When life imitates art.

Miss Maggie enjoyed the snow at the beach more than any of us (though my Christmas Eve day-off-romp-in-the-snow with her pictured above was pretty much the most fun I've had in eons). But can you believe just one week to the day after the Nor'Easter, our house went from looking like this:


To this:


(And yes those are Halloween pumpkins on the porch rail. Don't judge. :-)

Spreading the love.

Bedspreading, that is.

Remember that awesome chenille bedspread I landed for $8 at the Visiting Nurse Association Rummage Sale in October? (Pssst: The spring rummage sale dates have been announced!)


My intention was to use it for crafty projects. But I soaked it in Oxy-Boost and now it's looking good. Much too good to sacrifice to my marginal sewing skills.

I tossed it on the bed in The Green Room to have a look-see. Even though the bedspread is twin size, it falls right to the top of the side rails on my full size bed frame:


But maybe it looks a little too antiquey? Maybe I should throw some of the original bedding over it, like this:


Or perhaps I should just stick with the original bed covers and accessories...


...maybe even swapping out seasonally (chenille can be my "winter look" or something).

Or maybe my brain is too fried from the holidays to make this decision. So please feel free to chime in!

Speaking of spreading the love, thanks to Let's Have a Cocktail via The Lil Bee for pointing me to a charity to donate holiday cards to. St. Jude's Ranch for Children recycles the card fronts to make new cards! Great, right?

Boxing day.

I can't think of a better way to celebrate Boxing Day than to box up a copy of Erin Bried's new book How to Sew a Button for the winner of my bloggy giveaway.

A gigantic thank you to everyone who left a comment on my giveaway post. Erin picked a winner from among the comments. She mentioned many goodies (there were a LOT of great ones!), but in her words:

"For the winner, I finally settled on the advice from (drum roll please) S. Bear Bergman's Nana: 'Fortune favors the well-prepared.' It's just plain great advice."

Congratulations to S. Bear Bergman's Nana for doling out such sage advice! All of the comments left here were amazing so on New Year's Day I'll link to all of them to inspire you for 2010. And a huge "thank you!" to Erin for making this giveaway possible.


I've been absent this week, which has has been a whirlwind of activity: Snow storms, and cookies, and Christmas (and very spotty internet access) -- oh MY!

That snow storm that hit the Jersey Shore was a doozy. Thanks to Mike and his incredible vitamin intake, our house, my car, and the neighbors on either side got shoveled out (he still can't lift his arms much higher than his waist, granted, but all for a good cause).


Imagine my surprise when 13 intrepid souls (re: mommies trapped with small children) burrowed their ways out of their homes and over to my apartment for our annual cookie exchange this past Sunday. Northern New Jersey didn't get hit with as much snow as the shorehouse did, so travel was a bit easier. The ladies really hit it out of the park with their baking projects this year.




My co-host Karen painted her seven dozen shimmery silver stars (and promised she'll never do that again):


And Tory, baker of the spritz, was determined to get to the party no matter what since she finally baked a cookie she was proud of (they were delish, but her previous contributions have been, too. No matter what she says.).


I used my "new" $3 punch bowl with great success! Thanks to the comments left on my punch bowl post, I had some inspiration. Mrs. Magpie suggested freezing juice in a bundt pan to create an ice ring that wouldn't water down the punch. Fabulous! I couldn't find my bundt pan (I think I have one?) so I simply froze the juice in ice cube trays. That won kudos from the cookie crew so thanks for the hot (cold) tip, Mrs. M! I also floated slices of blood oranges, and the festive red fruit added a pop to my conconction. And it truly was a concoction. I totally improvised but it was yummy. I meant to take a picture, but by the time I remembered, it looked like this:

I also meant to take a picture of Karen's amazing and beautiful baked brie, but again I was a bit late. Here's what it looks like when it's totally decimated:


If nothing else I guess you can see that a good time was had by all.

Mid-week we happily found out that our Christmas table for six would have to be set for 12 (!), so we shopped a little more, and took photos a little less. I barely got the food on the table. I did manage to take a picture of Maggie, who wisely figured out which gift under the tree was for her:


Today I actually spent most of the (rainy, nasty) day boxing up stuff. And in the midst of doing so found a box of ornaments that should have been on my tree. Ugh. Resolution: Get my act together (as best as someone like me possibly can) in 2010.

I hope everyone is having an amazing holiday season. I can't believe another year is drawing to a close, and I can't believe how many people have become a part of my life here on these here cyberpages. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for stopping by. You are all a part of my extended family (I know it may sound corny, but I mean it) and know that my Christmas was merrier because of you.

From the shorehouse to your house, thank you for an amazing year.

Snow day.

That is my car at about 8:30 this morning. Perhaps we will see her again in the spring.

The Jersey Shore surprisingly got more snow than just about anyplace I've heard of. We never get snow....n-e-v-e-r. A couple of inches is a big deal. Mike and the Maggie dog are trapped like hamsters in a habitrail.

Mike, clearly a descendant of one of the original Wise Men, made me get in his car yesterday morning in my pajamas to get out of there and back to our apartment. Today, I will be hosting an abbreviated version of the annual cookie exchange here for about eight women who are intrepid enough to come out (it should be noted they all have small children at home. ;-).

Having a ball, for four bucks.

Since first embedding at the shorehouse, I've scooped up a number of Christmas balls -- mostly at rummage sales, but also at a flea market and a yard sale.

Last year, our first Christmas at the house, I sprinkled out a few. But by this year, if you'll please pardon the expression, I had a lot of balls:


These things are readily and cheaply available, you just may need to do some digging since vendors typically bury them (they're not exactly big movers apparently). Despite my voluminous collection, a little investigating on this here blog showed the entire lot cost me around $4.

I needed to do something other than squirrel them away like a furry nocturnal creature on a pre-winter bender. So this past weekend I finally dragged them out of the basement, inspired in part by the Victorian Holiday House Tour in Ocean Grove, NJ, that I went on which made me feel like a total decorating-challenged underachiever.

I started by placing some of the more dainty and vintagey looking ones on a small but mighty tree I bought at the supermarket:



Then I moved on to jars...


...and bowls, including the one I just got at the SPCA thrift store for $3 specifically for this purpose...


...and my great-grandma's pressed glass compotes:


Then came the mack daddy of them all. I took a wire hanger (free with overpriced dry cleaning) and strung up a collection of blues, and silvers and golds...


...and created something that, if he were alive to see this, I'm sure Elvis would proudly hang in the living room at Graceland.


I turned to the now ubiquitous Eddie Ross model for guidance. I trimmed about eight inches off the hanger with a wire clipper to make mine smaller, and wished I had followed Eddie's advice to glue the metal caps to the balls before I started stringing the ornaments. A few broken balls and several slivers of finger skin later, my gaudy little star was born. The tinsel was a scrap I grabbed at an everything-in-the-bag-for-a-buck sale and kind of forgot about until I dumped the ornaments out of the bag. I tucked it in to cover up the wire in some spots it was exposed. It's not glued down so if I want to make it a little less Vegas, I can easily remove the garland.

After all was done, here's what I'm left with:


Not bad for a day's work.

A happy "How-To," just for you!

What if you could take all of the Grandma Helens, Nonni Roses, Nana Frans and Babcia Katerinas in the country, get them in one room (granted, a big room) and ask them to share their best homespun wit and wisdom? You'd have How To Sew a Button (And Other Nifty Things Your Grandmother Knew), a fabulous and witty compendium by author Erin Bried that spares you the logistical nightmare of the above mentioned Grand Grandmere Convention. She interviewed grandmas throughout the U.S. who shared their best advice and shortcuts on everything from how to wear red lipstick, to how to unclog a drain, to, well, how to sew a button!

Speaking of buttons, Erin happens to be cute as one. Click over to her YouTube channel to see her demonstrating how to fold a fitted sheet, which may have actually changed my life.

The book's official release date is December 15, so there will still be time for you to stock up for stocking stuffers. But guess what? You could win a copy right here! And to make it a little more fun/challenging/exciting than your average giveaway, leave a comment with your favorite piece of wit or wisdom that you learned from your grandma/mom/aunt. Author Erin Bried will pick her favorite from among the entries (oh yes, she will!). A copy of the book will be on its way to you, along with a few buttons from le grand sac I picked up at the Paris flea market so you'll be able to put that whole how to sew a button advice to good use.


You have until midnight Eastern on December 15 to leave your comment on this post. And, hey, maybe you'll even give Erin enough material for the sequel.

(P.S. Actually got the Christmas tree decorated last night. Phew! I'll have to see if Erin's book includes any "How to avoid procrastination" advice...)

How lovely are thy (bare) branches.

December 9? Really? Trouble. With a capital "T." And that rhymes with "tree" and that sounds like...well, tree. (My tribute to show tunes is a little spotty today.)

We actually bought the tree Sunday night for our city abode (that's where we host Christmas). And it's one big beauty. She's got her lights (thanks to Mike):

And two ornaments. Two.

Here's where the rest of the ornaments have been since Sunday when I pulled them out of storage:

Ugh! Maybe I can have a blog contest...winner gets to come decorate my tree?

And that tree photo is awful because I took it at dawn, which is the only time I'm home anymore. All work and no play is making Laura a dull and unproductive-in-matters-of-the-home girl.

The good news is, I did my holiday shopping throughout the year so no last minute shopping for me. The bad news is, I went back to my homeland this weekend where there were an inordinate number of flea markets and crafty good time holiday fairs. Talk about trouble!

This is my face upon realizing that most of the crap stuff in my mom's trunk now belongs to me, right down to the fabulous knit hat on my head (hey, it started snowing. So I needed a hat, right?) which I bought from a knitting club's table at Sailors' Snug Harbor Cultural Center for $5!

(Photo by The Brother, who may have been guffawing at me at this point.)

I am so in love with it I've worn it every day this week.

Among the other highlights...

At one church's fair, there was an adorable older couple who sell the husband's paintings, mostly of east coast lighthouses and other beachy fare. I have a couple of his mini paintings already, and let me tell you the price is always right.

See these two paintings?

This was the price they were each marked:

BUT...since I liked both he said I could have the two for $20. Original art, people! I mean, really. I couldn't leave them there.

He also decoupages random clip art and old advertisements onto pieces of flotsam and jetsam:

At 25 cents each, these are cheaper (and more environmentally friendly) than greeting cards and that's exactly what I plan on using them as.

And, want to take a guess at who this was "SOLD" to?


I know. Shocking.

I have always wanted a punch bowl but thought it would be a storage issue. And you know what? It will be! But, I mean, three bucks for all this. (By the way there are actually 15 cups, despite what the sign says. I think perhaps math may not be an Episcopalian strong suit? My father, however was both an Episcopal and and accountant. But I digress...) How could someone like me (who clearly is one step away from being on that show Hoarders) walk away from it?

The punch bowl set will make its debut on December 20 at my annual cookie exchange party. Where...fingers crossed...I will also be selling some pieces from my debut sewing collection to help raise some money for the babies of Hudson Cradle, my favorite charity. So if you're in the market for made-with-love (but not necessarily with talent) crafty bits, have I got the item(s) for you!

So two questions:

1. What kind of punch do I make?

2. Are you planning on being near Hoboken, NJ, on December 20? If so the cookie party is the place to be, and the more the merrier!

I'll even pour you some punch.

Once again...

...I have found another thrift shop. And it's actually named Once Again.


I can't tell you how many times I've driven past this place (on Route 35 in New Jersey, across from Fort Monmouth) . And when it looks like this...


...and has a thrift shop sign in front of it, it kind of makes me think I may have literally been asleep at the wheel.

About 80% of the store is clothing and kids' gear, but in the "dining room" (or what I imagined was the dining room when it was a house...I can't walk into an old home with redecorating it in my mind!) there were quite a few shelves of goodies. And that sign you see below says "25% off all housewares." Joy to the world, indeed.


There was some really good vintage tucked on those shelves, like this super old cup and saucer in great shape ($5.25):


This set of highball glasses ('cause you just know many-a-highball has been served in these!) had golden images of Francs, Deutschmarks, and other fantastic foreign coins replaced by that nasty Euro. The set of four? Seventy-five cents!


Here comes the bride, festooned in vintage lace and plastic orchids. I loved this though couldn't really justify the purchase (as if I can justify half of the junque I buy) . But at only $1.50 I think I should have gone in...


...if only to get better photos to play around with. I did snap one close-up and began playing with the contrast a bit:


I think with a little more work it could make a great vintagey wedding card image.

Naturally, I didn't leave without buying. That would be crazy talk.

I scooped up a new-with-tags Martha tree stand:


We're thinking of putting up a small tree at the shorehouse (the monster tree actually goes in our apartment, believe it or not). I'm not even sure if this fictional tree will require a stand (maybe I'll buy a potted tree?) but I figured for $1.50 I'd take my chances.

The reindeer napkin holders leaped right into my heart and shopping bag. These set of six brass beauties also only set me back $1.50.


This tall milk glass vase might be the deal of the day at 75 cents! I think it will make a great hostess gift, filled with flowers from the grocery store or evergreen branches for the holidays.


Or I may just keep it myself.

Ironically the Monmouth SPCA Cats and Dogs Thrift Shop is on the way (well, kind of on the way) so I popped in there to get more 50 cent men's ties for my wine carrier craft project:


And I also grabbed another milk glass bowl that I do plan on keeping and filling with some of the many (if not hundreds) of vintage Christmas balls I've picked up thrifting over my last two years at the shorehouse.


It was the most expensive thing I bought all day.


And it didn't exactly break the bank.