A Tisket A Tasket

We spy a yellow basket!

And a pink, white, orange, green & blue...

New in the store are these cute woven basket

votive holders in fun colors for Spring! 

They make adorable pen/pencil holders or vases for little bouquets as well!

Hold These Please.....

We just love finding treasures

that we can use for other purposes....

Doesn't this piece of silver fit these glasses perfectly?

In what ways have you used a treasure

for something other than what it was intended?

Bunny Tales....

Isn't this little vintage bunny cute.....

look at her darling eyelashes

so sweet...

but what's that - a tear?

This past week her man

 left with another woman!

He did...

a lady came in and picked him up

and left with him - just like that!

We'll have to put an ad in the paper...

One

girl bunny

searching

for a

boy bunny

who loves carrots and vintage.

Preferred

to have color coordinating outfits.

Silly Shadows

"Too Much Fun" by George Carruth

This garden sprite has been teasing us all winter long!

Is it here...or not??

He won't tell us...he just keeps on smiling!!

If we take a 35 minute drive down the road, we can visit

George Carruth's Studio...

you can visit online and see all his other sculptures.

Join us today for

Shadow Shot Sunday

Where we have "Too Much Fun" every week

looking for shadows....

on Hey Harriet!

Join Us...

We have been busy hauling out lots of new things

busy creating cheery arrangements & springy displays

So.... if your in the neighborhood,
stop on in to our

Spring Fling Open House

Friday 10-8

Saturday 10-5

Sunday 1-5

Dirty Little Secret....

...or maybe I should have named this post

"Ancient Chinese Secret!"

Last month...

on one of the snowiest days in the great state of Ohio,

Karrie, Ruth and I went antiquing & I found this Chinese figurine.

It's one of those things that you have NO idea why you love it,

but you know you will really be disappointed if you leave it there,

and you get home, and figure out where in the world you could have put it,

if you would have only brought it home.....

So....

GULP

I can't believe that I am showing you this...

but

THIS

is my laundry room....

Yes, I know...the horror!

I think everyone in blogland has a wayyyy cuter laundry room

and I can't believe that I just showed you it...

but - there it is...

my dirty little secret!

Now...

on this particular day that my yellow Chinese gal came home with me

my laundry room had nothing....

NOTHING

fun

cute

interesting

But when I put her on top of my dryer...

MAGIC

came to the basement!

I thought...

how cute would it be if I had a Chinese Laundry sign

to hang up on that ugly wall...

No Chinese Laundry signs to be found.

EBay

Etsy

No where...

So...I thought about hanging a clothesline above the washer and dryer

and....

EUREKA

or maybe

DUH!

I have loads

(pardon the laundry humor)

of  vintage linens

and THIS one

was my favorite...

so up it went!

Then...I brought home a red quilted runner

from the store to lay on the dryer...

oh...am I diggin' this!!

A Vintage Red teacup was found a couple weeks later

when I was out and about with my Mother-in-Law

Took an arrangement that I had and put it in a

fun vintage green pot

And...

It may not make it in

House Beautiful...

but,

It sure makes laundry

a bit more fun

and cheerful to do!

Tell us...do you have a room that you never speak of?

We'd love to hear......

**OK...

so, I know that you have studied this picture...

and you're thinking why didn't she put red duck tape around the dryer vent

instead of that groovy blue paint tape...

and THEN you are thinking...

Why in the world did she show us this picture!!

Oh well....I guess I'm just coming clean

(ha ha ha ha!!)

Cupcake Wars

Boring, Naked Cupcakes....

Will NOT do...for a fancy Tea Party

Creating a Jasmine Tea Buttercream frosting to top them...

now that is more like it!

The only trouble is....

We are NOT pastry chefs!

And there was frosting all over the place by the time we got done...

And these pictures do NOT do justice.....

of the BIG mess we made....

Oh yea...

then there was the frosting of the cupcakes....

That one year that we spent serving soft-serve ice cream to the neighborhood...

Well....let's just say that it took a few cupcakes to get the hang of it again!!

No worries...

the battle was soon ended...the cupboards were cleaned off -

and a yummy recipe was put into our "tea party" book...

Jasmin Tea Buttercream Frosting

(makes 4-5 cups)

1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons heavy cream

3 tablespoons jasmine tea leaves

(make a note...we will use different flavors of teas as well as this one -

try your favorite tea if you don't have jasmine!!)

8 cups confectioners' sugar

Pink food-coloring paste

In a small, microwave-safe bowl, microwave cream on high

in 30-second intervals until hot.

Place tea leaves in hot cream. 

Stir, and steep for 10 minutes. 

Strain cream through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding tea leaves. 

Refrigerate until cold, 20-30 minutes.

In a large bowl and using an electric mixer at medium-high speed,

 beat butter and confectioners' sugar until smooth. 

Add 4 tablespoons tea-infused cream, beating until just combined. 

If frosting looks dry, slowly add additional cream by the teaspoonful

until frosting is creamy.

Add food-coloring paste, a bit at a time, until frosting is desired color.

Use immediately.

Thougtful Shadows

New at the Store...Phrenology Heads

It's time to play with shadows....

We found a great shadow on one of our new Phrenology Heads at the store today...

What is Phrenology?

It is the study of the bumps on the outside of the skull...

based on the now discredited belief that they

reveal character and mental capacity.

Well....it may not reflect your character...

but it does make for great shadows!

Come along with us as we travel the globe for

Shadow Shot Sunday 

at with Tracy at Hey Harriet!

It's Friday....and We're in Love.....

Join us in a cup of tea today as we visit with

Debra at Common Ground...

Karrie loves Vintage Silver with character (tarnish)

and it compliments her collection of

blue & white vintage dishes....

Isn't it adorable?

  Walk into her dining room any day...

and there it is - a tea cup and teapot waiting for you!

Do you have a spot in your home that welcomes your guests

and makes them feel right at home?

It's Friday...and we're in love with

Vintage Accessories

that are "just so"

for expected and unexpected company...

as well as all of the lovelies at

Debra's Vintage Inspiration Friday!

It's Friday...

what are you in love with today?

Top o' the mornin' to ya

'tis Thursday...

and it be St. Patty's Day now,

and even tho' me sister & I

have not a lick of Irish in us

(well, now, perhaps wayy down the line there might be...)

We are sippin' on our Mint Chocolate tea

and contemplatin' what else to do with the store today,

so we thought our green Irish setter planter

and his pot 'o silver

sittin' by ye ol' shamrock plant would

spread a bit 'o luck to you all!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day! 

Wednesday Words

Don't you love chatting with your girlfriends....

so many fun memories!

Makes you wonder

what this group of gals are up to....

yep - making some great memories to share with their grandkids some day!!



Half-Pint

An apron for your little Half-Pint...

 

Mini versions

of our adult gingham apron are now available!

 

These little aprons are just adorable -

just think of all of the fun memories waiting to happen!

 



Nesting....

Dreaming of Spring Today...
We've been busy getting the store ready for Spring for the past few days....

Can't wait to show you what we're up to!

Enjoy your Monday!!

Wednesday Words

It's that time....

Wednesday Words!

And who do we have this week....

non other than Cousin Paula

marching along.....

No one's going to spoil her parade!

Wednesday Words

are brought to you by our Wall Enhancers...

Got a favorite quote?

Put it up on your wall!!

Laissez les Bons Temps Rouler

Let the Good Times Roll!

Saturday night we celebrated Mardi Gras with lots of friends!

(yes....we know we are in Ohio...and it was snowing - but what better way to celebrate!)

Well....let us tell you - if you were a grumpy old dog before you got there....

You could see a smile start to shine through when you got there!

Lots of decorations...feathers, beads and masks set the mood....

and yummy gumbo and to-die-for desserts!

When Mardi Gras rolls around...we are always thinking of.....

Bananas Foster & yummy Crab Cakes at Brennan's

Taking a ride on one of the Trolley Cars

Cafe au Lait & Beignets at Cafe du Monde

Great Cajun Dancing at Mulates

 &The Preservation Hall Jazz Band

Come on and smile with us today!

Pearls of Wisdom

We got these fantastic new frames in...we love the pearls....

plus they look great with old family pictures in them!

They reminded us of this poem by Becky Netherland

we found a while back....Enjoy!

Grandma's Pearls of Wisdom

To My Granddaughter...

I’ve traveled paths you’ve yet to walk

Learned lessons old and new

And now this wisdom of my life

I am blessed to share with you

Let kindness spread like sunshine

Embrace those who are sad

Respect their dignity, give them joy

And leave them feeling glad

Forgive those who might hurt you

And though you have your pride

Listen closely to their viewpoint

Try to see the other side

Walk softly when you’re angry

Try not to take offense

Invoke your sense of humor

Laughter’s power is immense!

Express what you are feeling

Your beliefs you should uphold

Don’t shy away from what is right

Be courageous and be bold

Keep hope right in your pocket

It will guide you day by day

Take it out when it is needed

When it’s near, you’ll find a way

Remember friends and family

Of which you are a precious part

Love deeply and love truly

Give freely from your heart

The world is far from perfect

There’s conflict and there’s strife

But you still can make a difference

By how you live your life

And so I’m very blessed to know

The wonders you will do

Because you are my granddaughter

And I believe in you

(©2008 Becky Netherland for The Bradford Group)

We adore this poem...it sounds like something

our grandmother's would have passed along to us!

By the way...

aren't those two little girls on the left just adorable???

Ya...we think so too :)

Enjoy your Monday!

Karla & Karrie

It's Friday and We're in Love....

with broken dishes!

do you know who loves broken dishes....

besides our Mom?

That would be Penny over at Lavender Hill Studio

She makes the most wonderful things with

broken china

Last year, while blog surfing...

we introduced our mom to Penny and her adorable blog,  
and especially her shop

where you can purchase her wonderful mosaic items.

We created a monster,
and ended up getting her one of Penny's mosaic lamps for Christmas.

~

So...she loved the lamp sooo much, that she decided that a matching mirror was in order.

And so, we did...order that is...

and it came while she was on vacation...

We sat it on the table for you to see.

When she came home yesterday....

was it a surprise?

you bet!  

She was so excited and kept on saying just how perfect it was...

and covering her mouth in disbelief. 

It was really quite cute!

Thank you Penny!

It's Friday...what are you in love with today?