Nostalgic Christmas Decor

Well, it's that time of year again. My creativity goes into overdrive at Christmastime, and decorating the tree and the home delivers unending design opportunities. You really can't pin me down to one style for Christmas, because I rarely commit to the same one twice. I have equal love for rustic, elegant, whimsical, kitschy, and Old World. I have created new tree ornaments every year for a good 20 years. Some I've kept, some I've donated, but most are easy to break down and re-purpose.  

About the only Christmas items that make encore appearances are antique/vintage decor like Shiny Brites, bottle brush trees, kitsch, etc., for tabletop display, and of course, costly items like lights and faux greenery to accessorize. So needless to say, anytime I spot old Christmas decor items at the thrift stores, it comes home with me. Friends and family know to not give me anything decor-oriented, unless it's vintage components to create one-of-a-kind nostalgic, and sometimes quirky, pieces. Once the glue gun is warmed up, and the Christmas craft boxes are opened, anything goes.

I'm currently surrounded by glass glitter, glass balls, plastic kitsch, faux greenery, candy canes, and all things nostalgic. I truly enjoy creating tabletop items, whether whimsical or serious, and here are a few I've created today. All of these are easy peasy and can be disassembled to create something new.

Faux tabletop tree in antique coffee can, 

with glass glittered balls, 

and Spanish moss tucked in.

Plastic kitschy tree in milkglass compote,

with chartreuse glass balls, giant rickrack, 

and glass glitter star

These mini Santa mugs are dime-a-dozen, 

so kitsching them up is the best way to 

make them more unique. 

I found these candle rings years ago, and hadn't found

the perfect spot for them until now. 

They're just the right size on top of Santa's head, 

so I glue-gunned them down, 

and fit 5 candy canes inside the ring perfectly.

I love how they look in a group, 

but would be adorable separately as table markers

or place card holders.

The funnest part of creating is to just experiment 

and layer anything in front of you. 

You just never know what will work until you try.

I'd better go for now. 

The glue gun is waiting.

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@MagiaMiaEtsy

Link Up:

Just because it's small doesn't mean it's easier to Paint

Wow, it's been awhile. I've been busy painting, among other things. Remember this:

Well look at her now........

This was incredibly labor-intensive, due to my perfectionist 
need to paint almost every nook and cranny.

The only areas not painted 

are the bottom of the chest, 

and the backs of each drawer.

I used 2 of my favorite Annie Sloan

chalk paint colors - Provence blue and Versailles.

I thought they'd marry well to the bright

retro gold drawer lining.

So many details on this piece,

to paint, sand, and wax.

I even painted the tiny pulls. Oy.

I finished off the details with hints of gold wax, 
just to highlight the contours.

I painted 2 small accent tables in the time

it took me to paint this piece.


I really love how this turned out,
and I've listed it in my Etsy shop.

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@MagiaMiaEtsy

Wicked Wishes!

Photo Courtesy Warner Bros


Double Double Toil and Trouble
Fire Burn and Cauldron Bubble
Something Wicked This Way Comes!


Wishing you a Witchy and Ghostly All Hallows' Eve!

Lucy, you got some paintin' to do....

Some goodies I've acquired recently, 

and I will be waving my magic paint brush

 over all of them with a little chalk paint. 

How stinkin' cute is this? 

It's a jewelry chest, 

and looks very much like those

large retro consoles all the

hep cats have right now.

Not sure how I wanna paint this.

It might be cute if I only paint the outside,

leaving the wood bare on the inside.

I do like that you can hang it,

stand it on a tabletop,

or lay it flat for tiny supplies.

Charming bones on this beautiful

Old World primitive magazine holder.

I think it would double nicely

for storing kindling.

Oh the color possibilities are endless.

What to do, what to do.......

Join me on Saturday, November 19th, 

at the Plucky Maidens show,

to see how these lovelies turned out!

Buried Under Stars

I've been M.I.A. as of late, but I have a good excuse. My one-woman atelier has been very busy with a custom order of 30 Christmas tree ornaments.

While 30 ornaments may not seem like much,

I am a stickler for details.

I first began selling this burlap star design 

a couple years ago on Etsy. 

I had a box of antique ink pen nibs 

that I hadn't yet found a use for.

Once I combined them with old bingo cards and burlap,

there was no stopping me.

Finishing touches of German glass glittered stars,

Lametta silver tinsel, and just the right gunmetal chain,

make for a perfect mix of rustic elegance 

and Steampunk industrial

The glass glitter and Lametta tinsel 

will both tarnish over time,

bringing harmony to all the components.

This is a newer version, 

using a Dresden star with an Amber rhinestone,

making this less rustic, and more Steampunk.

Never satisfied with just one design, as I get bored easily,

I created a version of this map design last year.

This time, I stamped the direction letters,

making it look more like a compass rose.

The backing star is decoupaged in

wrinkled tissue paper, giving it the look

of Old World leather or parchment.

My newest design for this custom order 

is the use of old dictionary paper.

At a glance, this collection of stars may look like simple crafting, with some cutting and gluing. While that's technically true, these are surprisingly labor-intensive, with lots of cutting, adhering pen nibs one at a time, 3 different types of glue, 3 different layers of alcohol ink, attaching connector tags and chains, lots of varnish, etcetera, etcetera.......

While I am happy with these creations, 

I can safely say that.......

I was not built for mass-production.

I am an Idea girl, 

and my hands cannot keep up with 

the daily inspiration swirling in my head!

Join Me on Instagram

@MagiaMiaEtsy

Linking To:

In Memoriam

We've become so accustomed to technology, 

that few take the time to 

appreciate and acknowledge 

the genius that conceived a new idea. 

To witness a Leonardo da Vinci in our lifetime

 is a rare gift.

To the Creative ones, 

the Inventors, 

the Nonconformists, 

the Visionaries, 

the Pioneers..

You Inspire Me.

RIP Steve Jobs.....Gone too soon.

Halloween Homage

This may sound blasphemous to all the Christmas lovers out there, but Autumn and Halloween are my favorite season and holiday. Perhaps part of the reason is that I live in Oregon, where our Fall scenery is so conducive to the blustery day, mystical mood of the season. I'm not saying I don't enjoy the Christmas season, but October holds a special magic for me. Time for scary movies, changing leaves, foggy mornings, Halloween candy, and costume parties. What's not to love? 

Every year, in honor of my love for Halloween, I hand-paint a bowl for display or to hold Trick-or-Treat candy. This year I decided to go with an understated look for 

my favorite day of the year.

This was one of those vintage salad bowls made in Japan. 

Blonde wood, with an uniremarkable grain.

It had some stains inside, and no amount of sanding

would remove it. So I had no choice but to paint the inside,

then glaze in several layers to color-match

the outside, and to add faux wood grain throughout, 

for more visual interest.

I painted a large 31 inside, with smaller numerals around the outside rim. I alternated 3's and 1's, so that you can read them as 31's or 13's, just to play with superstition.

 Definitely a sophisticated bit of whimsy for 

my Halloween fix.

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@MagiaMiaEtsy