As many of you know, I was raised in a home that was filled with the appreciation of vintage and antique items...and Christmas items were no exception. My Grandpa (my Dad's Dad) was really big on antique Christmas decor. He had all kinds of beautiful "treasures" from all over the world and each Christmas he would pull out all the stops to decorate his home with beautiful decorations.
It was at his house that I began to really appreciate vintage and retro Christmas items. After he passed away, my parents inherited many of his ornaments and decorations and each Christmas they would dedicate one of their Christmas trees to him and call it "Grandpa's Tree."
Now that I'm grown up and have a home of my own to decorate, I've been able to kindle this love of delicate vintage Christmas trimmings. For the past year, I've been collecting various vintage Christmas decorations...everything from ornaments to knick-knacks.
Each item I see has a special place in my heart and it's almost like a piece of Grandpa is a part of our house. (This is the point of the post where my parents are probably tearing up). I absolutely love the character that each of these items has and how they tell their own little Christmas tale.
I was so excited when I found this angel. We had one just like this on our tree when I was growing up. Even though my parents have a new tree-topper, they still put her out every year.
Collecting and reading Christmas books are also a tradition that my Mom instilled in me. I've found some really great antique books with illustrations that have such character. I was so lucky to find a First Edition of "Miracle on 34th Street." It's absolutely fabulous.
What kinds of Christmas traditions have you carried on in your family?
And this is quite the sophisticated tote for my oh so wonderful and loving Nanny (Grandma). She loves black and white fabric and I just knew that this fabric would fit perfectly with the "Taxi Tote" from this book.
I used thrifted fabric and some Amy Butler "Love." Isn't it so much fun? It twirls so well!
Since Dustin and I are traveling out of town for Christmas, we decided to exchange presents this past Saturday. All I have to say is my Hubby sure knows how to spoil me.
This one made me jump and giggle for joy - it's a fat quarter bundle of Heather Bailey's Nicey Jane.
Some more fat quarters for my stash...
A fabric sleeve for my coffee from Starbucks that was made by this talented friend of mine.
She also made this everything you see here. This little bundle of goodness was like receiving candy. Oh so sweet!
I also got these fabulous books to add to my ever-growing sewing (and now knitting) library.
What a happy Christmas so far.
And this next one was made during this fabulous event last year. It's made out of home-made dough (1 cup flour, 1/2 cup salt, 1/2 cup water - mixed until thick). I absolutely love it because it reminds me being a kid and making this kind of ornament with my cousins.
This ornament is my 2009 Christmas ornament. It's from none other, than the amazing Anthropologie. And what's really neat about it, is that it has 2009 embroidered on it's tail feathers. My Hubby & I love ornaments that have the year on them because we can always remember when we got them. My Hubby also got me this beautiful one from a fabulous little store called At Home in the City on Mass. Ave.
My Hubby's ornaments definitely fit who he is. The first one is a jingle bell eighth note. The next one is a NASCAR Denny Hamlin toy car. And yes, it's just sitting on a branch. It officially became a tree ornament when he placed it in the tree. So we will forever have a Denny Hamlin car as an addition to our tree. That's right folks. We're NASCAR fans and we love it! Don't believe me? Just check out this beautiful girl's blog to see the evidence.
This final ornament of the day is our "Together" ornament of 2009. It's covered in soft felt and is from Crate & Barrel. It kinda looks like a big peppermint. I love the hand-made qualities about it.
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