Tuesday, November 27, 2018

So I Cheat a Little ~



If you looked up crazy Christmas lady in the dictionary, you would find my picture.  I'd like to subscribe to the theory that less is more, but it's just not in my genes . . . sigh.  Minimize.  Purge.  Not words in my vocabulary, unfortunately.  So, I will continue to deck the halls to the max.  I must confess, though, my decorating doesn't change much from year to year.  For the most part, the same items go in the same location each year.  They may be arranged a bit differently, but that's about the only change.
 
Here are some of my vintage decorations.
 
Celluloid Santas and a vintage bottle brush tree.
 
 
On the left is a celluloid Santa candle holder.  The two big guys in the back are "egg crate" Santas.  The front sports another vintage bottle brush tree and two paper mache Santas.  The Santa with tree on the right is new paper mache.


The cardboard to the left is vintage, made in Germany, I believe.  The Santas are all vintage, some with early plastic faces and some made with paper mache. 

 
The Holly Berries book to the left is old but undated.  I've had it as long as I can remember.  Cupples & Leon Company was bought out in 1956.  The large Santa on the right is also vintage paper mache.
 
 
 
This tree sports both chenille and cotton batting Santas.  All are vintage except for the chenille stars.  The little glass bells are also vintage.

 
Chenille.

 
Cotton batting.


This little guy sports a tag "made in Occupied Japan" (1945-1952).

 
Thanks so much for stopping by.  Off to do a bit more decorating.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

15 comments:

Prims By The Water said...

Looking good Lauren, but I must confess that I am also the crazy Christmas lady. I got the addiction from my mom. Your santas look jolly. I have a friend that just sent me a picture of her 6 ft feather tree filled with 250 cotton spun Santas that she recently purchased at an estatesale. I was green with envy, because she got a really good deal on them. Look forward to seeing more of your Christmas decor. Janice

WoolenSails said...

I always collected Christmas cat items, lol. Now I seem to be into snowmen and I think they are fun for the boys, so I decorate with prim and fun things. We have stores with lots of vintage santa items, always think of you when I see them.

Debbie

marly said...

Knowing where everything goes has to be a huge help. Makes it easier to unpack and place. Emptying a tote without a plan takes days!

Jacqueline said...

A very fragile collection, lovingly displayed and taken care of.

Mugwump Woolies said...

Hello, "Crazy Christmas Lady"...everything is looking merry and bright at your house! Love all those jolly santas. The older I get, the more I enjoy seeing Christmas from my childhood. Those sweet chenille santas are wonderful!
I'm just starting...always first is Annie's owl tree and my santa feather tree. That's what I will be doing today.
Robyn

Saundra said...

I've always had a thing about chenille and cotton batting ornaments and sadly don't own any.

NMK said...

I am with you when it comes to decorating for Christmas ….every room has somethingssss …..you have beautiful treasures too !!!! Each piece has special memories & I look forward to seeing them every year !

Penny said...

Love it all! Happy to see there are other crazy Chrismasers out there! I, too, try to cut back, and like you, I get my more is more thinking from my mom. But Christmas comes but once a year, so I say go for it!
Looking forward to seeing more of your decorating!

Three Sheep Studio said...

Oh my goodness, I'm in love with the chenile santas !
Eggcate santas ? They are great, too.
You must have many memories with all of these lovely santas.
Rose

Julia said...

You're off to a good start Lauren, it looks wonderful. Your little chenille santas are worth a small fortune. I always enjoy seeing your Christmas decorations. It must be a nightmare having to put all those delicate decorations away once the Holidays are over. I'm looking forward to more of your decorations.

I'm in no hurry to decorate this year, the family won't all be here because it's too difficult traveling with kids in winter especially around the Holidays. I will miss having the whole gang over as they really make Christmas so special. I still haven't gotten the decorating bug yet this year.

Enjoy the rest of your decorations.
Hugs, Julia

acorn hollow said...

I love your pieces and I have most of them packed away and need to get at it!

Cathy

Farm Girl said...

I love your decorations and I love that you know what they are and what kind of material they are, I would just have no clue. If I was going to collect anything else in my life it would be things made in occupied Japan. I have a teapot with that on the bottom and I have some pearls that were given to my great aunt from her brother stationed there and they say that on the box. I just love that stuff because of the history. I think that is why I love looking at your Christmas decorating, every things has a wonderful history that I can only imagine. I am glad you share Lauren.

Maureen said...

Oh my gosh, thanks for showing these lovelies!

moosecraft said...

All of those vintage pieces....simply mahvelous! You have such a fun collection....that's why it's such a joy to decorate for Christmas! :-)

woolwoman said...

you and my mom would get along so well Lauren - she hates the purging part - she is still in the collecting mode. I try and encourage her not to buy every ornaments she loves and keep adding to her antique collections but to no avail. I figure best to let her enjoy all she can. she loves Christmas and leaves her up till way into Feb, no pressure in her world to put it all away. We did get our tinsel trees last week - already up and looking so festive. Thanks for the tip. Thanks for all the lovely photos of your collections - awesome as always and enjoyed seeing the quilt show photos too. I've done some EPP as it is more"handwork" to me than machine quilting. Not knocking the beautiful art of quilting but there is just not enough time in my world either to do everything I would like to do. Hope you are enjoying the last days of November - Mel