Vintage Christmas

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hello folks! Busy times! I usually blog about what I'm up to, but that has not been so glamorous lately. But today I can finally share some fun stuff I found! I LOVE an old-fashioned Christmas, and this season I was lucky enough to find a vintage print cotton apron that I'm sure had to made especially for the holidays. Don't you love that rick rack trim?

 

I also found some repro Golden Books from the old days at Barnes and Noble that really took me back, so I bought a bunch for the toddlers in the family. Remember the stacks of these little books that we all had?

 

So cheery!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I love travel and postal themes too, and the other day I came across these darling miniature postcards and envelopes at Anthropologie. They make cute gift enclosures or a fun stocking stuffer!

 

 

 

 

 

I've had this vintage muslin towel with gingham applique checks for some time now. It reminds me so much of Mary Englebreit. During the month of December I dig out all my old magazine issues and it made me miss Mary's magazine so much! She is the queen of vintage. No?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finally, Cavallini & Co. always has new vintage looking designs in tags and stickers that are fun to use. I stuck these all over my cards and packages this year. They are at stationary stores, but Pottery Barn also has them.

 

So cheery! (I keep saying that!!)

 

 

My family starts arriving next week so the real fun starts soon. Are you just neck deep in ribbons and bows? I'm just trying to stay away from the Christmas candy!

 

Stay Merry!

 

Jacqueline

 

 

 Join me at

Common Ground~Vintage Inspiration

The Charm of Home~Home Sweet Home

On Gift Giving

 

 

  

 

 

If you had a choice of months to be born would you choose December? We have a large number of Christmastime birthdays in the family so we focus on gift giving for those instead.

 

 

But I wonder if we are really that unusual in not exchanging gifts as a rule at Christmas. What do you do?

 

 

 

 

You'll find the rest of this post HERE. . . .

 

Happy Weekend!

 

Jacqueline

 

 

 

The Child Inside

  

 

 

 I'm a bit torn between two lovers for the time being here on the blog! In addition to having two blogs, I'm also toggling between two computers. One in repair, and the other one too new to know the ropes. Fortunately I had a cheery draft already here in the Archive blog to work with.

 

I haven't had my usual pleasant hours to surf and blog lately, or to answer all your heartwarming notes of support for my minor troubles. I have to tell you, though, how wonderful it has been to have your voices in my head as I crank through the frustrations. Thank you so much for continuing to stop by, follow my new blog, and leave your words of encouragement. It means a lot to me.

 

 

 

 

In between computer crises and tinkering in this corner of my dining room, I've had a lot of thoughts of what a delight Christmas is for the child inside of us. We make the strongest associations to the joys of the holiday from when we are very young that never go away. I remember just what I got for my eight and nine year old Christmases especially, and how what I like really hasn't changed too much since then. There were a lot of books, and when I got a bit older, crafting, and sewing supplies. I learned to sew by reading doll clothes patterns!





 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm still crazy for doll clothes, although my machine is now in mothballs. I was charmed to find a couple of these teeny wool baby shirts from a hundred (literally) years ago that fit my bears. The fuzzy friends are having a snug winter!

 

 

 

 

 I always like to have the quintessential toy vignette set up somewhere in the house. And I admit that it's not strictly for the children!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The dining room is often Santa Central now. The gift wrap is leaning up against the high chair, and the old-fashioned boom box is nearby playing carols. Lots of fooling around to do in the lead up to the big weekend before Christmas when the family rolls in from all parts of the country and the quiet little fantasy bubble bursts. So I'll just carry on with my midnight reveries and rose-colored memories while the music plays on, thank you. All the while a bit of "tin" tinsel,  elfin magic, and percolating bubble lights still glow a little inside of me about this time every year. . . .

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 I hope you still get the warm fuzzzies over Christmas for a moment or two this year. If not, maybe you should break out a few new toys! 

 

Enjoying the process,

Jacqueline

 

 

 

 

 

Join me at

The Charm of Home~Home Sweet Home

Kinda Good News And Kinda Bad

Hello friends!

 For some time now I have been a victim of link spam. Google has made recent changes to block the spam by blocking access to the blogs affected. Warnings about links to my Url are popping up everywhere and I can't even post a link to my own facebook page. This issue has limited action on my blog.



The no brainer is to move to Wordpress or to some other host. But there is a recommended labor intensive fix that a computer programmer will be helping me with after the New Year. For the curious about what we are up against here is a link.



It's the most fun time of the year to blog, so I'm just going to keep on blogging and linking from my new blog address until I am a hundred percent again. You may still access Cabin & Cottage as before as a reference and archive.

 



My new posts will also be linked at my new blog address @ cabinandcottage.blogspot.com. and with the same name. There's a new post up right now! I sincerely hope that you wll choose to continue to follow me there while I stumble around with the change.

Thanks so much for all your visits and comments on this blog. I'm hoping for the best.

Now where's the party?

 

Jacqueline




Here's a peek at the new post at the new link!

 

An Old-Fashioned Christmas Mantel

Welcome to December, the most beautiful month of the year for decorating! It's always fun to try something new, and this year it's a vintage hand-crochet mantel scarf. 

  I envy those of you who have something ample to decorate over your winter fireplaces. Our ledge is only six inches deep! But I feel lucky to have found an old cloth made especially for the purpose that makes me feel a warm connection to history. On the other hand, my husband says the trim reminds him of icicles!

I didn't spend a lot of time researching, but it seems that the purpose of a mantel cloth has only ever been for making the hearth more homey, cozy, and pretty. Of all times for something old-fashioned, for me it is Christmastime. Maybe we will prop all our cards up here like the Victorians did! 

Not much else has changed in the room, but a little fringe, a string of lights, and a bit of green has made all the difference to welcome a new season.

It's no trouble to whisk a few things away when we need to, and I'm looking forward to all month long gathering friends and loved ones near the fire. That includes you!  

Thanks so much for your visit!

I hope the new month is off to a wonderful start for you . . . .

Jacqueline

 Join me at

Savvy Southern Style~Christmas Past

Between Naps on the Porch~Metamorphosis Monday

My Romantic Home~Show & Tell

Savvy Southern Style~Vignettes & Mantels