Happy Holidays! This was such a fun and festive weekend, kicking off the season of comfort, joy and peace.
Look at the weather! I dreamed it was so warm we had refilled the pool for Christmas! We were all swimming and wearing New Years party hats! We were singing that old ABBA song, "Fernando''! Hahaha.
It's hard to think about putting up the Christmas lights when the deck geraniums look like this, and the evening air smells of yummy last hurrah BBQs.
But I try.
Friday my friend L and I did our big gift shopping and got [almost!] everything done. Now we can enjoy wrapping these gifts and shopping for our holiday meals. Saturday began with a warm-day beach walk, then we went to the village's little Holly Berry Fair. Always fun, lots of beachy stocking stuffers and gorgeous poinsettias.
It's hokey and funny and small town-y---Santa comes and the village tree is lighted at dusk.
Then my kids and I dug out our boxes of decorations, and planned our Tree Day, which, because we get a real tree, will not happen til next week.
And then Sunday---again warm and beautiful, like mid-October but not windy---I scurried off early to the flea. It was a wonderful bustling, busy market; some booths were so crowded I couldn't worm my way in.
Boy, there's a lot of old plastic super heroes in this world. Also Hess trucks ''In The Box!'' and obsolete CDs.
No thimbles, no old pink ornies.
More treasures.
In the end, I almost always buy from the same three or four dealers, especially the one guy who is the transferware man, also linen fabrics, silver handles , thimbles, prims. I find great things when he is at the flea. His prices are always amazingly low. These were all from him. Everything here cost total 20.oo.
Prim cake mold and cooky cutter. The mold is prized for its small size and fine tin patina.
It can perhaps be repurposed as an Advent candle, shown here with an old bayberry taper and pine, though I'll probably switch it out to a red candle and tiny mercury ornies instead.
A fine simple heart cooky cutter.
As if I don't have this big jar entirely filled with heart cutters! I always say I'm going to sell my antique cooky cutters but instead I seem to always buy more. [the jar is a handblown with molded top knob Sandwich Glass pharmacy or mercantile display jar, c. 1820. Massachusetts.]
A glass fishing float. It's small, less than 3" diameter, nice color, tiny bubbles---
And funny ''bellybutton'' inside. A blob of the molten glass. These are fairly modern but handblown. 20th century.
Sweet Chinese Babies silk pincushion. Large, and the babies have adorable faces, teeny tiny braids.
Yes I know you can buy these new on eBay or in any Chinatown, brand new, but I like them when they're older and the silk is faded, the colors so charming and soft.
This is a graniteware candlestick, like Wee Willie Winkie, in the nursery rhyme. I guess these were used for bedtime lighting. My dad said they were used to light to the way out to the privy , aka outhouse!
Anyway that was many years ago! I washed it very well, I promise. It will be the base of a make-do pincushion.
I put this calico ball on it just to show you but I like it, the grey polka dots echo the grey enamelware. The tray below will then handily hold your thread, thimble, and scissors. How perfect is that.
Last I fell in love with this tiny autograph book. It is the size of the screen on my [small] iPhone 5. Tiny. 2" x 3.25". And..violets, see the violets?
Note the dates and beautiful writing. I haven't deciphered the words or the owner's name yet, or looked up the towns which seem to be in New Hampshire.
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| Be good and do good. 1879 |
Wasn't that FUN! I have more to show you, beach days and shopping, busy-ness abounds! And I want to hear all about your Christmas shopping and decorating too: tree--faux or real? [big or small?]; shop ahead, shop at 6 pm on Xmas Eve, or internet only, please. Which are you?
love
lizzy
gone to the beach
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| pink Mo in the sunset |
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Looks like a fun weekend! We usually get a big real tree, but because I am working more this year I opted to put up a small feather tree and keep the house decor to a minimum. I LOVE putting everything up, not so much taking it down. Shopping, is a little here, a little there....mostly in the month of December.
ReplyDeleteI love the float. And I have a pincushion JUST LIKE THAT! One of my brothers sent it to me for Christmas one year ages ago. I still use it. Your flea and shopping days sound like so much fun, I'm glad you had great weather to go (and I'm sure it was fun shopping with L, too!). I like the bright pincushion on the tin candle holder, I wouldn't have thought of that. I think I have a brass one similar somewhere, never used - maybe I should make it a pincushion, too? My younger daughter might like it.
ReplyDeleteThe sunset picture is gorgeous, and a PINK Mo is so cute, too!
Thanks for sharing your fun days!
You must have had a great day for shopping with the mild weather. Kind of fun huh? The flea offered lots of diverse stuff it looks like. I love the glass float--didn't know there was such a thing. And, I really like the candle holder for a pin keep.
ReplyDeleteWeather has been pretty nice here too. Got the tree last week, but it's still in a bucket on the patio. We'll get to it this weekend? Our tree gets smaller and smaller every year it seems. My husband actually insisted we take the truck to get the tree--seriously, it can't be more than 2 1/2 feet high. I could have held it on my lap for Pete's sake. Then, the soooo nice fella who came in on the truck with the trees, (kidding, he was just such a nice country boy) was so proud to tell us that he had trimmed the trunk and had it all bagged up and ready to go. Overkill much? It's a cute little thing though :)
I do a little internet, and a little local shopping. Sometimes we make a rule that we can only get gifts from stores we can walk to.
Lovely sunset you captured.
Kel
Oh, I forgot to comment on the autograph book, what a treasure! -Kel
DeleteI love the tiny autograph book. I ve nevr seen one so small. My tree is here and in its stand, just waiting for folks to come help deco. Then BBQ at friends' house later, so fun! Very different from my usual hot chocolate and chili Tree Day menu. 67* here, no wind! Like your day in Cali maybe?
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