Buckle Up

I imagine most of you have your Christmas decorations put away by now. Since we leave ours up till after the first, I'm still rummaging in closets, trying to organize what's in there, and make room for the decorations when we do get them taken down...probably tomorrow.


 Sometimes, I forget what's in boxes that are on the top closet shelves...well, that's no surprise...but, I found these little mother of pearl belt buckles, which belonged to Mom...or my grandmother...probably both.

I wanted to gussy up the buckles a bit for you, so I looked in my ribbon stash to see what I had that would be a good color, and would fit the openings.

This one is my favorite...love it with the brown satin ribbon.

 I tried to think of ways to use them, other than belt buckles...napkin rings, as a choker on a pretty ribbon, or a bracelet, or maybe even on a pillow.

I know...the leopard-print ribbon probably isn't true to the period, but it's fun...and it was the right size and color. What can I say? 

This one is a two-piece buckle. A tiny scrap of pink taffeta material was all that was left of the original belt. I wondered what the dress might have looked like...maybe a party dress?

Two other things were in the box with the buckles. 
This one, I think, is a beauty pin or beauty bar, from about the 1800s.
 I thought I'd pin it to the ribbon, since the buckle is rather small and plain. 

Do any of you know how the clip, on the right, was used? 
It looks  like a tie clip, but it's only an inch and a quarter long.  It seems too small for a tie clip.
Y'all let me know if you know what it was used for, cause I don't have a clue. 

It was fun showing you this little "collection". 


Hope y'all have a Happy New Year. 
I haven't made any New Year's resolutions, except to learn how to make a new header. 
Y'all must be sick of the one I've had all year. 
Hugs, and I'll see you at these parties:



Alison@The Polohouse for Favorites on the First.
Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday,
Kim @Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays,
Debra@ Common Ground for Vintage Inspiration Friday.
 

Vintage Postcards

 Alison @The Polohouse is having a linky party on January 1st,
and since the topic is "Collections", I was looking around the house for something to use for a party post. 

Unfortunately, I tend to accumulate odds and ends, rather than  collecting beautiful or interesting objects. 
But, I do have a collection of antique and vintage postcards that I "inherited" from my mother and grandmother, and one or two cards I found at an antique mall.


Let me show you a few Christmas and New Year's cards.

This one has a 1930 post mark and is addressed to my mother.

I bought this card at an antique mall. The sheep, and castle in the distance, makes me think of Ireland...

...it was sent to the wrong town.  I wonder if Mrs. McDougall ever got it?

New Year's cards are a good idea. I never seem to get all my Christmas cards sent on time.

Love the little roof tops on the houses. 

This one was sent in an envelope to my parents the year they were married...1939.
Such a formal message from a dear friend. :)


I hope you enjoyed these vintage post cards. There are lots of them in the shoe box, so you may see more of them before the party.
See you at Alison's on January 1st 
and Patti and Paula @ Ivy and Elephants for What's Up Wednesday.


Hope you had a great Christmas.
Babs

The Best Ornaments

In my last post, I showed some special ornaments in our house, and as much as these have special meaning  to me...



Ralph Waldo Emerson said it best:
"The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it."

All of you are the "ornaments of my house", and because of your friendship, my house is beautifully decorated.

Thank each of you for giving me the dearest gift of your friendship. 

              Wishing you all joy and peace this Christmas, and always.
                                                   
                                                  Babs


Great parties to visit:
A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday
Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesday
No Minimalist Here for Open House Party

2805 for Potpourri Friday

Unusual Christmas Ornaments

Our Christmas tree is a family-style tree with ornaments that we've collected over the years. Many of them remind us of special times or places we lived.


At first glance, the tree looks very much as you'd expect. It has the usual Santas, angels and shiny glass balls.

Come a little closer, and let me show you some of the more unusual ornaments...one that's even down right quirky...

Some years ago, I started adding silver baby cups and spoons, that have belonged to our family. Most of the time, they just sat in the silver drawer, and I rarely ever looked at them. 
Now, they're on the tree where everyone can see them. It's so much fun to show the grand kids and see their reaction. The 3-1/2 year old thought the spoons were so funny. The 6 month old could care less.


Next...

...a  macaroni wreath made by our son when he was in second grade. It's one of the ornaments he looks for every year, even though he's  now 40...oh, gosh, saying that makes me feel so old...well...I was a child bride? Right?  :)

Here's a little chimney sweep with his ladder and brush...

...a basket of fruit and flowers, molded from wax...

...a tiny wax baby Jesus with a walnut shell for his bed.
These are all from Germany.

This year, I gave Hubby a resophonic guitar ornament!! Whoo Hoo!

This is MacTeasel dressed in his finest Scottish attire. He's made from a teasel...of course, and  plays a wee bag pipe.


The last one's been on our tree every year since 1979. 


One year, when we lived in Montana, Hubby and I made Christmas ornaments from salt dough. We made a ba-zillion of them, which we sold at a craft market, and by special order. 
I made teddy bears in lederhosen, and little people we called Alpin Kinder. Hubby made farm animal ornaments...horses, pigs and...

...can you see it?

A Santa Gertrudis bull!! 


He (the bull) always appears deep inside the branches, attached with a brown chenille stem. It started out being a joke, when Hubby harnessed  him to the tree that first year, and since then, every year, he  mysteriously appears again.


Now, tell me...is that not quirky?


Hope you got a Christmas giggle from our ornaments.
Do y'all have any unusual ones, or decorations?
I'd love to see them.


I'll be linking up to these parties:
The Tablescaper for  Seasonal Sundays

Christmas Hodge Podge

Since it's so small, I usually don't decorate a lot in the kitchen. 
It's  what used to be called a "country kitchen"...small kitchen and small eating area (breakfast room) next to it.
But, I found a vintage toy cart at the antique mall the other day, and decided to put it on the kitchen island.

It's all metal, except for the tongue. The little tree and the burlap scrap came with it. 
I had seen it the week before and didn't get it, but when I went back, it was waiting for me. I couldn't just leave it there, could I?  :)

I used an old wooden spool for a candle stick, and made a rosemary wreath to go around the base of the candle. I switched out the plates on the wall to more Christmasy ones. 
Then, I was moving things around and...
I'm such a klutz!....I set my Christmas mug on the corner of the breakfast table...

...it fell off, hit the floor and...broke!!!...Oh! Grinch!! 


After I mopped up the mess, I started thinking about the 
Amaryllis I bought Saturday.

Here's the Amaryllis...poor thing. Isn't it pitiful? Hopefully, it'll straighten up, and I can put it in a prettier pot.
This is one of those Amaryllis sold at Wally World, so I have no idea how it will do. Hopefully, it will be red, since that's what the box said.
Well, here are a couple of miscellaneous photos from around the house...

Clementines from the grocery store--they call them Cuties, but aren't they just seedless Tangerines?  I don't know. They taste and look like Tangerines. I'm so confused. 

A  really vintage stocking. It was mine when I was little. I added the jute bow to cover a place where the hanging loop ripped away. Guess it was worn out from getting all those lumps of coal oranges in the toe.

On the back of the front door, I did a quick remake of my Thanksgiving basket, using a tartan scarf from the thrift store and an almost vintage  Merry Christmas sign.


That's all I have for now, but I'm working on one or two other vignettes. 


I know y'all must be finished with your decorating and in the kitchen right now, baking loads of Christmas cookies. Right? 
I haven't even thought of baking cookies yet. They'd probably all be eaten by Christmas anyway, if I made them now. Hubby never met a cookie he didn't like.

So what's going on at your house?

Christmas Welcome

Byers' Choice Carolers are some of my favorite decorations for Christmas.

I love using them in the foyer, because their happy little faces are always so warm and welcoming.

Here they are in the daytime, "practicing" their carols...

...next to the beautiful poinsettia basket, given to us by a friend last week. I think the color works perfectly.

Grandma and Grampa are in fine voice...she's been out shopping, and he's reminding her of the time...

...the children brought toys for sharing...

...and it's beginning to get dark...

...the street lamp and Christmas tree are glowing...

...as Father begins the carol...

...their voices can be heard, soft and clear...

...O Holy Night, the stars are brightly shining.

It is the night of our dear Saviour's birth.

Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas.

I'll be joining ...

A Stroll Thru Life for Table Top Tuesday

Savvy Southern Style for Wow Us Wednesdays

Christmas Coffee Table

Gosh, I'm loving all the great ideas y'all have been sharing on the linky parties. 
I've been so busy looking at all your great posts, that I haven't done a lot of decorating in our family room. I really wanted to put something Christmasy on the coffee table.  


I must say, our coffee table is well used...I mean, really well used. 
At any time it holds tv remotes, magazines, laptop, snacks, cups of coffee, etc... and feet. :)
About the only time it gets "decorated" is when we have company. But, I decided I wanted something pretty on it for Christmas, and still leave room for a cup of tea, or a magazine, without having to move all the decorations. 

I remembered that Hubby had made a low tray for me before Thanksgiving. He wasn't happy with how it turned out, and left it in the shed. 
Well, it was just what I needed, but it hadn't been painted. 
I found the front door paint and tried that, but it was a bit too pinky-red. I wanted brownish-red. So, I painted it the door color, and wiped on a coat of Old English Scratch Cover.
After it dried, I put a coat of paste wax on it. 

See there's still plenty of room for non-decorative things like a cup of tea and a cookie.

Christmas mugs and cookies...

...pine cones and an antler (gotta have those) and greenery from the yard... and snowy, little faux trees

This is "Boy with Lamb", and he's the very first Byers' Choice Caroler I bought...and my favorite. 
I just love the little lamb. Doesn't he have the sweetest expression on his face?

Ice cream salt looks like icy snow in the hurricane...

...and looking through the French doors...
it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas in our family room. 


I hope everyone has a great weekend and I'll see y'all at 
French Country Cottage  on Friday for Christmas vignettes.