Postcard Post

I can't believe I haven't blogged since the 19th of December, it sure has been busy, no time for blogging and even less time for blog reading!  Hopefully, Santa found all of you with no problem and left a few goodies under your tree - maybe a vintage item or two...

Today we are heading out for a couple of days, but I didn't want to let another day go by without posting something.  Here are two more cards from my small postcard collection, both are beautiful Ellen Clappsaddle postcards and are very old.

This card was postmarked 1907 from Ithaca, New York and sent to an address in Alpine, NY - this person was short on words, they didn't write anything.

The message was written on the front of this card, the writing is very hard to make out though.  This card is an undivided back one, also postmarked in 1907, it was sent to Mr. S.C. Vandrame in Galveston, Texas.

These old cards are so pretty, I'm going to look for a couple of New Year's cards, they sure won't look anything like these....

Thrifting Before Christmas

There's still lots of Christmas in the thrifts, just not much vintage Christmas. Yesterday was 50% at Value Village, I didn't see not one item I wanted to buy, that's sad!!  I also shopped at my local collectible shop and came home with a nice sized Santa

It's the happy Santa in the front - I don't have one that big.

I bought the two ornaments on the right there too - the other one was a in a bag of junk that yielded two items, the other one is....

The little guy sitting in the middle!!  I spotted him in the bag, I had to buy it - the bag was only 50 cents and gave me this cutie and the bell ornament.  I found the other pixies last year, I know they're not old, but they're pretty cute!

Might as well keep picking up ornaments for the next wreath project!!

Another box of lights - for my light shelf..

I'm listening to this record right now - it's a Peter Pan 33 1/3 Little LP - I paid 25 cents - Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer and All I Want for Christmas is my Two Front Teeth - nothing sounds like a record!!

I don't think there will be much more thrifting now before Christmas, I was happy to find anything at all this week, have you had any luck?

I'm linking with Share Your Cup Thursday and Vintage Thingie Thursday

My Vintage Christmas Postcards

It was exactly one  year ago today that I did a post on my vintage Christmas postcards, if you care to go back and look at those cards, click right here.  I collected these cards for a few years, they really are so pretty and every so often I just like to take them out and have a look.

The postcards with artwork by Ellen Clapsaddle were always my favorite - the children are always so sweet.

This card has no postmark but it is written on - it was written to Mary in Kokomo, Indiana from her "bro and sis" - Jack and Pearl.  It has a one cent stamp.

Another Clapsaddle card that was exchanged between friends, from Herbert to Miss Nellie Otto.

This Clapsaddle has the cutest message, I had to scan it too..

I wonder how long it took this card to travel all the way from Ontario to Florida back in 1922..

If you check out my post from last year, there's a card there from the same series as this one.  This card was written from Willa to Eleanor Blanchard.

This card was postmarked in 1916 from Gramma to Mr. Le Mallett

This card is probably the newest one out of this lot, it is postmarked 1924 and sent to an address in Clarksville, Iowa.

I think this one is so cute - looks at his little toolbox, he really wants Santa to know where he is.  This card was postmarked 1913 and sent from Uncle Axel to Master Gordon Wrigel in St. Paul, Minnesota

This one is what you call an undivided card - there are no divisions on the back for the message and address - it was postmarked 1906 from Bellows Falls, VT and sent to Winchendon, MA - from Aunt E to Master Dexter Whittermore.

This card is really cute too - it's a Whitney card.

This card was never postmarked, it must have been hand delivered from Aunt Lillian to Russel.

Don't you wish you could look in your mailbox tomorrow and find a card or two like any of these? 

I'm linking this post over at Dawn's party that has a new name this week -We Call it Junkin

Sweet and Easy Sugar Cookies

I'm never one to start my Christmas baking way in advance, I started yesterday with "Sweet and Easy Sugar Cookies, " I've been making these for a few years, if you're looking for a nice sugar cookie that you don't have to roll and cut out and also makes a large batch, you best try this one.  

This recipe came from the cookbook - Great Canadian Cookies, published in 2000, the recipes were gathered through the Great Canadian Cookie Contest, I  did a post here last month on peanut butter cookies which were also from this book.

Sweet and Easy Sugar Cookies

2 cups margarine

2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

4 cups all purpose flour

4 tsp. cream of tartar

2 tsp. baking soda

2 cups chocolate chips ( I always use the miniature chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream margarine and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in eggs.

In a separate bowl, combine flour, cream of tartar and baking soda.  Stir flour mixture into creamed mixture in thirds.  Fold in chocolate chips.

Shape dough into 1 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet ( I always use parchment paper for cookies)

Bake for 12-15 minutes, it is more like 12 in my oven or until edges are slightly browned.  Makes about 5 dozen small cookies.  

I also made Cranberry Orange loaf yesterday - that post has been my most popular one for months - it's a great recipe for Christmas or anytime - you can check it out right here if you'd like!

Happy Baking - today I plan on making peanut butter balls and a gumdrop cake, which will be a first for me!  

I'm linking up today with Junkin Joe

Blow Molds were Everywhere!

If you've been reading my blog for awhile, you know that I love blow molds - if you don't know what one is, well it's those plastic lawn decorations that were everywhere from the 60's through to the early 80's - now they've been replaced by the inflatables - no inflatables for me, I'll take the blow molds anyday!!

The other week I was in the lineup at Target, an older gentlemen was buying a snowman, he started talking to me how he didn't like these new figures, that he preferred the "old plastic ones" - that was all I needed to strike up a conversation with him, he proceeded to tell me about his display that he's been building for 20 years and is worth thousands - he told me where it was, last night we went there, on probably the coldest night so far! That's the reason I didn't get very good pictures, the wind was raw, it was freezing!!  He came out to talk to us when we were walking around and told us where he got various pieces - I just have to go back out there in the daylight and get some better pictures.  We couldn't believe it - there must have been 100-150 pieces of blow mold Christmas heaven!!

This is just one scene,  they covered the whole front yard - there was just everything....

This is just a small section of the snowmen - there was every size...

We wanted this one, we wanted a Mrs. Claus, we wanted a very retro Santa - there was lots we wanted.  I saw a different Santa yesterday at the thrift store  and I left it there, after seeing all those last night, I should have bought it!!

I can share all of my blow molds with you because I have a very small collection compared to what I saw last night.

The big Santa on the left was my very first one I ever found - he's a 4 footer.

I have been so lucky finding all of these and never paying more than $5 for any of them.

I found this one at a yard sale this past summer for a couple of bucks!  I didn't see this one at the big display last night, we put him on top of the shed.

We bought this back in the 80's, long before we knew what a blow mold was - he sits on top of the clothesline pole.  

Blow molds come in all sizes, we love them all!!  Not only are they outside, they're inside too!

The only blow molds I can ever remember having at home were these candles - here's Darcy back in PEI in 1989 -  I never really cared for those candles , every Christmas Dad had them tied to the front step - those are long gone but I just had to find a set of my own and I did!

I'm linking up with Thriftasaurus today.  

The lucky winner of the washi draw was Tiffany - congratulations to you and thanks to everyone for entering.   Merry Christmas!

We All Need More Washi

I haven't done a SMASH blog page in a while - take a look through the pages I've done so far in the new Holiday book - the pages are so pretty, it's so much fun, if only I could get a few more pages done.

Keep scrolling to the bottom.... if you love washi...

We made a Shiny Brite wreath on the weekend so I SMASHed it!

This is a beautiful book, I hope everyone has found one by now and is having fun with it.

I have lots of ideas for other pages, just to find time to work on them!

I managed to get a couple of extra rolls of the Christmas masking tape or washi as we call just about any decorative tape, I also have a couple of extra rolls of Tape Works tape - so, I'm offering it up in a draw - one lucky reader will take home the lot.  You must leave a comment on this blog - only followers of my blog, my blog Facebook page or Instagram will be eligible for the draw, I'll use the random number generator to pick the winner.    It's going to be a quick draw, so you can get it in time to do some Christmas SMASHing - I'll make the draw on Thursday, December 12 at 9 am.  It doesn't matter where in the world you live, you can enter - good luck!!  SMASHaholics - this draw has been "Admin Approved"

The Wreath is Made!

I've been stocking up on any cheap shiny brites that I see for at least a year now, in the hopes of making a wreath, they were pulled out of the tote yesterday and wreath production started.  Gary and I did it together, I recommend having an assistant as it's not an easy thing to do - positioning, glueing and holding.  It took us a couple of hours.

I used a green foam wreath form from Michaels, I've seen them done many ways, but my method was to wrap it in ribbon and then start the positioning. Also, you should put your ribbon or hook on before you get started - we used a hook.   We did the inside first and then the very outer layer.  I removed all of the little hangers at the top before I started.   I read on many other blogs, have a lot of glue on hand, you will use plenty.  It gets easier after you have those top rows down, then you can just glue as many on as you want.  I also used some extra things that I think, made it look just a little more special.  

I don't know what I would have done if he had dropped this work of art!!!

And, here it is, finished and hanging on the wall - I'm so pleased with it!!!  

Today I'm linking with Nifty Thrifty Tuesday and We Call it Olde- every ornament on the wreath was thrifted!

Red - The Color of Christmas

I finally have my corner shelf  decked out in all the beautiful red shades of Christmas - but when I was setting it up, it seemed like I had a whole lot more vintage Christmas than I did last year, I didn't think I accumulated that much but apparently I did, so much that my husband made me another corner shelf yesterday.  They are just the greatest shelves, that will make two in the livingroom, one in the kitchen, and two in the gameroom.  If you want a closer look, just click on any picture!

  Here it goes - the top shelf..

Every item on this one is thrifted except for the reindeer and the Santa and the chimney, the chimney came all the way from Holly in Newfoundland!!  It's so cute, this is the first year on the shelf for it.  I've had the deer since the 70's, my penpal, Carol was from Red Deer, Alberta she sent that to me at her Mom's urging, it has been in the house at home, now it's here with me once again.  Carol and I have been friends ever since, actually, she just sent me a new bell for the "Red Deer".  I was asked if he was a Dream Pet, I don't really know anything about Dream Pets, although I know I do have one that I'm sure of - this one is made of a rubber or faux leather material - Carol says that the city was selling them as a way to promote the city.  Were Dream Pets made of this material?

Not so many thrifted items on this shelf - the Santa and the sleigh belonged to Mom, it was made in Japan.  The Santa and sleigh behind it belonged to my great aunt, it has the original sticker on it, Thames, hand painted, made in Japan.  Everything else was purchased except for the classic Night Before Christmas, a trade from Molly, we did a fun trade back in the fall, check out her blog - We Have No Enemies

This shelf is pretty well all from home - the Putz houses, bottlebrush trees and little guys at the front were all Mom's - I found the knee hugger this summer at a yardsale.  

I am going to do a little video on Instagram some day soon of the music box in the back, it belonged to my grandmother, I still have the original box, it holds a candle but there is no room for that on here. It's the cutest thing, it plays Silent Night and was also made in Japan, as is the Santa.  I actually finally have a couple of Gurley candles, I have never ever seen one of those around here, I had to order one on Ebay, I was that desperate!!   Last year I found the little mouse, it's a Josef Original.  Thanks to Erica, that's Golden Egg Vintage Erica for her creations at the front, so very cute!!

Erica is so good to me - I love the Annalee Santa in the sleigh.  Everything else is thrifted in this pic.

My only new item on the bottom shelf is the plastic Santa and sleigh.  The little girls  with hair are all Napco, made in Japan.  I bought those years ago on Ebay, I guess another "Jill" owned it, her name is written on the bottom!  I didn't know at the time that I had found a Bradley doll, but I guess that's what she is.  

I have become crazy for all this vintage Christmas red, I decorated the tree yesterday which I used to do with mostly primitive type ornaments - wood and dark colors, I used none of those this year, everything is shiny and bright now!!  I'll be sharing some of my other vintage Christmas shelves in the days ahead but today I'm linking up with a special party - Vintage Christmas at Organized Clutter and also Thriftasaurus.

This shelf is close to the corner shelf - I changed it up this year and made it about the lights, because I found myself with quite a few boxes of lights!  I just hope there is no door slamming though or everything on it could come crashing to the floor!  I like it!

Have a great day - hope you're displaying a little bit of vintage Christmas too!