Ho Ho Ho... It's Christmas!

Vintage handmade felt Santa

I hope Santa was good to everyone. Happy Holidays, friends! Wishing you the best for 2013!

In the Air, There's a Feeling of Christmas

This holiday season has been rushed for me. Two days after Thanksgiving, we went on a cruise for a significant birthday of mine. I would like to say it was my 35th or even my 40th but it was a little north of both of those! I'm not complaining but it did put a crimp into my normal holiday decorating - you know, go big or go home. Not to worry... we did get a real tree and it got trimmed.

 

 

Other than the tree, though, most of the decorating incorporated bits and baubles with our everyday style. I thought it turned out festive (enough) but next year, the aluminum tree with the vintage glass ornaments will definitely be making a come back. Here's a peak of most of my holiday decor.

 

Our fireplace "mantle" with vintage velvet deer, candle ring, glass vases,
McCoy Scandia planter, brass deer, wooden owl, and a real antler shed.

Vintage bar cart with ceramic and teak lamp, vintage planters (McCoy & Haeger),
 Red Mill deer family, and more antler sheds.

My other "mantle" - vintage stereo cabinet used as a television stand.

Vintage elf sitting in a Viking glass ashtray.

 

A vignette of vintage Haeger planters,ashtrays, and candle holders with glass ornaments,
deer figurines, and succulents from the summer along side poinsettias.

 

Vintage yarn wreath adorns a door.

 

So, how is your holiday season? Have you put some vintage in your decorating? Here's to 4 days until Christmas - are you ready?

 

Linking to a living space's Nifty Thrifty this week.

Happy Halloweener!

We have not had a single trick or treater since moving to the country - not one in 5 years - I didn't even buy candy this year which is a little frightening. Still, I decorate the front yard for this fall spooktacular although probably not as grand as I did in the city. I love rural America but I miss seeing the little ghosts and goblins filling the streets. Happy Halloweener, everyone!

Oktoberfest or Octoberfabulous?

This is one of the things I love about small towns - they always celebrate in quaint style and the spirit of community is evident. At the 4-way stop in my adopted German-rooted hometown, presently this greets visitors and residents alike. So festive and fun! In early November, the Christmas swagger will go up with lighted symbols of the season on nearly every lamp post on the main road. As a self-professed city girl, this small town has captured my heart. What a lucky find for us!

October has also been lucky for finds of the vintage kind. After an intolerable summer, the fall has been gorgeous and the thrift gods have been kind. Here are several pieces from recent hauls:

My green Haeger pottery collection is growing. The piece on the left
 is one of the largest I have found in any color.

Another Haeger piece - this vase is nearly 13" tall and
will be perfect for some holiday decorating.

And more Haeger. I have never found candle holders before - love them!

I've had a run on vases - this time it's McCoy...

and Stangl Pottery vase from the Antique Gold line of the 1950's.

Here is a beautiful Sascha Brastoff vase with a peacock design.

Teapot made by Desiree of Denmark in the Selandia pattern.

A glossy black pitcher from Arabia of Finland. I have not been able to
identify the pattern but do know it was made from 1971 to 1975.

Santa Anita Ware plate in the Del Mar pattern - Made in California.

Vintage glass container with cork lid.

I apologize for the lack of verbiage but I had several pieces I wanted to share. As you can see, it has been Octoberfabulous for me. How is your autumn thrifting going?

Linking to A Living Space's The Nifty Thrifty and Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday.

Fall Inspired Finds (Plus One Big Dog)

It's a gorgeous autumn day here in mid-Missouri. The temperature was a brisk 36 degrees this morning but has warmed up to a respectable 57 degrees this afternoon. These are the kind of days I love. And even better, it's my Pearl girl's 7th birthday. Our sweet, gentle 120 pound black lab is one of the best fall finds to date - I heart the big lug!  Happy Birthday, Pearl E. Bear!

And speaking of finds, here are a few items I have picked up lately that are fall inspired.

 

 

You might recall, I have a thing for Haeger planters (and most other Haeger pieces) especially if they are in white (or ivory) and amber gold. I found two new planters that feed that obsession and will be perfect for an autumn display and they were cheap - less than a dollar for each. The deer figurine might be Haeger, too, but it is not marked. I have an ever growing collection of deer pottery pieces - I will have to do an obsession post about them someday. The small vase is marked "Germany 167 13" - I know the 13 is the number of centimeters tall but I don't know if the 167 refers to the pattern or possibly a maker. The plate is marked "Wood Echo" on the back - I assume that is the pattern name but again, no maker. It was only 25 cents as it has a small chip on the rim which is concealed by the deer's chest.

 



 

This fabric stuffed owl pillow or wall hanging is so fun.  There must have been a bird pattern from one of the pattern makers (Simplicity, McCall's, Butterick) in the 1970's because this owl is pieced together like the eagle pillow I found a couple of years ago. I found this at the Warsaw Antique Mall for only $3.50. Again, whoever made this pillow had some mad sewing skills as each of the chest feathers are individually made. Apparently, this is the rare snowy hoot owl!

Another obsession I have, which I shared with you some time ago,  is pillows. I just can't stop buying pillows - they are just too versatile and can easily change up your decor with minimal effort. These two are fabulous for fall decorating - and they are both stitched from yarn.I think I picked these up at two different garage sales this past summer.

And speaking of yarn, how pretty is the mustard yellow afghan? I have more than a couple vintage afghans - again, super versatile. Plus I admire that someone took the time to knit or crocheted them - so much love in one cozy throw. You can never have enough love wrapped around you!

 

 And let's not forget about the walls for autumn decorating. These sconces will do the trick and are such a treat. The wooden pair is marked "HODA House of Decorative Accessories Dallas, Texas". They have a real Danish Modern, Mid-Century vibe but the wood tones would blend in with almost any decor. The metal sconces are simply marked with an "L" on the back. The harvest gold color seems to date it to the 1970's but that is only a guess.

So, what is inspiring you this fall? Do you go all out on decorating or just switch out a few things here and there? With cooler temperatures, the time is right to enjoy the bounty of autumn.

Linking up to Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday and new this week, A Living Space's Nifty Thrifty.

My Obsession: Enamored With Enamel

Wow, it has been a long while since I have posted! Autumn is finally here (yah!) and it couldn't have come soon enough.  With our lack of rain this summer, our trees are not putting on a colorful fall show but over the past few months, I have picked up quite a few enamel pieces to bring some color to my world. I have shown you a couple in a previous post here but I have a whole lot more to share.

This is the pan that started my obession a couple of years back. I found this at a garage sale for 50 cents. It is in nice condition but is not marked. I don't really care because I love the color and it makes a great display piece anyway.

This dutch oven may be one of my favorite. pieces. ever. It has a couple of chips in the enamel on both the handle to the lid and one of the handles to the pot but no big deal. The graphics on the side are fantastic. I adore the village scene and the colors are so bright and cheery. I don't know if I will ever use it but I am pretty sure I won't be parting with it any time soon. It, too, is not marked - does any one recognize it?

My heart skipped a beat when I happened upon this fondue pot at the Maple Leaf Tea Room & Antiques in Sedalia. I don't go to this store very often but I am so glad I did that day. Yep, it is a Dansk - the pot and forks are marked France and the base is marked Denmark. It is in near mint condition and has great color. I may not hold on to it as I haven't ever done fondue (although I really think I should) so it might be going in my etsy or my eBay store before the holidays.

I found this skillet with lid and removable handle at a recent garage sale. The 80ish year old woman said she had never used it and needed to get rid of some of her stuff. It is marked "Made in Italy" on the bottom of the pan. The lid is marked "Mexico" on the edge so I don't know if it is original to the pan or the lady just put them together to make a set - I like the teak handle on it so it was win for me either way. The pan color is a vibrant burnt orange on the inside and black on the outside - perfect for a fall supper.



 

 

The above items I found at one of my favorite thrifts in Versailles (pronounced ver-sales), Missouri. The larger turkish coffee pot is marked "Hong Kong" - the smaller is not marked but actually, feels heavier than the larger one. The two blue soup bowls are marked "Made in Poland" and match the turkish coffee pot I found earlier in the summer. The yellow-orange skillet is not marked. All of these have a few nicks in the enamel but have wonderful, vibrant color.

I love the graduating sizes of these pans and the colors are fantastic. I saw these at the Lincoln (Missouri) Antique Mall and had to have them. They are marked "Made in Yugoslavia" with a duel lion symbol above of it. I guess I need to research it to see if that indicates the manufacturer. Anyone know?

As you can see, I am a little enamored with enamel. Who wouldn't be with the happy colors? What have you been collecting lately? Do you find it difficult to let things go? I know I do but as the holidays approach, I am trying to sell more of my finds so they can be appreciated by others.

Linking to Apron Thrift Girl's Thrift Share Monday.

Beauty In Times Of Drought?

We are in the worse drought in nearly 25 years here in mid-Missouri. We have not had any measurable rain at our house for nearly 3 months. Add to that several weeks of 90 plus degree temperatures and at least two weeks of 100 plus degrees and it paints a pretty grim picture. Things are not good for us, the crops, and the wildlife. I don't remember the drought of 1988 - it's not that I wasn't old enough to remember but I think living in the city and not doing any real gardening at that time in my life made it less of an event - the 2012 drought is, however, significantly different for me.

Since we are on well water and do not know much about where the water levels are at, we are re-thinking our usage and doing some things to conserve and reuse. We have been taking Navy showers, flushing the toilet less often (I know, TMI), and doing laundry and running the dishwasher only when we have a full load. We are also foregoing watering anything that is not necessary. That means our lawn is pretty much a waste land and the only "pretty" plants that are getting any moisture are the ones I am watering from the buckets we are using to capture the runoff in our sinks and tub.  We have watered our tomato plants some so that we can have fresh produce and the wildlife have some vegetation to munch on plus the birds love flying through the sprinkler. At least, I planted some succulents this year which are thriving in these conditions. It is bad.

One of my recent thrift store finds reminds me that beauty can come from reuse and recycling. I picked up this tramp or folk art for $3 and I just can't believe someone would have given it away. It has such detail and whoever created it put a lot of love and time into its design. I mean, really, look at the all the pieces...

I think nearly everything in this art piece is vintage jewelry parts, except for possibly the sea horse. There are ear rings, pop beads, chain, and even the sea shells around the edge were most likely a necklace at some point. There were a couple of spots on it where the original treasures were gone so I filled them in with some of my own vintage jewelry parts I had on hand. Can you tell where those places are at? I am hoping I blended them in so you can't. Honestly, I almost don't remember where I added things.

Looking at this piece makes me wonder if the parts had any meaning to the artist. Was the sea horse from a vacation to the coast? Was the sea shell necklace part of a lei from Hawaii? Or were all the treasures handed down from a grandmother or mother? Even the crushed velvet for the background looks to be recycled from something - maybe an old throw pillow or possibly, an article of clothing. And look at the back...

Even the back is a piece of old wood paneling. And it looks like the artist even "signed" her work as it reads "Jane Legat" or maybe, a child scratched their name into their bedroom wall. I bet even the frame was reused from something else. I love this piece.

As thrifters, we live a life of repurposing, recycling, and reusing - it seems to be in our nature. When times become harder than normal, it is easier for us to adjust because of it. Just like this tree art, I think we can find beauty in knowing that we are helping to save our environment through our actions. What have you found lately that inspires you? Are you taking measures to preserve your surroundings? Even in times of drought, there is something good to be found.