All about Frosty

I don't know about you, but when it comes to decorating for Christmas, I've always been a Santa girl.

I mean, aside from all his great points, like the fact that he's jolly all the time, has adorable flying reindeer and has been married to the same woman for a millennium, how can you not love a guy that brings you all those wonderful presents for just a couple of cookies and a glass of milk?

Well, although the old bearded guy still has my heart, I fell in love with another familiar character this year.

Yes, by way of a trash can, that he was found in right after Christmas last year, Frosty walked... errr... rolled?... straight into my heart.

How sad is it that someone just tossed him out onto his faded earmuffs?

And on a side note, not very smart.

Do you know how much these vintage blow molds go for?

A LOT.

So if you have some of these sitting in your garage that you don't want, I'll be happy to take them off your hands ;)

But I digress...

So anyway, since then he's been sitting and waiting all these months to have a makeover, so that he could have his big debut for Christmas.

I got out the painter's tape, some newspaper and spray paint and went to work.

The first day, I only managed to get his hat, buttons and candy cane done, before it started getting dark, but he already looked happier.

The next day I got right back to it.

He was spray painted...

and then I hand painted the bells and berries on his wreath.

His eyes and nose came last.

I could hardly wait for the paint to dry...

At last he was finished!

And now he's back where he belongs and the star of the show :)

Speaking of walking straight into my heart...

See that precious vintage ornament next to the clocks?

It's my "new to me" Christmas ornament this year.

Isn't it adorable?

I love the eyebrows :)

He's too fragile to hang on the tree, but he has a special place on the mantel and in my heart.

So, sorry Santa, but it's all about Frosty, this year ;)

xo

rue

PS

I have a few more things added to my Etsy shop and as a special Christmas gift for just my sweet friends and readers, I'm offering 20% off everything until December 25th.

Just click here or put the code 4ULOVERUE in the code box at checkout.

A dark secret

In this adorable cottage there was a very dark secret...

BWAHAHAHA...

Just kidding.

It's just my closet.

Although it was scary in there

See...

Yes, I know you've probably seen scarier closets, but to me, this was a nightmare.

I'm a tad OCD, so it was driving me nuts. Especially after seeing so many bloggers posting all their brilliant closet makeovers.

Now, before you get excited, this isn't going to be that 333 project or some glamour shoot with a chandelier.

One:

I wear vintage dresses most of the time, so there's really no mixing and matching and when you wear something you just throw on with some shoes, you tend to want to wear more than just four things.

Want to have an easy wardrobe?

Wear dresses.

Cold?

Put on some tights and a sweater and/or jacket.

It's that easy.

Two:

As much as I would love to turn my closet into one of those beautiful wallpapered, chandelier type looks, it's really just a functional, tiny, walk-in space, that I had built in my dressing room, with clothes. 

And really, who has the money to invest into a closet that no one else sees.

Can you imagine... 

"Hey! Come see my beautiful closet!"

No. 

No one cares.

Sorry.

I can't promise you that I won't do something more with it, just for me, but for now, I'm a happy camper and I can find everything, so.... YAY! :)

Anywho...

This is is part way through the cleaning.

This is the atrocious amount of shoes I had to go through.

Seriously?

I wear saddle shoes and Keds most of the time, unless I'm going out (I wear heels then) or it's winter and some of them were 30 something years old.

Enough already!

The giveaway pile kept growing.

So did the vintage clothes I need to sell or repair.

I tried every. single. thing. on.

It took FOREVER.

But finally, after 3 or 4, maybe 5 hours... I was done.

On this side I have a multitude of belts, a few skirts, and dresses.

On the opposite side I have... jeans, pajamas, robes, slips and coats.

I have my purses on one side, going around to the middle....

and heels on the other side.

Straight ahead, I have... tank tops, blouses, t-shirts and one scarf.

I didn't separate seasonal, because I use quite a few things in all of the seasons.

Most of the so called "normal clothes", like modern skirt suits and fancy dresses went into another closet.

I'm not about to count everything, because I don't really want to, honestly, but I will wear all of it, I love all of it, and I can find all of it.

And that's what really matters to me.

The hardest for me is that I have to live two separate lives.

Vintage and not vintage (or normal clothes, as I call them).

Some people my family (my kids excluded) and strangers think the way I dress is odd, so I have to conform on certain occasions.

If it was up to me, I'd only have vintage dresses and a few jeans and t-shirts to work in the yard, but such is life.

Funny, people can walk around in what is basically tights and a bra or pajamas in public and it's okay, but wearing a dress that's from the 40s or 50s is wrong somehow.

Anyway, enough of that...

my closet is finished and hooray for me!

:)

xo

rue

Encyclopedia Britannica

Many, many moons ago, the internet didn't exist.

And, because of that, there was no such thing as Google.

I know!

It's hard to remember, right?

For you youngsters out there, it probably sounds like the dark ages.

But, I promise it wasn't that scary.

If you needed to look up the meaning of a word, you used something called a dictionary.

I've discussed this before.

But, if you needed to look up something, like say... the history of France, you had to use something called an Encyclopedia.

en·cy·clo·pe·di·a

inˌsīkləˈpēdēə,enˌsīkləˈpēdēə/

noun

1. a book or set of books giving information on many subjects or on many aspects of one subject and typically arranged alphabetically.

The most well known, as far as I know, was the Encyclopedia Britannica.

I grew up with a set, as did many generations before me.

In fact, it's been around since the 1700s.

Sadly, the last set was printed in 2010.

In all, there were 15 editions.

I have wanted my own set for years, since the 1970s set I grew up with got tossed out with the invention of Google search.

I'm not saying who tossed it, but you know it wasn't me.

Anyway, there was a set of 1926, 13th Edition, Encyclopedia Britannica on Craiglist.

Not only was it a full set, but it also came with it's own cabinet.

Can you believe it?!

I was so excited I could barely contain myself!

The insides are still perfect.

But since the books have suede covers and they aren't in the best condition, we had to be pretty careful putting them in the cabinet.

And now it's living in my den and I'm in love :)

In other news...

I went digging again and I found my first two bottles!

Here's one:

 and here's the other one:

Fabulous, right?

As I find more, I'll add those too :)

Every time I look at it, I smile.

And it makes me happy :)

xo

rue

Antique shopping advice

I'm frequently asked the question "Where and/or how do you find all your antiques and vintage items?"

Let's start with 'where'...

As most of my readers know, I inherited a few things like my great grandmother's dining room hutch

But most of my finds were acquired by searching Ebay or over at Etsy, where I found my percolator.

Of course, LetGo and Craigslist are great places to find things like my 1950s refrigerator:

I also shop locally or in whatever town I'm visiting at the time.

And other times I find places online that pop up in my google searches.

That's the 'where' part of the story, but what about the 'how'?

Well, let me introduce you to Ryan over at Invaluable.com, who has some great advice for all of us:

Spring is almost here, and with it comes warmer weather and the chance to spend some quality time on the hunt for great antiques! If you’re anxious to get out of the house and hit the vintage stores and antique shows, check out some of our tips for making the most out of your antiquing experience! 

Patience Is A Virtue

First and foremost, don’t expect to find the perfect piece right away. Hunting for great antiques is a process that usually requires a lot of patience. This isn’t retail shopping, where you know exactly what you want and exactly where to get it. When you’re shopping for antiques, it’s all about not knowing what you’ll find. That mystery is part of what makes it fun! You’re at the mercy of what the store has, so you should never go in assuming that you’re going to find what you’re looking for, and it may take a while for you to find the piece of your dreams. 

That said, don’t ever give up hope! Antique stores and fairs are usually packed wall-to-wall with an incredible variety of pieces, and it can be easy to overlook things. So summon your patience and take your time to scour every inch and every item. The perfect piece could be right under your nose, or you may find something you never knew you needed! 

Know Your Budget 

Anyone who spends time looking for great antiques knows that they can be rather pricey. This of course can depend on both the item, and the seller, but it is always best to know how much you are willing to spend before you start shopping. If you don’t set these limits ahead of time you could end up falling in love with a piece that is much more than you would normally pay, which can lead to some major buyer’s remorse. If possible, try not to ever get too attached to an item before you know the bottom line cost. Some sellers will let you haggle for a better price, but that’s not a guarantee. You should always retain your ability to walk away from a sale if things aren’t going your way. 

Keep An Open Mind

Even if you don’t find the piece that you’ve been looking for, you could certainly still find something you need. You just might need to do a little thinking outside the box. 

An old dresser can be repurposed into a TV stand/media center. An antique sewing table can become a rustic side table. If you’re keeping an open mind when strolling through a vintage store or garage sale, you may just find the perfect do-it-yourself solution to a problem you weren’t even thinking about! 

Go Beyond Your Own Backyard

If you’ve exhausted all of your local antique stores, thrift shops, and antique shows, don’t be afraid of searching online! There are a wide variety of sites that offer unique finds. From local postings on a site like Craigslist, to reputable auction sites like Invaluable, you’ll be able to find everything from furniture, to vintage jewelry, and collectibles. It may lack the in-person thrill of shopping at the physical locations, but online shopping gives you limitless options and the ability to purchase completely unique items without ever leaving the house!

Thank you so much, Ryan! 

Your advice will surely come in handy for the folks looking to add some beautiful antiques to their homes.

I hope everyone is having a great week!

:)

xo

rue

PS

I received no compensation for this post.

Percolator stories

As my regular readers know, I actually use the majority of the antique and vintage things I own.

The only time a problem arises is when a guest or a certain child doesn't know how to use them.

Case in point...

Vintage percolators.

You'll notice below, that I have one on my stove.

That is not the first one I purchased, nor the second or the third.

It happens to be the fourth.

And it also doesn't happen to be the kind you plug in.

So, let me tell you the sad stories of their three untimely deaths....

The first one, I shared in this post.

It was a late 1950s beauty.

A friend of mine forgot to put water in it and then plugged it in.

It was a very sad death.

Sadly that sweet little pink polkadot coffee cup perished as well recently :(

This next one was a 1940s beauty that I posted about here.

Somebody filled it up with water while the cord was still plugged into the base, and water got in between the two. When they plugged it into the outlet, it started to smoke and melted the plug.

Another very sad and also scary death.

The third one, a 1950s beauty (not pictured) mysteriously stopped working when I was on vacation, while Annie was watching the dogs with a friend.

I'm not saying either one of them broke it, but it worked fine the morning I left.

Ahem.

So that leads us to the most recent percolator purchase...

A vintage 1940s/50s Comet 20 cup stovetop beauty with brass handles, that friends and children can't kill.

Well, let's hope not anyway.

I also purchased a 1940s tea kettle recently....

and let me tell you, that baby is LOUD when it whistles.

They look cute together don't they? :)

So, although it's sad that three percolators had to perish at the hands of people that don't know what they're doing had the best intentions, at least there was a happy ending to the story.

I love happy endings, don't you?

;)

xo

rue

PS

For some reason, a lot of readers couldn't leave comments, so I changed a setting and it seems to be working now. If you're still having a problem, please send me an email to let me know.

Thank you!