Merry almost Christmas Rednesday

(please visit Sue at It's A Very Cherry World for more Rednesday fun!)


Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas and much joy in 2011!

I'm sharing some favorite Christmas book reds this Rednesday with you and a smattering of Christmas decor - we haven't got much done over here this year BOO HOO!

Slipping in a green one, did you notice? ;)

Does anyone else have this gorgeous book?
It was recommended years ago in Victoria Magazine.

Time to trim the feather tree, beginning with the most charming ornaments from Stephanie at Old World Primitives (here).

I'm like Pooh these days, a bear of very little brain. Silly me! I forgot I needed a tree skirt for my little feather tree but there was no stopping me - when I'm ready to go, I'm ready to go! A square of felt stands in for the one I will have to whip up lickety split for our Christmas to be complete. A mad dash in the rain to Jo-Ann's yesterday for supplies.

Oh no! ACK! The hubs wanted his Star Trek ornaments on my feather tree.
What was he thinking teehee?! The wifey said he could put them on top
of the curio cabinet - I'm a terrible wifey, aren't I?!

A little Christmas flourish of green with some Poinsettia's on top of my other curio cabinet.
(You can see some of my teddy bears, miniatures, etc.)

The mantel has not come together yet ARGH! I will show you a peek if I can make it presentable.

Happy Rednesday and Merry almost Christmas!

Three for the price of one

Wishing everyone a very happy Monday! Thank you all so much for your kind comments re my mom and brother, I appreciate them and you very much.

It's been raining in Los Angeles for what I think (???!) is several days (or does it just feel that way WHINE!) and they say it will probably rain through the Christmas weekend. You know us, we are used to living in a drought and haven't a clue what to do with ourselves in rain.

Deep breath. We gathered ourselves up and brave little soldiers are we, we donned our raincoats and drove across town to my husbands best friends annual Christmas party on Saturday night. The familiar faces are getting fewer as the years pass but they have been replaced by new smiling ones, so it's always a lovely time. One of my favorite attendees is a co-worker of my husbands BFF, who bakes cookies every year and brings them to the party. She has the magic touch, they are the best cookies I've ever had! She made her delivery and vanished into the crowd - next year I will attempt to find out what her secret is.

Sunday morning, we were going to go to the Long Beach Outdoor Antique Market but it was rained out BOO HOO!

But we had the most fun on Sunday afternoon - we went to a matinee of "Much Ado About Nothing", which on it's own would have been wonderful but guess what?!! Lyle Lovett was part of the cast! (WE LOVE HIM!) and also the brother and sister team of the group Nickle Creek. How cool is that?! Three great things for the price of one!

We've seen Lyle Lovett a few times in concert but it was so great to be in the fourth row and get to see him sing and play guitar (and also act, a little tiny bit). They had adapted the play to include songs (Lyle Lovett's along with another songwriters) and somewhere along the run of the play, Lyle Lovett joined the cast. The play began with Nickle Creek and two other musician's playing and singing songs - so much fun.

There were lots of recognizable actors in the cast - Helen Hunt, Tom Irwin, David Ogden Stiers, Grace Gummer (Meryl Streep's daughter). A very enjoyable afternoon!

Hope you all had a lovely weekend too!

Dear Santa Vintage Thingie Thursday

(Please visit Suzanne at Colorado Lady for more Vintage Thingie Thursday fun!)

My brother and my mother one long ago Christmas - somewhere before
I was born, I think perhaps about a year, maybe two, before I was born?

I find I've really got the "sads" this holiday season - I'm missing my brother and mother so very much this year and I found myself looking through a box of my brothers stuff today. My brother passed away in '95 and my mom in '96 and yet this year, many years later, I feel rocked by the loss so intensely.

I was so gladdened to find this old Christmas photo of the two of them. It holds so many childhood memories for me, even though I wasn't in the picture yet (literally and figuratively!).

I don't know if you can make out the Santa decoration over my brothers shoulder? It was already old when I arrived on the scene (it must be from the forties?) - Santa holds a glass candle, inside there was this red liquid that would bubble when it got warm/hot. It was one of my favorite things at Christmastime as a small child ... later on my mother would worry that it was no longer safe and a fire hazard and I would not see it again WAH! I'm hoping that I can find it at my dad's house.

I'm cracking up over the funny tree! Geez - look at the big gap in the middle, so funny. I just saw an old Martha Stewart Home episode and she said that a gap is called an Elf Shelf - wonder what MS would call this cavernous example?!

Above the light switch is an iron candle sconce in the Pennsylvania Dutch style, that I remember well. And the little child's table my mom and brother are sitting at is one that I sat at on our front lawn, selling lemonade to passers by.

I also found this darling letter to Santa written by my brother.

("stace" kit = space kit???)

Dear Santa
I want a Bike. and
a kick ball. and
some Superman
P.J. and some
Army men. and
a Stace Kit. and a
mister wisard
chemical set

And then these charming old Christmas cards my brother received ...

(from 1946 - for his first Christmas)

(from 1947)

(from 1949)

(from 1951)

Yoohoo! Calling those adorable TWO CRAZY CRAFTERS!

Dear Twyla and Lindsey,

A little Sugar Kissed Christmas Thank You has been sent your way
this morning via the good old USPS. Wishing you and
your dear ones a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas Customs for Rednesday

(please visit Sue at It's A Very Cherry World for more Rednesday fun!)

We went to the really fun Renegade Craft Fair Holiday Sale in Downtown Los Angeles on Sunday morning. I found a couple vintage Christmas booklets and a children's magazine, I thought I'd share the two booklets today for Rednesday.

The first booklet I saw was this one, Christmas Customs Around The World. It is a promotional giveaway from a Lincoln Mercury Car Dealership. Sadly there's no date anywhere on it - it looks like the 60's or 70's? I picked it up for the darling illustrations and seeing that it included Scandinavia (my mom's dad was Swedish), that sealed the deal. (Too funny though - now that I sit down and actually read it, it doesn't mention Sweden at all.)












The second booklet I found was this charming one of Christmas Carols and traditions, a giveaway from Richfield Gasoline Station Franchises (Richfield became Atlantic Richfield, became ARCO). Sadly again, no date printed.

Monday blog love

(Here I am sitting on Santa's knee back in the prehistoric days!)

I keep finding more bloggers that are sharing wonderful holiday ideas and tutorials. Here are some of them. Enjoy!

Edited to add (there's always more on this bottomless pit of the internet, isn't there teehee?!)
A Swap For All Seasons, oh boy! does that swap look like FUN! Be inspired.
Sweet Tidings, Tutorials and Inspiration



A Beautiful Mess, 12 Days of Handmade
Ali Edwards, December Daily
Allsorts, Inspiration and tutorials
Betz White, Holiday Hints
BlogHer, 12 Days of Holiday Cookies
Bluebird Papercrafts, Inspiration and Tutorials
Cream Puffs In Venice, 12 Days of Cookbooks
Creative Chaos, Inspiration
Creative Kismet, Inspiration
Fave Crafts Blog, 25 Days of Christmas
Full of Bliss, Inspiration
Happy Zombie, 5 or so Days of Holiday Happy
Imaginisce, 12 Days of Christmas
Joli Paquet, Christmas Tutorials
Lisa Vollrath, 5th Annual Countdown to Christmas
LOL Foodie, 12 Days of Christmas Recipes
Maya Made, Green Handmade Holiday Round Up
Melissa Goodsell, Handmade Christmas
Michelle Last, 12 Days of Christmas
My Danish Kitchen, 12 Days of Christmas
Passionately Artistic, 12 Days of Christmas
Pink Paislee, 12 Days of Christmas
Teresa Collins, 25 Days Countdown to Christmas
Tim Holtz, 12 Days of Tags
What Megan's Making, 12 Days of Christmas Treats
Where Women Create, Twelve Days of Christmas
Whipperberry, 12 Days of Christmas

Fun Holiday Weekend

Hellooooooo!

We're having a great holiday weekend over here, hope you're having a terrific one too!

Yesterday we saw "Dickens Unscripted" - a really fun improv theater thingie based on the works of Charles Dickens and they served an English Tea afterward.

And today we're going to the Renegade Craft Fair Holiday Sale. Cannot wait!

Wishing you a fun Sunday!

Waving Hello from the Holiday Workshop

(the very best oggie doggie in the old wide world, Xmas 1998)
We miss you so much Boo Boo!
(edited to add: I just noticed that I typed "old" wide world instead
of "whole" wide world bwahahahha - guess I was really feeling my
age that morning!)

I'm feeling a bit under the weather over here, hopefully it's just allergies. I started the week with a two day headache OUCHERS. And now I'm feeling positively overwhelmed with holiday prep today. Maybe it's because I feel poorly today coupled with all the things I need to get done. sniffle sniffle WAH!

Hoping you're all ahead of the game or if not, you're enjoying the hustle and bustle!

Happy Thursday!

Getting holiday cozy this Monday

Well, knowing me as you do teehee, you'll have figured out that I'm running behind on my holiday decorating over here. I just received the best, most delightful and inspiring kick start to the holidays though!

Twyla and Lindsey, the crafty mother daughter duo of Two Crazy Crafters, are the absolute sweetest and bestest of pairs. During their Sugar Kissed Christmas celebration they are counting down to Christmas and sharing the sweetest of holiday decor and tutorials with us.

And guess what?! Drum roll ... I won the Two Crazy Crafters A Sugar Kissed Christmas Giveaway. ME! I'm tickled (holiday) pink over here and jumping up and down with glee.

On Saturday, we went shopping for our Christmas cards and when we came home, there was a big box on the porch for me. OHHH!!! So exciting.

I received the most charming of holiday afghans, handmade by Twyla, which you can see pictured above. Now I'm all ready to cozy up with it and a cup of peppermint cocoa and make my holiday plans.

Thank you thank you thank you Twyla and Lindsey!

Please visit dear Twyla and Lindsey here for a Sugar Kissed Christmas and scroll down to enjoy every drop or start at the beginning ... Sugar Kissed Christmas began on November 26th, here.

Now that I'm off to a good start, I thought I might extend a helping hand of Christmas links and inspiration if you're a slow poke and need help like me.

Wonderful paper artists Michelle Wooderson and Melissa Phillips have created "Melissa's and Mishie's 12 Days of Christmas", a joint countdown to the holidays on their blogs.
Melissa Phillip's blog, "LilyBean Paperie".
Michelle Wooderson's blog, Mish Mash.

The Ultimate Handmade Holidays Master List 2010 from Sew Mama Sew. Wow!

Always charming, The Long Thread has many holiday links and ideas posted.
The Long Thread.


Online Holiday Zines

Inspired Ideas, the Christmas issue

Gifted, from Creature Comforts, holiday issue

Sweet Paul, holiday issue

Peace be with you

Today is a day of remembrance and tribute.

We received one of those dreaded calls on Wednesday. The sad news that a much beloved business client and friend of my husbands had passed away Tuesday from cancer. We had last heard in the Spring that Larry was doing well and improving, also had a phone call from his daughter in the past month, maybe two about something totally unrelated and there was no mention of her fathers condition deteriorating. So very shocking and heartbreaking. Today we will be attending his funeral and memorial service. Wishing his family comfort in memories and the love surrounding them today.

Take time today to hold your loved ones near or make that call or send that letter. Time is fleeting.

Woof woof!

(found via d.Sharp Journal)