week, go figure. I have hit a dry spell again though, pity because I definitely have room for more vintage bread boards in my life. Hoping to score a round one next.
So are you still in Fall mood? Got the pumpkins still out? Or have you started decorating for Christmas, for real?
And what do you think about my grain sack table runner, great find that one, isn’t it?
Tone says
Hi! Youre picturea are like candy To my eyes! I have been looking for grainsacks the last week allso, but the they arent easy to find in Norway either. I just have to stay on the lookout for something online:)
We still havent seen any snow yet! You would believe its still september/october. Hopefully winter and snow will come in good time `til christmas:)
Marianne@Songbird says
Oh, how kind, thank you!
No snow here either, but we usually don’t expect it until January or so. Seems like the US are getting all the cold again, leaving us with warm weather. Poor US, happy us.
Ellen V says
I live in the Midwest of the USA. We have snow and cold but it will get my rear in gear for Christmas. Just an inch or a little more. Very pretty and drive able for shopping. Love your blue and white. The runner is beautiful.
Marianne@Songbird says
Oh yes, I heard that winter has come down on you guys early and hard already. Glad to hear that you can still get around, being snowed in is not as much fun as it sounds (at least not for a long time).
Thanks for the runner love, I am very happy with it myself.
Marilyn says
Hi Marianne, It’s sunny here in the mountains of southern California, but cool temperatures (low 50’s F.) No snow here yet. I don’t like to decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving, which is always the fourth Thursday in November. Until then, we are decorated for Fall, with our pumpkins still out. Yes, your table runner was a real find. It looks great on your lovely white table. Best wishes for your new five day work week!
Marianne@Songbird says
Hi Marilyn,
Oh the mountains of Southern California, that sounds absolutely wonderful. Temps will be dropping here too, but no snow in sight.
If I didn’t have a blog, I wouldn’t be decorating for a few weeks either. As it is I can’t keep up with the pace in blogland anyway, but I do not want to fall to far behind. Besides with only the weekends to my disposal, I had to get some of my Christmas crafting and decorating in early, or I wouldn’t be able to do it at all. And we can’t have that I love decorating for Christmas.
Sue says
i live in central Alabama, USA. I just found your blog and I really love it. I’m a big fan of decorating with all shades of white with some blue thrown in. The table runner looks wonderful you were lucky for that fine. I going to be looking on your shop just in case you put one of the others on to sale. You know we say ya’ll here in the south was great to here it from you. Have a great day!!
Marianne@Songbird says
Hi Sue, Welcome to my blog. So glad you found me. I spent my summer in the South of the States last year. And some of that y’all just rubbed off on me. Guess that is the beauty of being a non-native English blogger, I steal, borrow and abuse bits and pieces of your language from all over the place. It is all foreign to me anyway. 😉
Glad to have your here, hope to hear from you more often.
Fonda Rush says
I would prefer that you keep it real. If the sun is at an odd angle, it is true AND at an odd angle. It is the product of where you live. I’m not out here measuring the angle of the sun or the amount of grayness there is in your living room. It’s the content that counts. It’s the way you write about it and share. While I will never know for sure that you photograph Christmas is July, I would prefer that you didn’t. I want you to keep it real. I want to see what Christmas looks like where you live. I seriously doubt that anyone will leave your blog for this perceived infraction. I do think that people would leave if they found that you were a fake. No one likes to be fooled. For example, I follow a blog in Australia where it is spring. If she decides that what her audience wants is to see snow on the ground and takes her photos in July during a snow storm, I would feel deceived and would call her on it. So, keep it real, and don’t assume that what I want to see must have ideal lighting. And, don’t apologize for it. Keep. It. Real.
Marianne@Songbird says
Hi Fonda.
Oh that is sweet of you to say. I am all about keeping it real too, within limits of course, no need to bother you all with my messy Mount Washmore, I am sure you have enough of that in your own home.
And don’t worry, frustration might have me wishing I did my Christmas picture taking in July, it will never happen. For one thing I am not that organized, and I am much too lazy for it too. So yes I’ll be keeping it real, working with the light (or absence of it) that is available. But you can’t blame me for trying to make every shot as good as I can get it. That is my personal challenge after all.
Emilou says
Hi Marianne, wow, I love your table decorations and the grain sack runner sure adds such a pleasing touch.
Yes I still have my pumpkins, orange lights and colorful leaves about. I don’t decorate for Christmas until after Thanksgiving. As for my weather here in Oregon, it is cold at night with -2 degrees Fahrenheit and up to 26 degrees Fahrenheit during the days. Brrr, and we still have at least half of our last Thursday snowfall of 16 inches. It is beautiful and I love it since I don’t have to drive in it 🙂 Thanks for sharing and I hope that your five day work week will be good for you. Blessings and smiles, Emilou 🙂
Darrielle Tennenbaum says
Everything looks so peaceful and calm-love your look!