Happy and Merry

Hello, friends. Here's hoping this Christmas Eve finds you well and happy, whatever your holiday of choice. We've been watching every Christmas movie Netflix has to offer, making gifts and candy and cookies. Makin' memories. Hope you are too!

Happy Christmas and Merry Holidays

Merry Christmas to my Christmas celebratin' Dollfaces! All my dreaming paid off this year when a Christmas Eve blizzard left us with a White Christmas, a truly rare event for us Okies.



The Sweethearts are about to venture out into the Winter Wonderland for visiting and gifting, but before we do, I thought I'd give you a tiny little tour of our Christmas Fancies.



This year our tree was a turquoise and vintage Santa and His Elves affair, and I think it might be my most favorite tree to date.



I love, love, love my vintage bells tree skirt!



Here is my entryway with its growing collection of trees. I took Ms. JDP's advice and just used some pretty, faceted bulbs in my chartreuse lamps in lieu of the elusive perfect pair of vintage shades. I also prettyfied my front door with a vintage net hostess apron draped over the curtain rod.



I hope everyone is warm, safe and happy on this sparkly Christmas Day!

An Exclusive Peek Inside Craft House!

And now, dear readers, you are in for a real treat. Follow me to The Creative Center for America's Tremendous "Do-It-Yourself" Movement. That's right. The creative geniuses at Craft House have granted Sweetheartville exclusive access to their secret design lair, hidden deep inside the earth's core, constructed entirely of asbestos and Styrofoam balls which have been dipped in Cosmoline and glitter.



Step number one in the creation of a Craft House "do-it-yourself" design is a planning conference of all the department heads. From left to right are: Virginia-Fashion and Design Director, Mary Lou-Toxic Substance Sourcing Department, Jean-Accounting, Betty-Department of Sequins, Gertrude- Human Resources.


Now Mabel takes the "sparkling ideas" of the department heads and brings them to life by smudging bits of coal on old newspapers. Have you ever had a sparkling idea? I have had several, and they can be quite painful. However, I've been told by a doctor that my ideas are more sparkling than most, so don't be surprised if yours don't hurt.


Virgina calls all over the world looking for sequins and trim. Materials for Craft House kits travel from exotic Oriental lands like Hong Kong and Sheboygan.


Once the materials and decorative trim have arrived safely, they are carefully coordinated and organized using a specialized system of ropes, pulleys, and boxes from The Container Store.


Here is where the model-making specialists come in. These highly trained workers are entrusted with the important task of assembling the prototypical kits only after they've completed 700 hours of hands on Styrofoam adhesion and sequin pinning training. They must also pass rigorous physical testing and mental health screenings.


This finished "Drunken Snowman Leaning on a Light Post" model represents 40 man hours of labor, and untold tens of dollars in ruined supplies. Such is the level of Craft House's commitment to quality. Quality which will surely give holiday cheer to millions of nursing homes this year.

Kitschmas in Sweetheartville

So today I went around snapping shots of a lot of my Christmas decorations, for you Dollfaces, and for posterity, I suppose. Sugar Pea and I have been sick for three weeks between us, so this Christmas was a bit of a bust. I did force myself to make three varieties of cookie and two types of candy, sick as I was, but was then too miserable and exhausted to take any shots of how dang pretty they all looked laid out on a big aqua platter. You'll have to take my word for it.
Now, if you'd please, come this way for a little tour of my home at Christmas time. Please remember that it's a work in progress. I'm afraid one year later we haven't made as much progress as I would have liked.


In the entryway, I displayed my growing tree collection. I'm still searching for the perfect pair of shades for those awesome chartreuse lamps.


About a month ago, I found a real life Nylon Net Novelty tree! The old men running the charity junk shop just couldn't get behind my enthusiasm, even when I explained that it was a real life Net Novelty. They took my fifty cents with nary a hint of excitement for me.


Just ignore the half stripped wallpaper behind the giant styrofoam Santa head as you behold the tree.



After an email from Christie with a picture of some nesting doll ornaments, I had the idea to give Sugar Pea her own little tree to decorate and redecorate to her heart's content. Plus, I figured it would take some of the heat off of my tree. So, I set about making six little felt "open babies", and she helped me string a garland of pink pom poms. I also gave her a dozen shiny, unbreakable ornaments.


Well, imagine our surprise when, a few days before Christmas, a lovely package of cookies and these precious handmade Open Baby ornaments arrived for Sugar Pea from the oh-so-generous Ms. Christie. She is just about twelve kinds of awesome, as evidenced by the spectacular octopus chandelier she just made.


I overloaded a little tree with my vintage angel ornaments on the dining room buffet.


My favorite part of the Christmas story has always been the part about the Bug People who followed the star, riding reindeer for three days and nights to bring the Baby Jesus peanut brittle.


This summer, my Mom found me a box of six of these Shiny Brite angels. I want to hug them, and squeeze them, and call them "George", but I don't because they're very fragile.


Here's the pantry, all decked out. Really, with a pantry like this, it would be a sin not to decorate it for Christmas. Possibly, it would be illegal. I'm not taking any chances.


Here's where our tour ends. If you'd like to see more, have a look at my Kitschmas Set on Flickr. Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas!

Santa's Got The Stink Eye

The Kitschmas decorating has begun in Sweetheartville, but not without some surprises. My creepy stuffed Santa emerged from a box in the attic with some sort of cocoon/egg sack resting in his eye crevice, which, of course I had to share with you.


And I'm also going to share seven facts about myself with you since the lovely Tara at Nothing Elegant tagged me. I'm only a month or so late!

1.I have become horribly, terribly addicted to coffee over the last six months or so. I wake up thinking about it, drink it alone, and have progressed to stronger and stronger brews, trying to get my high. I have stolen things, pawned them, and then walked, shaky-handed and glassy-eyed, into Starbucks for a fix. Okay, so that last bit was a lie. I haven't actually stolen anything...yet.


2. I own more lamps than I have electrical outlets.

photo found here

3. I used to wish I was Catholic because of all the cool accessories (rosary beads, red glass candle holders, shrines, St. Whoever medals) and pomp and circumstance. Now I know I totally dodged a bullet with that one.

photo found here

4. I own approximately 47 tubes of lipstick.


5. We live two blocks from some very busy train tracks, and, though some folks think I'm crazy, I love the sound of the whistle and the low rumble of the wheels. I especially love how the train rattles the 100 year old window panes in our studio/office.

photo found here

6. My mother's, sister's, and my middle name all rhyme by pure coincidence--my sister and I were named after our grandmothers. I carried on the tradition by giving Sugar Pea my mother's middle name.


7. I am convinced that my ridiculously crooked smile is partly to blame on hours and hours of Elvis impersonations I used to do for my lucky family circa 1993. It seems my lip muscles may never have recovered.

Testing...testing...is this thing on?

Did ya miss me, Dollfaces? Let's catch up, shall we? Here's a quick recap of the last three months:

• We moved into the house and promptly had a red wasp infestation and plumbing problems, both of which have since been resolved (hopefully). Ah, the joys of an old house that has sat vacant for two years.
  
• In an effort to make all the new ends meet, we denied ourselves cable/internet, which is why Sweetheartville has been deserted for so long.
• Thanksgiving happened without me telling you how grateful I am for all my wonderful friends both online and off.
• I discovered the awesomeness that is Pandora. Go there now and set up your own free customized radio station. Well, finish reading my blog first.
  
• I painted and began to decorate my kitchen, although I still have lots to do in there.
  
  
  
  
• I decided to decorate for Christmas around the stacks of boxes and that awful wallpaper. After all, it was our first Christmas in our very own house (yipeeee!).
  
  
  
  
• Oklahoma, especially our neck of the woods, was hit with the worst ice storm since statehood. Huge limbs and entire trees (and therefore power lines) came crashing down under the immense weight of several inches of ice. We were very fortunate our home and vehicles weren't damaged, as some of our neighbors weren't so lucky. Our entire little town was without electricity and running water for days. Many people, including my folks, were without power for a week, some even longer. Had it not been for my parents' wood burning stove, we would all have been in the Red Cross shelter. How easily we take electricity and water for granted until it's gone. The massive debris cleanup effort is ongoing.
  
  
  
  
• Oh yeah. There was Christmas. After the week lost to the ice storm, and a couple more lost to illness, I was totally unprepared, but we all enjoyed just being together as a family and stuffing our faces full of my Mama's good cookin'.
  
• I turned another year older. The highlight of my birthday was a personal MySpace message from none other than Miss Kim Lenz(!) herself. Let's just say I nearly peed my pants when I read it. What a Dollface!
  
• I got all DIY and tore up the carpet in our bedroom. Gross and exhausting, but satisfying.
  
  
  
  
• We watched every single episode of all three seasons of Lost on borrowed DVDs in time for the January 31st premier of season four. Holy. Crap. That. Show. Is. Awesome. Yes, I'm a late bloomer. I had no idea what I was missing.
• I finally picked up a copy of Blueprint, and boy am I glad I did.
  
• I made a frightened 3:00 am call to 911 after Sugar Pea woke up gasping for air. After the assurance from fire/rescue that she was getting enough oxygen and we could safely make the 25 minute trip to the ER, it turned out to be a severe and sudden case of Croup that was restricting her airflow. She was given a breathing treatment that had an immediate effect. I never want to see my baby struggle for breath like that again. I know how terrifying not being able to breathe can be. So far she seems to have escaped her Daddy's and my asthma (knock on wood). She's right as rain, smart as a whip, and beginning to talk like a little parrot now, not to mention running, climbing, and generally getting into mischief.
• I decorated the whole house over in my head about 7,000 times. I am a very fickle and noncommittal interior designer. After a bad wall color decision which needs to be remedied, I think I've finally settled on a scheme for our bedroom. Here's a sneak peek at my inspiration which I found here:
  
  
  
• I gave Sugar Pea her first haircut---little bangs, which, when combined with pigtails, increase her cuteness (and decrease my ability to reprimand her) exponentially.
• I did lots of thrifting.

That should about catch us up. I've missed you and your blogs and your feedback on mine, Dollfaces. It's good to be back.

Why I Love Church Garage Sales

Here's a quick post (with rather hastily snapped photos) of all the great stuff I found at a huge church garage sale last weekend. Some of it was purchased for rock bottom prices on Friday, but the majority I got the next day at the buck for a bag clearance sale. Click on any picture to get a closer look.
A fondue pot, a Pyrex decanter with a candle warming stand, and a vintage checked tablecloth...


A queen size green velvet duvet cover, a pink throw pillow made from two washcloths, a blue and green throw pillow with daisies, a pretty cream colored blanket with a sort of "embossed" design, a red, yellow and blue casserole carrier, and a large piece of vintage floral fabric...


Some vintage scarves, a mod laquerware tray, and a old Avon "Sweet Honesty" perfume bottle made to look like a spool of thread with a thimble for a cap...


A whole mess of vintage cook booklets, including some dating from the 1920s and 30s. I'll be sharing some of the fabulous illustrations (and maybe even some recipes) from these in the future...


More vintage cookbooks...


A sheer Christmas hostess apron, two sets of Christmas place mats with some napkins, and a vintage Christmas ideas magazine. The chubby little elf I already had...

Several sewing books and a three volume vintage arts and crafts library...


Even more sewing books and pamphlets, a never opened Jiffy Weaving "Knotty Owl" kit from the late 60s or early 70s, and two partially completed crewel embroidery projects I might do something with...

Bunches and bunches of vintage patterns including several "Stretch and Sew" and some for square dance dresses.


I also came home with a large vintage tin for storing Christmas cookies, a jacket, a nice pair of shoes, a couple of cool belts, some scraps of fabric, some books for Sugar Pea and a few other odds and ends. Quite a haul, wouldn't you say? Don't worry. I'm not keeping all this stuff. I admit that I have a problem, but I'm not that bad. No, I have big plans for a lot of it. In fact, those big plans are what's keeping me so busy that my blog has suffered lately. Stick with me, Dollfaces, and I promise you won't be disappointed.