This year, I am going to learn to like Chirstmas....

I hate to be a drag on all humanity and goodwill but I so happen to hate Chirstmas. I hate the colors red and green. I hate the corny commercialization of it all. I even hate Santa Claus. Since I have a child this year (Spencer the dog), I am going to give my best effort to learn to like Chirstmas. The catch is that I must do Chirstmas my way the way I like it. This means that all of the decorations have to be gaudy, strange, and vintage and gifts have to be flippin' sweet, hip, and one-of-a-kind. Nobody is getting a sweater or bath set this year. Chances are strong that I still will not enjoy all of the sentimental bullshit others enjoy during the holidays but at the very least, maybe this year I will be able to put on a happy face and act like I like this stupid fucking holiday for the sake of the ones I love.

Today, I hit up the Crowded Closet for some cute Christmas decorations and came home with a few things. Well, some are not exactly Christmas-y but it is the best I can do without gagging. Will wants us to get a Christmas tree this year and I am begging for one of those wacky retro tinsel ones. Maybe a blue one!!!!!!

I figure, if I start the fake enthusiasm early on in the holiday season, I may be able to fool myself and actually start to like it! We will just have to see how this turns out as time goes on.

$2 Dollar Mushroom Rug

Dang universe, you must have read my mind yesterday cause this rug I found at the Crowded Closet is to die for perfect and only $2 bucks! May my collection of ugly shag rugs ever expand. Amen!

Retro Mugs

Inspired by Style File's blog entry on retro mugs, I went on a search to find some retro mugs for myself. I scoured the thrift shops high and low and you can guess where I found the coolest of the cool mug...... At the Crowded Closet, of course!

Here are the mugs featured on Style Files:

And here is my bad ass horoscope mug from the Crowded Closet. It says on the bottom that it was hand painted in Japan so it has to be pretty old, I would say. I love it and I must find more!

My Musical Strawberry Shortcake Mirror

I scored big time the other day with this adorable musical Strawberry Shortcake Mirror in perfect condition. On the back, it says it was made in 1981, and the music box still works perfectly. And best of all, it was only 50 cents at the Crowded Closet!

Cake Toppers in Nature

Today, some friends and I went to Hickory Hill Park to take some nature photos.  Seeing as I had just taken a trip to the Crowded Closet and found some amazing little cake toppers for 25 cents, I felt the need to encorporate them into nature.  Hell, anyone can take  nature photos, but cake toppers in nature?  This is much more my style!!!

The Cutest Knit Elephant There Ever Was!

My heart melted when I saw this adorable knit elephant at the Crowded Closet in Iowa City over the weekend. I especially love the colors the knitter chose for his blanket and the amazing little tassels tufted onto the sides. Sometimes, its the handmade things you find at the thrift store that strike your fancy the most as is the case with the knit elephant!

My Friends Are Lucky Charms

Gotta love treasure trolls. I myself had a decent collection of them as a kid and actually got to take them to BINGO on Wednesday nights with my mom and grandma in the basement of St. John's Catholic church. When we arrived, all of the old ladies were chatty as they arranged their good luck charms and bingo dobbers strategically in front of their many cards. I got my own card too!

Once the announcer started to call the numbers, any noise I made would result in glares from hell from old ladies and "Shhhhhh." Oh the agony for an 8 year old! If I won, I would get very shy and tug at my mom's sleeve to get her attention so she could shout "BINGO!" for me. During speed BINGO sessions, those little old ladies would play 10 cards at a time, frantically dobbing and searching for numbers. At this point, my mom would take pity on me and send me off with 50 cents to go get a candy bar. I keep looking back at these times of going to BINGO with my mom and grandma and wondering if they were good times or bad ones?

In any case, I found these treasure trolls at the Crowded Closet in Iowa City, Iowa the other day and felt many fond memories towards these homely little things. Are they soo ugly that they are cute?

Easter Done Cheap

Sometimes, I really wish I had children, or at least someone to celebrate the cheesy part of holidays with. Easter is no exception! I would totally be snatching up these beauties from the special Easter aisle at the Crowded Closet in Iowa City, Iowa.

Look at the cute plastic rabbit tray- it looks like a painting from a 1960's coloring book! I would have a Easter party with jelly beans stowed away in the ears, and neon colored marshmallow Peeps in the rabbit's basket. Oh, and I would totally make those delicious chocolate and coconut bird's nests treats too!

In my fantasies, I would be the super kitch mom from the 1960's running around with an apron cooking and dying Easter eggs for the big family Easter Egg Hunt. Oh, a girl can wish, can't she?