I am taking a little bloggy break, dear friends! We have had nothing but rain lately, so I need a little bit of this! I’ll be back before you know it! Everyone have a wonderful week and enjoy that extra hour of sleep tonight!! A bientôt! See you soon!
I want to show you my latest thrifting find. Isn’t it wonderfully old and chippy? It looks like it has been in grandma’s attic or out in the barn waiting to be discovered. I found it while antiquing with some fellow Georgia bloggers. (Click here to read CC Catherine's blog!) But I think I need a little help deciding exactly what it is. A candelabra is the obvious first choice, isn’t it? But…
…Baby Kitty and I checked it out from stem to stern and there is no sign of any candle wax whatsoever!
And the little cups have indentions that are so small that not much more than a birthday candle could fit! Any ideas? Hmmm… an antique egg holder?
Whatever it is, it got my little wheels turning. How about using it to hold some baby pumpkins for Halloween? It came with its own spider webs already!! lol
I just quickly jazzed it up with what I had on hand. It makes a cute Fall decoration, doesn’t it?
Now I’m thinking…add some pretty glass balls at Christmas, colored eggs at Easter, some round candles or some fruit between holidays. I usually grab the spray paint, but I am leaning toward leaving this one as is. Tell me what you think…because I think I am in love!!!! lol
Thanks so much for stopping by! I am excited to be joining two Monday parties today! Please be sure to head on over to visit our gracious hostesses and find out who else will be playing along!
First, I am joining Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday! Please be sure to drop by to be treated to one of her beautiful mosaics and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Then, I will be participating in Metamorphosis Monday with Susan at Between Naps on the Porch! You will want to pay her a visit to see what she is up to and to find more wonderful decorating re-dos!
See you next time! A la prochaine!
When I was a young bride, this is something I could only have dreamed of…a silver coffee and tea service of my own! So, pewter was a much more practical and stylish alternative for me at the time. Now as I am…er….more mature, I have been so happy to finally have this! How? Why…Goodwill hunting, of course! lol It has taken me several months to find pieces that I love, but here it is! And for only about $40 total…including that wonderfully heavy footed tray!
I am thrilled by the lines of the mismatched pieces! And I love its patina! Someone else did all the work of aging it and I get the result!
I think the tray is my favorite...with its border of grapes entwined among the vines. There is an O engraved in the middle of it…mysterious! Did it belong to Jackie Onasis? Or maybe Oprah? lol I don’t care! It’s mine now!
I am not sure what is going on in the thrift stores, but everyone seems to be getting rid of grandma’s silver. Maybe they don’t want to polish it. Or maybe it’s not quite perfect. That’s OK. I’ll take it and turn it into…
…this! A little silver cream and some elbow grease will do the trick!
Or maybe I’ll leave it tarnished, like this coffee butler, and add a vintage-looking tag! (Instructions for making tag here)
Or perhaps I'll find some more flatware and store it in my kitty cat pitcher….which also came from Goodwill. So did its big brother filled with Goodwill candles!
Hmmmmm… I think I’ll leave this chaffing dish tarnished and add a blue pottery bowl and a few little pumpkins.
Here’s my latest acquisition. I haven’t decided whether or not to polish it yet. Wouldn’t it be lovely with some fresh flowers and white candles? I just hope that whoever is getting rid of their old silver doesn’t stop. I’m just getting started!!
Thanks so much for stopping by! I am excited to be joining three Monday parties today! Please be sure to head on over to visit our gracious hosts and hostesses and find out who else will be playing along!
First, I am joining Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday!
Then, I will be participating in Metamorphosis Monday with Susan at Between Naps on the Porch!
And finally, I am excited to be joining the newest party in blogland, I Am a Fleamarketeer at Flea Market Style!
See you next time! A la prochaine!
Today, I am taking you to Alsace in the northeastern corner of France. Well, not exactly, but I am going to share a few of my little treasures! If you are not familiar with Alsace, I’ll bet that you could guess from the photo that it is on the border with Germany…but it is still VERY French. Warning! Warning! I feel the French teacher in me coming out! lol
photo of Strasbourg from Wikipedia
First, I would like to share with you my two favorite Alsatian plates. In the upper left is a Sarreguemines plate in the Obernai pattern depicting an Alsatian woman and her daughter going to church, dressed in traditional costumes. I love the flowers on the border! On the lower right is a Limoges plate featuring the products of Alsace, including a peek at the traditional architecture with a stork nesting on the chimney. I’ll tell you a little more about the costumes and the storks later. The yellow fruit is mirabelles…a sort of yellow plum which makes a yummy tarte!
And this little jewel is a special favorite because it was a gift from a dear French friend of mine to my mother. It is only three inches in diameter! It depicts the traditional architecture of Strasbourg with the cathedral in the background and a stork’s nest. It is believed that having a stork build its nest on your home brings luck. However…no fires in the fireplace! And…if you want a baby brother or sister, just leave a sugar cube on the window sill and the stork will grant your wish in return for the treat!
I love these little people dressed in the traditional Alsatian costumes! I bought several sets of these to give as gifts, but could only part with one set…which I gave to my sister. She hangs them on her tree at Christmas. I have them hung in several places around my house as a reminder of a trip to Strasbourg for the Christmas Market. When you tug on the string, their arms and legs move!
I am sure that you have noticed by now that Alsatian women are frequently portrayed as wearing a large black bow. Actually, there are numerous traditional coiffes or caps for the region, but this one has come to represent all of Alsace. It was worn by the women in protest of the German occupation of Alsace in 1870 and 1914. You have to admire them for making their political views known! The traditional costume is now only worn for special fêtes or holidays.
photo from Wikipedia
This is a colorful little cookie tin whose cookies long ago...er...disappeared! You can see men and women in costume, as well as references to some of the products of Alsace…vins d’Alsace and bière d’Alsace…wine and beer from Alsace. The brasserie, a sort of bar/restaurant, is serving the local specialties. And, of course, there is a stork’s nest!
Hmmmm…I would like to show you this picture that usually hangs in my kitchen…but Kitty isn’t in a sharing mood! It features several labels from the wines of Alsace. Have you ever had a glass of Riesling or Gewürztraminer? Then you have sampled them!
Finally! She has allowed me to show you a little peek! I love this one…it has all of the traditional elements…the costumes, the architecture and the stork!! One day, I hope to go back to Alsace…but it will not be soon enough! In the meantime, I will have to visit through my little treasures!
Thanks so much for stopping by! Please join me in visiting Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday, where you will see one of her beautiful mosaics and find a list of this week’s participants.
Then on Tuesday, head on over to Tam’s at The Gypsy’s Corner where I am joining our wonderful hostess for my very first Three or More Tuesday! There you will find all sorts of interesting collections! I am happy to be a part of this meme and I do believe that it may become a habit! See you next time! A la prochaine!
I need a virtual trip to the beach! Two of my friends have each gone to the beach with their families this week and I want to be there, too! Don’t feel too sorry for me, though, because I will be there at this very moment a month from right now! I will be sitting in this chair at Seagrove Beach, Florida, enjoying what is, to me, one of the most amazing beaches in the world! No...that is not snow! That is beautiful white sand! It will be wonderfully peaceful and quiet. The weather will still be gorgeous and there will be no crowds! Can you hear the surf and seagulls yet? If not, just turn up the volume and you will! :-) I will take long walks on the beach and I'll need to because...
I will eat at all of my favorite restaurants! I'll have eggplant stuffed with shrimp and scallops at The Red Bar (pictured above)…fried green tomatoes with crawfish étouffé at Stinky’s Fish Camp…crab cakes with slaw and hush puppies at Bayou Bill’s…crabcakes cavallo at Another Broken Egg…and shrimp and grits at Bud and Alley’s, where I will sit on the rooftop deck and enjoy the view!
Click here to see Bud and Alley’s live web cam and enjoy a little taste of the beach if you need it as badly as I do!
Photo of The Red Bar from http://www.atthebeachfl.com
But at least one night, I won’t go out for dinner. I’ll boil some shrimp, sit on the beach and watch the sunset! You can almost hear a hissssss as the sun sinks into the gulf! Ahhhhhhh!
Won’t you join me?
Thanks so much for stopping by! Please join Mary at Little Red House for Mosaic Monday to see one of her beautiful mosaics and to find a list of this week’s participants!
Then on Wednesday, head on over to Susan’s at A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday, where we get to peek into Susan’s beautiful gardens and see what everyone else has been up to while enjoying the beautiful weather this week! See you next time! A la prochaine!
I am so honored to have been chosen by my blogger friend Bonnie as She’s All That at The Bhive Buzz for the month of October! I’m famous! If you don’t know Bonnie, you have a real treat in store for you! She describes herself as a former island girl living life in the Big City. She is one busy gal who maintains three blogs! The Bhive Buzz is her most recent undertaking, dedicated to the interests of women who have, ahem, let’s just say passed 40…and that’s definitely me!
Needless to say, her work has not been undertaken alone. She is assisted by her pal Kitty…
…and her dear friend Sadie who are mainstays on her original blog, Diamonds & Daisies, which gives us a peek into her life as a transplant into the city. I feel as though she lives right around the corner from me, although we are a continent apart! She is a wonderful writer who makes her neighborhood seem so real to me that I can picture it in my head!
In addition, Kitty serves as the Literary Cat who helps Bonnie choose the next book she will read…which is very important, since Bonnie is also the San Diego Books Examiner for their online newspaper! Aren’t you impressed? I know I am! I have planned the books for my beach trip this Fall based on her reviews and can’t wait to hit the sun and sand and enjoy my new treasures! She is a big fan of chick lit and so am I…aren’t we all? If you would like to read some of Bonnie’s recommendations, click here!
Thanks again, Bonnie, for choosing me as Ms. October for The Bhive Buzz! Head on over to discover some little known facts about moi! lol Please be sure to also visit Bonnie at Diamonds & Daisies and at her corner book review stand, as she describes it, at The Examiner! You will be delighted that you did!
