R is for Retro Kitsch

The theme we've been revisiting all year, in fact the initial post was last autumn, so it's been over a year! NASA-type astronauts of a cartoony design with rockets of a retro, playroom wallpaper style! TKmaxx seasonal shelfies, I took these weeks ago, and I think they're all sold out now, not something I'd give house-room to, but a fun addition to the trend.

 

Delivering gifts!

 

Scraping the inside of the glass dome!

 

Regolithball fight!

 

I hope they haven't sold-out of these, as I would hope my fellow Brit's have more class, sense, taste and decency, than to spend a tenner on this shite, but I know I'm deluding myself, and Tanyachelle from Essex has already put them on the fridge! Nasty.

I is for Image Dump - Gift Fair 2023 - Christmas Baubles

Taken nearly three years ago, more for my own interest, so the products of several stalls/stands, none of which I recorded the names of, so just more bauble eye-candy as we creep closer to the big day, less than four weeks now!

 

TKMaxx have had these dogs, or something remarkably similar, this year.

 

Resin

 

Pumpkin coach!

 

Bees and bee-keeping related, my late mother would have loved these!

 

Fruits, a bear and a soldier (wantone!), the now defunct Paperchase used to carry the more kitsch stuff like these fruits, but theirs were often very big.

 

Glass drops, give extra structure to the tree, and prevent layering.

And, for those who were asking, I delivered a card several days ago, because I may not see the recipients again before Christmas, and I wouldn't trust the privatised Royal Fail to deliver a turd from their own arse. 

 

The first Christmas sections appeared in stores in mid-August, and while that's ridiculously early, that's capitalism, which is also responsible for the depressing daily-news which Christmas helps us hide from for a while, especially after the quite sudden onset of Autumn this year, nothing wrong with a bit of whimsy, fantasy or tradition in one's life.

T is for Two . . . More!

Having mentioned them twice today, I might as well chuck them up here now, for the thème du jour! Two charity shop finds earlier this week, both from the Debra store in Fleet, I've done all the charity shops in the last few days (week off!), and they have proven pretty disappointing, and quite a few have gone/closed down now, but I found a few bits to show, and this is two of 'em!

 

Having already picked-up the one below, I grabbed this one too, squeezed his feet together and thought, "Oh, it's one of those new vinyl ones?", but in the clear light of day, or at least when I got it home and had a proper look, I realised he's a repurposed Fortnite character, to which a metal eye has been added for a hanging cord, so he'll lose both and join the other Fortnite stuff - stampers and key-rings - in the main figure collection.

 

Three of my favourite colours; heliotrope pink, kingfisher-blue and apple green, you'd think they wouldn't go together, but look at this column of magnificent, technicolor madness and agree to differ! Psychedelic Nutcracker rocks!

 

Except he's clearly incapable of cracking a nut, and, unusually for these, in any material, is carrying a musket, with bayonet, and has a base, so he's 100% a 22-carat, blown-glass, toy soldier, baby!

 

This year's finds together.

N is for Nutcrackers in November, Naturally! 2 of 2

So, as a follow-up to the previous post this was the 'tower of nutcrackers' at Longacre garden centre in Bagshot about a week ago, compared to the New York display, I think less razzmatazz and more fur!

I think they're dogs? Could be bears, but I think they're dogs!

 

The hall of the Mice Kings!

 

The Tower of Nutcrackers!

 

Ethnic nutcrackers this year, but no highlanders!

 

Jesters!

 

I've seen many, but only shot this lot, and there's a tendency for each venue/outlet to have a different theme, one of the garden centres out beyond Farnham had mostly white/silver 'minimalist types, and we still have a couple to come here, in addition to the drumming bear we saw the other day!

N is for Nutcrackers in November, Naturally! 1 of 2

Brian Berke has sent his pretty-much annual batch of Nutcracker shots, from the Big Apple, and not to be outdone I shot a bunch up at Longacres Garden Centre the other day, which I'll post later today, I also seem to have ended-up with a couple for the tree, which will be in a Charity-shop plunder-post!

 

Fun ones!

 

Edibles!

 

The red one's a bit sinister?

 

Not for me, but 75 inches? That's over six-feet!

 

Paint your own from Strawberry Kazoo with Advent calender!

 

I know gay marriage is legal, but this is the odd couple!

Liberace (No, Gran', he really is!) and his Pirate Beau!

 

Cake hat? Hat cake?

 

Many thanks to Brian, it's interesting to see how things are elsewhere in the world, or how trends come and go, I've noticed this year, a larger number of Mushrooms, blown glass, wood and paper-folds, in various designs, all the purveyors of tree-hangers have had them.