Dressed for the weather.

Up north, we girls don't brave the outdoors for a winter walk without donning

 our cold weather gear.  Cuddl Duds, Mukluks, and layers of warm mittens,

a scarf and a hat are essential to keep us warm.  You've got to strategically time your walk,
 because unfortunately you'll be afflicted with hat hair for the rest of the day.

When you live in a drafty old house, it gets mighty cold indoors between blasts

of steam heat, so even the furniture begs for an extra layer or two.

Our long dark winters are the perfect time to knit a wooly afghan to cover an outdated chair.
It took about 3 weeks of knitting in the evenings while watching TV,
 plus a few hours in the car to finish the afghan.  Yes, you read that right. 
Finished.  Ends woven in and blocked.  Completely finished!


Free lap blanket pattern from Petals to Picots.

I finally got around to painting the base of my old drum table, and the birdhouse

got a dose of white paint, too.  I even bought a  real live plant to bask in the sun!

I beefed-up the window cornices with my version of crown molding.
A hand saw and miter box are all I needed to cut mitered corners
and layer the stock pine for a fancy schmancy look.

Before.

After.

I actually finished them before Christmas, but I just got around to painting over the primer.
My excuse is that the ladder was out in the garage.  In the cold.

On the other side of the room.

I finished the cable knit pillow, but it's too small for my liking,
 so I won't be knitting another.  Perhaps I'll throw it in the wash on the hot setting.
Me thinks it could possibly shrink enough to be a mini pillow for the dollhouse....
that we're still working on.  Shame on us!

Our excuse?  The dollhouse is in the basement.  In the cold.

My Pottery Barn plants are the only plants that will thrive
next to a north facing window, but they bring some life to this corner.



I'm still tossing around ideas to update the fireplace.

We even went so far as to drag the dining room fireplace in front of the brick
to see how a light painted surface would look in the room.  Ehhhhhh.
It didn't inspire me to get moving on a new fiasco project.
More Pinning....er research to be done.

I don't want fire hazards cluttering up the hearth,
but these wood shoes were the perfect Etsy find
 to fill in the empty spot left by my red Christmas clogs.


So that's a little of what I've been up to during this long cold winter.

It's nice to be home during the day when the sun is warming up the house........

....and at night when I've got the fireplace remote by my side.  :o)
( PDF link for Nola's slipper pattern here.  Super warm and comfy! )

Thanks for visiting and stay warm!
Vickie

I'm joining the parties at:
The Wicker House Create - Share - Inspire
Cozy Little House Tweak it Tuesday