christmas with antique farm house

 

🎄Welcome to the English Cottage Christmas event

 with Antique Farmhouse! 

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas here at my home, and with the help of Antique Farm House. I’ve created a very nostalgic and comfy look for my family. 

This is the perfect time to bring those same vintage, cozy vibes into your own home this holiday season.

Let’s create the most memorable Christmas together!

 

There are so many festive pieces featured in this English Cottage Christmas event, that I couldn’t fit them all in my reel.

There’s nothing quite like the wonder of Christmas morning. All the anticipation, excitement and joy! All the feelings you’ve had of Christmases past come rushing back!

 

Sentimental at times, but there is a sense of hope as well.

Nothing can match the sight of your glowing tree at sunrise, the smell of bacon emanating from the kitchen, tiny footsteps coming down the stairs, and the gasps and giggles heard at the sight of all the gifts under the tree…

 

all those dear early morning Christmas memories truly live in my heart!

🎄The inspiration for my tree was the beauty of nature done in a fanciful way. I imagined an enchanted forest where Father Christmas lives in a charming little stone cottage, definitely another time and place! 

I started with a new 6’ Noble fir from King of Christmas and added my own white lights. Owls, nesting birds, deer, little red toadstools, and lots of little pinecones. 

Of course, we have to bring in the sparkle with lots of vintage glass ornaments and baubles! This little tree is finished off with just a touch of old-fashioned tinsel for all the nostalgic reasons I can think of!

What a difference a month makes! Here’s our antique hutch all decked out for Christmas. 

Here’s my festive hot cocoa bar! This look is as simple as setting out some cute mugs, a cozy plaid throw and a fun little electric kettle! 

Add some instant hot chocolate mix, a few marshmallows and maybe a candy cane or two! No need to fuss. Keep it simple, my friends!

 

Here's a fun little plaid table that has all the vibrant holiday colors and textures I love!

So, friends, I’ll see you in my stories soon, where I’ll give you some up close and personal looks at some of my favorite items, and I’ll also be sharing a BONUS tablescape using so many ofthese same Antique Farmhouse pieces set up in a whole new way!

Happy Christmas! ♥️

ciao fabiana

 

For lots of fun extras, follow me on Instagram!

 

 

 

You can check out some of my favorites here at “Tablescaping Essentials”  

 

 

Please note that this post may contain affiliate links.

 

my favorite country collectables & more!

Antique and vintage collectables have always had a dear place in my heart, especially kitchen collectables.

As a part of a series that showcases some of my exclusive projects that I created especially for Country Sampler Farmhouse Style magazine, I’m starting off with this fun collection of green wooden handled kitchen utensils.

 

Once you start off with a piece or two, the collecting process can be quite fun! It’s always a hoot finding one of these pieces, and they can turn up in some of the most unexpected places.

 

Garage sales are my favorite place to find these goodies, and in addition to the green handled kitchen tools, I’m also partial to the blue ones. The red ones seem to be the most popular, though. 

  

Along with kitchen tools, I’m also drawn to old canning jars. Not only are they pretty, but they are also quite useful! Here I used one of my favorite Mason jars to store my homemade pancake mix.

 

Pretty little teacups are also another fun collectable. I love this light blue one!

 

You can’t go wrong with any kind of vintage pitcher. There’s something homey about their form. That lovely handle place directly across from a cute little spout. I don’t know how to explain it, but it’s just feels cozy!

 

They’re quite useful in so many ways and even so pretty on their own or as a part of a larger collection. Blue and white or just plain blue ones are among the ones I like best.

Above, you can see some of my most treasured ones on my family room mantel. Some have flowers, while others don't. All the flowers shown here are cut directly from my garden. I just love the hydrangeas... they keep going and going all summer long! 

 

English, French and American stoneware crocks are also fun to collect. I like the ones with the blue, black or brown lettering the most. Do you have any of these? 

They also make great vases because they’re so heavy and flowers that are top-heavy are well supported. They also make great utensil holders, pencil or brush holders or a just-about-anything holder!

 

Old kitchen graters can be used in so many fun ways. Here I’ve used them to hold a couple of posies of cottage garden flowers from my yard.

 

Here’s one last little recipe that makes the best of day-old bread and your favorite Italian seasoning mix. This homemade breadcrumb mixture will then keep in the pantry or fridge for a long time. 

It's so easy to make and come in quite handy when making our favorite chicken Milanese.

 

ciao fabiana

 

For lots of fun extras, follow me on instagram!

 

 

 

You can check out some of my favorites here at “Tablescaping Essentials” 

 

 

 

Please note that this post may contain affiliate links.

 

farmhouse style for fall

 

Country Sampler Farmhouse Style for Autumn has arrived! It’s filled with pages and pages of fabulous fall inspiration. That means my absolute favorite season kind-of unofficially starts in a few days when the calendar hits September.

 

Yes, it’s all about muted fall tones, crunchy autumn leaves, cozy throws and that all important pumpkin!

 

So today I’m sharing some of my favorite highlights and details about the projects I’ve contributed to this issue.

 

My fall mantel from a few years back is highlighted in an article called “Give you Fireplace More Style.”

 

You can see how we updated the stark brick look with the addition of shiplap. I love the warmth and texture it now adds to the room as the sole focal point of our large family room.

 

My friend and contractor George is wiz with these types of projects, and you can see how he prepped the space to enable attaching the shiplap.

 

After he was done, I finished off the mantel wall with a couple of coats of the same white paint as the mantel. The material we used was Windsor One which comes pre-primed to save time!

I absolutely love how it looks, especially with our special portrait of my husband's great-grandmother Nell.

 

Pumpkins are one of my absolute components of Autumn. They are just so darn cute and festive, and now-a-days they come in all sorts of beautiful colors and shapes.

 

I love getting inspiration for new decorating ideas for pumpkins and starting on page 84 with an article called “13 Pumpkins with Panache”, there are loads of new ideas!

 

My contribution is #6 with my white “Barnyard Silhouette” pumpkins. 

Originally, I was going to go for cats, bats, and owls for this look, but we decided to do farmyard critters, which I think is even more fun for this farmhouse style issue.

 

Rosemary Apricot Garlic Pork Tenderloin 

“Slow-Cooker Specialties” has all the right ingredients and recipes for cozy fall dining. My "Rosemary Apricot Garlic Pork Tenderloin" is a recipe I’ve been making for over 20 years, but recently just started cooking in my slow-cooker, or crock pot.

 

The blend of ingredients is magical when they’re all combined, and I just love the gravy that’s created in the mix that’s perfect for serving with rice or mashed potatoes.

 

I’ve even made this recipe with chicken before and it’s also equally yummy!

 

Sticky Toffee Pudding

 

Have you ever had “Sticky Toffee Pudding”? It’s actually a lot healthier than its sounds, as it contains dates as it’s main ingredient, not chocolate. Don't let that put you off, because dates add the most delicate sweetness to this cake.

 

It looks like a chocolate dessert, but it’s not. This is actually an old-fashioned English dessert, that can easily be made in your slow-cooker.

 

I have to honestly say, this is the MOST amazing dessert I’ve ever made. 

The depth of flavor with the addition of pumpkin pie spices and orange zest makes this perfect for fall, but also perfect for the Christmas holidays, when it’s traditionally served.

 

This simple corner table just struck me as simple beautiful! I love the rustic table and chairs, and the carefree way the sunflowers are displayed in these over-sized glass bottles.

 

An example of just one of the many beautiful farmhouse style homes included in this issue.

 

 

ciao! Fabiana

 

For lots of fun extras, follow me on instagram!

 

 

 

You can check out some of my favorites here at “Tablescaping Essentials”*. 

 

 

 

 

Please note that this post may contain affiliate links.

 

the prettiest cottage flowers of all!

 

What’s blooming right now? Roses, viburnum and foxglove, and I’m enjoying every moment!

Every few days, I see what’s blooming in the garden and change up my mantel display.

I can’t seem to get enough of these flowers.

Hey, honey! I was out bright in early this morning while it was still cool picking some of the first spring flowers from my garden to fill this cute can. 

My favorite blooms are all here: a Downton Abbey Rose, Sweet Williams, Snowball Viburnum, Snapdragons, Pincushion Flowers and Scented Geraniums.

I found this lovely vintage honey label and decoupaged it to a regular tin can for a look that was inspired by something I saw on Pinterest.

 

During the early part of April, just before Easter, my roses were just starting to emerge, so I supplemented my display with Lilacs and Stock from Trader Joe’s.

 

These gorgeous pink Roses were also from Trader Joe’s. I love how they look in this vintage calico blue pitcher.

 

I just adore this springtime look! For summer I plan to add a few seashells into this ceramic mix, which will be so pretty with my summer flowers like Zinnias, Sunflowers and Hydrangeas.

 

Have a lovely weekend!

 

 

 

 

ciao! fabiana

 

 

For lots of fun extras, follow me on instagram!

 

 

 

You can check out some of my favorites here at “Tablescaping Essentials”*.