Mantelpiece | A Dalectable Life

Just four days left before December is upon us so I better share my November Mantel before it gets all gussied up for Christmas!

As mentioned in previous posts, I took a wonderful on-line photography class with Joy Sussman and one of the assignments was to create still lifes. I got many compliments on my pomegranate and pinecones one and was told it would make a great centrepiece so… I’ve put it on the mantelpiece! That way I get to enjoy it for a bit longer (until my son starts stealing the pomegranates and eating them…)

I’ve noticed there is a LOT of red this month! Doesn’t help with the red walls either… will have to rethink my colour combos… not next month as it is Christmas and most of our village is red… sigh…

My teapot of the month is this winter scene that I can’t for the life of me remember where I got. It came with a nice sugar bowl (in constant use) and creamer. I want to say it was a gift but then I could not give the credit where it was due. Will have to ask around (my bad…)

Why on earth do I have all these Christmas books on the mantel? Well, it is quite simple really. It is time for me to create my baskets of goodies and I am inspired by various recipes found in one or the other. As I am constantly going through them, better to have them all in one area, don’t you think? Now that I look at the stack, I realize that I am missing my very important Victoria’s Magazines that I get my gingerbread and fruit cake from… Hmmm… Bet they are already on the counter in the kitchen! Again, lots of red!!!

I like to include one of my candle collection and this month is the very simple Costco purchase from, oh, 10-12 years ago I’m thinking. Funny thing is, one of the glass containers broke and I use it even more now. They do say that an even number of candle sticks or holders is bad luck so, just as well that one did break.. I now have nine holders instead of ten!

I always purchase a poinsettia in November (or two or three) and this one was just purchased today!

And, finally, because there was a need for a pop of colour! (I am so funny, I kill me… ;p), here is my “Pomegranate Pinecone” centrepiece

Next month is definitely all about Christmas so, we’ll enjoy this one for a little bit…

I’ve stumbled upon many wonderful blogs of late. They have the most brilliant ideas, are wonderfully crafty and creative and don’t mind at all if we join in!

Sabrina, from the beautiful blog Wolves in London, has joined Gillian from the equally lovely Tales From a Happy House on presenting what is being displayed on their mantels during a particular month.

As we have just finished upgrading our dining room (where the mantel can be found) I felt it serendipitous that I join in too! So voilà… I am officially a follower (can’t always be a leader, you know!)

September is apple time, it’s cooling down time (not that it showed this past week-end it’s 28°C weather), it is, for me, more of a new beginning than is January 1st. It’s also back to school and routine time and, top of my list, it’s the beginning of my favourite season. Normally, you can sit outside without cooking or breaking into a sweat and not need heavy woollies to keep you warm – yet. We had some really chilly days, to remind us that yes, Autumn was almost here (well, it was before September 21st!) and then that crazy heat last week-end but today, on this last day of September, we are again reminded that summer is definitely over. I guess I’ll have to do the clothes switcheroo officially!

I should probably have taken the whole fireplace to give a better effect but that would have meant moving my table out of the way! I was too lazy as it still has the three extension panels left in since last Sunday when we had a brunch with my sisters and their families (just a small group of 15 people….)

That said, it is lovely to finally have all my paintings, images, drawings and art up and on the walls at the perfect height (You must be happy now, Dad, eh?) The charcoal drawing of my boys was done by a former neighbour of ours… She did an amazing job using two separate pictures of each of them, don’t you think?) This was done about 10 years ago, back when the boys were little and less lippy…. 😉

On the left is what I like to call my Botswana Collection. Over the years, our neighbours, five houses down, have brought me gifts from their visits back home. So kind of them to bring me a piece of their homeland. The funny thing is, they are Indian! I never realised there was a whole Indian community living down in Botswana until I met the Adams and until I watched the wonderful “The Number 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency”, starring the fabulous Jill Scott. Sadly, they stopped after one season… 😦

To the right are more odds and ends of the season. I have had that candle holder since I was about 19! I bought it on Ile aux Coudres in the Charlevoix Region, just an hour or so north of Quebec City. It is a lovely place, accessible only by ferry all year long. It is so small you can tour it by bicycle in a couple of hours yet there are artisans of every sort you can imagine! Metal workers, glass blowers, apple orchards with all their goodies from pies, to jellies to ice cider (remind me to tell you how we could have gotten quite drunk sampling each orchard’s cider…) Please note that I always light candles when I entertain and that these new ones replaced the ones that burned down on Saturday night!

I have a collection of tea pots and this one was chosen for the month of September as it is my most orchard-like one! The apples are the ones I picked just a few days ago and they are piled into a lovely Murano heart-shaped bowl given to me as a house-warming gift from Patricia.