Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Bling is not my thing..... usually!
If you have spent any time here
at the Polohouse....
you will agree,
bling is not my thing.
Not that I don't love it for other people
and other homes and other situations,
but come on ... I live in a barn!
but come on ... I live in a barn!
I'm just pri-tee laid back and casual.
No crystal or sparkly objects...
they don't really belong here.
I am more of a jeans, pearls,
and preppy plaid kind of a girl.
BUT..... then there IS
my little addiction to Putz.
I
love
it!
Glittery and sparkly vintage sweetness
collides with architectural cardboardiness ---
my new word. Just made it up.
:)
collides with architectural cardboardiness ---
my new word. Just made it up.
:)
It's all about PUTZ.
You know it,
but maybe
You know it,
but maybe
you didn't "know" it!
So what IS Putz?
Wikipedia says:
A Christmas village (or putz) is a decorative, miniature-scale village
often set up during the Christmas season. These villages are rooted in
the elaborate Christmas traditions of the Pennsylvania Dutch.
Mass-produced cardboard Christmas villages
became popular in the United States during the early and mid-20th century.
In the 1920's, dime stores and catalogs sold small
cardboard Christmas houses. In 1928, the houses were then
decorated with "snow" made of mica, translucent windows, and lights.
There are various types of Putz houses from the US,
Japan, Germany, Italy and other countries
In early-colonial American Moravian homes,
the construction of a nativity scene, or putz,
at the base of a Christmas tree was very common holiday activity.
The term was derived from the German verb putzen,
which means "to clean" or "to decorate."
These nativity scenes soon became very elaborate,
and often included sawdust or fine dirt spread to represent roads
leading to the manger; stones and fresh moss to represent grottos or caves;
and sticks and branches to represent miniature trees.
These details were in addition to the carved wooden figures
that represented the Holy Family, animals, shepherds,
If you remember... my roots are in Pennsylvania
and I grew up seeing these little houses and churches
but it wasn't until I started selling antiques for a living
that I really got the bug to collect them.
Aren't they the sweetest?
(I am busy trying to get my house decorated for the holidays
and will show you my collection of these little cuties once they are in place.
I started this blog last February and missed the whole experience of seeing
all of your holiday decor last year! Let me tell you.... I am beyond excited to
see how all of you decorate your homes and cabins and cottages and castles!!! )
So tell me,
do you collect vintage
Putz mica pieces too?
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Wall Sconces
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Vintage beauties from 1stdibs.com |
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worldclasslighting.com |
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Visualcomfort.com |
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Antique sconces from 1stdibs.com |
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Visualcomfort.com |
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worldclasslighting.com |
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visualcomfort.com |
Have been looking for
some sconces for my client
and there are so many to choose from.
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shopcandleabra.com |
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More antiques from 1stdibs.com |
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shopcandleabra.com |
We will need some casual ones
and some formal ones as well.
Take a peek at some of
the options that are out there,
both new and old.
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aidangrayhome.com |
Which ones would you prefer?
Remember.... the style of the home is French!
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Vintage French sconces from 1stdibs.com |
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aidangrayhome.com |
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visualcomfort.com |
Lots of pretty options,
wouldn't you agree?
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
A Thankful Thanksgiving
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Will you be home for the holiday? |
This year we are staying put
and won't be traveling to see family
in far away states, unfortunately.
It will just be the four of us, nice and quiet.
I am so thankful this year
for so many things.
But oddly enough,
we are trying something different this year.
We are not having
the traditional Thanksgiving feast
with the turkey, stuffing, potatoes,
cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie
that most of you will be sharing.
Say WHAT?
Nope.
We decided to make this year's meal
a themed one....
and since none of us are
particularly fond of turkey.
We are having a
"Thankful Thanksgiving".
By that, I mean that I have agreed
to make (or buy) something
that each of us would LOVE to eat,
a dish that we love,
our ultimate favorites ---
food we are most
"thankful"
for!
So here is our Thankful Menu:
Lasagna
(completely homemade from an local Italian Deli in town)
Mac and Cheese
Stuffed Green Peppers w/Mashed Potatoes
Pesto and Goat Cheese Pasta Shells
Chopped Salad
and Texas Hot Cocoa Cake
I know some of you
are probably
gasping right about now!
We will have lots of leftovers
and everyone is extremely happy about this plan,
and I am very, very thankful about that!
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So I will be busy at my not-so-easy bake oven all day today preparing things! (Cute little nightstand turned child's stove from Pinterest. :) |
Hope this finds you
enjoying your holiday preparations today,
and may your Thanksgiving feast
be a most enjoyable one tomorrow.
I am thankful that you are my friend
and that you came by today.
Warm wishes to you and yours~
Alison
P.S. Is there anything on your menu
that is not a traditional Thanksgiving dish?
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Tom, The Inspirational!
Earlier this week,
I was a little bit hard on
Old Tom Turkey.
I said he wasn't one of
the "most attractive" animals
on this planet.
Sorry Tom!
Please don't pout.
So to make it up to you ....
I wanted to share
how your feathered image has
inspired others
(via Pinterest)
to make
these great treats and decorations
for the holiday upon us.
Check these out:


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Chocolate turkeys? My new favorite version! |
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Gobble gobble! |
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Here's one way to get your little ones to eat healthy! |
And now....
some shopping links
for those of you who mentioned
you might like to add a
vintage transferware turkey platter
like mine
to your entertaining serving pieces.
Here are just a few
of the many available out there online!
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Buy this old guy HERE |
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Buy this! Link Here |
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Or buy this one HERE |
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Or this one HERE! |
Have fun getting ready for
the great American feast
on Thursday.
Are you hosting?
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