Memorial Day Table

I’m waiting to hear from our kinfolks in OK. Most of our kin live a good ways northeast of Oklahoma City, but it is still nerve-wracking to watch all of this devastation and wonder what is going on out there. In the meantime, to get my mind off of the seriousness, I will tell you about my day.

I ran my usual Monday morning errands plus stopped by the high school to see a friend who is doing me a favor by delivering some graduation gifts. It seems like every time that I stop by the high school, I end up staying a minimum of an hour since I always end up visiting with friends. Therefore, the last few times that I’ve been by, I’ve just gone when I knew that I had nothing pressing to do for a couple of hours!

Then I went home to begin my yard work. If you remember, I had put my yard work on hold last week to get the house clean before the kids came in for the weekend.

I picked up the sticks in the yard, pruned and sprayed the roses, planted some basil, and put out some slug bait. I have found out that the slugs are eating my hosta leaves. I tried the beer bait, but I only had one slug this morning and none the morning before that. I found the slug bait at Wal Mart and thought I would give it a try. I’ll keep you posted.

Then I mowed the back and the side yard.

By that time I needed a break and went in to grab a sandwich and rest a bit in the coolness.

While inside, I decided to go ahead and do my Memorial Day table.

I started with my great grandmother’s quilt in red, white, and blue for a table covering. Then I used my red square plates from Wal Mart. My husband gave me these for Christmas after I first started my tablescaping addiction hobby. I especially like their large size and can use them as chargers as well as plates, like today.

I topped the red plate with my favorite English Village Old Staffordshire. I like the blue and white contrast with the red and love the way it goes with the patriotic colors.

Then I used these mix-n-match bowls which I purchased last year at Target.

The size is perfect for a summer dessert or fruit.

Since I used these patriotic buckets from Target last year in my centerpiece, I wanted to do something a little different with them this year.

I found these blue and white napkins which I have had for many years and decided to put the San Remo flatware in the napkins, then put them in the bucket.

Then to make the buckets a little more festive, I stuck in a flag with the flatware. I thought it ended up kind of cute and cheerful.

I bet you could guess that I used the blue Dollar Tree goblets!

I wanted to keep the centerpiece simple but in the patriotic theme. I looked through my pillar candles and found three in the colors that I needed.

I was thrilled to have them, and I felt like they just completed the table.

I am also very pleased that I was able to pull off the Memorial Day theme without spending any money.

You know that is always a goal of mine!

After finishing and photographing the table, I went back outside.

I decided to work on cleaning out the back azaleas.

I raked and trimmed dead limbs. I hauled all of that to the street.

By then, I had been out a couple of hours, and I was exhausted!

So I came in to rest and get some water. While doing that, I heard about the tornadoes in OK. So I decided to do my post and I am listening to CNN while doing so. It wasn’t that long ago [April, 2011] that the devastating tornadoes came through MS and AL, so I know a little about what that area of the country is going through. It will need lots of prayers and lots of manpower.

To close on an upbeat note, look what I got in mail a few days ago! No, we still haven’t made a definite decision, and yes, we are very excited!

I am joining: A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday (vignettes, tabletops, tablescapes), Home and Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life (decorating, gardening, recipes, collecting), Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colorado Lady,   Sunny Simple Life (decorating, projects), Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday (tablescapes) and Metamorphosis Monday, Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage (crafts, home decor, thrifty finds),  Cozy Little House for Tweak it Tuesday (deocrating, garden, projects),  Under the Table and Dreaming for Sunday Showcase (any project or idea made by you this week),  The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home (home & garden), Cuisine Kathleen for Let’s Dish (tablescapes), Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch to Yours,  Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill (home decor, projects, recipes), Cottage Style at Lavender Garden,   The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday (tablescapes),The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday (thrifty decorating, tablescapes), What’s It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants; Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now (recipes, crafts, home décor), Meet Me Monday at You Are Talking Too Much (projects, decorating, recipes),  Spotlight Saturday at Classy Clutter (recipes, crafts, home décor), Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage (decorating, crafts), Efforts and Assets at Hickory Trail, Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound (anything pink),You’re Gonna Love It Tuesdays at Kathe with an E (recipes, crafts, home décor), Mop it Up Monday at I Should Be Mopping the Floor (projects, decor, recipes), Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style (recipes, crafts, home décor),  Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House (decor, projects),Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style,  Create It Thursday at Lamberts Lately,   Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring (decor, projects, recipes),  Tuesday’s Treasures at Uncommon Suburbia (projects, decorating, recipes),  Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life (home decor, projects), Centerpiece Wednesday at The Style Sisters (centerpieces),Open House Party at No Minimalist Here (crafts, home décor), Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage (memories, projects), Tips and Tidbits at The Stone Gable(projects, home décor, recipes),Thursday Favorite Things at Katherine’s Corner (projects, home décor, recipes), Sizzle into Summer at DIY by Design (home décor, projects)

Chap’s Wedding plus a Beach Table

I knew that Russell and Callie would have a very busy weekend when they got here and that we wouldn’t have a lot of visiting time. I thought that we would only have one meal to sit down to together as a family, so I wanted to do one nice table setting.

Since Callie had just come in from a beach trip with her family, I decided to set a beach table so that she could remember her vacation fondly. I wanted to use beach towels as my base, so I started with this bright yellow one.

I wasn’t quite satisfied with the look, so I decided to add another one in a bright contrasting color. I like the color of this top one, but it was very close to the color of my placemats.

I wanted more of a contrast with the placemats, so I switched the yellow to the top.

But I still didn’t really like it. Then I realized that I could just rearrange the layers. By keeping the turquoise on the top but turning it the other way, I still had enough contrast for the placemats. Plus, the shells on the top beach towel are more visible to go with the shell theme of the table accessories.

I love the colors in these placemats, and they echo the colors in the top beach towel.

For the dinner plate, I chose my Fancy Free. The blue rim was a great match with the blues in the placemats.

I folded the napkins in this beautiful watery blue to layer under the salad plate. These beach-themed salad plates with their cool blues and splashes of bright orange were the inspiration for this table.

Each plate has a different beachy picture.

I chose my black San Remo flatware.

I’m sure you can guess which glasses I used-those trusty Dollar Tree goblets. Aren’t they great?

Then I turned my attention to the centerpiece. I chose my pillar candle in variegated oranges to echo the touches of orange in the salad plates.

Last year, I used these Dollar Tree shell plates for salad plates, and I wanted to do something a little different with them this year.

So I placed them around the pillar candle and used them to hold votives.

A sprinkling of brown sugar “sand,” and I was done! I was pleased with the final look, and Callie seemed to appreciate it.

It was quite a hectic weekend, although you wouldn’t know it from Wendell’s pose above.

They got in Friday afternoon a couple of hours before they had to be at the rehearsal. Callie had to go to the organist’s home to practice their pieces, and Russell was putting finishing touches on his homily. I managed to snap once quick pic before they left for the rehearsal.

Saturday morning was also hectic. Callie met Ann at the church, and they practiced their violin and harp duets. They were really good; of course, I am not biased at all!

Russell had to attend the groomsmen’s brunch. His throat was feeling a little scratchy and he was hoarse, so he was trying to not talk much and take care of his voice before the wedding. As a side note, we love our beautiful daughter-in-law for a myraid of reasons, not the least of which is her height. It comes in handy in our house, and David especially was grateful for her when he was washing the truck Sat. morning and needed a little help with the top.

Chap is a friend a few years younger than Russell, and his family and ours are good church friends. In 2008 when Russell was hiring his camp summer staff, he was almost finished and needed a couple of more people. He called Chap and said, “Why don’t you come work with me this summer?” It was also Kelly’s first year to work as a camp counselor. Like they say, the rest was history.

Russell has done a good job of hiring a number of the young people who grew up in our church, and the majority of Chap’s groomsmen were those guys. Although they were all good friends from being in high school and the youth group together, they all really grew closer as they bonded summer after summer. Some of them also ended up at Mississippi State together as well. Jay, Reed, and Phillip above were all in high school together and then have worked at camp together for several years. As a matter of fact Reed and Phillip are both full-time employees now, but Phillip will leave to go to seminary at the end of the summer. Russell is excited for him but will certainly miss him.

Of course, snapping candids at the reception means that I did not necessarily get pics of everyone at the same time or in the poses that I wanted. I never did get a good pic of Chap and Kelly. Will, another friend from youth and camp, was a groomsman as well. He will be working at camp this summer and going to grad school in the fall.

Chap’s close high school friends, Ben, Corey, and Cole, were also groomsmen. Since I taught all of them, I told them that as an annoying ex-teacher I had the right to take their snapshots. Ben liked to pose as long as he could have his sweet little baby in the shot with him! Can’t say that I blame him. Although I have run into Ben several times, I had not seen Corey and Cole in a long time, and it’s always nice to see former students all grown up.

John Robert is a special church member, and he loves all of these guys. They love him, too, of course.

John Robert also loves to dance, and he and the mother of the groom made a great pair.

I managed to capture the father of the groom dancing with his youngest daughter Julia. It was really sweet.

OK, I’m not kidding here when I say that this is a snapshot of Juli and Julia. Juli was the youth director when most of these kids were coming up, and Julia is Chap’s middle sister. Speaking of Chap’s sisters, his oldest sister Melissa got a little overheated during the ceremony and almost fainted. Luckily, she was able to lean on Ben and the father of the bride until someone got her a chair and a bottle of water. She made it through fine, but I did not ever get a good pic of her at the reception. I’m sure she was staying in the air conditioning.

A few days before the wedding Chap called my husband and asked to borrow his truck for the going away. Chap and his dad took it for an afternoon so that Chap could practice. He had never driven a standard on the column before. Chap asked David to park it at the reception heading downhill!

I didn’t get a great photo of them leaving because of the crowds. It was really sweet the way he stopped and kissed her on the way out.

She seemed to be fine with getting in the old truck in her pretty dress.

We all held our breath as he cranked it up.

He apparently was a quick learner, and they left with no problems. It was a joyous day, and everyone had a great time! I’ll close with a few more wedding snapshots.

Chap’s uncle Richard was acting like he didn’t want to dance with his wife until I appeared with a camera!

Ben and his sweet wife. Sorry I didn’t get them facing the camera. She also spent a summer working at camp.

David and Will managed to pose for me quickly.

Russell and Grandaddy appear deep in conversation. I found a baby pic of Daddy while going through stuff for the Antiques Roadshow, and it looks just like Russell’s baby pictures.

Russ and John Robert.

Russell, Juli, and Phillip gave me nice photo.

The three of us. We were sooooo hot!

My favorite son and daughter-in-law. Russell’s homily was wonderful. I’m a little biased, of course! He used John 15 as his text and encouraged Chap and Kelly to go out and bear fruit as a married couple. He complimented them on the fruit that they had already born in their years of working with youth and children, both in Christian camping and in her job as a youth director and his as working with college age at the Wesley Foundation at Ole Miss. He reminded them that it would not always be easy to bear fruit, but that the Lord would equip them to do so. David and I thought it so touching that their first meal together as a married couple was Holy Communion, and that they began their married life in an act of service, serving communion to the members of their wedding party.

What a wonderful way to begin a marriage!

I am joining: A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday (vignettes, tabletops, tablescapes), Home and Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life (decorating, gardening, recipes, collecting), Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colorado Lady,   Sunny Simple Life (decorating, projects), Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday (tablescapes) and Metamorphosis Monday, Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage (crafts, home decor, thrifty finds),  Cozy Little House for Tweak it Tuesday (deocrating, garden, projects),  Under the Table and Dreaming for Sunday Showcase (any project or idea made by you this week),  The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home (home & garden), Cuisine Kathleen for Let’s Dish (tablescapes), Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch to Yours,  Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill (home decor, projects, recipes), Cottage Style at Lavender Garden,   The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday (tablescapes),The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday (thrifty decorating, tablescapes), What’s It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants; Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now (recipes, crafts, home décor), Meet Me Monday at You Are Talking Too Much (projects, decorating, recipes),  Spotlight Saturday at Classy Clutter (recipes, crafts, home décor), Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage (decorating, crafts), Efforts and Assets at Hickory Trail, Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound (anything pink),You’re Gonna Love It Tuesdays at Kathe with an E (recipes, crafts, home décor), Mop it Up Monday at I Should Be Mopping the Floor (projects, decor, recipes), Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style (recipes, crafts, home décor),  Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House (decor, projects),Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style,  Create It Thursday at Lamberts Lately,   Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring (decor, projects, recipes),  Tuesday’s Treasures at Uncommon Suburbia (projects, decorating, recipes),  Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life (home decor, projects), Centerpiece Wednesday at The Style Sisters (centerpieces),Open House Party at No Minimalist Here (crafts, home décor), Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage (memories, projects), Tips and Tidbits at The Stone Gable(projects, home décor, recipes),Thursday Favorite Things at Katherine’s Corner (projects, home décor, recipes), Sizzle into Summer at DIY by Design (home décor, projects)

Touches of Silver, a New Piece of Pottery, and Preparing for Company

I have been busy today cleaning and doing some neglected things around the house. I’ve enjoyed my yard work so much lately that I’ve only done the bare minimum inside, and not much of that. But my yellow roses were beautiful this morning, and I wanted to show you some pics of them in this post as well.

Suddenly I realized that the kids will be in this weekend and their room is a wreck. Before they married, Callie stayed in the guest room when she visited, so we now call that room “Callie’s room.”  We still call the room that was his “Russell’s room.”

After they married, I give them their choice of rooms when they come, and they always choose Russell’s room. They say that his mattress is better, plus there is more room in there for them, their luggage, and Wendell.

Now that I am a business woman with a flea market booth, I am glad that they have chosen his room! Callie’s room has now become the storage for things for the flea market. I absolutely hate it, but I have no idea what to do to remedy it. I try to keep it as neat as I can-a neat mess, if you will. Anyway, on to the cleaning and decorating updates. 

I began with giving Russell’s room a thorough dusting and cleaning his floors, as well as putting away as much of David’s stuff as I could. Since Russell has married, David has spread out into Russell’s room. He gets dressed in there in the morning, keeps his diabetes supplies and exercise bike there, and stores his Bible and other materials he needs for youth in the desk in there. I like the fact that it keeps our room straight. So if I have to get in there and really deep clean before they come visit, that is fine with me.

Then I moved on to the living room. In addition to a thorough cleaning, I have been tired of my vignettes and wanting to change them for quite some time.

After Christmas, I changed the vignettes on the entertainment center to these. I was so surprised and excited when we visited David’s parents on Mother’s Day and his mom gave me a piece of pottery that was made by a dear friend. She said that she had enjoyed it for quite some time and wanted to pass it on to us. Since it is pretty large, and I had been wanting to change these vignettes anyway, it was the perfect time to do it.

I started with this grouping. I just replace the pitcher with the pottery bowl. But I wasn’t really happy with it.

Then I tried the bowl by itself. I like the dramatic effect that a large piece has alone.

However, I really wasn’t happy with the height. Since my ceilings are tall, I like to have some height on top of the cabinet (this is an early primitive jelly cabinet that we use for our stereo and some other things).

I tried a few other of my vintage pottery vases and just was not satisfied with the look. The vases were too chunky with this already chunky piece. My eyes lighted on these tall candlesticks as I was looking around at my vintage pottery and pitchers. They added the height I needed without the heaviness of more pottery. They are kind of rustic-looking dark fake silver, so the look is not too shiny to go with this bowl. I was very satisfied with the final effort.

Then I began to look at the shelf above the stereo where I usually have a small grouping. I had never been completely happy with my Gail Pittman bowl and vintage pottery and pitcher that I had put here a few months ago. The colors look good together, but the scale didn’t look right to me.

I have plenty of pottery and pitchers to choose from, so I tried several. I ended up with this vignette, two rustic looking pitchers and one Johnson Bros. ironstone pitcher. I would prefer for the third pitcher to be more along the pottery type of these two, but this ironstone was the most rustic choice that I had .

Then I moved to the coffee table.

I’ve had my Gail Pittman tray here for a long time, and I really like it. So why fix it if it ain’t broke? The problem is that the coffee table ends up being the catch-all for snacks, books, magazines, mail, and other assorted “junk.” I always have to move stuff over if I need to use the coffee table for writing lists, going through mail, etc. So why have it there?

It’s not necessary to have a vignette. I like the coffee table with just the tray. Just don’t send the vignette police my way!

As for the sofa table, I moved the framed pictures of Russell and Callie and some pottery. They looked fine; I was just tired of them. Do you remember the silver tray from last week?

I decided that it would look fine on the sofa table. Then to continue the silver theme, I moved over a picture of the kids-and Wendell, of course-that I have in a silver frame and a chunky “silver” candlestick.

I was pleased with this little vignette and the touches of silver that I added to the living room.

I have actually examined the mantel several times in the last few weeks and run through several different looks in my mind.

But guess what? I still love what is there now and just don’t want to change it.

I have had my small collection of Hull pottery there for a while, and I added my Danube platter and bowl a few months ago because the aqua picks up the aqua hues in the pottery. So if I’m not tired of it and still love it, why change it?

So don’t send the vignette police my way for not changing this one either!

So I have dusted, climbed the ladder to clean the ceiling fans, swept, mopped, and washed all the linens on Russell’s bed, plus made new vignettes in the living room as I was dusting.  Tomorrow I’ll get back to work and hopefully finish up the house.

If you’re wondering about The Antiques Roadshow, I have still not decided. The above photo is a close up of some detail in a print that I inherited from my grandmother.

It is called a yard-long, for exactly the reasons that you might think, and they were very popular in Victorian times. If they were centered horizontally, like mine above, they were usually of flowers or fruit. Mine is called “a Yard of Lilacs.”

Some of the yard-longs were hung vertically. The subjects of these were usually Victorian women, such as these pictures that I found on the internet.

We still haven’t come to a conclusion, but we need to soon. Believe me, I’ll let you know as soon as possible!

I am joining: A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday (vignettes, tabletops, tablescapes), Home and Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life (decorating, gardening, recipes, collecting), Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colorado Lady,   Sunny Simple Life (decorating, projects), Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday (tablescapes) and Metamorphosis Monday, Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage (crafts, home decor, thrifty finds),  Cozy Little House for Tweak it Tuesday (deocrating, garden, projects),  Under the Table and Dreaming for Sunday Showcase (any project or idea made by you this week),  The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home (home & garden), Cuisine Kathleen for Let’s Dish (tablescapes), Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch to Yours,  Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill (home decor, projects, recipes), Cottage Style at Lavender Garden,   The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday (tablescapes),The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday (thrifty decorating, tablescapes), What’s It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants; Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now (recipes, crafts, home décor), Meet Me Monday at You Are Talking Too Much (projects, decorating, recipes),  Spotlight Saturday at Classy Clutter (recipes, crafts, home décor), Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage (decorating, crafts), Efforts and Assets at Hickory Trail, Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound (anything pink),You’re Gonna Love It Tuesdays at Kathe with an E (recipes, crafts, home décor), Mop it Up Monday at I Should Be Mopping the Floor (projects, decor, recipes), Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style (recipes, crafts, home décor),  Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House (decor, projects),Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style,  Create It Thursday at Lamberts Lately,   Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring (decor, projects, recipes),  Tuesday’s Treasures at Uncommon Suburbia (projects, decorating, recipes),  Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life (home decor, projects), Centerpiece Wednesday at The Style Sisters (centerpieces),Open House Party at No Minimalist Here (crafts, home décor), Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage (memories, projects), Tips and Tidbits at The Stone Gable(projects, home décor, recipes),Thursday Favorite Things at Katherine’s Corner (projects, home décor, recipes), Sizzle into Summer at DIY by Design (home décor, projects)

Mother’s Day Tablescapes, Two Variations

Between getting a new booth at the Flea Market, keeping up the yard work, and planning the Antiques Roadshow trip, Mother’s Day kind of slipped up on me. So I decided to do a Mother’s Day table in the kitchen since it will be just us this year. My son and his wife are traveling this weekend, but we will see them next weekend when they will both be here to be in a friend’s wedding.

A number of years ago at Christmas my husband asked for some ideas of something that he could give me. I don’t remember everything that we discussed, but I did tell him, “You know I like to set a pretty table.” I was so surprised and excited to receive these placemats and matching napkins that year. They’ve been used a lot over the years and are now a little faded, but I still love them. I decided to start with them today.

Because it’s Mother’s day, I wanted to try to use some things that reminded me of the mothers and grandmothers in my life. My mother gave me these plates last year when I first started tablescaping. I love the delicate rosebuds around the edge. She picked them up at the thrift shop for $1 each, but the back says Abingdon.

I layered the dinner plate with a Noritake Stoneleigh salad plate. I picked these up at an antique mall when I first began my tablescaping hobby. I knew that white would be good for layering.

On the top, I put the small plate, also in the Abingdon. I actually had purchased these at an antique mall several months before Mama gave me the dinner plates, and she had no idea that I had matching bread and butters when she gave them to me.

I wanted to do something a little different with the napkins. I decided to do the fan fold, but to lay them down instead of standing them up. Then I put them in a clear square napkin ring that my mother-in-law gave me awhile back.

Of course, with all of these shades of pink, I had to use my pretty pink goblets. The green Dollar Tree goblets pick up on the green shades in the napkins and placemats.

While finding my napkin rings this morning, I ran across these wine glass charms. I had purchased them at a thrift shop a while back and had forgotten that I had them. This one is a picnic basket.

I think I paid 99 cents for three or four them. I wish you could see the detail on this one. It is a little open container which says “caviar” on the side.

I added my Chateau flatware, and I liked the final look. Then I moved on to the vignette.

Since I was in Mother’s Day mode, I chose items that had belonged to my grandmother. This cream and sugar is Homer Laughlin. It is a very common pattern called Wayfair. Homer Laughlin used different “blanks” {molds} for their dinnerware in different shapes. They gave their blanks names. This particular blank is called Republic. The most commonly known Homer Laughlin blank is Virgina Rose. The Danube dishes that I showed you in the last post are on the Rhythm blank. Eggshell Georgian is another blank that was very popular. A lot of people get the blank names and the pattern names mixed up.

Look carefully at the edge of the above plate. It is hard to tell in this pic, but there is an embossed rose on the edge, actually four of them.

There are also roses on the edges of this plate. Different patterns, but the same blanks were used. Next to Fiesta, Virginia Rose is probably the most prolific and well-known of the HL blanks, but there are many, many others.

If that isn’t confusing enough, the company names can also throw people off. The bottom of my sugar and creamer set above is marked with an old Homer Laughlin mark. But stamped over that mark is a Cunningham and Picket mark. As I explained in an earlier post about my Danube dishes, Cunningham and Pickett was a distributing company for china producers, such as Homer Laughlin. It purchased the china pieces from Homer Laughlin and put its stamp on the back. Then Cunningham and Pickett used these pieces for promotional purposes, such as putting them in laundry detergent, or sold them to major catalog companies, such as Woolworth’s.  What is interesting when comparing my Danube set to these Wayfair items, is that the HL mark is not on the bottom of the Danube china. This lack of consistency makes it hard to identify the C & P dishes as actually made by the HL company. People often mistakenly thing that C & P was the maker of the dishes, certainly an easy mistake to make.

So if blanks and companies aren’t perplexing enough, the pattern names can get even more complex. Sometimes the patterns had names, but more often than not, they just had numbers. Sometimes Cunningham and Pickett named the patterns themselves and sometimes the decals were never given names. The patterns were actually decals that were applied to the blanks before firing. You will often see the same china pattern made by different companies and I suppose the reason goes back to companies that purchased their decals from the same places.

After eating lunch today, the dishes went into the dishwasher, and I wanted to use the same placemats and napkins in a slightly different way. This time I put the Noritake dinner plate first.

Then I topped the dinner plate with my Meadow Visitors plates.

Sorry, I know you saw these not too long ago, but I just love them and don’t use them as often as I like.

We did not use the small Abingdon plates at lunch, so I finished off the place setting with them.

I did a casual fold on the napkins and used some clear round napkin rings, also gifts from my mother-in-law.

I replace the green goblets with Fostoria Romance crystal. My mother passed hers on to me a few years ago when they downsized, and I have added a few to the set with eBay purchases.

For the vignette, I replaced the small bird pitcher that had been my grandmother’s with the vintage Hall coffeepot. I love this coffee pot, and it once belonged to my husband’s grandmother. I do have the aluminum part of the pot for the grounds, but I have it stored rather than display it.

I also mentioned David’s grandmother several times in this blog, and I have always meant his maternal grandmother. As for his paternal grandmother, I don’t really have anything of hers that has to do with tablescaping, but I will be creative!

I inherited two pretty pins after her death, so why not use them on the table? I thought that they would make cute plate decorations, and I was right!

Unfortunately, the flower basket pin is a little smaller and doesn’t look quite as good as the cameo. But that’s ok, I like the way they look, plus they helped me accomplish my goal of honoring all of my mothers and grandmothers in this post.

 

When I started thinking about wanting to represent my grandmothers and mothers, I realized that every time that I have written about my grandmother so far, I have referred to my paternal grandmother. What can I show you to represent my maternal grandmother?

Then I thought of something. This china hutch once belonged to her, and it serves as storage for a lot of my crystal pieces in the bottom, candles in the drawers, and display of pitcher, teapot, and pottery collections on the shelves. So perhaps my other grandmother has even more of hand in my tablescaping hobby than any other relatives!

I have enjoyed finding these items that remind me of my mothers and grandmothers.

I wish all of you a happy mother’s day.

I hope that you enjoy remembering the mother figures in your lives the same way that I have.

I am joining: A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday (vignettes, tabletops, tablescapes), Home and Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life (decorating, gardening, recipes, collecting), Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colorado Lady,   Sunny Simple Life (decorating, projects), Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday (tablescapes) and Metamorphosis Monday, Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage (crafts, home decor, thrifty finds),  Cozy Little House for Tweak it Tuesday (deocrating, garden, projects),  Under the Table and Dreaming for Sunday Showcase (any project or idea made by you this week), Gratitude Sunday at A La Carte, The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home (home & garden), Cuisine Kathleen for Let’s Dish (tablescapes), Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch to Yours,  Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill (home decor, projects, recipes), Cottage Style at Lavender Garden,   The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday (tablescapes),The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday (thrifty decorating, tablescapes), What’s It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants; Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now (recipes, crafts, home décor), Meet Me Monday at You Are Talking Too Much (projects, decorating, recipes),  Spotlight Saturday at Classy Clutter (recipes, crafts, home décor), Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage (decorating, crafts), Efforts and Assets at Hickory Trail, Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound (anything pink),You’re Gonna Love It Tuesdays at Kathe with an E (recipes, crafts, home décor), Mop it Up Monday at I Should Be Mopping the Floor (projects, decor, recipes), Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style (recipes, crafts, home décor),  Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House (decor, projects),Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style,  Create It Thursday at Lamberts Lately,  Creative Things at The Vintage Farmhouse,  Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring (decor, projects, recipes),  Tuesday’s Treasures at Uncommon Suburbia (projects, decorating, recipes),  Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life (home decor, projects), Centerpiece Wednesday at The Style Sisters (centerpieces),Open House Party at No Minimalist Here (crafts, home décor), Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage (memories, projects), Tips and Tidbits at The Stone Gable(projects, home décor, recipes),Thursday Favorite Things at Katherine’s Corner (projects, home décor, recipes), Sizzle into Summer at DIY by Design (home décor, projects)

Aqua, Silver, and Flea Market Update

If you are a regular reader, you’re probably sick of my talking about The Antiques Roadshow, so I am getting back to tablescaping today. Plus I have some news about our booth at the Flea Market.

Recently my mother brought me some things that she thought I might be able to sell in my booth. Several pieces of silverplate were among the items, and I spent a good bit of time polishing them and getting them ready to sell.  I fell in love with this silver tray, and decided to keep it for myself, well, for a while anyway. As you know, I have several silver trays, but I don’t have any that have the raised edge on them. So today’s tablescape started with the inspiration of this tray and wanting to highlight it.

I decided to use the Cunningham and Picket aqua dishes since I haven’t used them lately. I really thought that the aqua and silver would look good together.

I topped the dinner plate with the bread and butter plate and decided to leave the layering alone after that. Of course, I used my Grosvenor silverplate.

On my wish list of things that I “need” for tablescapes are some aqua napkins and candles and some pink pillar candles. But since I am trying not to spend any money, I used my pale pink napkins since they pick up on the pink rose in the plate. I also used sparkly silver napkin rings to echo the silver on the table.

Of course, I used my favorite pink tulip goblets. Another “wish list” item would be some sort of goblet with aqua in it.

I decided to use the “new” silver tray to hold my silver goblets. I like the fact that this raised edge would make holding drinks more possible than with the other silver trays I own.

For the centerpiece, I chose my engraved silver tray from my wedding. I topped it with the cream and sugar matching the dishes. I was fortunate to find the sugar and the platter on eBay after I purchased the rest of the set from Craig’s List. I would still like to have the teapot.

 It is very high on Replacements, so I will get it only if I ever luck up on it at a yard sale or something. I placed my Grosvenor sugar spoon on the tray as well.

I purchased this set of three silverplate candlesticks at an antique mall soon after I first started tablescaping. I am using the tallest two of the set for this table since I only have two pink tapers.

I wanted to use the platter, but wanted to elevate it to be more noticeable. I normally have this platter in a plate holder on the mantel, so I just moved it, holder and all, to the table.

Of course, if I was truly going to serve a meal at this table, I would remove the plate holder before serving! I placed my silverplate meat fork next to the platter.

To balance out the centerpiece, I added a bowl from which to serve a vegetable or side dish. I absolutely love this silverplate berry spoon that I purchased at our church sale for $1 many years ago. I put it in the bowl to use for serving.

Overall, I was quite pleased with the look of the table. It looks fresh and springy, and I think that I was right that aqua pairs well with silver.

The pink accents also add to the table, but I still would like some aqua napkins at some point. I also would like some pale yellow ones. The plate has a pastel yellow rose as well as a pink one, and I would like to try a table bringing out the yellow at one point.

Now for my update on our booth at the flea market. Our booth is a little small, and we feel that sometimes customers may not look at some things closely because of the cramped space. Last week a larger booth downstairs opened, and we grabbed it.

So we asked the owner is she minded if we set up after hours because we needed our husbands to move the heavy pieces. She was very accommodating, and the four of us set up our new space last night. Not only is the space a good bit larger, but also one of the walls is pegboard. We are excited that it will be much easier to hang things.

We also like the fact that this space is in a much heavier traffic area than we were in before. It is on the main floor down the main aisle that everyone has to walk through when they first come in the store. We are really pumped up about that.

There are some things that we will miss about being upstairs. You may remember that we were right in front of the picture window and enjoyed setting up our displays so that passersby could eye them.

We will also miss the fact that the upstairs is the only heated and cooled part of the store. It was really nice this past winter when we would go in to set up and stayed toasty warm while other vendors were downstairs freezing. In the almost four hours last night that we spent moving things and setting up, we got about as hot as I feel when mowing the yard and worked up quite a sweat. So we definitely will miss the air conditioning.

But giving up those two things will be worth the higher traffic area and bigger space. At least that is what we are hoping!

Since it was late and dark, my pictures aren’t that great. Plus I was exhausted when I finally remembered that I had the camera with me to take pics for today’s blog post.

Of course, you know that I have to set a table. I had to use a card table since the table that we had used for tablescapes before belonged in that upstairs booth. So I did not do as much as I like, but I did get one set up. I have a twelve piece setting of this lighthouse china for sale, and my thinking is that it might sell better in the summer when people are taking beach vacations. I used some vintage glasses with ships on them and some Danish modern blue wine goblets from the sixties. With the little bit of leftover space I had, I put a red glass compote in the middle to bring out the touch of red in the dishes and the small votive lanterns because I think they look a little like they could be on a ship.

We were exhausted beyond belief last night, but we did take few minutes to step back and admire our handiwork.

Time will tell if this move will be a good one or not. But we are very optimistic! I will keep you posted.

I am joining: A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday (vignettes, tabletops, tablescapes), Home and Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life (decorating, gardening, recipes, collecting), Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colorado Lady,   Sunny Simple Life (decorating, projects), Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday (tablescapes) and Metamorphosis Monday, Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage (crafts, home decor, thrifty finds),  Cozy Little House for Tweak it Tuesday (deocrating, garden, projects),  Under the Table and Dreaming for Sunday Showcase (any project or idea made by you this week), Gratitude Sunday at A La Carte, The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home (home & garden), Cuisine Kathleen for Let’s Dish (tablescapes), Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch to Yours,  Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill (home decor, projects, recipes), Cottage Style at Lavender Garden,   The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday (tablescapes),The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday (thrifty decorating, tablescapes), What’s It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants; Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now (recipes, crafts, home décor), Meet Me Monday at You Are Talking Too Much (projects, decorating, recipes),  Spotlight Saturday at Classy Clutter (recipes, crafts, home décor), Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage (decorating, crafts), Efforts and Assets at Hickory Trail, Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound (anything pink),You’re Gonna Love It Tuesdays at Kathe with an E (recipes, crafts, home décor), Mop it Up Monday at I Should Be Mopping the Floor (projects, decor, recipes), Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style (recipes, crafts, home décor),  Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House (decor, projects),Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style,  Create It Thursday at Lamberts Lately,  Creative Things at The Vintage Farmhouse,  Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring (decor, projects, recipes),  Tuesday’s Treasures at Uncommon Suburbia (projects, decorating, recipes),  Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life (home decor, projects), Centerpiece Wednesday at The Style Sisters (centerpieces),Open House Party at No Minimalist Here (crafts, home décor), Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage (memories, projects), Tips and Tidbits at The Stone Gable(projects, home décor, recipes),Thursday Favorite Things at Katherine’s Corner (projects, home décor, recipes), Sizzle into Summer at DIY by Design (home décor, projects)

 

Decisions, Decisions…

I’m still pondering what to take to the Antiques Roadshow. As I said in my earlier post, we will take the wagon, but I’m still indecisive on everything else. I have been doing some internet research, and I will share that throughout this post as it applies.

My great-grandmother’s sister (the same great-grandmother who had the calling cards marked “dead”), was a missionary to mainland China for the Methodist Episcopal Church, now the United Methodist Church. I’m not sure what years she was active, but I know that it was before WWII. Because my grandparents lived with her parents, I grew up viewing the things in my grandmother’s home that my great grandmother had received from her sister. One of the beautiful things that has survived is this delicate tea set. It has a teapot, cream pitcher (no sugar bowl because the Chinese don’t use it), four of these delicate tea cups, but only three remain of the four snack plates. These items are not marked, and there are some nicks on the cups and plates. These may have been made for the tourist trade, and since the set is not perfect, I probably will not take it. Plus I would be very nervous about transporting this set all the way to FL; it is very delicate and thin. I have a couple of other items that my aunt sent from China, such as a rice bowl and miniature teacup, but I’m just not really leaning toward taking any of these items. The research that I have done does not recommend items made for tourist trade.

I love old books and am lucky to own a few, all that I inherited from my grandmother. The book on the upper left, Cosey Corner Stories, was published in 1897.

It belonged to my grandfather. I know that because he wrote his name, Albert Mitchell, in the front of the book. Apparently he had to share the book with his sister because her name, Annie Kate Mitchell, is also written in the book.

Another book that belonged to my grandfather is Woodland Fairies and Flowers, copyright 1902. It is the best condition of the old books that I have, and the only one in which the writing is completely legible. It says:

Awarded to

Albert Mitchell

as a prize for excellence in

excelling by his teacher

Annie Lou Irish

“Black Creek”

March, 1905,

Success to you always.

I think he may have been about 9 or 10 at the time. Black Creek was the name of the school. In addition to the information commonly found on the title page of a book, it says, “profusely illustrated.” I find that really funny.

The smaller book at the bottom of the picture is Children’s Edition of Touching Incidents and Remarkable Answers to prayer, published in 1898. It belonged to my grandmother. Written in front is “Alonzo Moore book presented by her uncle Frank Mitchell Dec. 19, 1903.” Yes, my grandmother’s name was Alonzo, and no, there is no possessive case used. Also, my grandmother would have been a grand total of five years old in 1903, and this seems a strange book to give a little girl of that age. What I find the most interesting about this book is that it is stamped “Wade Harvey Drugs” inside. Wade Harvey Drugs was a gift shop that was still in business when my son was a toddler, and I have no idea how long after that.

The last book at the top is Opening a Chestnut Burr, published in 1874, and it belonged to my great-grandmother (the one who made the quilts, my grandaddy’s mother). The inscription on it is very light and hard to read. I finally had to take it outside in the sunlight to make it out. I am pretty sure that it says, “Presented to Annie Croft by her teacher for reciting the most perfect lessons. Eula ****(too dim to read), Aug. 28, 1885. I’m not certain, but I think that the teacher’s last name is Mitchell, which would become my great grandmother’s name after marriage. I’m not sure if there is a connection, but there probably is. So both my grandfather and his mother “won” books from their teachers. I just thought of something. My son “won” a book from his teacher when he was in the fourth grade (Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing), so the tradition continues! I wish that you could see these inscriptions in person; all of them are written in the most beautiful Victorian script from back when handwriting was taught and was an art form. However, all of these books are in very poor condition. The article that I read said that most old books and family Bibles are only valuable to those that own them. That is certainly true in my case.

So that lead me to start looking at my vintage pottery and porcelain collection. The article also said that lots of people bring early twentieth century dishes to the Roadshow, and that most are not extremely valuable. Because I am pretty well-versed in what I have, I know that most of my collections aren’t worth a whole lot of money. However, I did think of this pitcher pictured above. I picked it up at an estate sale a couple of years ago. The mark is Maddock’s Lambert Works Royal Porcelain, and I looked up the mark later. It is over a hundred years old and was meant to be used with a wash basin. However, there is a crack in the lip, so I don’t want to bring anything damaged.

The article also said not to bother bringing early twentieth century glassware. It said that most is not extremely valuable, unless it is hand blown or has a name like Tiffany or Lalique associated with it. I had already decided that I would not bring any of my old glassware, but when I read that article, I remembered this little glass pitcher. You have seen it in some of my tablescapes. I turned it over to look for a mark and found the pontil scar. The pontil scar is what is made when the piece is broken off from the rod after being blown. I already knew that the handle on the pitcher is applied (put on after the piece is blown as opposed to molded), so that pontil mark made me stop and think. This little pitcher may be older or more valuable that I had previously thought. Then again, some pontil marks are added to molded items to make them look like they are hand blown. So I’m still not sure where I stand on taking this pitcher. The best thing about this pitcher is that it is one of the few in my large collection of vintage pottery, glass, and porcelain that has no cracks or “flea bites” (collector talk for nicks).

I had previously showed you my great grandmother’s Victorian calling cards and said that I knew that they were not very valuable. My research says that old calling cards can range anywhere from $1-$10 each and must be in pristine condition. Since almost all of these are written on (“dead” as well as married names of some of the women), I was right in thinking that they are not worth a whole lot.

I also told you that I knew that my great grandmother’s quilts were probably pretty common, so I don’t plan on taking them. I read that they see literally hundreds of early twentieth century quilts  at every Roadshow. Another point made in the article was that family letters are largely of little or no value unless connected with someone well known. Again, I did know that already, but I had just looked through a bunch of ancestor’s old letters when I was hunting for the calling cards. One of the many that I found was written to my great grandmother from her brother. It is postmarked 1919 and marked “passed censors.” My great great uncle wrote it to her from WWI. It mentions a battle and a beautiful mountain that he had seen. But I already knew that it was not monetarily valuable.  Overall, I felt really good about my knowledge of antiques and collectibles after reading this article because I had already figured out most of what it recommended. Since I am largely self-taught, I gave myself a pat on the back for that. I am still thinking of taking the old toys, but have not come to a conclusion on that yet.

I leave you with my climbing roses. I told you earlier that they would be blooming profusely soon, and here they are. They have really done well this year.

My pink roses look much better after I sprayed them. The open blooms now have no brown spots from thrips.

The yellow roses will be blooming soon, and I can’t wait to see them. They are probably my favorite. Thanks to everyone for their input on my Roadshow decision, and I am still open for suggestions!

 am joining: A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday (vignettes, tabletops, tablescapes), Home and Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life (decorating, gardening, recipes, collecting), Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colorado Lady,   Sunny Simple Life (decorating, projects), Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday (tablescapes) and Metamorphosis Monday, Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage (crafts, home decor, thrifty finds),  Cozy Little House for Tweak it Tuesday (deocrating, garden, projects),  Under the Table and Dreaming for Sunday Showcase (any project or idea made by you this week), Gratitude Sunday at A La Carte, The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home (home & garden), Cuisine Kathleen for Let’s Dish (tablescapes), Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch to Yours,  Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill (home decor, projects, recipes), Cottage Style at Lavender Garden,   The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday (tablescapes),The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday (thrifty decorating, tablescapes), What’s It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants; Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now (recipes, crafts, home décor), Meet Me Monday at You Are Talking Too Much (projects, decorating, recipes),  Spotlight Saturday at Classy Clutter (recipes, crafts, home décor), Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage (decorating, crafts), Efforts and Assets at Hickory Trail, Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound (anything pink),You’re Gonna Love It Tuesdays at Kathe with an E (recipes, crafts, home décor), Mop it Up Monday at I Should Be Mopping the Floor (projects, decor, recipes), Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style (recipes, crafts, home décor),  Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House (decor, projects),Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style,  Create It Thursday at Lamberts Lately,  Creative Things at The Vintage Farmhouse,  Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring (decor, projects, recipes),  Tuesday’s Treasures at Uncommon Suburbia (projects, decorating, recipes),  Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life (home decor, projects), Centerpiece Wednesday at The Style Sisters (centerpieces),Open House Party at No Minimalist Here (crafts, home décor), Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage (memories, projects), Tips and Tidbits at The Stone Gable(projects, home décor, recipes),Thursday Favorite Things at Katherine’s Corner (projects, home décor, recipes), Sizzle into Summer at DIY by Design (home décor, projects)

Our Big News

So did you guess? I chose the image above as my clue to my news. Did you notice the backdrop to the piece of antique furniture above? I wanted to give a good hint without totally giving it away.

O.K., does this image tell you? You really should have it by now, but if you don’t, I have one more clue for those of you who might be a little slow…. (no offense)

WE ARE GOING TO THE ANTIQUES ROADSHOW!!! Can you tell that I am a little excited? For those of you who don’t know, you don’t buy tickets to the Roadshow like you buy tickets to a concert. You enter your information online, and then the names of those who get tickets are drawn in a lottery. We found out last Monday that we got tickets. I entered my name strictly on a whim, never expecting it to get drawn. The cities that the Roadshow will be in each season are listed on the website. I looked at this season’s cities and decided that I would most like to go to Jacksonville, FL. You may think that I am crazy for doing that when it will also be in Baton Rouge this season, which is relatively not so far away from me. But my line of thinking was that I wanted to go somewhere that I had not been before as a mini-vacation, and I have been to Baton Rouge bunches of times. So Jacksonville, FL, it was; plus, I never expected to get chosen!

So what to bring? You get two tickets and each person can bring two items, so I have to decide what 4 items we will bring. My first thought was this antique wooden Carroms game board. It is hanging on my computer room wall. It is not in the greatest condition. You can see that the nets are rotted (it was stored in the barn), and the opposite side has a little mildew on it.

I also have all the original pieces to it plus the instructions in the original cloth bag. However, I have done some online research, and this board game is not rare (actually Carroms games are still made). There were many, many versions of the board made, and although the one that I have is an early one, it is not rare.

So I will probably not take it. I want to take something that I really know almost nothing about. The whole point is to learn something, right? By the way, this game came from an estate that my father inherited from his first cousin.

My next thought was this wagon. It was my father’s toy when he was growing up. I told him yesterday that I needed him to write down everything that he could remember about the wagon. He kind of laughed when I said that. But I will get it out of him somehow. I’m not sure if this is right (I haven’t gotten that info from him yet), but my grandparents had it made for him. 

It is actually made Conestoga-style, I think. The bed lifts off, but of course there was never a cover for it. The wheels are iron and probably came from some old farm equipment.

There are some drawbacks to taking the wagon. First of all, it is huge. The wagon is about 3 1/2 feet long and about 1 1/2 feet high. The handle is another 4 feet. David says that he will find a way to fitting it in the Equinox if I want to take it. Second, it is heavy. That is not much of an issue since we will only be lifting it in and out of the car a few times. Third, it is loud. Did I mention that it has iron wheels? It rattles a lot and very loudly. We will attract a lot of attention. There are also some advantages to taking the wagon. First, we will be able to put our other items in the wagon and not have to carry them. Second, it is very sturdy, and we will have a place to sit while waiting in line. Third, we will attract a lot of attention.

I also pulled out a couple of quilts made by my great grandmother. Crazy quilts that women used to practice their different types of embroidery stitches were common in the late 1800′s and early 1900′s. What makes this one a little different is that instead of the silks and velvets that you usually see on crazy quilts, this one is made up of men’s wool pants samples. Remember, nothing was wasted back in the day.

However, I am trying to learn something, and I have done a little research online. Common crazy quilts appraise for approx. $300-$500. If I had to guess, I would put this one on the lower end for two reasons. The first is what I have already mentioned; this quilt is made of only wool squares. Second, my mother actually put the back on it back in the late sixties or early seventies to try to preserve it. So I probably won’t take it.

The other quilt that I am considering is this one. I really like the bright red and blue in this quilt. Most antique quilts use more muted colors, and red especially is uncommon.

However, it is not in the best condition. I don’t know; I’ll just have to keep thinking about it.

I pulled out the rest of Daddy’s toys when I was looking for the Carroms pieces, but they are all in pretty bad shape. The airplane and bus above are actually two of the better-looking ones. Daddy may have been an only child, but he lived in a multigenerational home, which meant that his cousins visited an awful lot when their parents came to see their mother. So all of his toys got a lot of wear and tear.

His cousin, on the other hand, took care of his toys. These two card games are complete in the original box with the instructions. They really look pristine.

However, they are not all that uncommon, so I am not really sure if I want to take them or not.

I also found this little box with my cousin’s toys. When you slide the Asian-themed top off the box, you uncover these wooden numbers from 1-15. I have no idea what game was played with these numbers.

On the back of the box, is this game board. What game do you play with this side?

Look closely! Slide open the secret compartment on the edge of the box, and you will see lots of little wooden pegs.

Ever been to Cracker Barrel? My guess is that you played a game similar to the one at the dining table at Cracker Barrel, tic tac toe, or something like that. I cannot find a mark on it anywhere, and I would like to find out about it.

When I was looking through all of the toys, I found this one that also belonged to my father’s first cousin. My photo is not very good, but it is a pair of child’s stirrups and Western-style neckerchief. They were stored in this little leather case, but my guess would be that it is not original to the set. I would also guess that more came with this set (like maybe a cowboy hat? cap guns and holster?).

The stirrups look really good. I don’t know if they were ever played with much.

The neckerchief ( I think that’s what you call it) is not so great. But it is still a bright orange, and the print on it is clear. The writing around the bucking horse reads “The Round Up” and “Let’r Buck.” My online search hasn’t shown me a whole lot, and I don’t see any marks or brands on it anywhere. So this is another possibility.

This is the last thing that I am considering. A match box, you say? Why, no…

It is actually the storage case for my great grandmother’s calling cards (different great grandmother than the one who made the quilts above). Calling cards were very common in the Victorian era. Most of these calling cards were received, the best that I could tell, before she married (1890). I have looked through each one in the past, but did not take the time to do that again today.

However, what I want to point out is the pencil writing in the bottom right corner of the calling card underneath the box. You can’t see it, but it says “dead.” Apparently at some time my great grandmother went through the box years after she had put them there and wrote “dead” on the cards of those friends and relatives who had passed on. So as you look through the box, almost every other card will have “dead” written on it in pencil.

You have to laugh. You can look at this as either very morbid or very funny, and we have chosen funny. When you read the name on the card, say “dead” in a monotone right after it. It is hilarious. I randomly picked a few cards for the photo, but wanted my friend Mary to see the two at the top, Kate Musselwhite and W. D. Musselwhite. Musselwhite is her maiden name, so these are probably some ancestors of hers.

I know that these cards are not very valuable monetarily. They are priceless to me, so I don’t even know if I should take them with me or not.

So there you have it. Let me know your opinion about items to take with me. I have about a month to decide.

I am joining: A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday (vignettes, tabletops, tablescapes), Home and Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life (decorating, gardening, recipes, collecting), Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colorado Lady,   Sunny Simple Life (decorating, projects), Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday (tablescapes) and Metamorphosis Monday, Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage (crafts, home decor, thrifty finds),  Cozy Little House for Tweak it Tuesday (deocrating, garden, projects),  Under the Table and Dreaming for Sunday Showcase (any project or idea made by you this week), Gratitude Sunday at A La Carte, The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home (home & garden), Cuisine Kathleen for Let’s Dish (tablescapes), Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch to Yours,  Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill (home decor, projects, recipes), Cottage Style at Lavender Garden,   The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday (tablescapes),The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday (thrifty decorating, tablescapes), What’s It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants; Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now (recipes, crafts, home décor), Meet Me Monday at You Are Talking Too Much (projects, decorating, recipes),  Spotlight Saturday at Classy Clutter (recipes, crafts, home décor), Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage (decorating, crafts), Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous, Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound (anything pink),You’re Gonna Love It Tuesdays at Kathe with an E (recipes, crafts, home décor), Mop it Up Monday at I Should Be Mopping the Floor (projects, decor, recipes), Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style (recipes, crafts, home décor),  Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House (decor, projects),Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style,  Farmhouse Style at Green Eggs & Goats,  Creative Things at The Vintage Farmhouse,  Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring (decor, projects, recipes),  Tuesday’s Treasures at Uncommon Suburbia (projects, decorating, recipes),  Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life (home decor, projects), Centerpiece Wednesday at The Style Sisters (centerpieces),Open House Party at No Minimalist Here (crafts, home décor), Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage (memories, projects), Tips and Tidbits at The Stone Gable(projects, home décor, recipes),Thursday Favorite Things at Katherine’s Corner (projects, home décor, recipes), Sizzle into Summer at DIY by Design (home décor, projects)

Brass Candlestick and Toile Table

Do ya’ll remember this candlestick? I purchased it for $2 at a yard sale a few weeks ago. I told you then that I would probably keep this one for myself instead of sell it at my booth. I said that I would clean it up and try to straighten it out. My husband and I have been working on it ever since. So are you ready for the metamorphosis unveiling?

What do you think? Before I started polishing, David took it to his workshop and straightened out the bent pieces. Then the real work began.

I think we went through about 3 tubes of Simichrome. I actually used more than that, but I was also working on polishing some silver for my booth at the same time, so I am estimating low. David was able to unscrew the candlestick completely, which made it much easier to polish since we could work on a piece at a time. There is absolutely no way I can even imagine how many hours we spent working on this candlestick. When we would sit and watch tv at night, we would each have a piece working on it while we watched, plus all of the many hours that I spent on it during the day. Finally, this weekend I finished all of the polishing, and David screwed it all back together. But it just didn’t look right. It was still lopsided, and there was no way that a candle would stand up straight in it. He realized that the base was actually warped. After a lot of manpower, he was finally able to get it straight again. 

I hope you like this transformation! I love it and can see my using it a lot in the future. That brings me to today’s table. I told you about purchasing this blue and yellow toile set a few weeks ago for $2 at a yard sale. When I got it home, I realized that it was really poorly made, and I also had trouble finding a good place setting for it that would not clash with its busy pattern.

I’ve been working on it this morning, and this table is what I have come up with. I wanted the “new” brass candlestick to be the star of the table, so I put it in the center.

I think that I mentioned that the placemats are what I call “wonky.” Coming from someone who is not a seamstress, even I could have sewn these more evenly.

So that I would have a solid break between the placemat pattern and pattern of the Old Staffordshire plate, I used my white Nikko plate on the bottom.

I think I also mentioned that these napkins are a little small, but I did not have any others that would look o.k. with these placemats, so I had to use them. I topped the white plate with the Old Staffordshire.

I recently found the fruit bowls in this pattern as a good buy on eBay. This is the first time I have used them in a tablescape, and I really like them.

I finished off the place setting with my San Remo flatware. I did not want to use stainless or silver since I have brass accents on the table, so I though the black flatware would be a better choice.

Once again the Dollar Tree goblets and flutes make an appearance (love those things!). Then I turned my attention to the centerpiece.

I think I told you that this weird homemade set came with about 4 strange pieces, one long rectangle, one short rectangle, and two very long strips lined in the blue napkin material (these had to be cut off from a curtain). I chose the one that most looked like a runner for the center of the table.

A number of years ago, I fell in love with this serving plate and the covered cake plate at a local gift shop. That year for my birthday my husband got me the plate, and my mother gave me the cake plate. I still love them, and this is the first time that I have used them on a table.

By the way, as much as I love this set, I really can’t use it for cakes. The first time I tried it, the cake dried out. I guess that pretty pottery is not practical for keeping cake fresh, so I just use the cake plate for looks.

I chose to use the cake plate alone since the cover would make it too bulky and unwieldy for the table.

On top of the cake plate, I set the covered casserole in the Old Staffordshire pattern. I liked elevating the dish so that the pattern would be more noticeable.

In front of the serving plate, I wanted to use the creamer and sugar in this pattern. To echo the brass of the candlestick, I set them on one of my brass trays (wedding gift).

I normally conclude my tablescape descriptions with something like, “I am pleased with how this turned out.” I really can’t say that about this table. The bottom line is that even though I was somewhat successful at using this strange homemade table set, I just don’t like it.

I am not snobbish about homemade, far from it. But I am snobbish about not made well and strange, weird pieces that make no sense. So this is probably the last time that you will see this set on one of my tables. I will be getting rid of it sooner rather than later. But you have to admit that I gave it a good try!

I mentioned in my last post that I have some exciting news to share, and I am working on a post about it. I hope to post it today or tomorrow. Until then, I will leave you with the following hint:

I am joining: A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday (vignettes, tabletops, tablescapes), Home and Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life (decorating, gardening, recipes, collecting), Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colorado Lady,   Sunny Simple Life (decorating, projects), Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday (tablescapes) and Metamorphosis Monday, Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage (crafts, home decor, thrifty finds),  Cozy Little House for Tweak it Tuesday (deocrating, garden, projects),  Under the Table and Dreaming for Sunday Showcase (any project or idea made by you this week), Gratitude Sunday at A La Carte, The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home (home & garden), Cuisine Kathleen for Let’s Dish (tablescapes), Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch to Yours,  Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill (home decor, projects, recipes), Cottage Style at Lavender Garden,   The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday (tablescapes),The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday (thrifty decorating, tablescapes), What’s It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants; Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now (recipes, crafts, home décor), Meet Me Monday at You Are Talking Too Much (projects, decorating, recipes),  Spotlight Saturday at Classy Clutter (recipes, crafts, home décor), Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage (decorating, crafts), Efforts and Assets at Hickory Trail, Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound (anything pink),You’re Gonna Love It Tuesdays at Kathe with an E (recipes, crafts, home décor), Mop it Up Monday at I Should Be Mopping the Floor (projects, decor, recipes), Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style (recipes, crafts, home décor),  Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House (decor, projects),Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style,  Farmhouse Style at Green Eggs & Goats,  Creative Things at The Vintage Farmhouse,  Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring (decor, projects, recipes),  Tuesday’s Treasures at Uncommon Suburbia (projects, decorating, recipes),  Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life (home decor, projects), Centerpiece Wednesday at The Style Sisters (centerpieces),Open House Party at No Minimalist Here (crafts, home décor), Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage (memories, projects), Tips and Tidbits at The Stone Gable(projects, home décor, recipes),Thursday Favorite Things at Katherine’s Corner (projects, home décor, recipes), Sizzle into Summer at DIY by Design (home décor, projects)

Cinco de Mayo and Yard Update

I’ve been thinking about a Cinco de Mayo table for a few days, and I started looking through plates, placemats, and napkins last night. What I have discovered is that I really don’t have a lot of brightly colored tablescaping items. I guess I am more drawn to muted, earthy colors (here and here) and pastels, especially pink (here and here). I had almost nothing in the bright oranges, yellows, and greens that I associate with Mexican colors.

In addition to not owning a lot of bright colors, I also am dealing with the continual problem of my dark dining room. I have dark wood furniture and a low-wattage light fixture, plus today is very dark and rainy. The small amount of natural light that I usually get is pretty much null and void. Therefore, on this morning’s Dollar General trip, I had in my mind finding something that is both cheap and bright to make the table show up better. I saw these dish towels and stopped to ponder. I thought that they would make good placemats and really brighten up the dark wood of the table, so I purchased them for $1 each.

After returning home, I went to the dining room with the towels and began looking through the things that I had pulled last night. I had used these bright plaid napkins on my previous Cinco de Mayo table, and planned to use them again. I laid out the dish towels as placemats and folded the napkins between the two plates. I couldn’t really put my finger on it, but it just didn’t look right somehow.

I looked again at the napkin and spread it out. They are pretty large squares (20 x 20), and perhaps I could use them as the placemat. Then I could fold the dish towels and use them for napkins.

I tried one place setting that way and put it right next to the previous one in which the towels and napkins were reversed. I really thought that the napkin-as-placemat setting looked a lot better! So I went with it.

Do you remember that I had purchased these cute chili pepper dishes for half price at Dollar General last year? I’ve been waiting all this time for a chance to use them, and it’s finally here!

I started the place setting with my red square Wal Mart plates, then topped them with my white Nikko plates. Then I folded the dish towels like napkins and placed the chili pepper bowl on top.

I used the Present Time Mix-n-Match flatware since it is playful and adds to the party atmosphere. I tossed around in my mind several different glasses that I could use.

I finally just settled on the same ones from last year. The margarita glasses are perfect for a Mexican theme, and the wine glasses decorated with grapes complement the entire setting.

Then I had to think of the centerpiece. I had already looked through my runners and knew that none of them were colorful enough. I started trying to think “outside the box” and remembered my beach towels. I selected this one for its bright pinks, oranges, and yellows. I tried it several different ways and settled on folding it long ways and bunching it around a little for a casual look.

I chose this tall silver-colored candle stick and variegated orange pillar candle. I like the way the shades of orange go with the colors of the beach towel, and silver is popular in Mexican decor.

Then I looked through my vintage pottery collection. I chose this large pitcher decorated with bright orange poppies. Since I last used this pitcher for a blog picture, I have done some research and discovered that it is a batter pitcher (for pouring pancake mix and so forth onto the griddle) and originally would have had a lid. The mark says Erphila Art Pottery, Czecho Slavokia. Erphila produced a number of different types and patterns in art pottery, and, judging from what I have seen online, this poppy pattern was very common. If I had to guess at a date, I would say the 1940′s.

Then I selected this small pitcher since it has an orange flower to pick up on the poppy in the large pitcher. This pitcher does have a mark, but it is so faded that I cannot read it.

Overall, I was pleased with the final look, especially when I thought  about how I started with hardly any bright colors at all.

Earlier this week, I worked really hard in the yard, but the rain moved in yesterday and will be here for another day or two. Even though I have been disappointed that I can’t continue my yard work, the rain does make me stay in the house and catch up. I’ve done so much yard work that the house has suffered. But before I leave to finish up the house, I wanted to show you the climbing rose.

I told you in my last post that the climbing rose would be having a lot of blooms soon, and here they are. I went out in the dark, drizzling weather this morning to snap these pics for you.

I am very pleased with how the rose looks and really enjoy it.

I have some pretty big news to share, but I am going to wait a few days so that I can get my thoughts together.

Until then, have a great Cinco de Mayo and hope that all of you gardeners out there enjoy your roses as much as I do!

I am joining: A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday (vignettes, tabletops, tablescapes), Home and Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life (decorating, gardening, recipes, collecting), Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colorado Lady,   Sunny Simple Life (decorating, projects), Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday (tablescapes) and Metamorphosis Monday, Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage (crafts, home decor, thrifty finds),  Cozy Little House for Tweak it Tuesday (deocrating, garden, projects),  Under the Table and Dreaming for Sunday Showcase (any project or idea made by you this week), Gratitude Sunday at A La Carte, The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home (home & garden), Cuisine Kathleen for Let’s Dish (tablescapes), Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch to Yours,  Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill (home decor, projects, recipes), Cottage Style at Lavender Garden,   The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday (tablescapes),The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday (thrifty decorating, tablescapes), What’s It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants; Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now (recipes, crafts, home décor), Meet Me Monday at You Are Talking Too Much (projects, decorating, recipes),  Spotlight Saturday at Classy Clutter (recipes, crafts, home décor), Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage (decorating, crafts), Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous, Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound (anything pink),You’re Gonna Love It Tuesdays at Kathe with an E (recipes, crafts, home décor), Mop it Up Monday at I Should Be Mopping the Floor (projects, decor, recipes), Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style (recipes, crafts, home décor),  Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House (decor, projects),Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style,  Farmhouse Style at Green Eggs & Goats,  Creative Things at The Vintage Farmhouse,  Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring (decor, projects, recipes),  Tuesday’s Treasures at Uncommon Suburbia (projects, decorating, recipes),  Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life (home decor, projects), Centerpiece Wednesday at The Style Sisters (centerpieces),Open House Party at No Minimalist Here (crafts, home décor), Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage (memories, projects), Tips and Tidbits at The Stone Gable(projects, home décor, recipes),Thursday Favorite Things at Katherine’s Corner (projects, home décor, recipes), Sizzle into Summer at DIY by Design (home décor, projects)

Spring Yard, Table, & Bargains

After a rainy weekend, the sun was out today and it was perfect day for more yard work. Today I worked in the rose bed. Dumb me-I did not get a before picture. But I assure you that it was a lot of work!

These roses look white in the picture, but they are actually a pale, pale pink. They were here when we moved in this house, so I have no idea how old they are. I did a little pruning and spraying, and then raked up the season’s worth of leaves that covered the ground.

I have two of these pale pink roses, and they are really pretty. They always grow well, but I have had some problems with the blooms. The tiny bug called a thrip apparently only likes pale-colored roses (which is why my yellow and red roses have never been affected). The buds on the rose bush are quite lovely, but when the flowers open, they quickly turn brown and shrivel.  In the almost 20 years that we have lived in this house, I have tried many, many things to eliminate these thrips, both organic and chemical. I finally found, thanks to my Extension service guy who attends my church, one that works. It is called Surrender, and it is also the only thing that I have found to get rid of fire ants for any length of time. So I sprayed the roses today, and my blooms will be pretty again by tomorrow.

This climbing rose will be really pretty soon; it has a lot of buds right now and only a couple of blooms. Interestingly enough, when we first moved into this house, this rose was located on a half-rotten lattice that was next to our old wood garage. After we had lived here a few years, we tore down the old garage and built a large metal one. Because it was so much larger than the old one, I had to move the climbing rose. My parents gave me this metal framework for a climbing rose, and it has been there ever since. It is really amazing that rose lived. I had barely learned anything about gardening and certainly never asked anyone what to do when I moved that rose. I just did it! Still can’t believe that it worked.

Also coming up and looking good is this plant. Do you know what it is? I’m not sure, but I think it is bell pepper. If you look closely, it is growing up from the compost pile. Because I know what types of things that I have put in the compost, I have concluded bell pepper by process of elimination. But time will tell!

Working the roses, cleaning the bird bath, and raking the rose bed took me several hours. I finally came in and grabbed a sandwich and decided that I would do a tablescape on my kitchen table. First, however, I’d like to give this week’s bargain report. You will understand why it comes before the table in a bit.

Recently I saved ten cents a gallon on gas with my customer reward card. At the grocery store, I found pork chops in the reduced for quick sale meats (which were a very good Sunday dinner yesterday, by the way).

Saturday, David and I went to Dirt Cheap. If you don’t have one of those in your town, you need to drive somewhere and find one (which is what we did). I got a couple of spring/summer tops for $9. David got a pair of Dockers for $7 and an Izod dress shirt for $9. What was really great about these buys is that they were in a size that he has never worn since I have known him (36 years, if you’re wondering). As a matter of fact, he said that he had not worn that size since eighth grade.

Also, Saturday was the day of our town’s yearly festival; that’s our friend Juli and her daughter Camille above attending last year’s festival. A local gift and jewelry shop offered our youth a great fundraiser for the day of the festival. They cleaned out a lot of old stock, and all the youth had to do was set up in front of the store and sell it. They got to keep the proceeds, and all it took was a little time and work out of their day. So David and I got there early, set up the tent, and the kids brought out the merchandise and set up displays on the tables. The merchandise was very varied; there were a lot of porcelain dogs, cats, and other animals. There were a few dishes and vases, some key chains, a little bit of jewelry, and various other items that would take too much time to delineate. David asked me if I saw anything I wanted, and I told him that I did not bring my purse. He said that he had money, so I quickly picked out a few items and he paid for them. Now you know why my tablescape comes last in this post!

I started this table with my blue striped placemats.

Then I used my square taupe plate from Wal Mart.. These are really useful plates, and I especially like the size.

Now for the tablescaping bargain/gift from my husband/helping the youth! These two plates had been $23.95, and were marked down to $5 each. I can’t quite decide what this picture is; it looks kind of like strawberries in two different shades.

The picture on the other plate looks a little bit like a strange shade of tomato. These plates are very heavy.

This is the mark on the bottom. Do you suppose it says dishwasher safe? You also see that it has holes in the top through which string can be threaded to hang on the wall. But I will be using them for tables! Even though they are a bit unusual ( maybe the Chinese have blue strawberries and reddish-brown tomatoes), I know that I will enjoy using them.

I used the blue napkins that came with the placemats and my flower napkin rings.

The Chateau flatware and blue Dollar Tree goblets finish off the place setting.

For the kitchen table vignette, I used the Cracker Barrel salt and pepper shakers from last week and a variegated blue pillar candle.

Overall, I was pleased with this simple blue spring table. I wanted the Chinese plates to be the focus, and they were.

As a postscript, it is very hard to get a good photo of my goldfish. I finally got a couple of good pics today and am sharing them as part of my spring yard. They were very active and I had to stand quite far away to snap the picture. Otherwise, they would have swum quickly out of sight if they had sensed that I was standing above them.

Finally, the youth made over $600 to go for their summer trips. Overall, it was a great day!

I am joining: A Stroll Thru Life for Tabletop Tuesday (vignettes, tabletops, tablescapes), Home and Garden Thursday at A Delightsome Life (decorating, gardening, recipes, collecting), Vintage Thingie Thursday at Colorado Lady,   Sunny Simple Life (decorating, projects), Between Naps on the Porch for Tablescape Thursday (tablescapes) and Metamorphosis Monday, Masterpiece Monday at Boogieboard Cottage (crafts, home decor, thrifty finds),  Cozy Little House for Tweak it Tuesday (deocrating, garden, projects),  Under the Table and Dreaming for Sunday Showcase (any project or idea made by you this week), Gratitude Sunday at A La Carte, The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home (home & garden), Cuisine Kathleen for Let’s Dish (tablescapes), Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch to Yours,  Make the Scene Monday at Alderberry Hill (home decor, projects, recipes), Cottage Style at Lavender Garden,   The Tablescaper for Seasonal Sunday (tablescapes),The Thrifty Groove for Thrifty Things Friday (thrifty decorating, tablescapes), What’s It Wednesday at Ivy and Elephants; Weekend Bloggy Reading at Serenity Now (recipes, crafts, home décor), Meet Me Monday at You Are Talking Too Much (projects, decorating, recipes),  Spotlight Saturday at Classy Clutter (recipes, crafts, home décor), Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage (decorating, crafts), Frugalicious Friday at Finding Fabulous, Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound (anything pink),You’re Gonna Love It Tuesdays at Kathe with an E (recipes, crafts, home décor), Mop it Up Monday at I Should Be Mopping the Floor (projects, decor, recipes), Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style (recipes, crafts, home décor),  Make it Pretty Monday at The Dedicated House (decor, projects),Wow Us Wednesdays at Savvy Southern Style,  Farmhouse Style at Green Eggs & Goats,  Creative Things at The Vintage Farmhouse,  Flaunt it Friday at Chic on a Shoestring (decor, projects, recipes),  Tuesday’s Treasures at Uncommon Suburbia (projects, decorating, recipes),  Return to Loveliness at A Delightsome Life (home decor, projects), Centerpiece Wednesday at The Style Sisters (centerpieces),Open House Party at No Minimalist Here (crafts, home décor), Time Travel Thursday at The Brambleberry Cottage (memories, projects), Tips and Tidbits at The Stone Gable(projects, home décor, recipes),Thursday Favorite Things at Katherine’s Corner (projects, home décor, recipes), Sizzle into Summer at DIY by Design (home décor, projects)