Merry Christmas!

Hey everyone! I just wanted to pop in to wish you a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!! Here's mine and the hubby's Christmas card to you :) Thanks for reading!

I took this picture last night while out looking at Christmas lights :) Neat huh? I'll have my Christmas Eve outfit up tomorrow :)

Always,
Amanda

Ornamental

There has been a plethora of vintage Christmas goods in the Goodwill Outlet bins recently! I think that old Christmas things have more charm and appeal than their newer counterparts, so I couldn't resist these two ornaments especially:


Ornaments, Goodwill Outlet (<$1)

I didn't realize it until just now, but it looks like poor Santa's being attacked by the tiger in this picture! But don't worry- no Santas or tigers were harmed in the making of this blog post :) Both of these little guys are safe on my little silver Christmas tree.

Speaking of Christmas, we're supposed to get snow on Christmas day here in Richmond. I guess it would be nice to have a white Christmas, but this Florida girl isn't built for snow :)

Always,
Amanda

PS: Do you use vintage Christmas decorations too?

A Horse, of Course

Did anyone else grow up watching reruns of Mr. Ed? I grew up scared of horses, but I still liked that show :)

Speaking of horses, I have my last find of the weekend to show you guys today. I had to wait to post about it because it's a Secret Santa gift for a co-worker/friend, and she's getting it today :)

Meet the most perfect vintage oilcloth horse ever:


Vintage Stuffed Horse, Midlothian Antiques

I went searching this past weekend for something perfect for my Secret Santa. When I found this little guy, I knew he was just right! My S.S. rides horses and really loves them, so I know he'll be going to a good home :)

The vintage horse scarf has been hanging around my apartment for months, and I knew it would be the perfect addition to 'ol Mr. Ed :)

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Always,
Amanda

PS: No Guy Finds Friday today due to the snow. It took my poor hubby much longer than usual to make it home from work last night, so he was too tired to write anything. A stick-shift Mustang + snow does not equal easy driving conditions!

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas :)

I've been putting off decorating for Christmas in our apartment, mostly because it doesn't seem like it should be December already! This year has just flown by!

In the past couple days, though, I finally gave in :) Here's our little apartment's seasonal decor:

TOP: Garland from Dollar Tree; Handmade Stockings by my mom; MIDDLE: Blue wreath and silver necklaces from the dollar section of Target; BOTTOM: Mini silver Christmas tree and sparkly penguin topper from Borders; Ornaments from the Dollar Tree; Vintage wrapping paper on gifts from Goodwill Outlet; Vintage Christmas lights from thrift store

Really simply decor and it was quick and easy to make it feel like Christmas in here! (Well, other than the fact that it's downright freezing now in Richmond!)

I hope everyone has a great weekend :)
Always,
Amanda

Best Finds of 2009 Countdown: Day Seven!

At the time, I almost didn't realize how great of a find this was. But if I consider the memories captured + the current going prices on eBay, my Polaroid camera and two packs of film for under $10 was my best find ever.

My finds from 11/7- the day of my best (most favorite) find: An old Polaroid camera and 2 packs of photos!

I decided to save the film to use on my Christmas vacation with my family, and I have bought a cute little album to put them in. Here are some of my favorites:

From top left, clockwise: Me and my Mom; My brother; The view out of the back of the cabin; The view out of the front- Grandfather Mountain!; The snowman that my Grandpa, Mom, and brother made; Everyone's stockings on Christmas Eve

I made a good decision waiting until Christmas to use most of the photos: I love how they turned out, and they mean so much more than digital photos! I can't wait to get my little album, so I can have them to flip through and remember a great Christmas with the ones I love :)

Always,

Amanda

Best Finds of 2009 Countdown: Day Six

As the countdown winds down (tomorrow's the last day), I thought I'd share a list of some of my best Christmas present finds.

Because all of the great people I got gifts for this year read this blog, I couldn't risk posting these before now. (And, I also forgot to take pictures of them before I gave them away...whoops!)

I do have access to the hubby's, so here are the awesome Nintendo games (he has a Nintendo) I got him for Christmas/ our anniversary:

Awesome, right?

I also got him a collection of vintage James Bond novels and a Pink Floyd CD, all from thrift stores!

Some other Christmas present finds:

A pansy glass plate, a Stone Mountain leather purse, three Munich large glass beer mugs, a Longerberger basket, a vintage Boy Scout first aid kit, various made in Japan goodies, and a Lenox Christmas ornament, among others!

It was so much fun to find most of the Christmas gifts at thrift stores this year. Not only was it easier on the budget, but it seemed to mean more too. I hope everyone liked their gifts (you know who you are!), and have a great last couple days of the year, everyone!!!

Always,
Amanda

Christmas Break: Favorite Photos

I'm back in Richmond! While it's nice to be back in our place, I already miss my family like crazy.

I didn't have much luck at the Boone thrift shops. They were either: snowed shut, closed, or super-tiny and kind of awful.

(This is the Bare Bones Thrift Shop. Er, or I guess it was at some point. Not only was it completely snowed in, but it was a rickety old barn in a neighborhood...)

(And then there was the...lovely...Unique Boutique. Although they were closed, they left the $1 clothing on the porch. Of course, I found a Ralph Lauren wool sweater I wanted, so I left the hanger with a dollar bill hanging on the door!)

The one exception to the crappy thrifting was the local Goodwill, which was pretty much the only place I found anything. I'll have photos of what I did find in a couple of days (I haven't unpacked yet!), but here are some of my favorite photos from the trip:

Boone's ice storm left the trees all Chronicles of Narnia-esque

We thought it was so awesome that they had the same lamp as us in our rented cabin!

We went gem-mining!!! This is my smoky quartz :)

More on the trip later, but I just wanted to update you all!

Always,

Amanda

Merry Christmas!!!!

When my brother and I were younger, my mom and dad would set out our "santa" gifts with these cute little boy and girl mouses. I've no idea where those have gone to over the years, but when I was at Goodwill Outlet a couple weeks ago, I found a girl mouse!!! The same one! So, of course I grabbed it and washed it, and it's with me in North Carolina.

Here she is, a little Christmas mouse :)

Have a great day, everyone!

Always,
Amanda

Merry Christmas, From: The Past

When Josh and I were at the antique mall in Williamsburg a couple months ago, I picked up a couple of old Christmas postcards.

I love the neat type and pretty colors of them, and I thought that now, as Christmas draws near, is a good time to share them with you all.

Aren't they great? Hearty Xmas Greetings to you all!!! (Can you tell that I'm excited about Christmas?)

Always,
Amanda

PS: I have a pretty cool DIY to post a little later today! Check back :)

A Thrift-tacular Christmas!

If you've been reading this blog for little bit (or if you know me!) you know I'm not afraid to be a little silly :) Thus, the sometimes wacky and tacky titles!

But one of the things I like to be fairly traditional is Christmas decor.

Like, classic with a little bit of a twist.

Here's what we have up in our apartment for Christmas:

Little Glass Christmas Tree, Goodwill ($2); Vintage Christmas Bulbs, Good Samaritan ($1)

Christmas Tree With Lights Attached, Big Lots ($30); Various Ornaments, Friends and Family; Gift Bags, Dollar Tree ($1 each); Extra Set of Lights on Tree, Good Samaritan ($1)

While we couldn't find a tree small enough at thrift stores, we did find the little glass tree and the vintage bulbs at thrifts! I think I've seen the bulb-in-a-glass look before, and I really love how it looks on our mantle. I think our little Big Lots tree works just fine-especially with extra-pretty lights from Good Samaritan!

I've seen so many cute Christmas things at the thrifts I go to, but I feel like any more decoration would be overkill in our small apartment. It still seems nice and Christmas-y in here, though :)

Hope you all have a really great Wednesday!

Always,

Amanda

What I'm Wanting: For Christmas!

OK, so I am aware that this has little or nothing to do with thrifting.

You see, these are the items that I simply can't purchase at thrift stores for myself, so they are going on my Christmas list!

In an effort to keep track of the few things I want, I thought I'd post on here.

Here's what's on my list this year:

Splashy Knee-Highs!

Welovecolors.com

JCrew Flats in the Elusive Size 8
Jcrew.com

Sony Reader Pocket Edition in Pink
Target.com Harajuku Lovers Baby Solid Fragrance
Sephora.com

What do you want this holiday season that just can't be (easily) thrifted?

Have a great Saturday- my finds from thrifting this afternoon will be posted tomorrow!

Always,
Amanda