Christmas Decor

There is so much great stuff at the Dollar Store to deck the halls with, it is hard to choose one, or even a few . . .

Vintage Slide Whistle from the Dollar Tree

As I mentioned earlier there are so many wonderful stocking stuffers at the Dollar Store, and this one is a dandy . . . a Vintage Slide Whistle from the Dollar Tree.

It has handy instructions with pictures on the back for the intuitively impaired, or if you hate to read instructions, you can always just watch the Lauren Bacall video below:




And if you really get good, and are in a funky mood on Christmas, you can even jam a little in the break like Vernon Burch . . .

Dollar Store Stocking Stuffers

There are so many wonderful things to buy for a buck and stuff someone's stocking with . . .

Best Dollar Store Christmas Card EVER !!!

Okay, I admit it . . . I save Christmas cards. I'm not a hoarder really - well, maybe a borderline hoarder (if there is such a thing) . . . actually, I like to think of myself more as a collector. Call me sentimental, but like Jim Reeves, I have boxes full of stuff people have given me, and cards fall into that category.

And then you see, sometimes I buy stuff that is meant to share (like Christmas cards), and end of keeping them for myself - because they are so lovely, or kitschy, or whatever, I just can't bear to part with them. I'm greedy that way, or I just think that no one will appreciate them the way I do. My intentions are honorable, I always buy them thinking of this person or that person, but in the end, it is really me who ends up staring at them, dazzled by their beauty.

So that is why this amazing card is from the 99 Cent Plus Super Store is gracing my abode this Holiday Season.

It is pink, it is sparkly, it is die cut and 3-dimensional, and it features Santa playing a pink fiddle - and if there are two things I'm crazy about it is pink, and fiddles. Okay I like Santa, and sparkly and die cut dimensions too . . . but if that wasn't enough, when you open of the card a red heart lights up, says "Merry Christmas" and plays "Jingle Bells" and "I Wish You a Merry Christmas" in that retro "beep, beep, beep, beep, beep, beep" mechanical musical cadence that used to delight us before everything became so . . . technological and sophisticated, and stuff.

Naturally, something this unabashedly Christmas-y is made in China. I try to buy American, really I do, but sometimes, I just can't resist the Eastern approach (or encroach) on Western culture.

I did go back today, to see if they had any of these cards left, but to no avail. For some odd reason, I only bought one, I can't remember if it was the only one, or subconsciously I knew that this wouldn't leave my collection.

So for all my fiddle playing friends, I'm sorry, you won't be seeing this awesome card in your mail box, but then, it is the thought that counts, right?

More Great Nail Polish for a Buck! Road Tested, Driver Approved!

Today I painted my nails the color of the first new car I ever bought - a 1989 Ford Escort.

I'm not sure of the official name of this factory color, a sort of dark gunmetal, but I definitely did give it the once over in the showroom, and I remember admiring the "somewhere between silver and black" with a metallic sheen paint job. . . the same way I admired LA Colors, Color Craze "Tropical Storm" nail polish at my local Dollar Tree.

I drove my Ford Escort for about six years before trading it in for a Black Dodge Ram Truck. In fact every car I have ever owned has been silver, black, silver and black, or "Tropical Storm" -- Go RAIDERS!!!

This nail polish is pretty good -- dries fast, covers well, and the assortment of colors is amazing. On my next trip I will pick up some silver, and some black, and maybe some baby blue in honor of my dad's 1969 Ford Pick Up that I learned to drive in.

A Patriotic Paint Job

Since today is the 4th of July, and I have quite a collection of nail polish from the Dollar Store, I decided to paint them red, white and blue with some sparkles.

The Mainstream Media Shows Their Claws & Paints Their Nails

Yesterday the New York Times asked "When Did Wild Nail Polish Go Mainstream?"

My answer is when Reba McEntire wore black nail polish to host the Academy of Country Music awards. As someone who went through her "Goth" phase well over 20 years ago, I just laughed.

The ACMs were around the time I went to a job interview at a law firm, and the attorney I interviewed with was wearing a deep sapphire shade.

The point was well taken -- what does a gal have to do these days to set herself apart from the dreaded MAINSTREAM???!!!

Coincidently, yesterday I picked up a Quick Dry Nail Pen from Sally Hansen at the 99 Cent Only Store. I chose "Turquoise Chrome" as my non traditional color choice -- to be honest, there wasn't much to chose from, and this seemed the pick of the picked over litter.

Of course weird nail polish is nothing new. . . one of the few things I ever shoplifted, (or attempted to) was baby blue nail polish from the TG&Y store when I was in Junior High. My dad had a Ford Pick-Up Truck the same color. It was ages ago, literally decades . . . umm, let's just say "midis" where in style, there were crazy, long lines to buy gas, "American Pie" was on the radio, and Richard Nixon was in office.

Through these many years, the cosmetic companies have enjoyed ridiculous profits from the cheap thrill crazy lacquers give the young (or those longing for their younger days), and brash. Of course, being the cheap ass and do it yourselfer that I am, I've always opted for the Dollar or Dime Store version of these frosts, metallics, glitter, and creme hues, or better yet (honestly, it was only once!) -- the five finger discount.

While I'm confessing, I might as well come clean . . . I have never once had a professional mani or pedi. The thing is, I work with my hands a lot -- back in the day, I used to play guitar, and my nails were basically nonexistant (I don't know how Dolly Parton does it!). Add caring for farm animals, leatherwork, working in a Sign Shop, and well . . . I just never saw the point in wasting money on something that wouldn't last, or would actually prohibit my productivity.

But, I digress . . . I couldn't resist the Sally Hansen Quick Dry Nail Pen for a buck, and it is indeed very easy, and VERY fast drying. . . like INSTANT! Today, I added a second coat (though I didn't really need it), and it went on fairly well, not as smooth as coat one, but not bad. A turquoise ring or two, and I was stylish and good to go.

In fact, I felt a little like Liza Minnelli in "Cabaret" who shows off her "Divine Decadence" shade of frosted forest green.

It made me feel (pick one) 10, 20, 30, even 40 years younger . . . and (maybe not) just another hand in the crowd.