Junk Love Monday: Wrap It Up!

I was fortunate enough to have plenty of grandparents to spend my childhood with. Of course, I had my father's parents, and a great grandmother on that side. On my mother's side, I had grandparents, 3 great-grandparents, and one great-great grandmother. This meant plenty of love, and pre-dinner cookies, and secret quarters slipped to me when no one was looking. It also meant vastly different variations on Christmas.

We always had a green artificial tree at home, covered with homemade ornaments, new and vintage ornaments, multicolored lights, and tinsel garland. My dad's parents did a 1950's tree with angel hair tinsel and colored balls. Another house always had a real tree with delicate German ornaments and birds. And then we have my great grandmother Irene's house, where the tree was not quite as full, or as tall, but covered trunk to tip with ornaments painted by my mother and uncle when they were children. There was tradition and ritual to the decoration of each of these trees, but a lot of years, Irene's tree was dressed by just the two of us. We would dig out the ornaments, wrap garland around the porch rails, hang the mistletoe, and then select from decades of stored Christmas cards that she had received (she never threw a card away, a habit that I still struggle to break free of) to prop around the house. Then came my favorite part--the paper.

Both available on etsy.com

As any well-trained pack rat knows, you should never waste something that you know you're going to need again next year, especially holiday items. This extends to wrapping paper. The old paper, that came folded in a neat plastic package, is much easier to store than a roll. It is also cuter than a lot of modern paper. And, if you're careful when you unwrap your gifts, you can re-fold it to use again. Our presents were always wrapped in paper from the 1950s and 1960s. We were all aware of the importance of saving the paper, so at Irene's house, there was no rip-and-tear enthusiasm. You start at the end flaps, carefully separate the tape along the main seam, and then trim the sticky bits off with scissors. Bows go into a paper grocery bag; the paper gets flattened and put into a stack.

flickriver.com

Yes, the paper got incrementally smaller over the years, but it also meant that I got to have presents wrapped in my favorite papers every year. I also got to be the one to re-fold and store the paper after Christmas was over (one of life's little joys...). The bottom two drawers of one of the dressers in the house were devoted entirely to the storage of vintage paper. Sometimes, when I should have been napping, I would get on my knees and carefully ease the drawers open to look at the paper.

etsy.com

Occasionally, we would find a pack at the Salvation Army, or a dime store that is still operational in a nearby town, and it would get added to the stash for next time. I still look for it, even though it is getting harder to find the cute patterns. And, I'm not sure that I could bring myself to use it on an actual present. But it has made me a wrapping paper snob. The annual choice of paper is just as important as choosing the ornaments for the tree, or the presents themselves. I'm still drawn to vintage-inspired patterns. And I still use it to the last scrap (seriously, I save 4-inch pieces of paper that I really like, because you never know when you'll need to wrap something small...). This is a problem, because I want (need) to buy new paper every year, but I feel like I shouldn't if I still have paper left over from last year (and of course I do). Luckily, I have lots of presents in need of a good wrapping....

etsy.com

The Skinny -- A Christmas Memory

From Parisian Prairie Charm on Etsy

Everyone has certain holiday memories that stay with them throughout their life.  My most favorite memories of Christmas are the goodies my mom used to make (and still does...), and the time we spent together baking.  We had a double sided bar in the house where I grew up that was between the dining room and the kitchen. Most of the year it was a catch-all for all the things a busy family needed, but at Christmastime, it became the resting place for the goodie smorgasbord! We would have cookies, cakes, and candies enough to last us through to New Year's.  We each had our favorites -- mine are Gooey Butter Bars. 

I always knew that when she pulled out her stack of worn, stained recipes, that the fun was about to begin.  She would stockpile all the ingredients on the bar before baking, buying pounds and pounds of flour, sugars, nuts, and chocolate.  There was also, inevitably, a glass filled with candy canes and a gumdrop tree.  Her recipes were gathered from family and friends, neighbors and little old church ladies.  But the most exciting to me was when she pulled out this book, the Farm Journal Christmas Book, published in 1970.

This book has the recipe for my sister's favorite in it -- Seven Layer Cookies (without that icky butterscotch layer -- we are NOT butterscotch people!).  But I loved it because of the fun, bright pictures of gingerbread houses, candies, cookies, and best of all, crafts.  I looked at it for hours. 

My mom still uses her copy.  I never remember seeing the dust jacket on hers, it was probably lost before I was born.  A few years ago, I was able to find two copies of it -- one for me and one for my sister.  And there are copies that can be found very reasonably (like the one above, available on Etsy for $8!). 

So for today's post, beyond the reminiscing, I thought I'd share some great paper decorations shown in this gem of a book.  They may be designed in 1970, but I think they look pretty current!

  

(The measurement on the bottom lantern for the height of the divot is 1 7/8" and the width is 1 5/16".  Sorry, the scanner got blurry!) 

On The Radar -- Wonkavision

Burberry Prorsum Spring 2013

We are candy freaks.  We love candy.  We don't necessarily eat candy all the time, but we always have it in the house.  Chocolate, jellybeans (they have to be Starburst!), Sweet Tarts, peppermint -- you name it, we've probably got it.

So imagine our delight when we started seeing pictures of designers' Spring/Summer 2013 lines.  Candy!  Suits done in slick candy colors with an almost sticky lollipop sheen.  Jelly style finishes to handbags, like the frosted plastic shoes we wore in the 1980s and 90s.  Candy dot designs for accessories, and sweet smelling caramel-like perfumes. Vibrant makeup with rhinestone candy dots.

Candy Bags from Furla, 2013

So indulge in these images of candy-inspired design.  Don't worry, we won't tell!  And we promise they are calorie-free!

Aquazzura, Spring 2013

Fendi bag and keychain, Spring 2013

Dior Spring 2013 makeup, Swarovski crystals, by Pat McGrath

Junk Love Monday: Holy Silver Tinsel Tree, Batman!

applenapps.com

So, you watch Charlie Brown struggle with the meaning of Christmas. You take that journey with  him when he finds the lonely little puny tree. You fall in love with that single red ball. But let's back this thing up. Was that a smorgasbord of shiny tinsel trees that Charlie passed up? Why, Charlie? Why????



Part of the danger of working at an antique mall is the fantastic items that come in, and instantly go out, before a lowly sales clerk has time to count the pennies in her piggy bank. One of those items is the silver tinsel Christmas tree. Every year, we get a few. And every year, they get purchased before we have our chance. The top predator in the tinsel tree food chain is...the pom pom tree. The Blackbird girls LOVE silver tinsel pom pom trees. But, they usually sell before we even know they were in the store. So, imagine the gasp that issued from me when I turned the corner and saw one the other day. There was no question. We had to have it. And at just over 5 feet high, it's just the right size! (Size matters plenty in a house as packed as ours....) At the store, we tested a color wheel on the tree, because you have to be scientific about these things. Our procedure involved 1. plugging in the color wheel and aiming it at the tree; 2. pulling up the two comfiest chairs we could find; and 3. gossiping in the glow (as we would at home--you have to be realistic about these things) for approximately ten minutes. The colors were great, but the wheel got so hot that it burned our fingers. We had visions of the cat knocking over the wheel into something flammable, followed by me running through the yard with a flaming silver pom pom tree in search of the nearest hose. So, we just got the tree. Now, let the assembly begin!

In a laundry basket for transport purposes.

Sorting time!

Assembly, part 1 and 2.

Our plan for tree domination is nearly complete!

We had plans to purchase a colored light bulb to put in the lamp nearest the tree, but found something so much better: a color changing LED bulb. Because it is LED, it doesn't get hot. Also, it has a remote control (cue bluebirds of happiness). And...(drumroll, please)...it slowly rotates through 768 different color shades (which is more colors than even exist in the world!!!!). Okay, so it was the most expensive light bulb we've ever purchased (and is now a treasured fragile object), but a $35 light bulb is still cheaper than  a vintage color wheel and new house after the old one burns down, so we still feel justified. Plus, just look at it!         

    
We pulled out the vintage ornaments, plus some cool newer ones, and put on the the Charlie Brown Christmas Album for the decorating of the tree. There are some particularly special ornaments that got prominent spots, and we stacked ornaments down the branches to make the tree look rich and full. We also tested the fancy light bulb periodically, for scientific reasons, of course. Then came the moment when the cat crept up on us and tried to jump over our miscellaneous piles of tissue-wrapped ornaments, causing an avalanche and three heart attacks in the process (the cat wasn't happy with the end result of his maneuver). Luckily, there were no casualties.

The light bulb is in an inexpensive clip light fixture that plugs in, but the bulb is a little heavier than a standard one, so we had to use our brains to engineer a very rigged, and currently un-pretty, setup that would allow the light to aim at the perfect spot on the tree, without being too close to anything breakable, and clipped in such a way that it is less likely for the cat to knock it over and break our $35 light bulb (or something else, like pottery, which we have a whole lot of). So, the light is clipped to a stiff cardboard tube that was in a roll of fancy wrapping paper. The tube was inserted into my vintage metal cage hat stand, and the hat stand is tied to the end table, the chair, and the metal record stand, and then wedged in between the sofa and chair. Don't you love our fancy ribbon? As I always say, if you've gotta rig something, you might as well make it sparkly and blue....

And so, Christmas time is here. Happiness and cheer. And an awesomely sparkly treeeeeeeeeeee! (I'm pretty sure that's how the Peanuts gang sings it.)

The Skinny: We Have a Good Excuse, We Promise!

The Blackbird girls are hard at work on a top secret project, so no Skinny today. Check in on Monday for an extra special Junk Love. Until then, enjoy this awesome picture:

from The Chive

On the Radar -- Blue Balls

OK, so the blog title's a bit vulgar today.  But I had to do it.  Forgive me.
 

Sweet Paul magazine, Winter 2012

When I decided to talk about blue Christmas decorations, I couldn't go with the more obvious (and cliched) "Blue Christmas".  So, I went with the most Blackbird-girls-esque title I could think of -- and there you have it.  Blue Balls.

When we lived in Raleigh, we loved a local newspaper called The Independent.  It's one of the things we miss most about living there, along with Carolina Alehouse cheese fries.  Anyway, there was a hip, modern home decor store in Cary that ran a holiday ad in The Independent.  It read, in large letters, "We have blue balls."  And then underneath, in smaller font, it said, "and red balls and green balls and gold balls..."  It developed a life of its own with us as an inside joke, and every so often you may hear one of us say, "I love blue balls."  Please don't think less of us.  We know it's bad.

And again, sorry for the vulgarity.  But it is what it is.

We really do love them, though.  Our tree is pretty non-traditional (more on that in a later post), and we embrace the entire spectrum of colors.  But blue, especially turquoise and aqua, will always have a dominant role in our decorating for the holidays. 

From christmasdecorated.com

We were really excited to see soooooo much blue this year!  These are just some images to inspire you, and we really hope you give blue a try. 

From centsationalgirl.com

From Pottery Barn

From pampai.com

From Sweet Paul Magazine, Winter 2012

And don't worry, we'll show you our blue balls soon!  Stay tuned!

Junk Love Monday: Eye Spy

Maybe it's because we can't see without our glasses. Maybe it's because we are junkaholics. In either case (or more likely, both), we collect an assortment of items that, for lack of a more concise description, we call "things you use to see things." Weird? Yep. Are we ashamed? Not even a little bit.

First came the binoculars. It was just a little red and chrome travel set, made in Japan. When closed, it looks like a cigarette case. But, push the button, and it pops open to reveal eyepieces and lenses. Here's a green one from Etsy:

from GreenHatVintage on etsy

 After that came the microscope. Then, we bought the little brass telescope. I confess that my love of certain sub-genres of historical fiction caused me to spend several minutes pretending to look for pirates....

Get this set from CITYLIMITSHOP on etsy

Our Sherlock Holmes fascination resulted in the first magnifying glass purchase. Then, a set of 1940s French binoculars, with a buttery soft leather exterior, brass eyepieces, and fat, round lenses.

You can buy these from nevertoold on etsy.

At Christmas came another magnifying glass, followed by another set of binoculars (we love the patina!). Here's a similar piece from Etsy:

from ZhennelandTreasures on etsy

And thus was born the collection of things you look through in order to see better. Part of the appeal comes from a background in science. Part of it, if we're being honest, is purely because they look good. Binoculars, microscope, pocket telescope--they are visually appealing and perfect conversation starters. Of course, there's also a certain voyeuristic appeal to the possibility of actually using them. (A non-negotiable criterion is that the item must give good focus. You never known when you're going to need a functional piece.) I occasionally grab  the little red binoculars to watch birds, squirrels, and other wildlife in the backyard (not out of biological curiosity, but because they keep stealing my plants). Granted, there's not a whole lot I can do about it if I'm standing in the kitchen watching the larceny go down, but I can certainly yell at them through the window, which is marginally satisfying. And we're always on the lookout for more magnifying glasses that we can use to examine jewelry and paper ephemera, like this wish list item--perfection in Bakelite:

get it from theTwoKellys on etsy

We also have a certain love for vintage eyeglasses, which are undoubtedly the most useful things we use to see things better, but that might qualify for its own post someday. Until then, here's a great pair we'd love to have:

From a fellow North Carolinian, Vintage50sEyewear on etsy