I was going to name this post 'Smug', because that's how I'm feeling. I've been Christmas shopping, and have pretty much got it all done. I feel very happy about it, I can tell you. Since having my little girl, I've done all of my festive shopping online. The first year I made the mistake of taking her into town, in her pram. Hard work trying to wheel a pram in and out of shops, and you can guarantee that the items you are after will be on the top floor. It could be freezing cold outside, but by the time you've done your shopping you are boiling hot and exhausted. Plus I was breastfeeding at the time, so you can imagine how tense I was feeling. Tapping away at the computer is so much easier. To get myself into the festive way of thinking, I ordered a new book from Amazon at the weekend. 
I've been looking at it for ages now, but put off buying it for various reasons. I'm so glad I got it, it's perfect for me. A lot of the styling and vignettes are in the vintage style,and it's made my mind whirr with ideas. I have already decided I'm going to have a tiny tree under my glass cloche like the one in the montage here. 
I love the simple use of the pile of pears. How sweet do they look with teeny tiny ribbons tied around the stalks? I had to smile when I saw this cake photo, doesn't it look similar to the one I made for my birthday a few weeks ago?!
Ok. On to the shopping. I can't share all of what I have bought, in case any of my family read this, but I can share with you some links to sites that I always turn to at this time of year, and show a few little bits and pieces that have already arrived. The links are for British sites, but some do ship overseas.This is the time to order any little 'frills and fancies' you might need for entertaining. Whether you are planning a large get together, or a small soirée, little touches can often be the ones people remember most. We are having a quiet Christmas, but on Boxing Day we will be having family over for tea. It will be quite a laid back affair, but I've made a few decisions about how I want the table to look, and the type of food that will be served. I've ordered - and received - some cake cuffs and cocktail parasols and frilly..things (don't know how else to describe them).
It's good to order this kind of thing early, because once people really start to think about Christmas, such little things will sell out. 
I buy a lot of cake decoration related items from [Cakes, Cookies & Crafts]. Cocktail parasols are available from [Party Box] The only decoration I was disappointed with was the edible glitter. It's not as sparkly and glittery as I wanted.
I can't wait to get my paws on the bronze and silver chocolate spoons ordered from [The Chocolate Trading Co], fantastic fun! I plan to make individual trifles, and have these on the side as decoration/cuterly.Talking of choccy. The best place for choc (in my humble view) has to be [Charbonnel & Walker]. Not only are their goodies just divine, but delivery is speedy (yes, even here with our Royal Mail strikes!). I placed my order yesterday, and it arrived this morning.
The sugared almonds are for my Dad, but the heart box containg three pink champagne truffles are a little treat for me! I always think it's nice to buy yourself a little something as you shop, or it gets terribly boring. I didn't want to buy a large box of the truffles, some of you may recall that earlier this year I was horrified to find that a box of the truffles I assumed was empty, actually had two rolling around inside them - out of date. I was shocked to think I could have left two in there and not known. This size of box is perfect for me to have as a treat over a few days. Plus, the heart shaped box is just too sweet for words!I've ordered a Christmas cake from [Betty's},mainly because I liked the pale colour of it. I bought a couple of other goodies from there too.
I've had my eye on [These paper decorations] from 'Re-found Objects for a long time. I decided to order a few in pale pink to have in the kitchen. I made similar decorations in the summer, for my daughters' birthday. They turned out fine, but I didn't take any photos. If you want to make this style of paper decoration this Christmas, why not follow the Martha [How To Instructions]. They really are easy to make if you have the time to sit and do them properly (mine were a tiny bit rushed!).
I've even bought Christmas crackers already, they will be here at the end of the week. Oh yes, Christmas is pretty much sorted in the Cotton Rose household!
Well, I think that is enough for now. Hopefully the sites I've linked up will be of help to some of you, if for nothing more than giving a few new ideas.
The rest of this week will be festive related too. Gorgeous Girl and I will bundle up warmly (it's cold, wet and rainy here) and trek outside into the front garden to start putting out the Christmas lights. They aren't switched on until December, but I like to get them all in place and checked during November, so it's one less thing to do in December.
We also have to have a photo shoot for our family Christmas cards. Since she was born, Little Humbug has featured on our cards. I dress her in a pretty frock, use the same piece of tinsel on her head, and then *try* to get a decent photograph. These are then printed out, and placed on the front of cards. It's made a lovely record of how she changes over the years.
As you might have noticed, while I am happy to share things about my daughter here, I don't show photos of her or name her. I am very protective over her, and prefer not to show her on the 'net, which means I won't be able to show photos of the finished cards. I can however, show you the frock she will be wearing this year. It's absolutely gorgeous, and I'd dearly love something like it myself.
How are your Christmas plans shaping up?