I'm Not ELF-conscious....

Friends, I'm gonna' brag. Sorry, but I have to!
I just scored THE ultimate in Christmas decor - at least, in my little world.

My kids are grown, so I have no reason to get into the 'Elf on the Shelf' craze sweeping the world...
and I had absolutely no intention of doing so.

Until late one recent day, when a box of donations came into the resale store
where I work as a display stylist. (Job #2, along with Disney)
Buried in the depths of that box was a vintage treasure that I simply could not ignore
even if it WAS an elf
(or in this case, elfs. elves?.... 'elves on shelves'??):

Aren't they CUTE?!!
These little guys are circa 1960's, made in Japan (stickers still attached), and in brand-new condition.
I can't even FIND any that look as good as they do on etsy!

Just like the newly-popular Elfie in a red onesie, they bend and pose and sit up,
all while casting sidelong glances in the direction of the trouble that is brewing...

and let me tell you, they've already invaded my office with their shenanigans.
See photos below for proof.

So now, I am completely enamoured of these two.
I am trying to figure out what to name them...
Stick with the Holiday theme and try
No and El?  Happy and Holly?  Dancer and Prancer?

Maybe I should go with an obvious direction, 

and call them Dis and Ney ;) ?  Miki and Mini?

There is one set of names that keeps dancing in my head:
Dubble and Trubble.

Because clearly, one is a goody two shoes - and one is just hell on wheels.

This is definitely one of my BEST Christmas decor scores ever.
What marvelous finds do you have to brag about?  Share in a comment!

shared online:

Practically Functional | Creativity Unleashed

Santa Babies

I was surfing through my facebook news feed the other night,

and a photo on a Page I follow jumped out at me....
it's such a simple idea, easy to execute by adding one thing to the existing decor,

and yet it added SO much to the room it was in that it made me smile.
 .

The emphatically creative artist Mary Engelbreit
(she of the perpetually encouraging quotes and cheerful colors)

shared this photo of her kitchen fireplace Holiday decor:

which is, again, a simple embellishment of her every day decor.
Miss Mary collects statues and busts of children, and displays them on her mantel.

And at Holiday time, 

she dresses her little babies up by placing perfectly-sized Santa hats on each one:

It's charming, sweet, and it makes you smile.
The only thing I might change is that I'd replace that painting in the background

with a large-scale version of 'The Night Before Christmas'...

preferably with Miss Mary's illustrations :)

I love this easy idea, for indoors or out!

Can't you just IMAGINE the possibilities???

 There's always one in every crowd... and his name is usually Bob.

 Whaaaaaaat? You said wear it. I'm wearing it!

 He's up to no good, I can tell you that...

Just think about it ;)

Bubbling with Joy

First, may I offer a HUGE 'Thank You' to all of you

for your kind comments here and on facebook, 

and for the prayers and thoughts you have been sending for my Dad.
This challenge is not over, however it IS being seen in a much more positive light

after his doctor came up with a solution that will help him have a few years left with us,

instead of a few months. 

For that, we are extremely grateful!

And so as the Light of Hope reigns in my heart, 

I see a little bit of Holiday joy returning to my soul...
and I thought a post about 'light' was perfect.
 
Now, about that picture up there:
You all know that I love using things in unexpected ways... well, a few years back,

  I put white bubble light bulbs into my chandelier!

.

My grandma Ward had bubble lights on a tree when I was a little Debby, 

and they always bring back sweet memories for me.
Having the whimsical sparkly bubbling lights on my chandelier 

reminded me of her every time I passed through the dining room. 
My grandson loved them, too!

The clear/white ones shown here (found at Restoration Hardware) were just too perfect to pass up,
as my style is more neutral than my Grandma's brightly-colored preferences.

Lights like this will work on a chandy with small bulb sockets, not full size ones.

The other thing you might notice about that chandelier is that it has some pretty-fied candle STICKS.
I wrapped pieces of vintage sheet music around each 'candle stick'!

A quick swipe from a glue stick secured them, but made it easy to remove in the future.

This is an easy project, using scrapbook papers, gift wrap, any kind of paper product...
back in 2010, I used shiny red and polka-dot gift wrap paper on some chandeliers for sale:

I also used happy round bulbs on those,
just because I thought they looked more like tree ornaments than light bulbs.

Another way to embellish your chandeliers is to dangle ornaments from them, as shown above.
Simple glass balls, or crocheted or faceted crystal snowflakes will really 'foof' it up!

Here's the chandy from the photo at the top of this post
with loads of glass ornaments suspended from it
(before the bubble lights were found!)

Along with the very expensive glass figural ornaments,
I used resin crystals found at the thrift store, and cheap plastic snowflakes from the dollar store.
Those don't detract from the elegant look!!!
.

See more of my past 'Vintage White Christmas' decor theme HERE

shared online:

.Practically Functional | Creativity Unleashed

Yesterday on Tuesday | Project Inspire{d}

Unplanned Break...

My friends, I am just not up to finishing the post I had in progress for Wednesday morning...

my Dad is in the hospital, fighting cancer,

with developments today that have overwhelmed our family.

My mind is just not on decorating or the holidays right now.
Hopefully I will get back to blogging for a post on Saturday, 

but depending on how things progress over the next few days,
that may or may not happen.
My family is my first priority, and I know you understand that.
I'll be back when I can.

In the meantime,
I am offering this 'commercial break':

You'll find loads of holiday cheer, inspiration, tutorials, and projects

on my December: Everything Holiday! Pinterest board.

And if you are so inclined, 

your healing thoughts and prayers would be very much appreciated

by this girl who just wants her Daddy around for a long time to come...

Glass Lamp Globe Snowglobes

If you've seen my original glass globe pumpkins for fall,
then you know I love using everyday things in new ways to decorate with!

Here's another idea for glass globe light covers:
Take the simple clear glass ones, and make them into snowglobes!

* find small figurines at thrift shops or the dollar store

* spray paint them gloss white

* hot glue them inside a shallow white bowl or pedestal

[i like using hot glue  - 
because if i want to change it all later, i can!]
 

* flip the globe upside down with the opening facing up

* add some snow flakes or glitter inside.

* put a bead of hot glue all along the rim of the globe, 
and place the base upside down onto the glass globe's opening.

* trim the edge of the base with vintage trims, ribbon, jewelry if you like.

 * in the globe shown below, i also glued a clear plastic snowflake behind the little angel figure.

You can use glass fishbowls from the dollar store, too!
see MORE ideas for using glass lamp globes in your winter decor HERE!
(this content originally appeared in that post)