Something old ... Something new....

My old junktique gems and my recent Target finds are being joined together in the decorating of our little cottage this Christmas!

(click any photos to enlarge)

Remember my recent post about the tinsel wreaths I found in the Dollar Section of Target? One of them is now hanging on the big old junktique dresser mirror in our entryway.

And on it is this scrolly PEACE sign that I picked up on clearance at AC Moore after Christmas last year (I added the glitter, then propped it up in the middle of the wreath)...

#1 Old & New: Old mirror/New tinsel wreath and PEACE sign

Onto more old and new...

Back in February I showed you this Salvation Army find, a snowflake candleholder...

Rather than a candle, I decided to fill it with mini glass ornaments in my favorite cottage colors of blue, pink, and green. And do you see that sweet little deer peeking at you from the corner of the photo?


I just couldn't leave him behind when I spotted him on this little tray at Target last week!

#2 Old & New: Old snowflake candleholder/New Target deer tray

And just look at this sweet book that I picked up while out junktiquing a couple of weeks ago. The little church illustration on the cover is what first caught my eye... I've got it displayed on top of this scalloped pedestal tray, next to my church birdhouse...


The book is titled, "Let's Keep Christmas," a sermon by Peter Marshall, with an introduction by Catherine Marshall, copyright 1953 (I was just a baby that year)...


Dust jacket original price: $1.50... I love the Christmas trees on the endpaper, too...


The talented Barbara Cooney illustrated the book. I love her. When the girls were little, we loved reading Miss Rumphius (The Lupine Lady), one of our favorites by Barbara Cooney...

Bunny loves looking at the charming illustrations....


... which are all done in red or green. I so enjoy these old books. It's always such a treat to find a good one while out thrifting!


This is the Marshall family on the back of the dust cover, relaxing at home. Their house looks so much like the one I remember from my childhood, right down to their dog! We had a blonde cocker spaniel named Rusty back in those days...

#3 Old & New: Old book/Fairly New Pedestal Dish

So there you have it... a little bit of old mixed with a little bit of new... you can't go wrong when mixing it up with Christmas decorations!!! I'll be sharing a lot more of our Christmas decorations in the upcoming days and weeks!

Now please visit Cindy of My Romantic Home to see her beautiful bedroom Christmas Tree and to find a list of all the other bloggers participating in Show & Tell Friday!


Donna

Tinsel wreaths and pastel birds...

... found their way into my shopping cart this week...

During a quick trip to Wal Mart yesterday, I made a little side trip through the Christmas aisles. I'm thinking of decorating the dining room chandelier for Christmas this year and I needed some inspiration.

Well, when I spotted these sparkly birds with sequined wings and the palest aqua feathers, I couldn't resist...

And then there was my quick trip to Target earlier this week. Every year I put off buying stocking stuffers until the last minute and by then, all of the good candy is gone. So this year, with the shelves fully stocked, I purchased some candy for the girls' stockings... and then I browsed (I really shouldn't browse)... But in this case it paid off! Look what I found in the Dollar section - tinsel wreaths! They were pretty skimpy, as you can see, but for $1 apiece I figured what the heck, so I picked up 3 (they came in silver, green, and hot pink at our Target, but I liked the silver best - very vintage looking!)...


Well look at what these skimpy little wreaths blossom into when you pull and tweak all the little tinsel boughs! Woo hoo!! Score!!! (I don't think these are going to last long in the dollar section so if you're in the market for tinsel wreaths, make a dash to Target!) I know that some people think they're a bit gaudy and cheap looking, but oh, how they remind me of the vintage decorations of the Christmases of my childhood!! And being the nostalgic, sentimental fool that I am, I love anything from that era!

So I ended up with my inspiration - and decorations - for the chandelier in our little dining area...

Today I played around with everything to see how it would look, and we may just end up eating Thanksgiving dinner under a Christmas chandelier because I don't know if I want to take the time to disassemble it (only to reassemble it again next week!!) I'm joining Tracey's (Notes from a Cottage Industry) Virtual Holiday Home Tour on December 1st, and if any of you would like to join in and show off your Christmas decorations, just click here for details! And even if you don't want to participate, be sure to visit Tracey's blog that day because she'll have a list of blogs who've decorated for Christmas - and let me tell you (based on the past years) - it's spectacular! There's so much to see! Sometimes Tracey even spreads it out over several days! So on December 1st, make yourself a cup of tea, coffee, or cocoa, and then settle in and browse to your heart's content!

Happy decorating!

Donna