Innehållsförteckning för Cottage Style Christmas 2017 från The Cottage Journal

Season’s Greetings to you! It seems the grand beginning for all the holiday festivities is the tree—the center of all celebrating and gift-giving. Most of us recall from years past a visit to a local farm or garden market to select the perfect tree. Family journeys with my own children always led to a spectacular cedar, peppered with tiny pinecones, that smelled so fragrant as we drove home with our prize tied to the top of our Jeep. Of course, later, the children would always beg for a second tree, just for good measure, in the playroom. Perhaps they believed we could entice Santa Claus to come sooner. In mid-December, we love having a special trim-the-tree evening. I’ll prepare a light dinner so we can begin decorating the tree early.…

Style Idea Enjoy the scent of the season by opting for live greenery in places that can be easily refreshed throughout the holiday. Built by a member of a prominent lumber family, the stuccoed property was in poor condition and in need of extensive work when Michael Ryden, an accomplished realtor and authority on historic homes, purchased it nearly 20 years ago. Recognizing its great promise, Michael began restoration of the architectural gem, maintaining many of the home’s classic features thanks to extensive research and old photographs. “The Fogle Brothers Company manufactured windows and doors, so we were able to keep all of the originals,” Michael explains. Sunrooms and porches offer ideal spaces for warm-weather relaxation while, in the winter, the cozy library and spacious living room provide fireside respite.…

For the owners of this 1986 Colonial-style cottage, home décor is all about casual elegance. Being in the restaurant business, homeowner Leanne McCowan describes her cottage as the family’s refuge, saying they adore coming home to cook and relax in a space that is both beautiful and comfortable. And at Christmastime, the simple seasonal touches enhance its relaxed charm. Because the home was built during a design period that embraced smaller, more segmented rooms, the house is decorated in a monochromatic palette to help create a sense of openness. Its rustic-modern style has a hint of French influence, and the Christmas décor follows suit. “I want it to look like it’s my home, just decorated for Christmas—not something totally different on top of what our house already is,” Leanne explains.…

As a former buyer for designer clothing at a popular department store, this homeowner gathered inspiration for her English-style cottage while traveling across Europe on business—saying she’d wake up early in the mornings and go to flea markets in London before work, finding interesting pieces and ideas to bring home. When it came time to remodel the kitchen, she remembered all the things she had seen in Europe—oil-rubbed bronze drawer pulls, porcelain serveware, and Staffordshire pottery—never imagining the long-admired pieces would come from across the pond. But they did. “They actually came from England,” she says of her favorite features, noting that a local shop was importing a lot of their products during that time. “And they were so much cheaper. Instead of being $18 a piece for oil-rubbed bronze…

It’s brutal outside. Gusts of wind and flurries of snowflakes swirl in as someone throws the door open. And suddenly, you are enveloped in a warm bear hug and a sweet kiss—under the mistletoe. When you think of it, romance and this berried evergreen plant are an unlikely couple. No one really knows exactly how the ancient tradition of sneaking a smooch under a hanging bouquet of this unassuming plant began. Considered sacred by the ancient Druids and featured in Greek mythology and Norse legend, mistletoe historically represents fertility, love, and vitality—which is probably how the popular kissing custom became linked to the plant, beginning as early as the 16th century in England. Mistletoe’s interesting appearance and behavior are undoubtedly responsible for its celebrity throughout the ages. The parasitic shrub…

Contemporary artist Billy Keen laughingly says it takes him more than 65 years—or exactly his age—to complete a piece of artwork. But every Christmas, he spends anywhere from a few hours to a few weeks painting a portrait of Santa Claus. During Christmastime in 1974, Billy demonstrated a painting technique using Santa as the subject because of the holiday season. He hung the finished piece in his son’s room, and the following year painted another to display in the room of his second son. He painted another the year after that, and it has been a tradition ever since. The “Visions of Santa” paintings have come to mirror emotions and events from Billy’s life, making each painting as unique and special as St. Nicholas himself. “It was never my intention…

Longtime friends and antiques aficionados Elisabeth Byram and Kaye Collett were unexpectedly given the chance to have their own shop, so the two ladies jumped right in. More than twenty years later, that fortuitous venture is thriving, right along with their cherished friendship. Located in the charming Old Cloverdale community in Montgomery, Alabama, Cottage Collections is filled to the brim with Country French and English Country antiques, lovely paintings, and vintage accessories. Elisabeth and Kaye’s simple strategy of buying what they love translates into a wonderful array of interesting treasures. And the shop takes on a whole new ambience come Christmastime. The amiable owners have set up charming vignettes throughout the shop so that it feels like walking into someone’s cozy home—albeit someone with exquisite taste and an eye for…

We’re all fond of older, more established neighborhoods that, when decked out for the holidays, just seem to capture the timeless Yuletide spirit. While many of the homes in these areas are already enchanting, they become even more magical once embellished with freshly cut greenery, sparkling lights, and colorful ornaments. Style Idea Think “outside the tree” when decorating with twinkle lights, as they can add an enchanting glow to any room. Alabama homeowners Jim and Dolly Walker are proud to live in their historic neighborhood, which transforms itself every December into a scene worthy of a Currier and Ives lithograph . Built in 1910 during the heyday of the Arts and Crafts era, their Craftsman-styled, fieldstone abode is a delight to behold, particularly when the family busies themselves in preparation…

It begins to look a lot like Christmas as early as October in Jane Boyer’s 1927 cottage. A former school librarian, Jane is a self-described “ornament hoarder,” whose love of Christmas is evident in every room of her two-story home . She explains that she now has 13 trees, simply because there are not enough flat surfaces to display all of her Christmas décor—and several boxes of ornaments never even make it out of storage. Her flair for collecting began with custom ornaments for her children, and more than 20 years later, her collection continues to grow. Most of her pieces, such as the vintage ornaments, were found at yard sales and thrift shops. “I just cannot resist. When I go to a thrift store, the first thing I do…

With the magnificent wreath above the arched front entry, the exterior of the natural stone 1927 cottage promises that the doors will open to a home ready to cordially celebrate Christmas. Upon entering the foyer, it is apparent through the art, heirlooms, and antiques that history and connections are important to the family— especially during the holidays. “Everything, including my ornaments, has a story,” explains homeowner Barbara Morgan, an artist and retired art teacher. Pinecones, for instance, are a major theme in the Morgan home—Barbara collects them on walks and during her travels to remember special times. Style Idea Make festive fresh garland accents for the chandelier, mantelpiece, and tabletop using Barbara’s method of cutting fresh boxwood, holly, evergreens, and other hardy greenery. Wrap the stems together with florist wire,…

Fragrant firelighters A basket of natural “firelighters” makes a wonderful hostess or housewarming gift. Make them in the fall when you’re pruning back your herb beds and shrubs and you should be able to make enough bundles to last through the winter. Cuttings from: Bay Bergamot Eucalyptus Lavender Lemongrass Lemon verbena Mint Rosemary Sage Thyme Other things you can add: Strips of orange, grapefruit, lemon, or lime peel Cinnamon sticks Raffia or cotton string Tie the cuttings up in small, mixed bundles with raffia or string. Leave in a cool, airy place to dry out completely before using them. You could use a drying screen or simply hang them upside down from a coat hanger until dried, which should take a week or so. Growing Eucalyptus Eucalyptus is a genus…

With an adoration of Santa Claus, an eye for design, and years of hard work, Lynn Haney has created a collection of Santa dolls that captures the spirit of the holiday season. Lynn, a self-proclaimed Christmas enthusiast, has turned his joy into his job. As a child in the 1950s, the Santa that he knew and loved was Coca-Cola’s quintessential image of Santa. His love of the holidays continued as he earned his degree in art education and worked as an art teacher. He created his first Santa in 1987, and he now has more ideas and designs dancing around in his head than he has time to create them. For Lynn and his team of helpers, it is Christmas all year long, and he loves it that way. Each…

Ashley Gilbreath’s home exemplifies the notion that cozy doesn’t have to mean cluttered. She started her career in New York at the side of renowned designer Richard Keith Langham, and she has refined her casually elegant style since moving to Montgomery, Alabama, and opening her business, Ashley Gilbreath Interior Design, in 2007. Not only has this bubbly Louisiana native helped clients feather their nests, she’s feathered a few of her own—she and her husband moved eight times in eight years before landing in their current abode, a home that truly shines this time of year. “Christmas is my most favorite holiday,” says Ashley. “I love to decorate with anything fresh—the greener the better.” That philosophy begins at the double-doored entrance where beautiful boxwood and magnolia wreaths extend a cheery welcome.…

From flipping burgers to flipping furniture, life has never been boring for Tricia Thomas. An entrepreneur at an early age, she owned her own hamburger stand and later joined her parents in the business of antiques. Year-round, Tricia combs through the inventory at her shop, Tricia’s Treasures, to select the perfect pieces for her customers’ homes. She admits that December is one of the shop’s slowest months, but it’s a nice reprieve and gives her more time to enjoy the holiday. She says, “Christmas is all about friends and family, the warmth of season, the twinkling lights, and, of course, the biblical meaning of the holiday.” And this is exactly how she decorates her cottage. A cozy and inviting ambience greets you at the door. The open floor plan with…

A gift looks so much more charming and personal when it’s attractively wrapped and embellished with simple cuttings from the garden. Unless you’re wrapping and giving the present almost immediately, choose cuttings that will last for a while without wilting, such as evergreen sprigs of bay leaves and rosemary, fir cones, or small sprays of berries. A wintery selection of bay leaves, berries, eucalyptus, fir cones, fir sprigs, holly, ivy, mistletoe, rosemary, and dried orange and apple slices Fine florist’s wire Pruning shears Ribbon, garden twine, and/or raffia This is hardly a “method,” more an inspiration. Sprigs or sprays of foliage and herbs can simply be tucked under the ribbon on your package, but to make them more secure, you can tie them in with wire that will then be…