Unbelievable Luck!

My Dala herd has tripled in size!

What started out as two has grown to six. 

I found three Dalas at a local vintage/gift shop and one more in an antique store.

I did not actually dance,  but I was pretty excited  

when I discovered they were priced at just a few dollars each.

Unbelievable luck! 

I had to bring them home with me! 

What wonderful treasures have you found recently?

Dala Horses

Bright little Dala Horses.

Dalas are whittled from pine and handpainted with a kurbit saddle design 

in Nusnas, Sweden (Dalarna province),  just as they were 200+ years ago.

Today these traditional folk-art ponies are considered a symbol of Sweden.

Here is my little herd.

(The kids have Dala horsies too, but I didn't try to round those up for the photo shoot.) 

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Linking to A Favorite Thing at Mockingbird Hill Cottage

 

Christmas All Through The House

Christmas is tucked into every corner of my home. 

Little Tomten (Swedish for elf) and his forest friends.

I made this little elf when I was a teen, to match one we found at a store. 

(See the store version down at  the other end of the piano.)

 Deer hide among the trees and family pictures.
(Many of the tree ornaments were given to us by my late MIL.)

Bright pixies frolic in a basket of wooden fruit.

(Those came from a fair trade store, where women from
underdeveloped nations sell their crafts to support their families.)

 Sequined felt trees.

(Made by my husband's Grandmother many years ago.)

More of Grandmother's trees.
(My mom found the smaller tree at a vintage shop.)

 A Gurley candle choir sings on the bookcase.

A candle nativity sits on a shelf.  

( This set belonged to my folks, and I played with it when I was a little girl.

It has seen better days, but I still love it.)

Wooly sheep safely graze inside the china cabinet.
(the cats can't get them there.)

The lamp post.

(We received 2-3 inches of heavy, wet snow last night.)

Tomten

Lots of little Tomtar with the wild creatures of the forest.

Are you familiar with this Astrid Lindgren story?  

A sweet story for children, that tells the tale of a kind hearted Tomte.

Linking to:

Mosaic Monday  @ Little Red House

Thank you for hosting, Mary.

Can You Find The Julbock? - Mosaic Monday

We trimmed the tree with ornaments homemade and store bought.  Some shiny and new, some childhood toys.  Each one special.

Wanna play  "Where's Waldo" with the tree decorations?  We used to play this game when the kids were little.   Can you find the origami piranha?  The papoose?  Where is the Venetian Santa in the gondola?  Point to the glass church.  And the Toucan with the big bill.  I spy with my little eye a tiny felt bear with jointed limbs.   Where is the blue bell made from an egg carton?    Can you find the Julbock?   (You don't know what that is?  He's the Swedish Christmas goat, made from straw.)

 For several years we have played a hide and seek game with the tree.  We hide green pickles and red peppers (ornaments, not the real thing)  in the tree on Christmas day  and then let our kids search for them.  They are hard to find when there are lots of other ornaments all over the tree.  We give out one last present after they are found.

Thank you Mary at Little Red House for hosting Mosaic Monday.