Frosty In Boston: A Very Vintage Christmas 2017

On this last day of 2017, we're in the midst of an extended deep freeze here in New England, which can feel endless and uncomfortable, but can also add to the festive look of the season, both outdoors and inside. This is the current view from my kitchen window...

The frigid weather – 10 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny with wind chill of -2 – means more time spent indoors with my Christmas decorations, which, sadly, will have to be dismantled by the end of the week.

This year's displays feature a number of new vintage items purchased during the course of the year, starting with the light-up Alpine Village on my fireplace mantel, purchased at Brimfield for $15.

This is the box it came in (the white store price sticker says "Barkers" and the date is 1978). I had to replace the bulbs to get the lights to work.

I printed out online images of the Swiss Alps and glued them to foamcore to create the backdrop. I probably should have made it a bit higher, but I was in a time crunch and didn't want to spend too much time on it. The electrical plug is hidden by the mountain of cotton snow behind the church.

I created two ponds with tinfoil, and the monster-sized deer are from an antiques shop in CT. The bottle brush green trees are from Target and the white ones are from Michael's.

I also found Santa and his reindeer at an antiques shop in CT.

The fun thing about these villages is being able to add to them or completely change them around from year to year. One of my friends gave me two different village house ornaments for Christmas that happen to fit in really well so I added them to the scene.

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Due to a snowstorm, I purchased this year's living room Christmas tree at the local Home Depot, instead of cutting it down myself at a tree farm in CT as I usually do. Overall, I was pleased with how it looks, and the convenience. It's a 7-ft. Elite Silver Blue Balsam Fir imported from Canada.

For the first time, I used all C-6 white lights, including a couple of Reliance Krystal Stars, a pink rosette light, a few bubble lights, and a plastic angel light at the top, which I believe is from the 1950s.

I originally planned on draping gold tinsel garland onto the tree, but had already placed some ornaments on, so I decided to just add silver tinsel at the end to give it added sparkle. I like the cohesive look of all white lights, which also complement the frosty village on the mantel. Next year, I may do all C-7 white lights on the tree to change it up.

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Another cool vintage Christmas discovery this year: a black metal Christmas card holder with its original box.

This hangs on a wall in my bedroom with the box on the floor underneath. I found it at an antiques shop in CT for $15.

Cool box – it says "Brooklyn, N.Y." at bottom right.

Holder with cards. I'm old-school and still like to send and receive these every year.

From the same antiques shop in CT, I found this unusual bell cookie jar with metallic painted accents.

For my home office/guest room, I found this cool painted wood shelf with oval cutouts on the sides, perfect for my growing pixie elf family. This, I believe, is one-of-a-kind, from Cambridge Antiques Market.

The angry elf is new this year, and a natural reflection of so much that has happened around the world in 2017.

"I'm mad as hell, and I'm not gonna stand for it!"

Also in the same room near this shelf, hangs the lighted poinsettia star my brother gave me for Christmas last year.

This is the cool box it came in, which I have displayed on a table...

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No holiday season is complete without treats. Every year I make a pumpkin pie for Christmas. This time I decorated the top with a tree using mini vintage cookie cutters.

A couple of weeks before Christmas, I visited the Boston Public Library, which has a lovely tea room. One of the treats served was a gingerbread man. I think this one sums up the year pretty accurately...

Oh no!!!

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Happy New Year!

Peace.

 

My Maid Hasn't Been Keeping Up With The Dusting Lately...

’Tis the season for believing in spooks, and this year, I've made a few additions to my annual Halloween decor, starting with the fake cobwebs on my fireplace screen.

It has the same consistency of angel hair, that spun fiberglass stuff people used to put on their Christmas trees years ago. This stuff is made of a less harmful substance. Hopefully, I'll be able to get these cobwebs off after the holiday is over.

Also new this year from a popular discount department store... two black glitter twig trees.

I had the mini orange lights and Christopher Radko mini ornaments from a couple of years back, and they fit perfectly.

As it does for most other holidays, my living room gets the most decorations. Also new this year, from an antiques shop in Clinton, CT... two jack-o-lantern window candles.

The jack-o-lantern face is two-sided so the neighbors
across the courtyard can get spooked, too.

And, the jingle bells door handle decoration is new as well.

My kitchen centerpiece includes two new white cake stands with black grosgrain ribbon. I usually get both an orange and white pumpkin, but this year I just bought an orange one.

Finally, at the end of my hallway, I switched out red crystal teardrops for amber on my regal wall crown.

Sometime it's just little, inexpensive changes like these that can make your home come alive with the spirit of the season.

Happy Halloween To All

(Don't forget to Treat yourself)!

Two Railroad Lanterns & A Scooter

Most times when I find vintage treasures, they often make me think of an unspecified "happy time" from the past, or a time I completely missed out on, which, I guess, is why I collect. In the simplest sense, they're just objects, but I do think they enhance your life and somehow become part of who you are when you keep them long enough.

Recently my sister and I cleaned out our Dad's garage and discovered a few treasures that were always there, but perhaps went unnoticed because they blended in too well with their surroundings.

First, we found these two old railroad lanterns gathering dust on a shelf. I don't know the full story because I don't think my grandfather ever talked about it, but when his father? came over from the Old Country (Immigrant alert!), he apparently worked on the railroad at one point. I do wish my grandfather were still around because I would ask him about it.

After doing a bit of online research and looking at the markings on each lantern, I discovered the large one is commonly known as an "Adlake" lantern, made by The Adams & Westlake Co. There are quite a few of these available at online auction sites. They're priced at anywhere from $80 to $199, depending on condition.

 

Lantern top with clear markings in ALL CAPS

Patents on rim of lantern top from 1908, 1909 and 1911

The clear globe is still intact and the initials N.Y. N.H. & H. R.R. stand for New York New Haven & Hartford Railroad.

The smaller red lantern is charming and colorful, and from what I could tell, more commonly found at online auction sites, prices starting at around $20.

The glass is clearly marked FEUER HAND
MADE IN W. GERMANY

The top is marked ORIGINAL - NIER - FEUERHAND

As far as I can tell, the base says, 1175 W. GERMANY  SUPER BABY

I currently have these lanterns on my fireplace hearth, and they will add even more vintage charm at Christmastime, especially the red one.

The other item rescued from my Dad's garage is this old scooter that once belonged to my Uncle Joe. It's heavy cast-iron with a wooden footboard and hard rubber tires and handlebar tips. I especially like the fender on the front wheel. I'm guessing it's from the 1940s, though it could be older. Everyone can use an extra set of wheels, right?

At one time when we were kids, one of us added the "Volkswagon" sticker on the side using a label maker.

"VolksWAGON"?

Because these have a personal connection, I will treasure them always, and do my best to not hide them in a closet or storage basement. I almost always display vintage finds anyway. They make excellent conversation starters.

September's Treasures: From Alpine Villages to Herman Miller Swivel Chairs

September's Brimfield Antiques Show capped off a successful season of treasure hunting. Ideal late-summer weather, zero traffic hassles, and quality time spent with good friends all contributed to a great outing.

As usual, I came home with a few treasures that were not on my shopping "list," plus one item that was. Here's the item that was on my list...

I felt lucky to find this "Electrified" Alpine Village, complete with all nine buildings and light set, in its original box. The dealer said the light set didn't work, so I got it for just $15. When I got it home, I was able to get the set to work by using bulbs from another set I already had. I'm planning to create a display with these on my fireplace mantel this Christmas (I'll probably post photos here in December).

Note the BARKERS sticker. It's dated 10/78.
Barkers was a (now defunct) discount store founded in Orange, CT by Irving Barker in 1957.

Back of the box with important instructions.

Definitely a vintage piece, with U.S. manufacturer info on the box side.

Probably my favorite find this outing is my Herman Miller (Eames design) swivel chair – an excellent deal at $40. I've seen similar pieces at on-line auction websites for $200 to $350 depending on condition. This one isn't in perfect condition, as it has a couple of small rips on the upholstery and a raised squiggle flaw on the seat, but the swivel mechanism works perfectly, and it's super-comfortable to sit in.

Its original label is intact on the underside – Herman Miller, Inc. Zeeland, Michigan. I'm guessing this dates from the 1960s, though it could be a bit newer. I placed it at the end of my hallway for now, but I'm planning to move it to my bedroom at some point.

Continuing with the furniture theme, I also found this cool mirrored side table. I asked the dealer how old it was, and he estimated 1970s. I especially like its column shape on three little feet. It only measures 23 inches tall and 27 inches in diameter, so it will fit virtually anywhere. I currently have it in my living room next to a rocking chair. This was also a good deal for $40.

Lastly, I found a large skeleton key (for $7) to add to this year's Halloween display. This one measures 6 inches long.

Naturally, I was drawn to this charming table and bench set, painted with Christmas scenes. It's the same size and style as the set I currently have in my kitchen. If I had the room, this might have come home with me for the holidays.

So cute! No tablecloth required.

Until the May 2018 Brimfield show, wave goodbye to Santa!