GBS Glassblowing | Sheila Zeller Interiors

Okay, I’m a little late getting this post put together, but when it comes to Sunday brunch, it’s better late than never don’t you think? This past weekend we raised a toast to a milestone birthday for my Dad, and were joined by family and friends. Then on Sunday hubs and I hosted Father’s Day brunch at our place for everyone. Do you know, we had 5 dads and a dad-to-be around the table?

Here’s a little look at our Sunday brunch…

Cheery flowers and colourful napkins brought in some festive fun.

Vase Wrapped With Twine

And we joined two tables together so we were able to seat 12. It was set with china plates my hubby grew up with, and that his mom passed on to him about 6 years ago. We really enjoy using them, and love that there are enough to go ’round when we are hosting a gathering of this size.

Table Setting for Brunch

Can you see the vintage butter dish between the vases? The black and pink one? My sweet hubby gave that to me for a surprise Valentine’s gift one year. It matches a square cake plate my Mom passed on to me a long time ago… I also got to use our little tiny glass butter dish! And our very cool blown glass salt & pepper dish.

Table Setting for Brunch

Want to see them up close?

Glass Butter Dish, Salt & Pepper

You might remember my butter dish discovery, but I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned the salt & pepper dish. See it at the top right? It’s made by G.B.S. Glass Blowing in Shawnigan Lake, and was given to me by my Auntie Ada a few years ago. She was one of our out-of-town guests, so it was fun to use it while she was here!

Also on the table were these vintage cut-glass salt & pepper shakers. They were given to me by Kaleigh almost 7 years ago, and were purchased with her very own hard-earned money.

Vintage Cut Glass Salt & Pepper Set

She was barely 10 when she purchased them! Aren’t the memories behind special pieces the best?

We served three kinds of quiche made by hubs, and got to share some of the sweet basil we’re growing this year.

Fruit Platter, Quiche

I put together 2 fruit platters, and was super pleased at how fresh and tasty the fruit really was.

Fruit Platter

And we shared some local Cowichan Valley treats.

Fresh bread and pastries from True Grain Bread in Cowichan Bay…

Eccles Cakes, True Grain Bakery

Here you see Eccles cakes and pain au chocolat. Eccles cake is one of my Auntie Sharon’s favorites. We were so pleased that she and my Uncle Ken also joined us for brunch that day!

And French pastries from Saison Market Vineyard.

Saison Market Vineyard Pastries

Are you saying, mmmmmmm, yet?

I can’t even tell you what my favorite treat was, because everything was so good. The pastries and bread were baked fresh that morning, and hubs was there right for opening at each place! True Grain opened at 8am, and Saison at 9am, so the timing to hit both couldn’t have been better!

It was so much fun to do all this…

Table Setting

And enjoy it with some of the special people in our life, using special pieces we’ve acquired throughout our life. Isn’t that what it’s all about?

I love getting the house ready, and setting the table for occasions like these.

How about you? Is this something you like to do, too?

Thank you for taking the time to stop by!

Photography by Sheila Zeller

It’s Friday, and the decorating is ‘finished’… but is it ever really finished? After I took all my photos, I thought of other little tweaks I could do, but here’s some perspective on tweaking. When I showed Kaleigh the finishing touches, what she noticed were the ornaments hanging in the window… that went up about 2 weeks ago!

So if you’re thinking tweaking will make all the difference, just remember it might only make a difference to you! Others could just now be soaking in all your hard work from days gone by.

And with that I wanted to wrap up this week and my prep-for-Christmas focus by sharing a few corners and moments with you from inside our home.

Welcome!

Father Christmas will greet you as you step inside.

Along with fresh cedar boughs…

As you step around the corner you will find our Advent wreath. This was something brought forward by my hubby into our Christmases. He grew up with Advent wreaths, and he also grew up with the gold angel chimes you see in the middle.

He tells me that on Christmas Eve he and his brothers would have to stay downstairs while his parents decorated the Christmas tree. When the tree was finished his mom would ring a little bell signalling for them to come upstairs. When they entered the room the angel chimes would also be softly dinging in the background.

Here’s a better look at the angel chimes.

The heat from the candles makes the little fan spin, and the hook you see on the left taps the bells as it spins past them. The wreath is made from fresh fir, and I spray it with water every day to keep it from drying out too fast.

This is local holly that I picked up from Princess Holly at the foot of our hill.

And the floating candle idea was inspired by Pinterest!

This cinnamon scented pine cone adds to the feeling of Christmas with the aroma it leaves in the air.

Like the pine cone, the objects inside the apothecary jar are scented too, but not in a good way! I don’t like the smell of them, but I do like them! So I thought an apothecary jar was a good choice, and now I am able to use them for a splash of colour in the powder room.

The candles inside the clear flutes are mini oil lamps made of blown glass. They are made by GBS Glassblowing company in Shawnigan Lake.

If you haven’t been to GBS studio, it’s worth the trip. And if you time it right you might even see owner, Grahame Fowle in glassblowing mode. Grahame’s creations are beautiful, and seeing him in action is awe inspiring.

These are our handmade Christmas stockings… the two on the right. I made the one in the middle for Kaleigh’s first Christmas, and my Mom made a new one for me at the same time. Let’s just say my old one is now a vintage piece in my collection of things

The names are cross-stitched separately and then machine sewn onto the stocking. All the beading and felt pieces are stitched by hand. We draft our own patterns inspired by colouring books and Christmas cards. And the stocking on the left, well it’s kind of like our tree topper – it’s an interim, but will be replaced by a handmade one like the other two. I’m still in the drafting mode!

And this little stocking Kaleigh made for me about 8 years ago with some ‘help’ from her Nana… It’s a pretty special ornament and always finds a special spot on the tree.

And this is an ornament she beaded with very little help quite a few years ago.

This fun ornament is a red hot chili pepper that Tristan, my hubby’s son, gave to him a few years ago. I tried to get a close-up so you can see the detail in his face. Isn’t he great? We would put him on the tree, but he’s ceramic and uber heavy, so wants to slide off the branches!

My hubby brought the gold table covering for me from Germany before we were married… and of course you know all about the crow family I wrote about yesterday! They make me smile

He also brought back this hand carved crèche scene from Cologne. If you look closely you’ll see Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus in the middle. And then all around them are the 3 Wise Men, a Shephard, a camel guide, and of course the livestock. There’s a camel too, but you can’t see him because he’s at the back in the photo.

So just like the angel chimes, when the candles are lit the heat from them turns the fan, and this makes the little platform holding the livestock, etc. turn around Mary, Joseph and Jesus in the middle.

When Kaleigh was younger we went to see the Nutcracker ballet, and this is her keepsake ornament.

The ‘Polar Express’ has always been a family favorite, and this is Kaleigh’s Polar Express bell!

When my hubby and I were dating we each bought pieces to the Thomas Kinkade Christmas village. And then joined our pieces and put them out for our 1st married Christmas together!

Here’s a day shot…