I'm known for having lots of "stuff".  I buy, save, collect, keep, and display lots of things.  I especially love holidays and really can't get enough of holiday decorations, which means I'm usually still shopping for Christmas decorations long after the house is "done".  I had a few hours to kill today while my son was volunteering at a soup kitchen.  I stopped by Salvation Army and was the only customer in the store.  Being Christmas Eve, everything Christmas related was 50% off.  Happy me.  Honestly, there's always room for one more wreath.  Or Santa.  Or Nativity.  

I also started packing up my pop-up shop.  I decided to put a few things into use that typically just sit in the cabinet and wait to be sold.  After 10 weeks, they're still with me, so guess what?  They're mine and if I love them this much, why aren't I using them?  While waiting for someone to buy the things I love, it occurred to me that I bought them in the first place, because they appealed to me.  

I've also been crafting a lot, and my sister has even gotten back into her wreath making and flower arranging.  All this adds up to me adding even more decorations on Christmas Eve.  I'm hosting tomorrow and I can't wait to spend the day with my family, surrounded by the people and some of the things that I love.  I'm liking the way this looks:

 My sister made a wreath for my front door, which ended up on the back door.  She also made several to sell at the shop.  I brought this one home and hung it on the front door.  I really love it.

 I picked this up today at SA.  I needed something in my kitchen window since I couldn't make the lights work.  I paid less than $2.  

 I thought this forest scene done in pewter was unique and gorgeous.  Nice piece for the bathroom, which has taken on a "foresty" look.  It wasn't planned, but it works well as a pretty but still slightly masculine look.  I wanted to keep the house from being too girly, since I have a 17 year old son.  This is unofficially "his" bathroom.

I enhanced this painting that I did a couple of years ago with a crow made from vintage sheet music.  He has a heart on his neck.  Too much glare, but I really like the way this turned out.  I secretly did not want to sell this, and luckily no one else thought it was as cool as I did.  I brought it back home and it's found a nice spot on the bathroom wall.  

 I had these Santa suits left in a box from a couple of years ago.  I sold one dressed up bottle of sparking cranberry, and had two left.  Gifts for my neighbors done!  I glued the stars on this mason jar candle holder. 

This sign didn't sell, and I didn't know why because it has nice color, a rustic feel, and it was just $20.  Oh well, it found a home at home.  Something else I really didn't want to sell.  I'm such a hoarder.

 Found this at SA today!  New with tags, and just $3.50.  I put it at my front door as a surprise for my daughter.  She has a degree in Spanish, and loves the language, the culture, the music and the dancing!

 I found seven of these boxes for just $1.  Perfect for the jewelry, perfume, scarves and gift card combos I bought for my nieces.  They're actually taffy apple holders, but work for so much more.  Awesome.  Really.

 I finally went ahead and used my vintage cheese server.  I have two of these Pyrex trays and made quick "terrariums" a few years ago with them.  They've been out of circulation since then, and I thought they'd sell quickly, but no interest.  (You really never know what will sell). I made a Christmas Eve snack extra special by using this vintage piece of serveware.  Sometimes you need to treat yourself, and I do know that, but I end up holding back nice things from myself, for no real reason other than...nope, there is no real reason.  Using my treasured vintage items is my idea of treating myself.  Some people go to Tiffany's.  I go to my stash.  

And I found a few new treasures today.  A set of Culver 22K gold trim rocks glasses, a set of gold rimmed dessert bowls, and a Hazel Atlas-inspired drink mixing glass.  I actually sold one of these a few days ago.  It's BAAACK!  

Now I need to get back to wrapping as Christmas is officially here in an hour and a half.  As always, it's gone far too quickly, but I've crammed a lot into a few weeks.  Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!  

More Traditions.

 Every year, I consider doing a "theme" tree.  I love seeing trees done in all blue, pink, red...or with ornaments related to a theme like movies, a favorite book, or a destination.  At the Museum of Science and Industry here in Chicago, you can get tons of inspiration via their "Christmas Around the World" exhibit, which showcases trees that either reflect the typical tree decor or pay homage to the country itself.  Someone came by my house the other night and said that my tree looked like one from one of the Scandinavian countries. Cool!  That's about the closest I'm going to get unless I decide to go all-out with a second tree.  When I had the space, I did put up two, even three trees, but no real theme.  Just more room for the assortment of ornaments I've amassed over the past 30+ years.  

 Working in the field of Early Childhood Education for most of those years, a common gift from my families was a Christmas ornament.  This turned out to be not just an affordable gift, but a thoughtful and smart one to give.  As I later learned when my own children had multiple teachers and staff members at school that I wanted to remember, an ornament for everyone was pretty affordable, especially once I learned that the Christmas shop at Macy's is 90% off the week after Christmas.  Next year's gift buying was done by January 10.  This made it super affordable to give a really nice gift and also made it easy.  That alone makes it a smart gift, but the fact that I remember certain children EVERY TIME I unpack these makes it timeless.  I also have an array of other ornaments that I've purchased myself, or for my children, or received as gifts from friends and family.  I've never met a Christmas ornament that I didn't like, even the slightly scary Christopher Radko-esque clown that I still put up (on the back of the tree...).

 Not from a child, but from that time I won the ugliest ornament contest.  As the winner, I got take home the ugly ornament of my choice.  I worked with a group of Directors for the better part of 15 years, and the faces didn't change much.  The 14 of us got together every year for lunch and....well....I do miss them!  This sumo wrestler isn't ugly at all to me and reminds me of some really great times.  I found him missing a leg when I unpacked him this year, the result of one too many moves.  But, silicone glue (my new best friend) had him fixed up in seconds.  Seriously, the stuff is amazing. 

 A little girl named Brittany gave me this ornament in 1984.  The pillow inside is scented.  Still.  Very scented.  Hallmark...what can I say?

 Belvedeer the Reindeer from Avon.  Not from a child, but from myself when I helped my mom sell Avon while I was in high school.  Geez, I really do keep everything!

 From Katie, c. 1986.  She was in my 3-year old class.  She was rambunctious.  She also leaned too close to her birthday cake and caught her hair on fire.  Just a few strands singed.  No harm done.  

 From Kaylin, Kylie and Russsell.  Mom was a professional by day, and a serious crafter by night.  (Not that she couldn't be a professional crafter, but she wasn't).  She made awesome ornaments every year.  This soldier is made from a clothespin. 

 This was given to me by my brother's mother-in-law.  Sweet lady!  She gave this to me the first year I was married, 24 years ago.  

 With all of the ornaments I have from other kids, I love this one that my daughter's teachers helped her make when she was just over a year old.  Awwwwwww.......................................................

And then there's this family ornament that I still hang, with all of our names on it, including my ex-husband's.  Everything, I mean everything and everyone that has been a part of my life figure deeply into who, what and where I am today.  No regrets. 

 Besides, the reindeer are just too cute not to hang.  

#traditions

And The Winner Is...

I posted a giveaway last week, this time offering up a big mason jar full of my Christmas Blend hot chocolate.  The winner was just announced, and I'm looking for the perfect box...

I'm coming up on my last weekend at the Pop-Up, but we're probably going to put in some hours next week anyway.  I was pretty much convinced that I was not going to spend any time there during Christmas week because that's family time.  We'll see, but Christmas Eve is definitely out.  I hosted a private party yesterday with a few friends and family and sales were good.  I'm going to start bringing things home (some that I never really wanted to sell anyway, lol) and hopefully continue the online selling onslaught that's occurred over the past two weeks.  Overall, the sales were not great, but certainly not a waste of my time.  I made money, and that's a good thing.  More importantly, I connected with a few customers who I know will be repeats and a few business people that will likely provide opportunities that I hadn't expected.  Also, there is the experience of being in a brick and mortar (great) and the experience of working with a group of women who are at their core, good people, albeit a few have some deep seated "issues" that even they may not be aware of.  It's even worse than I thought now that I've learned that I have been the "go to" blame carrier for everything from the low inventory of cookies to the backed-up toilet.  I can't even get mad at this ridiculousness.  It just goes to show me that for some people, high school was the pinnacle and they just can't leave it.  I seem to get an extra dose of attention from one lady in particular, and I'm concerned about her motives.  You know how little kids will do anything for attention, even if it's negative?  Yep.  She comments on everything I do.  Even picks on me a little, which is hard for me to say.  But, it's true.  I do know how to get her off my back, but I'm all about peace and tranquility these days, and not expending my energy unless I really want to.  I don't.  But it is a little creepy...

In the meantime, I have seriously curbed my shopping, but still found some amazing things in the past two weeks.  Case in point:

Yes, I found these absolutely gorgeous sequinned dresses.  My daughter obliged me by trying them on, but there's no way she's wearing them.  That means they're up for sale, or maybe a lucky person will find one under the Christmas tree.  I don't generally give second-hand gifts, but seriously, who would complain?  No clothes loving girl that I know. 

And now I must go because my KIDS (ages 17 and 23) are bugging me about making cookies.  Some things never change.

And I hope they never do!

Traditions!

We have quite a few and I am so happy that we got started early!

We took advantage of a mild 30+ degree night and took the train downtown Chicago to do the "Macy's Thing".  This constitutes a very small amount of shopping, if any.  Our primary reason for being there is to see the big tree, check out the window displays, and grab a bite to eat in the food court.  This time we took a friend of mine and her nine year old daughter.  Good times.

 She snapped this cellphone pic of the three of us.  I jokingly posted it on Facebook as my official Christmas card.  I think I may do a little better in terms of the card sending, but I love this picture!  None of us was dressed for a Christmas pic, but it turned out great.  Bad color and all.  The tree this year wasn't as spectacular as some that I've seen before, but it was made dramatic by changing lights which changed the color of the entire tree and decorations every few minutes.  It's so cool (and humbling) that my adult and teenage children still want to hang out with me.  Down Washington Street, just a block from Macy's is the Christkindl Market.  It was more crowded last night than I've ever seen it, so we just browsed and kept it moving.  A pound of toasted almonds kept us happy until we got back to Macy's to eat, after which we took a tiny little side trip to Magnolia Bakery to sample the banana pudding and take home a few treats.  

Next up, per my son's request, I bought all the makings for our white chocolate/cranberry dipped pretzels.  I brought him the first few and he threw a hissy fit that I didn't wait for him.  Silly me, I thought he just wanted to eat them!  Between the three of us, we made about two dozen with enough left over to make another two.  I added just a little coconut oil to keep the chocolate loose enough to get the job done.  After cooling a little, I just add chopped "craisins" and let them cool completely.  Mmmmm, Mmmmm, Good!  A glass of sparking juice and the required toast, and we were set for our first official Christmas kitchen tradition.  

Next up?  Hot chocolate, Christmas Blend.  I'll fill a few jars to give as gifts, and keep a lot for us.  The sweet, savory and spicy combo keeps my taste buds happy and coming back for more.  Then there are Christmas movies to watch, a gingerbread house to build and decorate, and rides around town looking at the light displays.  Yes, we still do that "boring" stuff and I'm so blessed that Christmas is still all about being together.  

Something old, Something new.

I can't recreate the look of my house.  I don't mean the one I live in now, but rather the first house I bought with my then-husband, the house we raised our two children in.  It was a pretty big house, built in the 50's, but large and modern, even by today's standards.  Since I love mid-century style, the raised hearth, flat roof and slate tile was extremely appealing to me, even though the house in general came to need a lot of work/money invested in it to really make it great.  I did what I could, painting, rearranging and working hard on that half-acre plot of land.  Much of it I did by myself, or with the help of my sister.  I kind of loved that house, especially at Christmas.  




























I decorated EVERY room.  I had my staff over at Christmas a few times, and they said it was pretty much sensory overload.  Collections were everywhere:  Trees, Santas, snowmen, nutcrackers and more recently, cardinals.  The bathroom, bedrooms, kitchen, even the basement, got some love.  Lights, wreaths...I had a closet in the basement dedicated to all things Christmas.  About 10 bins in all, plus the large items that wouldn't fit.  Two trees, sometimes three.  Yep.  Seeing these pictures reminds me of things I had to let go, things I forgot about, and things I had to give away when the second storage unit couldn't hold any more.  It also reminds me that I had a crappy camera back then. 

I moved into a beautiful apartment for one year, and was able to decorate it in such a way that it really took my breath away every time I entered it.  I have some great pictures to show for it since there really wasn't a way to take a bad picture of this room:  

I refer back to this picture a lot, but I think I'll retire it after this year.  Overall, living there wasn't a good experience and by the end of that year, I was more than ready to move.  Not finding a place right away, I spent about six months living with my mom and sister, and while being all together had it's good points my little family needed our own home.  We spent Christmas there and in the spring we found a small three bedroom house and we're settled in and loving it.  Trying to recreate the look and feel of my previous homes is futile.  This is a completely different style, different feel, and different people live in it.  My chubby-faced ten year old is now a senior in high school.  My sixteen year old is a career girl working on a Masters' degree.  It's still very important to me that they have a spectacular Christmas, limited funds notwithstanding.  As of yet there are no gifts under the tree, but the cabinets are full of the makings for cookies, white chocolate coated pretzels, a gingerbread house and my "famous" hot chocolate.  No matter how old they get (so far) we all still look forward to going downtown on the train, eating roasted chestnuts at the Christkindlmarket, reading the entire story in the windows at Macy's and taking pictures by the big tree.  

And we do a little decorating too:

Bigger tree!

No fireplace so we're faking it.

The one new piece of furniture I bought after I moved into the apartment. 

I framed this greeting card many years ago.

I got this from a little girl a long time ago.  It looks exactly the same
no matter where I hang it.

I have had this basket of Christmas junk on the kitchen counter
for years.  Ornament hangers, candles, socks, stickers...
stuff I might need.  I'm a junk drawer junkie.

Kicking myself over the big snowman I left at the apartment.
I still don't know why I decided to leave it.

I regret giving away so many things when I was super emotional and nearly despondent about being "homeless".  I regret that my children ended up being from a "broken" home which I tried hard for 18 years to avoid.  I sometimes regret the choice of "Olive Oil Yellow" for my kitchen walls.  But I'll never regret one extra trip up that ladder to rearrange the penguins and snowmen on top of the cabinets or another little turn of  a nutcracker to angle him just so on the shelf.  I'm far from satisfied with it right now but it will come together.  In the meantime, we're perfectly happy to carry on our old traditions in a new space and nothing more needs to be done for that to happen.    

New Recipe Alert!

My first sponsored post!  I'm so excited!  Why?  Well, not because it's a sponsored post, but because this noodles and cheese side dish turned out really well and I have added a new dish to my repertoire.

 I received a sample pack of some new Campbell's products in the mail.  I don't often try new recipes, since I have tons that I already love, plus I tend to do a lot of "winging it" in the kitchen.  I received a recipe booklet in the box and everything looked really good, so since the ingredients were right in my kitchen, why not?  I'm always checking out new recipes in magazines and on Pinterest, but most of the time I say "I'm going to try that one day", but rarely get around to it.  Not this time though!  This looked so good and I needed a side dish for dinner one night so I decided to make this creamy mac-n-cheese recipe.  I didn't have elbows on hand, so I substituted flat noodles, which I happen to like better anyway.   

 The Creamy Poblano and Queso condensed soup came with my sample box.  It was super easy from there.

 Onions, tomato, red bell pepper cilantro and ginger.  I like the grated ginger in the jar.  It tastes good and the hard work is already done. 

 In went the noodles. 

 Melted butter.  Looks so good it deserves two pictures!  Actually, I used a heart healthy spread. 

 I went a little heavy on the onion, but I love them so!  

 I added the tomato and ginger to the onions once they were tender. 

 Kinda pretty, don't you think?

 Add milk.  Working my way up to creamy goodness!

 And a hearty helping of grated cheese.

 The pot's too big.  I do realize this.  Add the sauce to the noodles.  

Pretty!  I served it with turkey patties and salad.  This was a great dinner!  We'll definitely be repeating this. 

Here's a link to the original recipe:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/creamy-poblano-mac--cheese/

#DiscoverCampbells
#CampbellsTasters