more where it came from

 While at My Favorite Thrift Store, I found these treasures 

in addition to the ones I showed in my prior post...

 All of these books are in near-perfect condition.

The one below is illustrated by my favorite illustrator of children's books - 

Eloise Wilkens. 

I also found the red desk and rocking horse for pennies!

Technically, they're Christmas ornaments, 

but I will use them for doll house furniture year 'round.

 Oh!  How I love this little desk!

don we now our gay apparel

Yesterday I made a quick run to a thrift store to look for a particular item - well...CATEGORY of item anyway.  I have a friend who has a collection, and I hoped to find a gift for her.  I was unsuccessful...

But I DID find this great Christmas apron, a couple of books in perfect shape (including a Curious George special edition) and the three pieces below.

Some of you know my penchant for collecting stray nativity characters.  I thought  it was "out of my system", but apparently not!

a wise man

a shepherd

Joseph, maybe?

 I'll wear this apron (which is even brighter in person)

at noon today when I serve up some soup and sandwiches at our final

Community Advent Luncheon.

See the sheep on the shelves behind me?  Another collection of mine!

thrift-wrapping

 One of my winter projects will be figuring out another way to store wrapping paper!

When I found this shopping cart at a thrift store this past year,

I thought it would make a good place to store wrapping paper.

Now I know better.

I've pulled out various rolls of wrapping paper and wallpaper

that I think will be suitable for wrapping Christmas gifts today.

I keep my eyes open for these rolls throughout the year at thrift stores

and garage sales.  I enjoy having a good assortment to choose from.

 ta-DAH!

the price was right

 We went for a recreational visit to My Favorite Thrift Store yesterday.

I found three Royal Copenhagen Christmas plates...

I "lost" the picture of the third--a hunter with his hunting hound.

 The color was right; the season was right; the price was right!

This non-Copenhagen plate was with the lot.

It was all "right", too.

And the brass angel ornament came home with us also.

Merry Christmas!

inside our christmas cabin

 Our Christmas Cabin is full of Christmas trees!
Year 'Round!
Not much changes - especially since it is
bursting at the seams with Christmas treasures.

 Christmas-themed books and amateur paintings of evergreen trees

and other winter scenes...

 even a cutting board shaped like a Christmas tree!

 Ahem.  Even the toilet paper caddy is decorated with a Christmas tree cutout!

 Trees everywhere!

 All shapes, sizes and material!

 Old Christmas magazines are stored in THIS caddy...

 Hand-painting decorates a gourd and a wooden bowl.

 Several sets of miniature Christmas china/dishes are displayed or stored in 

drawers of a desk.

I've lost count of the trees; but about once a year SOMEone remembers to try to count 'em...

There is very little in the cabin -- furniture , book, or accessory --

that wasn't purchased in a thrift store.  

(The beds weren't made up.  That's why there's no picture of them.)

Here's the ladder to the sleeping loft though...

 Merry Christmas!

i've only just begun

 In my various stages of accumulation, I went through a Nativity Set phase.

Some people rescue pets...

I rescued "Sets"!

 Of course, the sets that I rescued were bedraggled and incomplete.

I need to come to grips with my accumulated stables.
So I've decided to pull them out and touch them up --

in my own, unique way, of course.

A stray angel here;

a plastic star there.

A bottle tree and lone manger with the Christ Child.

I've only just begun.

 Three stray (and unrelated) "wise men" populate an empty stable.

christmas on the porch

 

 nothing fancy...

 making do with what we have

 incorporating the craftsmanship of a friend - a red church

with slate roof

  ...a winter scene painted on a piece of slate--

(another gift from a friend)

 wreathes, bows and garland.

And snow.

outfit for second sunday of advent

 

I worked my wardrobe staples to come up 

with something festive.

Gold belt, herringbone short-sleeved jacket

worn over a green, floral tee...

accented with a Christmas tree pin

from my collection.

We enjoyed a weekend excursion to nearby small town Roanoke.  Browsing the shops

kindled my imagination for decorating our own porch for the season.  Isn't this one inspiring?

I'll see what I can come up with by "shopping our attic"!

end of the week

 Wore this (and some shoes)...

 while moving this...

 now topped with this...

 and these...

 to make way for this.

An older sewing machine cabinet--$5 at My Favorite Thrift Store.

When it was determined the price of repairing the old Singer

was prohibitive, I immediately saw a sweet desk/storage cabinet.

My husband was the refinisher.

It is my early Christmas birthday present.

I'm delighted.