My Vintage Soul

Introducing My Ornament Tree

All I really wanted for Christmas -- other than peace on Earth of course -- was to finally finish a certain project that has been on my to-do list for quite some time.

It started more than a year ago when I saw this in August 2010 at Bouckville.

Cute, I thought, so I snapped this photo, put it on my blog, and then promptly forgot about it. And then I got an email from Amy of Into Vintage, who asked if she could use my photo on her blog. She said she had been inspired and she had an idea. Sure, I said, flattered that anything on my blog could inspire the ever-amazing Amy.

And then she came up with this:

And you might say the rest is history as I'm guessing that this is probably one of the most "repinned" images on Pinterest.

So naturally, I had to create an ornament tree of my own.

But first I had to find just the right screen. I needed something large because I wanted to hang the tree above our fireplace in our great room, where there's a cathedral ceiling.

Lucky for me, the junking gods were listening because the perfect scalloped window screen was by the side of the road during our annual town cleanup in April.

And then for six months, the screen sat in the shed. Just before Thanksgiving, I realized that Christmas was indeed coming and that the ornament tree wasn't going to make itself.

So I added some new screening and repainted the frame. And then, using some small vintage ornament hooks, I started hanging ornaments. Big ornaments. Little ornaments. And then, I fussed far too much, arranging and rearranging.

But finally, a year later, here's my version of Amy's genius:

And here's how it looks above the fireplace.

A few closeups:

The repainted frame, which I promptly distressed with some sanding and some dry brush strokes of gold and silver paint.

A clear plastic star ornament at the very top.

A "trunk" of teardrop ornaments at the very bottom.

And lots of wonderful vintage ornaments in between.

To say that I love it is an understatement. Over the years I've searched for just the right look for the fireplace and I was never quite happy with a succession of wreaths that have occupied the space. But now my search is over. This is going to be there for forever with just a little minor fussing to rotate in new vintage ornaments that I love.

Peace on Earth indeed.

Thanks again to Amy for sharing.

It Was a Wonderful Time

Seneca Falls, N.Y., is a village just west of Syracuse that every December celebrates its claim to fame, which is that it's the location that inspired the fictional Bedford Falls in the holiday classic "It's a Wonderful Life."

And seeing how the film is one of my favorites, and Seneca Falls is only about 40 miles from my door, I've been intrigued by the similarities between it and Bedford Falls.

Geographic references in the movie give no doubt that Bedford Falls is in upstate New York. And by that, I mean true upstate New York and not Westchester County (a pet peeve of mine).

The bank examiner wants to get home to Elmira in time for Christmas. Sam Wainwright's father's glass factory is in Buffalo and there are several mentions of Rochester. All are less than two hours from Seneca Falls.

And like Bedford Falls, Seneca Falls has a bridge, where, in 1917, one man gave his life trying to save a suicidal woman who had jumped into the canal.

But something made me hesitate about making the journey, and I think it was the possibility that what I would find would change my love for the movie and the idyllic Bedford Falls.

Well, I needn't have worried, because Mr. VS went to Seneca Falls on Saturday and we had, well, a wonderful time.

It was a beautiful day, and the main street (Fall Street) was filled with hundreds of friendly people.

The shops were stocked with all kinds of memorabilia. One florist handed out dozens of roses so everyone could have their own ZuZu petals.

And speaking of ZuZu, she (actress Karolyn Grimes) was there too, signing autographs and posing for pictures at the Hotel Clarence, which is named after the guardian angel in the movie.

There was even a It's a Wonderful Life parade, a rather short but sweet assembly with Mary and George Bailey among its participants. (A film crew from CBS' "Sunday Morning" was there too, filming a story on the village that will air on Christmas Day.)

So, in the end, I guess it really doesn't matter if Seneca Falls is really Bedford Falls. What I saw on Saturday was how much fun everyone had because they simply believed that it could be.

And isn't believing what Christmas is all about?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ugly Duckling, Meet Beautiful Swan

This is a story about how an ugly duckling became a beautiful swan.

Meet the ugly duckling(s), those ubiquitous cheese domes that everyone had about 15 years ago and then promptly took to the thrift store, where you can find them for around $3. The candlesticks, not quite as ugly, sell for under $1 each.

Here's the transformation: With your trusty Elmer's Wood Glue, afix pathetic cheese dome base to a candlestick. Be sure the candlestick is centered on the bottom of the base and that the base is level. If the candlestick doesn't have an ample base, you can beef it up by adding a small carved wooden plaque. Then weight all the pieces down (I used a 5-pound flat weight) and let dry. Paint the finished structure (you'll need several coats), and you'll be amazed by the instant cottage charm you've created with your very own hands.

Isn't it cute? Especially painted with a jadite (jadeite) green, which is called Duck's Egg from the Martha Stewart line of paint at Home Depot.

Same color but on a wooden pedestal bowl that I also distressed.

I wish I knew exactly whom to credit for this genius idea, but there's no way of knowing who came up with this first. I've seen these pedestal cloches all over the blogosphere and on Etsy, which is where mine is now.

I actually made several of these (plus some other upcycled wooden pedestal bowls) over the summer in hopes of getting into a "hip" craft show. But the show's idea of hip was an overabundance of skull jewelry, and my creations (and probably me) weren't hip (or disturbing) enough.

I'm hoping, however, that they're charming enough to give as a Christmas gift for a friend, or better yet, for yourself.

P.S. Does anyone know what's the preferred spelling of Jadite? Or is it Jadeite?