French Canadian Cathedral Tour, and a Surprise!

Bonjour Mon Amis!
It's another chilly day here at the Chateau!  We missed getting the snow that the weather people had forecasted.  While we already have several inches on the ground now, I was actually looking forward to a bit of the fresh stuff for Christmas!
Today I want to take you on a tour of the most beautiful cathedral.  It is Notre Dame in Quebec City, where we visited last week.

From the exterior, it doesn't look incredibly impressive.  But wait...........

This is the view that you are greeted with upon entering.  Pretty spectacular, don't you think?

We were the only ones there, so it was very quiet inside.  I had goosebumps!

The cathedral would rival any that we have seen in Europe.  Hubby and I love visiting centuries old churches when we travel, and we felt as if we were transported a grand Parisian Cathedral.

Isn't this stained glass amazing?

 Wow!

And more wow!

And look at the amazing ceiling!  I think I would have a hard time focusing on the message if I attended services here!  There is just so much to see and admire!

Thanks for coming along with me on my little tour! 

Now on to the surprise that I received yesterday from the UPS man!

Look at this gorgeous purse that I won!  Well, I knew I was getting it, but it was still exciting to actually open up the package!  Tamara over at The Greenhouse Diaries had a giveaway, which I just so happened to win!  She purchased this purse on a buying trip to Hong Kong.  How cool is that?  Tamara lives in British Columbia, and owns and operates a huge greenhouse business with her family.  If you visit her blog, you will see the most amazing site!  A huge greenhouse full of poinsettias!  So thank you, Tamara, for such a generous gift!  It was just like receiving an early Christmas present!!  Hopefully hubby and I will return to B.C. one of these days (we were there several years ago and fell in love with it!), so that we can visit her greenhouse, and tell her thank you in person!

Christmas Vignettes

Hello Ladies, how has your day been?  I imagine that everyone is busy getting ready for Christmas.  I still need to wrap gifts, and can you believe that I've not even sent out any Christmas cards yet?  I don't think I'll do many of those this year, it's just not my favorite thing to do!

Today I wanted to share with you a few vignettes that I have in our bedroom.

You may have already seen this gorgeous bust.  I bought it at a yard sale this summer for just 50 cents!  Love!
And I found the silver tray a week or so ago at the Salvation Army for only $2.  I really love the patina that it's developing.

This cute little Santa came from a garage sale a few years ago for next to nothing.  I love blue, so he just had to come home with me!!

 My toile trays, toile tin bucket, some greenery (both real and faux) complete the look.

This pretty cream iron picture frame was also a garage sale find.  I placed a vintage postcard, as well as a glittered Parisian postcard on display.

What could be cuter than vintage bronze baby shoes?  I added some bling with the addition of a vintage crystal bracelet and earring, as well as a vintage rhinestone pin and some fresh greenery.

Doesn't everything look better on a pedestal?  Atop a pretty pressed glass cake stand sits my nativity scene.

I think their faces are so cute!

Here's one more look!

Tomorrow I'll share some more Christmas decor as well.  Have a great night!

Quebec City, Part 2

Hello Ladies!
Hope that you have had a wonderful weekend.  Hard to believe that in just 6 short days Christmas will be here!  I still haven't wrapped any gifts yet!  How about you, how are your plans coming along?

Today I wanted to share with you a few more pictures of our trip to Quebec City.  If you have never visited before, I would highly recommend taking a trip to see this beautiful city!  Just a short plane ride, with no jet lag, and no crappy exchange rate, and you are suddenly transported to the most charming French city that has a quaint European feel that I so love!!  What's not to love about that?!

Chateau de Frontenac by night.  I took the first photo minus the flash, and used it in the second shot.  I really love how the flash illuminated the snowflakes!  (that's what all of those white polka dots are!!).

I love the beautiful architecture!  Many of the building are several hundred (or more!) years old.
As you can see, there was quite a bit of snow.

Isn't this pinecone wreath gorgeous!  I spotted it outside of a restaurant, so I just had to snap some photos!  I really love the tiny clay pots.  I've got a bunch that I bought at a garage sale and never knew what to do with them.  Now I've got some inspiration for a new project!

The restaurant also had a swag of twigs above the door and more clay pots, as well as a bunch in their window boxes.  (you can click on any photo to enlarge)  They took red and green ribbon and wrapped around the pots, and hung them so they would resemble bells.  So pretty!

And right next door they had the neatest vine trellis with more of those adorable tiny pots!

 More great exterior decor.  Check out those awesome sap buckets!

Lots of charming window displays!

 Sorry about all of the window glare on the photo below.  I just had to snap a picture of this oh so chic French Canadian mannequin!

A wonderful smelling soap shop.  Oooh, la, la!!

And last of all, I just couldn't resist showing you Santol, the official mascot of our hotel.  Isn't he pretty?  He is a retired seeing eye dog, and is a spokes-dog for the Canadian seeing eye dog association.  Part Bernese Mountain Dog, he is like a giant teddy bear (he's much bigger in real life than in these photos!).  He is very friendly, and loves to greet guests and shake hands paws.

 Dog lover that I am, I have been know to have my picture taken with any dog that I can find while on vacation!

That's it for today, I'll share more photos thru out the week of our trip, and I still want to show you ladies more of the Christmas decor in our house.  Hope you have a terrific night, keep warm and cozy!!

Quebec City Trip, and Meeting A Blogger Friend

Bon Jour Mon Amis!
Hubby and I just returned from a quick trip to Quebec City, and I have tons of photos to share with you!  I don't want to bore you to tears, so I will be sharing them thruout the coming week.  We first visited Quebec City last Christmas, and absolutely fell in love with it, and couldn't wait to return! After a short 1 1/2 hour plane trip, we were transported to a quaint city, full of European charm and ambiance.  The city is oh, so French, with everyone speaking the language, and all of the streets (rues) and signs are in French as well.

The most well know landmark of the city is the Chateau de Frontenac, which is where we stayed.  It is amazing!  Perched high on a hill, you really do feel as if you are part of a fairy tale, and this is your very own castle!  At over 400 years old, Quebec City is the oldest walled city in North American, and truly has a European feel that we so love.  The city goes all out decorating for the holidays, and I snapped lots of shots of some great decorating ideas that I couldn't wait to share with you!

Check out these pretty trees.  You will never guess what they are made of!!

Look closely.  (You can click any photo to enlarge it.)  Look familiar?  Yes!  They are made of bubble wrap!!  You can't tell in the photos, but they are covered in a bit of snow (the real thing, it was very cold and snowy there!), and tiny lights.  Who would've guessed that bubble wrap could look so good?

A view of the snowy rooftops from our room.  I just love the European style architecture!!

Yours truly.  I bought this cute chapeau (hat) there, as it was sooooo cold!  Quebec City dwellers really know how to dress warm, and you will see everyone decked out in parkas, big boots, fur hats and of course stylish scarves.

Ok, I couldn't wait to show you these pretty trees and floral garland in the photos above.  All of the shops, cafes and restaurants, as well as businesses, really go all out in their Christmas decor.  You will never guess what these are made of!!!  Being the upcycling fanatic that I am, I could hardly contain my excitement when I first saw these.  Hubby and I were walking to breakfast yesterday (tummies growling) , and he just couldn't understand why I had to stop and snap these photos right then and there!  (Couldn't it wait 'til after we ate, he wanted to know?!)  Oh, no...............

 

Here's a closer look. They are made from silver backed bubble wrap!  Love!!  With the lights shining on the flower garland, it looked just magical! 

One of the highlights of the trip for me was getting to meet my blogging friend Debbie, at Love of the Sea!  Debbie was going to be in town for work the same time we were there, so we arranged to meet.

We had a great visit, and it was such a treat to get to meet in person!  We talked non-stop!  It's so funny, but it seems as though bloggers we meet on line are friends we have known for years, don't you think?  I am so thankful that thru blogging we all get a chance to meet kindred spirits (even if we never get to meet in person) that we may not otherwise ever get a chance to know! 

Hope you all are having a great week!  I will be sharing more photos of our trip over the next several days.  Now I need to get caught up on some serious blogging!  Even though we were only gone a few days, it seems as if I am so far behind!  

Have a great day!

Jeanne d'Arc Inspired Arrangement

Bon Jour Mon Amis!

I hope that you are staying warm and cozy today!  We have a fire going here at the Chateau, it is brrrrrr cold outside!!

Today I wanted to share with you a simple arrangement that I put together.  I have been pouring over the pages of Jeanne d"Arc Living magazine, that my friend Debbie at Love of the Sea sent to me.  The magazine (a book, really) is studded with page after page of gorgeous rooms, and tons of inspiration.  While I didn't draw this arrangement directly from its' pages, I think if it as being "Jeanne inspired"!

My mom gave me this gorgeous glittery angel last week.  Isn't she beautiful?  She is actually an ornament, but I thought it would be fun to use her in an arrangement.

I just love her!  She is even prettier in person than in the photos.

I began with a vintage milk glass bowl, that has the prettiest bubble pattern.

 I then added a bunch of greenery, both real and faux, and some spray painted and glittered (of couse!) pinecones as well as a few faux berries.

Simple, yet so pretty I think.   I really love the "icy" greenery!

And here is one last look!

 Have a great day, 11 more days 'til Christmas!!
I've linked up today's post with Faded Charm for the wonderful White Wednesday party!