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Tuesday, November 29, 2011

REDNESDAY-Recycling By Thrifting!



According to the Urban Dictionary, a THRIFTER is: Someone who religiously shops at thrift stores, looking for bargains and often scores amazing deals. Often dedicated to recycling and reuse of products to keep our planet "greener". HEY, that's me! Whenever I go past the three thrift stores in our area, I always stop. You just never know what you're going to find, it keeps things out of the landfill, and all three do very good work with their proceeds!

Someone put alot of work into this Christmas quilt, and although it's by no means vintage, it's really cute, and it was only $3!

It looks great with all of the other quilts too, and so does the little kneehugger elf, also found at the thrift.

I've been trying to decide which Christmas tablecloth to go with on the dining room table. I've got alot to choose from, but I was lazy and only grabbed the first few from the pile. Truth be told, if I wasn't careful, the pile would topple over!

In the end I chose this one, and I'm pretty sure it's the same one I used last year. Which makes a pretty good case for not having so many tablecloths when all you're going to do is just use the same one every year. But remember, I'm a THRIFTER, and I'm trying to save the planet, one tablecloth at a time!

I LOVE IT! That tree almost looks Dr. Seuss-ish, doesn't it?

I also found some really cheap vinyl tablecloths at the thrift, which I needed because........

I had to make some presents for my bicycle basket! It's terribly windy today, so all of the leaves from the vacant house next door have landed in my yard. AGAIN!
So remember, if you want to do your part to recycle and keep the economy going, make thrift stores your first stop!
And if you would like to see more reds, and hopefully some thrifted ones, head over to It's A Very Cherry World, where Sue is our hostess every week!

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

Thanksgiving At Old Glory Cottage!


I'd like to wish one and all a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's our decorations, which had to be packed away a couple of days later because a giant kitten thought batting around the turkeys was lots of fun!

We'll be going to my sister's for Thanksgiving dinner. She has the whole family over every year, and cooks everything herself and it's all so yummy!

Then I'll help her load up the dishwasher.........


and we'll all gather 'round the TV and cheer on The Green Bay Packers! Or at least my daughter and I will. Everyone else hates the Packers.

Then it's to bed nice and early, because.......

NO! I'm not joining the throng of shoppers at the malls and various stores for Black Friday.

I'm going to 2 estate sales! One advertises lots of mid-century stuff, and the other one opens at 7AM and claims to have tons of vintage glassware. The only problem is that both are in a town that has all of those malls and big stores, and most of my time will probably be spent in the car. But I hope to find some treasures!

And then it's time to trim the tree, the house, and every other bare surface! I can't wait to get started. To me, it's Red Friday!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

REDNESDAY!

Link
It's REDnesday over at It's A Very Cherry World! If you're new to my blog, and happen to love the color red, head over to Sue's, where this party happens every week!

I went antiquing last week, in search of some Christmas girl figurines to add to my collection. I didn't find a single one, but I did find this cute little red camera! After looking at this picture though, I think I'll take the flash off, because it's a wee bit humongous for such a small camera.

It's beginning to look alot like Christmas around here! I think this is the earliest I've ever decorated, but I just couldn't contain myself a minute longer! I normally start the day after Thanksgiving, but what's a few days early?

This extremely large old toolbox sits by the back door, and when lit up, those lights flicker and it gives me such a feeling of contentment when I come home at night!
Well that's it for my reds this week. Be prepared to see lots of Christmas reds in the weeks to come!
HAPPY REDNESDAY!

Saturday, November 19, 2011

Christmas Makeovers

I don't consider myself a crafter by any means, but I do like to make things for each holiday.
When I found this Lefton girl at the flea market a couple of weeks ago, she didn't exactly thrill me, but I got her anyway. You see, I had a plan for her.....

So I went to the local Goodwill and found this jewelry box ............

And both the girl and the box got a coat of pink paint and became a shadowbox!

This summer, my friend Nancy found this vintage NOMA thingie at a garage sale and bought it for me. When she gave it to me, all I could think was: "Why Nancy? Why would you buy this for me?!". Ok, I'll admit that it's vintage, and it's Christmas. Two of my favorite things! But that plastic box was kinda moldy inside. It sat on the porch for about a month, and I was so close to throwing it away.......

Until I cut away all of the moldy-ness, found an old frame in the attic, painted it red, and now I love it. It's so kitschy!

And the lights still work!

I can only imagine the ten different ways our kitten Cupcake is going to desecrate this thing! We've had her for three weeks now, and just yesterday she finally discovered that jumping on the parakeets' cage is fun, and so is pulling the toilet paper across the bathroom and absolutely shredding it. Sadly, I think alot of our Christmas decorations will remain unpacked this year, until she outgrows her kittenhood. Exactly how long does that take? Does anyone know????

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

REDNESDAY!


I'm so glad to be linking up with REDNESDAY once again, over at It's A Very Cherry World, where Sue is our red-lovin' hostess!

When Renee at My Vintage Mending showed this patriotic ornament that she had made, using vintage Christmas goodies, I knew I had to try and beg, borrow or steal it from her! Luckily, she so kindly offered to send it to me. Vintage patriotic Christmas decorations are hard to find, and very expensive, so I can't tell you how much I love this, and appreciate Renee's generosity and talent!

These vintage pixies came from an estate sale last week. It's so rare to find a set like this, so I was thrilled!

I can never pass up a vintage Christmas tablecloth......

And it's Kitty Tested, Kitty Approved!

After about 15 minutes of shots like this, with Cupcake batting around that ornament.......

I finally got a shot of this little Lefton girl. And it's made me realize that I definitely won't be able to decorate for Christmas the way I normally do. I'm pretty sure Cupcake is going to be a tree climber and an ornament-batter-arounder!
Thanks for looking at my reds this week, and please head over to Sue's to see lots more!

Sunday, November 13, 2011

MY WEEKEND FINDS


Thanks for tuning in to another episode of My Weekend Finds, the continuing saga of one girl's quest for more junk!

I'm starting this week with the intent of getting back on track and blogging more than just once a week! We'll see how that goes, but I have the very best of intentions!


My finds last week include this recent Ebay win. I just love pixies/elves!

A vintage teabag holder set.

I've always wanted a vintage mermaid of some sort, and although she's not real old, she's over 30!

A Christmas angel, hangin' out with some kneehugger elves. Why is it that I'm ready to find Christmas things at the thrift stores the minute Halloween is over, but it takes them SO long to fill their shelves with Christmas goodness? Am I too eager?!

And last but not least, that vase on the top left-hand side is a nice addition to this little cabinet over the bed, which holds some of my vintage clocks and white pottery.
I can't believe how fast this month is flying by! I finally decorated for Thanksgiving, but it feels like it's only a matter of days before it all comes down and the Christmas decorations come out. Oh I'm sorry, did you think I was complaining? Actually, I can't wait! So, did you find anything interesting over the weekend?

Monday, November 7, 2011

MY WEEKEND FINDS


Thanks for tuning in to another episode of My Weekend Finds, the continuing saga of one girl's quest for more junk!

Well, it was pretty slim pickings over the weekend for this junker. The garage sale season is over, so it was off to the flea market!


At the very first table, I saw these old Lefton St. Patty's girls, and I scooped them up right away! The seller only had one little piece of newspaper to wrap them up with, so I was glad that I now carry bubble wrap with me when I go to the flea!

I had just been drooling over this Lefton Easter planter on Ebay a week ago, and now I have one for much, much less.

Even though Halloween is but a memory, I was still thrilled to find these cooky cutters.

Love the graphics on the inside.

I also found this gorgeous hooked rug, and instead of bringing it back to the car like a smarter person would have, I lugged it through the rest of the flea. Which now explains my sore shoulder. But I was afraid to miss anything good, because there were tons of buyers and not so many sellers. It really is a lovely rug, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be coated with cat hair by week's end. It's Cupcake's new favorite spot!

Thursday, November 3, 2011

A Little Cupcake!

I've always felt that a house isn't truly a home unless there's a pet to share it with. I know that ever since we had to put our sweet cat Mimi Lucy to sleep, there's been a big furry hole in this home's heart. I tried to fill it with parakeets, but they won't let me cuddle them, and they try to sever my fingers when I try! And our daughter Liz is allergic to cats, so I was sure that there would be no more cats in this house.
Until we met Cupcake! She's a shelter cat, and was found in the shelter's dumpster. Doesn't that just break your heart? Why not at least put her in a cardboard box and leave her by the door, along with the other donations?

She's only three months old, and really needs to put on some weight, but already she's won our hearts!

In case you're wondering why I haven't been visiting your blogs, it's because every time I turn on the computer, this happens.

And when I tell her to get down, this is the look I get.

She's already a techie, opening all sorts of windows as she sprawls out across the keyboard. She even managed to turn off the wireless internet with a touch of a button!

And then she curls up in a ball and goes to sleep. You just can't get mad at all of that cuteness! We're so happy to be sharing our home with Cupcake, but I can't help but think: Can a wee little dog be far behind.........?