Things I Didn’t Buy 62

I thought the gingerbread man on the cover of this book was adorable.

I liked this Handyman’s Book cover. So wholesome.

This Little Readers’ book cover was pretty cute.

I liked this tying book’s simple cover.

And I liked the geometric nature of this truck book.

Yarn Tassel Wrapping Decoration

Instead of using a bow, I used yarn to create tassels to wrap around a gift. I just looked up how to make a tassel online and followed the directions.

The main change I made was the yarn that is tied at the top of the tassel is quite long in order to wrap around the gift.

I also made two of these tassels. I wrapped these yarn tassels around the gift and then tied the ends together (and then tied the excess yarn in the back and cut any excess yarn).

I thought it was pretty cute and warm looking. And it’s a good way to use up leftover yarn.

Things I Didn’t Buy 61

I liked this Enpee apple label.

But I found this Don’t Worry apples label to be rather creepy.

And here are more produce labels.

Vintage Pincushion

My grandma gave me this vintage pincushion that she had for 70 years. The cushion itself is pretty cute and has a nice design on the front. I like the different pins in the cushion—they’re so interesting. My favorite is the elephant one.

Things I Didn’t Buy 60

Foot High Melons label. [Pause.] To me, it’s odd seeing a sexy lady selling melons. I can’t imagine going into a supermarket today and seeing a label like it…there would probably be some complaints.

Here are some more produce labels.

Thrifted for $3.97

I bought a few things at a pay-by-pound thrift shop. The glassware came to $0.86 and the clothing came to $3.11. First up, these cute Asian teacups.

Next up, what looks to be cups for sugar and milk for serving tea. Truthfully, I’m not sure if I’ll use these—but I bought them anyway.

I liked this Jones New York sleeveless sweater. I thought the pattern and colors were interesting. The only downside is that it’s probably a little too big for me.

I also got this pink polyester shirt that to me feels like it’s from the 1970s. I noticed after buying it there were a couple tiny stains that I’ll have to see if I can get out.

Finally, I got this vintage grass green dress that is also is too big (there’s too much room in the bodice area). I’m not crazy about the color and I don’t know if I will wear or even keep this dress. But it was so interesting. Simple, but I really liked the design detail on the sleeves.

Things I Didn’t Buy 59

This Challenger vegetable label was simple and graphic.

And this Broken Drum label amused me with the “Can’t be beat” type on the drum.

Here are some more produce labels.

How-to Avoid Christmas before Christmas

As I’ve said before, I like Christmas day just fine—it’s the weeks leading up to Christmas that I so dislike. I hate the hustle and bustle. I hate the noise. I hate the pressure. I hate the consumerism. [Pause.] Christmas does not bring out the best in me. So in order to minimize the reminders of Christmas that I’m surrounded by on a daily basis, I basically try to hibernate as much as possible. This is what I do (or rather don’t do).

Avoid going to nonessential stores
Is there any place that I need to go to besides the supermarket? The answer is almost always no. I admit, last week I went to a nonessential store because I had $10 free to spend there (so I got a peeler for a grand total of $0.19…score!). The store already had an array of utterly unnecessary Christmas paraphernalia that I couldn’t help but roll my eyes at. I just hate seeing Christmas crap that is two steps away from being in a landfill (yes, I’m talking to you ugly Christmas tree mug stuffed with hot chocolate for $14.99. No thank you.). 

Avoid going anywhere during peak hours
Too many people=unpleasant experience. I don’t want to be anywhere near a mall during the weekend because the traffic is particularly terrible. And I certainly don’t want to be inside a store when it’s busier and has longer checkout lines. I want to be in and out of a store as quickly as possible. And while I can’t control when everyone else shops, I can control when I go shopping.

Avoid watching TV
When I was a kid, people actually watched TV and commercials were unavoidable. Now with all of the streaming services available, it’s easier to avoid commercials altogether…which is nice. Or you could just watch less TV. Because watching TV commercials for Christmas anything is just awful. Show someone how much you love them by buying them THIS! Of course, once the shiny newness of that present wears off, it’s going in the closet (just like all the other stuff you don’t use) to be forgotten until you do a massive cleaning and donate it to a thrift store. [Sigh.]

So far this holiday season, I think I’ve done a fairly good job of avoiding being overloaded by Christmas. But things have only begun—Black Friday is just around the corner. And I still have another five weeks to go…

Things I Didn’t Buy 58

I loved this Carbolisalve tin. Soooo pretty.

I believe these are milk tops for bottled milk. Very cute.

I thought this carving block was interesting. I believe it’s for pressing a design onto Asian sweets.

Vintage straw packaging. I like it…except for the clown.

I liked the simplicity of this fairy tale book cover.

Things I Didn’t Buy 57

I thought this Camel pear label was interesting.

And more fruit labels.

Things I Didn’t Buy 56

I really liked this Koffeekit box.

And this menthol tin is super cute.

I liked the fun drawings on this container.

I also liked this graphic vintage mini-switch motor box.

Finally, a Chinese tea tin that was pretty nice.