There's a party on my mantel

Here's to Peace, Love, Health and Vintage in 2010....Cheers!

Nobody knew the snow was coming...But look what happened today in Portland! This is our front yard from our bedroom window.



I was thinking about un-decorating the tree this afternoon, but I changed my mind. I plugged in the snowball lights and watched the snow fall.

Riley, a girl in Charlie's 3rd grade class, made this paper snowflake for me. It's perfect.

Cheers! And don't forget your gloves!

The snow has arrived just in time for New Year's Eve. Hip Hip Hooray!

Wrap it up!

Are you taking a quick blog break from a flurry of gift wrapping? Thought you might like to see some very festive vintage wrapping paper from my stash. So, grab an egg nog latte and have a look!





















Do you have a favorite?
Head on over to Colorado Lady for another chapter of Vintage Thingies Thursday.

Merry Christmas to all of One Gal's Trashy Pals!

And the Tradition Continues...

Inspired by the stocking my mom made for me a few decades ago, I made each of my kids a felt stocking when they were babies. Santa and I have such great stuff to put in them this year...can't wait for Christmas morning!

Merry Christmas to you!

Vintage Christmas Vignettes

Cheers! It's the last Vintage Christmas Monday of the year. Our hostess Joan, has a dazzling collection of spun cotton ornaments that will make your heart go pitter patter.
You can see them at Anything Goes Here.

Here at our house, Santa Claus has already come to town...and he landed on our mantel!

A variety of trees and a snowy village on Grandma Millie's cake plate.

Mica houses and Christmas elves.

We had a nativity just like this one when I was growing up. It's a beautiful old set, made in Japan. (There is even a "Japan" stamp on Jesus's bottom!) It's in perfect condition. I found it just after I moved to Portland 15 years ago. It was in a box, on the floor, at the Central Catholic High School Rummage Sale. Price: $5.00. I adore it.

There is a reason this blog is called One Gal's Trash

Remember this pile of junk I rescued from the side of the road? See the fab iron urn to the left of the sad lady?

Well girls, look at it now! All gussied up with pine, holly, and pine cones... A fresh and festive greeting on the porch for our holiday guests!

I was Marie Antoinette in a Previous Life

By popular demand, I'm modeling the "hat" I said I'd wear to my husband's company Christmas party. It might be just a bit understated....

Whaddya think?

Junk by the Side of the Road

To celebrate Vintage Thingies Thursday over at Colorado Lady , I have a little story for you....

So, in order to avoid rush hour traffic the other day, I drove down a street off my usual route. I'm doing about 50, singing Feliz Navidad at the top of my lungs, when I spy a pile of wonderful junk by the side of the road. SCREEEECH! go my brakes. Just as I'm about to jump out of the car to investigate further, a guy sitting in a parked black truck across the street rolls down his window and says: "Did you have a question about that house?" I say: "Well, sort of. Are those things on the curb free to a good home?" He says: "Yeah, we're renovating, that's some stuff we don't want...Take it all!"

So I took some of the clay pots, the metal urn (chipped, but I don't care) and the pretty white lady. She's not old (bar code on the bottom was my first clue), not concrete, not resin. She's heavy and lovely and just needs a little TLC. She looked very sad to have been thrown over. See?

But this piece was my favorite. A fabulously beat-up concrete line of ladies dancing. Why anyone would leave this on the side of the road is just incomprehensible to me.

I love concrete. I love dancing ladies. I love the guy in the black truck.

Find it at Found

Who wants to see my space at Found on Fremont? It's chock full of vintage Christmas junk!

And the winner is...

The little deer shadowbox goes to...

Christina from icandy! Christina is the junky sister I never had...I'm just not sure which one of us is the evil twin. What that girl can do with crepe paper and chicken wire will make your heart pound and your jaw drop.

Thanks to all of you for following the adventures of One Gal's Trash. I am so feeling the love and appreciate every one of you!

This was so fun...I think I'll head to the studio to make something else for another giveaway...stay tuned.

Let there be (Christmas) Lights!

There is nothing like starting the week with Vintage Christmas Monday hosted by our pal Joan. You will be in awe of the wonderful array of treasures showcased by the party bloggers.

Here are some of my holiday goodies, along with a story from my childhood.....

Every Christmas Eve, when I was a toddler, we'd all pile in the staton wagon, and my dad would drive us around the neighborhood so we could see the holiday decorations. This was back in the days when everybody had lights and Santas and angels and menorahs and camels plastered all over their houses and yards. My mom tells me I used to sit in the back seat, in my footed jammies, and say over and over..."Lights, Mama, Lights!" I still adore Christmas lights of all kinds.

This 99 cent beauty was rescued from the Teen Challenge thrift store, Portland, Oregon.

These snowball lights go on our tree every year. I once found 2 huge bags of them at a thrift. I almost had to call 911 on myself.

This candelabra has a little Eiffel Tower thing going on. I told my husband that if he plays his cards right, I'll wear it as a hat to his company Christmas party.

One last thing, it's not too late to join up for a special holiday giveaway. It's something vintage and handmade by yours truly....see details here.

A Holiday Warning

There is a line you should never, ever cross.

My Vintage Mom and her Crafty Ways....

Hooray! It's Vintage Thingies Thursday over at Colorado Lady.
This is my mom, Sallie, having lunch al fresco in California a few weeks ago.

In the 1960's, Mom was quite a seamstress. (How she had time to sew with 4 kids, I will never understand.) She made felt stockings for all of us. Every Christmas Eve, she stuffed them full of peppermints, toys, See's chocolates and small treasures. Then she gave Santa all the credit. My stocking hangs from our mantel every December.

When my angel started losing her hair, Mom glued some white yarn on her head and called it good.

A teddy bear in white tie!

Inspired by Mom, I made felt stocking for my kids too. I'll show you those next week.

***Scroll down to my previous post for details on a Vintage Christmas Giveaway***