Our Dish Obsession Came Naturally.....

Before our husbands married us...

they should have really paid attention to what mom collects...

because apples....

they don't fall far from the tree

or the dish doesn't

go far from the china cabinet?

Stack them up.....the more the better!

We could look all day at dishes...how about you?

dishes...bowls, pitchers, cups....serving platters, gravy boats, tureens...

the list can go on and on!

and our husbands wonder

where

we get it?!!

We are certainly glad they weren't paying attention

 to those details when we met ~ lol!

Peculiar Flow Blue Florals

A trip to the antique store the other day & I

 brought home this pretty flow blue floral bowl with mums on it....

As I admired it, I noticed something peculiar....

Well, maybe it isn't that peculiar....

But it is starting to look like a collection....

Do you think it was intentional?

Heaven's no.....

It just happened

honestly!!

Do you have any collections you came by honestly?

What's inYour Hutch?

Grandma's  Blue Onion China 

with a continuing collection of white ironstone & silver

What's in your hutch?

Down By the Sea

Our starfish are out & ready to dazzle your summer decorating!

And, if starfish aren't enough - we have some fabulous vintage sea shell cards you can use as well! Don't you just love summer?!!

Me and My Shadow [Box]

Last Thursday we held our Shadow Box Class.

Our class brought in treasures that they've had sitting around in boxes and drawers.



We took the shadow box back and started to lay out our ideas. Once we figured out where we were going to put everything it was time to glue.


Linda made a shadow box for her husband. She put camouflage fabric on the back and placed some of his memories on top of it.



We loved how this turned out (although, we really wanted to fit that toy tank in - but the frame was too narrow!)


Connie had lots of old sewing notions from her mom and grandma. We just love these scissors that belonged to her grandma - click on the picture to see the detail of them.
Shadow boxes are great ways to display some of your collections.
Connie has more Sunbonnet Sues in different colors and will be making a couple more shadow boxes to display together.

Sherry's daughter just got married - we just LOVE this idea! She is going to add a few dried flower petals from the bouquet as well. What a great keepsake of the big day!

Ruth's passion is knitting - isn't this a cute shadow box? We want her to knit us that wrap that that vintage girl is wearing...after all, wouldn't a Summer Kitchen Girl need something like that?



The night went well, and we just love how all of the boxes were so different - the creativity of those girls was fantastic!

So, doesn't this get your creative juices flowing...isn't there a collection you have that is waiting to be displayed??

Go forth & create!!

"Good Boy!"

It's not so "ruff"
Take a charming old planter...

...and plant your cell phone...or glasses in it
don't you just love using old things?
(We knew you did!)

Sunshine Comes In Many Forms....

Spring doesn't seem so far off when you see these vintage linens!

There are just some things that brighten our world...today these are it!

We're Getting Butterflies....

....Dragonflies & Hummingbirds too!

We've been getting in new shipments every week now.

We predict that these little garden picture holders will be a hit!

Pictures, place cards, recipe cards -whatever your heart desires - what a fun little item to make you smile....

Enjoy your Monday!!

The Flowers of the Florist

Well...you'd never guess that she is a florist when you pull up to her house (ya...right!)

This weekend I was out to Karrie's house to take pictures of this container....you'll remember this great find here! It's blooming like crazy!


Karrie loves pots....any & all! These terracotta ones line her back steps (she has three sets of steps to decorate)

This side is by her patio and she always has her potted tomatoes & peppers here...of course along with lovely flowers!





On the other side of the patio is a wonderful shady spot for the best find of the year 2008....a wicker plant stand for $4.....



















Here is one of two cement planters that are just gorgeous!





There are more plants & flowers, but I had to snap this picture.

When our grandmother moved out of her house to go into a smaller home, we found this plant stand in her attic.

No one really wanted it at first, but we'd never let anything escape....we might regret it!!

Karrie had it for a while and a couple of years ago she painted it. It is a pretty neat, old plant stand....look at the detail of the woman on the bottom of it..

We were very glad that we kept it - now where would we find something like this in the stores?





A couple of years ago we got this pot and another like it at a flea market....we loved the design & the leaf stamping on it (not to mention the general chippy-ness of it!)

This licorice plant is such fun...we planted some in our planters at work. It loves the shade on Karrie's front porch!

The last picture I took was of this sweet crock filled with impatients.

So many ways to create color & texture outside during the summer....what do you like to plant your flowers in?

Fresh Quilts for Summer

Quilts certainly have a way to bring whimsy & a comfortable ease to a room don't they?

As I opened my email from Architectural Digest today.....there was an article on American Quilts. Typically I think of quilts as something I pile on the bed in the winter.....but then I began to think about the interview we just did for the Buzz book about keeping things "cool" - or "cool looking" in the summer. Many times people change out pillows and drapes. We suggested lightening up with changing chairs - or slip covering them, bringing in elements from the outside, like urns with plants and even wire topiaries.
After looking at the article....I realized that I should have suggested adding a brightly colored quilt for on your bed.....or like in this picture from the Architectural Digest article...put them out on your porch to snuggle under while in the chill of the morning or evening.

Hanging quilts is always a great way to put art on a big wall - and easy enough to switch out different quilts for different seasons. How about using them as a table cloth? Our mom just loves quilts on her table - they are just a part of her dining room as the dishes!

Just this past Monday, Mom, Karrie & I were all out shopping....OK - junking....and I scored a quilt for my daughter's room......$35.....polyester.....hand stitched.....that's right - eat your heart out! This is the perfect thing {and somewhat indestructible} for her bed - especially this summer!

So....I guess it's time to dig out grandma's old quilt in the attic.....or try your luck at the garage sales this weekend.....see more ideas for your quilts on Architectural Digest's website - happy hunting!

What Was That Used For?

There is a place - that you can find out just what this piece of silverware was used for! Last week I stumbled across this (I just love that!) website and knew I HAD to share it with you.Unusual Silverware Gallery shows all sorts of unusual silverware used in the Victorian era. It also tells a bit about what it was used for....and importantly, just how much it went for in auctions - a fun fact when you're out junkin' and spy just the thing! We just love to find old pieces of silverware (ok, ok....anything silver) to use for our tea parties at the store. Hope you enjoy this site as much as we did!!
Karla & Karrie


Ah yes.....I suppose you do want to know just what these utensils are used for, don't you???? Above - can you guess? Everyone should have one in their home - the Saratoga Chips Server! Of course...those Victorians thought of everything!!

Next picture we have something that I would love to have - this is an Ice Cream Fork. I don't know about you - perhaps you've had a similar conversation - one lovely summer day.........

a girlfriend and we were discussing ice cream, and whether we liked eating it with a spoon or a fork. She was saying how she preferred using a fork over a spoon. I completely agreed and we even suggested that eating ice cream with a fork might just make it taste better - speculation, but there is something about forks and ice cream.....anyhow - This is what we would need - it would solve the problem we have at our house:

"Would you like a spoon or fork with your ice cream?"

The debate continues.........however, we would all agree in my house, that we would think that this last piece of silver would most likely never be used. It is a Sardine Fork . It is quite pretty to look at though, don't you think? I'm most positive that we could find some wonderful use for it.......perhaps an ice cream scoop??????