2016 Family Photos with Vintage Sled & Ugly Sweaters

Some families take goofy Christmas photos.  We have never been of that persuasion, so it is funny that we ended up with a couple of silly Christmas photos this year.

While my son and his wife were visiting over Thanksgiving,

I finished "enhancing" some Christmas sweaters.

Having live models was way better than throwing them on the floor for photos.

(I won't call them ugly, because it depends on the eye of the beholder.)

I sell the sweaters at my vintage booth, and all proceeds on the Christmas

sweaters go toward "The Grace House", click here  for more info on the Grace House.

 

All three of my siblings came to my house the weekend before Thanksgiving.

We are very scattered, and in the 25 years we have lived here -- they have only

all landed altogether at my house one other time.  My 91 year old father even caught a ride.

His wife had sent a sled which she claimed belonged to our family -- and we

unanimously agreed it did not -- so the comedy part of this photo was that we

decided to have our photo taken with it anyway.

Ugly Christmas Sweaters For A Cause

Through this year I've kept my eyes peeled for really ugly Christmas sweaters.  I also got a few given to me by people who know my cause.  Click HERE to check out my ugly Christmas sweaters from last year.

Every Tuesday I donate a few hours at a "Free" Thrift Store.  They give away everything at no cost, to people who can't afford to pay at this point in their lives.
They give away children and adult clothing.  Household items, hygiene items, towels, bedding.  They give away many coats, mittens and gloves this time of year.

Many of the items are donated by individuals, churches or organizations.  But I can't tell you how sad it is when someone needs gloves or socks desperately and there isn't any in the store.  The proprietor and all of her little minions frequently reach into their own pockets to buy necessities. 

December is just one of those times in the year when so many people need so many things, and money is tight for all of us.  That is where the ugly Christmas Sweaters enter the picture.  I donate all of my profit from the sweaters to this organization.  It is fun for me to "enhance" the Christmas sweaters, and then I get a second rush when they sell and I can donate money to a cause I love.

uGLy Christmas Sweaters For A Cause

I volunteer each week at a place that gives away clothing to those in need.  Last week the lady in charge was lamenting she couldn't get rid of these three ugly Christmas sweaters. 

Are you kidding me?  Let me get my grubby hands on those treasures and I'll make a tidy little bundle to donate back at ya.

Let me just mention at this point that my husband "borrowed" one of the vests before I even had a chance to add adornments to it.  I'm not sure if his students thought he was being serious or not.

So I added a few vintage adornments to two of the sweaters (tiny doile "snowflakes" on this one) before I put $20 price tags on them and threw them in my antique booth.  Not exactly antique, but all proceeds go to a good cause!

Added some vintage felt poinsettias to this one (they were formerly 1970s napkin rings!).  I sold two of the sweaters the first 24 hours I had them at The Rusty Chandelier.