Flowers, Cards and... Tyres?

I loved all the Pause in Advent posts this second week - thanks so much to everyone who is making the event so festive yet thought-provoking. However, I hardly had the time to comment on most of them, as time is doing that thing it does when you have children, jobs and Christmas is approaching!

I did pop out and spend (whisper it) a bit of money at the all-year Vide Grenier this weekend. Largely, I was looking for stock for the Troc and Broc Vintage Shop (lots of rhymes there!) but I did pick up a little something for myself...These fabric-covered boxes are such a feature of French vintage - they were made for everything from chocolates to handkerchiefs, and I think that this one with its little compartments and drawer was probably for hankies.I intend to use it for my lace collection, which recently got much larger and much better when my mother gave me her own collection!

It's going to fit in beautifully.Let's just enjoy another self-indulgent shot...And it goes very charmingly with my first fabric box, which I bought with birthday money in Edinburgh this year...

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I did buy a smaller second box (not pictured). Watch the blog shop for that one!Now, as for Christmas cards, we have tried to develop an Advent tradition which makes their arrival a bit more meaningful. When I find them in the post I pop the envelopes into this basket on the table. In the evening everyone takes it in turn to open them before we eat, and we remember the senders as we say thank you for our food. It all depends on how frantic everything gets as to how well this one works, but it's a nice idea...And finally, although less prettily, Ben has been on the look-out for a tyre for some thrifty Make Do and Mend, and today I found one for him by the bins on my morning cycle ride! It wasn't too hard to bring back on my bike...

He's going to try to use it to mend the heels on his favourite ski boots, which fit like gloves but have unfortunately crumbled away at the heel. I'll keep you posted on his progress!