Is Gnomebody at home?

Oh, my gnome obsession has once again come to light!  While looking at some felt on the Magic Cabin website, I came across this little elfin door; adorably decorated for Christmas! This was just too cute to believe! I want this little door, I want to put it on a little tree trunk or place it next to my front door, like the Red Shoes Shop has done (see 27/9/08 post). 

All gnomes and elves need a happy jolly entrance (or at least mine do) and who wouldn't want to come and visit if they got to be invited in through a little door that looks like that?  I am sure this is a Christmas door that would make the Borrowers proud!

I can just see them inside, drinking a spiced winter tea out of acorn cups next to a crackling little fire in cozy plaid arm chairs...

 There is even a door for Summer, I love the little window boxes!

1st Day of Advent

Today is the first day of advent! We put up our little pixie last night, she is our first piece of Christmas out (besides our Advent wreath); Eglantine as she has been dubbed, is proudly tied up with a gingham ribbon.

As, you know, I have a thing for pixies and gnomes and all of our little Christmas pixies have names, I have smaller versions of her in the cutest little knitted sweaters and dresses!

We always try to do something different each year, I don't mind getting chocolate, but I like being creative with my advent calendar.  This year we have decided to fill her little pockets with messages of LOVE, in the form of poems, quotes, movie lines... I can't wait to see what has been written for me!

When I was little we always had the old-fashioned paper advent calendars from Germany.  One year, we were given a calendar that contained vintage looking wooden ornaments.  My mom put a little tree, strung with lights into a brass drum base and each morning we would run to discover what elfin sized ornament waited behind those doors to be put on our miniature tree.

I thought about making one of our own this year, as well as Eglantine and remembered that Jenny B. Harris had a pretty felt calendar tutorial on her blog, Allsorts.  It would look so sweet strung along a mantle or around a door.

Another inventive idea I came across was a calendar made out of a spool on "Just Something I Made".  What a cute idea, especially if you, like us, live in a little cottage and space fills up quickly, you could easily hang the spool rack on the wall.

The first day of Advent, we are now officially counting down to Christmas, where has the year gone?