Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a very Happy Healthy New Year!

December Vintage Alphabet Party

Even tho I'm on vacation this week I couldn't miss the last Alphabet Party at ECS. I was so happy when Etsy Cottage Style asked if I could think of  themes for some monthly posts on the blogsite and help co-host the get-togethers for the blogspot a year ago. We started with A and I cannot believe that we have gone thru the entire alphabet already. It's now December and we're already to Y and Z!




I have a great Yand Z
It's my Pfaltzgraph Yellowware-like America dishes........................................................

                                                                            and platter.

I found these in 1983 at the Pfaltzgraff Outlet in Pigeon Forge, Tn.  I loved the quilt-like patterns on each plate, they were warm and homey....perfect for my someday home. Believe it or not the plates were Zany $1 each and the platter was $3. The next year I puchased a large round platter as well as a large pitcher. Each were $5, but niether has an image like the plates or platter just the gold with the sponge blue edging (actually they were 2nds)....oh and they had no more of the plates of course. .I placed my treasures in my hope basement...remember I've been collecting bits and peices for my someday home since I was 10, so, my parents basement was referred to the 'hope basement' since my stuff overflowed. It stayed there til I married in 93' and moved into my first home with my new hubby. (yes I lived at home all that time) Why the 'hope basement'...from the age of 10-17 I 'hoped' to find someone to marry..lol...there was too much stuff for a 'hope chest'.. I met my HS sweetie and by 1993 we married, but by that time my parents 'hoped' the stuff would leave...... I purchased plates here at home for $1.50 in a coordinating blue color to give me 8 plates. For years I never saw these plates again, until a year ago I saw a whole set in an Indiana Antique Mall, but the price was well over $150. I never realized how poular the pattern was, it was retired relatively quickly, but that has happened to a lot of the dinnerware patterns I choose....my wedding china is Lenox's Prairie Rose and the Onieda Silver I chose, Southern Garden, to go with it both
were retired that same year. Sigh........If you'd like to learn more about this pattern
check out this website.................................................................
Pfaltzgraff America Collectors Club . They have info and pics of all the peices.
Well, I must be off. This vacation week is going quickly. I have oodles of pics to download to show you in the coming weeks and I was again asked to co-host some new get-togethers for Etsy Cottage Style. I have a few ideas that I tyhink will be fun, so, have a great New Year!

Wishing you a.............

Santa will feel right at home..........................

It seems it'll be a white christmas at the Brown Gingham cabin. We have had a little over a foot of snow in the last couple of weeks.and the temps have been freezing. They are predicting a possible snow event, as they are calling it, on Christmas Eve, but they aren't sure...yet. We haven't had a December like this in a very long time. Actually this is Jan/ Feb weather in these parts. Between you and me...since this is the Winter Solstice...I am now looking forward to longer days (yes, even tho it is at a minute a day you do  notice) and that this early weather foretells of a very early spring !!
I have been very slow to decorate this Christmas, I do have touches, but have been very bad about taking pics. I hope to get some shots during my New Year break next week and post so you can visit. Today I wanted to go thru some of my Christmas/Winter dishes I have collected and brought out
I love Christmas dishes and looked for a long time....Spode......Lenox....so beautiful, classic, elegant, but too fancy for a gingham girl. Johnson Brothers transferware a bit more my style....but as with Spode and Lenox a bit pricey. To me Christmas is a time of childlike wonder with big doses of whimsy. So when I found my dishes I knew in an instant they were for us.................................................................................................

                                                                         

This Debbie Mumm's Woodland Santa is a 20-pc placesetting.

I love to mix the pine plate and bowls, after Christmas, with my mochaware and/or these vintage 1940's Pine Bough 20 pc placesetting  that were a Christmas present last year from my parents..................

I had found a cake plate a long time ago and knew it had a whole set that matched it, but never saw it. They found it at our local antique mall. The pine motif goes so well with our cabin in the woods .

Since it is Rednesday Wednesday at Susan's It's A Very Cherry World, I thought I'd link in with my splashes of Christmas red. I  hope you can come with me and see all the other holiday reds.

And, since it is also Tablescape Thursday at Susan's Between Naps On The Porch I thought this post would fit right in too. Tablescapers if all goes as planned I'll have the completed table for Christmas week! Now lets follow the little blue links and check out all the Christmas pretties!

It is beginning..................

...............to look like Christmas!!!!!

My Living room is filled with boxes and storage containers..filled with wonderful treasures. I know some like to change thier Christmas theme every year, but It's comforting to open boxes filled with memories...it's like seeing old friends. Some of my treasures are from my childhood others are vintage finds that make me smile.
Okay...here goes....I'm goin in. I'll be right back ;)
Hi I'm back. Well I started the tree......................................................................................................

I wanted to show some of my fav bintage..and not so vintage.....ornaments..................................................
(you can click on pics to see better)

This is my 'new' tree topper. Jim found it last New Years week at an Antique Mall..I forget where.. It is a 1940's alimuinum (yea) light up treetopper. It came in it's original box and wasn't dinged or anything!

This is an aluminum light reflector with plastic color bursts in primary colors..to match the topper... These were my Grandma's from the 40's too.

These 3 ornaments are from the 60's...they reminded me of my tree at my Mom and Dad's...these aren't

the ones from their tree...LOL...Mom still uses hers!

This is a 1940's ornament with a toy motif.

These 2 ornaments are from the 40's too. I love the little frosted glass bell and the other is a plastic with aluminum whirligig that spins when placed over a tree lightbulb.

I love my set of these 1950-60 plastic ornaments. I found them in a box of broken ornaments..the 'kids' selling em at the flea market thought they had a cellophane over the holes...hehehe. I didn't have the heart not to tell them they weren't broken.....they said they had more at home and thanked me for the honesty...I got for .25 each!

This isn't old. It's a hand-painted ornament from the Smokies

This one isn't old either. You place it over the lightbulb and the sky lights. (it's not cracked that's tinsel)

These 2 ornaments are from the 50's. Sorry it's blurry.......I love the pink and gold of the ball and the flocked snow scene of the coveredbridge.  The other has a duck motif.....that must've been a popular motif back then. I have that table cloth that I created my placemats with that are for sale on my website HERE and Mom found a matching carafe...hmmmm

This last pic is of a Viking Glass? lidded/footed cloche that was Jim's Grandmother's. It is filled with glass ornaments and glass bead garland from my Grandma. It's all from the 40's.

Now I'm off to finish the tree and get more things out to share.  See ya later!

A little PS..I'm joining Susan over at It's A Very Cherry World for Rednesday

Click the pic to go to Susan's

And, today I'm joining Susan at Between Naps On The Porch for Metamorphasis Monday

Click the pic to view Susan's posts and everyone else.

Wait til you see her post about a Swiss Christmas Tree...now that's my kinda tree!

It's beginning.............................

pic from last winter

........to look a lot like Christmas...........It snowed. I really dreaded hearing those words on the tv weather and typing those words in this post, since last winter's horrible storms, but we awoke Saturday to a sugar coating on the trees and grass. It been snowed all day. We had about 4". The streets are so warm it just melted on them.....couldn't wait for the ice to set up overnight...which it did....yippee. Anyway, It seems the dread has turned to Christmas spirit.

Usually we have all our Christmas Decorations up outside, like the Snowman tree shown here from last year,  but with Jim's infection, we only have the outside lights up. He brought the living room tree down Saturday, but we still have to bring the decorations up. Slowly, but surely we'll get it all decorated and then I can post those pics.

Sunday Jim said I needed to get out of the house, so he took me to the Antique Mall for lunch and to look for Chirstmas presents. We walked the acre up to our parked van...still icy on the drive.....and off we went. The Ohio Valley Antique Mall was packed with shoppers and the vendors booths were filled to the brim. 

As we walked thru I had to giggle cause as I was looking I spied things some of my blogger friends would have jumped at. A couple of sets of N-O-E-L ceramic angels...I know one of you said you were looking for a set, but for the life of me I can't remember who, so, if you want let me know, I'll go over and pick em up for you, they were $24.95 and you can pay me back...  A box of shiny brights in a Woolworth box for Beth of ELizabeth Holcombe, Whimsies and Words, lots of bottlebrush trees for Ms. Bingles at Ms. Bingles Vintage Christmas, some great Flour and sugar sack fabrics for Janet at Primrose Design and barkcloth for Kimberly here at Niesz Vintage Home and Fabric. Lots and lots of Fiestaware, dishes, crystal, and flatware, that would make all my Tablescape Thursday pals over at Between Naps On The Porch squeal with delight. But, the biggest thing I saw that made me think of all my Rednesday friends was this.........................

LOL...first I saw all the aluminum cannisters on the top, I have the set already, but I like to see how much

they are now. Then I looked down and realized it was red and white for in my kitchen, but alas no room for such a big cabinet....but wait I looked closer and then I saw it..the ME iconic cherries!!! The vendor was there and must've caught the 'Aw' look on my face as I thought of all of you and said he could do better than the $149 price if I wanted to take it home.....I thanked him, but I had to pass and asked if I could take a pic to share with my blog pals. I was so excited to finally a ME something to share....even if only a pic.

Hope you are all having a great Rednesday!

I also wanted to remind everyone today about great shopping opportunities showcasing wonderful gift ideas.

Every Saturday in December Southern Lady's Vintage blogspot is holding a Vintage Love Market. For more info to list your selling site or item and to join in the fun that started last Saturday, just take a sliegh ride through  HERE to Southern Lady's Vintage.

And, This Monday started the week long Market Monday over at the Etsy Cottage Style blogspot. I co-host this get-together every first Monday of the month. Last month we had over 50 vendors participate. Stop by today thru HERE Check out our new meme The Colors of Christmas. This weeks color is pink.

See you later.