freshvintage

fresh gifts | day 35 | not the slanket

Yeah, so....I don't really have a gift idea for this post. I was going to write about The Slanket, but Chris told me that someone already wrote about it once.I really wanted to save this 35th and very last post of my fresh gifts for five weeks series to say thanks to all of the nice people who have read my blog during any point in the past five years. And all of the new people who just started reading, perhaps due to my ridiculous diversion called Vintage Picker Ryan Gosling. Or maybe you started reading because you heard about a giveaway or someone shared a link to my blog on Facebook. Thanks for joining in the fun. I will warn you now that I don't normally post every day, so don't get used to it.

I want to thank all of the friends that I've been lucky enough to meet though this silly act of sharing the stuff that I find at yard sales: Sue, Allison, Gloria, Alison, Lisa, Mary, Gina and Tanya.

And the people who I met online way before I even had this blog, like Debbie and Tracey.

And people like my in-laws, Jim & Mary, and my friends Mike & Suzanne from Royal Port Antiques, who constantly teach me about the business, share their ideas and encourage me to buy good stuff.

And my personal American Picker, my husband Chris, who has found so much good stuff this year that I don't even need to go to yard sales anymore. (But I still do, of course.)

This goofy blog got me selling in places like Vintage Home, Brandywine View Antiques, Antiques at Kimberton, Renninger's and Clover Market...shops and shows that I still can't believe I've been involved with.

I've had some really cool experiences since I started blogging. I was honored to have my apple crate labels included in Country Home magazine and in a nationally syndicated newspaper column. Tina Fey may or may not have read my blog. I hit 2,000 fans on my Facebook page. I was asked to audition for two antiques-related shows as "the expert".  (Uh - maybe I conveniently forgot to tell you about that. I guess you know the outcome...you don't see my mug on your flat-screen, do you?)

And to my family and friends and neighbors, thanks for commenting and reading my blog, even if you aren't into antiques. Thanks for putting up with my slow (or no) responses to emails, junk on my front porch, a camper in the driveway and missed birthday parties due to selling at flea markets.

Thanks to all of the blogs that link back to me. You are the reason that I am able to keep growing. Here are the top 25 blogs that brought the most traffic to freshvintage during 2011:

1.   suchprettythings.typepad.com

2.   robolady.blogspot.com

3.   lilybeanpaperie.typepad.com

4.   cherryhillcottage.typepad.com

5.   marisaleon.blogspot.com

6.   athingforroses.blogspot.com

7.   yardsalebloodbath.com

8.   acottageindustry.typepad.com

9.   aquiltinglife.com

10. apronthriftgirl.typepad.com

11. isabellang.blogspot.com

12. aestheticoutburst.blogspot.com

13. vintagejunkinmytrunk.typepad.com

14. pamkittymorning.blogspot.com

15. onegalstrash.blogspot.com

16. tparty.typepad.com

17. monkeyboxblog.com

18. janesapron.typepad.com

19. clovermarket.blogspot.com

20. magpieethel.typepad.com

21. georgiapeachez.typepad.com

22. latenightcoffee.wordpress.com

23. noonewatching.com

24. patchworkposse.com

25. daffadowndillys.blogspot.com

So, to sum it up, you are all a gift to me! I know - how corny is that?! And I am not even drunk. But it is true - I appreciate all of your visits to freshvintage, whether you comment or not.

I hope you all have a restful holiday. And please don't be mad at me if I don't blog for the next 35 days.

Read the whole list of fresh gifts.

P.S. I forgot to thank that lady who said I curse too much. Thanks, Bitch!

fresh gifts | day 34 | family interview

I asked my family a few questions about their favorite gifts to give and receive.. Here's the transcript, but without the extraneous conversations about how mean Chris' step grandfather ("Papa") was, and how we need more kids in the family to play games with. Which lead to "when are you having another baby"?  And "why can't we get a dog for Christmas"? Maybe this whole thing was a bad idea.

What is the best gift that you ever gave someone?

Chris (Husband): I gave my sister, Sue, a comb when I was ten. And I gave my mom an orange once.

Maeve (7 yrs old): I gave Mayson a book at the holiday book exchange today at school. It was Jack & Annie. He loved it.

Finn (9 yrs old): That sailboat that I gave to Dad last year. [It was a brass sailboat on a piece of marble, engraved with "#1 Dad".]

What is your favorite gift that you ever received from someone?

Maeve: The Miley Cyrus Barbie that came with the microphone that Santa gave me last year.

Finn: That huge Alien Encounter Lego set that mommy gave me for my birthday. It was like that big blue truck. That was my favorite thing that I ever got. But if I got a BB gun, I would change my mind.

Chris: My dad got me a BB gun one Christmas, which I loved. One year later, in December, my Papa opened his closet door and showed me a waaay better BB gun. He said, "See this. Isn't it great? Wouldn't you like that? Do you want it?" I said, "Yes". And he said "Well, you can't have it", and then he shut the closet door, sat down and continued watching golf. Apparently, he gave it to his neighbor's grandson.

Me: That's mean.

Chris: This is the same Papa who would give me two decks of cards to play with every time we went to his house. I would build a house of cards. And then Papa and my sisters would throw things at the cards and knock it down. And then I would cry.

What would be the best gift EVER?

Finn: The best BB gun or an airsoft gun. They say the airsoft gun is way better than a BB gun. 

Me: Who says that?

Finn: Everyone who has a BB gun. [I'm sensing a theme here.]

Maeve: I would want a Bratz Styling Hair Girl with hair dye, lipstick, makeup, eyeliner, and eyeshadow. When we have a party [she has her hands in the air, raising the roof], me and the Bratz could look pretty for everybody. [I refuse to buy her anything related to Bratz, ever since I saw one wearing a thong. For the past two years, she's been hoping that Santa ignores me and brings her a Bratz doll. I told her that the elves don't have the equipment to make Bratz dolls. That shut her up for a while.]

Dad: Number one, I would like all the kids from all over the world to sing in peace and harmony.  Number two would be 30 million dollars. No, wait - number one would be mind control. Number two would be the kids singing in peace and harmony. [Hmmm...sounds familiar.]

Finn: Oh - and I want a dog.

 

Read the whole list of fresh gifts.

fresh gifts | day 33 | gifts for my 92-year-old grandmom

Thanks to my mom, for this post about what to give her 92-year-old mother (my grandmom and my kids' "GG"). My mom originally posted this on her very own blog, Boggle Mama. If you've never read the story of why her blog is thusly named, you must read this post.

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Christmas shopping for my Mother has become a problem in the last few years. Now that she is ninety-two and a half years old, the woman does not need much of anything. At this point, she has an abundance of night gowns, robes, slippers, gloves, scarves, etc, etc, ad nauseam.  And, she has plenty of picture frames, glassware, silverware, even underwear.

What to do? What to do?

She loves dark chocolate. She loves tawny port wine. For her birthday, back in July, that's what I gave her. For Christmas, I'll probably repeat the same thing.

One thing is for certain, at her age, I won't have to feel guilty about creating a diabetic, or for that matter, a raging alcoholic.

Speaking of tawny port, has anyone ever tasted it? And, how did you like it? I sipped it once, just to see if I would enjoy it. (I've been known to enjoy a glass of wine or five.)

Yuck! It was so vile! I thought I had permanently damaged my taste buds. The only way I could get rid of the aftertaste was to swig a tumbler of pinot grigio.

Luckily, I had some in the house.

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Thanks, Mom! I ended up giving my Grandmom a pumpkin bread that I made, since everyone else in the family was trying to get her drunk on tawny port. And with five children, 15 grandchildren and 33 great-grandchildren, that's a helluva lot of booze.

Here are my my siblings with Grandmom in 1975-ish. That's Peter, Megan, me, Erin, and Heather, looking so colorful in her Crayola crayon get-up.

My brother looks like he was hitting grandmom's tawny port that day. And Erin looks like she needs some.
 

Read the whole list of fresh gifts.

P.S. Happy first night of Hanukkah!

fresh gifts | day 32 | ice balls giveaway

UPDATE: We have a winner! Scroll down to see who is the big ball winner!

I've written about my love of icy cold balls a couple of times in the past. They are a fun way to add some color to a cocktail or punchbowl, and a great gift for someone who is always having parties (and loves balls). It's probably too late to buy a set online in time for Christmas, but I've seen them at Macy's and Homegoods in the past few months.

Do you remember last Christmas, when I filled my ice molds with cranberry & mint?

And when the ice balls melt in your drink, it can be embarrassing.

Note to self: leaves and balls don't mix.

I also used them during the summer, when I filled them with blueberries. Much less of a spectacle than the mint leaves. But, a little more of a spectacle, since people were referring to them as blue balls.

Lucky for you, I bought two sets of ice ball molds to give to a freshvintage reader. Leave a comment below, and let me know what you would put in your balls. A random winner will win both sets. Be creative! The giveaway ends on Wednesday night at midnight EST.

 
This is the fifth and last giveaway in my Fresh Gifts for Five Weeks series that celebrates my five year anniversary of blogging, so be sure to enter today! (Especially if you like balls.)

UPDATE: Congratulations to Sunita from asaaan.com. You are the lucky ball winner! I love her idea of using the molds for a punch:

I would lemon slices and mint and throw them in my punch bowl. That would be so pretty in my frescha-white wine and lemon juice punch!

Read the whole list of fresh gifts.

fresh gifts | day 31 | guest post from vintage rescue squad: xyz blocks

Thanks to Sue from Vintage Rescue Squad for this guest post on one of her favorite holiday gifts...

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Forget about mustaches on a stick. All the hipster toddlers have one thing at the top of their wishlists this holiday season: XYZ blocks.


Help your pint-sized future sullen English major wow their fellow rugrats with their impressive expanding vocabulary with such learning blocks as neanderthal, toupee, and graffiti.

Identify important character-building moods such as sassy, gloomy, and the ever-important cranky.

Plus, these awesome blocks are also an ideal gift for your beloved cubicle-dweller! Who wouldn’t enjoy building a pyramid of hero, underpants, litterbox, and quicksand while on an interminable conference call?

Any block set that includes trailer, eight ball, and yard sale AND builds vocabulary is a win-win gift in my world.

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Thanks, Sue! Of course, I love the yard sale and trailer blocks, but the uvula one is equally awesome. The earlier a child knows about their uvula, the better.

If you are interested in buying your own set, I found these blocks for sale at NeatoShop - and if you pay for UPS 2nd Day shipping, you'll get them in time for Christmas.

Read the whole list of fresh gifts.

fresh gifts | day 30 | white elephant gifts

White Elephant, Pollyanna, Yankee Swap, Dirty Santa. There are lots of names, but the idea is the same: pick a wrapped gift from the pile, or steal a good one from someone who already picked. We've had white elephant gift exchanges at family parties in the past, and they can be a crap shoot. Some people bring gag gifts that leave the recipients grumbling and pissy. And some bring cool gifts which cause that normally-meek cousin to become a raving, thieving bitch. Here are a few ideas that fall into the gag category.

Thrift Store Mug with Lipstick on the Rim

Make sure it says #1 Dad or has some random name on it (like Rod) or contains an image of the Hamburglar or Cathy.  

A Beautifully-Wrapped Box of Dead Stink Bugs

I don't have a picture because I don't feel like putting on my shoes and searching the dark corners of my garage for dead stink bugs. Also, if you give this as a gift, be prepared to never talk to the recipient again.

 

Muff Mitten

I don't know if my 92-year-old grandmother would appreciate picking this gift out of the pile, but it would sure entertain the rest of us.

Awkward High School Photo, Framed and Autographed

Here's one photo that Chris has used in the past. That's him on the left, with his matching-shirt girlfriend perched ever-so-gently on his knee. And his friend Mark (who ended up being our Best Man) and Mark's matching-shirt girlfriend. They're in the jungle, baby.

Do you partake in White Elephant gift exchanges? What types of funny gifts do you like to give?  Do you think your family would be offended or elated if they picked a Muff Mitten?

Read the whole list of fresh gifts.

fresh gifts | day 29 | vintage picker ryan gosling

I have a special gift for you today: a vintage-loving Ryan Gosling:

Happy Holidays!!

There's more on my new blog, Vintage Picker Ryan Gosling.

Read the whole list of fresh gifts.

 

 

fresh gifts | day 28 | candied pecans in vintage jars

Candied Pecans. They are like potato chips - you can't eat just one. Unless you are allergic, then you can eat just one, before you go into anaphylactic shock.

They are so simple to make. I've used this recipe several times during the past few years. I usually double it, add a teaspoon of vanilla extract and some brown sugar to the mix. That recipe is pretty fool-proof, so don't worry about changing it up.

These yummy nuts make great gifts - especially when you package them in thrift store candy jars that you bought for fifty cents. These jars are everywhere - don't act like you don't have any. But in case you don't, you can also use a vintage canister or an old marmalade crock or a red transferware sugar bowl.

For this gift, I just added some old fabric and a big glass Christmas tree light bulb (which can also act as a temporary wine cork).

On this one, I used the same fabric, but added a vintage Christmas matchbox (attach it by punching a whole in the bottom and threading some twine). Take out the matches, and use it as a gift tag - put a little secret note inside for the recipient.

Don't forget to tie an EpiPen to the bow for that allergic friend. Resistance is futile.

Read the whole list of fresh gifts.

 

fresh gifts | day 27 | electric wine opener

I bought one of these Waring electric wine openers at a yard sale last summer. This one retails for $31 on Amazon. It was brand new in the box - the woman who was selling it said that her brother bought it for her as a gift, but she already had a regular wine opener that she liked. That woman is a dummy. She is totally going to need therapy once she realizes the horrible mistake she made by selling this to me for ten dollars.

This is the ultimate gift for the lazy wine-lover in your life. Seriously, if you (or a loved-one) drink wine, it will be love at first buzz. It is especially good for that annoying friend who always breaks the cork into tiny pieces or drops it into the bottle. Or that arthritic neighbor who drinks entirely too much white zinfandel.

You just place it on top of the wine bottle, press the "down" button for a few seconds, and the cork is removed from the bottle. Press the up button, and the cork comes out of the opener. It even comes with a foil cutter that is stored in the base. But I am so lazy, that I don't even use it - I just bust straight through that foil with the opener. I am getting to my wine at least five seconds sooner my skipping the foil-cutting step. Those saved seconds will really add up over my lifetime.

After one overnight charge, it can open 80 wine bottles. So it lasts me a whole week without re-charging!

No, I don't really drink 80 bottles a week. Not in a normal week, anyway. But it is nice that I can just unplug the charger, put it away in a cabinet and leave the opener in my utensil drawer. That leaves room on my counter for my corn dog maker:

...and my pigs-in-a-blanket maker:

...and my beloved dog-shaped hot dog steamer:

But whatever you do, just don't try to use the opener on a screw-top bottle at 3am. Or a box of pinot noir. Nothing good can come of that.

Read the whole list of fresh gifts.

fresh gifts | day 26 | guest post & giveaway: vintage christmas brooches

Today's guest post comes from fellow blogger/vintage freak, Pam of One Gal's Trash and Plucky Maiden's Junk Fest. She shares one of her favorite gifts to receive: vintage Christmas brooches.

UPDATE: The giveaway is closed. Scroll to the bottom to see the lucky winner.

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Is there anything more fabulous than a vintage and sparkly object hovering above your chest at the holiday season? I think not. Anyone near or dear to me knows that in order to make my Christmas Merry, he/she can put a vintage brooch in my stocking.  Here's a sampling of my favorites:

Painted gold tone brooches...

Special note:  The snowman looks like he was in a bar fight. I'm convinced that he beat the other guy to an icy pulp.

Plastic delights...

When I found the Ice Follies girl in a dark, dank garage in NE Portland, I squealed. Out loud. The festivist of the festive!

Sequined hand made Christmas trees...

Made by somebody's grandma who stitched and beaded and sequined until her fingers bled. And they usually cost a dime.

Just for kicks and giggles, One Gal's Trash is offering a gift to freshvintage readers. Leave a comment on this post below and let Colleen know which one is your favorite and why. I'll pick a comment and send the lucky winner the brooch of her choice.

Merry Christmas!

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Awesome - thanks, Pam! I don't know about you, but I'm partial to the aqua sequined Christmas tree in the last photo. As long as it doesn't have any of grandma's blood on it.

The giveaway ends on Wednesday, December 14th at 12pm EST, and we'll announce the winner on Thursday.  Be sure to visit Pam's entertaining blog and facebook page. Also, become a fan of Plucky Maidens Junk Fest to stay updated on their fabulously fun vintage sales.

UPDATE: Congratulations to Katie Mullaly for winning the Snowman brooch! Referring to Pam as a badass really warmed her heart.