The Vignettes in Review 2012: July-December

Since I usually do a review or recap post of my holiday vignettes, I am limiting this review to non-seasonal vignettes.

I added a thrifted globe and a vintage "Light of the World" print in this post.

The Vignettes in Review 2012: January - June

I posted my 2012 flower garden review on December 26th.  My garden posts were my most viewed posts in 2012.  At least they were until November and December, when a few of my Christmas crafts and vignettes went over very big!

Rather than review the Christmas posts that I just recapped earlier this month, I am posting a vignette review.  I have been blogging a little over a year now and many of these early vignettes were below everybody's radar. 

Victorian ladies vignette in a sewing drawer was one of my first vignettes to go over 500 pageviews.

If you would like to view this post, click here.

Back Thrifting After Christmas Break

I am in acquisition mode after Christmas.  

I will admit that I may be the only one in blogland actively seeking more stuff.  Almost all of the after Christmas posts have been about resolutions, and organizing, and purging, but me I am gearing up for a new year of blogging.  I need stuff.  Props.  New "old items" to use in new vignettes.  It's what my blog is all about, organizing clutter!

So here are a few recently acquired items that you will undoubtedly see in the coming year on "Organized Clutter":

This vintage Santa planter is unmarked but I found some like him on Etsy for sale.  I think he was made in Japan.  He probably won't be seen again until next November.  $3.

My Top Flower/Junk Garden Posts of 2012

Baby, it's cold outside! Below zero. No better time to blog about my favorite time of year, summer.  My top flower and junk garden posts of 2012 are as follows:

My Front Yard Flower Border was one of the most viewed flower posts.  If you want to see the entire post again, click here.

Scandinavians, Winter, and Minnesota

I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas!  

Here in northern Minnesota, there is still a long winter ahead of us.  The older I get, the less I like the snow and cold.  I always wonder what possessed my ancestors to settle here in northern Minnesota.  

When many of them immigrated in the late 1800's, the winters had to be even more brutal without snowplows, central heating, and heated automobiles.

The Minnesota DNR has compiled this climate data on Minnesota:

Climate

Average annual precipitation - Average Annual Precipitation Map
Northwest: 19 inches/year
Southeast: 34 inches/year

Average annual snowfall - Average Annual Snowfall Map
Northeast: 70 inches/year
Southwest: 35 inches/year

Latest spring freeze - Median Frost Date Table
April 29 - metro area
May 27 - far north

Earliest fall freeze - Median Frost Date Table
October 5 - metro area
September 16 - far north

Average temperature
Spring - Average Spring Temperature Map
36 F north
44 F south

Summer - Average Summer Temperature Map
60 F north
70 F south

Fall - Average Fall Temperature Map
38 F north
46 F south

Winter - Average Winter Temperature Map
6 F north
16 F south

Warmest temperature on record - Minnesota and United States Climate Extremes
114 F - Beardsley (July 29, 1917)
114 F - Moorhead (July 6, 1936)

Coldest temperature on record - Minnesota and United States Climate Extremes
-60 F near Tower (February 2, 1996)

(Reviewed 2008)

I sometimes reason that my ancestors were from Norway, and it's cold there too, but the climate in Norway is much milder according to about.com:

And according to a blurb from a  7/26/1886 NY Times article, the 1885 Minnesota census listed 184,948 residents as born in either Norway, Sweden or Denmark, and another 160,000 born of Scandinavian parents.  That was roughly 1/3 of the Minnesota's population.

My Dad's family are of Norwegian descent.

Below are vintage family photos of my Norwegian ancestors, enjoying?, enduring?, or maybe just making the best of a Minnesota winter:

Great Grandpa 

Merry Christmas

I wish you a Merry Christmas,  

and a Happy New Year!

Looking forward to thrifting, decorating, crafting, DIY, flower gardening, and  collecting in 2013 with my friends in blogland!

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Vintage Christmas Treasures

I wish I had more vintage Christmas decorations.  

I have shared my vintage angel collection, my tea cups and saucers, my salt and pepper shakers, and my Santa mugs in previous posts.

Today I am sharing a few more of my favorites.

This little white angel figurine/bust was purchased thrifting and was made in Japan.  She's sitting in faux snow but it could be clouds. 

Don't you love the eyelashes?  My favorite head vases have those eyelashes too.  Speaking of head vases...

Also made in Japan, from Napcoware, a little Christmas head vase with a fur and poinsettia trimmed hat.

She's my only Christmas head vase.  They are really hard to find at a reasonable price.

A pair of white leather fur trimmed baby shoes that were mine.  (That's vintage 1956)

Love them.

And last but not least, my Grandma's song book from the early 1900's.  A collection of 101 best songs, hymns, and carols.  Copyright 1925.

Enjoying a day off photographing my collectibles!

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Joining Dru and Cindy for Country Whites Weekend.  

Summer and Winter

The older I get, the less I enjoy the snow and cold weather in northern Minnesota.  

The snow cover this winter is really beautiful as it sticks to the tree branches. This is an Acer Maple variety on our front boulevard,

and a spruce tree by our deck.

This is the view of our back yard.   There is maybe a foot of snow.

It seems that there are a lot of gray days with little sunshine in the winter. Tomorrow will be our shortest day of the year, with sunrise 8:03 and sunset at 4:20.

Everything is snow covered and dormant.

This is my funnel on a broom handle in winter...

Remember it last summer with red lantana?


The whiskey barrel and water pumps in winter...

And in summer.

The re-purposed futon ends in winter...

 And in summer.

The fairy garden in winter...

 And in the summer.

Garden junk in winter...

And in summer.

The weathered gray chair in winter...

And in summer.  

The potting bench in winter...

And in summer.

Lots of snow and winter to go before flower gardening!  

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Joining Dru and Cindy for Country Whites Weekend.

Christmas Tour 2012 and Recap

First there was Christmas crafting...

the torn book page tree in a terra cotta pot,  (I think my book page tree got the most pageviews of any of my Christmas posts)

the jute webbing candle pouch,

the framed button snowman and tree,

the blog inspired star snowman,

the yardstick tree,  (this was also a follower favorite)

my Dollar Tree styrofoam snowballs,

the $5 gold cherub figurine,

that was dry brushed with creamy white paint, 

the folded book Christmas craft,

and the bottle brush trees that were bleached and glittered.  These were my crafting highlights of the Christmas season.


Now on to the tour...

 First stop, the Christmas pew,  (this post was very popular)

and the front doorstep display.

Once inside, the bathroom has my spray painted snow village on display on the long vanity.

Vintage look snow babies in the den...

A prim angel and pillows on the spare bed in the den,

 and a prim snowman on the den's built-in countertop.

There are my vintage toys, and

a black wood basket with a vintage Christmas feel.

More prim and vintage decor on the built-in shelves and cabinets in the den.

Also in the den, the snow shoe shelf decorated in a bird theme.

In the laundry room, just one little vignette in Wm Adams Old Winter Scenes tea cups.

The kitchen has gingerbread vignette over the sink.

A shadow box with vintage mugs, figurines and salt and pepper shakers.

A country Christmas kitchen corner vignette with an old vintage radio.

A creamy white and gold vignette on the wash stand in the living room.

My vintage Christmas angel collection I display in my desk hutch.

The coffee table vignette.

The funnel tree (this was a hit for me too,

along with the red bicycle wheel card holder)

I added a wool stocking to the mantel, for my youngest daughter.

The Nativity set with the re-painted cherub.

A Christmas suitcase vignette.

Some kitschy vintage.

And the tree.

Thanks for visiting this Christmas season.  I hope I have inspired you.

Have a very Merry Christmas!

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