Tag Archives: B.C.C.

Winter Descends – And A Giveaway….

Days of being too cold are on me full time now and I confess I feel a little resentful. I love to bundle up and bake and have winter fun but I get so tired of being bone cold. But Christmas is coming and that’s something not to dawdle at – I’ve got so much to do to get ready!! Continue reading

I’m So Tired…

Tired of being admired…../sings in her best Madeline Kahn voice. I am tired though. My day has been exhausting. I’m worn out from people and things and the lack of them being what I want. So I’m to bed early, with some treats and my sleep mask designed to keep out the light until I decide it’s time for my day to start again. Continue reading

If Only In My Dreams

Like It's Christmas in the Room

Skin: Glam Affair America/Simone Hair: Doe: Tessa – Fatpack Appliers: Glam Affair Simone Applier for Lelutka Mesh Head Eyes: [PXL] REFLEX Eyes (B) ~ GreyGold Mesh Attachments: .LeLutka.Mesh Head-SIMONE v1.4

Christmas Eve’ll find me
Where the love light gleams
I’ll be home for Christmas
If only in my dreams

Lelutka has released a new mesh head called Simone. It’s a special edition head with additional expressions including this mournful one that perfectly captures some of the emotional turmoil I am feeling this Christmas season. With the passing of my aunt this summer, everyone from my parents’ generation is now gone. My sister had a tough struggle with cancer last year and came though in the end, but now has a new cancer that has gone from Stage One to Stage Four in just one month. I will confess I cry a lot lately, but I am still hopeful she will beat the odds. She is the strongest woman I know. Homesickness has manifested itself in the kitchen with traditional Christmas baking like lefse and rosettes and cooking up Cherry Soup with Dumplings, the foods that make me think of home and family.

Like It's Christmas in the Room

| -Pixicat- Ballerina.Cat delivery box @ The Arcade | ~silentsparrow~ Felt Bird Ornaments – Partridge – Merry @ Tannenbaum | Silence. – Wooden Cutout Ornament – Gift 2 @ Tannenbaum | MudHoney Brights Giftbag Spots @ The Arcade | The Loft – Monochrome Christmas Fir Garand White M @ The Arcade | Botanical – Green Douglas Fir Christmas Tree (Tannenbaum) | Schadenfreude Jingle Ball 1 Catmas Ornament | ~silentsparrow~ Felt Bird Ornaments – Partridge – @ Tannenbaum | Silence. – Wooden Cutout Ornament – Gift 2 @ Tannenbaum | The Loft – Monochrome Christmas Fir Garand White M | {anc} glass ornament. for tree (2) @ Tannenbaum | !Ohmai: Gold Star Topper @ Tannenbaum | Trompe Loeil – Vintage Diamond Floor Lights @ The Arcade | [ zerkalo ] Magical Christmas – Pile of Gifts#1 | MudHoney Rustic Giftbox Plaid 4 @ The Arcade | MudHoney Rustic Giftbox Plaid 1 @ The Arcade | MudHoney Brights Giftbag Spots @ The Arcade | [ zerkalo ] Magical Christmas – Pile of Gifts#2 @ The Arcade | Sari-Sari – Traditional | Christmas – Reindeer RARE @ The Arcade | {vespertine} snowy dust 11 @ Tannenbaum | {vespertine} dala horse/red 14 @ Tannenbaum | Fancy Decor: Book Ornament Blue @ Tannenbaum | ARIA – Myrrh Handmade Vintage Bulb Bauble Ornament @ Tannenbaum | MishMish – Puppy in a box – Pastel @ Tannenbaum | Schadenfreude Fish 2 Catmas Ornament @ Tannenbaum | [RI] Pearl Berry Ornament (Bubblegum) @ Tannenbaum | [RI] Pearl Berry Ornament (Bubbly) @ Tannenbaum | Garbaggio // Round Xmas Ornament – Red @ Tannenbaum | Silence. – Wooden Cutout Ornament – Gift 2 @ Tannenbaum {anc} glass ornament. for tree (2) 1Li @ Tannenbaum | ~silentsparrow~ Felt Bird Ornaments – Hen – Bright @ Tannenbaum | ~silentsparrow~ Felt Bird Ornaments – Peacock – Bright @ Tannenbaum | Lark – Star Ornament – @ The Arcade | Sway’s [PineConny] Ornament . pink @ Tannenbaum | {anc} glass ornament. for tree (2) 1Li @ Tannenbaum | Silence. – Wooden Cutout Ornament – Tree 3 @ Tannenbaum | {vespertine} crane bauble /mustard 9 @ Tannenbaum | ~silentsparrow~ Felt Bird Ornaments – Raven – Merry @ Tannenbaum | ARIA – Myrrh Burlap Tree Skirt – RARE @ tannenbaum | ~silentsparrow~ Felt Bird Ornaments – Partridge – Merry @ Tannenbaum | Kalopsia – Glitter Leaf – Silver @ The Arcade | Garbaggio // Studded Xmas Ornament – Blue @ Tannenbaum | The Loft – Monochrome Christmas Bulb Ribbon White@ The Arcade

No one loved Christmas more than my mom. Each year, my dad and my uncle would scour the woods for the perfect black spruce or balsam fir. It has to be 17 feet with no bare spots, so when I put the angel on the top it stopped just shy of the ceiling. Dad made a tree stand with wheels so we could turn it to decorate it evenly. I did the top from my bedroom balcony while they did the middle and bottom before we oh-so-carefully wheeled it across the living room so it was framed in the center by all the windows that faced onto the lake. It was a huge undertaking that was never done in a day, particularly since many of the ornaments were generational hand-me-downs and hand-made memory-laden pieces that prompted stories and remembrances of the past. There were no themed trees or single-colored trees because that store of ornaments was much more precious – a store of memories.

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like stars filling the dark trees

"Snow was falling, so much like stars filling the dark trees that one could easily imagine its reason for being was nothing more than prettiness.”

“Snow was falling,
so much like stars
filling the dark trees
that one could easily imagine
its reason for being was nothing more
than prettiness.”

― Mary Oliver

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Cooking and Eating at My House

I live in Barnesworth Anubis’ Classic Brownstone which has a huge kitchen/dining room. I contemplated using it for a roller rink, but well, that would be silly. Instead, I have a formal dining table on one side, a casual nook for solitary meals and a fabulous kitchen. Here’s a tour of the space and the Christmas decor.

Tis the Season

The focal point is the dining table and chairs from The Loft. They were released in October and remain a favorite because of the powerful statement their sleek style and form deliver. The come with gorgeous place settings and I imagine will serve well throughout the year. The NOMAD Baubles Tree from The Arcade is a modern and minimalist bit of decor and the Schadenfreude Festive Cheese Snack was a gift I found under the tree at The Arcade
Tis the Season

I’ve tucked the Swedish dining table chairs and candelabra from Nomad into a corner for a less formal place to drink some coffee, read the paper or grab a bagel. The fruit bowl is also from Nomad. All of those items were released in November at Collabor88.  The lovely red cuckoo clock is from Fancy Decor and was released in a panoply of colors at The Arcade. The washbasin planter and hedge are from Trompe Loeil and is also at the Arcade. The chalkboards I repurposed from floorplan and Willow’s Astrology Chart, replacing the chart with some chalk art I found on the internet and tinting the frames red. Many of the frames sold at events are modifiable and will allow you to replaced their pictures with your own and some, like this wonderful one will let you change the frame’s color and size. Over the table is a big chalkboard from Clutter. They have released several different ones for the holidays. Below that, you can see Trompe Loeil’s JOY letters, a part of the holiday decor collection at The Arcade.
Tis the SeasonOn the left, you can see the black Christmas ribbon from The Loft for the Botanical Christmas tree at Tannebaum. I thought it would be fun to use it as a sculptural tree on its own. For me, it seems a fitting complement to the dining table and chairs. On the wall, you can see the sign I made using Riders Mesh Factory’s Neon font rezzer. Riders Mesh Factory makes all sorts of fonts and to make your own words, you just rez their contraption, and follow the directions in the blue window. They are really difficult directions like press Start and press Finish. The other decor on The Loft’s Baxter buffet that matches their Baxter table and chairs will be highlighted in closer pictures.
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The Allure of Hef

When I was a little girl a friend and I found her uncle’s stash of Playboys. We were mesmerized by them. Both of us had open minded mother’s that hadn’t taught us our bodies were dirty, so beautiful pictures of glamorous women, who also happened to be mostly or completely naked weren’t something shocking. We thought they were glamorous.

Also, if you ever saw 70s Playboy, there were usually strewn with jewelry and what not, furs etc. It wasn’t truly a sexual thing, not directly anyway. There certainly wasn’t any peen. So to us, we thought they were beautiful ladies who also happened to be naked. We’d giggle and drape ourselves over the bed, mimicking the poses they were in.

That’s right about when we got caught, and in massive trouble. At least our clothes were on. Continue reading

Soldier Girl

B.C.C. is offering adorable toy soldier suits at THE ARCADE this round, and this one is a SECRET RARE. So I’m letting The Secret OUT! I really was delighted by it when I opened it up. I love nutcrackers and toy soldiers, I always have to have them at the holidays for decorating. There is so much this round to share, I hardly know where to start. Continue reading

No 15: In The Garden

sept12_004

Every church I attended when I was growing up had the Gospel Hymnal with all the songs numbered to help people find them quickly. We all knew Number 60 was The Old Rugged Cross. Dad’s favorite was No. 234, Children of the Heavenly Father, a traditional Swedish hymn that he preferred to sing in Swedish. For Mom, it was Higher Ground and for some reason I cannot remember its number for certain, though I think it was 117. Mine was number 15 – In the Garden.

I come to the garden alone while the dew is still on the roses
And the voice I hear, falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses.
And he walks with me and he talks with me
And he tells me I am his own
And the joy we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known.

That songs speaks to the ecstatic experience – which though associated with faith can be experienced by anyone in the presence of absolute beauty. I remember the first time I had such a moment. I was six and visiting my sister and her family. We were at the Falls and exploring this garden that had a floral clock and the mist rose up from the falls making everything and everyone fall away. It seemed I was a alone in a fog of flowers. I stopped still and remember wondering if it was real or if I were dreaming. It was a profound experience, a kind of joy born solely out of beauty. I remember feeling the same way when I was a senior in high school and sitting in the gardens of the Alhambra. I was resting alone in a gazebo made of bougainvillea, sketching the fountain in front of me and suddenly the sunlight struck the water drops in such a way they seemed like prisms, radiating color in the air. It took my breath away and I again felt that strange feeling of unreality, a sort of “pinch me, I must be dreaming” moment, except you would never want to pinch yourself out of such joy. Continue reading