Mrs Polly Rogers Creates A Christmas Wreath

Today I'm transporting you back to 1956, Elvis, Ellington, USA winning 32 Olympic Gold medals, New Zealand winning 2. The first "Smarties" TV advert shown in the UK with the popular slogan, "Sweetest, treatest, best to eatest". Even if you weren't born in 1956, I think we all remember Smarties as they are still as popular today as they were 56 years ago. Why 1956 your wondering...Well, while researching for inspiration for this weeks shared post I came across "Mrs Polly Rogers".  Polly is a delightful "young", not "old" lady who lives in the era 1956. Polly has her own website and TV channel where her charming and witty personality transports you back to the 50's, guiding you through instructions to make her decorative crafts. If you were born out of this era, imagine the setting and styles in the  movie "Pleasantville", and this is Polly.

Here is what Polly has to say about herself:

"My life is relatively uncomplicated. I take care of house and home, the hubby, the kids and the dog. I guess you could call it my thoroughly atomic wife-style life-style!

Oh yes and there's my TV show which is all about making your home life as beautiful as possible on a shoe-string budget. We create projects of all kinds by being clever with those illusive pennies in the cookie jar!

So put on your hat, tie on an apron and we will master the art of creative domestic science together and I promise to share all my tips and tricks with you!"

I decided that Polly deserved more than a "spot" in my weekly inspiration and decided to devote a complete post, so after contacting Polly, I'm sharing one of her decor crafts with you today. You can either see Polly's step by step image instructions over at her website. Or be transported back to 1956 where you can watch Polly's TV instructions to making this pretty walnut wreath below. 

Make this Walnut Wreath with step by step images on Polly's website or 

watch Mrs Polly Rogers delightful Video below

Video created by Loran McCall Photography

See lots more creations over at Polly's website.

A big THANK YOU Polly for allowing me to share your Christmas wreath today.

If you are receiving this post via email, you will have to visit my website or Polly's to view the video as unfortunately as my Feedburner does not appear to embed video's.

Christmas Mantelpiece - Simple - Elegant

On a dull, wet, Auckland Spring day I tried to get some photos of my Christmas mantelpiece.  I'm not so happy with the image results, still waiting for that elusive upgrade camera, "I know, ya..ya.. you have heard this before". However, yet another Christmas I have had to make do with my point and shoot, so please excuse the fact that I don't have a wide angle lens, and I had to work in poor light.  I am a perfectionist at heart and would rather wait until I have that perfect camera, but I realise, if I wait for perfection, my readers would too. I am thankful for photo enhancement to add some light to the images, although I may have over done it slightly.

I wanted this years mantel to reflect nature and elegance, and to include items of mine and my mothers. For nature, I chose Orchids, I adore them and they flower for such a long time, I knew they would see Christmas and New Year too. My pair of porcelain Cheetahs complimented the white orchids and their black pots and added to the symmetry.  I then  up cycled a vintage fruit salad glass that belonged to my mum. I had lots of old broken pearl necklaces of my mothers and placed these in the bottom of the glass, adding a simple white candle. I finished off with a delicate garland of tiny silver stars to swag across the mantel and voila!... Simple but definitely elegant, don't you think?

Poppy was totally miffed yet again at being dressed up, she is giving me her, "sad dog" look.

If you want to see my mantelpiece from last year, please visit "here" or if you still haven't planned your own mantelpiece and want more inspiration see my previous post "Christmas Mantelpiece Decorations".

Later this week I'll be sharing more images of my living room makeover decorated for Christmas and next week my Christmas tablescape which this year is a touch of "vintage". I'll  be using all the beautiful vintage items I have inherited from my mother to create a pretty vintage Christmas tablescape.

Last years tablescape of mauve and silver can be seen "here"

Have a wonderful week, start to plan your Christmas day meal now so you won't stress.  If you haven't thought about gifts yet, you might want to check out some of my  gift ideas "here", its still not too late to order on line.

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