Epiphany

Maybe it's time to stop the after-Christmas sale shopping when you bring home this 75%-off special from Walmart:

Sale, Ahoy!

The kids were back in school so I FINALLY hit some after-Christmas sales. Ten days beyond, they're more like after-after-Christmas sales.

I'd been itching all week to get shopping, but my wild-things can be quite the gimme-gimmies in a store, if they're not bugging each other to death.

I like shopping by myself.  I can look over things, pick them up and carry them around, think about them, and then put them back.

Shopping after the initial rush is good.  By this time, prices are as low as they will get before things are packed up for the secondary market.  I don't NEED anything, so I prefer having my non-necessities cost at a serious discount.  There's fewer leftovers to chose from, so even less for me spend. This is all a good thing, even though I've been antsy for a week.

I still found bunches of useful stuff!

Hallmark:  60% off-- "Anna" ornament and "Olaf in Summer" ornament for DLG, "A Little Jingle" ornament for me, "Northpole" Itty-Bittys for MLB (Jaz the Penguin & Snowby the Bear,) another ornament for me to be either a Mother's Day gift or 2016 Christmas gift, the "Caring Place" glass butterfly ornament to be a Mother's Day gift to my mom, a Mexican-style cross ornament to hang in MLB's room, and a little something for Carl's birthday.

Hobby Lobby:  90% off-- small Frozen-style ornaments to use as favors for one of DLG's birthdays, some bandanas also for favors, a throw pillow, several tree skirts for mini & table top trees (tree skirts make good doll skirts,) Christmas-ish jewelry findings that could be used any time, Christmas mini ornaments that can be used as jewelry, interest-specific ornaments to use as show cast gifts, hats for the kids and a sparkly infinity scarf for me.

Michael's:  75%-90% off-- enameled frame ornaments shaped like yarn balls (for gift use if I ever get back with my knitting group,) some sidewalk chalk for MLB's birthday, another little goody for Carl's birthday, Christmas earrings, some little things for friend's birthday and a cute little springy ornament.

Wal-Mart:  75% off-- chocolate goodies, cake icing, ornaments for the kids next Christmas, a few trinkets for them for Christmas, a pair of clip-on poinsettia flowers to wear in the play, little storage boxes for the ornaments they make and the loose ones I buy.

Target:  90%-- little plastic toy ornaments for DLG's birthday favors, ribbon on charming wooden spools, a few little ornaments that would appeal to MLB or Carl.

Yeah.  I went N.U.T.Z.  Good thing everything was picked over.  I shudder to imaging how much more I could have bought at a mere 50% off.

Yeah.  Good thing.  I might be an incurable.

Hi-Ho, the Lizzie-O! A Thrifting We Will Go!

I spend way too much time at thrift stores.

I can't say "too much money," because everything is priced to sell, and my money goes to support community causes like animal rescue, addiction recovery, economically disadvantaged and unsheltered.

I'm shopping local.  That's good.

I'm "recycling."  That's good.

But boy! I have to watch myself, or I'll run late to pick up the kids or get to the grocery store before dinner.

Then there's the use and storage of my "treasures."

That's why-- use & storage issues-- I tend to buy certain types of items:

Books
Kid clothes
Kitchen tools
Crafting
Christmas Decor


Man, really cool Christmas stuff shows up. Even before Christmas.

There's the holiday glassware...

and books.....

but also ornaments!  I get some that are unique.  Like Miss Bianca, here.

Some that are old.  Antique Shiny Brite!  Retro Lucite!  Vintage Mirro!

And new....  I'm starting to find some Hallmark ornaments!

 Or how about this:

I've named her "Liv."  Really.  You doubt me???


"Oh, Liv, the udder reindeer."

Be Sweet

All of my happy plans today to decorate the tree got replaced by slogging through two kids' poster projects.  Oh well, I knew what this job was about when I took it.

Instead, here's my latest thrift store find.  She's so sweet!  I well intend to attach a ribbon so I can hang her some place inspiring.

But we all know about good intentions....

Shop Small Saturday

I did not go out to shop on Black Friday.  It's just not my thing.

But I do like the "Shop Small Saturday" idea.  I bought a Collector's Draw Ticket from the Huntsville Art League, and I went to a few thrift stores.

(Yes, I went to Walmart, but it was a heavy duty utility shelf, faucet covers and AAA batteries, come on.)

(And I consider Krispy Kreme a boutique restaurant.)

I went to a few thrift stores.  At St. Vincent de Paul Thrift store, and bought 15 items of kids clothes and a Christmas sweater for me.  I visited the two Saving Way Thrift Stores in the north part of Huntsville, and I bought some crafty sorts of things.  And a book.

I admit. I don't recall ever having READ Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol," but I found it lovely and the illustrations charming.

But I still don't think I have enough Christmas books.

A Glass to the Season

I finally received my mom's china cabinet.  (Because she finally got her bigger one.)  This year, I can show off my grandmother's Noritaki china and my Arby's glassware.

Going to Arby's was a treat when I was a kid.  We didn't have one in Warner Robins; the nearest was in Macon.  Roast beef sandwiches with Arby's sauce, potato cakes, Jamocha shakes... yumm!  When Arby's started offering a glass-with-beverage-purchase, my mom made sure we got a set of the Saturday Evening Post ones, and the Coca-Cola ones.

Years and years later, while I lived in Auburn, Arby's started their Holly Berries series.  I fell in love.  As my budget would permit, I would buy that year's offering.  My collecting stopped when I moved in with my parents after college.  I don't think they had Arby's in Chicago.  Not that I had anywhere to show off my glassware.  By the time I was back on my own, Arby's was on to their Winter Scene pattern.  I was not interested.

I am, luckily, a thrift-store addict.  This is the time of year they haul out their Christmas donations, and I can usually find some more pieces for no more than the dollar they originally cost.  I'm attempting to acquire at least eight of each piece:  goblet, goblet with bow, contoured tumbler, tapered tumbler, parfait glass.  These are the ones I know of.  I thought there might have been a Irish coffee cup, but I could be mistaken.  I do have ONE coffee mug, but that might have been a limited market item.

Today I washed and stowed this season's purchases: eleven goblets with bows, one tapered tumbler.  I've passed on additional parfaits and goblets; I already have about ten of each.  I'm still on the look-out for five more tapered tumblers and four more contoured.  Yes, I could buy them on-line, but where's the fun in that?  Some people hunt with guns.  I hunt with $1s.

I find these beautiful--  the bright red & green, the dainty pattern scale, the subtle gold rim.    They make me happy.  Libby Glassware, who designed and produced them for Arby's, created several other "holly" style patterns for glass and ceramic; those patterns are in the same hue families, with similar art stylings.  Maybe after I complete my Arby-ware, I'll add in some cousin serving pieces, as well.

A toast, anytime, to Christmas joy.

Shopaday: O! Tannenbaum!

Did I mention

we finally bought

a Christmas Tree?

Shopaday: Holiday Haul for DLG

Guess what, y'all.

I DID find a Lalaloopsy "Jewel Sparkles" for DLG. yep-yep

That day I was running barely on time for MLB's tooth-pulling, when I thought I was running ahead of schedule?  And stopped at Wal-Mart first? It was a hunch.  I didn't see any "Sparkles" remaining on the front-of-the-store display, but I did see just one "Crumb Sugar Cookie."  The web info about the Lalaloospy dolls had mentioned this one had also been popular-- and gosh-darn-it, she was cute-- so I chose her.  Just in case....
I was willing to trek back to the toy department....  just in case.

I found a slice of shelving on the doll-aisle filled with the Lalaloopsy gals. Mini dolls and soft-body dolls populated the top sections, but on the very bottom shelf were the dolls in the series I was searching.  "Sugar" and I sat down on the floor, and I started digging to the back of the shelf.

There she was!

The LAST "Jewel Sparkles"!

(Thank You, God!!!)

(("Sugar" came with us, too, since she'd hung with me all this time, and gosh-darn-it, she was cute.))

So here's the dolls ("Sugar" and her mouse are on the left; "Sparkles" and her cat are on the right.)  And there's that Hello Kitty Jet.  It might be a mistake, but I found a Hello Kitty ceramic mug on sale so DLG can have a mug just like the adults.  Also a Hello Kitty double-wall, lidded, straw cup to be on the safer side.   A Blue M&M double-wall, lidded, straw cup because you cannot have too many kid cups.  Yep, that's a back-scratcher. The kids keep poaching the adults' bamboo back-scratchers; might as well stuff a stocking with a dollar-store find and make all backs happy.

That's not the whole of DLG's holiday gifts.  I need to select out a few more things like books and holiday gee-gaws that I've tuck away in a box during the year.  I would still like to find that Disney I Found It! game.  Maybe get her a DVD or a special piece of clothing.  But this is a start.

No, she doesn't get my hat box.

Shopaday: Open the House of Hallmark

Last weekend it was the Holiday Open House at
Hallmark Gold Crown Stores (mine is Jan's on Whitesburg.)

Then again, it was also Open House back in October & July.

Call me smitten;  I'll avoid Christmasy stuff until Thanksgiving, EXCEPT for the Hallmark stuff.  They know how to market to the likes of me
ALL. YEAR. LONG.

So, three weekends of loot in one easy page:

Best excuse to shop Xmas early?
It's for the kids.

I've been been working on acquiring Hallmark's Snowman books, but I'm missing at least half of the volumes.  DLG has taken a shine to snowmen.

DLG's two ornaments: her yearly "Making Memories" features a snowparent & snowchild "Reading Is 'Snow' Much Fun!" and the Precious Memories Disney Special Edition "Alice in Wonderland." (Not all P.M. have enchanted me, but this blonde charmer with her kitten is so DLG.)

There's two ornaments for MLB: his yearly "Season's Treatings" features "Treats for Santa" on a Santa plate and the Limited Edition "Season's Treatings" features a "Bûche de Noël."

I'm not sure if the other two ornaments-- the retro "Jolly Jukebox" and retro "Captain Nello's Ray Gun" (real tin accents! 3 ray gun sounds!)-- will be for the kids themselves or for them to give to their father.  He has a soft spot for all things from the way-back machine, and the Hallmark artist "Nello" gets them detail perfect.

And like they need one more electronic "countdown," but maybe they'll finally leave their father's microphone alone.

Why should the kids get
ALL the goodies?

There are treasures for us.

I started with Hallmark's newest "12 Days of Christmas" series just last year with "2 Turtle Doves;" these birds are mixed-media darlings whose plumage is partly crafted from music sheets.  We "late comers" found the resales of the first year's issue sparse and pricey, and thought we had to content ourselves with this year's "3 French Hens" (just the one, but it laid a golden egg inscribed with "Three,") BUT! for the October Open House Event, Hallmark re-issued a limited edition package of the first two years. (Oh yeah!)

I'm starting the new series "North Pole Tree Trimmers;" some of my favorite stage-tech people run electric, light & sound, so this little elf ready to test a bulb with a battery & clamps-- he's my kind of elf.

The "Skating Santa" was part of a "premium bonus" at the December Open House; I got a snowflake tote bag, a snowflake cakeplate, a Spruce-scented candle in a hob-nail votive holder and a gift-planning journal (the Magic Cord was a bonus in November.)

The other things?
      A special elf ornament for a special cousin who is a year-round friend of
          Santa's Elves (now marketed as "Elf on the Shelf.")
     (A hat box from Hobby Lobby because it was good for staging these pics
          before I load it up with hats.)
      A pair mystery gifts.

Shhh!  No peeking.