Hotel to Home: Chateau de Berne, France

December 22, 2016 | Leave a Reply

I haven’t taken us to France in quite some time in this series, so we’re going today. We’re off to Chateau de Berne, a Relais & Chateaux hotel, in the south of France.

classic room – Chateau de Berne

Of course, if you can’t make it to Provence, but you’d like to recreate some of the French flair in your own bedroom, here are some ideas to get you thinking.

bedside table, dresser, table lamp, silver table lamp, tufted bench, side table, faux fur pillow, silver pillows, cashmere throw, white curtains, duvet cover

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Waterloo Region: Doon Heritage Village

December 21, 2016 | 1 Commentary

Last weekend, Rox-Anne and I took a trip to Doon Heritage Village at the Waterloo Region Museum. Just a few weeks earlier, I had gone to the Museum, but the Village was closed, so we didn’t have a chance to take a tour. On this visit though, the Village was all decked out for its Country Christmas event, so it was a festive and cheery way to spend a couple of hours.

Doon Heritage Village is a “60-acre living history village that shows visitors what life was like in Waterloo Region in the year 1914.” I was impressed by the knowledgeable staff who provided us with information about food, tradition, family living, and marketplace routines as we moved through each of the buildings in the Village.

There was a lot of natural wood in the homes and merchant shops in the village, but I spotted quite a bit of white, too (as per usual…I’m always on the lookout!).

some tools by the fire in one of the home’s kitchens

wood and wood and more wood in a home’s basement storage area

saddles in the leather shop

white and wood in the leather shop

saddle supplies in the leather shop

pretty wreath on the church door

simplicity in the church

winter white

a glimpse of the loom in the rug weavery

a home dressed for Christmas

food storage in a home’s basement

I love this image of Father Christmas waiting to greet guests, and I’m going to be on the lookout for a wall match strike like this one.

Rox-Anne will be sharing more photos on Celebrating This Life this week, so be sure to check in if you’d like to learn more.Save

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Two for Tuesday: Gingerbread House

December 20, 2016 | Leave a Reply

I don’t think I have ever decorated a gingerbread house. It wasn’t a yearly tradition in my family’s home, so if I did, it must have only happened rarely. These days, however, it seems like a lot of families make time to make and decorate sweet houses. Some are really elaborate and beautiful like the two in today’s two-of-a-kind.

gingerbread house

gingerbread house – Craftberry Bush

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Gift Guide: For the Tech Enthusiast

December 19, 2016 | 1 Commentary

Here’s the last gift guide of the year. This one is for the techie on your list. Isn’t just about everyone a tech enthusiast these days? While I’m done all of my Christmas shopping for the year, I could easily see myself giving some of these items to my oldest nephew, my sister, or my parents. There’s no age limit when it comes to tech!