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You are here: Home / Archives for decorating

Almost Ready to Kick Back and Relax

December 22, 2021 at 8:18 am by Claudia

It’s a simple Christmas this year. The decorations are minimal – the tree, and few little things here and there. I’ve never been one to decorate our bedroom or anywhere else in the house except the living room area, anyway.

I like it this way.

We went to the grocery store yesterday and stocked up. We always get a vegetarian ‘holiday roast,’ aka veggie turkey, and we were worried they’d soon run out. And we found ourselves wondering if, given the current Covid numbers, we’d start ordering groceries again. The jury is still out on that, but it’s definitely a consideration. This morning, I have to drive Don to the eye specialist for his shot. After that, we’re in for the holidays. No errands. We’re going to kick back and relax.

I’ve ordered a few little gifts for Don online. The guitar is his big gift, but he has to have some things under the tree, right? I did it all through Amazon because time is a big factor and the last thing I want right now is to be out in the stores.

Sadly, there will be no white Christmas here this year. Ah, well.

I’m still napping in the afternoon and falling asleep in the evening while watching TV with Don. I keep thinking I should be back to normal now, but the six weeks on the film were something that I cannot adequately describe. They would have been hard for me at the age of 25, let alone 69. So I guess I just have to accept that and let my body tell me when it’s all caught up.

Okay. I have to go and make our second cup of coffee and then head out to the Don’s doctor.

Stay safe.

Happy Wednesday.

 

Filed Under: Christmas, decorating, Don 26 Comments

Reindeer & Putz

December 13, 2019 at 10:53 am by Claudia

My visit to two different antique shops yesterday was disappointing. One, which is one of my favorites, didn’t have what I wanted. This shop has recently opened a new ‘warehouse’ so I stopped there, as well. SO disappointing! Yes, it’s a huge warehouse, but except for a couple of booths, it’s pretty junky. Like walking into Goodwill or the Salvation Army (at least the ones around here) but arranged with a bit more style. Sigh.

Anyway, I returned home feeling as if I’d wasted three hours. My reaction to all of this seemed to be a bit too strong and sure enough, come the evening, I started to feel under the weather. So that might explain it. Today, I’m also feeling crappy, but I’m not ‘have to stay in bed crappy.’ Hopefully, this will fade away quickly.

These are my vintage celluloid deer that I found several years ago and rediscovered when I pulled out the bins in the shed to decorate the real Christmas tree. I really love them. I’m guessing they were hung from a tree at one point.

I was rearranging the putz sheep yesterday and looked a bit more closely at this one:

Do you remember my saying that this girl had everything; the bow, the cloth/wool ears, the bell?

Well, she also has Germany stamped on her leg. She’s got it all, that girl!

I did stop at Michael’s yesterday and added this little picket fence to the scene on my shelf.

It’s a gray day today but I’ll try to take a photo of the entire scene as it is…so far. Because you know I’m going to putz a bit with my putz sheep.

Happy Friday.

 

Filed Under: Christmas, decorating, putz sheep, vintage 24 Comments

A Little Shopping Trip with Don

December 9, 2019 at 11:28 am by Claudia

An all-day-long rainy day. Gray skies, lots of snow on the ground, and rain make for a dreary landscape. I have lots of stuff to do today, so I’ll be settling in at my desk upstairs with Christmas music playing in the background.

I got an unexpected job offer from Hartford Stage for January and February of next year. Just 5 days work spread over several weeks, but it’s on a new production of Jane Eyre, directed by Elizabeth Williamson, who I’ve worked with before and who is an Associate Artistic Director there. I’ll be the dialect coach. It’s always good to know you have some work coming up in the new year.

Don and I took a little trip to the Clinton Shops yesterday. I wanted him to see a vintage camera that I thought he’d like – though I had no idea of the price – and I wanted to see those darned putz sheep again.

While I was there, the owner came up to me and said she follows me on Instagram and that she loved our stories of our trip to Paris. I’ve spoken to her before. Her name is Nina. We had a lovely conversation and while we were talking, her husband stopped by, so all four of us chatted for quite a while. It’s a lovely little shop.

Don looked at several vintage cameras which were modestly priced and he thought about them and thought about them some more. I looked at putz sheep and I thought about them and thought about them some more.

He bought the camera – a Kodak from the 30s, called the Jiffy Kodak. The minute you look at it, you’ll see why I fell for it.

Hello, Art Deco styling! It’s in good condition and I’m happy to say Don bought it. We’re going to put a shelf up above his desk that can hold some of his other cameras – all of them vintage.

As for the sheep…I held one, then another, I looked at their coats and their faces (and the price.) I put them down and walked away and chatted with the owner. Then I went back. I was especially drawn to two of them, no more than 2 ½ inches high. One had an adorable head tilt. The other had big eyes and a fluffy coat. Both of them had pink collars, so they’re girls.

I couldn’t decide between them. So they both came home with me.

Some of these photos were taken late in the day, so I had to position the sheep on my laptop under my reading light.

A little blurry, but you can see the big eyes on this girl.

Head tilt. It reminded me of the way our dogs would tilt their heads when I used a certain inflection while speaking to them.

Most Putz sheep were made in Germany. The name is derived from the German – I’ve seen the definition as ‘put’ or ‘putter around’ as in ‘putz around the house,’ and as ‘decorate.’ Entire villages were made out of animals and houses – a Christmas tradition in Germany and, later, in the Moravian communities in Pennsylvania. They come in several sizes. The two above are on the petite side. The sheep I bought the other day is larger. The Lamb with the Party Hat, which is the symbol of my blog, is very small. Sometimes, you see “Germany” on the collar or on a leg. I have a couple that have the word Germany on the collar.

Putz houses also had their origin in Germany, but once a certain size of electric light bulb became available, cardboard houses with holes in the back for a light started to be made in Japan. They were inexpensive, pennies apiece. And they were also manufactured here, as seen in the house I bought the other day.

I found one yesterday that I bought for two reasons: it was the least expensive, and it had a design I’d not seen before.

The scalloped edge reminds me a bit of a castle, but the house itself reminds me of California stucco homes. I’ve never seen this design before as most putz houses are more traditional in style.

I have no mantle. The top of the piano is already occupied. So I put them on the McCoy pieces I have in the den:

Germans and German-Americans used to create villages, complete with tree branches and various items found outdoors. Eventually, as the Christmas tree became popular, they would often place the villages at the base of the tree. Once the houses became more popular, glitter and snow were added.

The putz sheep were a part of these displays and they were also used in Nativity scenes.

I could put the houses underneath our tree, but I’m afraid Don will forget they’re there and step on them!

I’ve got 10 putz sheep now and I’m going to rearrange them later today. I’m crazy about them.

Happy Monday.

Filed Under: camera, Christmas, decorating, putz houses, putz sheep, vintage 26 Comments

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Welcome!

Welcome!

I live in a little cottage in the country with my husband. It's a sweet place, sheltered by old trees and surrounded by gardens. The inside is full of the things we love. I love to write, I love my camera, I love creating, I love gardening. My decorating style is eclectic; full of vintage and a bit of whimsy.

I've worked in the theater for more years than I can count. I'm currently a voice, speech, dialect and text coach freelancing on Broadway, off Broadway, and in regional theater.

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