Holiday Stocking Stuffers

It's that time of year again. It's the season of indulging in holiday meals (hello, mashed potatoes!), sharing gifts with loved ones, attending holiday parties, and enjoying quality time with friends and family. When it comes to holiday gifts, that old saying that the best gifts come in small packages rings true. I love stylish accessories, beauty products, and jewelry as stocking stuffers because they allow the recipient to add a special finishing touch to their look. Whether it's a furry pom pom bag charm, a personalized pendant, or an animal print scarf, there are endless gifts that exude personality and charm (like this cute cat mug for $20) without draining your wallet. Below are ten of my favorite stocking stuffers under $130 plus other options under $35.
Holiday 2015 Stocking Stuffers gift ideas, holiday 2015 gift guide under $150
1. Smashbox 'step by step' contour kit, $45
2. Toms 'Dalston' 52mm sunglasses, $78
3. Wool blend beanie, $12.99
4. Kate Spade initial pendant locket necklace, $68
5. Faux fur pom pom charm, $15
6. Bow sequin pouch, $9.99
7. Artemis ear crawlers, $50
8. Animal print scarf, $6.99
9. UGG suede gloves, $79.99
10. Fit Bit activity and sleep tracker, $129.95
More ideas under $35:
$28.00
$20.00
$24.00
$25.00
$8.00
$10.00

THE SUITCASE

One day a long time and some homes ago I found an old suitcase in the trash. One person's trash is another one's treasure indeed -  I would never throw away such a fine suitcase with so many memories on it, but for some it had probably been taking up closet space for too long a time. 

The suitcase was covered in old travel stickers. You don't see that anymore!

I've kept it in our livingroom; it has had magazines and chords in it but for the moment it has no other function than to look nice. Dag ripped some of the stickers off when he was smaller, but many are still left.

I wonder who it was that once traveled to these places and took this suitcase along?

COTTON CANDY KNIT AND A BEADED TURBAN

The other day I received a gift in the mail from Danish vintage store Style me Betty!
And you know I love gifts, or well, who wouldn't. I mean really, who?

I got a vintage dead stock knitted top.

Which I wore right away.
It requires a cardigan to go along for now but come sunshine and warmth again it will be very happy outside on its own.  It made me think o cotton candy; it's color and knit pattern.

 And, the parcel also contained a beautiful white beaded 1930's turban.
That I decided to use for a fan dance number of mine, and here's a shot of that from a small and very red backstage.

THE OLD REMINGTON

My grandfather brought me an old typewriter her had found while cleaning their garage. It had been in his father's office back in the days.

This one had been long hidden and forgotten, but I remember typing on my parent's yellow typewriter when I was little. And how my mom wrote long Christmas letters on it. Knack knack knack pling.  Later my mom got an electric typewriter. A machine which seems totally redundant now. Oh man, the days before everyone had computers... Tipp Ex and stuff.

I need to clean this one up a little bit, and once we eventually get the study in the countryhouse cleaned up a lot and put into use it will be placed there to, well, you know, hang around and look good.

BE SEATED!

I got myself a set of old movie theatre chairs.

As I've only ever lived in flats and apartments before (or, a townhouse when at home with my parents) I never really was able to buy interesting furniture unless absolutely neede; not being able to have them lying around waiting for the right moment and right place. Or sure, I've stuffed a vintage make up table in the hallway of my old studio apartement and squeezed in a chair here and a lamp there, but with a few square meters there has always been practical limitations. And some sense from my behalf too. But the countryhouse can take in a lot, and already has from former generations! (I mean who needs three big cupboards in one room? Btw that will change, soon.)

So, I saw these old movie theatre seats for sale in an online antique store and had to get them just because, well - how often are you able to buy old movie seats? Not sure what their exact duty and placement will be; if not for when we get a tv they  might find their way to the porch we're about to re-build. As they are not only fun but practical; they take up small space with the seats folded up.

If interested there are still some seats for sale at Lundagård.

A COUPLE OF COMBS

Eddi's aunt brought me a couple of decorative vintage combs she had found in one of the endless stashes at the farm. They apparently had belonged to some of her aunts.

Big combs like this makes a pretty hair do prettier but also works well for keeping a ten second swirl firmly in place.

FROM BASKET TO BAMBI

 When Dag first arrived (you know, nice and neatly, bought by the stork. Haha) he slept in my father's old baby basket from the early fifties.

 Some time ago he outgrew it and we had to move him to a bigger crib.



Which also is my father's old one; the bambi bed that had been waiting for new babies in the woodshed  on the island.

It's the Bambi-bed because it has a bambi painted on it.

 It has some pink rabbit and crazy-happy squirrles on it too.
Funny thing is I was browsing an online vintage store and they happened to have this exact same bed!
I almost wanted it just because, but it was sold already.

Lil' mister minding his own business. 

 I got the black wooden cat at a flea market last spring.

Good night!

...for some of you out there. Not over here! This little fella will start shouting and craving for boob in 3, 2...

ENAMEL AND BLUE HUES

We took a trip to the big antiques store nearby the country house.

I brought home a bunch of enamel bowls and plates for the kitchen.

Funny how I consider the antique store to be "nearby" since it's about half an hours drive away, when while being in the city a destination that is half an hour away is a totally different thing. That's kind of far away already...

You may recall me going on abotu how I love enamel items!



I remember we always had lots of enamel plates at our summerhouse like this, as old as the house itself, and we sat at the rocks by the sea and washed potatoes in them.

 
There were some cups in the same style at home from before waiting for their new bowl cousins already.

I also got a bunch of porcelain plates in different blue patterns. I picked up a few with the thought to use them under flower pots but they turned out into quite the big pile and look good together so I might actually use them for table settings instead.

Alright who am I kidding. I never do any special pretty themed setting or so. These will end up as flower plates anyway.
But then again, who knows.

 I actually like it with  thr edges a little chipped!

Well, now that I brought these piles over here to join the rest of the items on the old stove it's time to tuck them away elsewhere for a while as we are finally going to renovate the kitchen! The carpenter is coming next week already. Wooh! And stress! And wooh!

NEW OLD LAMP

We got a vintage lamp from Eddi's cousing that they didn't need, but goes perfectly well with our wallpaper. I love the floor lamp we used to have by our bed before, but it was getting a bit crowded with the crib in the bedroom too, so letting go of the old lamp to get more floor space cleared up the room nicely. I'm taking the floor lamp to the countryhouse instead - the house is so big there will always be a corner for it somewhere to stand in...

Someone had done something strange at some point to this lamp though; it did not have a switch but had to be plugged in and out, and the chords had been modified and attached in a weird way. I took it to an electrician who fixed it with proper old school switches too for a very decent price. It's really worth getting your old electrical equipment checked and updated by someone who knows what he or she is doing; this applies to other than just lamps too of course!

IN THE WOODSHED

As most often with summer houses and cottages, there is a woodshed at our premises in the archipelago. Full of saved-for-later items, tools and junk. I hadn't been up there in a while but decided pop by.



The foremost reason being to check out this: my father's old bed and Dag's future one. With painted birdies and bambies on it, from the early fifties. It's hanging in the ceiling, hence the odd angle.



Another thing hanging in the ceiling (or, alright, on the wall) is my dad's old cruiser. I was drooling about it in my early twenties but there it still hangs.



I wonder how this nice piece of furniture ended up a shabby work table? (Would require too much effort to ever get it out of there and cleaned up so just as the bike I'll leave this one alone. And of course it's not like I can go around just collecting stuff for myself just like that either...)



I can't believe I hadn't thought of it before, to try and find something nice from the shed. Behind some junk just next to the door I found old metal perfume ad sheets! My great-grandfather imported 4711 a long time ago. This one, cleaned,  is now in our bathroom in the countryhouse.



And some day Dag will play with this little (or, pretty big, depending on how you see it) wooden truck! Just like his grandfather did a long time ago.

THE SURPRISE SUIT

You know that joyful feeling of suddenly discovering one piece in your wardrobe that you did not know exist?

OK; maybe you don't know. Maybe it's not that normal to find out you have had a vintage wool two piece suit hanging in the back of your closet for a couple of years at least!

I went to the storage closet - quite the trip I tell you, all the way trough the messy study with suitcase after suitcase of burelsque stuff waiting to be unpacked after shows. And the US suticase from last summer with one cotton dress and two tops still in it (I did not just admit that!) -to already pick up my winter jacket since I had been feeling cold and there all the wtf of a sudden the suit was, all the way in the back! It took me quite the while to go "oooh, that one!". I had completely neglected it for a couple of years.


Semi thick wool and lined, the perfect jacket for this both warm-and-chilly-at-the-same-time autumn weather.And with a warm pleated skirt too!

I think this is my grandmother's suit. It it most likely from the early seventies. But rather timeless ain't it? I remember not being too thrilled about it in the beginning as it was a little bit too big for me earlier, but, ehrm, it has magically shrunk during it's time in the closet. Amazing isn't it? And it's nothing wrong with it being a little bulky, I can fit more warm knits under it!

And, what best, it is just the same colour as my Fiona Timantti hat! Wooh!

(This reminded me of another suit I also have tucked away in the realms of my closet. But as my body has miscomprehended the fact that it is only the nose and ears that are supposed to keep on growing it might be a little too tight for me by now. That damn ass of mine just won't stop growing! Damn you, derrère.)

STUFF I GOT AT HELSINKI VINTAGE

Pardon my French but I could not come up with anything more creative in the headline up there...

A table lamp for that corner specifically as it always lacked something. (As one can see form the picture, one thing it does not lack is cats.)


A little glass surfaced pinstriped 50's flower table, one of those you could see in my Helsinki Vintage post. I originally intended to put the lamp on it but it sat better on the other little table (which is bought form the same guy earlier btw), so maybe I will use this one as a flower stand instead; that's what it is intended for in the first place. Although right now it serves as kitty stand.


And a little basket. I have quite a lot of baskets and bowls lingering around at home, that tend to fill up with just whatever but bowls and baskets are quite easy finds and that my hands tend to grab. My sister said this one would at elast be really good for when I have three apples around but it actually only fit two.


I got Eddi a pair of 60's deadstock sandals. The brand is Fredrik which is also Eddi's name! They were a little bit too big though and he was not that thrilled about them. (Yet, he'll grow in to them.)


He was however very much more thrilled over the cheerleader suit I got from Americana (which looks surprisingly good on!) but a little disappointed to hear that I do not intend to wear it around town. One might catch it on stage at some point though...

SOME THINGS I'VE COME ACROSS LATELY

You know, come across as in bought.

A bamboo tray found in an antique strore.


A mint condition bag from Pretty Damn Cute.

With a complimentary mirror inside.


And last but not least-
-a 1958 Blaupunkt radio Cabinet!
It also has a built-in but removable record player, but we haven't fixed the electricity chords to see if it works yet.


It serves as a kitsch-y liquor cabinet as well!

We found this at an antique store out of town; Fasaani.We went there only looking for "something small and absolutely no bigger furniture as it will soon get crowded at home". Now this piece was not exactly small, but we just couldn't leave it there.

Even though the piece has a few decades of tobacco smoke impregnated into it Lulu does no seem to mind. I have had to clean it quite a bit though.