Happy Christmas!!!

I plan to use my final few job-free days to take a short technology break (other than a once daily email check). I am looking forward to doing some nesting, enjoying spending time with the kids, cooking huge dinners for friends and neighbors who we will be blessed to share time with, and finishing up some personal Christmas crafting. Before I log off, I would love to share a few photos I took this morning of our home, finally all decorated for the big day on Thursday! :-)

These super cute vintage felt carolers sit in my kitchen window. They were thrifted by my husband, who clearly knows my taste very well! The sweet green bottle brush tree was an Esty score from the always fabulous Magpie Ethel !

I kept it pretty simple in the parlor this year, only adding a slender tree full of my favorite vintage and handmade ornaments and a ponsietta garland or two.

Some of my favorite ornaments include ones I inherited from my grandmother.

An apothecary jar in the dining room holds homemade sugar cookies my daughter and I whipped up yesterday. They are almost gone already!!!

The dining room table is set with mismatched Homer Laughlin and Ridgway Staffordshire china that I also found in a local thrift shop. Even the lovely glass glittered star that hangs from the chandelier was thrifted. A closer view below....
Before I sign off, I wanted to share one more cool resource that I came across on the WWW... archive.org. Check out this cool antique Dennison Christmas Book available to download (there may be restrictions on this outside of the U.S.) If you love vintage style decorating, you'll find some of these ideas truly timeless!!

Happy, Happy Christmas to you all. Thank you so much for all of your kind words and thoughts over the past year, and especially in this last difficult month. I am so blessed by you. ((((Hugs)))), good wishes and see you next year!!!

Vintage-y Christmas-y Thrifty Finds

I hit the jackpot last weekend at the St. Vincent De Paul Thrift Store in Flagstaff. They had all of their Christmas Goodies marked down to 50% off, and I was blessed enough to happened upon a huge bag of Ornaments (only .50 cents for the whole bag!!!). Some of my favorites are pictured below....

The Snowman pictured above is made of a very hard plastic, almost like bakelite... so charming!

This guy cracks me up! Look at the sweet little mini bottle brush tree in the back of his sleigh.

Okay... wheels are turning in my head now... this has got to be an Alice in Wonderland inspired goodie!

Love vintage deer...

The creme de la creme! How cute is that Santa on the right... is he playing cymbals and skiing at the same time? That's one craaazy multitasking Santa! And the chenille elves look easy to replicate. I think I'll try to make a few pixie-fied versions. :-)

Most of these will wind up as package tags or be incorporated into collages to hang on my studio wall. I love what some of these fabulous artists, like the mega talented Magpie Ethel, can do with their vintage finds. Also Check out Sea Dream Studio's lovely Fairy Shadowbox made from vintage elements here. The talent of these ladies and so many others out there blows my mind!

(((hugs))) everyone! :-)

Going Fast....

These Sweet Little Snowpixies, which were added to the Lollishop yesterday. As of this morning there are only 3 left, but I will be making more for the Valentine Season (With a more valentiney theme) in January :-)

New Blog on the Block!

Please go give a warm blogland welcome to Michelle who has just started a very sweet new blog!!! Click on over here and say hello! :-) http://www.vintagesquirrel.blogspot.com/

((((hugs))))) everyone!!!

The dreaded pink slip....

... made it's arrival on Tuesday for me and 7 of my co-workers. I don't like to get too personal on my blog, but I thought I owed some explanation to my frequent and long absences here lately. Work has been very stressful for quite awhile now, and I have been doing my best to balance it, along with family commitments and to spare some time for pixie making too.

So for most of us, and for me, work is a love/hate relationship. As far as my layoff goes, I saw it coming, and in many ways, it was a relief, but emotional I am, and therefore, this week has not been without much sadness and tears as I said goodbye to beloved coworkers and a program I gave 110% to. I did my best, I gave it my all, and my job was still lost. It hurts a bit, so I am adjusting still. Please bear with me as I take a wee bit of a blogging break.

Thankfully, and I am so grateful, that I was offered a new job at a different organization which I plan start in the new year. I did a lot of soul searching before accepting the offer as it will require a bit of modifying (and an added 1 and 1/2 hour daily commute) to my schedule. I really need to clear my head over the next couple of weeks before jumping in full footed.

In happier news....I am busily working away on the winner's snowpixies, and will make a few more to add to my Lollishops. Also: Look for the lovelies pictured above (available on Monday in my Lollishop) in the Somerset Life ad coming out this month (whoops! ad coming out in the Spring issue!) to subscribers, next month on the newsstands.

I know a few weeks back I had promised some tutorials, and I will indeed deliver on that as soon as I can motivate myself to photograph and describe some of my creative process. In the meanwhile, Below is a list of some tutorials on other blogs that I have found to be wonderfully inspiring. Go check 'em out!

Make a Lovely Vintage Holiday Corsage with Elizabeth Holcombe

A Cottage Industry's Joy to The World!

A Multitude of Cute Tutorials at Glitterville TV

Make a Garland Wrapped Letter at Thrifty Decor Chic

Snowy Day Gifts your kids can make on Activity TV

Thanks so much for your patience with me at this time in my life where I seem to be at a sort of "crossroads". Again, I am so very grateful for the love and support I receive from you via comments and emails. I'll pick myself up out of this slump soon. I am so blessed by all of you.

Edited to add: Spooky Time Jingles Updates tonight! Go check all the wonderful handmade goodness by clicking here !

We have some winners!!! And More wonders of the world wide web

According the the free random number generator, comments number 34 and 7 are the winners of my giveaway!!! Woohoo! That means AwtemNymf and AlbasWorld get a sweet little snowpixie custom created just for them! Ladies, please email me with your requests and I will have your pixie ready in about two weeks.

Thanks everyone for all the lovely comments. If you would like a pixie but you didn't win, please check out my brand spankin' new Lollishop. I only have a few guys listed in there right now, but I'll be listing few wee snowpixies as I get them finished and will be adding all kinds of inventory there over the next couple of days (Snowpixies will be listed by Sunday).

For those of you who commented on my lovely new banner... I am so happy to recoomend Dale MClain of Sea Dream Studio as the designer along with my new Lollishop banner. She does an amazing job and is such a sweet peson too!
In other wonderful world wide web news....

(Image above obtained from the Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division )

The wonders of the internet never cease! First all these awesome creative blogs, essentially replacing my need for magazines (well, not really.. still a magazine junkie), then, the AMAZING Pandora (thank you Dani for the heads up on that), totally replacing my need for regular radio, now Classic Cinema online. Did you know about this... it's a free website that plays a variety of classic movies and tv shows! Like one of my favorites... the 1937 version of A Star is Born.
So go get some popcorn and watch one of the oldies but goodies, My housework is never getting done. Ever!