2009 - A Year in Review

It's that time of the year when I look back to the Year that Was...2009. Honestly, this year hasn't one of the best. It hasn't been all bad, mind you. but, it hasn't been all good either.

January started the year off with a BANG or rather a POP when the Ice Storm hit and the power went out for three days. No heat, no hot water, no cooking, no lights, a whole lotta nothing. No leaving the house, no clean clothes, no hot food, no coffee. Nadda. Zich. A whole lotta nuttin'.

Nearly a year later, there is still destruction in the woods, along the roadways and in the pastures. Not a day goes by that someone doesn't mention the "Ice Storm".

February brought job changes for The Breadman. Lots more travelling, more hours and less money. Boo! Hiss!

April brought the shocking news that the once-little boy that I had babysat for twelve years had died. He was 30, but he will always be a little boy in my mind. The last time I saw him was at his sister's wedding. He was drinking a beer and I scolded him for drinking when he was only a littler boy! He said, "Shara, I am a full grown man now!" He said it so funny. I will always remember his saying it just that way.

May took our little family on a trip to Branson. Not far away from home but a world away in term of things to do and things to see.

Hey! Finally some Good Stuff! Maybe the year is looking up. Oh no, I'm sorry - the best is yet to come!

June brought me a two night private getaway in a swanky $15,000.00 a night room here. My first stay in the hospital (except giving birth, of course). My first surgery. My second surgery. The Bean's first night at home with Mom being there. Lots of firsts. One Gall Bladder Gone and $15,000.00 in debt. (That's a George Strait tune, I think.....)

In July, our favorite local Chinese restaurant closed it's doors due to the sucky economy. I am extremely picky about my food and this was one of the very few places where I loved the food. And, now it is only a faint memory. Oh, Pan Fried Chicken and Crab Rangoon, how I miss thee......

August only means one thing - my birthday. 43. Yeech.

September only means one thing. The Bean turned 14 which is practically going off to college age. *Sigh*. I'll be a Grandma before I know it!

December meant I got to bring out all my wonderful Christmas goodies, only to have to box them all up again in the very same month.

So, that brings us to New Year's Eve. The end of another year. The beginning of a New Year. Maybe this will be a good year. Don'

Don't get me wrong - this year wasn't all that bad. There was just enough crappy stuff thrown in to make it seem like a bummer of a year. But, everyone I know and love is happy and relatively healthy, so I am very happy for that!

Tomorrow - the Thrifting Year in Review! Yippeee!

Thrift SCORE!

WHO? Me!

WHAT?

BRAND NEW 7 Ft. Slim Tall Pre-lit Christmas Tree

(Remember - like I hunted for BEFORE Christmas???????)

WHEN?

Saturday, December 26th, 2009

(A day late - but still good for next year!)

WHERE?

Salvation Army

(Where I never, ever, ever, EVER get a bargain. Ever!)

HOW MUCH?

Are you ready?

Are you sure?

Really?

Okay, here goes:

ONE FREAKING DOLLAR.

Merry Christmas to me!

Wii Wish You a Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas!!!!!!!!!!!!

Wii are having a good Christmas - hope you are TOO!

This was the scene outside out front door last night. Sleet and drizzle followed by snow. We decided to postpone Christmas Eve with my Mom and Step-Dad until this weekend due to hazardous driving. The three of us had a quiet little Christmas Eve of a few gifts and some good food and sweet treats. I was feeling rather sad about the change of events - snow, ice, no family, etc. But, then I heard The Bean sort of sigh as he looked out the window and said, "I've never had a White Christmas before" and BAM that knocked me back to reality. He was happy - he was making a memory. For the first Christmas in his entire life he gets to stay home, play that new Wii all day and be with his family and his cats in his own house. He is happy as a clam making a memory he will always remember He loves our normal Christmas festivities, but I know he will always remember this one because it was a little different. I am happy that at the age of 14 he is still happy to be here and enjoy us and his first White Christmas.

Until we can see the street again - we'll be inside our warm cozy house bowling and playing tennis and golf. Wii are going to have a fun day!

Merry Christmas!

Glittery, Sparkly Goodness

I wanted to thank everyone for the Shadowbox love last week. I don't do a lot of Christmas Crafting due to time restraints and the mass amount of cool vintage things that I already own. But, a little vintage inspired crafting fits in, I suppose.

Since this one was already gifted, I decided I should make myself one too.

Even this one looks smaller , it is actually quite a bit bigger than the original shadowbox. The first one was about 6" square, this one is about 11" x 13". The Santa and sleigh are quite big, but they look like they are high in the sky leaping out of the frame, so I think it works.
For the Sparkling Winter White Swap I was partnered with Mary at Vintage Patina. Since the entire swap theme was my idea, I really stuck to the Sparkling Winter White theme and colors of white, silver and clear. Above you can see the packages that I sent.I also made this glittery snowy house for Mary. It was a pre-fab cardboard house that I gussied up with lots of glitter and shine. I covered a wooden base with old Sheet Music, then applied Modge-Podge and iridescent glitter to cover it. When it all dried, it looked like the sheet music was under glass. Mary seemed happy with it, so that so the best part.

I also made this little vintage inspired paperweight for her. These are fun to make - it's like a mini collage under glass.

I also sent her these vintage white pottery angels. I am having a wee bit of remose for letting them go, but I think they will it in Mary's house perfectly.

Mary sent me this fabulous vintage tablecloth. She said she was hesitant to send it since it didn't fit the theme. Well - I adore it, so I am soooooo happy that she sent it.

She also included a sweet white bottle brush in a vintage mold, a glittery bird on a glittery spool, a fabulous brooch, a felted brooch, vintage letter tile art, lots of sparkly glittery ornaments and a pair of sweet vintage Caroling Candle holders. She also sent me a lovely angel for the top of my tree that I failed to photograph. Thank you Mary!

My friend Sue sent me a lovely piece of sea glass that she found on the beach - she soldered it and made it into an ornament for me. I plan on wearing it though - I think it is just lovely! Thank you Sue!

The Christmas festivities start here tomorrow afternoon and will go into Friday afternoon. We have snow forecasted,which isn't fun for travelling. Hopefully, it won't get too slick. If it does - we will alter our plans a bit. It doesn't matter when we have our Christmas - as long as we are all together and safe.

I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Thanks for all the friendships I have made this year and have kept over the years through this old blog. I never would have thought I would meet so many people and have such good friends out there. Friends I have never even met, but know me better than my own family! Merry Christmas to you and you and you and you and .......

Thrifting...or Shoplifting?

Whenever I go to the Super Cheap Thrift or The Attic Thrift Store, I always take one of my big reusable totes from Target. I unfold it when I walk in and hang it off my shouder. When I see things I want to buy - in the bag it goes. Every volunteer at both of these thrifts know I always bring in my bag. They always comment on what a good idea it is and how they wish more people would do it too.

Pair of California Art Pottery floral candleholders for $1.00.

So, today I walk into the Super Cheap Thrift, open my bag and begin perusing the Christmas items. As I walk across the store to the housewares section, I spot an old felt stocking that I pick up and place in my bag. As my eyes glance from one aisle to the next, I notice a lady in slow motion putting her finger up to point saying, "That's wrong!" Then her husband says, "Don't worry about it."

Four ladies floral hankies for 50¢.

I continue to shop, finding a few more things along the way that I place into my bag. As I look at the kitchen gadgets and dishes, that lady saying, "That's wrong" keeps popping up in my head. I keep trying to figure out what she saw that was so wrong. Hmmm..think, think, think. What did she see? Hey - wait she saw me putting things in my bag. Surely she didn't think I was stealing, did she?

Sweet vintage tablecloth for $1.00.

When I go up to get in line, the "that's wrong" lady was directly in front of me. She kept turning around and giving me the stink eye while I was standing behind her. My shopping bag was completely stuffed at this point so I had it sitting on the floor, pushing it along with my foot as we moved along in line. After she paid, she turned one more time to give me a up and down look. Hurumph!

Made in Sweden by Heidi Lange. Cute, huh?

When I stepped up to the counter to lay out my purchases, the lady said, "Oh! You brought in your own bag - now that is a good idea!" I said, "I don't know about that, I think a lady thought I was shoplifiting today!" I laughed and she said, "Oh, surely NOT!" That's when the other lady that bags things said, "Yea, she came and told me a lady was stealing, so I went to look. When I saw it as you , I told her that you are one of our very best customers and you were just shopping."

Suh-weet Remington Ten Forty Typewriter for $5.00. In Turquoise!

I hope that if some terrible, horrible, awful person ever actually is caught stealing from the Super Cheap Thrift that they will get spotted and reported. But, wasn't me! Scouts honor!

Vintage Christmas Monday - Leftovers

Today is the last Vintage Christmas Monday over at Anything Goes Here. It has been fun seeing my love of vintage spread over blogland. Thanks for hosting, Joan!

I have a whole lot of little stuff to show today.

This is my Raggedy and and Andy. I got them when we moved to Arkansas in 1972. They have been near the top of the tree every single year since. And, they always will be!

I've seen these funny snowmen of a few other thrifty blogs this summer and thought they were terribly cute. Imagine my surprise when I found one in my very own stuff this year! It has a price tag from the Super Cheap Thrift - so I must have bought it and not fully appreciated it sometime in the past. He is appreciated now, I assure you!
I love this lamp so much that I leave it out all year. I almost forget that it is full of vintage miniature Shiny Brites because I see it everyday. I filled it up a couple of Christmases ago and decided it need to stay out. A little touch of Christmas every day!

This lovely vintage Shiny Brite box landed on my doorstep as a gift from a sweet reader. She said her husband asked her why on earth she was sending someone an empty box. She laughed, knowing I would adore it. She was correct!
This old stocking bearing the name, "Frank" is one of my favorites. I love the badly mismatched and unevenly glued sequins and odd felt cutouts. As much as I love FRANK -

I adore "Gertie". Honestly - how cute is the name Gertie?

This vintage Knickerbocker Gingerbread Man plays music while his head and arms move slowly. The Gingerbread Man book was mine when I was little.

I am forever picking up one old figural bulb or an ornament or a light reflector. Not enough to really display or make a project with - bits and pieces. Odds and Ends. As I came to each piece while I was decorating, I tossed them in a big bowl on the coffee table. Only when I went to dump it all out did I realize that I had actually made a pretty cool centerpiece.

I tweaked it a bit, added a few more things and wah-lah, it was done. I refer to it as "The Leftovers". It is actually one of my favorite things this year.

Merry Christmas to all the Vintage Christmas Monday readers that have stopped by the past few weeks. It was fun!

Thrifty Finds - Christmas and Otherwise

I've been trying to hit the thrifts this week. I have so much vintage Christmas, but I want more. And there is only a small window of opportunity for finding Christmas items at the thrifts - so I have to hit while the iron is hot. I always peruse the Christmas first, then I attempt to clear my head and go through the rest of the store as normal. But, honestly, I can't get the Christmas stuff of my brain to even look at the rest. I did manage to clear my brain long enough to find a sweet vintage floral tablecloth and a gingham tablecloth with chicken scratch embroidery on it. The gingham one isn't my usual type of tablecloth, but it was sweet, it was a quarter and I have a prety big collection of gingham aprons......so I had to pick it up.

Also, not on the Christmas front, although they could be used for Christmas - two old metal star tie rods for 50¢ each.

And, now.....on to the vintage Christmas finds.

This JAPAN angel was at the Salvation Army for $3.00, but everything was half price. I'm planning on listing a lot of Christmas on Etsy all year long, so I am picking up things when I find them now. Oh yes, she is a musical too.

Miscellaneous ornaments all for 12¢ each - half of 25¢. I am starting to be sucked in by the cuteness of all the wooden ornaments from the 1960's-70's. I so do not need another thing to buy!

This funny elf/gnome on a toadstool was a particularly happy find.

Yesterday I talked about my love of Holt Howard. Apparently the thrift gods were listening because the very first thing I found today were these set of Holt Howard dishes. Actually, I think they are ashtrays, but I will pretend they are wee teeny bonbon trays.

See? Holt Howard. 1959. Great markings and the original sticker. Each one was priced $2.50, but I took a chance and asked if that was for each or for the set and the lady said, "Oh, it must be for the set, don't you think?" This was at the habitat for Humanity Thrift Store which I rarely frequent so I I really don't know what their pricing structure is - I think they might have been $2.50 each based on the other items I saw. But, I agreed, because I wanted them. But, I would not have paid $10.00 for them!

Now, for a few thrifty finds, but not from the thrift. I actually bought these on ebay. I never buy on ebay or Etsy, I just buy what I find that I can afford around here. But, every once in awhile, I do a search for "Annalee lot" just to see what pops up. I got lucky earlier this week when I spotted a Buy It Now for four Annalee's for only $9.99. I Bought it NOW!

A sweet mouse in a Santa suit.

A funny guy in a nightshirt and slippers. Lovin' that huge candle!

And, Mr. and Mrs. Claus. Merry Christmas to Me, Love Me!

An Lot of Random Stuff

Here goes a whole lot of random thoughts, stories and photos. Ready?

I've had these Santa's for several years, but thanks to Barbara I now know that they are Holt Howard Santa's. I love Holt Howard, but I never knew that these were Holt Howard. The very first vintage thing I remember buying at the Salvation Army was a set of four Holt Howard lettuce shaped plates with tomato shaped soup bowls for $1.00. I still have them and I still love them!

Annual photo of The Bean by the tree shows that The Bean is as tall as the tree this year. Not good for Mom. (Yes, he has on a t-shirt that looks like a doctor's uniform. He loves crazy t-shirts!)

As much as I love vintage things, sometimes a bright shiny new object will attract my attention. I found this wee Department 56 blown glass bunny in the ornament tub at the Salvation Army yesterday for 12¢. He had a $20.00 price tag on him. Vintage is best, but vintage inspired rocks too. He will most likely stay out and be put on my Easter Tree. Yes, I have an Easter Tree...don't YOU?
Another new to me item this year - this snowman was at Sam's for $4.81. He stands 15" tall and has crepe paper ruffles, glitter and a tinsel tree. Good, right?

I drug out all the crafty stuff earlier this week and made this shadow box. I've never made anything like it before and I don't even know where I got the idea. I just started putting things together and this is what I came up with - I like the way the vintage Santa and reindeer are coming out of the box. It has been gifted, but I may need to make another one for myself!

Stan Williams, The Elegant Thrifter, was nice enough to send me a copy of his book, The Find. The Find is a great book, lots of elegant things found in thrift stores and used to decorate very nice spaces. If you haven't read it yet, you really should. Thanks again, Stan!

The sunsets have been so pretty lately. No matter what I am doing, when I see the sun setting, I go outside and enjoy it. If you wait five minutes, it changes or it might even disappear. Life is too short to miss a pink sky!

I'll try to come back with a more cohesive post next time. Maybe.

My Christmas Tree

We have two Christmas Trees - the bigger one with the family ornaments on it - creations from The Bean's Grade School Days, our ornaments that we buy each year, our First Christmas together ornament, Baby's First Christmas, etc. That tree goes in the front window.

But there is another tree in the living room. My tree. Completely and totally encrusted in vintage ornaments. Yesterday, The Breadman said that I could not possibly put one more ornament on it because it was so full. But, Ha ha on him - I thrifted eight more ornaments in the past two days and I managed to squeeze them on there.

Last year I still had some plain round vintage Shiny Brites on it, but this year, I am happy to say that I have found enough figural and indented ornaments that it is completely full of only those pretty ones.

I'd be hard pressed to pick out a favorite ornament. I love the spun cotton headed angels, the paper mache band, the indented Poland ornaments, the pine cone elves, the...the...the.......I just love them all.

I do have some favorites - just not A favorite.

This indented West Germany ornament is fabulous. It is indented five dips in. And, of course, the silver glass glitter doesn't hurt.

I found this old glass pine cone years ago when we were cleaning out a family members house. There weren't any other ornaments in the entire house, just this pine cone wrapped in tissue stuffed in a drawer.

Oh, my paper mache band. Love them! I have nearly twenty of them playing all different instruments. A struck of luck at a yard sale one day had me pick up a random Whitman's Sampler box and hear something inside make a rustling nose. When I peeked in the box, I spied a couple of the band guys. My heart leaped into my chest. I knew I had found a treasure! I paid 25¢ for all twenty guys and the tin.

Last week I was in the kitchen and I heard a noise in the living room. When I walked in to see what it was, I found this guy:

Laying in the floor wrestling with my feather tree which, at the time, I had all my band guys on. And, here's the worst part, he was eating one of them. I let out a shriek that let him know GET THE *^#* OUTTA HERE! Luckily, only one small hat fell victim to the big fat guy.

Now, this guy, this was last year's favorite find. I found him in the bottom of a box of random Hallmark, homemade and flat out ugly ornaments at the thrift. That I why I will dig through huge boxes and look at every.single.ornament in that box just in case there is one teeny treasure at the bottom.

Case in point - I found this yesterday at the bottom of a huge box of ornaments at the Salvation Army. A wee peanut man with chenille stem arms and legs. He makes me happy.

Heck, all my Christmas stuff makes me ridiculously happy. Why is that?

Wreaths Across America

This afternoon, The Bean and I went to our National Cemetary to see something awe inspiring.

Wreaths Across America came and laid a wreath on every single grave.

As far as you could see, white headstones and fresh evergreen wreaths.

A beautiful tribute.

So solemn. So serene.

Amazing.

Here's a video of the work it took to prepare the cemetary and lay out the wreaths. I would have loved to have helped volunteer do this, but I didn't hear about it until after the fact. If they do it again next year, The Bean and I will be there.

Vintage Christmas Monday - Santa Overload

It's Vintage Christmas Monday again over at Anything Goes Here. Be sure to check out all the other wonderful Vintage Christmas Goodies out in Blogland.

Last week I spotted this old box at the thrift store for $1.00. I knew something good would be in that box - Santa Novelties, Inc. Are you kidding me?

Inside was a dozen lovely glass ornaments. I don't think they've ever been used. I'm just going to leave them in the box and enjoy them as they are.

Okay, are you ready for some Santa's? Are you sure?

Santa's, galore! Woodland Santa's on the top - these are mostly Vintage Inspired and not really vintage.

But, these....these are all vintage.

Rubberfaced Santa's, Glittery Santa's, Bobbleheaded Santa's, Handmade Santa's.....

Santa's of all sorts and all kinds. I got that big Santa Mouse when I was five years old. I guess that makes him vintage. (And me too......boohoo).

An vintage Christmas Punch Bowl holds my Santa Mugs while more are stacked up beside it. I have all sorts and all styles of Santa mugs. But, I haven't found one in quite awhile. I didn't think much of it until last weekend when I saw an article in the paper about a local lady that has over 500 Santa Mugs that she has found at yard sales and thrift stores. So, that 'splains it.

And, lastly, my vintage Santa boots. My favorite one is the one on the far right. On the bottom it says, "To Joey, Love Mommie and Daddy, 1934." Too sweet! In the back you see The Bean wearing a vintage Santa suit and me on Santa when I was about six years old.

This isn't vintage - but I have to show my little girl kitty. She loves the Christmas tree. She lives under it the entire time it is up. She just lays there and looks at the lights. (Those skates are just an ornament - but man, they look huge!)

Merry Vintage Christmas Monday!

On My Mind

Due to the huge number of very negative comment that I have receive in the past, I rarely ever mention The Du*gg*ars. (If you are new to my blog - I have known Michelle since 7th Grade.) But, I need to mention them tonight. Their latest baby girl was born last night - three months early and only weighing 1 lb. 6 oz. Michelle suffered from Gallstones and was airlifted to the hospital last weekend after the Gallstones began contractions. She also had Preeclampsia which could have been deadly for her, so the doctors performed an emergency C Section. A lot of people are using this to say terrible horrible things about this family. This family of which I know are good, good people. A family that gives and give to everyone they know. I come from a family that had a very premature baby born - I know it is a long hard road. Our sweet baby didn't make it. But, technology has come a long way and everyone sounds optomistic. But that is one very small baby that needs one very big miracle. Baby Josie needs our thoughts and prayers.

Wacky Wednesday Finds

When The Bean was in public school, his class would go to a lot of plays and events at the Arts Center. I always chaperoned on those trips and I was even a Substitute Teacher for a few trips. ("Stay close to Miss Shara, I don't want to lose anyone!" I would say. I seriously freaked those poor kids out thinking that I would forget them when they went to the bathroom!)

We both missed our culture "Fix". I decided to pick up the phone one day and call to see if Homeschool kids could ever come to see things. "Why of course!" they replied. The best part is that it only costs $2.00 a person to go see these things! Last month we went to see an African Drumming group. That was very interesting. Today we went to see "The Best Christmas Pagent Ever". It is a really good play and book if you aren't familiar with it. The Herdman kids are known as the town bullies. They are dirty and wear torn clothes. They get a Welfare basket. Child services frequents their house. The other kids dislike them, mostly because they don't understand them. The Herdman kids start going to Sunday School because they hear they serve Twinkies as refreshments. The decide to get involved in The Christmas Pageant so none of the other kids want any part of it. Everyone assumes that the Herdman kids will make it the WORST Christmas Pageant EVER, but, in fact, it ends up being the BEST Christmas Pageant EVER. It was really well done and we enjoyed it very much.

Before the play started, I had just enough time to run into the Hospital Thrift Store near the Arts Center. I have been going to this thrift since I was a little girl, but I don't get there very often anymore. When we walked in, the lady at the register told me that it was "Wacky Wednesday" and they had some specials. All Christmas clothing was half price (No, thank you) and all the glass Christmas Balls were half price. (LET ME AT 'EM!)

The very first thing that I spotted was a....vintage...tree...topper. A PINK vintage tree topper, at that! My first! I say my first, because I need more. Maybe twenty or thirty. But, for now I have ONE! It was $2.00 and I got a long lecture from the Wacky Wednesday Woman about how "a man brought that in yesterday and said it was in his Mother's attic and he remembered it being on their tree for at least 60 years." Odd that he was so sentimental about it as he donated it to the thrift store. Ahem. Anyway, I love it and it will be in my house for 60 years. (Yes, I do plan on living until I am 103. Thank you for asking.)

I bought all the glass ornaments that were in the entire store. You would think since they had deemed it an item to feature for Wacky Wednesday that they would have had troughs full of ornaments. But,they only had two small plastic bags and two boxes of ornaments. Odd, right?
But, the ones I found are completely awesome! These were in the two plastic bags for 75¢ and $1.25 each, but half of that. (I do so love seeing people try to figure out half of 75¢.)

I love the boxes that say "Made in America". The ornaments say "Made in USA." As you can see, these boxes were $1.00 each, so I paid $1.00 for both. I don't have any boxes like this one, so I had to grab them.

I paid $4.00 total for everything shown. A well spent $4.00, if I do say so myself. I really have enough ornaments, I suppose. But, as long as I can find cool old Shiny Brites and indents and figural ornaments for cheap - I will bring each and every one of them home. Each and every one!

Pinecone Elves

I used to watch Martha, but our local affiliate chose to dump her and replace her with that purple glove wearing Dr. OZ. Gag. I don't take Martha's magazine or frequent the website either. Everything always looks so perfect and requires a huge list of very specific craft items. I have enough ideas of my own brewing in my head for that sort of pressure.That is, until Sarah showed these fabulous Pine cone Elves from the Martha Website about a month ago. Eh gads! I had to make some!

I didn't have any pine cones on hand, so I jumped in the car and went Pine cone hunting. Apparently it wasn't quite time for them to be on the ground yet because I couldn't find any. I ended up twisting them off the branches from inside my car by the side of the road. They were still pretty tight and not yet opened. But, they would have to do.

I printed out the patterns and went to work. Mine look a bit different than Martha's - but I happen to like them quite a bit. I chose to use spun cotton heads instead of wooden beads to give them a vintage look.

I must say, sewing teeny tiny elf shoes is a hoot. I had to stick a ballpoint pen inside the shoe to keep it open while I sewed on the white trim.

Those pompoms on the shoes are so teeny. I bought a bag of 100 of them last year after Christmas for 9¢ not knowing what on Earth I would ever use them for since they are sooo tiny. Now I know.

The hat, scarf, mittens and shoes are all made out of less than a quarter of a piece of 25¢ felt. The trim on the mittens and hat is one half of one pipe cleaner. The arms and legs are on e pipe cleaner. The pine cones were free and I had the heads on hand. So, it is a super cheap project. (Even though Martha suggests actually ordering and paying good hard money for pine cones) And, super fun. Not to mention super CUTE!

I must make a pink one and maybe a white one and maybe a .........

Vintage Christmas Monday

...and Tuesday, and Wednesday and.....pretty much every day until Christmas if you know me.

I moved last week's temporary display to it's actual holiday home. I like it here.I was having a terrible time getting it all to fit in just right, so I cheated and printed off the photo from last year as sort of a blueprint. It helped me get the bigger things just right then I could play around with the little dime store tsotchkes. I don't think I can squeeze one more thing in there. But, if I find just the right thing, I bet I can!

I found this old rubber face Santa at a yard sale about ten years ago when I very first started buying vintage things to sell on ebay. I bought him to sell, but - big surprise here - I feel in love with him. He stands about four feet tall. Can you believe I only paid $2.00 for him?????

Lastly for today's Vintage Monday Post - Here are my vintage Christmas tablecloths. I've made a vow not to buy any more Christmas tablecloths and so far I have stuck to that rule. But, if I find a cutie with elves or Santa on it - it's coming home with me!

Speaking of home - here it is after one afternoon of hard labor. (Sorry for the blur...) See that line of colored lights across the roofline? The Breadman did that. I did everything else. At the same time. In the same amount of time.

I hung up the wreath, added the sign, put the Evergreen garland and lights around the door. He put up those colored lights.

I gathered up all my Santa blowmolds ala Magpie Ethel and arranged them just so. I added in more Evergreen Garland, more lights and vintage red wooden beaded garland. I added the big Santa blowmold to the old window with some more Evergreen garland. I set up the tree and decorated it with rusty decorations and lights. He put up those colored lights.
I've picked these blowmolds up for years - usually for 25¢ to 50¢. This is the first year that I have actually used them. I hope Laurie won't mind that I borrowed her idea. To make up for it, I will gladly send The Breadman up to her house to add some colored lights to her roofline. :o)

Don't forget to visit Anything Goes Here to see the all the fun Vintage Christmas posts!

Christmas Funny

This is soooooo our house!

Slowly, But Surely

The decorating is coming along. Slowly, but surely. I got along with gusto and great guns and them BAM I hit a wall and I am D.O.N.E. for the day. Sometimes I get another burst of energy about 10:00 pm, but I try to fight it. Otherwise I'd probably stay up all night watching E.L.F. and Christmas Vacation playing with my pretties.

I like piddling with the little details once everything is all set up. It's the setting up that gets tiring. For instance, since we reconfigured the wall unit, I have a different configuration of shelves. Which works great for my "mostly" Grocery Store village. It just took me a very long time to get it just right. And, I'm not certain it is just right yet. The top shelf is still a bit wonky. And the trees aren't plugged in yet. But, it's getting there.

I do like this - an old Santa in an old clock cabinet. I put him there last year, but the Gurley Candles on top are a new addition. I wanted them to stand out 'cause I lurve 'em.

This idea came to me as I was drifting off to sleep last night. I put all my kneehuggers on this old ladder. This is an odd angle, but it is hard to photograph. I love the big guy in brown pants on the top shelf. He's pretty darn cute.

My Annalee Santa's. Oh, I know there are people out there that hate Annalee Dolls. Trust, me I've read the blogs. But, I adore the holiday ones - the smaller ones like these three Santas. I found all three of them at the thrift one day for 50¢ each and I was one happy camper.

It took me half the morning to repair my tree vintage ornament wreaths. I put them in plastic Ziploc bags for the winter - those huge giant bags - and hung them on the garage wall for safekeeping. But, someone, no names mentioned...*cough*...Breadman...*cough* moved them and they got crunched. Luckily, I had bought up each and every old and slightly old ornament I could find all summer so I fixed them all. This one is may favorite. It's not perfectly round, which is why I like it. I think it looks good on my old window.

Tomorrow I will get up with a new burst of energy and probably get everything done except for the tree. That is a family project. Whether they like it or not......

And there's the outside to do yet. It seems that every day the Breadman is off work, it rains. Figures, right?

So, how's it going at your house? Slowly, but surely, I hope.

Tuesday's Thrifty Finds

I need a new Christmas tree. Okay, maybe I don't need a new one, but I want a new one. We have two options at our house - a shorty five foot tree that I have to put up on an old beekeepers box to make it look 7 foot tall in our window or the huge fancy pre-lit After Christmas bargain I scored a couple of years ago that literally fill up the living room. One is way too small. One is way too big. I recently discovered the new Slim trees. And, I want one. I need a 6.6" slim tree. And, I need to find one at the thrift. So, I went looking today.

Stop #1: The thrift that had a pile of trees still in their boxes last week before I decided I wanted a new tree. CLOSED

Stop #2: Newer thrift in town that recently expanded to twice it's size. Found a slim 6.5 foot tree, bu it was $25.00. That seemed a bit pricey to me for a used tree, so I passed. At Stop #2, I was so excited when I walked into an entire room chock full of Christmas items. Not just a table full or a shelf full - but a room full! I took my time and looked at every single thing. But, nothing appealed to me. BooHoo.

Stop #3: Salvation Army. No trees that fit the dimensions on my wishlist. But, I found a 7 foot tree for....$75.00. Holy cow!

No tree for me today. (Said Soup Nazi style). But, as usual, I found a few good things.

A vintage California/Disney serving tray. I so do not like Disney stuff. But, this has character. Etsy bound.

A vintage seed bag from a Watermelon Seed Farm for $4.00. It's really big - probably a 100 lb. sack. Not sure what I will do with it, but bringing it home was a no brainer.

Three vintage poinsettias with Mercury Glass beads in the center. I found all three at the Salvation Army for a total of 80¢. To find anything vintage at the SA is a miracle in itself, but to have only paid 80¢? Now, that truly is a miracle!

This fabulous piece of vintage pottery was $2.25. It's just the kind I collect and in my new favorite color - pink!

Tomorrow I'm off to a few more thrifts in search of a tree and maybe a few more treasures. Then it's back home because our first bout of sleet and snow is coming. Ick. At least I will get my decorating mo-jo and get this place decorated!

Temporary Vintage Decorations

When I decorate for Christmas, I completely strip the house. Everything decorative is gone, only furniture and shelving remains. I took everything down on Friday, but I knew that I couldn't do any real decorating until today. But, the house looked so blah. Plain and empty. And, I really wanted to see some of my things. So, I grabbed the box labelled "VINTAGE CHRISTMAS" and threw it on the bookshelf. I love to see it all out like that. But, it's temporary - everything will be put somewhere else. I really only decided two years ago that I loved vintage Christmas items. More specifically, vintage Christmas packaging. I've done well to acquire so many wonderful vintage items - all at my local thrift stores for practically pennies.

I've been the lucky recipient of vintage items in swaps and surprise packages in the mail.An egg basket full of ornaments. I love the look of this - but they have to go on the tree eventually. Hopefully I can find more this year to fill it up again. *Crossing fingers*



Lots of ornaments, plucked from the 10¢ box at The Super Cheap Thrift, one at a time.

I'm joining in on the Vintage Christmas Party at Anything Goes Here. I don't usually join in on blog parties - but VINTAGE CHRISTMAS???? Count me in!

I'll be back every Monday until Christmas with more vintage Christmas finds and photos. ANd, probably pretty much every other day too.......I'm crazy that way!

Lights, Garland, Action!

I love to pretty up my house for Christmas.

Lights on the roof, a blow up Santa in the yard.

You're all invited back to see it!

It's going to be GREAT!

*Old abandoned house found on a country road on our Annual Thanksgiving Day Drive.

Not my actual house!

Sparkle Time

The only rule in my quest to purchase one lowly bottle of dish soap today was that I did not want to shop anywhere that they sold turkeys or cranberries. I worked in a grocery store for ten years. I know the nightmare that is "The Day Before Thanksgiving." People buying 23 pound rock hard frozen turkeys at 6:30 in the evening and expecting to serve it to their guests at noon the next day. I so do not think so............

The answer to my quandary was Dollar General. And, it just so happens that one of my favorite thrifts is thisclose to the Dollar General. But, surely it wouldn't be open today - the day before Thanksgiving. The whole place is run by a bunch of Grandma's that surely must have turkeys to roast, pies to make and cranberries to sauce. No, I knew it wouldn't be open. But that didn't stop me from doing a drive-by. And, yippee, it was OPEN!

Straight to the Christmas I went. My eyes surveying the table looking for sparkle. And, what did I spy with my little eye?

S-P-A-R-K-L-E!

A big old box of SPARKLE! Actually, two boxes and a baggie full, but here it is all in it's glory. And, only $2.25 for it all. There are a lot of the smaller ones that I dearly love in there, but they have sunk to the bottom.

Hey! What's that over there? More sparkle?

A vintage Christmas corsage. My very first one! In perfect condition. It's almost like it had never been out of the box.

Oh, that's because it hasn't! Still in it's awesome vintage box. It was marked $2.00 and I was more than happy to pay that for it. But, when I paid, one of the aforementioned Grandma's said, "Oh, that's only worth 50¢." Okey Dokey Hokey Pokey.

What? Moooooooore sparkle?

Full spools of lurvely green velvet ribbon, red velvet ribbon and sparkley silver glitter tape - $1.00 for it all. I think Glitter tape is one of the loveliest inventions ever.

I've never smoked, or drank or done drugs. I thrift! I swear it's the best high. You all understand, don't you? Well, don't you?

*It's 10:00 Wednesday night and there are already people waiting outside Best Buy for Black Friday. Crazeeeeeeeeeee.

**I found an unscratched Lottery ticket in the trash at the car wash today. I scratched it off and won $10.00.

***No, I do not dig in the trash - it was on top!

****Don't forget to go to the next post down for a treat.

*****Happy Thanksgiving!

******Did you know that Okey and Dokey and Pokey aren't in spellcheck? But Hokey is?

*******That's it. I'm done! Gobble Gobble!

Thank you to YOU!

We have a WINNER!

True Random Number Generator
Min: 1
Max: 13
Result: 1

(I didn't count the stupid SPAM comment or my own snarky comment!)

And Sarah thought she wouldn't win since she was the first commenter. But, she DID!

Congrats, Sarah.

On this Thanksgiving Week - I am thankful to all of my wonderful Blog Friends. I appreciate your friendships and your thoughtfulness.

As a small THANK YOU - I have a giftie for one lucky person. Leave a comment with some way to get in contact with you - your profile, your blog or your email address.

What can you get? An Countdown to Christmas Calendar.

Each day is a small box for holding a goodie. And, I already filled each one of them up with some little surprises.

You can also turn the boxes into puzzles. Santa decorating the tree.

Santa taking a nap by the fireplace.

Santa off on his journey.

A lovely winter scene.

For the record, there are pictures of each puzzle on the top of the box. I wish I had realized that because it took me for-ever to figure them out. What a goof!

Leave a comment. No hoops to jump through - just make sure I can contact you. I will draw a name out of my favorite Santa hat on Thanksgiving Night and mail it out on Friday. You might miss a couple of days on the countdown - but you will be able to open a couple boxes right away!

Happy Camper

I am one happy camper. The vintage Christmas items are trickling out into the thrifts. Yippee! I hit two thrifts this week and went directly to the Christmas items.
Even though my true love in all things vintage, I do have a few other items that will leap into my shopping bag. I collect Santa's made from other things. Huh? Case in point - a Santa made from a wee gourd and a very sweet Santa hand carved from a twig. A big bag of vintage tinsel garland for 50¢, a red metal star for 50¢ and two spun cotton birds for 10¢ each.

A lovely triple indented ornament, a dainty beaded ornament and a non vintage Flag ornament all for 10¢ each.

An army of wee tiny vintage angels for 50¢. I am seriously in love with these girls.

The six vintage reindeer picks, the bottle brush tree and the gaudy gold sparkly poinsettia all came in a misc. bag. The glass candleholders full of holly and glittery tree topper are Etsy Bound. I couldn't believe I found another ticky tacky plastic Santa in his sleigh. Two this year so far!

Sometimes, I am amazed at what I find when I go thrifting. For instance, I found these reindeer picks on Wednesday at one thrift.

And the Santa's sleigh today at a different thrift in a completely different town. But, they are almost exactly alike. It must be thrifting karma, right?

My only non Christmas find - a very, very old and very fragile beaded bag. This was in the Christmas stuff, and I almost tossed it to the side, but I gave it another look. It has tons of teeny glass beads and it is all hand sewn. It is really sweet and I am glad that I found so it can be appreciated.

So, what have you found lately?

It's Turkey Time...For Now

I decorated for Fall and Thanksgiving this year. Well, I always decorate some, but this year, I dug in my stash and brought it all in. It's not even Thanksgiving yet, but I am contemplating taking it all down this weekend. Before the big day. I am really, really anxious to see all my Christmas things this year. I really don't know why. Well, really I do. Money is tighter this year, so we have decided to have a more laid back Christmas. We're not going to worry so much about lots of gifts and spending money. I am going to decorate to the hilt. We are going to make cookies. We are going to every parade that we can find. We are going to the Mall to hear Middle School Choirs sing "Hallelujah." We are just going to have fun and not stress. (After the decorating is done - I stress over that a lot. But, I love it too!)

So, before it is all gone....a quick house tour:

Top of my bookshelves. I've never found too much vintage fall stuff, so I still have my scarecrows and crows. (The Bean's Cherokee name is Crow Walker, so I have a lot of Crows in his honor.)

A whole lotta stuff crammed on the bookshelves. I have had those "HAPPY THANKSGIVING" blocks since we got married. You can turn them all different ways to make them say "MERRY CHRISTMAS, BE MY VALENTINE, HAPPY EASTER, HAPPY HALLOWEEN and HAPPY 4TH OF JULY." I considered getting rid of them this year since they are getting older and are a bit more cutesy than I like now. But, The Bean got sad. "We've had those my whole life!" he said. They won't be going anywhere anytime soon.....

The corner of the living room. I love my big old enamel Turkey Platter, the vintage turkey planter and my latest find - four Gurley Pilgrim candles for 10¢ each. I had not memories of that big tall turkey in the corner. He must have been an after Thanksgiving find last year. It's always fun to find "new" things each year.

I left up my paper lanterns. I like the glow they add to the living room. I have an entire General Store Village that will be put out at Christmas. In the center of the shelf, I have my one single Thanksgiving General Store. It gets harder and harder to find a new General Store each year.

The Mayflower made from a milk carton, construction paper and a drinking straw. Loooooove those Kindergarten craft projects!

These silly Pilgrim squirrel salt and pepper shakers always make me smile.

So, now you've seen it.

I'm off to go cram it all in a box and bring on the Christmas decor!

If you don't hear from me for awhile....that's why!

Pottery and Potties. How's that for a Title?

Saturday I went to a few sales, but I think I only bought two things total. I did manage to run by the Super Cheap Thrift (in hopes that the Christmas items were starting to make an appearance) and I found a few goodies. I knew yard sale season was coming to a halt, so that's okay.

Before I post these photos - I have to say that today was a dark, dark rainy day without a smidgen of sunshine. So, photos were snapped in and around the house until I managed to take some halfway decent ones.

At the one sale I did buy something - this pretty piece of pottery. It isn't marked, but it has the look and feel of the old pottery that I love. I like pink, but honestly this one is a bit more in the mauve area which so reminds me of the early 1990's and my "country blue and mauve" themed Wedding (no country ducks with blue bows, I am happy to report). Needless to say, I'm not in love with it, so it will mostly likely make an appearance on Etsy. *How do you like all that clutter in the background? See why I always take photos my out in that old green cabinet?

This pretty blue relish tray was at the sale where I got the mauve vase. I thought it was pretty - and it is huge - so I picked it up to see if it had a mark on the bottom. It wasn't marked, so I didn't figure I could sell it, so I set it down. When I paid for the vase the lady said, "I saw you look at that aqua dish. Would you please take it home with you?" She said that she really thought someone would snap it up, but all day, I had been the first one to look at it, so she wanted me to have it. I promised her that I would use it at Thanksgiving. It really is pretty and now it has a nice story to go with it. And, a bonus feature - I always make the Relish Tray for Thanksgiving! It was only $1.00 - I'm really surprised that no one had bought it.

Silly vintage "Round TUIT" potholders. These were probably a giveaway at a hardware store or grocery store. You know what a Round TUIT is don't you? I'll do it, when I get a ROUND TU IT.

This was at the Super Cheap Thrift - 50¢ for both pieces. I bought them together like this, but once I got them home, I realized that they are two separate things - a lidded jar and the cute wall hook doll. I really don't know what I will do with them, but I love Nesting Dolls, so I picked it up. Hmmmmm......have I ever shown my collection of Matryoshka?

Proof that the vintage Christmas is starting to trickle in the thrifts - a few vintage plastic ornaments, a vintage snowflake tree topper and a sequined ornament - all 10¢ each. The big Mercury Glass ornaments were 25¢ - they are new, but I like them.

I bought the vintage tree stand solely for the great old packaging. I love my old Dime Store box collection! The Christmas Card box was actually found at my Grandmothers house yesterday. She never saves anything including family mementos. I was really surprised to find this box in a cabinet with some Florida vacation photos in it. I might have added those photos to another box and I might have taken the Christmas Card box without Grandma's authorization. Maybe.

And now, my favorite find of the day. I actually had one of these a few years ago and I gifted it to someone in the "Tacky Gift Exchange" (Hi Austinite, if you still check in...) and I have really been sick ever since I gave it away. It is seriously tacky. Are you ready? Are you sitting down?

Well, get UP! You are siting on my toilet seat cover! A bedazzled, sequined SANTA toilet seat cover! Can it get any better than that?

Why, yes, yes it can. Lift the lid and Santa covers his eyes. This thing absolutely cracks me UP! The fact that someone actually handmade it makes me even happier. "Whatcha making Martha?" "Why I'm making a sequined Santa toilet seat cover, of course." "Okaaaaaaaaaaay..." Will this actually appear on our toilet this Christmas? Probably not. But, it will make an appearance somewhere.

Tomorrow it is finally going to get cold. And a chance of snow flurries on Tuesday. I've really loved the warm weather, but I don't see how people in warm climates ever get used to decorating for Thanksgiving and Christmas in 80 degree weather. I'm ready for cooler temperatures. Bring on the jackets and the turkey and the Christmas lights. I'm ready! (Sorry Mumsie, I know you aren't).

Sparkle

Today, when I was checking out at the grocery store, the checker told me I "Sparkled."

Thinking my personality must be at an all time high or worrying that perhaps there is a bit too much New Moon excitement at our house, I remembered what I had done that morning.

Ah, yes Glitter Sparkle.

Not Vampire Sparkle.

Whew.