Elizabeth Holcombe ~whimsies and words~

Post Holiday De-Stash

Hello, My Friends!~~~

I hope you all had a wodnerful holiday! I certainly did despite the horrid head cold I picked up on the 23rd that still raves on in my poor raw nose. But it did not stop me from indulging in my annual post-holiday de-stash and studio cupboard clean out. Between napping and blowing my nose, I managed to clean out quite a lot.

Here is the before photo of the studio cupboards (sorry for the quality as my studio is in a basement with pretty much no natural light)...

Before the clean out, I had stuff on my worktable blocking any possible use there as well as stuff on the floor. (BTW, I don't know if you can tell, but the TV is on to the news story about the polar bear cub in Denmark--super cute!)

Here is the after photos...

I don't know if you can tell the difference, but I have de-stashed a lot of goods that I don't need or have a specific use for. The bottom center shelf is for Christmas goods and the top center shelf is for spring/Easter goods.

I have placed goods in this corner (again sorry for the dark photo) that were mostly on the floor or worktable.

It feels good to clean out and make more room for more goods that may come--and they always do!~~~But if you should be looking for something to use in your crafts and you want it pretty cheap, I have listed a whole big bubnch of de-stash goods in Dime Store Chic today.

Thanks for stopping by the studio and have a great day!~~~XXOO, Beth

HO HO HO!

Hello, My Friends!~~~

Our neighborhood of 142 homes had its annual light contest, judged by several neighbors who rode around looking at all of the houses lit up in a festive glow. And we won first place!

We used homemade stockings made from wire and lights AND a showman surrounded by a flock of flamingoes (why not?). I know it's hard to see the flamingoes, but trust me they are there. And you can see the first place sign they planted in our yard. Pretty nifty!

And here is our Christmas tree at night...

Hubby took this and I thought I would share it with you.

I hope you all have the merriest and jolliest holiday AND that Santa is very VERY good to you!~~~~XXOO, Beth

Welcome To Our Whimsical Holiday Home!

Hello, My Friends!~~~

Welcome to our holiday home!

Here is the vintage madness that is our holiday decor! Let's take a closer look, c'mon!

Here is our vintage aluminum tree with a host of silly knee-hugging elves and shiny ornaments from both of my grandmothers. The honeycomb snowmen were given to me by my mother who bought them for her first Christmas tree.

As you can see, Elvis stands guard beside the aluminum tree.

The TV cabinet holds souvenirs from our travels as well as vintage bottle brush trees and Putz houses.

Mr. Air India gives up some of his usual perch to a bevvy of spun cotton/pinecone Santas, snowmen, and elves, AND one super skinny wire and bell tree.

Sweet snowmen also reside near a portrait of our dog, Sheila, lovingly painted by our neighbor's super talented mom, Sandy Phillips!

A new addition to our Christmas tree this year is this cute painted boy's tie in box with great graphics I picked up at the DC Big Flea for only $3.00!

Here is an 1883 copy of "The Night Before Christmas" once owned by my great-grandmother. My grandmother was the youngest of her 13 children.

Here is our front window with three fabulous ornament trees found at an estate sale just around the corner for only 50 cents each! So very very cool!~~~Thanks for stopping by, my friends!~~~XXOO, Beth

 

A Fun Day at George's Home

Hello, My Friends!~~~

Today, we visited Mt. Vernon, which is the home of George Washington, and found it delightfully not crowded! I've been to Mt. Vernon quite a few times, and we went with our neighbors and good friends, Jon and Caroline. During the holiday season, Mt. Vernon has a few delights that you usually don't see ither times of the year.

One being this fabulous gingerbread "Mt. Vernon" created by former and long time White Hosue pastry chef, Roland Mesnier.

I love the animals grazing on the coconut lawn!

And here is the back, which would be the side of the mansion facing the Potomac River. I met the Chef and got him to sign his fabulous dessert books, and he asked me if a snuck a piece of this creation! I wish!

Another lovely bit of Mt. Vernon is the gardens, and this boxwood knot is especially gorgeous!

So perfect!

Animals play a large role at Mt. Vernon, but during the holidayb season, there are a couple of special guests!

This camel, named Aladdin, symbolizes the camel that George Washington bought for 18 shillings to have on the estate for his family and guests to enjoy.

And speaking of a Presidential favorite animal...

Here is a special bird named Liberty...

Liberty is this year's turkey given a Presidential pardon by President Obama. He will live his turkey life at Mt. Vernon. What a happy guy! But not everyone is happy to have this big white bird on the grounds...

On our way through the farm at Mt. Vernon we spied this rooster who leapt up on the wattle fence and with one look let us know that clearly he was top bird here!~~~XXOO, Beth

 

A Williamsburg Ramble

Hello, My Friends!~~

Thanks for visiting the wreaths of Williamsburg, VA. Here is a few more photos of our lovely day in Virginia's first Colonial capital. Enjoy!

I don't know about you, but that sheep hanging from the beam doesn't look too thrilled!

Here is a lovely herb and vegetable garden on Duke of Gloucester Street, neat and tidy for upcoming winter.

Cloches all in a row.

Cold frames open to the warmish air.

A very cool wattle fence!

A view from the printshop front window.

A fine fellow taking an afternoon stroll toward the House of Burgess.

An auction for fine and useful goods, a Colonial version of Ebay!

A pretty row of bonnets.

And inside the milliners.

And the handsome mode of transportation. Thanks for stopping by!~~~XXOO, Beth

The Wreaths of Williamsburg

Hello, My Friends!~~~

One of the great joys of going to Williamsburg, VA two weeks ago to participate in the craft show there was an after lunch stroll, before setting up, down Duke of Gloucester Street. Colonial Williamsburg is wholly a vision of the past built on the foundations of original 18th century structures. The wreaths that adorn the houses and buildings are made from all natural materials that would have been available in 1700's Virginia (which was a British Colony until 1776), but not used in the context that we use them today. They are very charming none-the-less.

Lots of dried flowers and greenery.

Cotton bolls, poms, and pieces of wool rags.

Clay sheep and pieces of wheat.

A window corner decorated with a bunch of dried flowers and millet sprays.

Yarrow, moss, and oyster shells.

Eggs, leaves, and cinnamon sticks.

Dolls, straw hats, and pinecones.

Dried oranges, flowers, and more cinnamon sticks.

Corn husk dolls and clove-infused apples.

Lavnder, globe thistle, and oyster shells.

Dried flowers and okra pods representing pineapples, the Williamsburg symbol of "welcome".

Magnolia leaves and apples.

Apples in wall niches. See them?

Cotton bolls and greenery with sprays of red berries.

Wheat and more greenery, lovely against the deep red wood of the house.

Greenery, apples, and pine cones.

Apples in stirrups.

A wreath representing loyalists to British Colonial rule...

...And a wreath with papers of "treason" indicating the growing yearning of independence of the American colonies.

Thanks for taking my Williamsburg wreath tour. I hope you enjoyed it! I will post more Williamsburg photos later.~~~XXOO, Beth

 

OH MY! A Wreath Give Away!

Hello, My Friends!~~~

Head on over to Retro Rennovations and enter for a chance to win a fabulous vintage ornament wreath from Georgia Peachez!

This is an incredible give away! These delightful one-of-a-kind wreaths are $100 and up! So don't delay, enter!~~~XXOO, Beth

 

SALE SALE On ALL Christmas Pin Cushions

Hello, My Friends!~~~

I have finally dug into our holiday decorations and the house is looking festive by the hour!

I just re-listed a glittery and whimsical batch of Christmas pin cushions (which can be found on page two of Beth's Bagz etsy shop) and have given them a special holiday sale prices $14-$18 with FREE SHIPPING (USA Only)!

These are my last holiday pin cushions for 2011!

In the studio, I am now thinking about (gasp!) springtime-inspired creations. But before that, I need to decorate our Christmas tree.~~XXOO, Beth

Wreaths!

Hello, My Friends!~~~

I have made the last wreaths for the holiday season and will list them in Beth's Bagz this afternoon! I have a total of 5 wreaths for you as well as a few other vintage holiday kitschy creations! Here is a peek...

If you have a minute please stop by!~~~Also this Sunday at 6 p.m. est, my BFF Suzy will be listing more of her super amazing vintage holiday wreaths on her wonderful wreath blog! I had the honor of watching her create one of her wreaths from scratch this past weekend, and let me tell you, her craftsmanship and artistry with shiny vintage materials is astounding!~~~Thanks so much, my friends, and have a great day!~~~XXOO, Beth

 

Craft Show Wrap Up!

Hello, My Friends!~~~

As promised here are some photos of our booth at the Trinkle Hall Craft Show in lovely Williamsurg, VA this past weekend!

Here is what mine and Suzy's booth looked like first thing in the morning on the first day of the craft show. Nice a full of color. It reminds me of a Woolworths at Christmas time!

This angle is from outside the booth.

And more inside!

And more shiny!

Totes! And one of Suzy's gorgeous wreaths!

And did I say MORE shiny?!

The show was a thrill and we hope to come back in 2012! One of the highlghts for me was meeting Priscilla from Virginia Beach who has purchased goodies from Beth's Bagz and came by to say "hello!" Also Miss Cindy of Cindy is Crafty stopped by and it was a complete pleasure to meet her, a blogland pal! Sweet Cindy even gave us each a wonderful Christmas pendant made from game tiles! You may find them here! I have the one with the blonde ponytail! Thanks SO much, Cindy!

Wreaths were the hot seller and Suzy and I both wished we had brought more. Next time!~~~I will be listing more wreaths in Beth's Bagz later this week--perhaps Thursday. I'll keep you posted!~~Thanks for stopping by!

XXOO, Beth