Vintage Paper Crafting

During WWII many of the Christmas cards had patriotic themes.  This one shows the home fires burning.  I added the little boy cut from a Mary Engelbreit illustration.  Raised on pop dots, he stands on tip toe hanging his sock for Santa.  The small bow was a gift from Erica at Golden Egg Vintage perfect for this project!

Here's the inside of the card cut to fit the back of my tag, I love using the signatures of the original senders.  As one of my many hand made Christmas cards, I explained in the letter included with the greetings why the signatures were from 60 years earlier.

In pursuit of vintage holiday at every thrift in the metro area, I happily paid 39c for this little sequined choir boy.  Black hair like my Young Airman, stationed far away at Pearl Harbor.  Home for Christmas 'only in my dreams', but we did SKYPE!

Finally, a peek at the Toy Tag Trade complete with all of our old favorites.  Liddle Kiddles by Pixie's Ponderings, Mary Poppins from Perfectly Printed, a Pull Toy created by Imagimeri, Strawberry Shortcake ala Golden Egg Vintage, Swervy Turvy Dipsy Doodle by Linda at LBP Sews, and a Sewing Machine by Zetta's Aprons joined my Lite Brites.  I love seeing the era our 'Favorite Toys' reflected; it helps me imagine the tag makers and their personalities.  Santa was good to all the little girls!

 

Jingle all the Way!

During the summer months this Hot Wheels lighted piece rotates the little car on the pedestal while carefully positioned in the huge back window of MY 1957 Chevy.  At Christmas it joins 40 or so other lighted village pieces in my Christma-tized house.

 This metal tree has tags and small ornaments hung on it in my craft room.  I put the small gifts from Elizabeth under this tree for future paper craft garnishes.  The little wooden figure is standing on a spigot handle; mixing oddities together makes me smile.

"Thank you, Tinsel, for making my carpet look like I have an aluminum dog."  Jimmy Kimmel

Here's the 4' (formerly bare) metal tree now fully adorned in silver garland and arrayed in 100% vintage!  The Little Bo Peep ornament came from Linda at LBP Sews, I call her Bo,  Little Bo Peep aka LBP Sews!

Our Dept. 56 suburbs are positioned in every available corner that Mr. Wonderful can capture at Christmastime.  The North Pole Village Pet Shop is surrounded by Hallmark Frosty Friends ornaments.  We bought our first Frosty Friends ornament in 1980, now 31 years later, it's been around as long as the baby we got from Korea in 1981.  We thought the little girl looked like our anticipated baby.  Who knew they would keep making it so long!

I made this passport from an advertisement that FIAT sent in the mail.  It had a red cover and several pages of ads, I added new paper pages, rub ons of foreign countries and used a time/date stamp to put Dec. 24 and 25 on each page.  Santa's picture and NOEL# were on the first page.  I punched a hole to hang the Passport on the tree for the grandkids to enjoy.

Baking together, my littlest Peanut was singing Away in a Manger very softly as I rolled and we cut out cookies.  I started singing with her and she looked up and said, "Could you hear that?"  Yup, that was my heart melting!   Magic memories being made here!

 

Just the memory of an old Christmas card

This year I made all of my Christmas cards from 1940s vintage scrapbook finds.  Redesigning them, I used Mary Engelbreit graphics that were small and layered them on top of the vintage backgrounds for some,  other non-Mary graphics for others.  Stamps of holly or 'Seasons Greetings' and shiny silver chenille stems and buttons too.

I finished my card making early which was a blessing in disguise.  This little graphic looked like me this week when I realized I have 'lost' the month of December!

Santa is invited to our Christmas and I spent time making cut out cookies yesterday with the my grandlittle, the most spatially gifted three-year old on the planet!  That child can eye up a spot and fill every inch of rolled dough without overlapping cookie cutter marks!  At one point the dough was getting warm and when I picked up one of the kings he lost his head.  Three year old said, "Is that OKAY?"  I fixed the king, all was well.

There are spare garnishes left for next year on my craft table.  Paper craft has been exchanged for baking and wrapping, another extravaganza.  Norwegian Krumkaake, Kringla and Rosettes must be made in addition to cookies.

Ding! Dong! Ding! Dong! Christmas sleigh bells are ringing!  I found this leather strap of jing-tinglers for 2.00 at the thrift store, it greets me when I open my play room door.

My Christmas epistle included with the cards sent far and wide explains why some cards are signed by Einer and Rosemary and Sis Nina; they are the ultimate re-gift.  The people who sent those cards must be smiling to know that the greetings they sent 60 years ago live again during Christmas of 2012.  I was enthralled when the old cards included letters.  "He got his wings", "I'm working in the ordnance factory", "We are in Colorado now", the writers were real people working through rationing, growing Victory Gardens and taking care of their cars because the factories were producing war machines not vehicles.  It was an amazing, patriotic time in American history. 

Blessed Among Women

A week ago today the mail started coming.  The email poured in, the doorbell rang heralding deliveries from afar.  A community of friends praying and calling others to pray  surrounded me.  I am honestly speechless...

I will tell you more about the 'what' in April when the month for Breast Cancer Awareness comes around.  Let's just say, I have been through this 'two-fer' deal at age 29 so imagine my shock to find a lump where none was expected.    This adorable Scrabble vignette (and so many other goodies) arrived from Kim K, the Musing Mama.

These beautiful multicolored tulips came from my "California Girl", Chris at Perfectly Printed, there are THREE DOZEN of them!  This vase is in my bedroom, another graced the dining room.  Can you say Shock and Awe?  Whodda thunk I'd get flowers from Imaginary Friends?  Not me!

Also in the bedroom, this absolutely cute as cute can be box from Kim.  One line of the verse reads, "Let me catch my breath".  Look at the glitter!  Who wouldn't be cheered up?

I made this  Santa wall hanging last Christmas, I really am CHECKING IT TWICE.  Because there was more.  More pix next post, I know that you are all jealous seeing this much! I have never received so great an outpouring of love, support and friendship as in the last week! 

From Erica, Golden Egg Vintage, ornaments for my wreath and some to spare for the tinsel tree!  Is there anything as sweet as seeing yourself in the reflection of a Shiny Brite?

Renee over at My Vintage Mending sent this Little Golden Book for my collection.  It's one I had NEVER seen before!  Super sweet in this display with the 'Nativity Play' characters!  Diversions from all over the country just kept coming in the mail...

The last surprise I wanted to show you from Erica when we had our craft-a-thon; a vintage Tammy Coloring Book!  My Mom saw this in my craft room and said, "Why didn't we ever have any of those?"  I had a Tammy doll and lots of her togs but not the fun coloring books!  There were several of them, I Googled!

I am SO grateful, mostly for your prayers and support in a tough time, but also for the OUTPOURING of friendship gifts and positive reinforcement.  The lump was BENIGN.  I am BLESSED AMONG WOMEN and like Mary, the mother of Jesus, I will treasure all of these things in my heart for a very long time.   

 

Your Imaginary Friend,

Tammy

Everywhere You Go...

Yes, it's beginning to look a LOT like Christmas in this sparkly, tinsely, glitterly house of ours!  My once bare metal tree is far from bare all wrapped in silver garland and adorned with vintage ornaments.  The candy box ornament that I made as part of the swap with Elizabeth at Creative Breathing is made with a vintage Christmas card so it counts as OLD!

Mr. Wonderful played in band all through high school and college.  I had to settle for French horns because, well, I can't find a silly TUBA!  He still loves the bass clef music and we usually go to the Tuba Christmas every holiday season.

We will hang another patriotic ornament on the tree, it's the 10th year without our son at home.  This year the young Airman celebrates Mele Kalikemaka in Pearl Harbor where he serves at Hickam Air Force Base.  For each Christmas he misses at home I hang a red, white and blue ornament; I didn't know when he enlisted that it would last this long!

In high school I started making these pins, pearls and sequined ornaments.  My dream was to have a tree of home-made ornaments.  Thanks to our crafty habits, 35 years together and three kids who provided adorable contributions from pre-school through their elementary years, my wish came true.  Having the next generation start making some cute stuff will be my next dream...

 I decked the window box today; it was 40 degrees here in the north land and that's downright balmy in our part of the country in December.  I added a couple new things to the box this year, and there is more to come! 

                             

I will be taking a pause, not one that refreshes actually, but a little LOA.  I am slated for surgery on Tuesday and I'm not sure when I'll be able to come back.  Please add me to your prayer list and do keep in touch!  Thanks for being (as the young Airman used to say when he was little) my 'mortal support'.  I'm blessed by knowing so many of you who have come to visit and write to me!

 

 

I'm a Gurley Girl!

I grew up in the 1960's and my Gramas had these little darlings, so did my Mom; Gurley Candles.  Mom had the Jack 'o Lantern man and the two Pilgrim people.  I remember the Christmas Santa too, all part of my happy childhood holidays.

Finding a Gurley candle still makes my heart beat faster.  Faded, slouching due to heat exhaustion, they peek out from thrift store shelves or flea maket tables and my memories run right back to those 'back in the day' times of simple holiday decorating.  I hate to admit that my folks didn't spend three days putting out their Christmas decorations like we do. 

On Saturday, entering into the sixth hour of decorating (my Mom came and helped us too) I walked up to Mr. Wonderful who was putting up the second tree and whispered, "I am so happy that you love Christmas as much as I do!"

 

My Dad gave this little sleigh to my Mom on their first Christmas together in 1955; it was stored in the original box with graphics as adorable as the tiny reindeer themselves!  The silver deer head is a hood ornament!  It has wiring to light up the antlers.  How's that for Christmasy?  Mister wouldn't put it on my car...boo hoo.

This vignette is full of family memories; my Little Grama, the cake decorator gave me the colored bells, deer and toy soldiers, the Santa and horn came from Mr. Wonderful's 107 year old Grandma, the angel with star is from his Mom...

 

 Ah, it is

 

The Hap-Happiest Season of All!



Christmas Craft-a-Palooza!

What do you get when you cross a couple of creative bloggers meeting in the Real World?  Eleven hours of glue sticks, paper crafts, Shiny Brites, glitter and precious outcomes.

Erica of Golden Egg Vintage inspired me with her ornament wreath.  I can cut and create banners telling stories; each of us wanted what the other could do.  A plan began to form; a marathon craft day teaching each other. 

I pulled out my stash of ornaments; I hit every thrift store I could find for more Shiny Brite darlings.  I piled them in the corner until the day arrived:  Craft-a-Palooza commenced!  Arriving with a huge gift wrapped present:  Erica gave me even more vintage ornaments and a big surprise that I will show you tomorrow...

Asking only that she bring a book we could use for her garland of story tags, we started at the craft table with choosing the graphics. Erica and I both love Little Golden Books and her book:  Santa's Workshop!  Too perfect.  Next up, picking paper from my newly acquired October Afternoon warehouse sale stash.  Sheet music or white borders?  Out came my button jars, Baker's twine, colored alphabet stickers and assorted garnishes.  Finally, four hours and two tired crafters later:  five adorable tags that I strung on a vintage tape measure! 

Santa truly did come to my house and read my wish list!  Christmas and Cute Counts!

Here's my completed bare metal tree adorned with vintage ornaments and a few leftover Shiny Brites.  Under the tree the most INCREDIBLE Christmas present ever:

A Cup of Kindness from Elizabeth my idol!  When Debby who blogs at Cozy Blanket set up her one to one swap, I joined not dreaming I would be matched with my mentor over at Creative Breathing!  Yikes, the MOST CREATIVE WOMAN ON THE PLANET would get something I made?!  I learned everything I know about paper crafting FROM HER!  This last week has been a tough one personally, but because of the love and friendship of these two amazing friends, I am happy beyond what I dared to dream. 

Prettiest Decorated House...

On the Whole Block!  Fibber McGee and Molly had a Christmas radio show where the classic comedy team had a bet that the first person viewing their Christmas lights would say, "You got the prettiest decorated house on the whole block!" 

Imagine my delight when I opened a package from Shirley Zetta's Aprons to find this pretty little Christmas cottage complete with candy, glitter and the sweetest details in each and every little nook!  I have 'the prettiest decorated house on the WHOLE block!'

Shirley sent 'incentives to craft', I mean sweet treats in the adorable specially made Santa treat box!  A vintage Christmas card, a candy striped Snowman tag...it made me so happy!  Look at the sugar cone tree!  Not missing a detail, Shirley sent a flameless candle to light up my house too!

The sweetest gift from a very sweet gal!

 

Tammy's in Love...Again!



In the Playroom...again!

Once upon a time there was craftroom, full of binders of vintage greeting cards and file folders of  calendar pages saved for years.  Next to that are tablets of scrapbooking paper and gluesticks and all kinds of garnishes.

I went into that room about a month ago, I started cutting and gluing and then all of a sudden, there were stacks of vintage redesigned cards for Christmas.  When there was an October Afternoon Warehouse Sale I found all kinds of new papers in adorable prints and embellishments to design with.

I played with paper and I took pictures that I wanted to show you!  But my laptop went on the fritz and Mr. Wonderful tried and tried and tried.  He put in a new part to connect to the network, he pointed in time (my words), he backed up the files on an external hard drive and then when he went to reload it all, IT DIED.  Insert the playing of "Taps".  This is not a good time for a computer to die (is it ever?).

I went to my blogs on HIS laptop and I replied to your emails but I couldn't POST!  My pictures needed to go in the file in MY laptop.  I was waiting, I thought I'd be right back to show you.  Instead, the piles of creations kept growing and I had lots of fun and now there are soooo many pictures!

 I was being very good, making sure I will be on the 'NICE' list.

 Because Santa Claus IS coming to town

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Oh, here he is again; he brought the good news that 100 Followers happened and as promised, drawing for the goodies from October Afternoon will be going to:

Renee of My Vintage Mending

 

Thank you all for your comments and for your friendship!  I didn't start this to collect followers, I started it to find friends, and I have!