Mad Men Christmas, anyone? Ideas for Retro Holidays

Image courtesy of Dyna Moe who offers
weekly Mad Men desktops on Flickr

I love Mad Men. I don't watch it every week. I'll let a few episodes pile up and then watch them all at once. I watch all my TV shows that way. Then I can get a decent-sized project done while watching. Unfortunately, that's why I don't watch as many subtitled movies as I'd like to, either.

But back to Mad Men. I'll pass on the chain-smoking and on the cocktails at noon. Oh, and definitely on the philandering husband. But a Mad Men Christmas design theme? That could be fun. So I did a little research and here's what's on my wishlist.

Festive Jewelbrite Wreaths from Etsy on my tree

Bethany Lowe Boxes found in this great
Have Yourself a Merry Mad Men Christmas post

Mad Men Christmas Stocking on Etsy

Idea for a Mad Men Christmas Card?

Retro Christmas Sleigh with Candles
circa 1960 Light on Etsy

And if you're planning on throwing a
Christmas party why not do it up right?
Try a Mad Men Theme

party thrown by Kim from Head of the Table

complete with entertainment ;)

Be sure to dress the part in a
1950's Vintage Cocktail Dress from Etsy

and Fancy Christmas Hostess Apron

And if you're at all curious what was popular for Christmas in 1959, check out Christmas Snapshots on the LA Times blog.

Stay tuned for a feature on retro-inspired ornaments!

Handmade Holidays: Felt HolidayTree Tutorial Link

Danielle Thompson over at Thompson Family-Life has a tutorial for the cutest Christmas trees. She credits Emily Martin, the Black Apple, as her inspiration but to me they have a bit of an updated 50's, early 60's look.

Either way they're definitely on my to-do list. Have you come across any must-do tutorials this year?

Handmade Holiday Quilting Arts Free E-book

This season I'll be sharing ideas, links, and goods to help you enjoy a Handmade Holiday. Maya Angelou said:

“I've learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”

It's also likely they will not remember what you bought, but they will remember that you took the time to make something for them whether it's a gift, an ornament for their tree, or a loaf of banana bread.


The first link I want to share just arrived in my inbox this morning. It's a free e-ebook from Quilting Arts with 5 small quilting projects. The really great thing about these designs is that they use fabric scraps. We all have those little bits of favorite fabrics that we save "just because" but they aren't really big enough for anything much.



There are 5 projects that have all manner of adaptability potential for Christmas. There's the colored pencil roll that has been so popular as a children's gift. The journals are an obvious one and can be customized to the individual. Imagine the luggage tags as gift tags (perhaps reusable?) instead. The mini wallet for a traveller or even a teacher might benefit from one. And of course the Little Treasures box... with a gift box so beautiful how do you put anything in it that even compares?

To receive the e-book you'll need to sign up at the Quilting Arts website. This will also get you in the door for their forums, newsletter, and more freebies. I've found that I truly look forward to their emails. It's a little bit of eyecandy in my inbox.