All aboard the Christmas train!

 

 As I've worked on scanning and listing vintage Christmas cards for my Etsy shop, some themes emerge again and again.  One of them is the theme of trains, train stations, and railroads.  They come in all styles from whimsical to nostalgic to completely realistic.  I thought it would be fun to share a few of those cards today.

 

The Santa Train!

Waving to the train while cutting the tree

A folded candy box with train theme

Love this train station!

Hope you have enjoyed this ride on the Christmas railroad!

Christmas in July sale at A New Hampshire Attic!

 

Yes, beginning today you can find 25% off on every Christmas listing at my Etsy shop, A New Hampshire Attic!  The sale will run through July 31.

You will find a few vintage handmades, some candy boxes, Christmas carol books, a craft booklet or two, and dozens of cards.  Over 80 listings are on sale.  Here's a peek at a few:

Unusual colors for a classic lantern design!

This bayberry sachet would have come tucked inside a coordinating Christmas card.

Decorative handmade felt mitten ornaments, circa 1980s

This tiny card is just about life size!

Pre-owned card featuring bells in a goblet

Christmas carol book, 1978

Head on over to my attic for a nice dose of vintage Christmas goodness!

Maple Thumbprint Cookies

 

These maple thumbprint cookies were something new that we tried this past Christmas.  My hubby wanted a new recipe to try and so I went to my Christmas cookie exchange Pinterest board and showed him some possibilities.  

 
He liked the look of these thumbprints, which include maple syrup in both the cookie and the filling part.  And indeed they did turn out to be delicious!

Photo by e2bakesbrooklyn.com

When we made these for Christmas, we added a little holiday pizazz with Christmas sprinkles -- and used a pecan half on some of them instead -- but I failed to get a photo of either of these.  Since then, these cookies have become a year-round favorite and we make them unadorned, like those in the photo above.

Do you enjoy the flavor of maple?  Then you will want to give these unique cookies a try!

Two more days for the red, white and blue sale at my Etsy shop!

 

Yes, today and tomorrow you can still find 25% off on red, white and blue listings and other American classics in my Etsy shop, A New Hampshire Attic.  Usually in July I will do a Christmas in July sale for all or part of the month.  With this year being such a big birthday for our country, I decided to do an Americana sale for the first part of July and then I will do a Christmas sale (also 25% off) for the second half of July on Christmas listings only.

Here are just a few of the 43 listings currently on sale:

 

 Go on over and browse!  I'm sure you'll enjoy perusing these fun vintage listings even if you are only "window shopping"!

A paper treasure that brings back memories

 

 Oh, the memories this brings back!  This is a ripped out page from a Farm Journal magazine, December 1961.  I would have been eleven.  

You may never have heard of this magazine which was subscribed to by farmers and ranches all over the United States — and Canada too, I think.  Near the back of this magazine was a fairly hefty section just for women.  This section was titled The Farmer's Wife.  Loads of wonderful recipes that had been sent in by readers or developed in the Farm Journal test kitchen were featured here.  The recipes for a specific issue of the magazine often had a theme — say, garden produce, gifts from the kitchen, cakes, beef or chicken main dishes, or whatever.  When the Farm Journal arrived in our home and I got my hands on it, the recipes were the first things I turned to.  I imagine a lot of country women and teen girls did the same.  

That was never more true than with a December issue of this magazine.  As you can see, this one featured a cookie barnyard.  You can imagine that some of my younger siblings would have begged to make this scene.  But my mom was busy with other pursuits at Christmas -- making fudge, baking, crafting gifts, and more -- and would have thought this an unnecessary waste of time, I imagine.

Eventually Farm Journal published several issues of Farm Journal's Christmas Book -- compilations of recipes and ideas from The Farmer's Wife -- and I loved to peruse them every year. This cookie barnyard was included in the 1966 Christmas Book:

 Here is the description that just might motivate someone to make a cookie centerpiece:

"Want to do something special for Christmas this year -- something that will delight both children and adults:  Then make a cookie scene ...

"It's best to bake the cookie pieces ahead of time (freeze them if you bake several days ahead).  Then set aside an evening while t he whole family's home, to put them together with Sugar-syrup Glue.  No matter if the roof isn't quite straight -- just cover up the defects with frosting.  And listen to your visitors exclaim how pretty it looks!"

 I was fortunate enough to be given some old issues of the Farm Journal Christmas Book over time, and am so happy to have them.  Oh, the nostalgia!

Christmas fabric focus week 2

 Here's another fabulous Christmas fabric for you!  This playful collection by Kiley's Quilt Room for Moda Fabrics is called Gingerbread Lane, and I absolutely love it.

I always enjoy reading how the fabric retailers describe the various lines they are presenting.  In this case, Moda Fabrics notes that "cozy cranberry reds, soft browns, snowy creams and rich pine greens give this collection a warm, timeless holiday feel".  And I have to agree with that!

Here are some of my favorites from this collection:

Sugar Crystal Ornaments

Cocoa Gingerbread Dance

Mistletoe Blizzard

Cranberry Blizzard

Sugar Holly & Candy

Pine Holly & Candy

Pine Flurry

I would love to make a Christmas apron from one or more of these beautiful fabrics -- maybe Sugar Crystal Ornaments trimmed with Pine Flurry.  What would you make?

This week's vintage Christmas card

 

As mentioned, on Sundays this month I plan to feature Christmas cards picturing churches.  This one includes two church steeples and some surrounding village homes.  It absolutely reminds me of some real life Vermont villages I have seen.  

And as a lifelong New Englander, I have also seen such snowstorms countless times and this scene captures it perfectly.  

The quote on the front reads 

"The gray snow-storm, held aloof
To softest outline 'round the roof".

I did a quick search to find the source of this quote.   It's a line from a poem by James Russell Lowell.  The poem is titled “A Winter-Evening Hymn to My Fire.”  

That's a beautiful title for a poem, but I read the entire thing and am definitely not a fan of it in its entirety.  The line is perfect for this painting, though.  

The message inside the card is nice, too:

"This brings a prayer at Christmas time

That God will always bless ... your home and you

And those you love ... with lasting happiness."

This lovely pre-owned vintage Christmas card will go into my Etsy shop soon.