Sunday, December 25, 2011

A Creature Was Stirring

christmas hohoho
Somewhere in the house

christmas time
I heard funny sounds

christmas angels
But it wasn’t a mouse

christmas mantle 1
We’d loaded a tree

christmas tree and horse
The new skinny one
christmas tree and reid

Bought just for them

christmas tree and caroline
We’d had so much fun

christmas mantle 3
And so we decided


christmas mantle 2
To put out more trees

christmas tree sale
But I’d promised a surprise

reid caroline fireplace dec 2011 no 2

And I’d heard their pleas
reid caroline reading and cd player
In this high-tech world

We all need a break

caroline reading with my glasses
And they get such a kick

Out of things that they make

reid painting (2)
So Christmas came early

caroline in beret (2)
For Caroline and for Reid
Reid dec 2011 (2)
Those tiny hands held chalk
tiny hands chalkboard 3 (2)

And erasers they’d need

reid is so excited about his new old chalkboard
So the sounds I had heard

chalkboards and kids 3
Weren't musical chords

chalkboards and kids 2

Twas chalk clickety-click
chalkboards and kids
On new, old chalkboards!

caroline is not really writing her name



Merry Christmas everyone!

Linking with Faded Charm's White Wednesday.

Thursday, December 22, 2011

The Closest I Will Get to My Christmas Dishes This Year

 

Do you ever just stop and do a double-take when you are looking at a magazine because you see something familiar?

I do.  And I would bet you do too. 

Recently, I was casually looking at a Country Living and suddenly came to a halt when I saw this:

red-plates-country living like my currier and ives hl (2)

Yep.  Homer Laughlin Currier and Ives red transferware.

Just like mine.   Well, actually I do not have the teapot.

But I do have 3 sets of double-handled cream soup bowls that are not included in those shown above.  Sweet!

red_transferware

Here is an old poor quality photo of mine mixed in with a few other things.  They are not REALLY Christmas dishes but I always thought they looked especially pretty at Christmas.  I guess someone else thought so too!   Seeing the magazine photo makes me happy I did not sell mine.  At least not yet.  Which reminds me….I need to sell more dishes.

Mine are packed away for now, so I won’t use them this Christmas.  Sometimes life just gets a little hectic.

 

 

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

A Foggy Morn

 

Hubby and I have always wanted a room with a view.  In the past, we just enjoyed a view (if we could get one) from hotel windows.   Recently, we completely renovated a condo (I’ll post photos of the redo later) and it just happens to have a large master bedroom with very tall ceilings and a huge picture window.

 

The other morning a big of fog rolled in.

foggy bottom 2

 

 

Now this condo sits on a hilltop.  So this is what it looked like when the fog cleared.

view from condo br 2

We do love our room with a view. 

 

 

 

Monday, November 14, 2011

Letterpress Art Leftovers

old typeset letters
Do you ever have leftover pieces from the projects you have completed?
I do.
Do you ever have projects you planned but never completed?
I do.
Do you ever wait so long to work on a project that the finished product would no longer be “in style” when you get around to do it?
I do.
That last one is a little embarrassing.
At one time, I had quite a few letterpress blocks that I used in some jewelry and collage projects.   The leftovers that I did not use were just stashed in a drawer with some of my other supplies.
Every time I saw them in that drawer, they just spoke to me.
I could probably have sold them individually.  I am sure that some true collectors would be appalled that I glued them together in a hanging.   I had just the right place for them to hang.  I had just the right size thrift-store frame.  
So my leftover pieces became a completed project that appeals to me as a finished product.  Those letters still speak to me as I pass by them on the wall each day.  Want to know what they say?
There seems to be never enough, so take advantage of those zzzzzzzzz’s and $$$$$$$$$$’s.

Linking with Debra's Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Monday, October 31, 2011

H O O T

hoot

Happy Halloween!  I’ll be busy with babygrands later today,  so I just wanted to send a greeting before today’s festivities.  By the way, is it just me, or nowadays does it seem Halloween lasts for about a week?
I won’t bore you with more photos of my white pumpkins (although I do love them and I enjoy looking at all the blog photos of yours, so yall please keep ‘em comin’ ‘cause they’re good through Thanksgiving)!!!  This little boot always makes me smile too.  I don’t know why. 
candy boot

This year it held Starburst candies.  Can you guess why?  Because I really don’t care for Starburst candies.  I’m not too tempted by them.  But Reid and Caroline love them.   I do not keep Snickers on hand.  Snickers would not be safe from me.
Years ago, I found this book that was on the 75% off sale table at Barnes & Noble.  I bought it for the illustrations, but it does have some, shall I say, interesting, recipes in it as well.
sorcerors cookbook cover


foreword sorceror cookbook


And since it is Halloween, and there will be tricking and/or treating, I want to share one of the recipes with you.
garlic infused vinegar sorceror cookbook page 1

garlic infused vinegar sorceror cookbook page 2
Uh oh.  It looks like it needs to infuse for 3 weeks before it can ward off evil spirits.  So it is too late for this Halloween.  I guess you could always turn out your lights and leave…..

if you dare!














Monday, August 8, 2011

My Electric Bill Came Today

bulldog amanda painted

Texas heat is attempting to  break records.  I am speechless.

 

P.S.  I am happy though to be the proud owner of this pup painted by my daughter.  I made a very good trade for it.  Actually, I saved it.  She has a habit of painting over her previous paintings.  The horror!

 

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

Tea for Two or Twenty-Two

teacups 1
Last week my daughter, Amanda and her friend, Krista hosted a brunch for another friend, Elizabeth who is getting married soon.  They wanted to have a tea party and, of course, I still have millions of  a number of vintage thingies.  So I was recruited. 
teacups 2
And after months and months of moving boxes and unpacking and putting up, I found myself pulling down and packing and moving boxes for what seemed like months and months to my daughter’s house.

I just had to stop along the way and take a few photos.  They say all the pink florals are coming back.
haviland c & s pink garland in display closeup
Haviland.  Enough said. 

teacups 3
I am liking the simple things so much more than I did when I was younger. 



Amanda made these wonderful hanging hearts out of fine scrapbook papers. 
hanging hearts 1
hanging hearts 2
“clustres” of them were hanging in several places and everyone loved them. 
hanging hearts 4
tea party plates 2
Lots of mismatched luncheon plates and vintage napkins.  I told you I unpacked for day and days. 
tea party quiche
Several different kinds of flowers lined the table in tea tins.  The tea tins leaked slowly so we had to place them on vintage trays.  That looked even better!
Amanda made quiche lorraine from my recipe.  It was the best quiche lorraine I ever tasted.  Amanda, you are the designated quiche maker from now on!
tea party cucumber sands 2

Krista made turkey sandwiches and cucumber sandwiches.  She once worked at a deli, so she was the expert!
I made all the little signs with help from The Graphics Fairy.  I downloaded several of her vintage clip art photos.  If you have not perused her blog, please do so now!   Thanks, Karen!

tea party favors
Amanda and I actually made, yes, MADE tea bags out of about 5 different kinds of loose tea including black tea, green tea, Earl Grey and a few exotic ones.  I think the favorite was decaf pomegranate green tea purchased from Central Market.  We made labels out of brown paper bags with my handy dandy tag cutout tool.  They were placed by groups in vintage bowls at the tea station…and I did not get a photo of them.  Darn!  But I did get a photo of the tea bags above.  These were attached to little boxes that held party favors…cute little tea bag holders in shapes of teapots…and I did not get a photo of them.  Darn!
tea party favors closeup (2)


Krista made cookies and biscotti.  Yum!
tea party cookie table
tea party cookie table 2


tea party cookie signs
I ran out of sign holders, so I made these little wire ones.


tea party cow creamer
I gave my daughter this little cow creamer a few years ago.  I bought it in Mississippi when I was just 10 years old!  That’s 48 years ago!  My first little vintage purchase.

tea party bee honey holder
A friend of Amanda’s who recently passed away gave her this vintage bee honey server a few years ago.  It is very special to her.

tea party gift boxes
Aren’t these gift boxes from one of Elizabeth’s registries beautiful?  I would love to have some of these to keep on shelves in my closet. 

A few games, some delicious food and tasty teas, gifts opened--and then it was over. 

And then I was packing and moving and unpacking and putting up and so on and so on…..
homer laughlin bouquet gravy with underplate

Now how did that gravy boat get in there?


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