Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

Today I want to share with you one of my favorite books and my favorite Christmas inspiration, Have Yourself a Very Vintage Christmas by Susan Waggoner.
 Every year when I start thinking about Christmas decorations, I pull out this book and read through it. She does a fabulous job of pinpointing the feel of each decade from the 20s to the 60s. In each chapter she gives you crafts, decorating tips, the decades most memorable decorations and innovations, and a brief history of the era and how it effected the way people celebrated.

 From Dickens to Deco: the 1920s.

"For sheer change, it would be hard to find another decade quite like the '20s. It started with the ring of a cash register and raced along like quicksilver. American cities glowed with electric lights, women flaunted short hair and shorter skirts, the air filled with voices that anyone with a radio set could hear for free, and people born in Minsk or Naples or ten thousand other places landed in Brooklyn and rooted for the Dodgers like their lives depended on it. Nothing was as it had been. Except for Christmas."

 Home and Away--and Home Again: The 1940s

"There's nothing like a war to put the depression into perspective. No matter how hard the times had been during the '30s, people took it for granted that Christmas would be spent with friends and family. That changed on the morning of December 7, 1941. All of America was suddenly on the move. And when it was time to go home for Christmas, transportation was all but impossible to find. Yet the separation and uncertainty added a heartfelt longing that made Christmas all the more treasured. Peace, when it came, had much the same effect. Everyone who'd come through those years had sworn privately, a thousand times, they'd never take the holiday for granted again. For the most part, they kept their pledge."

Table top trees, cascade of bells, bottle brush trees, Shiny-Brites, banded ornaments, mercury glass ornaments and garlands, bubbler lights, .....

(I am not sure why, but the '40s have been my favorite this year. I am loving bells, vintage cards and Shiny-Brites!)

 Midcentury Modern: The 1950s

"The irony of war is that even if you win, the country you've just fought to save is almost unrecognizable by the time you get back to it. World War II catapulted America from the lingering Depression of the '30s to the hyper-modernism of the '50s and '60s. Nothing was as it had been before, but no one seemed to care. The world had been made safe, the Axis had been defeated, and everything was new."

Poinsettias, outdoor lights and molded plastic figures, heavenly blue, ceiling to floor decorations, Christmas themed accessories, reflector balls.....

Also included in the back of the book are vintage illustrations for decorating and craft projects.

And a bit of music to finish off, Frank Sinatra singing the title song.

A very vintage Christmas to you Friends!

I Heard the Bells (Front Porch)

 Would you like to see my porch all ready for Christmas? At first, I was going to keep things simple and just add a little greenery to the table next to the door. But.......

 Once we started, it just seemed to happen! Sometimes the table can be hard to work with. I wanted a bit of Christmas to greet visitors at the door, but I didn't want to spend too much time or expense on it.

 Frosty was a curb side find several years ago. Kind of a large decoration to store, but we love how cheerful and vintage he is!

The Merry Christmas sign, bottle brush trees and crate we had and the present and cards were quick projects. 

 The crate is a soda bottle holder my brother made. You may have spotted it in my sewing room with my milk bottle collection. It is perfect for holding a bit of greenery, all it needed was a cheery ribbon!

I am smitten with vintage Christmas cards this year! These I printed from the internet and stuck on card stock so I wouldn't have to worry about real vintage ones getting ruined by the weather. (You can see more of my favorite cards and find these on my Christmas Pinterest board.)

 I was thinking of making a wooden sign for the table, but it changed into a present somewhere along the way. I love how it turned out! The "wrapping" is vintage looking fabric from the fabric store I couldn't resist. It reminded me of vintage wrapping paper, which made me decide to wrap it around a thin piece of plywood to make a "gift". 

 The candles we found this summer at a rummage sale. We ended up with six because the price was so good! 

 I wasn't really planning on making christmasy pillow covers for the porch. But once I saw all the wonderful fabrics at the store I just couldn't resist! Even though it is too cold to sit on the porch right now, I still enjoy looking at them through the window and it is so cozy to see the porch all decked out when we come home.

For some reason I have really been into bells this year. I hadn't remembered we bought these last year until we unpacked the decorations. Don't they look vintage?

 I didn't really have a plan for this little table. I moved the bowl of pine cones from the table by the door and put the red bird on top, Mom propped the sign on the window sill and Mandy added greenery. Perfect! 

 My burlap and poinsettia wreath is again making an appearance on the front door. For this year I added more poinsettia all the way around it. I love how you can now see it from the sidewalk. 

And Harry Belefonte singing "I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day". Love him singing this song.

Sewing Room Chair

This was a post I was going to put up last weekend, but didn't get to. So before we move into Christmas too far, one last look at the upstairs!
I think the refurbished sewing closet chair is my favorite piece in the room. I love all the little details!

I wasn't really looking for a caned chair, but I had admired them on Pinterest and Houzz. So when I came across this diamond in the rough on the curb one garbage day, I knew right away it could be beautiful.

It's Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas!

Last night we got our tree decorated! One of our favorite Christmas activities is getting out our Shiny Brite ornament collection. We ohh and ahh over all them all over again! 

 I think I say this every year, but this year's tree is beautifully shaped. It almost looks too perfect, like a postcard.

Isn't there something magical about all the twinkling lights? I love how it shimmers off the garland and ornaments. We almost forgot the garland last night and kept thinking something was missing! Ha!

Last year this angel was a new addition to our tree. She is a vintage 1940's Noma angel. (Yes, that is a duck on the tree, a family tradition. It was a present from dear family friends.)

For some reason she seems to fit the little house and this time in life...... the shining hope and light at the end of the tunnel.

A few of ornaments are not Shiny Brites, but older glass made in Poland. Like the one to the right. They are some of my favorites.

I love the tree reflecting in the window!

I love walking around our neighborhood at dusk and admiring all the Christmas decorations. I couldn't resist taking a picture from the porch looking in!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

 Here are a few pictures of the snow we had last week, it is all melted now. I love taking picture this time of year. The contrast is lovely and the light is perfect. How can one not love the intense blue of the sky?!

I was so excited to see the camera captured a bit of the sparkly-ness of the snow! 

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving. We were so busy I didn't have a chance to post anything. I am still trying to recover from all the business! Hopefully I will be back this week with a bit of Christmas!!