French Christmas tree fun

<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUiDwULn57EsYVag70Nwn1hf78cQP4Dx1VCE-aloNaNFC1mh2OUUzrgWLyrZ2vmWUd6ZYUJ1oG7DN24j2Uhd4v_Q_8QJAb2sOoEZVVmNi2aNczMqD9IVI78Rf8_NAdz9rJOriccIKSyFo/s1600/ss_BHG152265.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549227307292526850" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUiDwULn57EsYVag70Nwn1hf78cQP4Dx1VCE-aloNaNFC1mh2OUUzrgWLyrZ2vmWUd6ZYUJ1oG7DN24j2Uhd4v_Q_8QJAb2sOoEZVVmNi2aNczMqD9IVI78Rf8_NAdz9rJOriccIKSyFo/s400/ss_BHG152265.jpg" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 400px; TEXT-ALIGN: center" /></a><br />You all know how much I love Sharon at </div><div align="center">♥<br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;">My French Country Home</span></div><br /><div align="center">I was so thrilled to get a chance to interview her last month</div><div align="center">and get a glimpse of her life in France</div><div align="center">the interview can be found on the side bar to the right</div><br /><div align="center">I am so excited to let you know she is having a <span style="font-size:180%;">Christ</span>mas tree </div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:130%;">linky party</span>.</div><br /><div align="center">Be sure and visit her blog</div><br /><div align="center"><a href="http://www.myfrenchcountryhome.blogspot.com/">http://www.myfrenchcountryhome.blogspot.com/</a></div><br /><div align="center">and link a picture of your </div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;">Christ</span>mas tree.</div><br /><div align="center">It is easy and fun to do and you will get to see all of the amazing and beautifully</div><br /><div align="center">decorated trees </div><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center">Also..</div><br /><div align="center">Since you are blog visiting take a peek at Lulu"s fabulous interview with </div><br /><div align="center">Fifi ONeil </div><div align="center">and learn about her new book</div><div align="center">Romantic Prairie Style</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">at DustyLu</div><div align="center"><a href="http://dustyluinteriors.blogspot.com/">http://dustyluinteriors.blogspot.com/</a></div><div align="center">Happy Friday</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">Blessings</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><span style="font-size:180%;">Pam</span></div><br /><div align="center"></div></div>

French Christmas tree fun

You all know how much I love Sharon at ♥ My French Country Home I was so thrilled to get a chance to interview her last month and get a glim...

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Mantel Monday

<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlox-gDRoo1H1KKquErW1Iq6DbQvw9c4XmV7YPmB1oxox9-Jm5SxVVPYSDEqV9U_15bspzq1huBfUxH22O1I5qEj_Mvv23NHpekgr_2lrCri1GR18JqiLdKddq_pqCgzFYYF5ejSY5itS/s1600/fireplace12_e_12b1081677c861aba22119b0d82ed5f2.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542406743508200978" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlox-gDRoo1H1KKquErW1Iq6DbQvw9c4XmV7YPmB1oxox9-Jm5SxVVPYSDEqV9U_15bspzq1huBfUxH22O1I5qEj_Mvv23NHpekgr_2lrCri1GR18JqiLdKddq_pqCgzFYYF5ejSY5itS/s400/fireplace12_e_12b1081677c861aba22119b0d82ed5f2.jpg" style="display: block; height: 306px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 306px;" /></a><span style="font-size: x-large;">Hi Everyone  </span><br /><div style="color: #f4cccc;">♥<span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></div></div><div align="center" style="color: #f4cccc;"><div style="color: #444444;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">This is</span> the picture I am using </div></div><div align="center">this year as inspiration for our mantel</div><br /><div align="center">below</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4yOMf4K6BMu2Kg39Bxri-xShdVi3755eNNfWW6bJE6q26m_Ao7ixGgHurmJJDKPsBsl9nkjmmP7gqCAFJ7I3u-9RsXTZt9H0xs9tqKNgAMkdIUFBmBPYQZFFDBodiMN-7jSyFEZO-Wc4p/s1600/fireplace.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542405438776802354" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4yOMf4K6BMu2Kg39Bxri-xShdVi3755eNNfWW6bJE6q26m_Ao7ixGgHurmJJDKPsBsl9nkjmmP7gqCAFJ7I3u-9RsXTZt9H0xs9tqKNgAMkdIUFBmBPYQZFFDBodiMN-7jSyFEZO-Wc4p/s400/fireplace.jpg" style="display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 300px;" /><br /></a><br /><div align="center">I will start decorating my mantel after </div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: 180%;">Thanksgiving </span></div><div align="center">I am so anxious to get started and see how it turns out this year</div><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UPH3geXH1Oh48vWQzaXWbStWSKXC1Yjn6RRnD1LRolhN03N2xw1Ug7Zn-ofyenBAJdszUMTOFVVYm6z5tdMCg2ckW8Aee8ElD3kleqJy6KSYAX78JqI8mRSdKeN5z9vEdLaI2F2BzqLV/s1600/c_hvitjul3mantel+country+living.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542403595883026066" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5UPH3geXH1Oh48vWQzaXWbStWSKXC1Yjn6RRnD1LRolhN03N2xw1Ug7Zn-ofyenBAJdszUMTOFVVYm6z5tdMCg2ckW8Aee8ElD3kleqJy6KSYAX78JqI8mRSdKeN5z9vEdLaI2F2BzqLV/s400/c_hvitjul3mantel+country+living.jpg" style="display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 288px;" /></a>I was sent this picture from a wonderful friend it is from the December</div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><span style="font-size: 100%;">issue of</span> Country Living</span> magazine </div><br /><div align="center">I Love how clean and pretty it looks. </div><br /><div align="center">The stockings are wooden sock forms </div><br /><div align="center">(don't get them too close to the <span style="font-size: 130%;">fire</span>?)</div><br /><div align="center">I love the big wooden star and the PEACE letters</div><br /><div align="center"><br /></div><br /><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkgVyzvZE9447fcpbUS2pw0pydCFNecQtGyPoLnfIrsRAiTPoOqh5MVzu-GzRX-3ntl8mKmAy71Uix4VR4NBIuQkrK6aOn21s3g7s6I1DnJehLMCX-Is2p6-yOoIg4Sj8sYHNBe0LnZcP1/s1600/0110bradburn_07paint+color.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5542403143907645202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkgVyzvZE9447fcpbUS2pw0pydCFNecQtGyPoLnfIrsRAiTPoOqh5MVzu-GzRX-3ntl8mKmAy71Uix4VR4NBIuQkrK6aOn21s3g7s6I1DnJehLMCX-Is2p6-yOoIg4Sj8sYHNBe0LnZcP1/s400/0110bradburn_07paint+color.jpg" style="display: block; height: 273px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>Here is another amazing fireplace mantel I would love to decorate</div><br /><div align="center">Be sure and check out the amazing fireplaces and mantels at</div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: 180%;">My French Country Home</span> </div><div align="center">and <span style="font-size: 180%;">Camilla at Home</span></div><br /><div align="center">and a big thanks to all of you who joined in the fun this week</div><br /><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">Are You getting Inspired to try something new?</div><br /><div align="center">Blessings</div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size: 180%;">Pam </span></div>

Mantel Monday

Hi Everyone  ♥   This is the picture I am using  this year as inspiration for our mantel below I will start decorating my mantel after Than...

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A Visit with Sharon from My French Country Home

<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAjwPP7-q3gmhSIByd_xBcOJKeZ1rVUAZ1tazX-Q2vJJl2zYOQx9h9jJtYsX6ftM6oJ4m7XeWiBYYHAG5n0q3WlFt1YLtT6X5NeIf_rm6QEqoZMNcESgVST7xhzrozVWX41v5I0Y9E2hZ/s1600/MFCH-Button-A-10.jpg"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5535888515396239394" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBAjwPP7-q3gmhSIByd_xBcOJKeZ1rVUAZ1tazX-Q2vJJl2zYOQx9h9jJtYsX6ftM6oJ4m7XeWiBYYHAG5n0q3WlFt1YLtT6X5NeIf_rm6QEqoZMNcESgVST7xhzrozVWX41v5I0Y9E2hZ/s400/MFCH-Button-A-10.jpg" style="cursor: hand; display: block; height: 220px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 220px;" /></a> <em><span style="font-size: 180%;">*My French Country Home*</span></em></div><div align="center"><div align="center"><i>www.sharonsantoni.com</i></div><div align="center"><em></em></div><br /><div align="center"><em><span style="color: #cc66cc;">I have been a follower of Sharons stunning blog for some time now. She is truly living the dream residing in an incredible country home in Normandy with her family , friends, animals and surrounded by the amazing beauty of France.</span></em></div><br /><div align="center"><em><span style="color: #cc66cc;">So grab a cup of tea and enjoy a glimpse into </span></em></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="color: #cc66cc;"><span style="font-size: 130%;"><em>a life most of us dream of</em><em></em></span></span></div></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="color: #cc66cc;">Hi Sharon , This is so much fun I am so happy to be Blogvisitng with you</span></div><br /><div align="center">Hello Dear Pam ,</div><div align="center"><span style="color: #333333;">First of all thank you again for offering to interview me - I am very flattered, and was thrilled to receive such a warm invitation. Your White Ironstone Cottage is such a pretty blog and you take beautiful pictures.</span></div><br /><div align="center"><em><span style="color: #cc66cc;">Thank You so much I feel like a kid in a candy store I am not sure where to begin so I will ask you The first question I always ask new friends what is it that you passionately collect?</span></em></div><div align="center">Well Pam I have to admit that I'm not very good at having lots of tiny objects to dust in my house! We're a big family, we live in the country and life just seems too short to fit it all in! </div><div align="center">My husband and I love to buy a<span style="font-size: 130%;"> painting</span> every now and again. In fact we bought our first painting before we bought our first table and chairs! That must tell you something about our priorities! I also love to collect vintage and antique linens, so much so that I'm running out of storage space!</div><div align="center">I have a new shop called</div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: 180%;">My French Country Brocante</span></div><div align="center"><a href="http://www.sharonsantoni.com/">www.sharonsantoni.com</a><br />and there's a <span style="font-size: 130%;">giveaway</span></div><div align="center">on right now, featuring some of my vintage linen.</div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><em><span style="color: #cc66cc;">In a recent post you had the most amazing pictures of a table with White Ironstone</span></em></div><br /><div align="center"><em><span style="color: #cc66cc;">Do you collect White Ironstone?</span></em></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-size: 130%;">I love White Ironstone jugs</span> and vases, </div><div align="center">flowers always look so pretty against white, </div><div align="center">and I love how no two whites are exactly the same. </div><div align="center">For the summers </div><div align="center">I have a lot of very big serving dishes in</div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: 130%;">white ironstone</span> that we use when a big crowd is eating outside.</div><br /><br /><div align="center"><em><span style="color: #cc66cc;">Do you have a favorite place to shop for treasures?</span></em></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">Without any doubt all the little brocantes and yard sales every weekend here in Normandy.</div><div align="center">I have four children so I rarely go alone. At the moment the youngest son is as keen as me to go to these sales.We often leave the house on tiptoe at around <span style="font-size: 130%;">6.30 on a Sunday morning</span> and scoot off along the valley till we come to the first brocante sale. Our favourites are those in fields or in tiny villages, and although he's only 13 he's picked up on how to spot a treasure and charm the vendor into a better price</div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><em><span style="color: #cc66cc;">This seems like a crazy question seeing where you live but if you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?</span></em></div><br /><div align="center">Actually I've lived in several different countries, both in Europe and elsewhere. If that has taught me anything, it's that there is no such thing as the ideal place to live. </div><div align="center">Here in Normandy I enjoy the climate, the space, the proximity to Paris, the landscape and of course our home, but I know that if we had to pick up stakes and move we could be just as happy in many other places. <span style="font-size: 130%;">It's all about seeing the beauty around you. </span></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><em><span style="color: #cc66cc;">Please tell us about your guest house and how we could all have the chance to see your beautiful home?</span></em></div><br /><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center">We are very lucky to have our guest house, it has brought us so many charming visitors from all over the world. The building was originally the bread oven to the main house. The last owners enlarged it and we renovated it to have a <span style="font-size: 130%;">cottage</span> to offer family and friends. I am happy to say that my blog has brought us many visitors. In the summer guests come for a week or two, but at this time of year quite a few just come for the day, or a day and a night, while they're visiting <span style="font-size: 180%;">Paris. </span></div><br /><div align="center">I offer tailor made days in the country and our guests love the fact that - just an hour from Paris - they can taste family life in a <span style="font-size: 130%;">real French home</span>, and enjoy home cooked meals and see something of our beautiful valley. Some people want to learn how to make a <span style="font-size: 130%;">French apple tart</span>, some ask to ride in the forest, others want a private visit to a local chateau - I always try and fit in everything they ask for.<br /><br /><br /><em><span style="color: #cc66cc;">What has inspired you for the Holidays this year?</span></em></div><br /><div align="center">I am pretty <span style="font-size: 130%;">traditional</span> when it comes to Holiday decorations. I store our decorations very carefully and I love the moment in December when we open the boxes to retrieve them . </div><div align="center">We buy a few new decorations each year but I never go in for a whole new look.</div><div align="center">This year I am very happy because the house is going to be full of family for the Holidays, and two weeks before <span style="font-size: 180%;">Christmas</span> we will be hosting our traditional <span style="font-size: 180%;">Christmas </span>brunch. It's a joy to hold open house for our friends from morning till evening. Good music, good food, good wine. Friends catching up with each other, dogs running between our legs, children all over the place ... it's almost the best bit of <span style="font-size: 180%;">Christmas</span> to us!</div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center">Thank you Pam for inviting me over to your lovely white ironstone cottage, I've enjoyed chatting with you. </div><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="color: #cc66cc;"><span style="font-size: 180%;">Thank You Sharon</span> so much for your visit , it has been so fun to blogchat with such a kind, wonderful new friend, your blog is inspiring and it is easy to see that it comes from a beautiful heart. I am grateful for the chance to get to know you better.</span></div><div align="center"></div><br /><div align="center">I know you are all excited to visit Sharon's blogs I have them highlighted and don't forget about her giveaway too.</div><br /><div align="center">Blessings</div><br /><div align="center">♥</div><div align="center"><span style="font-size: 180%;">Pa</span><span style="font-size: 180%;">m</span></div><div align="center">I almost forgot for those who voted pink or white for my header </div><div align="center">so far it is</div><div align="center">2 votes pink 4 votes white</div><div align="center">there is still time to vote polls close friday night.</div><br /><a href="http://www.sharonsantoni.com/" target="_blank">http://www.sharonsantoni.com/</a><br /><div align="center"></div>

A Visit with Sharon from My French Country Home

*My French Country Home* www.sharonsantoni.com I have been a follower of Sharons stunning blog for some time now. She is truly living the d...

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