Distracted By Shiny Things

I have to be honest, Dear Reader, I was pretty enthused about the holidayup until a few days ago in spite of some rather serious personal anxiety issues I've been dealing with, computer issues I'd been wading through, and of course our own family's personal fiscal cliff which most real folks always deal with at Xmastime anyway, but then some very sad stuff happened, including the loss of our 19 year old kitty, Missy, about which I am so sad I don't even want to share a picture. :O(  Suffice to say she'd been my daughter's constant fur companion from the time my daughter was born, 17 years later it's not LIKE losing a family member, it IS losing a family member. And it's sucky trying to help your kid deal with such loss when you're not that completely okay yourself.

So I'm carrying on toward the holiday with a heavier heart and not quite as much pep as I had previous, distracting myself with last minute stocking stuffer strategies and shiny things to keep my mind busy.

Here's an ornament I made for a couple of pals' first Xmas as Mr. & Mrs.. A pair of dollar store lovebirds adorned with brightly colored feathers which match the couples' hair! Yes I am cool enough to know a guy with teal hair at my age!

Happy Xmas Sara & Shawn

Here's a little tart tin ornie I made for a swap..

Paper cake boxes for a swap

It's Christmas Eve Eve! I need to clean some stuff and cook some stuff and figure out what Santa can pull out of his bum  bag since I he ran out of cash before finishing his shopping cuz of that fiscal cliff thing I got pushed off of, but that's another story. Livin' on the edge. Happy nigh onto Christmas kids!

Thriftmas Post ( 'I aten't dead.')

 'I aten't dead.' ..sign used when having an out of body experience so people wouldn't get the wrong idea and bury her, Granny Weatherwax, Discworld

Gnomey lil' wooden Santa-ish dude

My puter broke. Luckily I have a sweet nearly son-in-law who fixed it for me after much wailing and gnashing of teeth (probably on both our parts.) Then I was just overwhelmed with bad sleep weirdness and sick old cats and Xmas stresses (it ain't all glitter and peppermint pretzels this time of year, am I right?) so I just wrapped things and glued a few things and lurked in the corner. But the season is whooshing by like...something wooshy and I've missed spreading my part of it around. So, have a few thrift store scores of the Holiday genre!

12" kitschy cardboard tree...needs a few embellies replaced, plays Silent Night. Will 'fix 'er up' next year, but couldn't leave her out of the festivities this year. The crystal tree in the front I found for 75cents about 30 years ago, pre-kids even, at a yard sale in 'the nicer part of town." It has red, green & white xmas lights inside.

Yes, it's a REINDEER made from WOODEN SPOONS AND BIG ASS POM POMS. Who could call themselves a kitsch loving crafter and NOT bring this home. Lil pixie dude plays jingle bells.

Repro-retro candy jar lid with awesome peppermint ball Santa & fab atomic stars..

Two dolla!!

This brooch is GAWgeous in person. The colors!! I died.

Spun head elves on earrings!!! Ancient pipe cleaners and glitter! The earring posts say JAPAN on 'em. I have not enough adjectives for how much I love these. 'm pretty sure they're making the same face I made when I saw them.

Some plastic kitsch..cat we already owned

If it's skates I'm buying it. Dig the plastic mistlesnowman! I found three! 

My fave find, this little beaded skater person..how fabulous!

Totally reminded me of this sweet skater person...

Happy holidays and good thrifting!

Matchclocks...or Clockboxes?

I have successfully finished and mailed my little matchboxes for Vintage Dragonfly's Holiday matchbox ornie swap. I had a silly idea that these would be a breeze to create since I was using a design my daughter created last Christmas and gifted me with. (See her sweet clock in this post-Xmas post)

But the best pre-judged plans...these babies took me weeks! A lot of procrastination went into them, but also a lot of waiting for things to dry! I was not satisfied with them honestly until the glitter fairy whispered in my ear "glitter, stupid", and she was right, if not rude. I saw some of the other lovely boxes made by others in blogland and I thought: must.....keep.....gluing.......

Half in pink with glittery birdies

Half in red with flocked birdies

A cute clock on the back...I am totes not sure those numbers are accurate for the year but blame the image editor I used

I hope all my Xmas partners enjoy the sparkle! I can't wait!! :OD

Before the Snow

Yup, it snowed yesterday and this morning, 30 degrees outside. The other day when the leaves were raining down brightly, it was apparently their death dance. Well that's rather morbid. But let's consider the sweetness of life and the sadness of death, via this Dia de los Muertos dangly I made with tin can lids, baubles and sugar skull images from Ten Two Studios.

Here's an awesome 13 Days of Halloween swap pile I received from Chinacat, not yet unwrapped. 

ooooooh, antici....................pation.

Sugar skellie/Halloweenie owlies made from matchboxes by my Eryn!

sparklier in person

Sweet embroidery in Fall theme from the thrift, and thrifted Fallish brooch

To top it off....

The gorgeous colors of fall are gone from my back porch now. Well, unless you sweep the snow off them. :O/ What's up, Mother Nature? Usually you wait until Halloween to dump the wet stuff.

Button Floozies Fall In Love with Buttons swap - What I Sent to Mary

Mother Nature cooperating in the photo op. :O)

"Leaf Peeking"

I heard this term for the first time yesterday. It's  a bit cheesy, yes? To go 'leaf peeking' when the leaves are peaking? Anyway, I did not get to take a drive through any lovely country lanes at any time so far and feel seriously let down in that regard. So I bought myself this idyllic Autumn scene captured under glass forever in glorious bright paint by numbers from the thrift.

This baby is BIG, about two feet by three feet I'd say without actually moving enough to measure it. lazy It was painted (by number, hehe) in 1992, so it's not really vintage yet, but I'm sorry it is BEAUTIMOUS. It's my little bit of fall right here under my rock that I rarely crawl out from under.

$6 Art

We Love Halloween Matchbox Swap

Yay, my partner Lynn received her matchbox from me for Vintage Dragonfly's We Love Halloween matchbox swap, so I can show it now! I am a big art fangirl of Lynn's so I was a little EEK about making her a worthy matchbox and accompanying Halloweenish crafty goodies. But what a big fun it was! I am in love with bright orange and blue this year! I tend to ramble, so this time I'll let the pics speak. 

You can see my gorgeous alluring purple witch's dressing room that Lynn made for me here until I lazily get around to posting more pics. :OD