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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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