He Was Alive As He Could Be

Frosty the Snowman is a fairy tale they say. He was made of snow but the children know he was as alive as he could be. I love snowmen! After Christmas, when all the decorations have come down, I decorate with snowmen until Valentine's day. So I was doubly delighted to get the snowfall of the season here in Virginia this past weekend. We got 18" of that white stuff and as soon as I could, Bobby G. and I got out and made our "real" snowman. I had put up Christmas wreaths on the windows of the old shed and Mr. Snowman looked quite festive standing there. :) This is my White Wednesday post too but I know you will forgive me for having red in it. It is the season after all. :) This is my last post until after the New Year as we will be traveling right after Christmas and into the New Year. So to all my wonderful blogging friends, Happy White Wednesday and

Merry, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Happy Holidays ~ Pink Saturday

Sorry I missed a couple of Saturdays. I missed you all but I am back today with just a simple wish for you. Happy Holidays from The Vintage Nest. This was the Christmas card that went out from the shop. The card leads into what Beverly has requested us to do this week; tell of a special tradition you do each year. This is one simple thing I do every year because I cannot bear to throw out all the beautiful holiday cards we receive. After the trees come down and all the decorations have been stored away, after the last cookie has been eaten and I have made a list of all the fresh things I want to do to the house for the New Year..... I sit down with scissors and hole punch and pretty ribbons in hand and proceed to make all my gift tags for the following year from the cards. That way I get to enjoy them twice and so does someone else. I wish for you a peaceful, pink and happy Christmas week.



I also want to wish our sponsor, Beverly, of "How Sweet the Sound", a very Merry Christmas. Thank you Beverly for all your hard work. For a ton of Pink Saturdays bloggers just go here. And I do hope you will leave a comment here or on the post below this. I am having one little give-away for the end of the year. Since Beverly said we can use poetic license with our "pinks" I just wanted to show you this sweet old delicate "purple" West Germany crackly glass ornament. (Purple is the new red....don't cha know?) :) I would love to send it to you as one last little give-away for 2009.


P. S. We got a foot of snow last night and it's going to continue to snow all day today.....woohoo!...a white Christmas for sure!

Tour of Homes with Nesting Place ~ Fa La La La La

It's here! ..... and I am so excited to be a part of it. Just click on the above badge and you will be whisked by Santa's sleigh, quicker than a blink of his twinkling eye, over to the Nesting Place. She's got a whole list of those on tour. So settle back in your favorite jammies and your enjoy your favorite beverage and let's go. You can tour by your seat....not your feet. Thank you Nester for taking over as hostess this year! I have been Fa La La La La Ling all over the place and I think The Vintage Nest has her home ready for the holiday.( For you Colin!) Come on in and you can just leave that pretty gift in your hand right over there under the Christmas tree. Thank You! :) (I am a day early with my tour....as tomorrow I will be out all day shopping with my feet looking for just the perfect Christmas gift for Bobby G. )

~ The Reason for the Season ~

And my sweets, for your patience in scrolling thru all these photos, I would love to have one more give-away for 2009. This is the sweetest, delicate old glass, West Germany tea pot ornament. It's a very royal purple, has that beautiful old crackling and tole hand painted with some white flocking still on it. I will draw a winner in a few days from all the comments left on this post. So just make sure to leave me an email if you post as anonymous.

H A P P Y H O L I D A Y S

Cookies, Cookies, Everywhere

When my children were small I was always involved with several cookie parties during the holiday season. And then all of a sudden things changed, the children grew up and no more parties. Well, I decided it was high time to have another one this year. Most all my friends are now Grandma's and it is a written rule that Grandma's have lots of cookies on hand when the grand children visit. :) I have heard recently that there are Cookie Party etiquette rules. Bah Humbug I thought to that.......no rules here except everyone was to bring 6 dozen cookies to share and come ready for a fun time. And a fun time we had. My neighbor and I did it together. Cindy is a fabulous baker and cook and the cookies she made were just gorgeous. She also made truffles too. We served tea time foods along with a sampling of all the cookies the ladies brought. I made a Chocolate Chip Cheese Ball served with graham crackers that is just to die for and mascarpone topped with a cranberry chutney that is spread on shortbread cookies. Yummo! Our beverages were a holiday punch, peppermint tea and pink champagne. I wish you could have seen all the cookies that the ladies brought when they were on display. It was a sight to behold.

For favors I simply tied up with twine and green and white tulle, several good kinds of tea bags and added some chocolate peppermint sticks to it. I placed them in a vintage gold and white Florentine box. It was quite pretty.


Cookies were everywhere....from the kitchen, to the dining room to the living room. One mistake I learned was not having a designated cookie specific table. I should have brought in a long banquet type table but I didn't. But now I know and it gives me a good excuse to have another party next year. :)


One thing I wanted to show you is some of my finds on my treasure hunts and how I used them for the party. One thing was this very heavy, very ornate silver Italian "thing". I think it was a lamp base at one time but it made a perfect riser for a plate of cookies....a very elegant way to display them. The other thing I found was the silver deer "thing". I think it was the bottom to a chafing dish at one time. It also made a very festive holiday plate riser. Both of these I found at a Goodwill for under $3.00. And I will definitely use them on my Christmas dinner table too.



Some of my very sweet guest........sweet as the cookies they brought!


Thanks so much for stopping by and my only regret about this party was that you were not there! I hope you'll come back this Monday for the Nester's Tour of Homes. I'll be there!

Shabby Old White Angels ~ Cloche Party

For the holidays I chose to showcase under my glass cloche an old angel of mine. It's hard for me to grasp that a whole lot of my holiday decorations are vintage. Not because I bought them as vintage decor but because I bought them new and have had them for so many years they are now vintage. Oh dear...does that distress me! I am also just realizing a lot of the toys I see in the antique shops, that were once played with by my two sons, are now vintage too..... but I digress. (smile) This angel is very shabby.....she was painted white and has touches of gold and she has no face. I just love her. She stands on "snow", along with an old vintage "sayings" pink ornament and a sparkly BELIEVE sign. I believe, don't you?

For more fabulous holidays cloches please stop Marty's blog, A Stroll Thru Life. You may just pick up a decorating idea or two..... or three. :) Thank you Marty for hosting this fun party.

White Wednesday ~ Ethereal Beauties

It's December 1st ......hard to believe. Seems like I was just posting about not being home for the Christmas holidays last year and here it is almost that time again. Since I didn't get to decorate last year, I am excited about adding the frills, flourishes, baubles and bells to our home this year. The last few weeks on my treasure hunts I found some wonderful items to add to the festive spirit, including two big boxes of vintage ornaments (yeah for me), some very ornate silver lamp bases which I plan to use as cake risers (future post) and some fabulous old books, perfect for holiday vignettes. One of my favorite finds is this beautiful vintage Madonna planter. She's big, almost 10" tall......one of the biggest I personally have ever seen. She's by U.S.A. Haeger pottery, with a beautiful ethereal matte cream finish. Imagine her full of fresh holiday greens mixed with some some white flowers or baby's breath and some gold ornaments.......sitting on your foyer table. (sorry...my imagination just carries me away). :) Since I already have one similar to her she is going in the shop and you can find her here.

Thank you Kathleen of Faded Charm for sponsoring this fun white day. Kathleen is having a "for real" sale in her home town this weekend. Check it out. Sure wish I could go.

I am so excited to announce the winner of my November give-away of the holiday ornaments......some old, some new and some made just for you! A hearty and heartfelt congratulations and I hope you enjoy them.

Sheila of The Quintessential Magpie

Pink Saturday ~ Vintage Tinsel Trees

Happy Pink Saturday! Look at this adorable petite vintage tinsel tree I found last weekend at my most favorite country church and bazaar sale of the year (and the last for the year). Its base is glittered and it still has the charming old mercury glass ornaments, PINK included, on it. Perfect for a table top vignette! It's in The Vintage Nest boutique along with some other charming vintage Christmas ornaments. Bloggy friends get a 10% discount. All you have to do is type "special" (because you are) on the coupon code at checkout, hit recalculate, and it's done. :) And for tons more pink just click here. Beverly, our hostess, has a whole passel of people who love pink and are anxious to show you what they love.

And since we (welllll...me anyway) are discussing ornaments, it's time to mention my give-away one more time. It's just about over, the 30th of November being the last day to enter. Enter is not really the right word because you are already "entered" if you have left a comment on any blog post from this month so far. So if you haven't .....what are you waiting for? My last give-away ornament is this sweet bird. You knew there was going to be a bird in there somewhere didn't you? :) This double Peace dove bird heart ornament was created from vintage Christmas sheet music and I just had to add a bit of silver bling. The hanger is old twine topped with a vintage jet black button....charming! I saw some very similar to these in the Ballard catalog. They surely must have copied my idea, only mine is cuter. (big grin). The center of the collage is today's ornament while the rest of the collage shows the ornaments already featured. Now...please, just like Santa says....be good for goodness sake.....so your name will be the one picked from his hat. Best Wishes,

White Wednesday ~ White for Thanksgiving

Yikes! I had it all planned what the centerpiece was going to be on our Thanksgiving Day dinner table but somehow time got away from me. (no surprise there!) Today was such a busy day with cleaning and cooking and cooking and cooking, it didn't leave me much time to work on the centerpiece and tomorrow's a bust as I will be on the road for the day. Soooooo, I just left the old cherub statue that normally sits on the table and just gussied her up. In 10 minutes I had surrounded her with gold grapes, white and gold leaves, white pumpkins, dried corn, a fancy bird (of course) and gave her a vintage pearl necklace from an old bracelet. What do you think? Happy White Wednesday. For more inspirational whites just click here to be whisked right over to the lovely blog, Faded Charm. Kathleen has a whole list on her sidebar.









I can't close this post without showing you the latest addition to my November give-away. Lots have signed up but if you are new to visiting me or haven't been around in a while I hope you will leave a comment. That's it...that's all you have to do...just leave a little comment so I'll know you were here. :) And if you haven't already, click on the VOTE badge below to give my numbers a little boost and thank you. This charming vintage mercury glass ornament is the sixth addition to the give-away going on all this month of November at The Vintage Nest.....the winner to be announced on Dec. 1, 2009. I am just crazy about this old ornament. It has the most gorgeous patina and has faded to the softest shabby aqua. Mr. and Mrs. SnowPeople are on it. Pictured below that is a panorama of the other ornaments in this give-away that have already been featured......some new, some old and some made just for you.

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!

Pink Saturday ~ Altered Journals or What to get Aunt Millie for Christmas

Even as a little girl in grade school, I eagerly looked forward to the art part of the school day...coloring and cutting and pasting and creating. (I never looked forward to Math...wonder why?? ) Both of my parents were very creative and artistic people and I was so lucky to inherit that gene. I finally got to take a day this past week to sit and create some items for the boutique. One minute it's 9 am in the morning and the next thing I know I am racing upstairs to make dinner.....my mind just get's so involved in the creative process, time just flies.

I love making the altered art journals. They make charming one-of-a-kind Christmas gifts or any time gifts, for a special friend, Mom or sister. This one is called "Thoughts from Home". When altering one of these books, I get to use all the bits and baubles and pretty pieces I collect on my treasure hunts and incorporate them on a cover. My endeavors, with no intentions whatsoever, ending up with lots of pink this time. On this journal I used a replica of a sweet faced little girl from one of my antique penny Victorian post cards. I gave her a a twirly skirt of many layers of ruffled crepe paper with a bodice of vintage sheet music. She has a vintage watch face in her hand and a pink dove in the other....time and love. I used a vintage heart earring with pink rhinestones as a charm to hang from the riot of ribbons off to the side of the journal. Creating these journals with something from the past and treasuring them for something new, makes a delightful way to pen your thoughts and memories and a very special way to preserve the past and future.





And "fancy tags" are also something I enjoy making. Once the creative juices start flowing there's so stopping the ideas. These charming tags are what makes that hohum wrapped gift say "wow". I think the presentation in a uniquely wrapped gift is so much a part of the gift giving. The image on this first set of tags is also taken from one of my collection of antique penny post cards. I just love the soft coloring in this and the 'Best Wishes' sentiment works for a Christmas gift, birthday or just because gift. An extra added touch is the vintage white button, vintage lace hem facing and pink bow.

The second set of tags was inspired from a newspaper department store ad I saw. I love pink and black together and the 3-d pocketbook and ribbon used as a handle really makes these cute tags pop. Polka dots.....so French chic....don't cha think?


Saturdays are always such a fun day for all of us that participate in Beverly's love of pink. For all the pink you could possible want just click here. You will love it! Happy Pink Saturday.

P.S. I almost forgot........any comments on any of my November blog post are entered to win the ornaments give-away blogged about here, with more still to come :). And don't forget to Vote here for me. Many, many thanks :) Oh...and while you are there sign up for the $50.00 gift certificate to be given away to one lucky person for our "Thankful For You" sale. at the fabulous on-line shopping mall Shabby Lane Shops. It can be used at any of the participating shops in our sale over the Thanksgiving holiday. Hurry....only a few days to sign up. Just click the badge below. (Whew....lots going on here today).

White Wednesday ~ I Love Jingle Bells

I love jingle bells, don't you? The sweet tinkle of the bells is just so Christmasy and letting a bit of the Christmas sparkle into your day is a good thing and a fun way to start the festive spirit. Here is an easy and quick way to add a bit of that jingle bell spirit into your home. I simply went out into the backyard and picked a tree branch. This one happens to be dogwood because it has many little branches (and it was a branch that needed to be pruned anyway :) A quick spray of white paint, then get out the trusty hot glue gun. (Don't use a low temp one). And just glue on some jingle bells. I picked up a bag of the silver all sizes bells for just a couple of dollars. I also saw this idea in a high end shop for their holiday Open House and the cost was ....well.....let's just say....make your own in 10 minutes. :) I plan on using mine around the punch bowl at my Christmas tea party. They would also look great on the mantle, on the wreath or make several and place them in the Christmas tree. A bit of white added to a green tree really makes it pop.

And today, for Kathleen's White Wednesday, (click here for lots more beautiful white posts) I have two more ornaments or gift toppers to add to the give-away I am having all this month of November. To be eligible, all you have to do is add a comment to any of my November blog post and take a quick trip over to Shabby Lane Shops and vote for me. Just click here and scroll on down the page. It's quick, painless and easy, I promise. I would love it and thank you so much. Okay....that's enough of the boring stuff...on with the give-away. This pretty white deer looks for all the world like a glittering Christmas sugar cookie and he measures 5" x 5". The second ornament I have made just for you. It's a pretty gold glass ball glittered and flocked with the beautiful word Peace. The collage below shows the other ornaments in this give-away and I am sure there will be at least one more. The drawing will be held on the 30th of November, announced right here and I will ship them right out to the lucky winner, so what cha' waiting for? Leave a comment and go vote my little chick-a-dees!