Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Nostalgic Christmas Decor

Well, it's that time of year again. My creativity goes into overdrive at Christmastime, and decorating the tree and the home delivers unending design opportunities. You really can't pin me down to one style for Christmas, because I rarely commit to the same one twice. I have equal love for rustic, elegant, whimsical, kitschy, and Old World. I have created new tree ornaments every year for a good 20 years. Some I've kept, some I've donated, but most are easy to break down and re-purpose.  

About the only Christmas items that make encore appearances are antique/vintage decor like Shiny Brites, bottle brush trees, kitsch, etc., for tabletop display, and of course, costly items like lights and faux greenery to accessorize. So needless to say, anytime I spot old Christmas decor items at the thrift stores, it comes home with me. Friends and family know to not give me anything decor-oriented, unless it's vintage components to create one-of-a-kind nostalgic, and sometimes quirky, pieces. Once the glue gun is warmed up, and the Christmas craft boxes are opened, anything goes.

I'm currently surrounded by glass glitter, glass balls, plastic kitsch, faux greenery, candy canes, and all things nostalgic. I truly enjoy creating tabletop items, whether whimsical or serious, and here are a few I've created today. All of these are easy peasy and can be disassembled to create something new.



Faux tabletop tree in antique coffee can, 
with glass glittered balls, 
and Spanish moss tucked in.



Plastic kitschy tree in milkglass compote,
with chartreuse glass balls, giant rickrack, 
and glass glitter star




These mini Santa mugs are dime-a-dozen, 
so kitsching them up is the best way to 
make them more unique. 
I found these candle rings years ago, and hadn't found
the perfect spot for them until now. 
They're just the right size on top of Santa's head, 
so I glue-gunned them down, 
and fit 5 candy canes inside the ring perfectly.
I love how they look in a group, 
but would be adorable separately as table markers
or place card holders.

The funnest part of creating is to just experiment 
and layer anything in front of you. 
You just never know what will work until you try.
I'd better go for now. 
The glue gun is waiting.

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4 comments:

  1. I need twice as many days during Christmas because there's so much I want to do! I'm going to try to work on a few projects after Christmas - somehow my enthusiasm seems to drop off immediately after the holiday, but there's been so little time this year that I'm hoping I'll still feel motivated.

    ReplyDelete
  2. I picture you like a mad vintage Christmas scientist in your lab, only with glitter and glue in your test tubes.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Okay, second post of yours I've checked out and loved, so now I'm following! I think you'll love my vintage Christmas decorating too. Stop by and check out Christmas sneak peaks part 1 and 2.

    Amber @ junkaholicsunanimous.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  4. Can't find a place to follow on your blog, so I will have to just keep popping in from time to time I guess.

    ReplyDelete

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