Magpie Ethel

New Year 2015

I scurried and got my Christmas put away so I could start the year fresh with some New Years decorations.

I left my white garland up (that held Shiny Brites for Christmas) and added honeycomb bells...to ring in the New Year.

I did the honeycomb bells in my front window too..you can see them beyond the garland.  Here they are from the street (ignore the glare..we had a SUNNY day after record rainfall in December)

I have a good amount of vintage party decorations. I love the colors of the party horns.

I have a collection of tin noise makers.

Clowns were a very popular image on the noisemakers, but some have really charming designs....like these.

I used my bell tree from Christmas in my living room to continue the bell theme for New Years.

The party blowers have the best paper graphics and colors.  Ever.

Vintage poppers are another winner with their fun colors.

My little niche mantle got alarm clocks and more bells.

One of my little finds this year was the tiny metal bell that has HAPPY NEW YEAR engraved around it.Happy, happy day and happy 2016.  Thanks for following along with me on my vintage and crafting adventures. Appreciate those comments and connections I have made in blogland.  Daily posts on Instagram for more Magpie Ethel fun.  Happy New Year everyone!!!

 

Magpie Ethel Christmas House Snippets, Part Four

A few more tidbits to share.

I decorate my bannister to match the garland in my living room/dining room. Instead of Shiny Brites it gets decorated with old foil candy cones and vintage Christmas corsages.  The finial is a old child's bedpost finial.

One of my favorite decorations is my bell tree. I manage to collect a few bells to add each year.  It is really full.

I decorate my kitchen a little bit too. I seem to spend a bunch of time at the kitchen sink and love this little scene. Candy canes were the theme on the windowsill this year.

 My collection of Christmas card list boxes.


Last but not least I have snowman land.

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

Hope your day is happy!

 

Magpie Ethel Christmas House Snippets, Part Three

More holiday snippets to share today.  I do love the Christmas Season.

One of my favorite holiday decorations is a garland that I hang between the living and dining rooms.  It hangs from fishing line from wood ceiling trim and hugs my ceiling arch.  I decorate it with a mass of colorful shiny brites.  This is my photo from Instagram this year. (the photo has my most likes ever for a photo...at 1287!)

A little spin through the dining room today.

I have my frame with the photos of my kids on their Santa visits.  I decoupaged this frame years ago with color copies of old greeting cards.  There are 15 photos of my kids and Santa.  I did a blog post on it way back when in more detail here.

I did not think I collected many more Santas this year, but my china hutch top certainly is very full of the jolly fellow.

Santa mugs in the cabinet.  Santa figures above.

The light up fellow on the far right is new this year.

The largest Santa is new this year as well. He is styrofoam and I bought him to resell. That never happened.

Ive also got a little forest of vintage bottlebrush trees lined up on my window valance.
One more snippet to share tomorrow.  Tis the season...

Magpie Ethel Christmas House Snippets, Part Two

Today we are whirling about in the living room.  I don't decorate the whole house, but those rooms I do decorate really get the holiday spirit.

I'm lucky to have an old house with built in niches.  This little spot is perfect for my deer and vintage tree collection. I really like decorating like things with like things.

I don't think I will ever tire of the giant deer head.  It just is the perfect thing in this display.  This year I managed to hang it with my vintage handmade wreath encircling its head.

The styrofoam fireplace I found last year with the deer on the side also works so well in this space.
I've got a little boot, candy cane, Santa display over here. I pull out the mirror each year specifically for this display. The big Santa head on the right is new this year.  I like the way he is missing part of his beard and that just seems to work with not hiding the mirror.

I've got a few Santas displayed with some old bottlebrush trees.  I corral the trees up with handmade vintage card boxes.

I think the show stopper of the living room is this crazy wall of Santa heads. There is no missing this when you walk in the door. I added about 4 new heads to the wall this year.  The cardboard Santas on top of the cabinet are mostly old store displays.  

To the left

To the right

My cabinet in the center has a collection of mercury glass and chenille candles. A shelf of shiny.

Stockings are hung.

I have an obsession with little white vintage trees.  I tucked them all on this cabinet and decorated them with my chenille angels with porcelain heads.  I also tucked my other ceramic angels in this spot. Vintage mercury glass garland rounds it out.

My coffee table has another little white tree with my trio of funny faced ornaments.

Another snippet shared.  A new one tomorrow! Tis the season...

 

 

Magpie Ethel Christmas House Snippets, Part One

Christmas week.  How did that happen?  I will have a few posts up this week to share my holiday house craziness.  I certainly love decorating for this season.  I added one new blow mold Santas this year to the front yard.  I try and not do duplicates.  I never tire of my Santa front porch.

This is my new fellow.  He came with a reindeer.  I had no idea where I would put him and the bushes in the front of my house just support him.

He joins rest of the gang that decorate my front porch.

I did the aluminum tree in my front window again this year.  I am so busy during December it is easier to pull it out of the box that go hunt down a fresh tree.  I love the aluminum kind, but I miss the smell of a fresh cut tree.

My little Santas stand guard this year and gaze out the window.

Before we head inside, I decorated my driveway this year as well.  I have a little neighbor gal who is almost 2 and exchanted with my house.  I did this little scene for her so when their car pulls up, this greets her.

I also found these terrific SEASONS GREETINGS wood letters at and estate sale this summer. I paid $5 for the box.  They fit perfectly across the trellis on my garage.  Meant to be.

Time to head indoors. I usually tuck my store display stork away somewhere for the holidays.  This year I gave hime some mercury glass garland bling and let him live by my aluminum tree.

My aluminum tree is decorated with only vintage ornaments.  It really does sparkle and shine.

I have a big collection of vintage holiday boxes.  I have never quite figured out how to display them so this year I tucked them under the table with my tree.  I like all the vintage graphics peeking out.

Last but not least one of my favorite finds this year.  If you follow me on Instagram you have already seen these.  A trio of inflatable choir angels. Those sweet little faces!

More house snippets to come.  If all goes according to plan I will have a post each day until Christmas Day. Tis the season...

 

Crafty Wonderland Recap 2015

Wow!  What a weekend.  This was my seventh year as a vendor for Crafty Wonderland and once more it did not disappoint.  20,000 was the official count for weekend customers. They added a Friday night early buying event this year so it was a long weekend.  Long, but awesome. I arrived at 10 a.m. on Friday to set up.  Customers came through the doors that night from 5-9.  I was ready for them.

Saturday and Sunday the show was from 11-6.  I had a helper both days.  It was great to see so many people that read my blog or follow me on Instagram.  It was just a really fun show. Here come the photos.

This black shelf is the perfect place to display Ethelville.

I switched up my colors a bit this year too. I used a pink/coral curtain for my backdrop.  I found a bunch of green netting table covers with white ball fringe in estate sale land this summer.  I used that with white tablecloths and really liked the color combination.

Crafty Wonderland also means my show season is over for the year.  It is a 6 week period of hard work.  All Saints, Plucky Maidens, Laurelhurst, Etsy, the front window at Monticello Antique Mall and then Crafty Wonderland...I'm a busy gal.

Tis the season.

Thank you to all who help support my little business and who follow along with me on my blog, Facebook and Instagram. Happy holidays.

One More Show - Crafty Wonderland Super Colossal Holiday Show

I've got a new vendor apron to wear to my last show of the season.  I will be wearing it this weekend at Crafty Wonderland!  I love this show!  This is my seventh year as a vendor and nothing compares to this amazing event.  Come check it out this weekend.  

December 11th - early buying tickets. 5-9  

December 12th and 13th - 11-6 FREE.

Oregon Convention Center, Hall D, 777 NE Martin Luther King, Portland, Oregon 

For more information on the show you can go here.

Laurelhurst Winter Bazaar Recap

I had another show this past weekend, Laurelhurst Winter Bazaar.  The show is at a local elementary school and the school is old and quite charming.  The crowds that shop it are great and I had a wonderful time.  (Note the amazing ceiling and beams.  The school hangs snowflakes and paper chain garland for the event...charming!)

We have a two hour window to set up before the doors open.  I arrive at 7 and I an rushing to the very, very end to get everything into place.  I am literally down to the wire with set up....but I get it done. The spaces are 10x4 and I have a double that is two deep. My space wraps in front and around me. I stand in the middle.

Side view

Back side.

The layout works really well for me.  Here we go on photos.

My light up jewelry tree was the first thing to sell.

A super great day.  I love meeting many people from IG and those that follow my blog.  I have many repeat customers which are always fun to see each holiday season.  I tell people I have found my little niche in life that makes me happy.  A happy life is good.

One more show to go. Crafty Wonderland is this weekend. It is the biggest of all he shows on my schedule.  3 days! I'm almost ready.

Rocking the Holiday Happy Window at Monticello Antique Mall

Amy from Into Vintage, called me a few months ago and said we had been asked to do the front window at a local antique mall together.  I jumped at the chance to do it with her.

Yesterday we spent the entire day setting up the from window at Monticello Antique Mall.  It was all the happy magic that I could wish for in a holiday store window.  (It also helped that Amy painted the walls the day before so we had a nice clean slate to work with).

Here we go.  This is at the start.  9 a.m and we had a few props moved in.  It isn't a big window, but plenty of potential for a great display. I'm outside taking the photo and you can see my reflection in the glass. VERY PHOTO HEAVY POST.

8 hours later we had transformed...and I MEAN TRANSFORMED the space. (Bear with the photos.  It was just dusk as we were finishing up and the light wasn't super.  It is also hard to step back enough to capture the room.  Still lots of fun eye candy to share)

 

Some of the crazy details were one of my favorite things.  I had some old corrugated scalloped poinsettia border print that we used along the top of the walls.  Amy hung old paper lanterns from the ceiling and added gold tassels to give it a little more over the top fun.  It looked awesome.

Old child size ironing boards make terrific displays. I use them in my shows quite a bit.  This pink one was sweet.

And became even sweeter when lined with Holt Howard hot pink feather angels.

We did manage to fit a full size bike in the window. It is painted a terrific green.

We have a whole rack of vintage stockings hung from and old crib bedspring.

I found a GIANT light up Santa earlier this year and it is perfect in the window.

Joining the Santa on the wall was a big blowmold deer.

I love these giant red Christmas lights.

The kitschy little Santa and snowman heads that we hung in the window are wonderful.  I saved a few for my personal collection.

' Amy and I finished up after 5.  This was the view from outside if someone was strolling by.

Holiday happy. (this is Santa riding the bike)
Ho, ho, ho...what a fun day with Amy! We rocked that window.