I am so enjoying my Tea Advent Calendar from Adagio Teas, and it's fun to discover some new flavors, like Blake Forest Cake and Earl Grey Bella Luna. This week, I was drinking out of a new mug I found at Big Lots the other day. As a cozy mystery author, I am keen to find *anything* with the word "cozy" in the title so that I can use it for book promotion purposes. I hoped to use this mug in a Facebook ad…
And I did. This is how it turned out (and FYI, if you haven't read my cozy mysteries but are a subscriber to Kindle Unlimited, you can now read them for free here).
But enough of that. The *real* reason I went to Big Lots was because my friend Kathy sent me a cell phone pic last week showing a vintage-looking reindeer mug she found there. I have wanted one of these for years! The truly vintage ones have proved impossible to find, and the reproduction ones I've found online are $20 + shipping. I was seriously considering splurging on a new one when Kathy sent the photo saying these were on clearance. I didn't even ask what the price was. I just got in my car and headed to Big Lots. They were $5.99 marked down to $3.59, so I bought four and was thrilled! (You have to be careful actually drinking out of these, though, because those reindeer antlers will put your eyes out if you're not careful.)
And you will be shocked to hear that I've started a new collection! The die-hard vintage Christmas collectors have known about figural Christmas light bulbs for years, but I had not. And I wasn't going to pay $10 + each for an antique light bulb. These, however, were just $4 each at a Hogansville antique shop.
If I add just a few each Christmas, I should have a colorful collection in a few years. And if you're intrigued about figural Christmas bulbs, you can learn more about them here. What do you all collect in the way of Christmas decorations? Anything offbeat? I'd love to know!
The reindeer mug is so cute! I've never seen them before. We have a lot of Star Wars Hallmark ornaments, so I guess you can say we collect them. Though we haven't added any new ones in a few years.
ReplyDeleteCute reindeer mugs! I'm glad you found them, as well as the "cozy" cup. And those figural bulbs were new to me, too, really unusual. What Christmas things do I collect? More than I should, I think! Tea-themed ornaments, angels, teapots (I think I have 5 Christmas ones!), stuffed animals (some from Hallmark in years past, some Beanie Babies, some that are just cute!), nativity scenes. Many were gifts or family pieces, and I do enjoy them all each year!
ReplyDeleteThat's great that you found your reindeer mugs, and at such a great price! I'm not really a "collector" of Christmas ornaments, but I do particularly like small wooden ones from different European countries (but NOT made in China). I have several cute ones made in Finland, and some from Russia and other East European countries. One great thing about the wooden ornaments is that they don't break!
ReplyDeleteI don't collect much anymore, but still can't resist a vintage string of shininess hanging from my tree or a bottle brush tree on the mantle.
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