Festive Tut

Like so many other people this year our Christmas was quite different from other years, but I have to say I quite liked it. For the first time in years, other than seeing Iris and Bertie for a couple of hours on the big day in our three household bubble, for once we didn’t feel the usual pressure of spending time travelling to other places seeing other people during the rest of the holiday, so we really chilled.  However, as I said last week I didn’t feel quite so chilled when it came to putting all festive paraphernalia away when it was all over.

But I digress, to make Christmas Day last longer, Lu and decided not to open our presents until around seven o’clock, after our Christmas meal, a new tradition, I think, that is set to stay ……

……….. and we didn’t go mad on expensive stuff, instead we each filled a pillow case with charity shop tut and inexpensive bits and pieces that would make each other laugh and bring back memories, things that in turn we would use or add to the fun bits on our shelves or perhaps even return (when they are open again) to a new charity shop!

When Lu was little she loved the Care Bears, her face when she saw this mug (it was in new condition with the paper label still on the bottom) was priceless and now being lovingly used, finding the little dingle dangle in the same shop, at a different time, was just the icing on the Care Bear Cake. The same mug currently has a bid of £9.99 on eBay, I am keeping a watchful eye.

Lu also had an awful lot of baby Garfield’s when she was little, she was never without one or another, again she adored this perfect condition Garfield (£1.99 from Oxfam) all I added was the ribbon. The talking Lucy (Peanuts/Snoopy) toy cost me 10p and, I have since found out, was a 2015 McDonalds promotional toy. This is definitely now on Lucy’s shelf in her lockdown/working from home office/spare bedroom as her namesake. 

Lu in turn found me this set of bottled Christmas tree lights from the Compton Hospice shop in Wolverhampton, too late to put up this year, but I have a feeling that if Bertie clocks his little eyes on them, I’d better be careful not to lose them for next Christmas, as he is obsessed by little bottles.  

With having  to work from home and Wolverhampton being in Tier 3 before Christmas getting to a charity shop was hard for Lu, however, Flying Tiger was a most excellent source for inexpensive bits and bobs. The Christmas pickle (above) had me howling and then thinking, let’s just say I have already ordered several packs of little bottles from The Works as I am already planning on making tiny bottles with labels containing  equally tiny Fimo pickles along the same idea, sooooooo funny!

Also from Flying Tiger a Christmas planner, with my pickle jar idea already entered, along with a couple more mini bottle ideas and some dusting slippers as I am always obsessing about the state of my wooden floor!

On eBay she found this Diamond Art kit, to make up for our not being able to go to Greece last year (now rebooked for May 2021, but I am not so sure we’ll even be able to go then!) She said the frame cost more than the actual kit, it made me laugh, I’m not sure where it’s going yet, but most probably in my craft/spare bedroom, when I get it sorted.  I do love a bit of religious kitsch.

And a couple of other surprise and much loved/appreciated gifts …….  from my cousin Chris, goodness only knows where she found it, but the complete DVD set of the House of Elliott, my all time guilty pleasure.  There are 36 episodes, and I am already about half way through ……… pure bliss, but poor poor Jack! From my sister in law, nine tubs of Kruger Chai Latte, it’s generally all I drink now, I am seriously addicted.  This little lot will probably last me about two months then I will order some more from Amazon via Germany, as I have only found it once in the UK.

I also did a sack of tut each for Marc and Rick, but I seem to have been very remiss in not taking any pictures of some of the treasures they unwrapped on Christmas morning, including an totally over the top, multi frilled, Widow Twankeyesque type, floral apron that was soooooo Marc it was unbelievable, a skeleton print peg bag, a vintage My Little Pony Mug, tea lights and wax melts and pink Smarties. I have already started collecting for this year (above) starting with this metal work Brighton Pavilion, which will be perfect in their cottage garden, with perhaps some sort of small trailing plant inside. (£1.25 Salvation Army, Evesham)

Marc asked me what I would like for Christmas and I told him a box of Thorntons Viennese Truffles, another guilty pleasure of mine, sadly, they were all sold out, the only way Marc could get any was by buying this Luxury Christmas Hamper instead ……. what is he like?  Let’s just say, it’s not been a struggle to work my way through its many delights …… the gingerbread fudge was a particularly gorgeous and the wicker hamper it all came in is so big that I fully intend on using it when I next stay with Marc, whenever that might be ………

Happy days and hopefully (although it’s looking pretty doubtful for the next few months) happy charity shop hunting for more treasure for coming birthdays and Christmas …….. fingers, toes and vaccines crossed.