Our Thanksgiving 2015 - With Thrifty Finds...

Some scenes from our 2015 Thanksgiving...
I forgot to take pictures of the people and the food - 
but here's a glimpse of the decor...

 
My starting point this year was this lovely runner that I picked up for $2.50.  
It said 'elegant' to me - so I paired it with  lace... 

I have some Libby glasses with leaves that are fun to pull out 
for the season (from my mother).
And I found these leaves motif votives for 25 cents each at a thrift shop.  
So I decided in lieu of center candles to have a votive 
at each person' place setting...

 More thrift finds (a Pilgrim family) graced the center...

I discovered I still had a few white mums blooming - so I made
 small bouquets with some ornamental grass from my flower beds...

 Our dining room is adjacent to the kitchen with no separating wall.  
So on the kitchen table - I often put more decor.  Truth be told - 
it's a place to store the everyday decor from my dining room table
 now that it's in use for 'dining'.  Make sense?  

I created a grouping that is visually appealing from all sides...

I carried the mums bouquet onto this table...

 The terrarium has been a fun find ($9.99) that I'm enjoying filling for the seasons.
 The bowls of acorns?  I came upon them on a walk yesterday and
 stuffed my pockets figuring I'd find some place to use them.  
This is where they landed...

The swan was a find from a yard sale this year for $2. 

A few faux vines brings into 'fall'...

It was a good Thanksgiving for us with family members that 
don't often get together.

How was your day?  ~Joyce
Linking to Home Sweet Home party

Tips To Have a Thrifty Christmas - Gift Giving...

It's been a while since I offered some thrifty tips.. but with Christmas just around the corner and a nudge from a contact - I thought I'd again share some of the ways I try to keep this season 'on budget'. 

 

 Remember - this season is not about outdoing your loved ones...

 rather it's about sharing love - a Perfect Love - 

which costs much in value but little in dollars and cents.  

 
Gift Giving Tips...

Starting here because this is the area where people tend to 'blow it'.

  But there's no need.  

1.  Give little tokens of appreciation to your mailman, newspaper carrier etc. 

throughout the year.  Then feel free to take a break over Christmas

 when they will be well remembered by everyone else.   

It's not too late to give them a Thanksgiving gift! 

 2.  Keep a gift drawer/closet of bargain finds.  You can draw from it 

for the unexpected gift need.. i.e. hostess gift when invited to a party; 

gift from someone you weren't expecting; teacher gift, etc.

3.  Limit immediate family gifts to 3 items in remembrance of the 

3 gifts given to baby Jesus by the wisemen.

4. Set a very reasonable dollar amount and stick to it!  

You can give great gifts that total way less than $50 if you watch

 sales and promotions and go handmade (see next tip).  

Your child will live if they don't get the 'latest craze' gift - I promise!

5.  Think 'Handmade'.  Ideas - signs, gifts from your kitchen 

(who doesn't love chocolate dipped pretzels with sprinkles?), 

craft items (check Pinterest for ideas), hand made greeting card bundles, 

enlarged framed photography, banners and garlands, and on and on...

6.  No need to give a gift to every extended family member. 

 Ask for a 'name exchange' and buy just 1 gift per family side.   

If they won't go for that - give gifts of time - not money.  

Outings with 'Aunt Jo' to the park or an afternoon learning to

 crochet will make many more memories than any store gift ever could!  

Or how about a whole family gift of dinner at your house in June

 with a campfire and s'mores?  

(Our extended families don't exchange gifts at all... and I love that!)

7.  Regift.  Just because someone gave it to you doesn't mean you can't 

give it to someone else if it's not quite your thing.  

Or maybe - you don't need it and someone else does!   

And since this post is getting longer than my usual - I will stop here

 and pick up in a few days with 7 more tips for you.

A very Blessed and Happy Thanksgiving to each of you my readers.

I'm off to set a pretty table and do some cleaning...  ~Joyce

Project: Old Snow Photos Banner

 What is it about old photos?  Especially black and white photos?  

I love 'em!

 I recently purchased a partial photo album.  

In the back there were lots of old snow scene photos.

That meant - time for a project!

I dug through my fabric stash and found an off white old linen dress.  

I cut it into pennant shapes to fit the square photos... 

cut some matching sized dictionary papers... stenciled some letters...

 ...did a little stitching in red...

 ... and now we have a banner that says...

...'Let It Snow'!  

The fireplace will not be it's 'home' as the banner is too long. 

But at least it gives you a glimpse (even tho a terrible photo)... 

And if you would like some snow pictures of your very own -

 I put together a bundle of 10 available here.

 It feels so good to have finally worked on a project. 
And this one cost almost nothing as I used stuff from my stash. 
Next up?  Cooking & cleaning.  
Are you hosting for Thanksgiving?  ~Joyce
Linking to Funky Junk's Upcycled Link Party

New Listings In the Shop...

It's time to again share with you some of the listings I've added to my Etsy shop.  

(Click on the pinkish words to go directly to the 'for sale' page.)

One of my favs is this pair of clip-on porcelain bird ornaments.

  Aren't they sweet?

 
These motto boards feature crushed 'velvet' in green - 

making them a viable Christmas decor choice...

Love the graphics on this coat sewing pattern - and there are 5 more

 vintage sewing patterns that go with it - all for coats & jackets!

These little mercury glass ornaments are sized for a

 feather tree - in silver and some bonus ones in pastels...

What is it about Christmas and music?  

This Concord Anthem book does not contain just Christmas music

 - but with its pop of red color - it certainly will display well!

And just yesterday I picked up these figural Santa ornamentss -

 made in Austria!

Thanks for visiting.  And remember - Santa makes a fun 'feel good' story - 

but don't let him replace or in any way be the Jesus in your Christmas.  
We choose to not do Santa at all in our home.

And take time for Thanksgiving - which comes first as it should!

  ~Joyce

When Following God's Leading Doesn't Go As Planned - a New Venture...

Recently I blogged about moving into a new antique mall.  

I loved my space and the timing was perfect.

  Sadly - after 2 months... I was losing too much money and didn't feel 

I could continue hanging on until there could be a turnaround.  

But I had felt God was in it - what do I do with that?

Well....during those 2 months - a girlfriend of mine who loves to go

 to auctions but has never been a 'dealer' decided to move in too.

  She took a big room and is so excited about this new

venture in her life - a welcome diversion for her.

 And turns out she's a 'natural' - as I knew she would be.

So perhaps following God's leading was just a stepping stone for me

and a big boost for a friend... 

Maybe...

Just as I gave my notice that I'd be moving out - I received notice

 from another local mall that they now had space for me.  

Really?  Wasn't expecting that!  And just in time for the holidays!

It's a challenging space - with no walls.  But a quick trip to an auction 

(there just 'happened' to be one down the road the very week I needed one)  

yielded a tall dresser that will provide a wall illusion.

The dresser begins my booth - the little blue legged table is the end.

Once you're in the 'booth' itself - it does feel cozy...

I have big things in place - 'smalls' will come later this week hopefully...

And where might this new mall be?  It's the  Quentin Antique Shoppe.  

It's super cute in a sweet little village (perfect for taking a stroll)

 with a very nice historic restaurant right across the street.   

And did I mention the owners are a delight?

Love her front Fall display...

How will I do here?  Again - don't know.  But I'm just loving this

  journey and all the lessons and encounters along the way.  

Stay tuned... we'll see how this goes...

and visit the shop's Facebook page!!