freshvintage

fresh gifts | day 6 | reader submission: personalized kid's cups

Thank you to freshvintage reader Marsha for submitting this gift idea for kids. Here's what she had to say:

I am buying (from either Etsy or a local gift boutique called ShoppeFlare in Paoli, PA) monogrammed plastic party cups for my kids.  I think they come in sets of 5 or something like that and they will each receive one in their stockings while I reserve remaining four. 

Commencing immediately upon my return to the office after the holiday, I expect that I will arrive home from work to find one "A" cup and one "M" cup on the kitchen counter.  No more of this 12 partially-filled cups/glasses/mugs business.  At the end of each day I will wash the cups and place them into the drying rack to be accessed again the following morning. When a cup is destroyed or worn out, it will be replaced with another from the reserved stash. 

It's a gift for me, it's a gift for them.  Everyone wins! (I am also considering a second set marked "Friend".  We'll see.)

Marsha, I feel your pain. Our house looks like Mel Gibson's in the movie Signs...cups on every flat surface.

I found this set of four plastic tumblers on etsy. Each one in the set can be personalized with a different name. You can find them in ThePreppyPolkaDot for $15.50.

I also found these dishwasher-safe labels that you can apply to cups that you already have. There are lots of design choices, but these simple polka-dot ones were the most appealing to me. These are $17.99 for a set of 36 stickers, and are sold by Razmatags.

Thanks, for your submission, Marsha! I would love to hear from more readers about your favorite gift ideas. If you have your own Etsy shop, that is a great chance to show off your goods! Enter your ideas in this form.

Find the round-up of all the gifts here.

 

 

fresh gifts | day 5 | zombie holiday

Our house is overrun with zombie fever.  My husband and I are huge fans of The Walking Dead (and so is Finn, but only after we pre-screen the epsiodes, so we know when to skip over the "adult" parts).

Here are Finn (9) and Maeve (7) on Halloween:

I know...doesn't that picture totally make you hungry for brains?

Here are my Top 5 gift ideas for the the zombie-lovers in your house (and mine).

 
1.  Zombie Playset

Finn is too cool to play with action figures. But I have a feeling he would make an exception for this Glow-in-the-Dark Zombie Play Set. His Lego minifigs better watch their backs (and their brains).

And I can't leave out little Maeve. The Zombie Pet Shoppe will be an excellent replacement for her Littlest Pet Shop animals:

2. Zombie Chasers Books

Written by John Kloepfer and illustrated by Steve Wolfhard, these books have gotten rave reviews from my neice and nephew, who are the same ages as my kids. There are two books out currently, and the third is set to be released on January 3, 2011.

3. Zombie Kids Like Turtles Shirt

My kids are NUTS for this turtle-zombie-boy video. We hear the sentence "I like turtles" every day in this house. I jumped up for joy when I spotted this t-shirt:

Disclaimer: if you give that shirt to someone who has never seen the original video, then it might just be the worst gift ever.

 

4. Zombie Magnetic Poetry Kit

I consider this set to be a learning tool. So what if you can build sentences like "her skin is chewy"?

 

5. Zombie Jerky

Just because.

 

 Find the round-up of all the gifts here.

fresh gifts | day 4 | gobble gobble

You don't want to go empty-handed to Thanksgiving dinner next week, do you? You need to bring something for the host. Or perhaps you have a family member who has a birthday next week? And her mother still complains that she had to eat hospital-flavored turkey for Thanksgiving in 1972. (Sorry I was born on November 21st, Mom. Maybe you should have pushed me out a few days earlier!)

Either way, you need to buy a gift. (And if you aren't in the U.S., some of these ideas could apply to any holiday event.) Let's give thanks to your friends and family with my Top 5 turkey-themed gifts for the holiday season:

1. Vintage Turkey Platter

It can be very uncomfortable when you visit someone's house for Thanksgiving, and they don't have a turkey platter. The guests are on their hands and knees under the table, scrambling for scraps of dark meat and crispy skin. Awkward!

Hey, dummy - buy your host a turkey platter! In addition to keeping the turkey meat in one place, platters look nice in a breakfront behind glass, or hanging on a wall (give a platter hanger along with it). They are surprisingly easy to find at yard sales, thrift stores and flea markets. I've probably bought and sold at least ten of them over the past five years. In fact, I found an enamel turkey platter just a few weeks ago at a yard sale and posted it on Facebook. Mind you, that might be a little too kitschy for some people.

If you can't find one locally, you can find traditional platters on Etsy and eBay. This brown transferware platter has a common pattern and is relatively low in price. It costs just $18 from the shop KitchenTableVintage on Etsy:

2. Antique Carving Set

Once again, if your host is missing a carving set, it can lead to an unappealing amount of turkey meat under the finger nails and widespread loss of appetites. Hence, the carving set as a Thanksgiving offering to your host.

This silver carving set is from Aloof Newf Whimsy on Etsy:

If mid-century modern is more your style, here is a simple set with wooden handles, sold by Modern Relics on Etsy:

 

3. Greenberg Smoked Turkey

If you have long-distance family members that you won't see this holiday season, consider sending them a Greenburg Smoked Turkey. Chris and I served one at our house for Christmas dinner  last year. The taste is intense and smokey - and very delicious. Order early, because some sizes sell out quickly.

Even if the recipient doesn't want to serve the turkey on Thanksgiving or Christmas, they can carve it as soon as they receive it and freeze the meat in separate containers. I used the leftovers for soup and chopped turkey salad (which I guess is called turkey pâté, but that just sounds gross).

 

4. Thanksgiving Cocktail Fixin's

I am responsible for bringing the liquid refreshment to my mom's house for Thanksgiving each year. I recently realized that it must be a subtle hint that my family thinks I can't cook. Whatevs. In years past, I've made Pumpkin Pie and Apple Pie Martinis and Candy Cane Cocktails. I experimented with a Yam & Tonic mixer a few years back, but it didn't go over well.

Here are a few fun liqueurs that would make excellent gifts: Hiram Walker Pumpkin Spice Liqueur, Travis Hasse's Apple Pie Liqueur and Fulton's Harvest Pumpkin Pie Cream Liqueur.

 

 

5. Thanksgiving Gumballs

Keep the kids busy on Thanksgiving: buy a couple of Thanksgiving Gumballs tins, and have a contest to see who can guess the flavors. (Psst...they are Turkey, Cranberry and Pumpkin Pie.)

Or, have a contest to see who barfs first. That's always fun.

Find the round-up of all the gifts here.

fresh gifts | day 3 | bluebird goods giveaway

SORRY! The giveaway is now closed. See the bottom of this post for the winner.

It's time for the first of our weekly giveaways!

Have you ever visited Bluebird Goods? The owner, Alana, is a vintage camper owner (like me) so she is obviously vintage-obsessed. She's put together a nice selection of reproduction linens, jadeite, pressed glass, classic games for children and home goods inspired by the 30s, 40s and 50s.

I don't normally buy vintage reproductions, but I was drawn to this American Wonderland tablecloth available for sale in her shop. It has a little something for everyone...kitschy landmarks, palm trees & great colors. I've never seen an authentic one like this, but I'm sure it would cost way too much for my wallet.

And if I did buy a real one, I probably wouldn't let anyone put any food or drinks on it, which would kind of defeat the purpose. It's like putting plastic on a couch.

Souvenir linens make such great gifts.  Remember my windfall of Florida tablecloths that Chris found at a Delaware estate sale? When I sold all five of my Florida tablecloths at Clover Market last spring, every buyer told me that they were giving their tablecloth away as a gift.

And I love Alana's idea for this souvenir tablebloth: "We actually keep one and embroider red French knots at each destination as an ongoing memento our our family adventures."

To help me celebrate five years of blogging fun, Bluebird Goods has graciously offered to give away a $25 gift certificate to a lucky freshvintage reader. You can put it towards an American Wonderland tablecloth, or maybe these totally cool camper-themed dish towels that I just ordered for myself as an early Christmas present:

 

This Bicycle Picnic Saddle Bag would make a great gift for a cycling buddy. I bet you could squeeze a bottle wine in there, too. 

And, this vintage-style Christmas countdown sign is an excellent torture device for your children. When they are being naughty, you increase the days left until Santa comes. It leaves them so profoundly confused and bewildered that they begin to magically obey you. At least that's what I would do to my kids.

Just leave a comment below to be entered in the giveaway for a $25 gift certificate to Bluebird Goods. Let us know which Bluebird Goods product you would give as a gift this holiday season (to yourself or otherwise!). Be sure to include your email address or a link to your blog, so that I have a way to get in touch with you. You don't need to put your email address in the body of the comment. Only one entry per person, please.

The contest ends on Monday, November 21st at midnight EST. I'll randomly pick a winner and announce it on Tuesday, November 22nd. This contest is open to freshvintage readers from ALL OVER THE GLOBE!

Thanks again to Alana at Bluebird Goods for this giveaway. And remember to support small businesses this holiday season!

Read the whole list of fresh gifts.

P.S. Alana also has a blog called Kitschy Kitten and a Facebook fan page. Stop by and say hello.

UPDATE! UPDATE! We have a winner! Congratulations to birdie blue, who was randomly chosen as the winner of the gift certificate. I know - how odd is that?  Bluebird Goods...birdie blue...I swear - it was random!

And I can't believe that I've never been to birdie blue's blog....so many pretty things to look at. It has Cath Kidston written all over it. Go take a look for yourself.

 

birdieblue@rocketmail.com

fresh gifts | day 2 | cheesy & delicious top 5

If you are attending a holiday party or dinner, you can't go wrong with a gift of fresh cheese, accompanied by a cheese-related serving accessory. Unless, of course, your host is lactose intolerant. In that case, throw a box of Lactaid into that gift bag.

I won't focus on the cheese selection process here, since there are many, many sites that are managed by people way more knowledgeable than I (Madame Fromage comes to mind). I suggest that you visit a local gourmet food store, and ask the experts there. I am lucky to live a few minutes from Talula's Table, which has a case filled with over 100 cheese varieties. Don't hate me.

So, once you find the cheese, you need to have a little something to go along with it. Here are five of my favorite cheesy gifts:

1. Set of four Camembert cheese labels plates. I love the colors and graphics. They even come in a round wooden box. From Patina Stores - $19.95.

2. Forget about those old-fashioned cheese domes. This one is 100% upcycled and looks just plain cool. From TheBottleMill on Etsy - $69.

 

3. Cheese markers made from silverware. The fancy lettering sets it apart from similar products that I've seen online. From BeachHouseLiving on Etsy - $45.

 

4. For that do-it-yourself cheese-lover in your life, this kit would make a fun gift. Make fresh mozzarella, chevre, queso blanco...one hour and a gallon of milk is all you need. From UrbanCheesecraft on Etsy - $19 to $50.

5. Vintage cheese board with green Bakelite handles and matching slicer. From magicmuti on Etsy - $40. Search bakelite cheese for more examples on Etsy.

 

Photos credited to respective websites.

Read the whole list of five weeks of fresh gifts.

fresh gifts | day 1 | vintage-style original paintings by lara harris

These mini paintings by Lara Harris are just adorable. I love the colors, the vintage accents, and that her prices are reasonable for original paintings. Lara has a few Christmas-themed paintings as well.

Lara will also create a custom painting just for your favorite vintage-loving friend or family member. You can select the color of the platter and the accents (buttons, keys, fruit) that you want to include in your painting. I collect brown transferware and vintage buttons, so I love this one:

And I keep hearing that peacocks are the new owls. Or something like that.

This painting of a vintage dress is a bit larger than the others. Wouldn't it look adorable in a little girl's room?

I think Lara may be best known for her beautiful custom dog portraits. My husband and kids have been begging for a dog lately - I might just buy one of Lara's dog paintings just to shut them up for a while.

Lara's Etsy shop: Studio Lara

Lara's Blog: A Vintage Touch

Images by Lara Harris

Read the whole list of five weeks of fresh gifts.

Five Years of freshvintage!

Five years ago today, I wrote a boring blog post about the stuff I found at a local yard sale. I never imagined that I would still be writing five years later. I've had so much fun writing stories, taking pictures of my vintage finds, and reading your comments. I know that many of you have been here since the beginning, and I thank you for sticking by me. And a big welcome the newer readers -  I hope won't be turned off by reading my archives...I cringe at some of the things I bought during that first year or two of blogging!

To celebrate my anniversary, I will be sharing my favorite holiday gifts each day for five weeks. And once a week, I'll give away one of those gifts. That's FIVE giveaways! And THIRTY-FIVE days of gift ideas. IN A ROW. You will be certainly be sick of me by December 19th. No more complaints about my lack of posts!

Some gifts will be vintage, some not. Some may be a little goofy, and some traditional. There'll be gifts for men, women, kids, geeks, foodies and the vintage-obsessed. I'm even going to have a few guest posters share their favorite gift ideas.

Later today, I'll be sharing my gift idea for Day 1. Do you want to get updates every time freshvintage is updated? Sign up through Feedburner to get an email when my blog is updated. You can also subscribe through Google Reader. Also, become a fan on Facebook for daily updates.

I also want to hear from you...share YOUR favorite gift idea, and it may appear in one of my posts! This could be a link to an item in an online store or etsy shop (your own shop or someone else's) or a link to a tutorial with instructions for making a gift. Or just a gift that you love to give (and receive). Enter your gift idea into this form, and I will share some of my favorites.

Have fun & enjoy!

Colleen

 

P.S. Don't worry - I'll still be doing my usual blog posts about the vintage finds that Chris and I find at auctions, flea markets, thrift stores and yard sales during these five weeks.

 

Clover Market and Reminders of THE DEER

I swear - I won't talk about the camper in every blog post. I am just mentioning it here because this was our first time bringing it to Clover Market in Ardmore, PA. And it was an enormous hit, if I do say so myself.  We even met one shopper who had the same exact Scotsman as a child! Chris and my sister, Erin, manned the camper for the majority of the day, answering questions from onlookers. The most oft-asked..."Is it for sale?"

 

After a while, Chris started telling people it was for sale for $20,000. Shockingly, no one bit. But, really, it was nice to have so many enthusiastic people tell us know much they loved it. I think I might have even convinced a few people to buy one of their own.

Since you last saw the camper, I covered up my interior cushions with light yellow popcorn chenille bedspreads. I had to cut one in half to cover the two cushions in the "dining room".

I bought an adorable chalk cloth bunting on etsy - that's what I used as the "freshvintage" sign across the top of the tent.

The back of the pennants are made of oilcloth:

A fellow vendor, Rachel from Charms City Company, walked across the aisle to my space, and bought lots of cool stuff from me...

...including a bunch of these little tags that I had just bought the previous day at a flea market. I figured that some artsy person would transform them into something cool.

Rachel and her business partner, Katie, did just that. Within an hour or two, they had created several bracelets and necklaces for sale in their tent.

I love selling the supplies to artists, but I rarely get to see the finished work. And after talking to them for a bit, I learned that Katie & Rachel were headed to the Country Living Fair in Atlanta last weekend for the Pitch Your Product event. I hope they did well!

While I was at their booth, I saw this stag necklace (which is available for sale in their Etsy shop):

Katie & Rachel looked at me a little funny when I said that it reminded me of the deer that we hit with our minivan around this time last year. The way it gracefully lept in front of our windshield. And those antlers. Those damn antlers! I think they ended up including my little anecdote in their "Pitch Your Product" speech in Atlanta: "We make jewelry that reminds people of killing large animals with their vehicles." 

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If you are in the Philadelphia area, be sure to stop by Brandywine View Antiques this weekend - it is our Holiday Open House Weekend. I'll be bringing lots of fun Christmas ornaments, tablecloths, books and decorations to the shop this week in preparation.  Also, a new vendor moved into the shop a few months ago, and I bet that many of you who are photography buffs have heard of them: Four Corner Store. Nic & Kristen's online shop has been around for a while, but they are finally selling their photography-related goods in a real shop. You can touch all of their neat-o cameras, try on their jewelry and test out their camera bags. Check out the Brandywine View website for photos of their space. Nic & Kristen are also very talented photographers & designers - visit Hudson Nichols for a look at their work.

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P.S. The last Clover Market of the year is this Sunady, November 6, 2011. We won't be there, but that certainly shouldn't stop you from going. There are lots of new vendors and artists this time around. We'll be back to the market in the spring!

P.S.S. You know I am totally kidding about the Charms City jewelry. I love their jewelry and I wish them the best of luck. Even though I kind of think that the ghost of the deer came to Rachel in her dreams and told her to bring that stag necklace to Clover on that very day so that I would be reminded of him.