And the winner is...

Breaking the tie for this giveaway/contest was tough! And all of the entries were great! After thinking long and hard about it, I would like to introduce you to, drum roll please...



That's right! Trusty Old Twisty now has an identity, thanks to the winner: Heather Dutton! [applause] Heather, please email or message me with your contact info, and your tea towel choice!

Thank you again to ALL who participated! Your suggestions were very thoughtful and perfect!

12 DIYs of Christmas: Handmade Rubber Stamps

"On the third DIY of Christmas...": Here's one way of making homemade rubber stamps (with handles)--to give as gifts or use for gift wrap, cards, linens, you name it--from Liz Stanley's Say Yes to Hoboken blog.

12 DIYs of Christmas: Paint Chip Geometric Christmas Tree

For Day 2, here's a fun, modern Christmas décor idea (and a space-saver!) from The Red Thread's Lisa Tilse: a geometric Christmas tree made from paint chips (free!) that you display on your wall. Very cool! And the paper ornaments hung with Washi tape are a nice touch!

Pattern of Holiday Sweets...Sweet!

This week's Spoonflower contest theme is "Sweets", and the only 'rule' is that the design be a scatter print. The pattern I am entering in the contest appears below. You can view the pattern in yardage here. If you like my design, you can vote for it, and all your favorite sweets, here. Thank you!

12 DIYs of Christmas: Sequin Pinecone Ornament

For the next 12 days I'll be posting some holiday DIY projects as part of a "12 DIYs of Christmas" series. Here's the project for Day 1: a pinecone ornament made with only four things: styrofoam eggs, sewing pins, large sequins, and yarn. You can find the complete instructions on Katie's Skunkboy blog here.

Christmas Decorations & Ornaments from Vintage Catalogs

While down-and-out last week with the heebie jeebies, I had a little bit of time to scroll through some of the pins I've made on my Pinterest boards. I have lots of Christmas catalog pins on my Showcase board, so I thought I would do a holiday-themed post of vintage Christmas décor from old catalogs. I just can't believe the intricate details in the illustrations done for the very early trade catalogs. The decorations from the 1940s, '50s, and '60s are more my style, but I am so drawn to the earlier items, too. So beautiful! Here are some of my finds... Enjoy!


1934 French catalog


1936 German trade catalog; beautiful package illustrations! (see more here)


1936 German trade catalog; organized so neatly! (see more here)


1936 German trade catalog; look at the composition--it's mesmerizing! (see more here)


1940 Sears Christmas Book


1947 Sears Christmas Book


1947 Sears Christmas Book; love the illustration of the Bubble Lite!


1952 Sears Christmas Book; neato little graphic in the center


1956 Sears Christmas Book; the smoky shiny effect is so pretty...and look at that garland of glass beads!


1956 Sears Christmas Book


1958 Sears Christmas Book cover


1958 Sears Christmas Book; look at that Candy Tree, and the Candy Church looks like it's covered in Meltaway mints...mmmmm...


1958 Sears Christmas Book; cool bottle brush tree (only $3.97!), but things are starting to get plastic...


1958 Sears Christmas Book


1958 Sears Christmas Book; note the fluffy, pink, flocked trees


1958 Sears Christmas Book


1966 Penneys Christmas Catalog


1968 Montgomery Ward Christmas Catalog; at first I thought $2.88 was kind of expensive for those plastic snow globes, but looking closer I see that's the price for a set of six!


1968 Montgomery Ward Christmas Catalog; those "Italian Petal" lights were popular into the '80s


1969 Sears Christmas Book; not very fond of the faux stained glass decal, but hurray for the blow molds!

For more Christmas catalog images, check out Wishbook on Flickr.

Holiday Gift Tags

So sorry for the week of no blog entries. I was down and out for three days with a 24-hour bug that has turned into an annoying congested cold. All of those coffee-fueled late nights finally caught up with me!

Here's my entry in this week's Spoonflower contest for Holiday Gift Tags. Using fabric or decals, you can make six individual tags, or three double-sided tags that are folded in the center and then sewn or stuck together. If you like them, you can vote for them, and all your favorites, here. Thank you!

Quick reminder: If you haven't yet participated in my current giveaway, check out all the info here. Contest ends in just a few days!