Magpie Ethel

Have a Happy 2009

Christmas decorations are down and just in time to pull out my vintage suitcase full of old new year's decorations.

  Old party hats, noisemakers, cool crepe paper hats, honeycomb balls.

  

The graphics on this old horn are great.

 

Vintage metal noisemakers ready to ring in the New Year.

 

An assortment of old crepe paper hats.  Notice the one in the lower left corner of the nude pin-up style silhouette...for those really wild parties.

Well I've got the decorations, but no party. Quite night home for me and hubby while the kids are out. Teen daughter has a party and teen son is doing a 5k midnight run.  I'll be spending the wee hours of the new year picking up kids from their events.  Happy 2009 to all!

Random Act of Santa Kindness

Yesterday while I was on day TWO of putting away Christmas decorations, the doorbell rang.  When my husband answered the door, a woman was standing there with a paper bag.  I didn't know her but she lived in the neighborhood and she told him that her family really enjoyed my Santa collection on my front porch each year.

Inside the paper bag she was holding were to AWESOME Santas that had belonged to her grandfather. She didn't want them and before she took them to Goodwill she wanted to know if I wanted them for my collection.

Did I ever!  This woman totally made my day with her act of Santa kindness.  Two light-up vintage Santas, original boxes, each standing about 12 inches tall.  Welcome to my Santa collection!  My day couldn't get much better!

Vintage Candy Containers and a Holiday Thank You

Somehow I ended up with yet another collection.  Collection should be my middle name!  I had a couple of these vintage candy cone containers and when I turned around I had 23!  For the most part they are made of foil and they are often patterned or have a design stamped on them.  I like them because they are shiny and festive.  I display them all together hanging from my banister along with a bunch of other shiny holiday doo-dads. 

Some of them still bear the original price tag of 10 cents (from a store called Olds and King)

I also want to thank my friend Kim from Camp Whimsy that recently sent me a Christmas present of assorted goodies.  She recently participated in the Club Little House party and made these adorable little glitter houses.  Kim made an extra and sent it to me.  With all the crazy snowy weather we are having lately, I thought it fitting to send her a snowy thanks.

'

She also sent the great Wendy Addison star. One of my favorite things in the assortment of Christmas fun she sent was this little bird model.  So totally perfect for this magpie.  It is teeny tiny.  The box is just a bit larger than a standard match box.  Very cool.  Thanks so much Kim!

 

Wishing you all a wonderful holiday. Can't believe tomorrow is Christmas Eve...and we have more snow predicted!

Freak Snowy Weather and Random Holiday Decorations

We have had a full week of unusually cold and snowy weather here in Portland, Oregon.  We may get some snow each year, but it is usually quite minimal.  Not this year.  This past week my kids have had 3 days of school canceled due to snow and yesterday we got about 6 inches of the fluffy white stuff.  Last night we had freezing rain which has left a crunchy crust on everything.   Beautiful but BBBRRRR!

  Even my vintage concrete deer is chilly!

The snowy icy crust comes up in big sheets and my husband gave his car a mohawk.

Since I am pretty much home bound today I decided to share some totally random holiday decorations.  On their own not worthy of a post, but combined become a testimonial to the fact that I like odd holiday decor.

Like this moose head.  He was purchased by my in-laws a few years ago with a tree from "The Festival of the Trees" (a big fund raiser here in town).  They hung him once and ever since he has been part of my holiday decor over my fireplace.  This year I festooned him in a vintage blue tulle wreath rather than the traditional green garland one of years past.

Or this collection of tree toppers.  In previous years I have displayed them in glass candlesticks across the top of my china hutch.  This year I decided to mix it up and put them in with my collection of cream ware that I display year round in this glass and metal corner cabinet.

I just placed them randomly in the vases.  I have 29 of them and love all their different sizes, colors and shapes.   

Or how about this collection of vintage boxes.  I love the graphics and they are great to display.  This year I filled an old shopping cart with my collection.

Another way to display old ornaments if you run out of room on your tree is to do something like this.  I strung a green garland from the ceiling in the arched doorway between our dining and living room.  I hang a bunch of old ornaments from it and it adds color to an otherwise unadorned area.

I have a couple of vintage trees that are made to hold holiday greeting cards.  I mix them in with an old tin doll house and some other random quirky holiday estate sale trees.  The two taller wire trees are those meant to display cards.  I don't see them very often and really like mine.

  

There you go.  Random, quirky and one of a kind.  A perfect snowy day post.

A Santa Visit and a Holiday Project

My kids are 15 and 16 now and past the age of visiting Santa to sit on his lap.  When they were younger we would go each year to our local department store, Meier and Frank, where they had a magical Santa Land set up on the 10th floor.  There was a old monorail train (for kids only) that was suspended from the ceiling.  The kids could ride it in a big loop around the perimeter of Santa Land  The whole time they would be riding they would gaze down at Santa in his big chair in the center and yell "Santa, Santa!" to get his attention. He of course was busy with the child sitting on his lap, but it was a magical place.

I took my kids there year after year and 11 of our 15 pictures have the SAME Santa with my children on his lap. 

I love to display these photos, but as the years passed and we had visit after visit...there were alot of photos.  So I made this:

I took an old big photo collage frame that was just a natural wood.  It looked plain and needed a little vintage charm.  I got out my collection of vintage Christmas cards and had color copies made of them.  I then cut them out and decoupaged them to the frame.  I now have a wonderful spot to display all the photos of our Santa visits.  It is one of my favorite holiday things.

Before I was able to fill it completely with photos of my kids I used  pictures of me and my sister and brother and our Santa visits.  I also had some vintage black and white photos of children on Santa's lap.  Now it is entirely full of shots of my kids...it is amazing how fast they grew up!

I loved doing this project! (the frame is big too...each photo is a 5x7), but I just tuck it in a corner for the holidays.

Pink Makes Me Happy

I love old pink Christmas ornaments.  My bedroom is pink (my husband is understanding) and so my pink Christmas collection is what I wake up to each morning.

This is a wire tree that houses part of the collection.  This tree is full!  It also has this great old tinsel ball garland that has tarnished with age.

This little handmade estate sale angel stands guard next to the tree. My mom didn't understand why I bought it.  After I gussied her up a bit she was perfect to add to the pink fun.

I love how many shades of pink there are and how many shapes decorate this tree.

I was excited when I found this little pig tailed gal at an estate sale a few years ago.

I even add a little pink to our windowsill.

A forest of trees and vintage angels.

 

Deck the halls with pink and green. Fa La La La La.....

More Santa Sightings

After sharing my convention of Santas on my front porch I think it is only fitting to share those that live inside.

 

The banner hanging behind the Santas I got on Etsy from Amy at Vintage Home.  Totally makes these guys a bit more festive and ready to ho, ho, ho!

 

These three jolly fellows stand guard next to this charming letter from 1930 (it came with the original envelope as well). 

In my kitchen I have a great built-in.  These santas live in a pink and red candyland, full of lollipops and candy filled jars. (sorry about the photo glare)

I bought the little cutie in the pink suit this year from Jenny at Polka Dot Pixie.  He is perfectly at home with his new friends.

I opened the cabinet door so you could get a better peek. I love the humpty dumpty looking santa on the bottom shelf (above the lollipops) in the center.

How could I love Santa and not collect Santa mugs?  51 and counting.  They live in my china hutch.  I try and not collect duplicates and it is amazing how many different faces they have.  Winky eyes, jeweled eyes, pitchers...you name it I probably have it.

I also collect cardboard Santas that used to be part of store displays.  They are cardboard and usually have a stand on the back.  They range in height from a foot or so tall to about 4 foot.  Their happy expressions just make me smile.

I collect vintage santa faces.  My basement is home to this collection.  This light up Santa is one of my favorites and greets you as you head down the steps.

This guy is made of some type of natural material. He is about 3 foot tall and hangs from a door.

  An assortment of Santas hang from some cabinet doors.

And last but not least this Styrofoam head (about 3 feet tall).  Crazy Santa collection huh?  I think I need to ask the bearded guy for more storage space this year!

Santa Can't Miss My House

My house is hard to miss during the Christmas season. I tell people I live in the house with all the Santas on the porch and they know which one it is.  This is why.

My oh my! What a collection of the jolly old fellow I have!  I have collected them for about 4 years or so and enjoy them on my porch each year.  The majority of them have been picked up at estate sales.  I used to plug them ALL in...plug after plug after plug. It took forever and since I take the majority of them in each night, it was a little crazy.  Now I just use  a spot light to illuminate them.  I do plug in the big guy that stands inside.  He was my big find this past year and is made of a less rigid plastic so he gets to stay all cozy inside.

  This wooden Santa peaks out from inside by my Christmas tree.

Here is my happy little house lit up for the evening.   I'll be posting about more of my Santa collection obsession soon, believe me, it doesn't end on the porch.

Sad Holiday Snowman

A few weeks ago I got a bag of Christmas odds and ends at Goodwill.  Buried amongst all the decorations was this little fellow.

I think he had been to one too many wild holiday parties, and it showed.  He was vintage and I knew I couldn't toss him aside.  Instead I worked some magic on him.

That is him with the green pants.  I think he looks much better and is up for some more holiday fun.  The snowman on the left (with the blue pants) is how he SHOULD have originally looked.

They are a small part of this collection.

   

 

I love this tree. I got it this year at a church sale.  It has tiny little hooks molded on each plastic branch.  At first I didn't know what I was going to hang on the tree, but then I thought I could display all my tiny vintage glass bells on it.  It is very, very cool.  It joins three other small vintage plastic trees that have glass garland wired to each branch. 

 

This is the whole happy family on top of my china hutch.  I was glad the sad holiday snowman could join the party.

Corsage Challenge

Recently on Elizabeth Holcombe's blog Words and Whimsies she had a tutorial for making corsages.  She makes adorable corsages and lists them in her Etsy Shop.  She challenged her blog readers to make their own corsages...well...I was up for the challenge..., but haven't quite finished tweaking mine.

I had this adorable reindeer bell that I have been meaning to do something with for quite awhile.  It is perfect for the corsage.  I like how it is turning out.  Thanks Beth, for the guidance!

Speaking of corsages, I also collect them.  I wear them for my shows at Christmas and also display them in my living room.  I have a recessed area with built in shelves and have alot of family pictures there.  I bought a wire display wreath quite a few years ago and this is where I show off some of my corsages as well as some vintage Christmas cards.  I also swap out the cards according to the season...so there are always some type of vintage greeting cards tucked in the wreath.

Hope you have a wonderful Sunday.  I have 15 coming over for a progressive dinner tonight...time to go run the vacuum and fluff the holiday decor.  Tis the season.