Blogging at Over 10,000 Feet

Well, this is a Thrift Shop Romantic first, I must say. This would be my premiere post composed at over 10,000 feet in the air!

Yes, I'm heading home to Pittsburgh from Thanksgiving and being the thrifty gal that I am, I couldn't resist taking advantage of the free holiday WiFi on the plane.

It's this WiFi, that allows me to efficiently bring some photos of the Florida Keys to you all today. Then Wednesday I'll be back to our normal treasure-hunting and decorating with a new Treasure Box post.

Here we have some feathered friends hunkered down in the strong breeze following a stormy day...
This is in Islamorada outside the Whale Harbor Inn, a seafood buffet where my father and I enjoyed entirely too much Thanksgiving feast.

Did you know the pelicans in Florida are required by the State Waterbird Aquatic Traffic Bureau to swim in "V" formations?...
Yes, they get licensed to make sure they know the rules of the surf, and they have to have it renewed every five years. They are, of course, billed for this service. :)

Right now you can just hear the trio above saying, "Okay, Peter, Penny, you take flank. I'll take point. Let's triangulate!"

Funny that with so much wind earlier in the day, the water could be so glassy...
And this, this just made me laugh. Originally, I had only wanted a shot of the sign because of "Captain Ron." (Anyone familiar with the film of the same name starring Kurt Russell will know why it's funny.)...All around are largish fishing vessels, which tourists can charter for a day of fishing adventure. However, Dad and I soon realized, Captain Ron's boat for hire was perhaps just a little bit, um, more budget-oriented than the ones around it...Okay, maybe a lot more budget-oriented. It's not easy being a swashbuckling pirate when you're also a little dinghy...Anyway, what trip to the tropics would be complete without a few shots of Mother Nature in all her beachly glory?...
And with this, we dock yet another holiday for the year...
If you missed last Wednesday's post, with some humorous looks at vintage Thanksgiving, click here.

This Wednesday, we'll dive into some Florida thrifting and yard saling. Hope to see you then!

Treasure Box Wednesday: Turkey Temptations

There was something in the Treasure Box this week-- only I can't show it to you yet!

Yes, the power of Christmas gifting thrifting means the items I bought are for a buddy who happens to read the blog. She's getting a little nifty thrifted basket o' fun for the Christmas season, and I will entirely spoil the surprise by sharing the finds with you.

I promise to do so once the gift's been sent her way.

That said, I certainly don't want to leave you good folks-- who've come all the way over here-- empty-handed today. So since I have so many new readers this year, who probably have not perused past pages of the publication... I offer you two previous T-day posts-- both of which might give you a good holiday chuckle.

• The first was last year's entirely made-up tour of my yearly Thanksgiving setting-- the Florida Everglades-- all of it told through vintage postcards and cheerful fibs. Yes, see how I would celebrate the holiday if I actually hung out with Seminole Indians and narrowly avoided being chomped by alligators... and in Technicolor, too! Click here.

• The second contains cards from my Victorian Thanksgiving postcard collection. I love the images they used back then, and I believe you will, too. Click here for that.

Oh, and for those who didn't get a chance to check out my somewhat early Christmas decorating so far, you can view that post here.

That said, I will see you all Sunday with a post inspired by my holiday adventures-- where ever they may take me.

Pace yourselves on the turkey, American readers. :) And to folks outside the U.S., I hope you have yourselves a great rest of the week.

Blue Christmas and Tiny Purple Rebellions

Well, Elvis may have been sad and lonely during his Blue Christmas, but I think he may have just needed a splash of gold and a bit more tinsel. Because popping a few extremely early Christmas decorations around this weekend was entirely too tempting. And the joy it brought was... well...
...it speaks for itself.

Just a few strands of gold and blue tinsel (Martha Stewart, it seems, gives enough in a single pack to wind around all of Graceland), some craft store velvet poinsettias in blue and gold, a couple well-chosen metal words, and some golden mercury-glass styled pieces from Target-- and I was on my way!

The little white flocked Christmas tree was a gift from a friend last year, and it came in very handy for this one!...
Add in a little mood lighting and....

Oh, what's that? You say we have to do Thanksgiving first?

Ah, well... so we do. But...um... it'll take the burden off, post T-day, anyway!Here's the top of the bookcase of the side of the room. It looks like it needs a little something, but I haven't quite figured it all out yet...
And under the painting of the overturned cherub, a nice low bowl full of pine cones has found a place...
So, on a decorating high after the blue room success, I decided to noodle a bit with my dining room display.

Some of you may remember, at the beginning of 2009, post-Christmas, I'd cleaned up on a lot of discontinued silver and purple mercury glass pieces from Target and Michael's, so I was determined to use them this year...
In the afternoon light. the metal took on a golden hue, but it's actually mirrored silver. The white pearly tablecloth was my mother's, and the chargers were ones I got years ago.
Speaking of Mom, every time I use a non-traditional Christmas color, like this purple, I snicker a bit and think how it would have taken some energy to win her over with this display.

Even though the standard Christmas colors of red and green (as well as our interpretation of Santa Claus) had actually come about because of CocaCola marketing at the turn of the 1900s, my mom just didn't feel comfortable with blues, pinks or purples in the Christmas scheme. She was a red-and-green gal, all the way!

I respect that. But I do love incorporating the colors of the room into my Christmas decor. The purple candle there, by the way, was discounted decor from Halloween. Waste not, want not...

And just a close-up of the mercury trees on the mantle. They've been waiting almost a year for their debut...
And here are a few others on the table. The ornaments in the bowl are ones I use every year, somewhere in the house...
Well, that's about the final notes of this song of Christmas decorating!

• If you missed Wednesday's post on painting a plethora of pink in the powder room, click here.

And if not, I'd like you thank you for visiting today. Thank ya... thank ya very much!