H O O T

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. 


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.






And since it is Halloween, and there will be tricking and/or treating, I want to share one of the recipes with you.



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!

Technorati Tags: The Sorceror's Cookbook,how to ward off evil spirits,vintage Corona typerwriter,white owls,Happy Halloween,hoot,magic spell illustrations

My Electric Bill Came Today

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!

 

 

 

 

 

Technorati Tags: original art,bulldog painting,Lola's conundrum,electric bills leaving me speechless,Texas record heat

Tea for Two or Twenty-Two

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. 

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.  Enough said. 

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. 

“clustres” of them were hanging in several places and everyone loved them. 

Lots of mismatched luncheon plates and vintage napkins.  I told you I unpacked for day and days. 

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!

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!

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!

Krista made cookies and biscotti.  Yum!

I ran out of sign holders, so I made these little wire ones.

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.

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.

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…..

Now how did that gravy boat get in there?

Linking with:

Faded Charm White Wednesday

Savvy Southern Style:  Wow Us Wednesdays

DIY By Design:  Sizzle Into Summer

House of Grace:  Twice Owned Tuesday

My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia:  Tuesdays Treasures

A Stroll Thru Life:  Table Top Tuesday
Very Merry Vintage Style:  Share the Love Wednesdays

Technorati Tags: vintage tea cups,vintage dishes,tea party,Homer Laughlin gravy boat,The Graphics Fairy,White Wednesday,bee honey server,vintage cow creamer,flowers in tea tins,cookies in big jars

  

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs

 

Like many of you, I love vintage signs.  My favorite one that I own is this large one (5 feet long) that my hubby brought to me a few years ago.  Funny story.  He had stopped by an old car dealership building in downtown Waco that someone had purchased to remodel and make into lofts.  Hubby was so interested in the beautiful old building, the new owner gave him a tour.  This sign had been left in the building and hubby noticed it and commented.   The white background paint is almost totally gone.   Well, the owner didn’t care anything about the sign and he just up and GAVE it to him.   Sorry, my Texas slang comes out when I get excited. I love it and I didn’t have to do a thing to it, but hang it up!  I also kinda like the fact that “it’s” is grammatically incorrect and makes it unique (just in case a former English teacher of mine sees this). 

Unfortunately, before the owner could get the remodeling done, the economy went downhill and I believe the building is now again for sale.   I am sure my hubby would love to have that building, but if you see him, please try to talk some sense into him!

 

 

 

Linking with Faded Charm’s White Wednesday.

 

Technorati Tags: vintage signs,Waco,Texas

Yes, I Painted the Drop Cloth

I have had this chair for a century long time.  In fact, when I bought this chair, you could hardly find this type of Frenchie chair anywhere.  I kept thinking some day I would paint it.  So I put it in storage and guess where it stayed.  You can see why.
I finally decided to paint it and I chose Sherwin Williams “Jogging Path.”  It is the faintest of greys.


Don’t you love the detail on these types of chairs? 


I decided it needed a cushion.  So I made one out of painter’s canvas drop cloth.  I washed it, of course! 
And, I decided it needed a “look.”  So I took out my trusty artist’s brush and painted black stripes.  Well, I couldn’t actually afford to buy that kind of look!  European grain sacks (or whatever you call this look) = big dollars. 



This is the finished product. 

I haven’t decided whether or not I’m going to keep it.  I have thousands too many chairs, so my hubby says.  He’s told me a million times not to exaggerate.

I just noticed the Rembrandt print lady is looking across the room at my new chair.  Is it just me or is she looking “all judgmental?”



Linking with Kathleen’s Faded Charm White Wednesday  (it is the faintest of greys), Power of Paint, Wow Us Wednesday, Share the Love, and Three Boys.

Technorati Tags: French chair,White Wednesday,canvas drop cloth,painted drop cloth,European grain sack look,Rembrandt print

To Keep Me From Painting It

 

I love lamps.  I have always loved lamps.  I have had quite a few antique lamps.  I have sold quite a few antique lamps.    This is beginning to sound like a children’s book.  See Spot Run.

 

I don’t usually mind painting lamps if I think I would like them better or if they would fit my décor or someone else’s décor better.  Everyone has been happy with the painted results. 

 

I like to paint them in solid colors, white, black, red, apple green.  I feel it modernizes them.

Unfortunately, I didn’t keep too many photos of all the lamps I have painted.

But you get the idea, right?

 

 

 

Anyway, my dilemma is this:

 

I bought this one at an antique store about 30 years ago.  It has the original Nicolletti’s shade.  I just can’t paint it.  I am selling it in its original glory.   I finally figured out why I can’t paint it.  All of the lamps I have painted were purchased with the intention to paint them.  Thirty years ago, I would have never thought of that.  I can’t paint it.  Sometimes you just have to walk away.

 

 

Linking with Kathleen’s Faded Charm White Wednesday.

Technorati Tags: antique lamp,Nicolletti's lampshade,painted lamps,modernizing lamps,bird lamp,bagpiper lamp,White Wednesday

Do You See Koala Faces?

 

It is White Wednesday again over at Kathleen’s Faded Charm.  Why, yes, thank you, I would like to join the fun.  Hubby has been at it again and brought me something he knows I love—little metal drawers.  It’s all in the name of organization, of course.

Maybe it is because I’m an animal lover.  I see a Koala face.

 

 

 

 

What?  They were not really little drawers in the beginning?  Clue—see dividers?

 

Here is another one, but it is not white.  See Frigidaire?  They are all old ice trays.

 

I’ll keep my icemaker.  But I do like to repurpose.  Don’t we all need ways to corral all those itty bitty things?

 

I do believe that will work!  Do YOU see the Koala faces?

What kind of face do you see?

 

 

 

They’re hanging out next to the white owls.

 

Technorati Tags: antique ice trays,antique metal drawers,Koala faces,organizing little things,kitchen desk organization