Wrapping up the month!

My blogging friend from YOE Kerry sent me this adorable little
Elf even though I was to busy to participate in the YOE swap
for December with an Elf theme. What a sweetheart she is. she didn't
want me to feel leftout!

I won this wonderful Primitive Beeswax (very scented) Snowman.
It came all the way from Northern England from Anji at Drakestone Primitives.
I love love it and it is already making my studio smell good!

I added these vintage cards that I glittered up, to my snowflake
stands after I posted the decorated buffet. I just love vintage!

My drawer that keeps all my vintage Christmas goodies to craft with.
I love to open this drawer, but it is kind of sad, cause Christmas is over,
which means the Christmas Crafting will be done for a while. But,
I'll still enjoy looking at it through the year.

I love this gift!

I received my Christmas gift from my friend Camille
yesterday. She wanted me to open it early, so that I
could hang it up before Christmas arrived. I was thrilled
to say the least with this most wonderful vintage 50's
bottlebrush wreath with a mirriad of vintage
blown glass ornaments. All of them are vintage too.
She said there were some ornaments on it when she
found it, but then she added more.

Isn't this gingerbread house ornament wonderful?

And this antique mercury glass indented ornament is to die for!  I love the original fake snow on it too!

I love the ribbon she attached also.
Thanks so much again Camille.
You know just what I will absolutely love!

Way behind, here is my catch-up!

I AM REALLY SORRY, BUT. . . .
There has just been to many things I have wanted to post this month, and family has been keeping me so busy, as everyone is during December. Here is my way of catching up on the matchbox 25 days of Christmas. I have boxes 13 thru 20 listed here. I have received
so many darling gifts inside each one. I am listing all of them here:
#13 Kelli Moore-darling bobby pin
#14 Michelle Rondeau-Artsy domino pendant
#15 Patty Powell-thoughtful angel pass-it-on pin
#16 Sandi Collins-adorable Christmas Tree earrings
#17 Valarie Kraft-santa ornament
#18 Peace Schuyler-lovely button ornament
#19 Grace Easterbrook-beautiful gold victorian pin
#20 Amy Duff- sweet wooden charm

I LOVE THEM ALL!

Christmas Joy

The shelf in my dining room spells out the sentiments I feel this time of year, but like to keep all year round!

Our amazing "JOY" came with the birth of our 12th grandchild on December 14th.  He is part of the source of my greatest joy and that is the adding to my amazing family!  His name is Liam Jacob Askeroth.  He weighed 6 lbs 4 oz. and was 18 inches long.  What a wonderful thing to have take place this close to Christmas!

I made this very special bottlebrush tree for my very special friend for Christmas. Camille is my daughter's mother in law, but also my only friend here where I live that appreciates the same vintage things that I love. She is also my friend who will go to antique malls and shops with me, and we can spend hours. She has given me some amazing vintage things too.  I have already given this gift to her, so she could enjoy it this year, and she loved it.
Isn't it a great feeling to make something for a gift rather than to purchase one.  It is truly from the heart when it is handmade!
I made this little vintage tag from an old Christmas card and put it onto vintage wallpaper.



































This garland was made from all the tags I received in the White Christmas tag swap that I participated in. It was so much fun getting this box. They are all lovely, but some or really amazing. I also added Camille's mercury glass bead ornaments she gave me last year to enhance the tags.

A  close up of some of the darling tags in the White Christmas tag swap on Flickr.    I appreciate all of them, but have not  had time to contact the gals who made them yet, and personally let them know how I adore their tags!

My Vintage Stocking arrived today!

 

Isn't this stocking beautiful? I hung it up right away after I went through its contents. This truly was a beautiful package and swap, hosted by joli-paquet.blogspot.com  Just look at those details, and it all came from Shiela Daniels cheekymagpie.comwho was my swap partner.

Inside there was this wonderful round vintage box and look below to see its contents. I was beyond thrilled.

This wonderful little tatted snowflake and all this wonderful vintage goodies. Buttons, embellishements and a very tiny nativity set.

This gorgeous little linen bag filled with glass etched ornaments pictured below.

                                          I love this antique Christmas book, titled 'The Yule Log

This tiny gold nativity above is to die for.  Tallest of them is only about 1 inch tall.  Also wrapped up in tissue paper was all of these goodies, plus some dark chocolate, velvet ribbon, vintage braid, vintage Christmas postcards.  An adorable little birdcage ornament and lovely red tinsel.  Do you know how happy I was to receive this vintage stocking.    Sheila, I could not love it anymore!                        

What I sent to my partner!

Here is the stocking I made and sent to my partner, in the Vintage Stocking swap.

A faux mercury glass frame, a victorian ornament, some vintage soutache braid, doilies, crochet pin medallion, angel pin, chocolate,

This miniature tea cream and sugar, chandelier crystal, victorian Christmas magnets, Stamped broadcloth

Ephemera and scrapbook embellishments, pinecone ornament with mercury glass beads and velvet leaves.

This boxful of goodies

Inside the box was a gold cherub, a Lenox swan, some antique German
Dresdens, some antique rhinestone pieces, a tassel, some vintage millinary leaves, etc.
Also in the stocking was a organdy bag full of antique buttons.  

Vintage folkart and Centerpiece done!

I can't stop looking at it! I have to admit, I am really tickled how this turned out. My first folkart in a long time. I just love this sort of 30's vintage look snowman. I can't afford to spend money on other people's work, so I thought I had better come up with my own folkart. I am naming him 'Christmas Cheer.'  He was so much fun to make, and I used vintage sheet music from an antique shop I visited a couple of weeks ago. His Christmas wish card that he holds is vintage also, and the ball on the top of his hat is a mercury glass ball. His middle is a plastic pumpkin that was $1.00, crepe paper, styrofoam ball papermached and then painted. A sprinkling of mica flakes complete his vintage look. The card on the small easel, comes from a vintage Christmas card put on cardstock and coarse glass glitter added.

A candy dish full of vintage ornaments sits behind him. I got the mercury glass candlestick this summer from the Summer vintage swap that I was involved with. The reindeer was also something I received from a swap.

I made this other little gem from an old Christmas card. ( I bought a huge lot of vintage card pieces off of Etsy) The round medallion is antique wrapping paper. I am crazy for all this vintage centerpiece below! Sometimes I just walk by in my dining room and stare at it for a while.

Now I just need about 48 hours each day to craft and make all the things I got swirling around in my head. I did not make this little house, but have in mind to try to make some of these too. (maybe not this year!)

Number Eight is from England too!

My second matchbox from England by Jan Smith jansartyatcjourney.blogspot.com
I love this little jeweled angel, and I attached it to my
wonderful little bracelet from day number 1.

Thimbleprims Gothic Ornament Swap

I only got three ornaments done, for the thimbleprimsstudio.blogspot.com They are quite detailed, and very victorian. I decided that I would do Christmas Victorian Gothic, and this is my interpretation of that. I hope the 3 participants who get my ornaments will like them. I do, and wish I had one for myself.

sugarplum faeries do exist! Day number 7

 

Here is day 7 matchbox and what a cute one it is. So wonderfully artsy and shabby. It was done by Wendy Aspinall blissangels.blogspot.com I love the colors very much! So so very cute!