Author Archives: Nicole Christensen

It’s Christmas! There’s so much joy packed into just a few short weeks! I adore cheerful holiday displays – especially  antique, vintage (or vintage-inspired) decorations. This year, I’m dreaming of a “retro” Christmas! Play some Bing Crosby, and deck the halls – vintage farmgirl style!

There’s serious collectors of vintage Christmas this-and-that, but I just choose what speaks to me. Each year, I add a little something different to our Christmas decor, trying now to incorporate more of the vintage style I love so much (giving me an excuse to go junk-tiquing with my gal-pals). Decorations from Christmas past have so much more charm than their contemporary counterparts, don’t you think? I especially love anything adorned with Santa! I’ve been counting down the days to Christmas with a tin Santa Advent Calendar I picked up at a tag sale this summer. (It was torture waiting for December so I could put him up)! Not convinced he’s that old (perhaps 90’s vintage), his ol’fashioned smiling Santa face makes me happy.

Of course, my little Santa blow mold greets me in the kitchen…

Also softly lighting the night is my kitschy, glittery cardboard Putz church with bottle brush trees (that was offered for free! on a tag sale – LOVE IT)!

Christmas figurines were the rage in decades past, especially during the 1950s and 1960s. Companies like Lefton (started by George Lefton in 1941), and Napco (started in 1938 and located in Bedford, Ohio), specialized in porcelain from Japan. My husband surprised me with this little Napco couple from the mid-fifties. The figurines are actually salt-n-pepper shakers, only a few inches tall, and sit on hall table as opposed to a dining table. To collectors, they have “spaghetti trim”. Aren’t they sweet?

Also from the same era, this little angel holds a tealight.

Popular now (again), are ceramic light up trees just bursting with 1970s nostalgia.

Ceramic trees like this look amazing lit up!

One of the most amazing Christmas displays I’ve ever seen is this giant Santa Claus, once used in advertising, now seen climbing a ladder in front of a local house. Jackie Stakel says her Santa is around eighty years old! She’s the third generation to display the Santa, made of hand painted wood. Jackie’s grandfather started a paper product company in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania that created the first foil baking cups. Her grandfather did business with various advertising companies, one of which gifted him with the enormous jolly Santa. This is Jackie’s first year to display Santa, who has been handed down from her grandfather to her father to Jackie. “I’m so glad so many people like my Santa”, she says. He certainly makes my family smile whenever we pass by.

I started a thread a few weeks ago on the MaryJanesFarm Farmgirl Connection, asking which decorations were everyone’s favorite, most-special holiday decorations. The answers were all different; it was interesting to see what each person holds dear. One of my most special decorations is the first to come out for display after Thanksgiving. Made from vintage greeting cards, my hand-sewn paper card baskets were a gift from MaryJane and Meg, and featured in the December2012/January 2013 issue of MaryJanesFarm (with instructions on how to make them). The baskets are so lovely and delicate. I love how Christmas lights reflect their soft colors.

Speaking of cards, my favorite illustrations feature Ellen Clapsaddle’s drawings. While I don’t have any original cards, I love items adorned with her work. My little wooden piece with its reproduction of an old Ellen Clapsaddle Christmas card, came from TJ Maxx one year, and I have seen similar pieces there each season.

I still hand-sign, hand-address and mail out “real” Christmas cards each year, sadly a disappearing tradition. I so enjoy sending and receiving cards. They look so cute displayed in a old soda-pop crate. There’s so many ways to re-purpose those crates, and the pop of red blends great with holiday decor.

I love incorporating pieces that aren’t necessarily “holiday”. My porch greets visitors with cheer using my daughter’s first pair of skates, an old, antique railroad lantern (lit at night with a battery-powered tea light), and a washtub filled with evergreens.

An old red train case looks festive tied with a vintage hankie, opened to display a collage of old family photos of Christmas from generations past.

White milk glass “pops” when mixed with festive colors of red and green!

Production of Little Golden Books began in 1942 as an economical, easy way for children to read, and didn’t break parents’ piggy banks at only 25 cents! After only five months, debut sales soared to 1.5 million books sold! When my daughter was born, I wanted to share with her the cherished titles I remembered as a child. Now that she’s a teenager, I enjoy seeing them displayed as a nod to Christmas past (and yes, that’s a real corn cob pipe by Frosty)!

I love to sew. Comfy handmade pillows in vintage prints make for a cozy corner.

Collectors love antique ornaments like those made by Shiny-Brite. While these aren’t Shiny-Brite, they’ve weathered with age. They were actually inexpensive and new when my husband and I bought them for our first tree in 1992. A plus to getting older – our things become “vintage”!

 No “retro” Christmas would be complete without some fun, festive drink ware! A dear friend gave me four vintage glasses last year after I admired hers, then I found four more at an antique shop. I love the  “Merry Christmas” on one side, and “Happy New Year” on the other.  I like their smaller size and use them for everything from seltzer to juice to iced tea. The little tray they sit on was a gift from an elderly couple at a church my husband and I attended as newlyweds our first Christmas away from all of our family. I can’t remember their names after 23 years, but I always remember their kindness each year I pull out the little tray. When friends visit, various retro stirrers keep guests from mixing up their glasses.

 Christmas nowadays can be hurried and stressed with today’s lifestyle. Maybe that’s why I prefer vintage decorations, all sweet and jolly. From simpler times, they are a reminder to slow down, relishing in the wonder and joy this season brings.

What is your most favorite or special decorations, and why? Stop by the comments section and say hi!

Until Next Time…Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, and Farmgirl Hugs! ~Nicole

My Farmgirl Sisterhood Chapter, “CT Simpler Life Sisters” have been together as a group since 2010. Every year, we try to vary the activities we do, but each Christmas, we keep to our tradition, started that first holiday season together. I have the privilege of hostessing our Annual Christmas party – and it is this sisterhood chapter gathering that we really look forward to all year long.

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Happy Thanksgiving! Are you ready? Y’all know how much I love to cook and how much I adore holidays! My kitchen’s the hub of my home, and I decorate it for each season. However, there’s one thing in my kitchen that’s always been a constant, that will get more use at Thanksgiving than any other item. Treasured, it’s something I’ll someday give to my daughter for her kitchen. Can you guess what it is? This post also marks my sixth year anniversary as the Suburban Farmgirl Blogger (my first post was Thanksgiving, 2010), so to celebrate I have an adorable giveaway for one lucky reader!

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When fall arrives in New England, I love to make comfort food like chicken pot pie, treats like apple and pumpkin pie, and to start baking holiday cookies in November. Lots of love goes into the rolling of dough! With all the baking we farmgirls do, have you ever considered the rolling pin and its place in history? Once a staple in every kitchen, rolling pins are no longer the most-used everyday item in a kitchen. With our modern, busy lives and store shelves stocked with frozen pie crusts and ready made cookie dough, a rolling pin might not even be found in a kitchen today! That’s not the case, however, in one Connecticut home, where rolling pins are a passion.

Redding, Connecticut resident Ellen Visnyei has been collecting rolling pins for thirty years. Currently, she has amassed around 75 rolling pins, considering them works of art that come with stories all their own.

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I’ve always loved fall and Halloween, but it’s an extra-special time in the New England hamlet we call home: on Halloween there’s mobs of goblins who trick-or-treat along our historic Main Street. Others trick-or-treat along neighborhood streets as friends greet each other, and everyone delights in seeing the kids’ costumes. Each October, we look forward to seeing pumpkins on porches, corn stalks on railings, and eating pumpkin ice cream at the local creamery before it closes for the season. There’s another very special tradition in our town that folks look forward to, happening each year around Halloween – it’s the                 Annual Scarecrow Project!

The creations are made by eighth graders at our local middle school. Each year, groups of three or four kids meet once after school, then design and submit plans for their scarecrow. They are then given a few weeks to take their designs from paper to larger-than-life creations that grace the front lawn of the school. Everyone looks forward to the week before Halloween, when the scarecrows go on display along the busy tree-lined street. An extracurricular activity, my daughter was thrilled to be an eighth grader this year because it meant she could finally participate after admiring the displays each year since she was small.

There’s no gore, guts, or violence allowed, and ideas must be approved before the students go forward with their entries. The creations must be sturdy enough to “withstand the wrath of Mother Nature”. You never know what the kids will dream up – from classics like haunted houses or the Peanuts gang, to pop culture characters and everything in between. The town buzzes with excitement to see the scarecrows standing in the schoolyard.

A twist on classic monsters – these characters are taking a selfie!

Here’s a VERY large LEGO man!

This scarecrow’s a larger than life blast from the past! The figure in the back is a likeness of Kanye West.

This year’s creations didn’t disappoint – from Alice in Wonderland and the Cheshire Cat, to more modern references like “Monsters, Inc”., one thing they have in common is that they are all impressive!

A spot-on “Monsters Inc”…

Don’t ya just adore the face on this Cheshire cat?

And here’s Alice!

Originally the brainchild of former middle school teacher and current Board of Education member, John Vouros, this year marks the tradition’s eighteenth year. On average, close to one-hundred students choose to participate in the event. The single meeting is held at school in early September. The rest of the work is done independently with their group members off-site, until the Friday in October before Halloween when students and their families install the scarecrow on the school’s front lawn.

This was made in honor of the Peanuts’ 65th anniversary.

My daughter’s group created a rendition of the Headless Horseman, complete with battery-operated lights that glow when it gets dark. For several weeks the kids got together to work on the project; seeing their dedication and design come to life made us parents so proud.

Around eight feet tall, the kids had to go back to the drawing board several times to bring their vision of the horseman in silhouette of the moon to life.

Each creation is assigned a number. Visitors to the display can vote for their favorite scarecrow for $1.00 a vote. Kids who participate in the event must volunteer time manning the voting table (along with a few parent chaperones). It’s nice to see the kids working together, admiring and complimenting each others’ work. The money collected is used as prize money, presented to the winning team’s charity of choice. Last year, over $1100 was raised and given to charity, with this year’s numbers projected to be about the same. Usually, the students choose local charities like the local food bank, but often charities on a national level are selected, as well. The whole event fosters a true sense of community.

Here’s a beautiful Queen of Hearts…

and a Lorax that would make Dr. Seuss himself proud!

Better watch the weather!

M&M’s, anyone? Photo Courtesy Leigh Ann Coles

The vision, creativity and genius use of materials for all of the scarecrows is really inspiring. It’s recommended that students stick to a budget of no more than $25 total for supplies.

A re-purposed dollhouse becomes a haunted home.

A rainbow fish uses plates as scales and a tarp for water, while Tigger stands in the background.

Wal-E looks like he walked right off the movie set!

Photo Courtesy Leigh Ann Coles

Some scarecrows are more like “scenes”, like this pop-up book. Photo courtesy Leigh Ann Coles

For the contestants, there’s a lot of work involved, but it’s so worth it. Students master skills needed to work with a group, use their imagination and dedication to see a project evolve from start to finish, manage time, and be responsible to meet deadlines. Most of all, it is a fun activity that benefits a good cause while bringing people together.

The smiles of visitors to the display are contagious, and the hard work that all of the kids who participate in the contest is illustrated in each and every entry. It’s a tradition everyone from town looks forward to. It really doesn’t matter who “wins” – they are all winners!

Aren’t these eighth-graders creations really something? Give a shout out to them in the comments, below!

Until Next Time…Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole

I’ve always loved fall and Halloween, but it’s an extra-special time in the New England hamlet we call home: on Halloween there’s mobs of goblins who trick-or-treat along our historic Main Street. Others trick-or-treat along neighborhood streets as friends greet each other, and everyone delights in seeing the kids’ costumes. Each October, we look forward to seeing pumpkins on porches, corn stalks on railings, and eating pumpkin ice cream at the local creamery before it closes for the season. There’s another very special tradition in our town that folks look forward to, happening each year around Halloween – it’s the                 Annual Scarecrow Project!

The creations are made by eighth graders at our local middle school. Each year, groups of three or four kids meet once after school, then design and submit plans for their scarecrow. They are then given a few weeks to take their designs from paper to larger-than-life creations that grace the front lawn of the school. Everyone looks forward to the week before Halloween, when the scarecrows go on display along the busy tree-lined street. An extracurricular activity, my daughter was thrilled to be an eighth grader this year because it meant she could finally participate after admiring the displays each year since she was small.

There’s no gore, guts, or violence allowed, and ideas must be approved before the students go forward with their entries. The creations must be sturdy enough to “withstand the wrath of Mother Nature”. You never know what the kids will dream up – from classics like haunted houses or the Peanuts gang, to pop culture characters and everything in between. The town buzzes with excitement to see the scarecrows standing in the schoolyard.

A twist on classic monsters – these characters are taking a selfie!

Here’s a VERY large LEGO man!

This scarecrow’s a larger than life blast from the past! The figure in the back is a likeness of Kanye West.

This year’s creations didn’t disappoint – from Alice in Wonderland and the Cheshire Cat, to more modern references like “Monsters, Inc”., one thing they have in common is that they are all impressive!

A spot-on “Monsters Inc”…

Don’t ya just adore the face on this Cheshire cat?

And here’s Alice!

Originally the brainchild of former middle school teacher and current Board of Education member, John Vouros, this year marks the tradition’s eighteenth year. On average, close to one-hundred students choose to participate in the event. The single meeting is held at school in early September. The rest of the work is done independently with their group members off-site, until the Friday in October before Halloween when students and their families install the scarecrow on the school’s front lawn.

This was made in honor of the Peanuts’ 65th anniversary.

My daughter’s group created a rendition of the Headless Horseman, complete with battery-operated lights that glow when it gets dark. For several weeks the kids got together to work on the project; seeing their dedication and design come to life made us parents so proud.

Around eight feet tall, the kids had to go back to the drawing board several times to bring their vision of the horseman in silhouette of the moon to life.

Each creation is assigned a number. Visitors to the display can vote for their favorite scarecrow for $1.00 a vote. Kids who participate in the event must volunteer time manning the voting table (along with a few parent chaperones). It’s nice to see the kids working together, admiring and complimenting each others’ work. The money collected is used as prize money, presented to the winning team’s charity of choice. Last year, over $1100 was raised and given to charity, with this year’s numbers projected to be about the same. Usually, the students choose local charities like the local food bank, but often charities on a national level are selected, as well. The whole event fosters a true sense of community.

Here’s a beautiful Queen of Hearts…

and a Lorax that would make Dr. Seuss himself proud!

Better watch the weather!

M&M’s, anyone? Photo Courtesy Leigh Ann Coles

The vision, creativity and genius use of materials for all of the scarecrows is really inspiring. It’s recommended that students stick to a budget of no more than $25 total for supplies.

A re-purposed dollhouse becomes a haunted home.

A rainbow fish uses plates as scales and a tarp for water, while Tigger stands in the background.

Wal-E looks like he walked right off the movie set!

Photo Courtesy Leigh Ann Coles

Some scarecrows are more like “scenes”, like this pop-up book. Photo courtesy Leigh Ann Coles

For the contestants, there’s a lot of work involved, but it’s so worth it. Students master skills needed to work with a group, use their imagination and dedication to see a project evolve from start to finish, manage time, and be responsible to meet deadlines. Most of all, it is a fun activity that benefits a good cause while bringing people together.

The smiles of visitors to the display are contagious, and the hard work that all of the kids who participate in the contest is illustrated in each and every entry. It’s a tradition everyone from town looks forward to. It really doesn’t matter who “wins” – they are all winners!

Aren’t these eighth-graders creations really something? Give a shout out to them in the comments, below!

Until Next Time…Farmgirl Hugs, Nicole

Do you remember your first “wheels”? Before my first car (an old beat up thing, that even as a “vintage” car was the ugliest automobile I’ve ever seen), I still remember the excitement of a new bicycle.

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Y’all  know I love a county fair! Last year, my friend Andrea and I took our kids and headed up to the Big E, New England’s biggest fair, and the fifth largest agricultural fair in the nation. (If you haven’t heard of it before, check out last year’s blog post from my first-ever fun visit at http://www.farmgirlbloggers.com/3708#more-3708). This year, Andrea and I decided to go together again, making plans similar to last year. However, things doesn’t always go as planned…

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Y’all  know I love a county fair! Last year, my friend Andrea and I took our kids and headed up to the Big E, New England’s biggest fair, and the fifth largest agricultural fair in the nation. (If you haven’t heard of it before, check out last year’s blog post from my first-ever fun visit at http://www.farmgirlbloggers.com/3708#more-3708). This year, Andrea and I decided to go together again, making plans similar to last year. However, things doesn’t always go as planned…

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When I was a child, my parents and teachers first sparked my lifelong interest in history, especially American history. I’ve always hoped my daughter would share that passion. My family and I have visited some amazing historical places all over the world, but the road trip we took recently to visit the home of Franklin D. Roosevelt and to our nation’s first US presidential library in Hyde Park, New York, is one of the most interesting and memorable places we’ve ever been.

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