Holiday Preview...Christmas Characters From Vintage Tins!

Recent Tins.

Found at Flea-ology...a local Vintage Fleamarket.

I recently posted the picture of some tins I found at Flea-ology, which is held at my good friend Paula's home in Payson, Utah.  Paula blogs at Pollyanna Reinvents and is my favorite vendor at Treasures Antiques in Springville.  The moment I saw these, I knew they would become new additions to my collection of holiday characters made from vintage tins.  I have just finished a couple of these characters and can't wait to share them with you.

Jack Frost...

Jack Frost...a snowman from a vintage Postum tin.

Jack is about 8" tall on a 6" oval base.

Vintage Postum Tin.

I forgot to get a picture of the tin I found.

A Bit of Postum History...

I have fond memories of Postum.  My grandparents drank it all the time and I enjoyed sipping it from a tea cup and pretending it was coffee.  Members of the Mormon faith abstain from coffee, so it was very popular in the Mountain West.  It is made from roasted wheat bran, wheat, and molasses.  Although the Postum Cereal Company stated in its ads that it didn't taste like coffee, the drink was enormously popular during World War II, when coffee was rationed.

There is a similar product in Germany, called Caro...also known in the US as Pero.  My German friend, Monika...who is also a Mormon...used to invite me over for "Coffee" every Wednesday.  She brought out her nicest tea set and baked a traditional German dessert.  I must have downed gallons of Caro during my three years overseas.  I still miss it...especially the "instant crystals."

Kraft discontinued production of Postum in 2007.  Eliza's Quest Food, licensed the trademark in 2012 and sold it online.  Since 2013, it has been available in a limited number of stores...primarily in Utah and other Mountain States.

Side View.

Jack's head is paper clay...his arms are measuring spoons.

Back View.

I thought it would be fun to put Jack in a snowy scene.

Dri-Shu Santa...

Cute Santa made from a Dri-Shu tin.

Dri-Shu protects Santa's boots from Snow and Sleet.

Santa is about 6" tall.

His head is a vintage Santa ornament.

I used wooden half-eggs for his boots and trimmed them with chenille.

Tin for a tummy...no bowl full of jelly!

His hands are some kind of electrical doo-hickeys.

I bought a big bag of them for $1 at a vintage yard sale.

Side and Back View.

Santa's Winter Scene.

Give Thanks...

Thanksgiving scene with old spice tin.

I have a bunch of turkey and pilgrim candles.

I haven't made a lot of Thanksgiving crafts...my house is decorated for Christmas before Thanksgiving so my Idaho Falls grand kids can see my Christmas decorations when they come for dinner. I do decorate the tables for Thanksgiving.

I am thankful for so many things...I need to express those thanks more fully.

I am so thankful for this blog and those who read it.

Thank you!

Falling into Halloween...2015 Edition!

Greetings!

I am so happy to see that many of my fellow bloggers are starting to decorate for Halloween.  Some them seem a bit apologetic about it.  I am (almost) never sorry about decorating early.  I had to physically restrain myself from dragging out the tubs before September 1.  The colors of fall make me so happy...when the pops of orange and black start appearing in stores I get downright giddy. Some stores are so slow...Target, you know who I'm talking about...that I want to break into their stock rooms and pull out those boxes!  Don't just put the candy out...I need more!

I have finally finished most of my decorating.  I am a creature of habit about my displays, so I apologize in advance if you've seen them before.

Family Room...

Fireplace Mantel.

Added Bats!

Added new vintage tin characters .

Black and White Halloween "Village."

My Circus...My Monkey!

My Favorite Old Mill. 

Family Room Hutch.

Last year I framed some of my vintage Luhrs die cuts.

Kitchen...

Kitchen Door Wreath.

Kitchen table.

Pumpkin place mats from Dollar Tree.

This tree has many things made by blogging friends!

Everything, and the kitchen sink!

Pirate Corner.

My kitchen has pirates all year round.

A few additions for Halloween.

Knick-knack shelves near kitchen.

Mostly cute fall birds and animals.

Fall Fairy Garden in front.

Entry and Living Room...

Hall table display with old favorites. 

Living room table display...featuring growing "Jack" collection.

New small black tree from Hobby Lobby.

Use the 40% off coupon.

There are pink ones I might snag later on clearance...Easter!

Flea Market Finds...

$15 for this fun Bugs Bunny costume...mid to late 50's.

I was thrilled to find it...I haven't found much vintage Halloween anywhere.

All the costume pieces are there...even the mask elastic!

I am so in love with the box graphics!

Such a fun detail.

I remember these stickers from my childhood.

New Old Character Tins

Tune in again to see what they become!

In my next post I will share what I made with an old Postum tin.

Can't wait to see how ya'll fall into Halloween!

Halloweenies...Jacks Are Wild!

Wouldn't you love to find this old game?

Jacks Are Wild!

My favorite Halloween symbols are Jack O' Lanterns and Black Cats.  I have so much fun creating the folk arty pumpkin heads out of paper clay...I use Das brand.  As I began digging through my holiday totes I realized that I have created a whole patch of grinning pumpkin head figures over the years.  Today I put the finishing touches on my newest Jack and can't wait to share him with you.  I am including two or three past Jacks as well.  It's fun to be inspired by old tins.

Magic Jack!

He is about 15 inches tall.

Painted a dollar store party hat...embellished with wooden stars and moon.

My sister Patti found this unique tin for me at Treasures Antiques in Springville.

I love the colors...dark navy and sweet potato.

The base is a child's pie tin

What makes this tin special is that the product was made here in Salt Lake City...

and is good for polishing bowling alleys...lol!

Jacks From Days Gone By... 

Bobble Jack on a bed spring...2012

I used a  small round paper mache box lid as a base for the head to be attached.

Shadow Box Jack...2013

Half-round heads are easy to make.

Sir Rolly Jack...I posted him last month.

I did find him a pipe...in the snowman accessories at Hobby Lobby.

Black Cat Jar...

Paper Clay cat head on an empty maple syrup jar.

His features are a little wobbly...folk art, right?

The label is one of my favorite trick-or-treat sack images.

I printed it on sticker paper...so I don't get glue on the glass.

The candy corn filling is intended to be decorative rather than edible.

Back to working on the front porch!

PS...I found two great spice tins on my travels.  I am including the images for you.

The best cinnamon tin I've come across...from Treasures.

Cool Ben-Hur tin...from pal Paula's booth at Treasures