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Sew or craft in vintage style! This adorable dainty pincushion pendant, crocheted and embroidered with cotton thread, is perfect for wearing around your neck to house your pins and needle as you work. No more sticking things in chair arms and forgetting them! And it's half price (at a ridiculously low price) for 1 week only, in my Etsy shop - slashed from $7.
(Chain, pins, and needle not included.)
It all started with a menu, which became spattered and written over and wrinkled before it came to pass...
Then too, there was a lot of baking. Some was also for Christmas, but a whole day was devoted to making things like these amazing cream-cheese icing topped gingerbread cupcakes (mini version), and a first try at petit fours.
Finally the day came. Some things could be done ahead of time, like arranging the glasses on the punch table...
...setting up the centerpiece...
...and hairstyles. I went with a Downton Abbey (Titanic Era) look and borrowed my hairstyle generally from that time period as well, aiming for a Lady Grantham style.
Side:
Back:
Other Side:
Then it was time to work on the tables and slowly start filling them up with things that could sit out, breaking out all the heirloom dishes and fine china.
Also arranging forks can be done earlier. This was the handiwork of my 11-year-old brother, Bobby.
Spiced iced tea preparations:
And the iced tea ready to drink (I did alter the original recipe quite a bit to make it taste how I wanted - I'll post my version in time for New Year's.)
As the hour to expect guests approached, we could put more dishes on the table and start the tea water boiling.
Once things were mostly put together, we could change. Here's one hostess/guest in her Edwardian costume:
I wore a modern formal taffeta skirt bought at a thrift store, and a vintage blouse from the 1980s that looks quite Titanic with its gold and black over-lace, assymetrical V at the neck, and loads of trimming.
This was a ladies only tea, so the gentlemen of the house were glad to escape outside and be otherwise occupied (although they appreciated the leftovers!).
Finally all was prepared.
Waiting for the guests to arrive is hard work!
It also makes you hungry, apparently.
Some of the guests also kindly brought some goodies.
And one guest brought *gasp* a gentleman!
We had a very enjoyable time chatting, sipping cold and hot tea, and enjoying the wonderful spread and soft Victorian style Christmas music in the background.
Also baby holding. Who could resist beseeching blue eyes?
When it grew dark and the guests left, we enjoyed the candlelight for a while and snacked from the tea table for supper. We were tired, but it had been fun. And the holiday season had been brightened.
After all, things worth having are worth working for - and an elegant celebration with friends is worth having.
Maybe we'll have another one next year! Thanks for allowing me to share it with you.
Thanks to Jamie for suggesting this post!
A Very Merry Christmas to you all from Verity Vintage Studio!
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
and hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant...
that he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies
might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him,
all the days of our life.
[T]he dayspring from on high hath visited us, to give light to them that sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Taken from the Gospel According to Luke, chapter one.
Item of the Week in my Etsy shop is this green wool vintage hat, slashed from $14.
Everyone's style is different when it comes to home decor and Christmas decorations. Some folks like blue flashing lights on their porches - others only want white ice-sicle lights. Some enjoy the big inflatable snowmen or Santas, while others opt for more traditional Nativities and live greens.
We like to decorate each room a little differently, with color coordinated Victorian style ornaments in the living room, heirloom and antique ornaments in the parlor, and homemade ornaments in the kitchen. But regardless of decorating style, these tips for retro Christmas decorations can be helpful to incorporate.
Tip #1
Use what you have before you buy what you have not. The candelabra shown here and in the photo above is a good example. While usually year-round it is just a wrought-iron candelabra with a potted plant in the basket in the center, during the holidays we really jazz it up with vintage ornaments and crocheted snowflakes and poinsettia swags to transform it into a holiday centerpiece that is easily the focal point of the dining room.
If you already have pictures on the wall, stick a few stems of Christmas tree clippings behind them. Do you already have white curtains or gold candlesticks or green potted plants? Just add a little red, a few ornaments, or a holiday wreath. Instantly that brings the Christmas look to something that may have looked cottage chic before that.
Or in this case, a hutch already red becomes a Christmas hutch instead of just a red hutch when we stick some evergreens on top and loop some wooden beads - the work of a minute.
Tip #2
Homemade doesn't have to mean kitschy. While salt dough ornaments or zany fat felt appliqued figurines may be what you think of when someone says "homemade", it really is easy to find or make decorations that fit your style without sacrificing quality.
Here's a fun homemade ornament you can make, that takes hardly any time or talent, and can be used for many different styles from Rustic to Victorian - vintage sheet music paper ornaments.
Just take some vintage sheet music (usually cheap at antique stores) and trace around a cookie cutter lightly with a pencil. Cut it out and pierce it with an ornament hanger. They are so lightweight they can hang even on the most delicate surfaces. Also adorable to glue on a Christmas card!
Tip #3
Use live greens - at least a little bit! Besides a few fake wreaths and the poinsettia swags, we use only live greens. It's some work, but it really takes your holiday decorating a step up! But it doesn't have to be a lot of work. It can be as simple as cutting two short branches, twisting a twist-tie around the center stems, twisting on a bow, and using a thumbtack to secure it above a door. A swag in 1 minute!
Tip #4
Use any display cases you already have for holiday display. A china closet now helps decorate a room, thanks to laying a few stems of holly around or among the china, which is of course already decorative. You can do the same with curio cases or glass-front bookshelves.
But of course the main thing to remember when decorating is that it should be fun - not stressful or too much hard work. "Decking the halls" for the festivities with a light heart and smiles, more than the most elaborate trees or fancy bows, will "prepare Him room".
Hopefully you enjoyed that little tour through our retro-Victorian house this year!
Dress your little sweetie in retro fashion! For more information on where to find this just-released adorable baby dress pattern of mine, visit my other blog.
