Friday, July 31, 2009

Family Heirloom Party

Welcome to my heirloom party hosted by http://emmacallsmemama.com/. For this party I would like to share with you, some things that belonged to my mother. I know these things don't have much monetary value, but to me they are priceless. I remember as a young girl watching my mom make recipes from her Betty Crocker cookbook. I also have her recipe box, with recipes that were written in her handwriting, and some from my maternal grandmother as well. At Christmastime, out came the recipe box, on a cold winter's night, and ingredients were measured carefully in these aluminum measuring cups. These are the bowls she would mix the batter in to make our favorite cookies. I remember the house all decorated for Christmas, and the wonderful scent of cookies filled the air. One of my favorite cookies were the Christmas tree wreaths. She would mix the batter in the big green Pyrex bowl, put it into the cookie press, and out would come the pretty green squiggled dough. We then decorated them with red sprinkles and pieces of cherries for a bow. Another favorite were the Molasses Crinkles. After the cookies were baked, she would put them in big cookie tins, and hide them in the dining room next to the buffet table. I loved to watch and help her bake.

She always would make our cakes for birthday's and picnics. For the frosting, she would use the red bowl. Of course I always had my fingers in the bowl afterwards, eating any leftovers, after the cakes were frosted. Another favorite she always made, was Tapioca pudding. So creamy, and fluffy, and we had that a lot for dessert.



This is her cake plate. A peek underneath always revealed a beautiful cake made from scratch, most likely with a little fingerprint in it from yours truly. My mom passed away in August of 1994. I miss her so much, and the times we would bake together. I have carried on the tradition with my own girls. I much prefer to bake than cook. On a cold snowy day, I still love to bake, and have fond memories of my mom doing so.

Thanks for coming for a visit, and sharing some of my favorite heirlooms! I'm a bit late in joining in, but I was having computer problems.


Debbie


Thursday, July 30, 2009

Vintage Thingies Thursday

Hello, and thanks for joining me in another fun Vintage Thingies Thursday hosted by Suzanne over at http://coloradolady.blogspot.com/search/label/Vintage%20Thingies%20Thursdays. She has lots of other participants you can visit as well, by clicking the above Url.


First I would like to share with you a vintage cake topper from 1944. It belonged to my dear mother-and father-in law. He was in the military, and they had cake toppers with the groom dressed in uniform. When he passed away, about 20 yrs ago, she had moved from her big home to an apartment. Can you imagine she was going to throw this away! I thought it was a real treasure. I said NO! I WANT IT!!! You want this old thing? It is made of a chalk ware like material on the bottom with a lacy design, and a music box. The music box no longer works though. She is a lady of many talents, and she made the arch around it from beads. I was also lucky enough to get this portrait of her and hubby on their wedding day. She is still living today at age 88, and still loves to make her crafts, which now is mostly needlepoint. If you collect or know someone who collects vintage cake toppers, there are places listed on the web, that will restore them to almost new condition. It is a rather pricey procedure though. I am happy to have them both.

You can click on the pictures to make them bigger, to see more details.

Now, I also love to collect these vintage "cabinet cards or photos" as they are called. I don't know why, but I especially love the ones with children and brides. I purchased this one on e-bay for about $5.00



This is my grouping of vintage photos, and the picture of my mom there on the left with her fingers in her ears! I thought it was so cute.


This is a photo I found in an antique shop, of (it looks like) a brother and sister. Aren't they adorable?





This is another picture of one of the above, if you want to see it closer you can click on it. I have them a little out of order. It's already afternoon on Thursday, and I'm running a little behind, and didn't want to start uploading them again.




Now, I know your thinking what the heck is this she's got here. I had seen this in a magazine, and decided to make one. It's a piece of vintage silverware, and I bent the prongs to make a postcard, photo holder. Click on the picture to make it bigger to see details. This one has four prongs, and the two in the middle are bent forward and curled. If you look at the above picture, you can see where the photo/card sits on the two middle prongs. The other two outside prongs are bent backwards to make it stand. To bend the prongs more easily, I held mine over a hot flame, and used needle nose pliers. Do the same with the back prongs, being careful not to touch the hot metal. You may need to fiddle with it a bit to get it the way you want, and to stand. I thought it was such a cool idea. Now, when you heat the metal, it will probably tarnish, so you will need to polish off the tarnished areas, or you can leave it.
Hope you enjoyed my post, and now hop over to Suzanne's to see the other vintage goodies.
Thanks for stopping by!
Debbie





Sunday, July 26, 2009

Monday's Thrifty Treasures

Hello and welcome to Thrifty Treasures Monday hosted by http://southernhospitalityblog.com/ Stop over and visit her to see the other participants.


This first item I found at a thrift store called Unique. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw this on the shelf. It is just so pretty. The price? $2.42!! The top where the candle goes, and the handle are brass. The bottom part is a porcelain plate, and stamped on the bottom it says England. I originally was going to sell it on e-bay, and then I decided to keep it.








This is a wicker basket, and in great condition. I got this one at Unique thrift store as well. Not sure yet what I am going to do with it, but I have some ideas. I thought I might spray paint it a creamy white, and display some of my pretty hankies or vintage doilies in it.




This picture (and the one below) are some pictures I'd like to share with you that I found in a magazine, on uses for baskets. Now, we all have come across a great basket at a thrift store, and even though it's pretty, we're not quite sure what we would like to do with them. Well, here are some great ideas. I love this basket next to the bed. Isn't this pretty for a guest room?






This is an idea for the basket I had just shown you that I purchased. The picture above on the right, shows the basket hung on a wall, in a corner. I don't have a corner in my home that it would work in. You could take the lid off, and just use the bottom part to put on a wall, and display pictures or whatever it there. If you click on the pictures, they should enlarge. I'm not sure if you can read text on the page though. The picture on the left is a basket with a mirror on the bottom. How cute is that? You can hang a towel on the handle. Cute idea for a camper or really small bathroom. The basket on the bottom left has wooden dividers in it. You can put things on the individual shelves, and hang stuff on the lid too. They have vintage keys pictured on this one.





Aren't these the prettiest Pyrex bowls, in PINK! I snatched these right up when I found them at my favorite thrift shop. Monday's and Thursday's are 25% off day too! These cost me $4.06
with the discount! Baking days will be sweeter with these!







These items were from the thrift store too. As soon as I saw the thing on the left, I said, what a perfect little stand for a teapot, or a little plate and cloche! Of course I will paint it white first. It was $1 something with the discount. This is the sweetest pie plate. I think I may use it for a quiche. Well, the price was right, and it has pink roses on it.







Lastly, is this cute little pink rack??? Not sure yet what I will use it for, but I think I will paint it white. I put this little sachet in just to see how it would look. I think it might look nice painted a creamy antique white, and maybe I will stand a vintage picture in it. Hummm, or maybe stand lotion and soap in it in the bathroom, dish soap in kitchen, a plant perhaps? Any ideas?



Well, that's my thrifty finds for the week. I'm sure I'll have some more stuff to show you next time. See you then, and thanks so much for stopping by!




Debbie









Friday, July 24, 2009

Pink Saturday

Hello and welcome to another Pink Saturday hosted by http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/pink-saturday/ For you today, I have a pretty pink roses pitcher, with lovely flowers that my dear mother-in-law made from ribbon. You can click each picture to make them bigger. She has such a talent for making these beautiful ribbon flowers, and has made me many pretty things, which I will save for another Pink Saturday. I collect vintage hankies. This is one of my favorites that I found in an antique store. The embroidery on this is just gorgeous, and I just love the pretty scalloped edge. I may just have to frame this. I think I paid about $4.00 for it.

Now this sweet little dollhouse bed was made by my dear father-in-law. He had built this bed by hand and shaped each piece. This was not a kit. He built my mother-in-law a BIG dollhouse (3ft high by 4ft wide). Yup it was a big one. He made most of the furniture himself, and she would decorate it with all of the pretty things she made. She crocheted this bed canopy, and coverlet. She also made the sweet little pillows to go with it. (click on the picture to make it bigger) Some of them have tatted flowers on them too. She is a woman of many talents. She no longer has the dollhouse, it was sold many years ago when she downsized. I have a lot of the little things that she made, and this little doll bed I display in my doll cabinet.



Well, I hope you enjoyed some of my pink pretties. Check the list on Beverly's blog site above for more Pink Saturday participants. Thanks for stopping by!
Debbie







Thursday, July 23, 2009

The Shoe Show

Hello everyone, and welcome to The Shoe Show, hosted by http://southernlady-nancy.blogspot.com/. This sounded like a lot of fun, so I decided to join in! The first pair of shoes that I am showing, are a pair of black Victorian boots. I got this fabulous idea from Cindy over at My Romantic Home. She had a pair of these, that she put out at Halloween. I loved the idea, so I searched on e-bay and found this perfect pair in a size 5! Just the right size for a Halloween vignette! I display them with all of my vintage Halloween decor! Perfect witch shoes!
These are my daughter's (now 18) Christening shoes. Aren't they just darling! I love these with the lace and little tiny buttons.

These are little girls Victorian boots! These also were my daughter's. She wore them when she was 6 in her sister's wedding. (see next photo)



Here are my 3 beautiful daughter's (sorry Heather for cutting off your head) lol. See my little flower girl wearing her Victorian boots for her big sister's wedding.



I owned a pair of these cool Go Go boots in 1970. I'll be darned if I can find the picture of me wearing them. Darn.




Here is a picture of daughter wearing her Daddy's shoes! They sure are big shoes to fill!






These are just adorable!! I wish my girls were still small. They have so many cute shoes for little girls.


Here is a picture of me at about 5 or six. The next pair of shoes are mine!









I love these little shoes, and like to use them for little vignettes around the house.










I love pink high heels! Unfortunately, my back doesn't. *sigh* I used to wear them all the time with jeans. I used to have a pair just like these!



Oh I just love ballet flats. I actually used to wear regular ballerina slippers in black when I was a teen. They were very much IN! These are a more sturdy shoe, but I love the style.















OOOOh, aren't these just too cute! They are called Espadrilles. I think it has something to do with the jute on the heals. But I love these too!













These are Espadrilles too, and so cute in pink polka dot!













I think I will order some in each color! They are comfortable too!





Hope you enjoyed my shoe post, and now I am going to check out the others! This was so much fun! Opps, I just realized I forgot to put frames around my pictures. I hope they come out okay!
I was just excited to get it finished in time. Thanks for stopping by!
Debbie













Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Vintage Things Thursday

This is my first time participating in Vintage Thingies Thursday hosted by http://coloradolady.blogspot.com/search/label/Vintage%20Thingies%20Thursdays. This is a vintage baby scale with a lovely vintage dress. I wished I owned this! Perfect little vignette! This beautiful slip is from a little shop called Vintage Lizzies.


Here is another vignette (not mine) of another gorgeous vintage baby Christening dress. I am just in love with these little dresses! So pretty and feminine. Some of the laces are so delicate and intricate.

Now this little one is mine! I found this on e-bay. The hanger kind of makes it have a stained effect on the top. It's just the hanger shining through. It it very delicate, soft and creamy white. I have it hanging on my bedroom wall. Thank goodness my hubby doesn't mind!



This is another of my treasures. I also purchased this one on e-bay. It was pretty wrinkled when I bought it, but I knew a little tender loving care would fix it right up. If you click on the pictures, you can see the pretty lace close up. Someone put a lot of work into this. I would have loved to see a little baby girl in this!




Here we have a vintage bed jacket. It's all pretty, silky, and lacy! I found it at an antique shop, and I think it was around $10.00. I have it hanging on my mirror that attaches to my antique dresser.





I just love these vintage pictures of my hubby when he was a little boy. I love looking at them. I got the idea to put some tissue paper in this vintage purse, and tuck some of these pictures in, and hung it on the wall. Now, I can see them all the time, and it just makes me happy! What makes the picture on the right so special, is that we grew up in the same neighborhood, and this picture was taken at our local park. So the park has memories for me too!






Well, hope you enjoyed looking at my vintage pretties! I enjoyed sharing them with you.
Debbie






Sunday, July 12, 2009

Monday Thrifty Treasures

Hi and Welcome to Monday's Thrifty Treasures Hosted by http://southernhospitality-rhoda.blogspot.com/. This little tiered basket I found a a garage sale last year. It is made of wire. I couldn't believe it was only $3! I had Christmas balls displayed in it last year, but now it just sits on my dining room table. I think I might put some dried hydrangeas in it. I didn't even have to paint it or anything. Definitely a great find! This beauty I found in our local Goodwill thrift store. The store is called Unique and they just opened several stores in our area last year. They mark things with weird prices though. I got this for $2.91! It measures 11" and is porcelain made in Germany. The pattern is called Bridal Rose. When I picked it up, I thought for sure it would have a chip or some flaw, but it didn't. So, it came home with me! On Monday's they give you 25% off too!


These statues I found at a big indoor antique warehouse stuffed with, well, stuff! It's kind of dirty in there, but that doesn't stop me from picking through all the treasures they have. Some of the things are put into cases to prevent breakage. I spotted these from several feet away, and had to go check them out for a closer look. I had to ask the girl to open the case to see them. They were marked $25.00 for the set. Not bad. She said, as she handed them to me "You can have them for $15.oo for both". SOLD! I just loved the pretty pastels, and the softness of the colors. they are hand painted from Japan. They seem to go very nicely with all of my other pretties. Well, that is my finds for this week. I have lots of other stuff I will share with you on another Monday! Happy thrifting!










Thursday, July 2, 2009

Pink Saturday

Hello friends, and welcome to Pink Saturday hosted by Beverly of http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/ I'd like to Show you some of my pretty pillows. Starting from the back left, I got this pillow from QVC a few yrs ago. It is made of ribbon flowers. So pretty and cottagy I thought. Next to that one on the right, I bought from e-bay. This is made from one of the newer materials with a roses and teacup pattern! Perfect for me! Best of all, it is filled with the most fragrant lavender buds. I got it 2 yrs ago, and when you squeeze it, the fragrance is still there. Perfect for your stuffy nose. Next, in front left, is a sweet little feminine lace pillow, adorned with a vintage doily, and cluster of roses in the center. The heart shaped one is made from vintage chenille bedspreads. They all sit in an old wood framed arm chair that was my grandma's. I threw a tablecloth over the chair, and then covered over that with another Quaker lace tablecloth to give it the layered look. I had seen that done in a magazine, and thought it was a great idea.

Aren't these little sachets just adorable? I also got these on e-bay. They are shaped like strawberries, and filled with lavender buds. Each one is decorated a little different using snippets of ribbon, lace, buttons, beads, pieces of old doilies, and flowers. I wanted to make some myself, but never seemed to get around to it lol! AI have seen these in so many colors and one is prettier than the other. There is no end to how you can decorate these. Even using vintage jewelry would be fabulous! They seemed to be a big hit on e-bay about a yr ago. I have them displayed in a little stemmed glass I found in Home Goods, on one of my end tables in the living room.
Well, I just love this little postcard. I got this image from sweet Dawn over at http://the-feathered-nest.blogspot.com/ She is the sweetest, and often shares a lot of her images for us to use in art work. I added a blue frame to this one, but I just love the little delicate pink flowers, and the pretty birds. I collect vintage postcards, and have made some nice collages with them, that I will share at another time. Thanks for stopping by, and hope you will come back again.
Have a great holiday weekend!
Debbie











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