wishing you a merry christmas!

Hello Dear Friends!
Well, I can't believe that Christmas is next week! I really don't know where this month, let alone this year went. There is still so many things to do on my project list, but I am also having a creative brain fog and am in need of a break, so they may just have to wait until next year. I do have a few more gifts to make, and then it will be time to rest and recharge for the new year! I have a lot of new ideas for the shoppe, too which I am excited to start making.

 This is our cute little tree filled with all of my favorite vintage ornaments. I am still on the hunt for a vintage star or angel for the top of the tree, so for now a sparkly silver star will do!
 
This beautiful vintage ice skate was a gift from the sweetest and talented Donna of Donna's Lavender Nest. Isn't so gorgeous! I absolutely love it and all the special details she added!! Thank you so much Donna!  

Some more decorations around my home. The little Santa angel is a new treasure I found recently, along with another one.

More Christmas treasures...

My vintage typewriter all decked out.

My advent calendar that I made last year, a red tinsel tree with a vintage glass Shiny Brite topper that I found last week, and the pretty star ornaments I made last year inspired by the ones the talented Miss Renee made last year, which you can find her tutorial here!

My kitchen shelf little Christmas goodies sprinkled throughout.

 The little place card holder figures found the perfect spot to show off their cuteness. I really love decorating and looking at all these sweet decorations each day. It is so sad to take it all down, which is why I wait until after New Years to do so. How about you? I thought I would share that I listed the vintage Rushton Santa on ebay if you are interested! He needs a good and loving home! ;)

May you all have a most joyous and blessed Christmas and New Year! Thank you for all your love, support, and inspiration this year. You have truly blessed me and brightened my year! Enjoy the holiday season and I will be back in 2014! 

Merry Christmas!! 

"But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord..."Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rest." Luke 2:10,11,14

                                  

the stockings were hung...

Happy Friday!

I hope that you are staying warm and have been enjoy this Christmas season! The weather has warmed up here a little, and it's been quite lovely the last couple days. Thank you for your sweet comments on the jolly Santas! I have been busy working on my list of Christmas projects, and I am happy to finish one of them, which are my vintage inspired felt stockings. 

  I took my own spin on them with pretty felt flowers and holly leaves. I made a couple traditional green and red because there is just something about these colors during Christmas that I do love.

Each have sparkly sequins, a blanket stitch edge, scallop cream top, and silver tinsel all of my favorite things this year.

I also wanted to make a wintry blue and aqua floral one with a white stocking, which is another favorite combination for Christmas colors.

I do love how this one turned out!

 

 And, I also made this pretty one that is a gift for a dear friend. They were all so fun to make and a little addicting, too! I was thinking of maybe even next year having some of these in my shoppe. So, these were my spin on the wonderful vintage felt stockings!

 I have been crocheting some of these pretty star ornaments for gifts using this lovely pattern. I really liked how she used vintage graphics to put in the centers of them, so I had to do the same!

 This is one of my favorite additions to my decorations this year; my Nana's Nativity set.I have always loved seeing it at her home and it brings so many memories as a kid seeing it lit during Christmastime. The figures are a papier-mache composition, and it's from 1969 made in Japan for Sears Roebuck and Co.

 A true family treasure and a beautiful reminder each day of the meaning of Christmas for me!

Well, I have some more gifts and projects to work on this weekend. What sweetness will you be working on? I will be closing my shoppe for Christmas next week, but there is still some time to get any last minute gifts this weekend! All my items come sweetly wrapped ready to give to someone special in your life! 

 Wishing you all a most lovely and creative weekend! 

three jolly friends

A very happy day to you!

I hope that wherever you are you are staying warm and cozy! It has been pretty chilly for sunny CA, but I really love the cold weather during Christmas time. The lowest at night has been high 30's and during the day upper 40's. I love it! Thank you all for your sweet comments on my Christmas hanger!

Well, it has been a lucky week in finding some jolly old friends! A couple of weeks ago while out hunting for Christmas treasures, I saw a sweet vintage Santa toy behind the counter ready to be taken home, but for some reason I just wasn't sure if I was scared of him or not. So, I passed him up but just couldn't stop thinking about him.

 This week I ended up going back to the store and found three of these jolly Santa dolls, but again just wasn't sure even after seeing them a second time, so of course I left them behind. I came home last night and thought how ridiculous I was to not take them, because I always regret and kick myself for not getting something down the road. So, I headed out early this morning arriving at the store to still find them there! Yay! 

They are vintage Rushton Company 17" Santa plush dolls. Each one so unique and truly a work of art with all the detailing in their faces! The green corduroy one is my favorite! There is just something about that emerald green that I love!

 All very nice condition for their age, which I believe is 50's-60's. They all stand, but are a little wobbly.

 

Don't you just love that smile! As I continue to look at them in my home, they don't scare me anymore, and I have actually become a little giddy how cute they really are.

 I will be keeping these two above to treasure and add to my Christmas decorations...

 but will be selling this one in my shoppe for someone else to enjoy and love! You can find more details about this jolly guy here!

Well, I am putting the finishing touches on my felt stockings and will be back later in the week to show you! Hope that you are having a crafty and lovely week, and stay warm! 

                                 

a christmas crocheted hanger

 

Happy Friday!

This week sure did fly by! Hope that it has been a lovely and crafty one for you! Well, I have been busy Christmas crafting and gift making this week. One little project I finished was a sweet Christmas crocheted hanger. 

Awhile back I made this crocheted hanger and I decided that it would be fun to decorate it for the different holidays.

    Since I am crafting this year with felt and sequins, I made these sweet holly berry leaves that I am really loving! There is just something about the combination of felt and sequins that puts a smile on my face!

And, of course a touch of shiny tinsel makes the hanger complete!

I have it displayed on this vintage washboard, and just love the vintage Christmas charm it adds to my home!

I have also been working on some felt stockings this week, and thought I would share a little peak at one! I hope to finish them all this weekend! 

I am excited to be getting our little Christmas tree today which I look forward to decorating tonight! How are your Christmas decorations coming along? Well, I'll be back next week to show you my felt vintage inspired stockings and some more decorations around my home!

Wishing you all a most lovely and crafty weekend dear friends! xo

                                   

a christmas wreath

 

 A very happy Monday and December to you! 

I hope that you had a lovely Thanksgiving and weekend! Well, I started Christmas decorating on Thanksgiving evening as I couldn't wait any longer. I just love going through all the vintage treasures that have been packed away, waiting to bring Christmas cheer to my home. Along with decorating, I wanted to get started on some Christmas crafting, and one project I worked on this weekend was making my Christmas wreath.

I mentioned a few post ago I was collecting vintage plastic poinsettias for a wreath, and this is what I came up with!

 I used a wire wreath form and just hot glued the poinsettias on. There is definitely room for more, and it will be fun to keep collecting them and add them on each year, but I also kinda like it how it is, with the exception of maybe adding some vintage plastic deer if I can find some. 

I also wanted to use the 'Merry Christmas' sign I found recently in the wreath, and I am really lovin' how it all looks together. Such pretty, sparkly plastic goodness!

And, this is the wreath on my front door ready to welcome in sweet friends and family!

 So, my list of Christmas projects seems to keep growing, and this is my newest one! I have been wanting to try a vintage Bucilla kit for awhile, and when I saw this adorable jeweled felt Santa mail bag, I was in love!

 These are all the pieces which I think are so neat and I am excited to get started. I definitely don't think I will be finished by Christmas, as it looks like a lot of work sewing on all the sequins, but maybe not. Have you ever put one of these felt kits together? I look forward to showing you as I work on it this month.

 These cuties I found last week at the thrift store. Those mice always get me, and the little elf boy is just as sweet!

And, this darling deer I found at Target a couple weeks ago. I also grabbed a brown one as they were just too sweet to pass up. I added some silver tinsel to give it that vintage sparkly touch! I find that this year in my Christmas crafting I am so into silvery tinsel, felt, and sequins. There is just something about it all that just makes me smile!

Well, I am off to finish some tote bags for a friend who will be gifted them to her co-workers for Christmas, finish decorating, and work on my felt stockings. What crafty goodness are you working?

Wishing you all a most lovely and creative week!  

 
                                

a happy thanksgiving and sale

 

I wanted to wish you all a beautiful and lovely Thanksgiving! I am so very grateful and thankful for your friendship, love, and inspiration you have blessed me with!

This sweet Pilgrim Boy is from a Workbasket magazine that I thought was cute, and there is nothing like good old fashioned bread pudding! 

 I also wanted to thank you for all your support with my little handmade business, so I am having a Thanksgiving sale in my shoppe!

Enjoy 15% off your order with code "thankful"

May you have a beautiful and blessed Thanksgiving dear friends! xo

                             

 

 

catch up and christmas treasures

 Happy Monday!

Hope that you had a lovely weekend! Thank you for all your sweet support on my Christmas items for the shoppe! There's still some goodies left and this will be my last year making the vintage tablecloth half dresden tea towels, so get one while you can! ;) 

Well, I caught up on my blocks for Donna's Quilt Sampler this weekend. I really love how they are all turning out and can't wait to see them together in a quilt! 

 These last couple weeks I have been trying to hunt for some Christmas treasures at the local thrifts stores, and was super excited to find my first knee hugger elf and a plastic sparkly "Merry Christmas" sign!

  

Isn't he just so cute!! I have plans to add some prettiness to the plastic sign and use it in my Christmas wreath this year.  

 I also purchased online some vintage Sparkle Christmas mica snow from the 40's, which I am just loving the box graphics.

 One lucky day I stumbled across a bag filled with these gorgeous Christmas corsages for under $2! I was so excited when I got home to take them all out and see how sweet each one was!

 The angel with her horn is so precious, and the blue and silver one is so pretty!

And, the Santa is just the cutest and that one is the only one that says "made in Japan" on the back, so I am not sure if the other ones were handmade or purchased. I love them, and look forward to having them out for Christmas, and maybe even wear one. I know, crazy, but I love this kitchy goodness! 

 

 At an estate sale I came across some sweet Santa napkins, and plastic poinsettia's, which I have been collecting in hopes to make a wreath out of all of them.

 

 And,I also found some lovely vintage pot holders and tin molds, which are really coming in handy with storing sequins and other small craft goodies!  

  So, now that the shoppe items are done, my Christmas gifts and projects can start! Yay! There are a few projects from The Workbasket magazines that I want to try including the wreath ornament and poinsettia brooches.

 But, the first project I will be making are felt stockings! I have been wanting to make vintage style felt stockings for awhile and been eying all the sweet vintage ones, so I am setting out this week to give them a try!

Thank you for always brightening my day,and wishing you a most lovely and creative week! And, for those of you in the states, may you have a wonderful and blessed Thanksgiving!