Christmas in the making

I've been decorating for Christmas!  Its my favourite time of year (except for the cold, snow, ice).  In fact, regardless of the weather, I can always feel the the warmth and coziness inside.  Growing up, we didn't have much, except the love of a wonderful family, and that meant more than anything.  Maybe its the memory of all that love which makes me love Christmas so much.  

Anyway, enough of all that emotional stuff! On to the Christmas decorating!  The other day I went to my local Salvation Army, which usually has bubkus!  Lo and behold, on their Christmas display table was a ton of vintage Japanese spun head ornaments!  Some were in packages, and most were loose.  In this bunch was about 10 old putz (is that what they are called?) houses.  They had priced the packaged stuff at $2.99, and all the loose stuff had no prices.  I have to tell you, I looked like a mad woman! I grabbled one of those wheeled baskets with a long handle (no buggies at my Sally Ann), and I loaded it completely with all the vintage stuff.  I loaded it so much that it fell over and things spilled out all over.  Everyone was staring at me!  Well I didn't care! I proudly (and quickly) gathered up all my spilled loot and shoved it back into my basket! After checking out the rest of the Christmas stuff, I made my mad 'dash to the cash'.  The cashier, who knows me, rang up the $2.99 items, then stared at me when it came to the loose things (LOTS of loose things).

She said ".99 each?'
I said 'WHAAAAAT?????!!!'
I have to tell you, sometimes my local salvation army charges more for some of its junk than the same new item costs at Walmart!  
Then, the cashier looked at me and said 'Okay, $2.99 for the lot?'
'hmmm....okay...' I said nonchalantly(jumping up and down and screaming...in my head!).

Not only was there about 9 or 10 putz houses, there were lots and lots of spun head snowmen, angels and 3 very pretty mica birds!  I've only found one before, and the tail was broken.  This time, I had three, practically pristine, mica birds! One pink, blue, and silver! 

Soooooo Lovely!!!

I quickly stashed them in a box in my basement!  If anyone was to break into my house, I wanted my old crap (my husbands term) safe! I didn't know what I was going to do with my new treasures, but I didn't care!  They were mine!

Then, two days ago, I was standing in line at my local Homesense (same as American Homegoods) and right by the cashiers, I found three glass and brass boxes for $5.99 each.  I knew they would be useful all year long, but for now, they would be great for displaying delicate vintage Christmas!

I think they are great!

A bit of glittery fake snow...and a vintage mica bird...and voilá!

I used one of the vintage snowmen to make a mason jar 'snow globe':

but its in a pedestalled mason jar, which my daughter bought me for wine! You can take the girl out of the country...

I bought two of these glittered reindeer heads at homesense too!  Tacky but oh so sweeeeet!

I've also started bleaching bottlebrush wreaths...

Here they are soaking in a bleach water mix. I'll show you how they turn out when their done...

Hope you are all having fun with your decorating! Have a great day!

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Its So Very Cheri Linky Party

Common Ground Vintage Inspiration Christmas

Whew its been a while!

I can't believe how long its been since my last post!  Well, actually I can.  Its been eating me up, because I've been itching to blog, but my computer was busted.  Not really busted, just that my memory on my little MacBook Air was all full!  I couldn't download any more photos.  Bummer!  I actually didn't know that was the problem, until the 'genius' told me that he couldn't believe how many photos (of crap ... he didn't say it, but I knew he was thinking it...)I had on my computer.  They told me I had to get another hard drive and download my iPhoto onto that. Finally did it, and I can download photos now, but its still not quite right...Needless to say I have another appointment with the genius bar...Good news is that I was finally able to download some photos!

Anyway, I've been busy busy busy (mostly cause I'm inefficient!) since my last post.  A large Canadian hardware/automotive chain shot one of their Christmas commercials in my kitchen, which involved removing my dining table and building a huge fake gingerbread house in its place:

That same day,my youngest child was in her first Feis, an Irish dance competition!  She is just beginner level, but she received a third place medal for the light reel (jig?)...bad mommy! You can see she is still wearing it in the Gingerbread house photo.

My oldest son was cast as a head elf in an ereader Christmas commercial.  He looked adorable but looked more like a hobbit than an elf (soooo adorable).

I started decorating for Christmas:

Elvis with his elves!

Some of my favourite Japanese Christmas ornaments.

I made a chalk board (you can just see it peeking out from behind the snowman) but havent written on it yet.

I also bleached and dyed bottle brush trees.  I had to use food colour as they have stopped selling rit dye anywhere in the Toronto area! Then I sprayed them with glitter spray, and they look wonderful!

Aren't the colours beautiful?  I loved the white ones too, so I kept a few undyed.  It wasn't as simple as the tutorials I read.  There were a couple of blips along the way.  Like the first bag of trees I bought weren't Lemax, but a Walmart brand.  They didn't work.  They just wouldn't bleach out, regardless of how long I left them in the bleach!  Also, the Lemax trees did bleach, but some of them the tips and branch ends turned blackish...don't know why. Anyone know why it does this?

Oh yeah!  I hung up another four mirrors on my wall of mirrors!  We bought all the new mirrors from our weekend at Niagara on the Lake last week.  One of my favourite mirrors, was broken at the ornamental crown, but I liked it anyway!  So this is what I did:

See the broken piece on the left hand side photo?  I wrapped it in vintage lace, and attached it with a vintage broach.  Its so lovely! My husband thought I was nuts buying it, but the etched mirror was too pretty to pass up!

Now that my computer is working again, I will be blogging more frequently again!  I missed it. Ciao for now!

SCORED AND STORED

I don't know whats up with me lately.  Instead of cleaning my basement and not doing anything else until its done, I'm rearranging the main floor, rejigging my kitchen decor, crafting, etc...you know things that can be done, but should be done LATER.  After all the important, mature, clean up stuff is done.  Instead I've been rejigging every chance I get (you notice I don't say 'reorganizing'...that implies organization...that doesn't happen in my home!). So it LOOKS like the house stuff is getting done, just don't look under the carpet (or in the basement...or in the garage...). Well, I'm kinda cleaning the basement...I'm bringing up stuff I've scored and stored.  I've been scoring and storing in my basement for years!  Some call it hoarding, but we don't use that dirty dirty word around here! Score and store sounds sexy, doesn't it?  I don't sell any of my scores, although I wish I did.  So, what do you do with so much stuff? Store it! I don't need help yet, I mean I can still walk in many parts of my basement!  I don't rent storage facilities yet!  Anyway, so I've kind of been tidying the basement because many of my scores have come up and been displayed (however, many of my old displays have gone down to the basement to be stored). 

I scored this vintage Canada Dry bottle rack two years ago, and stored it in my garage for just as long.  After cleaning the rust as best as I could, I sprayed the rust with clear varnish.  I rubbed some of the bare, really rusty bits with watered down chalk paint in old white. I cut cardboard to fit the shelves, then lined them with Cath Kidston green star oil cloth.

The collection of vintage rolling pins used to be displayed in my bread box, but now call the upper shelf home.  That upper shelf looks like it could hold at least 5 more, don't you think? I'll get back on the hunt!

Then some of my scored and stored primary colour pyrex came up, along with my vintage wood egg cups, and glass bake cups (I love those!).

So, as there was only a lavender stool here, I managed to clear out my garage and basement quite a bit!  Patting myself on the shoulder now!

I scored and stored this canister set a year ago.  It broke my heart that I didn't have any room to display it in my kitchen! So, I did a little rejigging, and up it came!  This little tin fridge used to be on the chair.  Now I just display it underneath.

I know its a toy, but its so cute! Look inside!

The freezer used to open, but its now jammed. My nine year old daughters best friend keeps hinting that she 'loves it' and would just 'die to get it'.  Well back off sister!!!!  Its mine all mine!!!

Anyway I promised my husband I would go back to the basement tomorrow and not come back up until I had cleaned it up completely and totally!  Well, at least until it was time to cook dinner! Hope you all have a great day!

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Jennifer Rizzo's Fabulously Creative Fridays

Crafting for Halloween 2012!

Well another Halloween is approaching, and I hate to think that Christmas is right around the corner! I love Christmas, but that means cold, snow, blizzards, coats, boots, more blizzards, shovels, etc...but this post is about Halloween not blizzards and more blizzards! 

Yesterday was my birthday, and on Saturday night (the eve of my birthday)I sat around and crafted! It really is one of my favourite things to do and lately with life getting busier and busier, its becoming a real luxury. Anyway, Saturday night, wine glass next to me, I gathered my supplies (including my Hubs)...

Styrofoam head (I drew in bloodshot eyes), foam brushes, watered down white glue, coffee stained paper towels and gauze. I cropped the wine glass out of the photo...

Pulled out the crafting bible.

• Martha said to wait TWO DAYS for the coffee soaked paper and gauze to dry, but I threw it in the dryer for ten minutes.
• Also Martha said to make glue with flour and corn syrup...not for me.  I don't like using sugary things in glues.  I don't want any ants, bugs, other critters smelling sugar! Also, don't like sticky surfaces.  I used watered down white glue.

Layer the paper towels with glue all over the head in as many layers as it takes to make it look good.  I had 2-3 layers, and then added a few layers of gauze.  Martha only uses gauze to lay around the head. I found the glued on gauze really helped the 'mummy' look realistic (well, as realistic as a mummy head on your kitchen table can look).

Voilá!

All right, Mr. DeMille,I'm ready for my close up...

This is my good side...

No, I think this side may be better...

I'm so 'damned' good looking! If looks could kill!

She reminds me of myself after I had surgery on my nose! Really quite loverly! Now she is ready to join the rest of the gang at the 'Loretta' households Halloween party...

We play all kinds of fun games here...

We shop for only the freshest of ingredients...

While organ meats are yummers, we can't forget our veggies! Black pumpkins are extra nutritious!

To serve a meal thats fit for a Queen...

We spare no expense.  We have lovely after dinner mints...sugar free so they won't rot your lovely teeth...

Won't you join us in the festivities?  But they haven't begun yet...Still have lots to do before the bewitching begins!

See you soon!

Sharing the fright at these lovely blogs:

Jennifer Rizzo's Fabulously Creative Fridays

 Keeping it Simples' Motivate me Monday Party
Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays at Coastal Charm