Like a child in a sweet shop...

On Friday I was really not planning to go out anywhere - I felt like I had been constantly out and about and never seemed to stop spending money all week. So I had said to James that I would stay in for the day and do some chores. So when the phone rang at 10:30am, I was make-up free and in my scruffy old clothes, making pomanders. It was my mother-in-law asking if I would like to go to a barn in a local village selling decorations. Decorations - how could I resist, especially as I said last week I was feeling ours were a little lacklustre this year. So she said she would pick me up in fifteen minutes - I rushed out of the house to her car with the lovely smell of cloves and orange still on my fingers. The place we headed to was recommended to my mother-in-law by someone else in our village and she said she had been meaning to go before but just never got round to it. It was not at all what we expected and as we pulled up at the barn she turned to me and said she apologised if it was a lot of rubbish!

Well, oh my, how I had never discovered this place before I am amazed! I was truly, as the title of this post suggests, like a child in a sweet shop, I couldn't stop smiling. My arms were instantly full and I really had to say stop to myself as I unloaded at the till for the second time! The barn/shop isn't just open at Christmas either, it is heaven for every florist/cake maker/event dresser. It is like a maze with corners, row after row of ceiling height shelves and little rooms leading to more hidden treasures. At one point I had to shout to ask where my mother-in-law was because I was worried I had lost her somewhere! So I am afraid I continued my spending spree on Friday too! Here is a picture of the treasure I brought home:

They had shelves and shelves of these hearts and nests in all shapes and sizes - I don't know how I didn't buy more! I also got two stems of fake buds and berries to decorate them myself, three embroidered fabric hearts, one box of baubles, gold mini pine cones, four mini bottle-brush Christmas trees, and two berry garlands including one set with fairy lights! And must add I was pleased with the cost for all this too; as it wasn't really expensive considering how much I have seen these things for in the shops.

So here are the photo's of my bounty in-situ and I now feel the house is much more festive!

(embroidered hearts added to ones I already had on the wall)

(berries and buds I added to the heart wreath)

(I fixed two of the nests together and added the berries and a dried hydrangea I had already, to decorate my little angel)

(I had hoped to put the brush trees under a cheese dome I had (I have seen some amazing ones in magazines/on blogs this year) but mine wasn't tall enough for these trees so they are now in the kitchen with my little children's nativity.)

(And in the afternoon I finished my pomanders too!)

We have had a quiet weekend at home as it is our last free one before well into January, and we are both feeling rather under the weather too. But I must have done something right with all the decorations because my wonderful husband has suggested an after work visit to pick out our Christmas tree this following week rather than wait till next Sunday! Hopefully this thought will encourage me to get through a trip to the dentist to put an end to the cause of my incredible current pain!

Finally, I leave you with some pictures I snapped today when I realised the afternoon light was catching our decorations beautifully. Hope you all had/are having a fabulous weekend xx