Christmas Candy from a Stranger

Halloween is over, so it is time for Christmas, yes? Okay, maybe it is a tad early. But I am in the holiday mood because we celebrated the start of the season at Brandywine View Antiques last night with a Holiday Preview Party. This is my first Christmas selling at the shop, so it was nice to see it all decked out with garland, trees and festive decor. Oh - and wine.

In preparation for this weekend, I've been on the hunt for Christmas decor to sell at the shop.

A few weeks ago, I met a man named Greg who was helping out at his friend's yard sale. His friend had already sold most of her vintage Christmas ornaments before I arrived, but Greg told me that he had more back at his house. I set up a meeting a few days later and went to his house to check out the Christmas booty. I wouldn't normally go to a stranger's house to buy antiques, but he seemed normal. But, as my friend Gloria said to me last night, "People thought Jeffrey Dahmer seemed normal, Colleen".

I suppose that by writing about this, I have opened up the possibility that any strange man could lure me into his sex dungeon by merely mentioning that he has Shiny Brites in his basement.

Lucky for me, Greg was totally normal. He is an eBay seller with a beautiful home and a lovely wife and LOTS of vintage Christmas ornaments. And mercury glass garland. And Christmas tree toppers. He kept bringing out box after box of Christmas goodies which he sold to me at a great price. And he didn't chop me up into little pieces, which is always a plus.

Instead of putting price tags on every ornament, I grouped some by color and placed them in glass jars that I've found over the years at yard sales and thrift stores.

I set aside about fifty of them to sell individually. I piled them in an old red tool caddy and a glass candy canister, whose metal lid I spray-painted red. I also added a few to my aluminum Silver Glow Christmas tree. 

 

I filled two huge pickle jars with blue/gold and green/red color combinations:

Our room at Brandywine View is stacked to the ceiling with great finds!

We filled an antique toy chest with vintage games and toys:

I brought my Hermes 8 typewriter to the shop last week, and added a note to Santa. It must have brought back memories for someone, because it was sold when I went to the Holiday Preview Party at the shop last night. Yay!

This is my sister Erin's find: a huge vintage remote-controlled model airplane. It is made of balsa wood and has the original Enya engine. With a little fiddling, it could be flying again. Or hanging in a boy's bedroom.

I love the way these old bulbs look in wine bottles. They are perfect to use during a holiday party, when you don't really need a cork because the wine isn't going to last very long. Or, like last night, when your neighbors come over and stay at your house until 1:30am and drink all of your wine. And then at 3am, your son comes barging into your bedroom and pukes all over your bathroom wall. Yeah - these bulbs are perfect for those kind of nights.

And now, for the holiday finale, here is a homemade planter-turned-lamp decorated with tiny colored bulbs that I found at an estate sale. I only bought this so I could blog about it. Which, from a financial standpoint, is not very logical.

The man who sold it to me said that his father made it. He drilled each hole into the plastic planter and added a light bulb and plug. It hung in their family room all year long. They had a matching lamp that they opted to keep.

I think Jeffrey Dahmer had a similar lamp hanging in his house. Rumor has it that the cops were more disturbed by this lamp than the head in his freezer.

Comments

[Sandie {A Bloggable Life}]

What great finds. LOVE the ornaments, and you are very brave to go to a stranger's house like that. I'm glad everything turned out so well for you!

[Erin k]

Sorry to hear Finn got sick... Poor kid. Glad I made the blog.... I love being at your house until 1:30.. Thanks! I want one of the vases full of vintage ornaments... Please?

[Gina at Vintage Junk in My Trunk]

Your Christmas collections look fabulous! Love all those Shiny Brites in the big glass jars. So festive! You can never have too many balls in jars, I always say.

I am also sorry that Finn is getting the rap for the puking, when we all know HE wasn't the one drinking all that wine -- I think he was framed!

Funny post as usual! Hope your shop is doing well.

[Paper Dolls for Boys]

Thank you for making me laugh. Seriously funny lady!

[sunshine]

i have always wanted one of those homemade planter lamps! i think i just need to make one.

[susan]

Oh wow. That is some lamp...
Love all your pix, it looks like its going to be wonderful. Wish I lived nearby

[Karen]

I'm so jealous! I just not 30 min ago told my dh that if I have a greed problem, it would have to be with finding old ornaments. I font have enough, I never will! I just can't help it! I was raised in the 60s & old ornaments give me a feeling of going way back to some magical days!

[Alexis]

That's so funny! I just got the same lamp from an estate myself. It has pink and green lights. I wonder if this is pretty common?

[Jeanne-Nannygoat Antiques]

Loved the colors and the "glitz"....you are so COOL and creative! I want to come shop.

[marykayandrews]

seriously, Colleen, if you lived near me, there would need to be an intervention. Did you read my post about following strange women in a VAN to their house, because they promised me a free cast iron skillet?

[freshvintage]

That is crazy, Alexis! I never saw one before, but maybe they are common. Pink and green definitely sounds cuter than this one.

[LizzieBeth]

I die for mercury glass--especially around the holidays!

My mother is slowly but surely decorating less and less every year, and I'm waiting in the shadows like a vulture to scoop up all the antique ornaments that were my grandparents. Patience is a virtue, they say.

PS...thumbs up to a normal seller. I've had a couple experiences where I thought I might be lampshade by the end of the night. Creepers out there.

LB

[Denise]

I love all your christmas displays...So festive! All those ornaments remind me of my grandmother's christmas tree. I'll have to do some searching in her basement to see if they still exist :)
Denise

[Kim]

You set aside just 50?? How many did you get? I'm green with jealousy...it's been super slim pickins', trying to find vintage ornaments for my etsy shop. Love how you grouped them in the jars.

[jerusalem]

i love great finds like these! the large pickle jars with the ornaments is so cute!

[Mitzi Curi]

I love all of the beautiful ornaments displayed in the glass containers. I'm not so fond of that lamp, but have to admit I might have bought it too, just so I could blog about it!

[One Gal's Trash]

"I only bought this so I could blog about it." I read that line out loud to my family so they know I'm not the only one.
I want to be buried with that lamp.
xo
Pam

[Cheryl]

When we first took a tour of our house 17 years ago as prospective buyers, the homeowners had a lamp just like that hanging in the foyer. The planter was blue, and the lights were white. Should I be sad that they took it with them when they left? :o)

[Into Vintage]

Every time I go to some creepy estate sale all I can think is "No one knows I'm here. They'll never find my body." I have to say, shiny brites are a pretty persuasive lure.

[Lynn MacKerell]

I just found your blog today and I love it! Your holiday decorations look fabulous! I look forward to reading more of your posts. You might also be interested in my new blog at www.antiquesfortodayslifestyle.blogspot.com
Lynn

[Lynn Guinn]

Where have you been all my blogging life!? Love your post!Heads in the freezer! Indeed!

[deb]

you must make some of those planter lamps for outside summer party decor - a most festive look....

ah, wine vomit - yes, the staining capability is phenomenal and will not come out of carpet if allowed to sit 48 hrs (until the person who committed the vomiting was capable of trying to clean it up.....)

[Alison]

Love your blog! Love the freezer in the head comment too. OMG. Laughing so hard! I thought maybe those little bulbs were Lite Brite bulbs? They remind me of them!?

Thanks for the laughs!

[Paulette]

I have one of the lamps, it was in an older Airstream travel trailer we purchased. Can't say I am too thrilled about it now, but sure would have loved in the 1970's.

[Leola]

Tiffany,I am working my way down the hildoay blog list and oh my!! your house is absolutely stunning. These photos are 2DIE4. I just adore the pastels with the glitter and the white.You did an outstanding decorating job. I am so glad I stopped by.Have a wonderful hildoay season.xo Cath

[Merima]

Tiffany,I Love Audree! Her decor is beautiful and can tell how much fun you must have had in your scraehes. Love to share a Beer with you and Audree some time!! Keep your chin up Sweet Girl!!xoxo, Nancy