A Little Light

Have you noticed that the addition of just one thing in your home can set off a domino effect of change?  With the addition of a new dresser, this meant some rearranging of furniture.  A dresser that had formally been in the bedroom was moved out in a hallway.  This hallway is a challenging space as it has no windows so there is no source of natural light.  Any sort of decor attempt tends to get lost in the gloom.  Whatever is placed there needs to be able to shine in the dark.  As well, I do prefer a sense of uncluttered calm.   I have to say that the blank canvas that was the dresser top was a little unnerving.  So much space!  So much choice!  What to do?  Luckily I had recently thrifted four Festivo candle holders which had been on my wish list for a while. So on one corner, they went.

To thrift four of these candleholders at once was a wonderful experience.  It was the first time I had ever held one in my hands.  They are wonderfully heavy and the textured surface gives the glass a surprisingly tactile feel.  Even though I loved the simplicity of the grouping of twinkly glass candleholders and the subtle way they echoed the crystal knobs of the dresser, I thought that it all looked a little too spartan.  Then this weekend, I thrifted a little white ceramic lamp.

It was the second day of a sale so I was able to pick it up for a few dollars.  I adore the lamp's curvilinear lines.  For some reason, I have been obsessed with vintage lamps and white ceramic lamps in particular lately.

It is always evening in that hallway and, when turned on, this little fellow gives the space a sense of intimacy.

 It came with a ruched pale blue shade which is in good condition.  I'm not too sure about the ruching as it seems a little too frou-frou for me.  Please advise.  Would you keep the shade or change it out?  And if you were to change it out, what colour would you pick? A minty green to echo the watercolour paintings or a bright teal blue to make it "pop"?  Any advice would be appreciated!

I'm linking up with Thrifty Groove, My 1929 Charmer, Cap Creations, Southern Hospitality, Coastal Charm, Hey Whats For Dinner Mom, My Romantic Home, The Charm of Home, Apron Thrift Girl.

Affordable Luxe

I have heard it said that luxury is expensive.  And, up until now, I believed it to be true.  Back in my woefully ignorant past, I thought that one could only buy furniture in a big box store for big store prices.  I am embarrassed to even say how much I paid for my bedroom set.  I realized recently, while staring at the mountains of clothing that were being stored "temporarily" in suitcases, that we were in dire need of another dresser.  But paying full retail for a quality dresser was just not within the realm of possibility. And so the night before going out "saling", I made a heartfelt wish for an affordable dresser.  The next day, I saw a tallboy dresser that had me do a double take.  I recognized it as from the same line of furniture as my bedroom set so I knew that, new, it's retail price was well over four figures.  After a bit of an internal struggle over its merits (affordable at well under $100, made of maple, made in Canada) and a bit of haggling with the owner,  this tallboy came home with us.

It is across from the master bed.  Now I know that it isn't "done" to have matchy-matchy furniture sets but the room does look so polished & together now.   Besides the extra storage, looking at it first thing in the morning makes me extraordinarily happy,  I think it reminds me that wishes, even small, frivolous ones, are heard and granted.  

It really is a tallboy as it is just under 5 feet tall with deep, spacious drawers.  No excuse now for haphazard piles of clothes any more.  Looking at the tablescape makes me happy as well.  Beribboned padded bulletin boards are one of those crafter/DIY "musts" that fly around with regularity on the blogosphere.  The problem was that I never seemed to get around to making one.  And then what do I see while out saling?  A padded, bulletin board crisscrossed not just with ribbon the exact shade of lilac as my pillowcases but studded with twinkly rhinestone buttons as well!  I figured the $3 price tag was less than the cost of materials and well worth sparing this crafter neophyte hours of hairpulling frustration.

Funnily enough, even though my taste has been veering more and more in the direction of vintage of late, especially Art Deco and MCM, I don't have a lot of vintage things on the dresser except the paperweight.  Well, I suppose one can't really count the geode which is as old as the planet.  I guess there aren't too many vintage-y things that are lilac or lavender.

My growing obsession with vintage paperweights is a story for another day.  For now, all I will say is that  it is possible to have lovely, beautiful things in one's life even on a shoestring budget.  Luxury really is affordable and within reach.

I'm linking up with Southern Hospitality, Coastal Charm, A Stroll Thru Life, Thrifty Groove, My Romantic Home, Apron Thrift Girl.   

 

Summer Dreaming

The weather reports say that this is a record breaking summer.   Hot summer days put me in mind of travelling, especially the leisurely sort of travelling of yesteryear.  While out and about this weekend, I spied something on the "free pile" that made me stop and take a second look.  For some reason, I've always hankered after a vintage train case.  There is something so very ladylike about carrying a train case while stepping forth on one's travels, preferably via first class on a locomotive or luxury liner.

Do you remember the movie, "Out of Africa"?  After I saw it, I was obsessed with the Edwardian safari look.  This train case makes me think of exotic travel to foreign lands and gazing at wondrous, wild animals.

I think, though, it is better to turn one's thoughts to cooler climes and things that evoke cooler temperatures.  I do find that I tend towards the colour white during the summer months.  I picked up a little white Wedgwood vase which is to be seen below on the left.  I admit that I have a great fondness towards white vases.  There is something so serenely classical about them.

The Wedgwood vase joins my collection of Kosta Boda snowballs and other white china pieces.  Looking at this mantel top, I realized that I simply cannot resist vintage Scandinavian art glass, especially the snowballs and pick them up whenever I'm out "saling".  Just looking at them makes me think of frosty, chilly snow.  Here's a Swedish polar bear gamboling with a couple of snowballs.

Even this pair of Swedish glass giraffes, those denizens of the hot savannah plain, make me think of ice and snow especially when rendered in glass.

What are you dreaming of this summer?

I'm linking up with Her Library Adventures, Apron Thrift Girl, Southern Hospitality, A Stroll Thru Life, Coastal Charm, Knick of Time, Ivy and Elephants and Thrifty Groove.

Vintage Man Style

Thank you so much for all of your well wishes and prayers in my last post.  I do think that your prayers created an invisible safety net of support that means so much to us.  There isn't much to say when one's partner says, "I am so very, very tired."  Tired of illness, of pain and the betrayal of one's body.  My heart squeezes tight and I search for something to say besides talk of doctors' visits and tubes and needles.  I was out yardsaling when I saw something that made me stop and hesitate.  Monsieur was so supportive over my vintage Redman picnic basket find but I had begun to think that many of my finds weren't very masculine.  I wanted so very much to bring home something that was "Vintage Man Style," something that would be all his.  So what did I find?

A vintage metal picnic cooler by Thermos!  There is something about the hunter green that makes me think of lazy summer days with not a care in the world.  At the moment it is sitting in a corner of our home holding up a collection of potted plants.

It makes me think of Spring and Summer, the seasons of growing things.  The large plant in the middle is a basil plant which is under Monsieur's care.  There is nothing like fresh basil in a salad or pasta.

Of course, after all that exertion with tending plants, one needs a cool breeze.  Looking more closely at the picnic cooler, I have to say that I adore the sturdy latch and handles.

One must reward oneself, on a hot summer day, with delicious ripe strawberries.  Monsieur is quite pleased with his "Vintage Man Style" cooler.  Mission accomplished, don't you think?

I am linking up with Her Library Adventures, Apron Thrift Girl, Southern Hospitality, A Stroll Thru Life, Coastal Charm, Ivy and Elephants, Knick of Time, Thrifty Groove, The Charm of Home.

A Vintage Picnic In the Garden of Eden

There are times when life hits a roadblock.  Recently, the downturn in health of a significant other has meant a trip to emergency, multiple blood transfusions and then daily visits to the hospital.  All of a sudden, yardsaling, home decor and writing about such things seem to fade away.  However, at the urging of said significant other, I did manage to go to a sale recently.  I have to admit that it was a very much needed stress release to get up, go saling and go to the hospital bursting with news of my find.  So what did I find?  I knew as soon as I saw it sitting underneath a table that it was a fabled vintage Redman picnic basket.

This basket is enormous, most definitely what could be termed a "family" picnic basket.  I opened it up and saw plastic cups, plates, vintage packages of plastic spoons and a vintage tablecloth.  It was as if time had passed it by.  I debated and debated the praticality of buying it.  How I loved it!  I loved it the more because everything you could possibly need for a picnic was in that basket and I just knew that it had seen many family outings full of summer sunshine and laughter.  But it was so very large and my home so very small.  And I thought of a certain person lying on a hospital bed who would surely scold me for making such a whimsical purchase. With regret and many backwards glances, I left it behind.

And yet, as you see, it is now with me.  I went off to the hospital with my regretful tale of the wondrous picnic basket that I left behind.  And what did the significant other say to me?  "I wish you had bought it.  Go back and get it."  And so I drove rather swiftly back, my heart in my mouth the whole way, thinking of the impossibility that it would still be there.

But it was.  And because the sale was winding down, I got it for 50% off.  I can't even describe my feelings when I went back and saw it there.  It was as if it was all meant to be and the basket was waiting patiently for me to find it and live days of sunshine filled joy again.

Remarkably, buried under the plastic cups and plates was the pie riser or shelf.  After all, a picnic isn't really a picnic without a pie.

And flowers of course.  And fresh berries.  After all, it is given that there will be beautiful flowers when picnicking in the Garden of Eden.

I'm linking up to Apron Thrift Girl, A Stroll Thru Life, Coastal Charm, Southern Hospitality, My Romantic Home, The Thrifty Groove, Her Library Adventures.

Making Room for Another ~ Ham and Lentil Soup

In an earlier post, I admitted that I am a sentimental fool.  I tend to hold on to things for the memories they evoke.  Decluttering, organizing and staying organized require great effort on my part.  But now, I have a reason to turn over a new leaf.  Monsieur and I have decided to combine households.  This is a huge step for the both of us as it is something that we have never done before.  I thought that I would feel stressed about making room for another but, as Monsieur said, there is a sense of liberation in purging and decluttering.  And as the kitchen is the heart of the home, it seemed natural to start my organizing efforts there.  As luck would have it, I picked up a couple of vintage Le Parfait mason jars recently.

It has always been a dream of mine to have a pantry with shelves laden with jars of all sorts of foodstuffs.  The kitchen is small with not a lot of cupboard space but it does my heart good to open a cupboard door and see rows of jars filled with staples like lentils and rice.  And it is so much more organized than having open, half used plastic bags stuffed on top of each other, or worse falling out and spilling their contents all over.

I am going to keep my eye out for more of these jars.  I adore the vintage script and the fact that they are French.  Admittedly, I giggle whenever I read the words on the side, "Le Parfait Super (!!!)" Exclamation marks are my own as by no means am I perfect or super in the kitchen. 

Upon decanting all the lentils into one of the jars, I decided to try out the recipe on the back of the packet.  The result, lentil soup, came out surprisingly tasty as, up until now, lentil soup has never been a favourite of mine.

A few slices of crusty ciabatta bread made for a simple, nutritious meal.

Here is the recipe off the back of the packet.  I tweaked it a little as I didn't have any ham on hand.

Ham and Lentil Soup

1 tbsp (15ml) canola oil

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 ribs celery, diced

1 cup (250ml) diced ham (I used 5 strips of bacon)

1 cup (250ml) rinsed green lentils

6 cups (1.5l) chicken stock

1 medium red bell pepper, chopped (I eliminated the red pepper as I am allergic to it)

2 medium tomatoes, chopped 

chopped parsley for garnish

Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat and saute onion, garlic, celery and ham for 5 minutes (I poured off some of the bacon drippings, reserving some of it for sauteing the vegetables).  Add green lentils, chicken stock, bell pepper and tomatoes.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until green lentils are tender.  Makes 8 servings.  I did add ground pepper, a pinch of salt and dried oregano for added flavour.  So here I would add to the original recipe, season to taste.

It was so heartwarmingly satisfying to shop for a meal from a much more organized kitchen cupboard or pantry.  If you have any suggestions to help maintain an orderly kitchen and pantry, please let me know!  There will be many more life changes coming soon and we can't wait to discover and learn new ways of living and being. 

I'm linking up to A Stroll Thru Life, Southern Hospitality, Knick of Time, Ivy and Elephants, Thrifty Groove, My Romantic Home, The Charm of Home, Her Library Adventures.

My First Haeger

I used to love thrifting.  Notice that I employed the past tense.  Thrifting meant retail therapy without the guilt.  But now thrifting seems an endeavour that is not for the faint of heart.  Let me back track a little.  Recently, I decided to indulge in a little "retail therapy" when I saw something on a shelf that made me gasp.  Do you ever see something and time just seems to stop?  I don't really remember walking over (or running to the shelf), just lifting it up and turning it over to check the bottom.  What was it?  It was this.

A Haeger console planter/vase!  Now Haeger pottery may be a commonplace find South of the border but up here in the Great White North, they are a rare find out in the wild.  I'd been keeping an eye out for Haeger pottery but had begun to think that they were an urban legend until now.

 

I think I had 5 seconds of dazed happiness staring at the backstamp when, all of a sudden, a screeching voice bellowed in my ear, "That's mine!  I saw it first!"  My daze of euphoria quickly turned into a daze of stupefaction.  All I could think to say was, "Ummmm....no???"  I'm guessing she saw the look of happy shock on my face, realized I'd scored a great find and decided to try her luck at bullying me into handing it over.  Unfortunately for her, my hands felt like they were now superglued to the planter.  And as you can see, it is now in my home.  Its entry into my life not only nipped off my growing thrifting obsession but precipitated an overhaul of the entry console table.  This is what it used to look like.

I had begun to realize that the various figurines on the bottom shelf had a tendency to draw the eye downwards.  The front entry doesn't have any windows so there is no source of natural light.  So the figurines blended into the shadows.  The bowl was used to hold keys but ended up holding clutter.  The box was used to hold mail but just encouraged more clutter accumulation.  Now the table looks like this.

Much better I think, don't you?  I really like the clean simple lines. 

But now I'm wondering if it's too simple and sparse.  Do you think I should add something to the bottom shelf like a flower arrangement?  Or a pair of lamps flanking the planter?  Any suggestions would be welcome!  Of course, if I decided to add more things, that would mean venturing back out into the now scary world of thrifting.  And I don't think I've recovered just yet...

I'm linking up to Southern Hospitality, A Stroll Thru Life,  Knick of Time, Thrifty Groove, My Romantic Home, Coastal Charm, The Charm of Home, Type A Decorating, Her Library Adventures.

Teddy Bear Love or How My Good Intentions Were Overcome

My last post, "Spring Fever" mentioned that I was on a mission to declutter and become more organized.  With great embarrassment, I have to admit that I fell off the proverbial wagon this weekend.  Let me explain.  I went to a church rummage sale which will give you a hint of how my good intentions began to unravel.  Now I have very fond memories of church rummage sales.  There was a time growing up when money was tight and my mother started shopping at church rummage sales.  I still remember the delight I felt at being able to buy a toy or trinket for only 25 cents.  Fast forward many years and here I was going to a church rummage sale again.  Due to a few wrong turns, I ended up at the sale a little late.  There wasn't much of interest left and on a whim, before leaving, I stopped at the toy table.  My hands seemed to reach out of their own volition and picked up a golden, honey coloured teddy bear.  And then I was lost.

I could tell right away that he was a "quality" bear.  He was made of real wool with jointed arms and legs.  I think he's stuffed with straw or wool as he feels surprisingly firm and is quite weighty.

He hadn't been played with very much as he was really clean with hardly any wear.  Usually I avoid looking at used toys as I can't help thinking of the years of childish spit and vomit that might have accumulated on them.  But, even though the ad for the church sale said that it was on until 2pm, at 12.30 the charity vans were already outside waiting to take away the leftovers and the volunteers were packing up.  I couldn't bear (yes, pun intended) the thought of Honey Bear going off to landfill.

Even worse was the thought that he had been loved and very carefully looked after for many a long year and now was about to be dumped unceremoniously into a garbage bag and thrown into the back of a truck.  So I asked, "How much?"  And I can report that inflation hasn't any meaning on hallowed ground because, even after so many years, the price was still 25 cents!  So you see, I didn't have any choice.

I think he makes a very good model, don't you?  With the recent demise of Kodak, I thought Honey Bear looked especially poignant with a few old Kodak film canisters, another relic of a bygone era.

 Besides, there isn't any doubt that, despite his age, Honey Bear is still extremely photogenic.  I think he's found his forever home with me.

I'm linking up with Apron Thrift Girl, Her Library Adventures, Southern Hospitality, Coastal Charm, Knick of Time, Thrifty Groove, A Stroll Thru Life.

Spring Fever

Do you find that as Spring begins to unfurl, that an irresistible urge to sweep, clean and organize likewise begins to unfurl within you?  I do and, lately, I have been on a mission.  Now, one thing that has long bothered me was the state of my kitchen drawers.  Cooking, a task that requires a great deal of fortitude on my part, meant a mad scramble for a spoon or a spatula.  Now, it came to me that I would very much like a vintage crock to hold my kitchen utensils.  But I have never seen one whilst out thrifting and the ones in Williams-Sonoma just looked too shiny, too bright, too...new.  Then what do I see in a junk shop?  A vintage crock!  And not just any crock but one that actually says, "Kitchen Utensils" on it!

Then, shortly thereafter, in a completely different thrift shop, in a faraway town, what do I come across but a matching tiny little crock for pork drippings.  The little crock has a more recent birthday than it's larger sibling but I don't mind.  I had heard of grease jars but had never come across a crock for pork drippings until now.   Of course, to get the pork drippings or bacon grease there has to be some cooking with said pork or bacon.  Not only was a kitchen utensil crock on my wish list but a cast iron fry pan.  And what do I spot on a shelf?  A cast iron fry pan all nicely seasoned.

I admit that this cast iron fry pan has been a revelation to me.  It has amazing heat retention and its non-stick qualities means I can avoid the dangerous siren call of Teflon.  Here it is with a pork roast surrounded by parsnips courtesy of Monsieur's culinary prowess.  It was all prepared in the one pan.

I admit that whenever I use this fry pan I want to sing "Home On The Range."  Life slows down, quiets down until all I hear is the soothing sizzle of food cooking and the beating of my heart.

I am linking up with Her Library Adventures, Apron Thrift Girl, Knick of Time, A Stroll Thru Life, Coastal Charm, My Romantic Home,  Thrifty Groove,.



Birthday Flowers & Milk Glass Vases

There is something so wonderfully Springtimey about tulips, don't you think?  Perhaps because the bulbs slumber in the cold ground through the winter and then burst forth as the earth begins to warm and awaken from its long sleep.  As yesterday was my birthday, Monsieur presented me with not one but two bunches of tulips. One bouquet was purple as, lately, I have been leaning towards that shade and the other one had orange petals rimmed in yellow as he cannot resist those colours especially when twinned together in a flower.  I do adore being presented with bouquets of flowers.  When I was asked what I wanted for my birthday, I found to my surprise that I couldn't think of a single thing.  All I could think was, "I want to be happy."  Does that sound childishly naive or boringly grownup?  But who can resist opening the door to a smiling face and bouquets of Spring tulips?

For some reason, the orange and the purple worked well together.  And as luck would have it, I had recently thrifted another vintage milk glass vase, this time a fluted one.  I had found my very first milk glass vase a little while ago (the one with the orange tulips) and fallen in love with it.  You can read about my adventure in acquiring it here. 

A milk glass vase is very forgiving as its opacity blocks from view ugly stems and one's laziness in trimming the aforesaid stems or diligently changing the water.  And it's always nice to have a pair.

And these vases are the perfect size and shape for tulips.  No fiddling or arranging or messing with flower frogs.  I am very grateful for tulips' easy beauty as they make me seem arty and clever without really being that at all.

Milk glass bud vases turn up with fair regularity in the thrifts but I was looking for one in a size that would complement the one I already had.  Plus the one vase was beginning to look a little lonely in its solitary glacial splendour.  You can imagine how thrilled I was to come across another one that fit the bill perfectly.

And of course, a birthday isn't a birthday without cake.

 

Tulips in pretty vintage vases and a decadent cake.  What more could a girl want?

I'm liking up with Apron Thrift Girl, A Stroll Thru Life, Knick of Time, My Romantic Home, French Country Cottage, Thrifty Groove. 

Simply Pretty Vintage Tea Towels & Creamware Mixing Bowls

I think I am on my way to a new collection or possibly a new addiction.  Let me explain.  I am the chief dish washer-upper and dish wiper in my household.  Monsieur bought me a pack of black and white tea towels for drying said dishes.  But I found that they left swathes of black lint all over the dishes which necessitated much more wiping to no avail.  It also meant that I had to rinse the dishes again which obviously made them wet again instead of what I wanted them to be which was dry.  As well, the idea began to germinate in my mind that I would like some really pretty tea towels to make the task of washing up and drying dishes more pleasant.  Sadly, nothing in the shops caught my fancy.  They all looked so banal, so prosaic, so....uninspiring much like the act of wiping dishes.  Thus began the search for vintage tea towels.  Then, while I was out thrifting, what do I see on the racks?  Lovely, pretty in pink vintage tea towels.  And not just one but a matching pair!

Not only were they ever so pretty but they were in unused, pristine condition which is a wonder to me as I very much doubted the likelihood of finding nice tea towels that weren't covered in stains.

I do so adore the look of them hanging casually over a chair or over a rack in the kitchen or just spilling out of a dresser drawer. 

Along with the idea of having pretty tea towels to inspire me while washing and drying, I had begun to think that I would very much like to have a vintage whiteware or creamware mixing bowl.  This new obsession began when I saw the modern reproductions at Williams Sonoma.  Sadly the price tag was quite out of reach for this girl.  Then, what do I see on a shelf while out thrifting?  A glorious creamware mixing bowl!  Truly, I think I stopped breathing for a split second.

 

There is something so very soothing and comforting about this bowl.  It's as if it's saying to me, "Yes, I have done my job for many a year and now I'm going to help you make delicious meals."  I am positive that with the help of this mixing bowl, my floating islands will float, my breads will rise, my cakes will not be leaden in the middle.

  
And after I am done cooking something delicious with my mixing bowl I will gladly and, oh so carefully, wash it and dry it.  The only problem is that my new tea towels are so pretty that I do not want to use them.  I just want to admire them. 

I'm linking up to  French Country Cottage, My Romantic Home, Thrifty Groove, Apron Thrift Girl, Knick of Time, A Stroll Thru Life.