Finishing Up an Odd Job

I don't know how things are at your house, but there's nothing like the impending visit of houseguests to get me moving on finishing up odd jobs.  Things I've been happy to let slide for months weeks suddenly take on a new importance.

We're having family visit after Christmas, and I FINALLY hung up a great 1950s wall box that I'd gotten at an estate sale.  I've had this sitting on the cabinet that it's hanging over (now) for almost a year.  It had been there so long that, when I showed Mr. KV what I'd done, he said  "Oh, that hangs on the wall? I thought it was supposed to sit on the cabinet!"

The cabinet was my aunt's, the Christmas tree stand was given to me by my mother-in-law.  It was her great-grandmother's and is from the 1800s -- it winds up and plays 'Silent Night' and 'Kling, Glockchen'.  The cream colored felt tree skirt is from the 1960s, I think -- I picked it up a few years ago.

Like all odd jobs done close to the arrival of company, completing one leads to another.  Once I'd hung up the box, I had to figure out what to put in it.

It turned out to be easier to fill the box than I'd expected...  I added a few vintage Christmas items -- a bottle brush wreath, Gurley Santa candle & a pair of Lefton angels.  The tin is a souvenir from King George's coronation in 1937 (no, I wasn't there to get it in person...) The three English money boxes are from King Edward's & King George's reigns.  The loving cup is one that my Aunt Gene won in tennis in her youth in the 1940s and the Scottie with the Haggis is a gift from her -- she's very proud of our Scottish heritage!  Since the cabinet below the box used to belong to her, it seems only fitting that some of her favorite things are displayed above it, along with some of mine.