Merry Christmas Kittens!

Lots of love,

Vintage Verve (and the Puppycat).

See you in 2009!

Nifty Thrifty

When browsing at the Camberwell Market on the weekend, I spied a cute little red linen cropped jacket hanging in a stall. Its vibrant colour caught my eye and I thought it would go well with a camisole, jeans and red heels:

It nips in at the waist and is almost like a vest with capped sleeves. Best of all, it fit me perfectly! $12? Who could say no???? Certainly not me!

Then, as I was about make off with my newly found treasure, I spied something else in a similar hue of red, with some embroidered coconut palms:

I unfolded what I thought was part of vintage table cloth to find out it was, in fact, a great 70's wrap skirt. With the help of two very enthusiastic stall holders, I got wrapped and tucked and tied into it. Wouldn't you know it, jacket and skirt looked like they'd been made for each other:

The stall holder had never put the two together, but once she saw them both on me she knocked 50% off the skirt. Happy days! So it looks like I have a new 50's looking outfit for the office Christmas dinner this Friday night for the princely sum of $27.

I just love hunting for a bargain!

Giving All You Can Give

I adore Christmas. I put it down to the wonderful childhood memories I have of this time of year.

The smell of pine needles indoors, big family get togethers, excited children, long lunches and longer dinners. Delicious food everywhere. What's not to love?

Waking up on Christmas morning to see all the lovingly wrapped gifts under the tree was always a highlight as a child. Giving and receiving presents is, lets face it a whole lot of fun.

But now that I'm all grown up, my take on Christmas is slightly different.

While not wealthy by any stretch, I am comfortable. I have a roof over my head and cupboards of food. I have a close, loving family and a wonderful group of friends. I don't want for anything in my life. I don't need more stuff.

So while giving and receiving gifts is still part of my treasured Christmas routine, I no long buy lavish gifts. This year each member of my family will receive a small, inexpensive gift plus a donated gift, in their name, from one of these charities:

• School Supplies for a Child from ADRA Australia ($11.00)
• A chicken or goat from World Vision Australia Smiles ($6 & $39 respectively)
• Gift of Sight Card from Fred Hollows Foundation (min $25)
• A toy for a hospitalised child from Starlight Children's Foundation (from $15.50)

So, I'm just putting this out there. I'm not a perfect person by any means, but I do know how truly lucky I am and this is just my small way of sharing the Christmas love.

xx