Amor Milagre Cosy New Year Home Tidy Up at Rose Cottage
Time for a good old fashioned post-holiday tidy up. The new board games are tucked into the reorganised game closet. Ornaments are paired down to the snowy-wintry little guys. Bags and boxes are stowed for next year’s gifts. Dates and names are stamped into new books. The Q2 homeschool portfolio is all sorted. The new doll is settling into the nursery and exploring the house. Anything that didn’t work out for us last year is gone- POOF! We’re vowing to finish old projects before starting new ones. Health is always our main focus, so wish us luck in finding a good doctor. In the meantime, I’m cooking up our weekly veg soup and writing out some fun adventure notes for us to try this winter. We celebrate each season as it comes. There is always something to savour today. Happy New Year! Love, ~ Amor Milagre
Amor Milagre Cosy New Year Rose Cottage Tidy Up, Fresh Bread and Veggie Soup scent our kitchen.
Amor Milagre, I wished for Snow! Happy Holidays!Amor Milagre, I wished for Snow! Happy Holidays!Amor Milagre, I wished for Snow! Happy Holidays!
Welcome! Cosy up with a warm drink as I meander down the past decade of home renovations and introduce you to my company, Amor Milagre. A Gentle Life Collection is full of empowering, sweet, unique, and loving books, artwork, stationery, woodworking, design, and gifts for all ages. I am an artist, author, designer, gardener, and homeschool mother. This first video, organized from spring to winter, is an overview of all of the lovely organic living we do. I hope you enjoy it, and I’ll post again on my new youtube channel soon!
Amor Milagre Hallway Renovation. The last thing to change out was the old ceiling light. Here is a new flower-shaped glower.
After renovating every second and every inch of our Rose Cottage, we are now getting to the last of the last details to finish, such as the light in the bedroom hallway. It feels good to be unwinding from all the effort of postitive change.
Hallway-Before Reno just moved in.
Here is the hallway as it was when we moved in. We had to replace everything and refresh the house as it was very very dusty and pet danderish. Bland. Boring. Kinda spooky.
Changes Seen Below: We painted the walls a cheerful airy light cream to reflect light from bedroom windows, removed the doors and added a full wall across the back wall, refitted the linen closet, and replaced the yucky old green carpet with lovely new hardwood flooring, FSC with radiant heating underneath, so walking this way is warm and cosy. No runner rug is needed. It’s easy to clean now. We keep those allergens away. A rug here would trip us up, too. It’s a much-walked area. We moved the nursery bathroom door and gutted it, combining that space with two closets to make a beautiful full bathroom. In many rooms, we smoothed the ceiling, but left the original in here. We also added air conditioning, a must for sanity during these summers now. See how we placed the ceiling vent quietly away from direct flow. It flows in every direction for every bedroom to share in the coolness.
I won’t show our gallery art walls as we’re private about family and boundaries, but this space really is much prettier in person. Walking through the ages and transition from crayon to watercolour is magical and inspiring each day. I chose a mixture of wood and gold/silver frames of all sizes and shapes. First handprints and the origins of our family live here. It’s a hallway of sweetness for us with room for more art and profiles on the right side. Left is full!
A few more things to do: Wallpaper on the back wall in spring, and a lovely large painting in the center to anchor the space.
This house is cosy and sits by mountains and lakes. It’s surounded by trees, so I went soft and sleepy with the colour palette, lifting up rooms to bounce light and deepening others to lean into the shadows. The overall effect is a much wanted and cosy hug.
Amor Milagre Hallway Renovation. Old Light that came with this 90s house that we never use.
Going from overlooked to the feature of this long, house-wide seen hallway, lighting is key.
Amor Milagre Hallway Renovation. New flower light. We put dimmers everywhere. Now, we can really see our pretty pictures since we definitely use this light. It’s soft and glowy.
We’ll put a special wallpaper on this back wall at the end with a scenic painting. I’m thinking a high-up view of an ocean and some French-Italian gardens to extend the imagination out. Just have to wait to paint that seascape as the novel illustrations will keep me busy all winter. So excited about the new books!
Amor Milagre Hallway RenovationAmor Milagre Hallway Renovation. Sensitivity-wise, and aesthetically, we prefer golden dim lamps with natural shades.
Little touches make sweetness and bounce the eye around the constantly angling composition. Think 3-D for interiors, light and shadows. Now, we can see much better in the hallway and it lends a cosy mood in the restful darkness of winter.
*And now, for a cup of vanilla licorice tea and a sweet reading hour on the sofa with the dolls, bears, and bunnies.
Reading ‘Hitty’, a doll’s memoir. Babes love making even more tiny doll clothes. Old socks and fabric squares from the gifting Borrower clan are the basis for these garments. Sewing is fun for all ages. Get out the lace, ribbons, and button jars for endless fashion design possibilities!
It’s time to get the babies dancing as we decorate for the winter holidays. Roll about in the fluffy feather-light snow, have a cup of cocoa, and snuggle up to read friendly winter tales. This is our cosiest time of year. Happy Holidays! Love, ~ Amor Milagre
(We’re not religious, but we enjoy holiday music from all over the world.)
Snowy December Day Music Playlist, Amor Milagre
Borrowing blankets from the sitting room…brrr
Winter Holiday at Amor Milagre, Nutcracker Bear Holiday DecorSnowy December Day Music Playlist, Amor Milagre, our Christmas trees are kept outside…naturally flocked in snow.Snowy December Day Music Playlist, Amor MilagreSnowy December Day Music Playlist, Amor Milagre, wake up to clobbered evergreensSnowy December Day Music Playlist, Amor Milagre, Handmade Children’s Cards, so sweetSnowy December Day Music Playlist, Amor MilagreSnowy December Day Music Playlist, Amor Milagre, open the doors each morning to see what you find! One of these calendars tells ‘Twas the night before Christmas…’Snowy December Day Music Playlist, Amor MilagreSnowy December Day Music Playlist, Amor MilagreSnowy December Day Music Playlist, Amor Milagre
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, cosy novel writing time, atelier office interior design, new French mirror and wallpaper, sage velvet ribbons and antique bells
Glittery bulb memory messes, classic movies, going out to see The Nutcracker and winter solstice choir shows, and crisp freeing scooter rides over wooden bridges and park paths are what make our late November days full of early winter magic.
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, cosy novel writing time, atelier office interior design, new French mirror and wallpaper, sage velvet ribbons and antique bells
My winter gift came early this year. This mirror has been on my list for ages and now it completes our bell-ribbon wall in the atelier with the other sweet gilded treasures. It reflects the snow light and adds a charming reminiscence to our library homeschool room.
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, cosy novel writing time, atelier office interior design, new French mirror and wallpaper, sage velvet ribbons and antique bellsLate November Holiday at Amor Milagre, frosty sparkling evergreen garden
In the mornings, I sit by the garden window in our kitchen cafe and write all the frore and frosty plants into my new novels. The sun melts the sparkles away, but they’ll be back at dawn.
Snowsuits line the mudroom, including little doll ones that aren’t really waterproof, so they go in a special snow bag and spin around the fresh, soft, fluffy powder making doll angels.
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, cosy novel writing time, atelier office interior design, new French mirror and wallpaper, sage velvet ribbons and antique bells
Yoga in the morning, then write new stories, edit them up, and proofread by evening’s lamplight. It’s all in a cosy day’s work.
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, cosy novel writing time, atelier office interior design, new French mirror and wallpaper, sage velvet ribbons and antique bells
Up goes our first mistletoe! Kiss, kiss, kiss! All the dolls and teddy bears are going wild!
Playing holiday songs before we go out to hear the children’s choir sing!
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, Ballet barre stretching mornings, sitting room interior design
We love these quiet snowy mornings full of cocoa and ballet stretches at the barre.
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, Ballet barre stretching mornings, sitting room interior designLate November Holiday at Amor Milagre, Ballet barre stretching mornings, sitting room interior designLate November Holiday at Amor Milagre, Nursery Interior Design, spice rack for tiny toys, hand-painted mural and floral mobile handmade by us…
There is always magic dancing in the nursery, but an extra special sprinkling appears this time of year…
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, nursery playtime
Fancy an enchanted stagecoach ride through the snowy lace forest at midnight?
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, our handmade dollhouse in the nursery
Here are two of our handmade dollhouses (center and right). They are renovated daily. Many stories run free here in the nursery. I’ll post later on when we’re making more for you to buy for your little ones! We also made toy-size trains to match these lavender and cream gingerbread houses.
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, nursery interior design
The winter toys are out and causing sweet mischief.
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, winter mudroom
We’re off to see some holiday shows! Wish us luck out there.
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, homeschool winter vocabulary
Every week, we choose a few winter words to add into our poetry lessons.
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, homeschool French winter vocabularyLate November Holiday at Amor Milagre, Brambly Hedge Antique Plate The Christmas Party
I’ve been catching up on sweet baby memory ideas this month, starting with bringing a few of our favourite characters and scenes into our daily rounds. Here is a vintage plate showing Wilfred and Primrose putting on their winter recitation from the beloved Brambly Hedge by Jill Barklem. The Poppy’s Babies dish is below, a favourite baby story that shows crying babies…very realistic and somehow rare in books. By request, my kid and adult characters cry sometimes to show realism. Emotions are good, and so is learning about them. I also found some classic mugs with Winnie the Pooh, Peter Rabbit, and Bunnykins. They’re adorable and lighten hearts every time we sit with one.
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, Brambly Hedge Antique Plate The Christmas PartyLate November Holiday at Amor Milagre, Brambly Hedge Antique Dish Poppy’s BabiesLate November Holiday at Amor Milagre, Brambly Hedge Antique Plate The Christmas PartyLate November Holiday at Amor Milagre, Brambly Hedge Antique Dish Poppy’s Babies, in the nurseryLate November Holiday at Amor Milagre, Thanksgiving Parade ’25, Snoopy
We had a usual amount of dinner on Thanksgiving, made up of our favourite cosy foods. In the morning with breakies, we watched Snoopy, Tom, and Santa Claus float on by.
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, Thanksgiving Parade ’25, Elf Arctic FoxLate November Holiday at Amor Milagre, Thanksgiving Parade ’25, Pillsbury Doughboy
How do you spell his sound? ‘Hoo-hoon?’
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, Thanksgiving Parade ’25, Santa
There’s Santa…that’s the end of the show! I rememeber avoiding this spot when I lived in NYC. Too loud for me. ‘How does the New Yorker cross the road?’ I often got caught up in random festivals, sometimes having to go down into the subway to get to the other side.
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, movie: Miracle on 34th StreetLate November Holiday at Amor Milagre, Movie- NoelleLate November Holiday at Amor Milagre, handmade glass glitter bulb ornaments, family time
Making a beautiful mess! Glitter really does get everywhere…
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, handmade glass glitter bulb ornaments, family timeLate November Holiday at Amor Milagre, handmade glass glitter bulb ornaments, family time
Making memory bulbs…
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, handmade glass glitter bulb ornaments, family time, fairy magic dustLate November Holiday at Amor Milagre, handmade glass glitter bulb ornaments, family timeLate November Holiday at Amor Milagre, Hand-painted glass bulb ornaments
It’s fun to mix paint, clear glass bulb spots, glitter, and glitter glue. Show me! Oh, so pretty!
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade ’25
All the reindeer games came out on Thanksgiving! Candyland and ‘Toss, toss, duck, toss, got it!’
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre
Angels in the sky after a sudden trip to the doctor’s. Oh life…you don’t stop for holidays, do you?
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, cosy novel writing time, Victorian dollhouse dolls
There are ball guests resting after a long night of dancing all over our Rose Cottage. Papa Benjamin’s wooly mustache is feeling a bit askew. Think it is in want of a good, long nap…
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, kitchen cafe interior design, author novel editing days
Hot cocoa and cosy foods help with the editing process. Sit with the snowy garden and change those stubborn quote marks, again. Oh, computers…not so smart, are you?
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, winter evergreen garden
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, The Nutcracker show outfits
Getting festive for The Nutcracker and the Choir Show. The favourite doll of the moment gets to come, too.
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, The Nutcracker show outfits
I ended up wearing boots as it was snowing here and raining there. The evening was a bit of a disaster due to crazy ushers and some very cold loud rain, but we watched the ballet later the next day (see version at end of post), and we opened up a Nutcracker sticker book and Sugar Plum fairy ornament gifts to reset the holiday mood. We also got out our Bear Nutcracker, too. It’s fun to open the holiday decor boxes to rekindle the magic!
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, Nutcracker Bear Holiday DecorLate November Holiday at Amor Milagre, December Hearth Decorating
Here is our snowy day tree featuring our new handmade glass bulbs and the new sugar plum fairy ornament. A little tomten keeps moving them around…and the fluffy snow balls have become a game!
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, The Nutcracker show outfits
We know the world has gone casual, but we still love to dress up a bit at least for holiday shows. This helps us to feel like it’s an extra special day. This week we’re going red!
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, Snowy day in the nursery
Handmade doll stockings, with their initials stitched on them, are now dotted about the house.
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, December Hearth Decorating
And now it’s December First! We tidy up a bit, add some holly and ivy elves to the mantle, and slowly decorate each week until the house is full of cheer and the New Year! I leave our decorations up for most of the winter, pairing them down to the snowiest ones come mid-January, for that’s just when our winter celebrations truly get going.
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, December Hearth Decorating
On the 6th, we each leave a shoe out for Nic. Soon, the new Sankta Lucia concert in Sweden will be ready to view after the 13th, too!
Late November Holiday at Amor Milagre, December Hearth Decorating
Happy Holidays! An Amor Milagre SALE is coming up soon. Love, ~Amor Milagre
