Kindness is Like Snow

"Kindness is like snow.

It beautifies everything it covers."

Khalil Gibran

via

Gorgeous Hotel Bathroom

Capri Palace Hotel and Spa via Have you ever seen a more beautiful shower floor?

Fox Chasing Hare Papercutting Gif

The fox will never win in this creative moving animated gif. I love the papercuts. via

Simple Christmas Decor

I love this minimalist Christmas tree and package wrapping. Simple is good. My neighbors across the street put out luminaria last year on Christmas Eve and this year they invited all the people on the street to do so too. They ordered all the supplies. I decided to only do my front walk and just finished putting out my white paper bags filled with sand with a fat candle inside. I won't be home when it's time to light them so my neighbors will light mine. It will look so nice when I come home.

lu·mi·nar·i·a

noun

a Christmas lantern consisting of a votive candle set in a small paper bag weighted with sand and typically placed with others along a driveway, sidewalk, or rooftop as a holiday decoration.

UPDATE: I was amazed at how long the luminaries lasted after they were lit at dusk. The special candles lasted for almost 12 hours. My neighbors ordered them here.

Holly with Berries Botanical

Elizabeth Blackwell's A Curious Herbal

Flip through this early 18th century volume of hand-colored copper plate engravings HERE. Use the arrows to flip back and forth. What a treat! Merry Christmas. xo

See and listen to the whole book from the beginning, including the cover here courtesy of the British Library.

Knitting for Chickens

These chickens look quite happy wearing their hand-knitted capes. Sweet! via

Christmas Decor in Wales

Door on a rural Breconshire farmhouse, early to mid 17th century, Brecon Beacons National Park in Wales. I saved this photo from Instagram. This place looks perfect for an outdoor adventure.

Snow Dog

What a great idea. You could do this with a little human standing behind an appropriately sized snow body too. via

The Poisoned Apple 1938 Snow White

What you see: The Poisoned Apple, a study by Wanda Gág [pronounced ‘Gahg’] for an illustration in a 1938 edition of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Wold at Swann Auction Galleries in NYC for $5,000. I would love to see the other illustrations in this book. Her work is spellbinding!
UPDATE: I found a digital copy of this very book online HERE.

Cat Nap in a Window

“Cat in a cottage window” by Ralph Hedley (1848-1913) via He was a realist painter, woodcarver and illustrator, best known for his paintings portraying scenes of everyday life in the North East of England. I love this painting!

Pumpkin Pies in a Basket

Two beautifully decorated pumpkin pies ready to travel. via

Merry Christmas animated gif

I love this and will save to my phone to text to friends on Christmas morning. via

Christmas Card by Ernest Shepard

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS from Norah and Ernest Shepard: "This pen and ink drawing of Eeyore with holly, Pooh with a jar of honey and Piglet with a Christmas cracker comprises the original illustration for the only known Christmas card ever created by E.H. Shepard featuring the A.A. Milne characters." Offered for sale by Sotheby's in 1997. Sold for 30,000 GBP

What a treat it would have been to receive this Christmas card!

Beatrix Potter Rabbits Gathering Wood

Here is yet another Beatrix Potter image I haven't seen before. After gathering twigs for the fire, the rabbits are preparing to put the big log on the sled to drag it home in the snow. I wish I could see more artwork about this story. via Click photo to enlarge.

Ural Owl in Sweden

Photographed by Mattias Bergman in a dark forrest in Uppland, Sweden. He said seeing this Ural Owl against the dark background was like seeing a ghost.

DIY Window Ledge Trees

I love this idea. It takes some advance planning to get the bases ready. If you have several different varieties of evergreens on your property, it would be fun clipping the perfect tips for the log bases. via

Antique Radiator with Warming Oven

How clever is this antique radiator with a warming oven? It's in an old flat in Paris. It warms my heart!

Christmas Decor on My Farm Table

I bought these pomegranates several months ago at an estate sale with this arrangement in mind.

They are artificial but they look pretty real and they are frosted too. In person, they look as if they are sprinkled with fine sugar. Last year I had a table top tree in the center of my table but I like this arrangement much better. It is simple but effective and it only took five minutes. Yay!

Kep the Dog by Beatrix Potter 1909

This study of ‘Kep’, one of Beatrix Potter’s sheepdogs, dates from a visit to Near Sawrey in March 1909, when Potter made a number of studies of the Lakeland landscape in snow. Potter gave this drawing to Stephanie Hyde Parker, the daughter of her cousin Ethel, who stuck it in an album: remnants of the album can be seen in the floral motif adhered to the lower left of the design, and in a drawing by Amy Hyde Parker attached to the back of the study.

Beatrix Potter (1866-1943) is one of the world's best-loved children's authors and illustrators. She wrote the majority of the twenty-three Original Peter Rabbit Books between 1901 and 1913. The Tale of Peter Rabbit (Frederick Warne, 1902) is her most famous and best-loved tale.

Beatrix Potter purchased Hill Top in Near Sawrey, her first Lake District farm, in 1905. After this date she visited Hill Top regularly for holidays, eventually settling permanently in nearby Castle Cottage following her marriage in 1913.

In the collection of the Victoria & Albert Museum. Click on photo to enlarge.

Kate Greenaway Tile 1881

Earthenware tile, transfer-printed and hand-coloured. Designed (1881) by Kate Greenaway. Made by T. & R. Boote. Image and text information courtesy V&A. via This is lovely, isn't it?

© Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2017. All Rights Reserved

4 Stuffed Animal Sewing Patterns to Download

There's still time to make a stuffed toy. Luckily this is a digital download so there's no waiting or leaving home to get all four patterns. Just pay for The Dear Ones and download patterns here.

Cutest Handmade Bear

The hand stitching makes this bear so very lovable and adorable. Some lucky child is going to be thrilled with this huggable stuffed animal. Handmade toys and gifts are the best! via

English Robin on A Snowy Holly Branch

This beautiful photograph is a living Christmas Card. Agreed? via I love the English robins with the upside down hearts on their breasts.

Diane Keaton Designs Rustic Residence for Herself

For the past few decades, Academy Award-winning actress Diane Keaton has spent much of her free time off set on a series of construction sites flipping houses. Who knew?

Inside you'll find distressed brick, chicken wire cabinetry, raw wooden beams, old chicken coops repurposed into pendant lights, shiplap-covered walls, subway tile, black french shower doors, and a plethora of antiques. I chose to feature the kitchen; click here to see the rest of the home she designed for herself with the help of Pinterest. The photos and article appeared in both Country Living and Wine Spectator Magazines.

Dream House In England

Teleport me there, now! via

Tree in Winter

This tree is lovely in the winter landscape. I love the shape of it and the fence fascinates me. It appears to be a "forever" fence with sturdy wooden posts and rails made of connected metal pipes. via