Thursday, December 23, 2021

From our Home to Yours


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Our Home isn't a showcase, it's small by todays' standards, it isn't new, it isn't full of all the LATEST TRENDS. 
When I started blogging, I promised myself I would stay true to myself. We have Vintage-which really means OLD stuff, LOL, a few NEW things, definitely a lot of GREEN gardening and recycling, and some REDO...fixing what might otherwise be thrown away.

As children of Depression Age Parents...this is the way we were brought up!

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Entering our home--this is the first thing you see. Our sons' two hand plaques from 1976, and our grandgirl's  from 2016. Our home is about Family and friends.
The small angel picture was a gift from a crafter I did shows with. We would often share a hotel room, or even camp-out in the van together to save expenses, for years.

My mother and grandmother kept a home as museums, except for the kitchens. Nothing was to be touched...admired but not touched. 

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Our home, I hope, is more welcoming. I move things around, and I display items which mean something to us.  And everything is able to be touched and used.

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Our holiday mirror display---really a hodge podge, but a curated hodge podge.


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The Fish is my husband's favorite ornament. The bells play continuous music when plugged in, I know we have had those since the early 70's. The horse was handmade by a friend, the reindeer was a gift in need of serious repair job. She is sweet and had been dearly loved, but was in need of rip repair, and an eye, and lots of love.

The brass box is an Arts/Crafts movement piece I picked up maybe 40 years ago. 
The small house is an exact match to our first home in N. Wisconsin. It was a drafty 3-story limestone monstrosity, which we never could quite afford to manage to totally restore---! It was gorgeous though, but a nightmare money pit.

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This stocking was a Hallmark item, Grampa (Hubby) came home with---and plays "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year". The ears flap up and down...and you just can't help but smile when it plays.

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These items are up all year round...I forgot the holly sprig and ribbon I put on the old car horn, found in my grandmother's stash of stuff. (From an early car in the 1910's or so, possibly my great-grandfather's.) The wall is uneven and the mirror had to be hung on a stud, so I have to constantly adjust the balance of items here. 

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This guy is one of a trio of pieces of assembled Vintage put together by a crafter. It makes me smile. The bells were vintage(60's) in a goody bag in a thrift store. I strung them on some green string...just so cute. 

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I love vintage images and old postcards. I have them here and there in the house.


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This little girl I found in a thrift store for $.99. She was broken and her packages had separated. A little hot glue and she's so sweet again. Singing from the Julbok, or Christmas songbook. She's probably Swedish---
but carries a cute little elf (Nisse) too.
She's ME, white hair and all.

Around the corner is our Victorian China Cabinet. 

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This is when thrifting becomes an illness...I bought several at thrift stores and Hubby brought a few home, too. Massed together they are quite fun. I love that these are all the traditional Nutcracker faces. The Majolica Biscuit jar is filled with greens and one poinsettia, and of course lights.!

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The television cabinet has brass candlesticks, some snow and lots of North Pole Polar Bears. Royal Copenhagen bears were gifted from my grandmother early in our marriage (50 years or so ago).

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The white porcelain RC Ermines play in the snow. And a thrift store Snow Baby reads stories to some ducks/penguins?

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Of course the North Pole has to have Santa...this is automated and recites the entire, 'Night Before Christmas.' The reindeer move, it's adorable...another thrift store find for $6.99, it's too much fun and we will play it on Christmas Even.  I filled my stoneware pitcher with greens of ivy and pines, and some snowballs.

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The shelf above the TV has lights and an elf---I have 4 of these made by a crafter and they are just mischievously tucked here and there in the living room.

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I have one girl and 3 boy elves. The ceramic and porcelain dogs are from left: paternal grandmothers', small Terrier was in my grandfather's things, right Spaniel was my maternal grandmothers' and the white Scotty was at my parent's cottage. Not sure where he came from. The Vase is Royal Copenhagen and was my grandmother's. 

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Well it's time for me to move back to the kitchen. I have lots of cooking to do.
The Christmas Pig, has to be cooked, the rice pudding, red cabbage, stuffing, yada, yada, yada!!!

I've already made stuffing, and now have to start on vegetables. We have a refrigerator repair man coming tomorrow---and I can't count on having a space to work. Our fridge is at the end of the island...and well, that's  where we all stand when working at the counter, in front of the fridge!

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Hope everyone has a marvelous Holiday. I'll be taking some time off to play with dolls. You can reach me at my doll blog: 
and Blessings to you All!

Sandi, from OUR Home to Yours!

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Thanks  ALWAYS  for visiting,
I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question.

I will post at the following Link Parties, I hope you visit them.


All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, unless otherwise designated. Please do not use my photos without permission. I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts, or any products shown or anywhere I shop.

Thank you for your cooperation,


Sandi 










 

Monday, December 20, 2021

A DIY ELF's Surprise: A Yule Log Centerpiece

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After reminiscing, I made a side comment to my husband the other day....,"Remember when you use to make a Yule Log Centerpiece back when we didn't have any money?" 

Yes, this holiday is all about reminiscing and this is what he surprised me with.

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Since we no longer live in the North Woods of Wisconsin (since 1976, lol)...the local grocery had branches...a little sawing and some greens a few berries and he walked into the kitchen with this.


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It's really huge, but so is our table!!!

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Here's the HAPPY ELF Carpenter! He told me the stories of making Yule Log centerpieces for his grandmother's in N. Wisconsin when he was in high school. Drilling holes in big huge birch logs, and halving a branch to cut for legs. That would be the 1960's...gosh time flies! 

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After moving many assorted candles around, I had enough to fill the wood holders from my dad's old stash of woodworking supplies. And they work perfect with the rustic logs.

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The branches will begin  to scent the kitchen, once they thaw out. The berries are pretty casually put in. We decided a bit of ribbon is all it needs.

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I love the texture on the logs and the branches.

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He raised the branches up with legs made from more of my dad's toy parts. 

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I think it will be perfect...excuse the plastic tablecloth---but it isn't time for Christmas Dinner yet...just wait until Friday when we set the table.! I can't wait.

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NOW---the Most important thing is spraying these branches for the next 5 days! 

Golly, I love my Hunk of an ELF!!!!


Happy Holidays and all the Trimmings! 
And who doesn't love the scent of fresh GREENS!

If You enjoyed this post please FOLLOW IT in the upper right hand corner, to get just one email of each new post.

Thanks  ALWAYS  for visiting,
I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question.

All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, unless otherwise designated. Please do not use my photos without permission. I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts, or any products shown or anywhere I shop.

Thank you for your cooperation,


Sandi 






Saturday, December 18, 2021

Christmas 2021: Part 3 Hall and Bedrooms

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Our home is a 1970's ranch with that space-wasting, long hallway. At the end is the main bathroom. I keep the door closed and hang this vintage stitched Santa from Denmark my great aunt did way back in the 1970s. 

We always got hand-work pieces for Christmas from my Danish family and occasionally a piece of silver for birthdays. 

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It's all thick cotton, cross stitched with hand-stitched edging!

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Behind another door hangs some festive 'garb', an elf runner and of course Santa's top and hat, waiting for the big day. A Sparky Griswold Hat finishes it all off! LOL. 

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Again, we are dragging everything out---this will probably be the last year I do this corner with this many toys--and ornaments. It's a bunch of 'Toyland' and Santa themed items, that are special, but I have to thin out!

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The extra bedroom, which I never show has the 'huge' Ivy tree made on a tomato cage that grew so much this year in all our heat.  I put it on a stool because of the long trailers. Another plant is purple on the desk. This is a north wall, so I've hooked up a plant light and leave the lamp burning all but a few hours a day.

More toys, as this is the room the Grand girl sleeps in when visiting. But, she has grown out of all this, I'm afraid Gramma hasn't...Lol.

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I only hung one long string of mini seed lights and six or so ornaments on the tree, so not to damage it.

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Three vintage soldiers my dad made for my boys and me...lined up on a shelf. A jar of vintage marbles, books and paintings are in this room. As, well as unwrapped gifts, holiday linens, all my husbands' batteries for the lawn equipment-(hopefully these will move to the basement). So right now it is a unphotographable jumble!

Across the hall is 
The master bedroom, which  faces south. It's our home for the plants I'm wintering over and a 'doll' tree.

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This skinny-minny tree...and is full of Barbie, American Girl, hand made toys, and collector ornaments with a 'girl' theme. Hubby's woodland tree is in the basement family room.

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I also use my grandmother's pearls, and a few baubles and bracelets, a bit of lace here and there.

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Annie and Andy, I made these way back in the early 1970's.

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A sweet flying pig ballerina hides under the tree. I've used a hand stitched runner for a tree skirt made by a dear friend.

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This flirty cherub isn't shy. Feathers on some hats, and white lights, keep this all aglow.

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My bookcases are a fright, but I have these on the top shelf...in front of a vintage boudoir tray. It is so very ornate and different, snagged at a thrift store. The vase on the right is German paste from the 1880-90's as is the conch shell vase in the middle. The girls were my mom's favorites and were all bells from the early 1940's.

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This sweet girl is my favorite, they were hand-painted by a ceramic company in Madison, Wisc. The name escapes me, and they are highly collectible..which I only found out a few years ago. 

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These little bells are porcelain bisque and some I made in the 1980's. I made oodles of hand made clay ornaments for shows. These are only about 4" high...and all hand formed and different! The beautiful vase is Fenton and inherited from my mom-in-law.


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My Mom made this sled and deer for my grandmother in the 1960's. I've filled the sled with vintage ornaments. 

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Lights give a warm glow at night...and I've just kept this sparse.

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I love the shape of this old pitcher...
and  two white polar bears stand watch.
I need to pop some pale greens in the pitcher, with our dried anniversary roses. 

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We keep the bed pretty simple. I have a lovely muted bedspread, but it weighs a ton and I only use it for holidays or major company.

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I love pattern and use one, on another on top of the other. The sheets are navy with little percale type designs. A bit of a jolt in this peaceful winter scene.

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My favorite recycled sweater is on the antique wardrobe hanger. 

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As the sun sets to dusk, the lights come alive. The glow of the lights is very comforting at night. I like to read a bit before sleeping.

Present to myself will be a copy of the new Outlander book---but I'm not getting it until after Christmas---or I will not get a thing done until I finish it...


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Soon the outdoor lights will be on ...

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The tree changes so much at night, 

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Hope you enjoyed my mini tour, a little living room wrap up will be next.

Do You have lights in your bedroom? 

next Part 4: Rest of the Living Room

If You enjoyed this post please FOLLOW IT in the upper right hand corner, to get just one email of each new post.

Thanks  ALWAYS  for visiting,
I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question.

I will post at the following Link Parties, I hope you visit them.






All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, unless otherwise designated. Please do not use my photos without permission. I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts, or any products shown or anywhere I shop.

Thank you for your cooperation,


Sandi