The Brocante Home Puttery Treats Challenge

I am pleased to announce that Alison over at Brocante Home has extended the deadline for her Puttery Treats Challenge which means… I can take part!!

The rules are simple… blog about your favourite Puttery Treat ensuring Alison’s descriptions are included in full.

I have taken the liberty of choosing 3 to write about today but I think they all lend to each other so well I could resist and I hope you agree.

So I start here;

Allocate a fabulously snuggly jumper or cardigan as your house jumper. Leave it folded in the basket next to your armchair for long cold nights. Men’s oversized jumpers work best. Go root through his wardrobe now. In kids rooms dig out winter jumpers and hang on their wardrobes as a visual reminder of seasonal change. Change lightweight dressing gowns for snuggly flannel, and tartan jamies and slipper socks.

When I read men’s oversized jumpers and tartan jamies I couldn’t help but chuckle as this is exactly what I feel happiest in when in the comfort of home. The minute I return home from work I run to my room to change from my work “uniform” of suit and heels into my cosies and immediately feel calm! Work is behind me now.

How I came about my jumper and tartan is a story in itself. The jumper belonged to my brother, nothing special, just a grey hoodie that he left behind when he moved home… if I’m honest I have 2 of his hoodies and a t-shirt and I don’t know why, I’m usually very much an everything must match girl but wearing this concoction makes me feel at ease. Whenever he pops round and I’m wearing them he comments “nice jumper”.

The tartan bottoms I wear were another act of “theft”. Staying with a friend one evening she handed me some pj bottoms to sleep in, the next morning I returned home in them and the love affair began. She was happy to pass them onto me as they made me so happy; the only problem was they belonged to a former boyfriend of hers.

“He’ll forget about them” I said confidentially but typically he didn’t. When I saw him next he questioned me on them “but I love them” I said. It’s unspoken but these are now mine, he will still regularly joke when I see him, in much the same way as my brother, “where are my pj’s” and with a smile I say, “I’m looking after them”.

I love pyjama’s and have a whole draw devoted to them though these items are still my favourite, my comfort blanket maybe, I take a cup of tea to bed, climb in with hoodie still on and when I feel the warmth enveloping me I can remove it and snuggle down (and yes, i'm wearing them now!).

Of course if it’s the weekend and I’m wearing these clothes they can lead onto another Puttery Treat…watching old movies. I love them, I always say I was born too late for my time and these movies can transport me back to places and times I wish I’d lived through.

Alison says;

Old films just smack of cosy afternoons curled up on the sofa. Go through your collection and choose a little pile you haven’t watched for a while, or better yet, sign up to one of the online DVD hire companies and get old films in the mail, as and when they unexpectedly arrive. Failing that choose a deliciously old fashioned radio station and listen to the afternoon play as you potter around the house. I use Sky radio (on the tv) to select from a variety of BBC radio channels most afternoons…
Thankfully Audrey Hepburn is my idol, she decorates my bedroom and her DVD collection is on the book shelf, do I start with Breakfast at Tiffany’s, (Moonriver anyone?) or Sabrina? Want to hear a secret? Once or twice I’ve tried talking like her! Crazy I know but them clipped tones, she just sounds fabulous and elegant, and I want a piece of that!

If I have a few hours with no interruption it’s Gone With The Wind….. Rhett Butler might not give a damn but I sure do…. The colours… the clothes…. I could go on and on…..

Has anyone seen the new Marks and Spencer’s advert? Doesn’t it just make you nostalgic (aren’t us girls always feeling that way??)

And of course that brings me to Christmas, last year a friend and I started a new tradition of Christmas film watching over the weekends, Miracle on 34th Street, It’s a Wonderful Life, Santa Claus the Movie and we add a new one each year. She’s just brought Home Alone (although we’re worried about giving her daughter ideas!!) and I’m thinking what my contribution should be – any suggestions?

So on that note I need to follow Alison’s advice and;

Dig out all the Christmas cds and DVDs you own and put them in a basket near the TV, for impromptu festive viewing….
If I’m honest I’ve already had my Christmas cd playing in the car for the past couple of weeks!!!

Good luck to everyone else taking part and hope you enjoyed reading as much as I enjoyed writing.