Q-tip Christmas!

I love Christmas!

I love vintage magazines!

So what could be better than vintage Christmas magazines!

I've really been enjoying these copies of Better Homes and Gardens Christmas Ideas from the 1950's and 1960's , that I found on eBay.

I've tried my hand at a few of the fun package decorations and toppers and I'm dying to try some of the craft projects in these issues. Actually, most of them! One of the things I love about them is that the majority of them are made of recycled and house hold items. Tin cans, paper tubes, used flash bulbs and cotton swabs seem to be a few of the favored supplies. After all, who wouldn't want a lovely holiday wall hanging, depicting Christmas carolers, made out of Q-tips?

There is something so fun about "retro" Christmas decorations. Maybe, since I remember a lot of this stuff from my childhood.

Although, I was a child in the 1970's and early 1980's, my parents and, of course, grandparents had plenty of leftovers from the '50's and '60's. My little sister and I loved looking at Grandma and Grandpa's Christmas Tree ornaments and coffee table decorations at the Holidays. We loved the dish full of ribbon candy too! My grandmother was a talented lady and the whole neighborhood anticipated the annual display of her beautiful, life size nativity set that she had painted herself. Unfortunately, a fire in the mid '90's damaged her lovely Nativity set and destroyed those delightful old Christmas ornaments. A few, short years later her life was taken by cancer and so, my Grandfather hired someone to repaint the Nativity scene figures, but somehow it is not the same.

I remember making craft projects similar to the ones in these magazines, with my Grandmother when I was a little girl. My sister and I would go to Grandma and Grandpa's house while my parents went Christmas shopping. Grandma would have all the supplies ready to go when we arrived. I specifically remember making "shelf sitter" Santas from toilet paper tubes and felt. After we were done with our creations, we might go to Kentucky Fried Chicken , where my sister and I loved to get our dinners in those red and white striped boxes! After dinner, we'd eat popcorn and apples and watch my Grandpa's favorite show, Lawrence Welk, on television. Ahhh, the good old days!

I think I'll go look for some toilet paper tubes and Q-tips!