Get ready for some wild Christmas sweaters!

I have a fun collection of photos for you guys! The mall did not disappoint when it came to crazy sweaters this year. I'm not even going to say ugly sweaters, because I don't see these as ugly. Just crazy, creative, and a bit of a shout out to what my grade school teachers used to wear. In fact, I wouldn't even be surprised if some of their old clothes were at one of these stores!

Remember Ragstock, the store that had all kinds of fun (mostly used clothing) for Halloween? Well, they did a lot of decorating for Christmas too. Here are a few shots of their window displays. 

How fun is their vintage sign? "Lo! Lo! Lo!" 

They decorated the ceiling again. Do you see the tiny sweaters on a banner up there?

A few sweatshirts snuck in there too.

Like at Halloween, there was a rack of accessories. 

Is that elf on a reindeer llama? 

This is my favorite of the (new) Christmas sweaters they had in. You've probably noticed already that the newer ones have a sticker that says "Put your drink in my pocket". 

Another cool shark sweater. 🦈 Maybe I like these shark sweaters best because I'm drawn to the shiny material. 

There were Hanukkah sweater options too. This sloth one is my favorite of those. 

This cat sweater actually scares me a bit. I think it's the eyes. As I look at this, I don't even think it's a Christmas sweater. This feels more like a funky Valentine's Day sweater. I'm going to be nice and not say "ugly" here but I will say funky! Yikes. 

Ragstock actually has a Christmas sweater section on their web site: 

Shop Vintage Christmas Sweaters

I think you'll agree that our store has a cooler selection than what's on this site, but it's still fun to look. Also, the prices at the mall were a lot lower!

After Ragstock, I visited JCPenney. There were no funky Christmas clothes to be found there! I did find these two in the Christmas ornament section, though. If only I had a Halloween tree, or in this case, a Day of the Dead tree. I wanted to have a reason to need this pink Chihuahua head. 

Penney's did have a number of those types of gifts that only appear around Christmas time. I've never seen an electric s'mores maker, have you? It reminds me of a fondue pot, because it looks like it could be a group/party treat. At first it seemed kind of goofy, but the more I looked at this, the more I wanted to try it. 

From Penney's to TJ Maxx... Oh did TJ Maxx ever have some wild Christmas sweaters! I learned that the men's section is the place to be for those. I noticed that people in that section were watching me take photos and I assume they were wondering "What man is she shopping for?" 

This. Hahaha! Every time I see it, I laugh. It's creepy, though. 

This one's pretty cute. It has an actual ringing bell on it. 

They'll hear you coming in this one! 

I had to get a picture of the brand name on the tag.

This one is adorable. I'd wear it. 

This close-up picture of the sweater is the wallpaper on my phone now.

A couple walked by as I was photographing this and just stopped, stunned. This is what David S. Pumpkins wears for Christmas, right? It would be good for a performer of some type. Maybe every guy in a band could be wearing one of these for a Christmas concert? I'll tell you one thing, this jacket is heavy!

Yeah, we're still in the men's section here. I had thought that was a skirt, but I think it's a pair of shorts. For the reindeer that doesn't mind being a little cold. 

A few from the ladies section:

A close-up, because this one's pretty cute. 🐻

And yes, even dogs can't escape from this. I don't know about that buttoned Grinch face over the butt. I understand it's an old fashioned long johns thing, but for a dog? 

Well, there you have it! Pretty good selection, eh? I've actually been invited to a party where we're encouraged to wear something kooky like this. I don't know what I'm wearing yet, although I did get some glittery silver present decorations from Dollar Tree to clip on myself. Here's an example of one that's clipped to my Santa hat:

These actually look pretty classy clipped onto a black scarf, like old-time brooches. What's fun is that I can decorate a present, floral display, garland, etc. with these after the party!

Fall Forest Life and Crafty Christmas at Farm Girl Antiques

I have some photos to share with you guys from Farm Girl Antiques! My mom and I made it there last week, so there wasn't much Halloween left. I'm going to start with the vaguely Halloween/Autumn displays and move into Christmas. I think you guys will still enjoy the Christmas antiques, because there are some unique, funky items. You might also get inspired to decorate or craft something similar. So, we're starting off with one spooky owl. Those eyes! And it's a little creepy, if realistic, to see that this owl has caught dinner. 

This owl lamp is much less menacing.🦉

The owls here... um. If you think that middle owl in the painting is sleepy, check out the owl candle at the bottom. :) Oh, I just noticed there are more owls on that sugar canister. 

I like these mushrooms. 🍄 It looks like someone rolled some birch-looking material around them. 

These little ornaments look like pumpkins to me. 

This deer area was lit up so well. As I'm looking over these photos, I'm realizing how many forest-themed displays were there. 🦌

You can see a few of the old buildings in this neighborhood from the store windows. The Farm Girl building has large storefront windows going around it. You know, the ones with plenty of space to put displays back in the day. She's filled all these little nooks and crannies with mini displays. I think some of the more interesting finds are in these areas.

Here's a view facing the back of the store. You can see the old tin ceilings being revealed. I try to imagine what it once looked like in here. 

I think every Christmas tree in there had a different shape. Many, like this one, had twisty little branches. Maybe some of you will recognize these vintage ornaments. A few of them are classics. 🌲

I was so focused on these cute pinecone critters, that I didn't even notice the book underneath them. 

I wonder what That's Why is about?

We're entering the retro pink and turquoise Christmas section here. 

I like this rainbow wreath. I wouldn't have thought of transitioning color around a wreath, but I'd like to try it. Think of all the color combinations or different shades that could go around a wreath. 

I have a feeling this doll head was part of a Halloween display before. I may even be remembering it from previous years. I'd figured it was the hat that was for sale, but now I'm not sure if this is all one piece. 

Here's a closer look at that ceiling. I wonder what the purpose of that ceramic couple is? I can tell that they held something. They look sort of St. Patrick's Day themed to me. 

This gives sort of an idea of that window space. As you can see, it's pretty roomy in there. 

The string lights add something festive. I bet this place looks interesting at night. Or it could, anyway. It's not open to the public past 4 pm. 

That glittery Santa sign is similar to the deer sign by the entrance. Now I'm wishing that I would have touched one of the signs to see what they were made of. Probably some type of cardboard. I doubt those large signs are vintage, but they have a definite vintage look. A number of items in this store are vintage-inspired crafts. I noticed that the store's name online has been changed to Farm Girl Art & Antiques, so maybe she's going more in that direction. 

I see another one of those little velvet mushrooms here. I may even like them better in pink. It's looking like she took actual pieces of birch bark to make that stand. I'd thought the stands were wrapped in some kind of birch-looking paper before. 

I like all these reflective objects together. That clear glass under the trees looks almost like rippling water. There are actually a few details I didn't notice before, like that planter behind the ornament. There are so many creative uses for containers in this store. I think every tree is standing in something unusual. 

I feel inspired by this icicle box. I'm sure we all have some sort of wood box like this around. Adding some icicles to the front of it makes a perfect container for whatever winter decorations you'd like to put inside. I see ideas like this online all the time, where someone has designed a centerpiece with candles and some sort of foliage in a box. 

Leaving Farm Girl Antiques now... This building neighbors the antique store and I'm sharing a photo of it because I thought you'd all appreciate the architecture. Look at the date up top: 1883. Someone has kept this building in great shape. I looked up "Lamers Building" and found a bit of history provided by the Grove Gallery which now operates in this building: Lamers Building History

I'd remembered taking this light fixture photo about the same time I took the above pic. I'm not seeing this fixture anywhere on the building, though. I don't get it, because the brick and trim are the same. Where is this light hiding? Maybe there was a twin building next door that I forgot about. Anyway, pretty cool ironwork! Even the lightbulb looks twisty.

We visited the Layton Fruit Market on the way back. Like a lot of places now, it was decorated with a bit of fall and a bit of Christmas. I was happy to see some painted store windows, which I haven't seen in a while. 

How cute is this ghost? 

I'm feeling inspired by those planter designs, and might try something like that with some greenery and a bow this year.

In case you missed that toothy little pumpkin in the corner. :) 

This display has been inside the store for years. I wonder how old this horse and cart are? If anyone has any ideas about this in any way, I'd like to hear them. This is an Italian grocery store, so that's a bit of a clue. I'm going to assume this is an Italian antique. 

There's a mini horse and carriage at the bottom. I'm not sure if I even noticed that little guy while in the store. 

And I can't leave out these guys. :)

I hope you guys enjoyed the virtual antiquing! Maybe you even feel inspired to put together some similar displays? I'd be interested to know if you recognize any of the antiques.