Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, dear readers! Thank you for following and commenting on my humble, little blog — and for sticking around through the "dry spells"! I hope you have a lovely holiday!

Shop Stop: Custom Return Address Stamps

Custom return address stamps are a great gift for the avid letter writer in your life, newlyweds, or a family gift.

2impress has so many great styles in their shop, but these retro options will really make your envelopes stand out! Make it a gift set by including a stamp pad, stationary, pens, and postage stamps. 

Shop Stop: Cat Eye Glasses Rubber Stamp

Isn't this cat eye glasses stamp too cute!? Think of all the cute things you could jazz up with it — notecards, gift tags, stationary—even some plain brown shipping paper could be turned into fabulous wrapping paper!

At $6.00, this is a nice find to put in a stocking for the 1950's lover who is also a crafter, or to make your own paper goods stand out!

 

PoshBinky hand carves their stamps, and shipping is very affordable!

If any of my family is reading this, you now know what to buy for me.

Shop Stop: Depression Era Gloves & Scarves Knitting Pattern Book

Christmas is only 83 days away — I know, not the cheeriest thought for some. Anyway, since I'm always on Etsy or Pinterest, I thought I would post some of the things that stand out to give you some ideas for Christmas gifts.....or gifts for yourself, because some things are just that fabulous. ;)

For the knitters and crocheters out there, here is a book of scarf and glove set patterns from the Depression era. Scarves are such a popular homemade gift, but won't your vintage loving friends be surprised when they open up the box to see a reproduction vintage set that you took the time to make?

Iva Rose has many more patterns in her shop. Her books are reproductions, so you don't have to worry about  brittle paper or wear and tear as you take your knitting & pattern with you.

A Whirlwind December

Christmas is this weekend?? HOW did that happen? Usually I'm on top of my shopping, baking, and general Christmas-ness, but this year I feel like December just skipped over me. You can blame our toilet for 90% of it. Yes, you heard right, I blame the toilet. Two weeks ago I noticed a leak. When my dad check it out, it led to having to take the toilet out, which led to discovering more water damage, which led to taking up more of the floor, which led to finding A LOT of mold, which led to the bathroom being gutted down to the sub floor. Needless to say, the house has been in disarray as we've been involved with this construction project. Thank goodness for kind neighbors letting us use their shower!

Otherwise, December has just been busy and felt chaotic this year. Thankfully my boss has really toned down our work schedule for this week and next, so I am slowly settling into what's left of Christmastime. But as I baked cookies today and shiny packages started appearing under the tree, I can feel my festiveness increasing. ;)

All this to explain the lack of blog posts and lack of comments on your lovely blogs. It's been an exhausting month and I just haven't had it in me to keep up with the things I normally do.

How has your December been? Are you finished shopping and wrapping? :)

Christmas Shopping

As hard as it is to believe, there's only 66 days until Christmas. Yikes! Usually I'm much more on top of my list, but with the budget being a lot tighter this year, I wasn't able to shop ahead like I typically do. Consequently, I've decided to make quite a few of my gifts this year —besides saving money, it seems like the vintage thing to do. Unfortunately I can't write about them all because the recipients will probably read this. Lol. I can disclose that my knitting skills are being put to good use. ;)

Another source of inspiration is the Craft Christmas Club. So many wonderful ideas there! I'm going to be making this adorable Pincushion Jar.

But since not everything can be handmade, I've compiled a little list of goodies and shops that will hopefully give you some gift ideas:

These Retro Rosie Earrings are $9.99 over at ModCloth. They also come in the very-vintage color "Mint".

Be sure and check out ModCloth's "apartment" section for all sorts of adorable and unique gifts. You're bound to find something for that someone who has everything.

These gorgeous, handmade barkcloth bags are made by Valerie from For The Love of Pete. She has a wonderful selection of styles and colors in her etsy shop. You will be giving someone a one-of-a-kind piece — not something of poor quality that is mass produced. It's also great to know you are purchasing from someone who has a passion for what they create.

Wrap up your darling gifts in some vintage-reproduction wrapping paper!

Sweet Vintage Wrapping Paper is printed 60 lb. paper and produced locally in the USA. Each sheet measure 7.7 square feet, has a different pattern on each side, and is only $5.00 per sheet. Shipping is at a wonderful price of $2.00 for the first sheet, and $1.00 for each additional sheet. You also get two free gift tags that coordinate with your gift wrap. Neat fact: the stars in their prints represent WWII.

They also have a STUNNING selection of vintage-repro Christmas cards. The best selection of reproductions that I have ever seen! You can buy sets of the same, or mix and match for the same price.

For the WWII or art lover, Vintagraph's selection of posters is divine. All posters are museum quality reproductions. Sizes start at 8 x 10 and go up to 47 x 34.

Are you making any gifts this year? Where do you like to shop for special and unique gifts?

Christmas Cards and Barbara Stanwyck

Imprinted Christmas cards bother me. Can't we take the time to sign our own name? I understand if you have mammoth amounts to send out, but still — it's so much more personal and meaningful if it's in your handwriting. That was my rant for today ;)

The other day I was browsing a movie catalogue and came across "The Barbara Stanwyck Show". I never even knew Miss Stanwyck had a show, and I am absolutely thrilled!!! You can buy it on Amazon here. Only one season was made, and this DVD collection (volume 1) has 15 of the 22 episodes. Each episode is a drama, and they are full of guest stars. Barbara Stanwyck won "Best Actress in a Dramatic Series" for her show. (Which makes it surprising that there is only one season!) As a bonus feature on the DVD you get to see her making her Emmy acceptance speech.

Christmas time is coming!!

Ok, not to rush things, but I LOOOOVE Christmas!! It's my favorite time of the year. So I thought I would blog about a few of the things I do to make my Christmas a little more vintage.

I like to tie candy canes on my presents for friends, or put them on their Christmas cards. To me there is something nostalgic about a candy cane. I like to use Spangler Candy Canes. (The Spangler company started in 1906).

Sending out Christmas cards. Sometimes I wonder if Christmas cards will become a thing of the past. I work at Hallmark, and I've already had someone tell me that they refuse to send them out because of postage. I understand, but sitting down and writing out Christmas cards — even if it's just to your close friends — puts you in a Christmas mood. Here is a website where you can buy reproduction vintage cards.

Putting money in the Salvation Army bucket. It goes to a good cause, and you have to admit — you feel good putting it in and being wished a "Merry Christmas". That bell has been ringing since 1901. It's featured in the opening scene of "Holiday Inn" with Fred Astair. Dropping your spare change in their red kettle is such an easy way to be a blessing this holiday season. You can read the complete store about the red kettle here.

Baking Christmas cookies. Put on some swingin' Christmas music, and tie on an apron! It's especially fun if you do it with a friend or family member. Christmas cookies also make nice gifts. My mom used to tell me how baking Christmas cookies was such a big deal when she was little. Her mother used to make tons of them and store them in tins in the bedroom — because it was one of the cold rooms and it kept the cookies fresh. And when company came over, my grandma would bring out Christmas cookies, and also send some home with the guests. I'm going to try and post some cookie recipes from my vintage magazines.

Foil wrapping paper. It's classic. It's also hard to find. Hallmark does have a style of wrapping paper this year that is somewhat close to foil. It has deep gold, cranberry, and green stripes with large snowflakes printed randomly. It's not the real thing, but it's close. There are other papers and gift bags in that line that have a 60's feel.

I know that some of these things aren't necessarily authentic "vintage", but they add nostalgia and whimsy to the holiday for me. Stopping to write cards or bake cookies with my mom — it's a pause in the hectic way Christmas has become. It's a little "homemade" in the "store bought" world. It's memories that will stick with me when the materialistic things fade.