It's Christmas Morning {Well... I manipulated the Posting Date anyway "as if"... Winks... since obviously I'll be busy Christmas Morning} I worked Christmas Eve Day since we were so busy at the Antique Mall... which is a Good thing for us Vendors! Its always satisfying to see the last minute Shoppers be able to find whatever they had been looking for and heave a Sigh of Relief as they procure the last of their Christmas Treasures in the hustle and bustle of the Closing Hours before Christmas Morn!
And I want to wish you all a very Merry Christmas from the Arizona Desert my Friends... Yes... my own decor can be quite Unorthodox because I Love the Quirky and the Oddities... and I 'Scored' some Vintage Mannequin Parts at the 'Value Village' this Weekend at a ridiculously Bargain Basement Price that made my Heart flutter like a Hummingbird! BTW: I LOVED seeing the Reality Series "Oddities" Christmas Marathon the other day... those are definitely MY kinda people... so Delightfully Addams-Family-ish and Boldly being different and True to themselves... what an Interesting Christmas Party they throw!
So... with the Value Village 'Score' the Cab of my Pickup Truck looked somewhat like a Mannequin Graveyard of tangled Vintage Body Parts or a Mannequin Mob Hit! *LOL*
Don't think that I didn't get more than a few curious glances as I was loading up my Haul!!! *LOL* But these will make Awesome Display pieces and I like that they're Perfectly Imperfect and just My Style!
I remember asking Santa for a New Body for Christmas... and so this is the next best thing, right?! *LOL* And though Onlookers at the Shop and in the Parking Lot might have found my Haul "Odd" The Bohemian Valhalla Clan is totally accustomed to seeing and Living with My Free Spirited Artsy Quirky Style... and so they barely raised an eyebrow or took a second glance at seeing the likes of Nude Headless and Armless Torsos...
A One Legged Armless Vintage Mannequin Child...
And Bald Armless Vintage Gals missing most extremeties proudly displayed all over the Livingroom and under the Tree Sunday Morning! *LOL* Because that's how I roll and they're totally used to it as my and the Household 'Norm'... As budding Free Spirited Souls and Artists themselves the G-Kid Force think its all pretty Cool and they 'Get it' and don't think Gramma is totally Wacko. *Winks* Just maybe a little kooky... *Smiles*
I cannot even tell you how Jazzed I was to Discover boxes of Mannequin Parts at that particular Thrift Store and 'Score' my Picks for a Song as other Shoppers looked on in complete Dismay at my Cart loaded up with Vintage Body Parts!!! *LOL*
I only Lament that the Saleslady told me I'd just missed out on the big box of Mannequin Hands that another Artsy lookin' Lady 'Scored' just the day before! *Damn!!! I just Imagine it was probably one of my Artist Friends though!? And I can almost Guess Who!?! LOL*
And if I missed out on the 'Score' I just Hope it was one of my Gypsy Gal Posse anyway? *Winks* I'm in LOVE with what I did 'Score' though... especially the Beautiful Sweet Child Mannequin... whose Torso can be removed so I can Display it different ways. Vintage Mannequins, their Parts and Dress Forms are PERFECT for Artists to Display and Showcase their Creations upon so I NEVER pass them up. Well... I had to 'Pass' on some of this Stash because I didn't have enough Seed $$$ to get the full Headless Adult Mannequin Ladies and Lower Extremity Mannequin Body Parts that I could have made Cool Tables or Hippie Sculptural Art out of... or the box of Arms and Feet! *Sob*
And Sunday Afternoon we decided to jump the gun on Princess T's biggest Christmas Surprise Gift of replacing her stolen Bicycle... because I woke up Sunday Morning to hear her outside loudly Hawking my Stuff out of the back bed of my Pickup Truck for a Dollar apiece!!! Barking "Only a Dolla!" like some Seasoned Carny with her 5 Year Old BFF Princess E as her Sidekick and Business Partner! *LOL!* They had constructed a 'Store' out of Cast off Milk Crates and were really going to Town on this Biz Venture they had Set Up at Sunrise to Profit off of the Early Risers and Last Minute Christmas Shoppers who hit the Yard Sale Circuit in the Hood!
In a True Gypsy Style Entrepreneurial Spirit to earn enough Cash herself to replace said Stolen Bike lest Gramma & Grandpa not be able to come through due to Budget constraints before Christmas?!? *WHAT!!!! You never saw me spring up and roll out of bed so fast! Holy Mother Of God, I hit the floor running to get out there to see what stuff of mine was on the Auction Block without my prior knowledge... and why Grandpa, soundly asleep in his Recliner by the Front Door, hadn't Noticed or Heard the Big Sale going on out front?!?!?? LOL*
I applaud her Resourcefulness, Work Ethic and Chutzpa... and to be sure she had a lot of her own stuff she was Hawking too... but no telling what she Sold for a Buck before I discovered her little Enterprise... she had quite a wad of Cash in her Coffer so Sales had obviously been brisk!!! *Arghhh!* She'd obviously been paying close attention to those Guys in the Hood selling Oranges and various other Produce out of the back of their Trucks... she was certainly honing her Craft and looked like a Seasoned Pro at this as Customers were all around the Truck with Dollars at the ready!!! *LOL*
The Son's Girlfriend had Urgently summoned him early that Morning on their way to Work telling him "Holy Crap Man, get out here fast... your Niece is Selling your Mom's Stuff out of the back of the Truck Tijuana Style!!!"... and they both rushed out there to try to Shut the 'Shop' down before I Discovered and 'Busted' the Wee Illicit Enterprise... but at about the same time I did! *LOL*
And even though The Son's wry typical Comedic Comment of "Well, Mom probably wouldn't even notice what was missing..." is probably True *LOL*... remember, this is my Adult Child that thinks I should be Profiled on an Episode of 'Beautiful Hoarders of Collections'... *Winks* ... they both knew that a 7 year Old's discernment of what should be priced for a Buck wasn't Antique or Collectible based and I'd be hairless if she already Hawked some expensive Heirlooms in the Bike Quest?!! ?!?!
I don't wanna know... really... I don't...
And Honestly... the look of utter Surprise and Delight on her little Face when we Surprised her with the New Bike Grandpa had Secretly rushed out to buy on Sale that same Afternoon after we'd been so deeply Touched by her Tenacity and Drive to somehow Earn the Money herself... while I distracted her by taking her out for Lunch was PRICELESS!!! Nothing I own has the Value of that Joy we beheld... I'd of Sold whatever I had to in order to replace that Bike anyway! She had been such a Trooper after the devestating Bike Thefts and her Old Scooter being intentionally broken the same week by a Grade School Neighborhood Hooligan. And she hadn't expected Instant Gratification... knowing Bikes can be expensive and the Thrift Stores were barren of used Bikes and Scooters so close to Christmas... we'd looked in vain for two weeks!
And to me this can be the Magic of Christmas... filling a Need and mending a broken Heart in the Giving... especially Sacrificial Giving...
And spreading Joy and Goodwill in a World that can sometimes otherwise be quite harsh with crushing blows and doses of unpleasant Reality and Heartache. When the insensitive, misguided or shocking acts of some make Headlines and seem to overshadow the better behavior of the majority or what is Good in the World. The Bad getting all of the attention and focus of the World since the Good is rarely given the same or balanced Coverage. It can be discouraging and take the Focus off of all that is Good and Godly about people and the World we live in and Share with each other.
You need only turn on the News on any given Day to see how much the World is Hurting... and how many are utterly Lost with little or no Hope...
And so for the Faithful that Believe Christmas is more than just another Holiday... but a Holy Day that signifies the Birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, God's Gift to us... that Hope is Renewed and Strengthened each Christmas... and we Hope to Share The Good News with a Hurting World that might not know Him and have Relationship with Him!
Christmas stands for something... something deeper and so much more than the glitz and the glam... the sparkle and commercialism that often threatens to overshadow the True Reason for the Season and why we Celebrate Christmas at all!
And yes, I Love all the Fun, Enchantment, Magic and Merriment too of the Season and we always incorporate that into our Celebrations as well... but without losing sight of Whose Birth Day it is being Celebrated and why He came and lived among us!!!
Because Celebrations should always be Personal and speak to the Faith, Heart, Spirit and Soul of those Celebrating... in a way that is particularly Meaningful to them and embodies their Faith, their Personality, History and Cultural Diversity.
I Truly Enjoy seeing how everyone chooses to Celebrate the Season and why!!! How they incorporate and weave their Faith and Personality into it, Decorate and Style for it and what they've painstakingly Collected over the Years in Seasonal Decor.
I want to especially Thank my Friend Myko of AQUAMARINA ANTIQUES for bringing us a heady dose of Magical Enchantment in her Showroom this Holiday Season...
It was hands down the BEST Display of Magical Retro Christmas that we beheld this Year and we couldn't get enough of it... we simply couldn't pass by the Showroom without being drawn in to the Fantasy Scape and Eyegasm you had Created and Transformed your Space into Christmas Past here in the Present...
The G-Kid Force and I spent so much time Admiring your Art of Display and the Amazing Selection of Vintage Christmas you were Styling with and Offering for Sale! I know my Favorite Aquisitions of Holiday Decor came from your Showroom this Year!
And if Money were no object, certainly I would have procured more of the Christmas Delights you either Created or Sourced. *Winks* I will continue to be one of your 'Best Customers' my Friend!
Your Showroom was Vintage Bottlebrush, Shiny Brite Ornament and Christmas Village Heaven on Earth!
And it provided endless Photo Ops to Share here in the Land of Blog and be Inspired by far beyond the Holidays!
Your Home and Private Stash must be over the top BEYOND AMAZING Girlfriend!!!
I mean where do you find this stuff?!? I'm suitably Impressed with your Pickin' Savvy and Sourcing...
And how you find the Time to Create so Prolifically too... as uber busy as you are... that too is Inspirational... I feel like such a Slacker! *Winks*
I'm almost sad to know it will soon all be taken down... 'til next Season... because I really have Enjoyed the Ride that has been Christmas 2012 my Friends!
When something is really, really Good you just don't want it to end, do you?
But I do Hope and Pray that you and yours have Enjoyed Christmas this Year as much as we have my Friends? That the Memories are Rich and tactile and will Live on in your Mind's Eye Forever and be Cherished... that you will Remember all that is Good and know that Jesus Loves and came for YOU! Each and every one of you, where ever you are in your Spiritual Journey...
And I'll leave you with a final Beautiful Image from my Friend Pauline's Booth at RUST AND ROSES and a gentle reminder not to leave The Christ out of CHRISTmas.
Merry Christmas and a Hug... Dawn... The Bohemian