Winter style, home and books…
This post was written in earnest a few weeks ago and was going to have all sorts of great gift ideas for the holidays. Life happens and so rather than shelve it until next Christmas I thought you might find a few ideas for your winter shopping list. Personally, I love when gifts arrive after Christmas, it is always a nice surprise and allows me to focus on a gift with intention. I also like to shop the January sales, you just never know what might be waiting for you at a great price.
Winter style…
When we designed our living spaces for Tahilla Farm, there were a few wise tips from local friends. One was making sure we created a spacious mudroom for all the winter gear and most important of all, the assorted boots we would need. I laughed, thinking they were a bit excessive when they described how many boots we might own one day. I laugh no more. I swear my winter footwear changes by degrees in temperature. Every ten degree drop or rise in weather, requires a different pair of boots. I kid you not! Ok…I do kinda love boots, I can always find an excuse for another pair. ;)
I recently purchased the Eddie Bauer ‘Lodge’ Boots (below) to muck around in and am very happy with them. In fact, I am wearing them now as I type away. My next muck around boot is a toss up between the Blundstone #500 ‘Chelsea’ short boot and the Thursday ‘Duchess’ Boot.
Coats, sweaters and hats fall in the same category as boots. I blame it on the change in atmospheric pressure in New Hampshire. Fortunately, we have a Barbour Factory Outlet a few towns over. I love my Barbour Classic Wax Jacket. It pairs well with my Akubra hat, a throwback to our days living in Australia. As soon as a chill is in the air I pull out my Travelwrap from Scotland, the top of my winter essentials list. I am patiently waiting for this Merino Cashmere ‘Off Duty’ Jumper from ME + EM to come on sale, I may be waiting a while. It is a beauty!
Reality checks are important too and for me that means practical gear for winter hikes, snowshoeing and shoveling snow. Keeping it warm and keeping it real is what it is all about. But there is no harm in jazzing things up a bit either.
Home and Hearth…
These days it’s all about comfort…and feeling cozy. A crackling fire, books, candles, yummy treats and something delicious cooking on the stove makes all the difference. Mr. H and I enjoy puzzles on snowbound days and The New Yorker Puzzles raises up the challenge notch. Our family is addicted to the Frasier Fir Candle scent…no matter where we are in the world, it reminds us of home. Garnet Hill sheets are dreamy and I can not imagine a winter without them. I still have the Le Creuset ‘Marseille Blue’ Dutch Oven that we received as a wedding gift over thirty years ago. It is a keeper. After some very heavy hint dropping, I received the new Ina Garten Cookbook for Christmas. She never disappoints. Ask me the best little cooking thermometer around, and it is this one. I can not imagine cooking without it. I added chocolate and cheese only because they are two of my many weaknesses and fit in nicely with winter meals. You can click on the photos below for more details.
Books…Indie Bound
Is life ever complete without books? I think not. I love reading about them, talking about them and even better when they find their way onto my book stack. The following books were recommended by friends and over the past months I have been lucky enough to sit in on a webinar with three of the authors below- Melissa Harrison, Ed Caesar and Frances Palmer. There is nothing quite like listening to an author talk about what inspired them to write. The links below will take you to Indie Bound and hopefully to your local independent bookshop.
A New Year…
As we leave this dastardly year of 2020 and move into what I think of as “the light” of 2021, I sincerely wish your days be filled with family, friends, love and laughter…that we can once again walk across to each other with a handshake or a hug…a simple touch. Just to say I am here…and thinking of you.
For those of you who asked for a holiday postcard, they are finally on their way. A bit late but such is life. If you missed the memo and would like a little snail mail in your post box, please drop me a line here.
Thank you for continuing to share the Collage of Life journey with me….as always, it’s a pleasure.
Jeanne xx
