One would think that a self-professed Shopaholic like myself would be in their height of Glory during the Holiday Season and would be Shopping their little Heart out with extensive Shopping List eagerly in hand? One would be wrong, nothing could be further from the Truth actually come the Holiday Season! I have complete Shopping Evasion just before Thanksgiving actually. The Man and Kiddos even have a difficult time coaxing me to get out and do the necessary Grocery Shopping and procure the things we absolutely NEED during the entire Month of December! *LOL*
And it's not really about the Shopping aspect of it, oh contraire... or about Experiencing the Commercial Sights and Sounds of Christmas, which I Adore as much as Shopping. No, it's more about the fact that everyone else and their Grandmother are out doing it... and those frenzied massive Shopping Crowds are typically what I try to avoid at all costs! Nothing Reveals the Antithethis of the Spirit of Christmas to me quite like Shopping Mob Scenes!
So for me, the Month of December will likely find me doing any Purchasing I have to do at the most obscure of locations, just so that I don't run into those huge crowds of Shoppers and the places that attract them and they flock to like locusts during a Plague. And the Good News is, the most obscure of locations often turn up the best and most Unique Found Treasures anyway! Like this Vintage Teen Doll with rubbery faux "lifelike" Skin and high-heeled feet, dontcha just Love her?!?
I remember when that rubberized bendable malleable Doll skin first came out, sometime around the Fifties I think, and we thought it was so Realistic and Cool! *LOL* Unfortunately, it didn't always hold up so well and climate conditions were vital for it to stay pliable, so I was totally Jazzed when I found this Old Doll in great condition for her Age with no tears or cracking to her skin!
She will now be up for Sale in Showroom #114... Thankfully Princess T wasn't as Enchanted or as much in Awe by rubberized Retro Doll skin as I was as a Kid... *LOL*... so there was no pleading to keep her! *Whew* Maybe Modern Kids wouldn't even know what to do with a Doll that does NOTHING and you must use your Imagination to Play with, I dunno?!? *Winks*
But, back to Shopping Evasion by a Shopaholic. I've succeeded in Cocooning myself in Bohemian Valhalla for days at a time since Thanksgiving, only venturing out to take the Kiddos to School and pick them up again or go to the necessary Medical Appointments the Family has for the most part. And I've been quite Content with that. Alas, we've also been having a steady rotation of Flu-like Ailments in the Family... and the Showrooms were in dire need of Inventory. Which is a Good Thing in one respect, but a Bad Thing in that it meant not only having to venture out to Pick New Inventory when I wasn't feeling 100%, but also having to try to re-stock around a flurry of busy Holiday Shoppers descending upon our Antique Mall.
And there's just something about Inventory Coming In or Going Out that particularly Intrigues and Entices people and so they will begin to Swarm at just that time when you're trying to re-foof and arrange your Retail Spaces with replenished Stock. And when you're trying to hurry and get in and out as quickly as you can that's not always possible in spite of your best Intentions and most Valiant Efforts. So, what began as a forty-five minute Speed Stock to replenish Inventory, can often turn into more hours away from the Family than you anticipated... and either making or receiving phone calls to ensure everything is Okay at Home in your prolonged absence?
Sometimes things are going well during the Calls and other times there seems to be complete pandamonium in the background in the absence of your Caregiving Presence! And there's no way I'm dragging all of them with me when they're either not behaving or not feeling well, that would be absolutely Nightmarish, coupled with throngs of Holiday Shoppers and trying not to lose any of them in the Crowds AND keep my Sanity!!! *LOL* This Mama Folk Art Reindeer would remind me of me trying to keep both G-Kids and The Man together during a Holiday Shopping or Inventory Re-Stocking Spree... it would be akin to herding Cats! *Smiles* Mama Reindeer and her Tribe of Reindeerettes are also available in Showroom #114 now.
In fact, I've been fortunate to 'Pick' some really nice Folk Art pieces of Inventory just in time for Christmas and to give Showroom #114 a Folksy Rustic Christmas Vibe and Charm.
I prefer Folk Art Toys to mass produced ones... and I believe some of these finds are Folk Art Collectibles and some still have their Original Tags explaining their Origins and Artists. Each is Unique and Whimsical, I just Love the assortment of Fabrics and Trims they're made with, some Hand-Dyed.
I've also Enjoyed discovering an assortment of Simple Rustic faux Christmas Trees in Burlap Sack Bases in various sizes for the Showroom Display as well, they lend themselves so well to the Rustic Folk Art Toy Vibe and make a Sweet little Forrest.
The Bear Tree Ornaments have been a hit, I'm glad I 'Scored' a large Box Lot of these Individually Created little jointed Bear Ornaments so that the Showroom Christmas Tree could remain fully Decorated for a while and not look too barren during the Holiday Special Events we've been Hosting.
Because though I Evade Shopping during the Holiday Season, I do still Enjoy Attending Special Events. The dilemma has been that there are so many of them during the Holidays that I've had to pick and choose which to focus upon and try to Attend?
The Holidays are typically jam packed with Social Engagements and though I'd like to Attend all of them, I simply cannot and probably wouldn't have the Energy to even if I could get away more often.
I haven't even had the Time to Blog about those I have Attended for Heaven's Sakes! *LOL* But Posts will be forthcoming, albiet Late. Right now I've been Nestled in our Cozy Nest while the weather outside has definitely reminded us that Winter has finally come to the Arizona Desert... and Nesting has taken precedence over going out ANYWHERE! *Smiles* I've stocked up on Fresh Citrus in Hopes it will Assist in Healing all the Colds and Flus making their rounds thru the Family? This has been a particularly brutal Flu Season even tho' we've had the Flu and Pneumonia Shots... we all still succumbed to some dreaded drambuzis!
But, that's usually how it goes when the Weather changes drastically... we begin dropping like Flies!
Thankfully I got my Christmas Gift Shopping and Cards done Early again this Year so that I wouldn't be up under Pressure to HAVE to go out Holiday Shopping... or Shopping at all... and ruin my carefully orchestrated Evasion of the Holiday Shopping Frenzy!!! *Whew!*
I even bought Groceries in bulk and froze a bunch of stuff just so that I wouldn't have to venture out very much during December if I didn't want to! Yes, I go to great lengths to Evade Holiday Shopping every Year.
I rather opt for the Serenity of the Holidays and Reveling in the Ambiance and Spiritual Significance of this most Holy of Seasons... I Beleive it makes for a more Pleasurable Holiday rather than a Pressure Packed one where nerves get frayed and some peeps are so weary that they just want it all to be over rather than Luxuriating in what the Season could and SHOULD be all about!
And for us, a great part of what it should be about is FAMILY and spending Special Time Together. Funny Story... Princess T recently Presented me with her Christmas Gift to me... proudly touting it in like an 'Alien Versus Predator Trophy' Scene on the end of a long stick! So they wouldn't have to actually touch it! *LOL* Do you see it? Yep, she and her little BFF 'Scored' a Skully of Unknown Origin... Trading the previous Owner their Cheetos for it because they were certain Gramma Dawn would LOVE this for Christmas and be Elated!!!
Yep, my Wee Ones know me well, don't they!? *Bwhahaha!* And you bet, I WAS Elated and Laughing out loud. While also remembering that Special Quote... of the giving of all they have to give and choosing me to be the Recipient. Mystery Skully will be Cherished for ALL those Reasons and Memories now! And of coarse they got more Cheetos as their Reward for being so Thoughtful and Heartfelt in their Perfect Gift to me!
Yep, my Wee Ones know me well, don't they!? *Bwhahaha!* And you bet, I WAS Elated and Laughing out loud. While also remembering that Special Quote... of the giving of all they have to give and choosing me to be the Recipient. Mystery Skully will be Cherished for ALL those Reasons and Memories now! And of coarse they got more Cheetos as their Reward for being so Thoughtful and Heartfelt in their Perfect Gift to me!
I couldn't have been Happier if they'd presented me with a Bouquet of Bohemian Bling actually! Mister Skully is more Priceless to me because of the Girls' Sentiment in procuring it for me and knowing how much I Love and Appreciate the Macabre. How many other Kinder and Second Graders would work a Trade like that after all for their Gramma... using whatever they have as their Negotiating Leverage?!? *Smiles* Cheetos in exchange for Skullies... I LOVE IT!!!
Are there any Perfect Gifts with a particularly Sentimental Back-End Story that you have to Share my Friends? Those are always the most Memorable aren't they?
Today at least I had some present help for Re-Stocking my Showrooms since my Friend Pamela was also Re-Stocking her Booth.
Okay, so dontcha just Love the Vintage Barbie Case, Pink Vintage Kitchen Trolley and Mannequin Torso my Friends?
And Pamela also did a Hilarious Kitschy U-Tube Style Video Promo of one of my Showrooms which you can access on the above Link or by visiting the Facebook Page {Mine or Brass Armadillo West}... Showroom #114 is being Showcased and the Edited Inserts are just beyond Hilarious... Fields of Wheat and Enya playing... we Laughed so hard we cried!!! *LMAO* My sides still hurt from Laughing in fact! Thanks Pamela, that really made my Evening, we always have so much Fun don't we?!
Source: My Friend Pamela ~ Facebook
Here we are having more Fun in my other Showroom #133 using the leftover Halloween Prop Inventory! And of coarse Pamela's Hilarious Photoshop Editing. Hey GF, couldn't you have Photoshopped some of those extra chins of mine outta there while you were at it? I look like one of those Elephant Seals!!! *Smiles*
And speaking of Memories... for some peculiar reason I've been 'Scoring' a wealth of Vintage Wedding Cake Toppers lately and so now someone could actually have an Instant Collection of them if they go into Showroom #114!
In a Grouping, such things really Showcase as a Collection Beautifully. And I have to Wonder why all of a sudden these things are coming my way? Is someone close to me Secretly Planning some Nupitals I Wonder and this is a Clue being sent out by the Universe that a Wedding could be on the Horizon in the Family? Only Time will tell...
Merry Christmas from the Arizona Desert... Dawn... The Bohemian