A Few of My Favorite Things

for Christmas

 

 

I love vintage Shiny Brite ornaments 

and have collected them for years. 

My tree is literally drooping under the weight of all of them. 

Even though they are very light, 

I have so many it weighs down the branches.

Almost everything on my tree is vintage. 

Well that one that says Noel is not. 

It is new from a few years ago but it has a very vintage look.

 When I was a kid, I hated Shiny Brite ornaments, 

especially the ones that had writing on them.

I liked fancier Victorian ornaments or 

Hallmark ornaments when I was a child.

But now I love the simplicity of the round bulbs 

or the ones with atomic shapes. 

And I especially love the ones with messages 

on them like the one above.

If the ornament is faded and a little tarnished - even better!

That pink one? 

We had one just like it on our tree when I was a child.

It was always a favorite of mine.

Our tree when I was growing up had many 

Victorian ornaments on it. They came from my Mother's family.

 

 This year I tucked all my elves and snowmen into the tree too.

Little Shiny Brite houses sit upon the branches as well.

 

 I love these simple little elves.

They sold for 10 cents each in the 1960's.

Now they are quite expensive. 

I bought most of mine 20 or even 

30 years ago 

when I could pick them up for 2 to 3 dollars.

 The newly painted cabinet got all decked out too.

 I put this wreath together out of things I had lying around. 

I added tiny pom poms to it and the Christmas tree.

 That little deer is a Montgomery Ward Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.

Did you know that Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer was originally written by a man who

worked for Montgomery Ward? My Mother has the original book that was published and given 

out as a promotional item from the store. 

My maternal Grandmother worked for 

Montgomery Ward for many years as an accountant. 

We as a family have several of these ornaments.

I used to pick them up every time I ran across one at flea markets.

Read about the history of Rudolph here.

This version of Rudolph is the real one for my Mom.

But for me. I adore the 1960's TV special.

I listen to the soundtrack to this over and over during the holidays.

This show inspires my decorating choices for Christmas.

 Picked up this sweet deer this year at Hobby Lobby. 

She could fit right in at the North Pole with Rudolph.

Ok, so she's pink. 

The other reindeer might call her names.

 I filled the iron plant stand with tinsel trees. It's usually full of a variety of faux ferns and plants.

But that wouldn't do for Christmas.

 I have cute Christmas pillows that should be out but I'm not sure where they are.

This will just have to do for this year.

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Oh Christmas Tree!

Will It Ever Come?

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I know I've been MIA of late. 

I came down with a cold right after Thanksgiving and had to lay low. 

I did go to work...but that was about all I could do.

I'm much better today and would be putting up my Xmas tree but....

remember I bought a tree already? One that was cheap but I'd make into the tree of my dreams?

Well, after purchasing limbs of snowy greenery to add to it and realizing I needed about five times 

the amount I'd bought...I had a moment of clear thought in which I decided I should just 

buy the tree I wanted to begin with. 

So I did.

One touch of the finger on my iphone and it was mine.

Then I read the fine print.

It would not ship for 10 days and then would be on ground shipping delivery time after that!

I wrote expressing that I hoped they had seen I'd paid for the tree immediately and that 

I was very anxious for it.

She wrote back and said it would go out soon. 

So as of yesterday...a full week after I paid for it...it's on its way to me...

which the shipping details say will take 11 days! 

Eleven days!

Oh...my...and I was hoping to have my tree up early this year.

This is the tree sans bear. No bear...just the tree.

I had a tree like this once before and I loved it...but it was small.

This one is 6 feet and will be about 8 feet once I put it in an urn.

Now if it will just get here.

I know it looks scrawny but that is why I like it. I'll load it with lots of ornaments and icicles.

It will look very vintage.

So I'm thinking about Christmas and will be decorating other areas of the house in 

anticipation of my new tree coming. 

 

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I adore bottle brush trees and picked up a few news ones this year.

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 Shiny Brites are always a favorite. My tree will be heavy with them. 

Two weeks ago I was talking to Leslie at work and telling her that I collected Shiny Brites 

and that

most of my tree was covered in them.

She said she loved them too and collected them also.

She said she'd seen nice ones at Brownstone Antiques in the past and I should go by there.

I did the next day...which was my day off. 

They did have some nice ones but they had a whole bowl full of little ones with no price on it.

I asked how much? They said they'd have to call the dealer.

Which they did...but did not get an answer while I was still in the store. 

I asked them to call me when they knew the price.

It was a whole heaping bowl full!

So they call and say they are $1 each.

But it was after I was already home and didn't feel like going out again.

I go to work the next day...but Leslie had the day off.

The following day which is Friday...I have the day off and go by Brownstone to get some of the 

small ornaments. 

I go straight to the bowl of $1 ornaments and there are hardly any left!

I exclaimed. "Oh...someone has bought them all!"

Yes, they said...a lady came in yesterday and bought a lot of them.

Luckily, what was left was in aqua and silver which fits in very well with my color scheme.

So I bought about 10 and left happily.

Cut to the next day at work. Leslie says..."I went by Brownstone and bought

a bunch of Shiny Brites. They had this whole bowl of small ones for a dollar."

I was like..."You were the one!!!! You bought all my ornaments!"

She said..."I only bought reds and greens!"

"those are not EVEN in your color pallet!" she says.

I started laughing...

"Yes, you are right...I would not have bought those anyway. I bought the silvers and blues."

So we both got our fix of Shiny Brites and both happy.

It was just funny that we both hit the same place one right after the other. 

She has put up her tree this week however...since she is doing a real tree and not 

waiting for it to come through the Parcel Post system like me.

Very scary that my whole Christmas decor is dependent on a box coming via UPS.

very scary

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I've always loved this room.

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And this one too. 

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Lots of pretty vintage baubles.

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ornaments hung from a chandelier always look amazing

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Can a person have too many bottle brush trees?

I think not. I'm adding at least three new to my collection this year.

I made some last year and maybe I'll make a few more this year too.

We'll see.

I hope your Christmas decorating plans are coming together!

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Shiny Brite Ornaments

Love Em!

I have lots of Shiny Brite ornaments but I always need more.

Funny, because I hated these kind of ornaments when I was a kid.

I thought they were way too ordinary.

But now they are what I want on my tree. 

Oh...I'm no where near this put together for Christmas this year - yet.

These are photos from my Christmas 2010.

(you can see the rest of my Christmas decor on my projects link up in the top menu of my blog)

As for this year, I'm still pulling stuff out and trying to decide what I want where.

I didn't put up a tree in 2011...I had a lot of personal things going on with my best friend dying 

and my sister being ill and losing my son/dog - Newman.

I can't even remember last year's Christmas hardly at all.

I was just in a daze.

But I'm anxious to put up decorations this year though.

So I've been searching for more Shiny Brites to add to my collection.

And thinking of new ways to decorate.

I didn't have my dining room furniture all painted last time.

This will be the first time I've decorated this dining room for Christmas...so that will be fun.

Anyway...

I went browsing online for Shiny Brite baubles.

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Even better if you can get them in an original box.

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Fabulous wreaths made by GeorgiaPeachezWreaths.com

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One of her wreaths appeared on the Christmas cover of Romantic Homes Magazine.

I somehow have not seen this issue yet. 

I must find it.

Right now I'm trying to decide what to do on my mantel. 

I love my forest of trees but I've done this for several years and I think it's time to change it up.

I have no idea what I'll do, really...except I think I may hang my own 

Shiny Brite wreath on the mirror.

That might be a good start.

Are you up to your neck in tinsel, yet?

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