BLEEDING HEART

Spring in Colorado is a tenuous thing. We can have warm days and cold nights, then cool days and warm nights. The wind can blow; it can rain, snow, and hail. As a matter of fact, we had ALL of the above this past weekend.  On Monday morning, the sun was shining and it was snowing at the same time!

The roses don't leaf out much until May, and don't bloom until June. We can have apple blossoms and lilacs in April/May, but maybe not depending on if we get a really hard freeze in March.  We can plant our snap peas on St. Pat's day, but don't dare set out the tomatoes until after Mother's day

One thing that has always been dependable is our bleeding heart plant. Mine is in a sheltered, shady spot and it flourishes.

Is there anything more beautiful and a greater reminder of God's plan and creation?

I'm joining Susan at A Southern Daydreamer
for Outdoor Wednesday.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY SUNDAY FAVORITES

I'm joining in with Chari of Happy to Design
to celebrate her one-year anniversary of Sunday Favorites. Sundays are a chance to repost a favorite of ours from the past. Please go by Chari's to wish her a happy anniversary and check out the other favorite posts. Today I chose an older post about the Eiffel Tower and other engineering marvels.

My husband, Bob, is retired from a 44-year career as a civil engineer. Consequently, when we travel, engineering marvels are always at the top of our "must see" list.

There are many engineering feats I have not witnessed such as the pyramids of Egypt and the Great Wall of China.

But, I have seen the underside of the Golden Gate Bridge, and viewed the Royal Gorge Bridge of Colorado from a tram 1100 feet above the river.

I've been claustrophobic at the top of the St. Louis Arch, and have ridden 13 miles across the Confederation Bridge to Prince Edward Island in Canada.

I've been in the bowels and seen the inner workings of the Tower Bridge in London, and traveled 180 miles an hour under the water of the English Channel through a tunnel.

BUT, in my opinion, the absolute best, best, best engineering marvel is the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

It combines the structure and strength of engineering and the beauty and form of art.

I know that there are professional photos that capture that beauty better than our amateur pictures, but these are ours and remind me that I was actually there!

A view from the top!!!!

Ooooooo, I so want to go back and see it again!!!!

THRIFTY TREASURES

We don't need a thing, but we still are drawn to yard sales and auctions. Bob does buy some furniture to fix up and resell; but I try not to buy more stuff!! This is what has come home with us recently, however.

How can you not love children's chairs? The red one is 22" tall and was $1 - Bob did have to do some repair work and give it a new paint job. The wooden one is only 16" tall costing $3 and did require some work, also. The red one will probably be resold, but I haven't been able to give up the little one yet.

At a yard sale this past weekend, we bought this table shown below for $7.50. It only required some tightening up and some furniture cleaner; and is living here at our house for now.

The vintage throw in the background came from the auction at my great-grandparent's homestead. It was in a box of linens; but when I saw I was bidding against one of my favorite cousins, I stopped bidding. After she won the bid, she asked me what I wanted out of the box. I told her and she gave it to me for FREE. Thanks, Jane - I owe you.

Back in the 1960s, my aunt gave me the Blue Willow covered milk jug. It had belonged to her in laws, and she said, in disgust, that it just wasn't her style. I was thrilled and have always loved it. It is marked Buffalo China with a 1911 date. I always look for Buffalo China Blue Willow when we are out and about junking and antiquing, but in all of these years I have only found this platter and bread and butter plate. I don't think they are particularly scarce or valuable - they just haven't crossed my path.

Considering the amount of dishes I have amassed the last 50 years, it is probably a good thing that come collections have remained small!

We also picked up this past weekend another table for $7.50 at a yard sale and a table for $5.00 at an auction. When Bob finishes doing his magic on those I'll post about them.

I will be joining Rhoda at Southern Hospitality
for Monday's Thrifty Treasures party

and

Marty at
A Stroll Thru Life
for Table top Tuesday.

Check out their great blogs for more party participators!

OUR NEW (OLD) CUPBOARD

My husband, Bob, has been at it in the workshop again! In February, we went to a super farm auction at my great-grandparent's homestead. (You can read about the experience here.) While I was plotting to score with a winning bid on brown transferware, Bob had won a bid on the bottom cupboard below. He had previously made the top hanging cupboard several years ago to house part of my ever-growing collection of brown transferware.

I questioned his judgment when he won the bid, but it is just the type of project he loves. We think this cupboard was probably a store fixture in its prime; but who knows how long it had been in the family's barn and who knows what it might have stored. It was pretty gross.

Bob stripped, sanded, reconfigured, etc., etc., ETC. On the outside, he used an ebony stain; and the inside was painted in Sherwin Williams Antique Red paint with an ebony glaze to match the hanging cupboard.
The left sliding door now opens to reveal the television, and the right side has more shelves that are empty for now. I envision using this side for future brown transferware storage!

Those finger holes are brass; and the door sliding mechanism is all original.

The cupboard is the perfect size for our small living room; and since this is not our primary TV viewing area, it is nice to be able to hide the TV behind the doors.

I'm linking to the following fun parties. If you have never checked out these blogs before, you are in for a treat!

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch
for Metamorphosis Monday

Donna at Funky Junk Interiors
for Saturday Night Special

Miss Mustard Seed
for Furniture Feature Friday

ONE OF MY FAVORITE THINGS

Laurie at Bargain Hunting with Laurie
is hosting a party to allow us to show off our favorite things.

I sure don't know how to choose a favorite thing, but I'll start with my great-grandmother's punch bowl. This was really, in my opinion, the best estate auction buy of all time. My great-grandmother bought it at an estate auction in the 1920s for a dollar! It was hand painted in the famous Pickard studio of Chicago. She once told me that there were also matching punch cups, but she didn't win the bid on those. The painting of the currants and leaves with the gold tracery on the punch bowl is so exquisite, it takes my breath away each time I walk by it.

I'm now the fourth generation in my family to be the caretaker of this beauty! It is my absolute favorite of all of the dishes I own.

Please go by Laurie's to check out all of the other "Favorite Things".

LONGING FOR PARIS IN THE SPRING

I'm joining in with Marty at A Stroll Thru Life
for Tabletop Tuesday.

Some people have Spring fever for their gardens, but I have Spring fever for Paris.

After taking my Easter stuff down today, I decided to get out some postcards that we had picked up from a kiosk along the Seine two years ago. They are copies of some lovely little watercolors of sights around Paris. To frame them temporarily, I decoupaged some mats with scrapbook paper holding them together with black elastic bands.

The picture above also shows every tourist's purchase - a replica of la tour Eiffel. And in the bottom right picture in the background is my Laduree box that contained those wonderful French macaroons.

So, for this Spring, this tabletop vignette will have to be my trip to Paris. However, I have plans to go to Germany and Paris in the Spring of 2011!!

MORE VINTAGE EASTER

Last week I posted about my Victorian milk glass Easter eggs, so now I would like to show you a little more of my vintage Easter stuff.

Several years ago, Bob gave me this vintage paper-mache Easter Bunny. It has a hollow body, and was originally a candy container. He is kind of fragile; therefore, perfect for under a cloche.

The small 4" sand pail is not necessarily Easter; but I keep it with my Easter stuff as it is so cute with tiny eggs in it.

Part of our collection of antique postcards, this is one of my favorites. It is propped up in one of my mother's old metal flower frogs.

These two glass chicken on nests belonged to my Grandmother. They originally held tiny Easter egg candy. I remember playing with them as a child; so how they survived without a scratch, I don't know.

Please check out the following blog parties going on for more fun stuff.

Suzanne at Colorado Lady
for Vintage Thingies Thursday

Marty at A Stroll Thru Life
for the Spring cloche party

Cindy at My Romantic Home
for Show & Tell Friday

May you all have a joyous Easter.

Sally