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. 

A visit to the Christmas Loft

 

A Saturday seems like a good day to post about a staycation day we took back in January.  It was the day after my birthday, and we had gone out to lunch here: Lincoln Diner.  I failed to take any pictures while there, but here is their logo (I love  how it resembles a White Mountain National Forest sign:

After lunch, we decided to visit The Christmas Loft in the next town.  We were hoping for some after-Christmas bargains, but there really weren't any.  Still it's an enchanting shop and well worth a visit if you are in the area.

Snagged this image from their website.  It's nicer than my Kindle photo at top.

A whimsical welcome sign greeted us and I love the snowflake ribbon on the wreath.

Below are some images from the various themed trees in this shop.

From a tree featuring cardinals.  Isn't it beautiful?

This tree has a gingerbread/baking theme -- this photo is a close-up of the tree below.

A little more of the gingerbread/baking tree.

Pretty tree with ornaments and all white lights

A peppermint themed tree

This one seemed to have a snow sports theme.  Note the skis as the tree topper!  It also had snowflakes, snowballs and frosty pine cones.

We really enjoyed seeing all of the festively themed trees, and there are also many, many scenes set up with various villages.  We didn't find a lot that we needed or could afford, but we wanted to get a little something as a memory of the day.  

So what we ended up with was an ornament but it is not at all Christmasy.  Below is a scan of it.

 

This sweet bit of decor is living permanently at our little cottage, Lakeview Lodge.  One of the kitchen cabinet doors is the perfect place for it.  Our daughter had painted the cabinets in 2020 with a gray chalk paint as part of the renovations.  Over time the paint has crazed a bit and I actually love the look.  The sweet glass cabinet knobs are original.

What a fun way to celebrate my birthday!  And we have a special year-round ornament at our little cottage to remind us of our visit to the Christmas Loft!

A sock full of gifts -- a fun vintage pattern

 

 Here's a real blast from the past -- a vintage sewing pattern for a sock full of gifts!  This Simplicity pattern 1803, with loads of gifts to sew for little girls, is from the 1950s.  Billed as a "Sock-Full-of-Gifts", it includes patterns for a felt Christmas stocking, a kitty-cat apron, a detached scalloped collar to wear with a plain shirt or sweater, a girls' cap and matching tote bag,  and a cuddly sock doll.  

I love the stocking in particular. I've always liked those fancy felt stockings from years gone by.  I found this pattern in a stash of sewing materials in my childhood home, and even though the envelope was a bit battered the pattern had never been cut out or used.  Originally priced at 50¢, this sweet pattern sold for $20 in my Etsy shop a couple of years ago.  

What a fun idea this would be -- make up a felt stocking for a child in your life and stuff it with handmade gifts!

A crafty gift to make now and squirrel away for Christmas!

 

 I love stationery and I happen to think that it's still very important to write personal letters and cards.  I've had this idea for a stationery kit saved for a long time, and wouldn't summer be the perfect time to sew up a few of these?  

The stationery kit tutorial is by Heidi of Fabric Mutt.  She notes that the kit could be used to hold other things as well -- like recipe cards, embroidery projects or supplies, or anything else that you'd like to keep safe in a very decorative way.  Essentially the kit is a soft quilted folder with pockets and an envelope inside.  

 

Photo by Heidi of Fabric Mutt

Photo by Heidi of Fabric Mutt

I'm thinking these would be wonderful gifts for some of my granddaughters who like to write letters.  I could also tuck some stamps in along with the stationery and other goodies.  It would be fun to personalize each kit with fabrics relative to their personal interests.

What about you?  Who could you make one of these for and what would you put in it?

A cheesy snack to bake and give

 If you've been reading either of my blogs long, you know that kitchen gifts are among my favorite things to make and give.  I have an entire Pinterest board dedicated to kitchen gifts.  From fudge to cookies to gift breads to drink mixes to frozen casseroles, this is a type of gift I always enjoy sharing.  Snack mixes are especially nice.

In addition, I've been thinking lately that I'd like to learn to make crackers.  Most of the crackers available in stores are the epitome of processed food.  Highly processed food, at that.

I recently went looking through my list of links to use in Christmas in July posts and found this one:  Cheesy Pizza Crackers.  These crackers are made with tomato paste, two kinds of cheese, and all sorts of pizza-y flavorings like oregano and garlic powder.  The dough is rolled out 1/8 inch thick and cut into one-inch squares, then baked  at 400º for 16 minutes or so.  They sound so delicious, and I'm thinking a tin of these would make a great kitchen gift for more than one person on my Christmas list.  What do you think? 

I just ordered my Christmas stamps!

 

And you might consider doing the same!  The cost of a first-class stamp is going up to 82¢ on July 12, so I was happy to get my Christmas stamps ordered ahead of time while they are still "only" 78¢.  I know many people are giving up on sending Christmas cards in the mail, but I am not one of them.  I will continue to send them out by snail mail (new meaning to that term too, these days...) as long as we can afford to do so.

Here are the stamps I ordered:

 

Winter Woodland

Holiday Cheer

Holiday Joy

Consider this your public service announcement to get your Christmas stamps in the next few days!

Christmas fabric focus week 1

 Hopefully each Monday throughout July I will focus on a new-to-me Christmas fabric I'd love to add to my stash.  (If I love it, I imagine other Christmas fabric enthusiasts will too!). My selection for today is Snowtop Mountain flannel by Bonnie Sullivan for Maywood Studio.  

The Big Plaid comes in numerous colors.  This is the Green.

Big Plaid in Red

This is Greenery in the Aqua color.

Look at this gorgeous quilt panel!

Isn't this a fun and versatile fabric?  I love the idea of having some flannel Christmas fabric in my stash! 

A vintage Christmas card to share

 

 On Sundays each week of July, I plan to post a vintage Christmas card, probably those including a church in their illustration.  For today, I've chosen this one from Famous Artists Studios.

The inside of the card informs us that the artist is Frank White.

I tried looking him up but was unsuccessful, as the Frank Whites I found were photographers and baseball players.

There is a very faint scroll like edging around the artist information as well as the message, accented with holly.  It would be very pretty if it was a little bit more distinct.  Here is the message:

It's quite faded, so the message reads:

 "Wishing you a
Blessed Christmas
and a New Year
filled with
happiness."

I loved this image, especially the sparkles and ornaments on the outdoor Christmas tree, and the lighted windows of the church.

This pretty vintage card will be going in my Etsy shop soon!

Red, white and blueberry pie

 

I've shared this over on my Kitchen Table blog, but apparently I've never shared it here.  And that's too bad, because it really is a delicious pie, best enjoyed in the summer when the raspberries and blueberries are both fresh.  Here is the recipe:

RED, WHITE, AND BLUE BERRY PIE

9” baked pie crust
BERRY LAYER:
1 1/2 c. sugar
4 1/2 Tblsp. cornstarch
1 1/2 c. water
4 1/2 Tblsp. dry raspberry jello powder
1 pint fresh blueberries
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 pint fresh or frozen whole unsweetened raspberries
CREAM LAYER:
4 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/3 c. confectioners sugar
4 oz. cool whip

For berry layers, combine sugar, cornstarch and water in medium saucepan, stirring to dissolve. Cook until thick and clear. Add jello powder; stir until dissolved. Divide mixture in half. Stir blueberries and lemon juice into half of the mixture; spread over bottom of pie shell. Refrigerate. Fold raspberries gently into remaining half of mixture; set aside. For cream layer, beat together cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Mix in the cool whip. Spread cream cheese mixture over blueberry layer. Refrigerate until set. Carefully spread raspberry layer over cream layer. Chill at least 4 hours before serving. Yield: 8 servings.

This beautiful pie is very easy to make and is just delicious. It’s perfect for patriotic holidays or any other special summer occasion.

If you should want to make this in the off season, I'll suggest that frozen raspberries will work just fine in the topping.  But frozen blueberries do not work as well for the blueberry layer, so you will want to get the fresh blueberries if you can find them.  

Enjoy this scrumptious patriotic pie!

How to feed a hungry crowd at Christmas

 

 I'm a big proponent of planning ahead for any holiday, occasion or visit.  I'm always looking for ways to plan better and more intelligently.  

One of my favorite bloggers is Yvonne at Stonegable, and I have saved a ton of her ideas to share with you all.  Her post How to Feed a Hungry Crowd at Christmas is worth its weight in gold and could be easily adapted to feeding a crowd any time of year, especially when one has out-of-town guests staying in the home or nearby.  I intend to use some of Yvonne's ideas when we have family visiting for two weeks in August.  I think it could simplify things nicely.

I encourage you to read Yvonne's post for yourself, but I will share a few of her ideas that I gleaned.  A coffee bar to start the day, along with some pre-breakfast snacks and nibbles, sounds like a really good idea.  In a perfect world, one could adapt that idea for summer by making it a smoothie bar, but I don't have the space, the blender, or the wherewithal for that, so I would just use our existing coffee bar with its k-cups for coffee, hot chocolate, and spiced cider.  I can also make sure I have plenty of ice cubes prepared and ready for making any of these beverages iced.

This idea might work out very well during the family visit in that the snacks could tide us over till lunch, allowing us to bypass an actual breakfast on days we are headed to the beach or a car trip to a touristy destination.

For days at home when we might have a regular breakfast, we could make it a hearty brunch with meat, eggs, and potatoes, etc.  Then skip lunch and serve a midafternoon appetizer spread, maybe with iced tea or lemonade.

Yvonne suggests that Christmas supper be a meal in a bowl, maybe with sourdough bread on the side.  So for summer, I am thinking main-dish salads like macaroni with tuna, chicken salad, chef's salad, etc.  And also with sourdough bread on the side.  If we wanted dessert, it could be a cookie tray (my hubby is already baking and freezing cookies and fudge for the family's visit) and possibly some good ice cream.

Wow, I am so impressed by how this post has helped me to come up with some great ideas for our family's August visit.  I will talk these thoughts over with my local daughter, and we'll come up with some potential menus.

Hope Yvonne's ideas are useful to you as well!

A sweet little stocking stuffer idea

 

 This is a very little stocking stuffer idea indeed.  Raise your hand if you have ever heard of a needle threader.  Raise both hands if you have ever actually used a needle threader!

For years I couldn't figure out what those funny little items in purchased needlebooks might be. They sort of looked like flimsy metal coins with thin wires attached. 

Then I learned that they were needle threaders.   And you can buy them in packs of three.

At this point in my life I'm challenged enough by seeing to thread needles that I have actually used these on occasion.  And when I made sewing kits for young granddaughters, I made sure to include a pack of needle threaders.

This sweet needle threader made with felt and thin wire is a design from Wild Olive.  I think it is just so cute!  

Photo from Wild Olive

Mollie, the designer, did not specify the size of wire that she used in this project.  (It was a leftover from a craft kit.) So you might need to experiment a bit with different wire sizes.  I am also thinking that I might try sandwiching a purchased metal needle threader in between the felt pieces, leaving the wire loop exposed.  

Isn't this an adorable little project?  Felt and hand sewing projects are perfect for lazy summer days!  

Christmas in July!

 Yes, it's July again!  I have debated with myself quite a bit about whether or not to do my annual Christmas in July posts here in my Christmas kitchen.   Many years I have scheduled the posts ahead of time.  This year I'm just not getting much of that done,  but I've decided to go for Christmas in July anyway and see what happens.  

If all works out as I hope it will, there will be recipes, craft and gift ideas, things to make now for the holidays, Christmas fabric, maybe a poem or two and who knows what else?  It will be interesting to watch the posts fall into place.  Stay tuned!

Easing the door open ever so slightly

 

Actually, I really have no idea if I can do this daily Christmas in July posting this year or not.  But I'm attempting it.  Hence, the only partially opened door.  Stop by tomorrow, and we will see what the month brings from there.  I will do what I can ... because I really would miss Christmas in July!

Sweet log cabin plates

 

Observant readers may have noticed the edge of a plate in my last post -- the one about the winter cross stitch that I "framed" in a Mason jar -- and might have wondered about it.  These are actually plates that I got at the thrift store.  I probably paid no more than $2 apiece for them, probably less.  I did a little research on them and thought readers would enjoy hearing more about these pretty winter plates.

They are from a company called The Cellar and from what I can determine were sold at Macy's back in the day.   They were made in Italy in the 1990s and are hand painted.  I have no difficulty believing this, as the plates vary a good bit in color and just the overall look.  Even if one had a "set" of these, probably none of them would exactly match.

Though not all that old, these plates are technically vintage.  The pattern is called "Log Cabin Christmas" (though to me they are not all that Christmasy -- just wintry, and therefore more versatile).  You can see a good number of the other pieces in the set here at Replacements Ltd. where you can purchase a plate for $40.

You can find everything from plates, bowls, and mugs to salt & pepper shakers, cake pedestals, butter dishes, sugar bowls and creamers, and much, much more.  I especially fell in love with the teapot below:

 I will definitely be keeping my eyes open for more pieces as I visit thrift and antique shops.

And there you have the intel on a very sweet thrift store find that I am so pleased with!

A wintry cross stitch finish

  This little stitchery, a freebie from Erin Elizabeth Designs, was one that I completed last winter but .had not figured out a finish for.  The design depicts a little snow globe, sort of a tallish shape.  I finally came up with the idea of displaying it in an upside down pint Mason jar -- and yesterday I took a few minutes to make it all work.

I pressed the cross stitch really well and trimmed it down a little and pressed all the raw edges to the back.  Then I rolled it up to make it fit in the jar.  I quickly saw that it was going to need something inside it to help it hold its shape and not collapse within the jar.  In my cardboard stash I found a white marble-look side panel from a tissue box.  I rolled it up, taped it together with packaging tape, and rolled the stitchery around it.  That made the difference and gave me just the look I was going for.

I'd thought I might glue a sparkly snowflake button or two to the lid of the jar, but I haven't done that yet.  I sort of like the plain look, but when I get it out next year I may decide it needs a sparkly snowflake.  Meanwhile, I'm loving this little finished project just as it is.

So happy to have completed this at last!

A sweet Christmas card for Rudolph Day

 

 Recently I came upon this sweet Christmas card front.  Usually with card fronts (after scanning them to use as graphics) I just add them to my stash of freebies to tuck in with Etsy orders.  I loved this one so much I decided to also blog about it -- and what better day than Rudolph Day to do so?

This is such a pretty winter country scene -- a classic red house in a snowy landscape with leafless trees, a clump of white birches, and plenty of glitter to add dimension and sparkle.  There's even a stack of firewood at the end of the house.  I would love to live in this house!

Then there's a split-rail fence and several red cardinals about.  Just a classic country scene.  The greeting reads "Christmas Greetings -- and warm wishes for your happiness always."

The back of the card front, though, carries a message that I loved and wanted to share with readers.

The text is sort of light so I'll share it here:

Meeting again at the
crossroads of the year
with memories of
happy hours gone by
and high hopes
for the year to be.

I love this thought -- meeting again at the crossroads of the year!  That may just sum up the reason why I continue to send Christmas cards -- to meet up, even if only via the mail, and check in with people with whom we share memories of happy hours gone by, people whose new years we have high hopes and prayers for.  This might be a sentiment I would add to a handmade Christmas card.  It would also be lovely as a sort of Christmas blessing to cross-stitch and display.

Anything seems possible on a Rudolph Day in March!

Vintage-y recipe leaflet

 

 I just came upon this treasure and listed it in my Etsy shop, but decided to post it here while I'm thinking of it.  It's not super old, likely from  the 1980s, but it has some delicious looking chocolate and peanut butter recipes -- six of them, to be exact.

The leaflet (see it unfolded below) likely came in a bag of Gold Medal flour, but also features recipes using Skippy Peanut Butter, Hershey's Cocoa, and Fleischmann's Yeast.  There's a yeast-raised coffee cake, three kinds of cookies and two kinds of bars.

And on the back side ...

Below are the recipes:

 

One of these might be just the ticket to bake on a blustery March day, to try out for a future kitchen gift!  I may be doing just that myself.  The hard part will be deciding which recipe to try first.