Silver Sunday #2

I've added two new widgets over there in my left sidebar, to give you the ability to subscribe to my blog's feed by email or an easy link to put me in your blog reader. I feel a little silly doing this, assuming that anyone actually reads the nonsense I write and wants it in their email box, but I did it anyway, just in case.

More importantly, I'm joining the Silver Sunday blog party hosted by Beth at Gypsy Fish Journal!


Today I want to show you my new favorite piece of jewelry. I bought it back in early December at one of my favorite places to shop when I am in Utah, Dear Lizzie.

The bracelet is made from the handles of two pieces of sterling silver flatware that are joined by a silver link. Hanging from the silver link are three little Swarovski crystal beaded dangles and a single vintage mother-of-pearl button set in a silver bezel.

(You can click on the photo to see it larger)

I LOVE IT. Oh, how I love this little trinket! It fits perfectly and is feminine and lovely and classic and I'm pretty sure I want wear it every single day, even if I'm doing nothing fancier than scrubbing toilets and doing laundry. Maybe wearing such a charming bauble would make those tasks a bit more pleasant.

Visit Gypsy Fish Journal to see the complete list of Silver Sunday participants!

Vintage Wedding Photos

I would personally like to thank the blogosphere for not posting very much today, because it led to a productive day for me...

• lots of laundry done, folded and put away
• scrubbed down the walls, door & ceiling fan in the office
• cleaned the cobwebs lurking around the ceilings (festive in Halloween, not so much in January)
• scanned the old wedding photos for a forthcoming project
• hung my new cork board (blog post to come)
• hung the battery organizer
• hung the mop/broom organizer
• hung the charger/mount for the new Dust Buster
• hung the magnetic tool strip

Those last four items have been on my To Do list for quite a while now and it feels SO GOOD to get them done. I bought a set of key hooks tonight at Target (just like yours, Amy!) and that will be hung tomorrow. Phew!The old wedding photos are a project that I've had lurking around in my brain for a long time--you could say they're on my Home Decor To Do list and have been there for literally years. I'm hoping to capitalize on my post-Christmas burst of decorating/organizing energy to at least the get the project started!I have in my possession a collection of wedding photos that range from probably the 1920s to the 1950s. Here's the kicker--I don't know who 97% of the people in them are. They are most likely distantly related to me; the photos came from my grandfather and I believe they originally belonged to his mother, so they're relatives of my great-grandparents.
I used them as part of the table decorations at my wedding reception:

Photo copyright Rebecca Montague Photography

Each table had a neat metal tripod centerpiece with flowers and then one of the photos at the bottom, surrounded by votive candles and red rose petals. I loved the vintage touch they added!

These photos are so beautiful that it's a shame to keep them hidden away, but figuring out how to display them has been a challenge. The photos are all still in their original cardboard folders and are glued in tight so they can't be easily removed. Normally I'd use Un-Du to loosen up the old glue but as these are irreplaceable, I don't want to take any chances with the Un-Du leaving stains.
The other problem is that the sizes are strange--not the standard 5x7 or 8x10 that you find in modern photos, so that makes finding suitable frames an issue.
So here's my plan: I scanned all of the photos without removing them from their folders. I'm going to fiddle around with them in Photoshop Elements and see if I can adjust the contrast to best show the details, then adjust the sizes into 4x6, 5x7 and 8x10, then print them onto cardstock.
Once I have the photos all resized, I'll know how many of each size frame I'll need. I'll find the frames at the thrift store and spray paint them all black so they'll be uniform. I may or may not use white mats, it will depend on how inexpensively I can find them to purchase (I don't think I'm up to purchasing a mat cutter to do it myself). I think I'll also hang a black and white wedding photo of my own, but I have to choose one first. I already know where I want to hang them--I have the perfect big empty wall in my hallway upstairs. That means that only my family is going to get to see them regularly, so I have a feeling I may be dragging guests up there to show off my photo wall for a while. Local friends, if you come to my house, be a good sport come upstairs to see my photos, will you?

This project is still miles away from completion, but at least I've taken the first step to getting it off my To Do list and onto my wall! Hopefully I can update you with my progress.

Book page wreath

Today it occurred to me that if I spent half the time I do looking at what other people are doing around their homes (ie, reading blogs) on actually DOING things around MY OWN home, I'd have this place whipped into shape in no time.

Huh.

Easier said than done, however.

One project I have managed to finish is this book page wreath from the great tutorial on Living With Lindsay.
I've wanted to make this wreath for a while but didn't have the time or energy (or clean counter space) before Christmas. Now that all the holiday decor is put away and my house is looking bare, I've finally had time to put it together.

Lindsay's tutorial is very thorough and I followed her instructions exactly. I used a green foam 10" wreath form from the Dollar Store and a paperback book that I bought for 45¢ at a thrift last week. My book was a trade paperback, but I couldn't tell what size of book Lindsay used. I watched her video on how to roll the pages but once you start doing it yourself, you figure out which way you like the best. It's very, very easy! I figure I used around 120 pages on my wreath.I'm very pleased with how my wreath turned out! I have it hanging over an old window on my wall and I like how the round shapes in the wreath contrast with the straight lines of the window panes.

Now, what to do with the extra book pages? I'm thinking something along these lines...

Happy New Year with toadstools

2010...BRING.IT.ON.

Sparkling Winter White swap--sent

I always manage to forget to photograph my swap package before I send it off (you'd think after doing this repeatedly I'd learn--nope!) so I only have photos of two of the items I made for Kelly, but I thought I'd share anyways:

I had fun making this tulle wreath, an idea I saw on a blog and have had tucked away in my brain for a while. I used a 10" white foam wreath form and three rolls of white tulle from the Dollar Tree (each roll contains 8 yds, so 24 yds total). I simply decided on a length, cut all my tulle into pieces and knotted each one around the wreath form. I purchased my wreath at JoAnn's, but my Dollar Tree sells 10" green wreath forms, though you'd need to cover them with ribbon first so the green doesn't show through the tulle.

To embellish the wreath I created a vintage-style corsage, using some of my actual vintage Christmas corsages for inspiration. I used some vintage silver foil leaves, vintage silver glass ornaments (these were meant for floral arrangements and already wired), and some giant silver jingle bells from my stash. I used white pipe cleaners to create stems for the jingle bells and an additional white pipe cleaner to make a pair of spirals to add interest. I wrapped the whole thing in white floral tape and tied with a piece of white velvet ribbon, then used hot glue to attach it to the wreath. I'm very pleased with how it turned out and I think my 'corsage' is a pretty good recreation of a vintage one!I also made Kelly a bouquet of button flowers using white, silver, glass and rhinestone buttons. I've made quite a few button bouquets this past year and I have loved them all! They're so easy and fun and maybe even a bit addictive.

To see more of the goodies sent and received in this swap, check out the Flickr group!

Sparkling Winter White swap--received

I don't know what my problem is, but every year it seems like I finally get my best Christmas decoration inspiration and gift ideas on about the 21st, when it's far too late to actually do anything about it. Never fails, I tell you--and this year was no exception.

My decor inspiration actually arrived a bit earlier in the form of my swap package from Kelly, but in between house guests and last minute shopping, I didn't have the time to do anything about it. Maybe next year, and Kelly's fabulous package gives me a good head start!

The theme for our swap this time was "Sparkling Winter White" with theme colors of white and silver. My swap came packaged in this awesome vintage aluminum cake carrier:Isn't that THE most clever idea for a gift container? I LOVE it! I actually have a small collection of cake carriers, so this one will fit right in! Love gift wrap that is a gift in itself!

When I pulled up the lid of the carrier, my treats were all wrapped in old sewing pattern tissue that Kelly had cut into scallops with pinking shears. So cute! Kelly had used the vintage foil flowers with the turquoise centers as decoration on the handle of the cake carrier. She also sent yummy chocolate sweets, a trio of vintage angel ornaments and some yummy vintage rhinestone *bling*.
Kelly made me this darling garland and the creamy neutral colors and bits of sparkle are what really inspired me. She used stacks of neutral-colored fabrics and sewed them together; each one is perfectly shabby and ruffly.

She embellished each letter with hand-sewn beads, sequins, pearls and teeny tiny jingle bells:
Oh, I just love it! The shabbiness of the letters combined with the sparkle of the beads & sequins is just perfect.

Kelly also made me a sweet tussy musy cone using more creamy neutrals, vintage ornaments and pattern tissue, and her cousin Gretchen made this amazing snowman for me:
His body is an old bottle filled with silver sequins and glitter and still sporting the original foil label. The snowman has the sweetest glittery face and can you see what she used for his hat? An icing piping tip! Neither Kelly nor Gretchen have blogs, which is a shame because I want to see MORE of what those girls create!

I was so inspired by the beautiful neutral palette that Kelly used. I wish I'd had more free time before Christmas because it made my fingers itch to create! Maybe I can remember them and start earlier next year--like in about August, perhaps!

Christmas leftovers

Just a few leftover photos I haven't blogged. Although I didn't do much decorating this year, I did manage to make a few new displays.

This one was inspired by Jane, who also used thrifted ice skates on her front door. Those are my skates and I poked in some greenery and junk that I pulled out of a old floral arrangement. I've wanted to do something similar for several years, ever since I saw a photo of blue vintage skates in an old Matthew Mead holiday publication. I've never been able to find a pair of those blue skates, but the white ones work too. Cute, and I can just pull the stuff out of the top when I want to use them to go skating!

One of my favorite vintage Christmas collections are my beaded mercury glass picks. I haven't thrifted many--most have been purchased from antique shops, though I did manage to find a few really neat ones this past summer at a garage sale. I happened to have polished my silver champagne bucket for the Christmas dinner I decorated earlier in this month, so I combined the two and came up with this:
There are some lumps of floral foam wedged in the bucket and I simply poked the picks into the foam. I love how it looks, and I was surprised at how many picks I've amassed!

Back tomorrow to share the goodies I received in the Sweet Goodness Sparkling Winter White swap!

From amidst the wrapping paper carnage...

"The closest thing to heaven on this planet anywhere,
Is a quiet Christmas morning in the Colorado snow."
-Tennessee Ernie Ford


Merriest of Christmas from

Yes Heidi, there is a Santa Claus...

...I know this because who else would have left all these treasures at the thrift for me to find on Tuesday evening, and at 50% no less?

The biggest, fluffiest bottle-brush wreath I've EVER seen...A kitschy-cool plastic wreath in non-traditional colors...
Two unused linen tea towels, still sporting their labels...
A length of vintage patterned yardage...
Felt + beads + sequin goodness...
Vintage plastic ornaments, perfect for next Christmas when I'll have a 15-month-old little boy on the loose...
A bag full of the type of vintage ornaments that make you literally catch your breath and sprint to get the bag in your cart before anybody else spots the treasures therein...

Ornaments that will make it hard to decide whether to keep or sell...
The most perfect shade of aqua... (speaking of which, did you see this? WORD.)

And tarnished silver for which the cashier gave me 50% off, even though it isn't strictly Christmas decor...

The Fat Man came through for me this week in a big way, and I hope he pays a visit to you tonight!

Vintage Christmas Monday (on a Tuesday)

If my life right now was to be represented by me swimming, I'd barely have my nose above the surface of the water. I feel like I've been operating on a stress level of 13 (on a scale of 1 to 10) for more than a month now, and it's definitely taking its toll on my mental state. My memory is like Swiss cheese lately and I feel like I'm constantly moving in slow motion--no matter how much I run around, I hardly get anything done. I'm most definitely overloaded--some of which is my own fault, and some that I can't help. I caught myself this morning thinking, "If I can just get Christmas over with, I'll be fine and I can rest." Over with? What? I need an attitude adjustment, stat! So even though I still have a To Do list that's a mile long, I'm going to try hard over the next few days to let go of perfection and enjoy the moment (thanks for the much-needed reminder, Jane!)

So, then. Onto Joan's final Vintage Christmas Monday party, to which I am a day late. For this last installment, I thought I'd show my very favorite vintage Christmas decoration, my tree!I know that I'm not supposed to love material things and all that jazz, but I think my beloved aluminum pom-pom tree and my collection of beautiful vintage ornaments may rank up there in my Top 5 Material Possessions. I love my tree so, SO much. I say it every year, but when the afternoon sun comes in through that window and hits the tree, the *SPARKLE* just blows my mind!

My crazy stressed-out end of November and most of December meant that I only put out about 25% of my Christmas decorations this year. A bummer because I love my vintage Christmas pretties that are packed away most of the year, but maybe a blessing because now I don't have to put so much away, right? However, the first thing I put up and the only thing I really care about was my gorgeous tree and all of the hard-won ornaments that I've found by searching through the crap at garage sales and thrift stores. You can see some of my favorites in this Flickr set (I'd post some of the original photos for you to look at, but I can't find where I filed them on my computer!)

And my thanks to our lovely hostess Joan for making Vintage Christmas Mondays possible! I hope she does it again next year!

It's Rednesday and Vintage Christmas Monday (two days late)

I've been out of town so I'm a bit behind at blogging. Actually, I'm a bit behind in life in general right now, but I'm doing my best to get out of the weeds...

For Sue's Rednesday party, I have this to share:a vintage Rudolph story book that I bought on Monday at an antique store. It's not in great shape (taped spine, ick) but it was el cheapo and it's cute and I can read it to Maren. It's flanked by two vintage flocked red reindeer, both found this year in my thrifting.

I'm two days late but I'm going to join Joan's Vintage Christmas Monday for this week anyway. These photos are of some of the vintage Christmas lovelies at my parents' house. It's fun to share an addiction, although I suffer a far more severe case than they have!

I believe this neat Santa candy container came from a garage sale, lovingly stored in its original box:

Another set of St. Nick and his coursers, this one I found at a thrift and gave to my dad:
This snowman ornament belonged to my great-grandpa and my dad found it in his shed. It has a hole in one side (about 1.5" diameter) and was found with red cellophane sticking out of the hole. We can't figure out what it is--does anyone have any ideas? My first thought was a candy container but it seems a bit impractical for that because the hole is so small. We're stumped!

I bought this tree topper from an antique store. Love the graphics and bright red and green!
And some favorite ornaments from the tree:

It's Rednesday--vintage apron, pin bead Mrs. Claus and gratuitous cute baby photos

Yippee, it's Rednesday! I'm joining Sue's Rednesday party today.


I love this pin and bead Mrs. Claus! She's a Walco craft from the early 1970s and is reminiscent of the pin bead fruit that I collect as well.
I found her at a thrift a few weeks ago, but sadly there was no Mr. Claus to be found. I now have a mission: locate a pin bead Santa and reunite him with the lovely Mrs.!

Found at a rare weekday garage sale when I was out visiting my mom in Utah, I think these are actually from 2008 but I never blogged about them. The crocheted apron is a child's size and somebody turned the vintage tablecloth into cute red-hemmed cloth napkins.

And a favorite red (and blue) thing around here:
Would you just LOOK at that hair? Hee! It's like Muppet hair.This one's blurry but Porter is just the happiest, most smiley baby! He'll be 12 weeks tomorrow (HOW?) and is an absolute delight!