Vintage Santa Mugs & a POP of Color

When we were cleaning out my very unsentimental Grandmother's house, I was surprised to find my Great Grandmother's vintage Santa Mug collection hidden deep in the storage building.  Since I am the only family member that seems to love and appreciate vintage things, the mugs came to live at my house.  I had a pretty good collection of Santa Mugs that I had picked up here and there since I remembered drinking out of those mugs at my Great Grandmother's house when I was little.  I decided to let a lot of mine go so I would only have my Great Grandmother's. 

I knew I wanted to showcase them this year, but I wasn't sure just how.  I put them on this shelf, but it looked a little bare.  So, I added in the vintage Egg Nog cartons (scored on ebay with a gift certificate from PayPal - so FREE), but it still needed a pop...some color.  So, I started adding things. 

A Shiny Brite encrusted wreath to start. 

Then some mercury glass ornaments, some mercury glass picks and some mercury glass beaded garland.

Then some Shiny Brite ornaments in the window panes.

And a vintage glittered tree stuck in a vintage Egg Nog cup.

I stuck a couple vintage sequined and jeweled stocking on the top and it was done.

How's THAT for some pop and color? 

I keep telling myself that it is a bit too much and a bit too gaudy. 

But, I love it so much. 

It makes me happy!

*****I'm ready for anyone that wants to post on here to do so - just drop me a line at monkeybox@ juno.com and I will make you an official Very Vintage Christmas Blog Author.

Leftovers (Not Turkey)

Last year, I found myself with a shoebox full of odd items that I had picked up throughout the year - a few figural bulbs, part of an old corsage, light reflectors, a few indented ornaments, some smaller mercury glass ornaments  - just bits and bobs, odds and ends. 

I decided to just throw them all into a big bowl and use them as the centerpiece on the coffee table.   It was fun to look at - even though it did make for fun entertainment for a few certain cats in my house. 

Every once in awhile, I would literally stir up the bowl to rearrange it and see what "popped" up to the surface.  I would always see something new in the bowl. 

I usually made sure the bluebird was on top, though.  He's pretty special.

This year I have an even larger collection of odds and ends.  I'm thinking of filling up a huge cloche and making sort of an eye spy out of it. 

What do you do with your odds and ends and bits and bobs?

Vintage Christmas Blow Molds

I started collecting VIntage Christmas items about ten years ago.  Although I love all the vintage kitschy things, I never had a feel for the old blow molds.  I did pick them up inexpensively at yard sales to re-sell, but I never thought I would keep them.  Then, one day I saw them amassed in my garage and fell in love.  More is better, right?

This display on my front porch was one of my favorite things last Christmas.  They look cute during the day.

And even better at night!  I thought it might be a fire hazard to plug them all in using their original plugs.  So, I just wound white Christmas lights around the botoms to shine up on them. 

This big Santa face hung on The Breadman's front porch.  ("Aw, how sweet" you might be thinking.  But, it hung on her porch every day for the 13 years I knew her - year 'round.  Yikes!)  Despite that, when we cleaned out her house, I brought it home, not ever thinking it would grace my front porch one day (but only at Christmas, I swear!).

Do you have any blowmolds?