Deck the halls with boughs of Holly...falalalalalalalala

I was out shopping the other day and popped into Paperchase as I love all the cards in there.  They always sometimes have some darling journals that I use as recipe books or notebooks.  I was a little shocked to see that they are now doing their Christmas range...in October.  I shouldn't be too surprised by this but I was.  Anyone who knows me knows that I rarely shop 'in the wild' and much prefer to order things online much to our lovely postman's disgust.  He is such a sweet man but once berated me on ordering so much as it was hurting his back.  Anyway, I digress.  A friend at work was telling me last week about the Christmas tree she and her husband are buying for this year and I think most high street stores have started to push the festive season.  So there I was in Paperchase having a nice little look and not only did I buy my Christmas cards for this year but I also bought a 2011 diary.  The scariest thing for me was that I have already added some entries.  I do love Christmas and am looking forward to going to Waddesdon Manor this year again.  Anyone who has not been I do recommend it for getting into the Christmas feel.  They close the house all except for the east wing which they decorate with floor to ceiling Christmas trees and decorations.  The mince pies, mulled wine and sparkling lights always get me feeling like a child again.  I think it's this love for decorations that made this little item all the more exciting for me:

I found this delightful 1950s Christmas tree brooch online (surprise surprise) and love it to pieces.  Really I should have kept it to nearer the time but I couldn't wait.

I have to show you an example of the cards that I bought from Paperchase too.  They are called snowglobe cards and I've found them for a fraction of the price on ebay can you believe!  I bought quite a few but this snowman is my favourite I think.

I have some ideas for handmade decorations this year now I have my sewing machine so will post the instructions and hopefully you can do some too :-)

Oh, and on the subject of Christmas, if you wanted to have a Christmas party with a difference bear the Powder Puff Girls in mind.  Originally they had one beauty palour but have recently moved to a second premises in Soho, 35 Marshall St W1F 7EU.  Not only would they host your party with champagne and treatments but they specialise in doing hair styles and makeup in 10 minutes each!  They are such lovely ladies in there and make you feel like a princess.  Give them a shout if you're interested or just pop in!