FLUFFING AND BUFFING

It was time to change up the shelves in the dining room; so I removed my Friendly Village dishes, and replaced them with some previously hidden-away brown transferware and antique apothecary jars.

From Memorial Day until July 4th, I like getting out some of our patriotic ephemera that we have accumulated over the years.

Here we have Betsy and her flag under glass!

Old postcards.

In this apothecary jar are three generations of draft registration cards from World War I, World War II, and the Viet Nam War.

I'm partying with Mary at Little Red House
for Mosaic Monday

and

Marty at A Stroll Thru Life
for Tabletop Tuesday.

Be sure to stop by their blogs to check out the list of participants this week.

PAVLOVA - SOUTHERN LIVING STYLE

Every month I usually try a new recipe out of the Southern Living magazine. From the May issue I tried Pavlova with Lemon Cream and Berries, and took it to our small group supper club.
It sure is colorful, and was received with oohs and aahs.

If you like the tart flavor of lemon curd, this is a recipe worth trying.

I'm joining Michael Lee at Designs by Gollum
for Foodie Friday. Be sure to go by and check all of the other participants for delicious food.

INDOORS LOOKING OUTDOORS WEDNESDAY

In the June 2010 issue of House Beautiful the focus is on "What You Can Do In A Day" to make your home more beautiful. It mentioned to clean, clean, clean. It seems that I spend a lot of time cleaning all year long; but in the Spring, it is necessary to do extra. Yesterday, the outside of the house and the windows received our attention.

It started from the top - cleaning out the gutters of all the accumulated winter gunk. Then the screens from all of the windows were removed, and the entire outside of the house, screens, and windows received a shower and scrubbing.

Inside, the windows and all of their little grooves were vacuumed.

We have interior shutters throughout our house, so they got a thorough dusting.
All windows inside and out were then hand washed and polished.

Finally, all grooves and hidden places received 'The Bleach Treatment' to ward off any threat of mold.

And here they are all shiny and clean!!

Back in the day when I was younger, I used to do this process all by myself in part of a day. I remember counting one time that it took 60 trips up and down the ladder. Now, it takes two of us all day to get the job done. I can tell you that here at the Salmagundi house, there were two very tired 71 year olds last night.

Go by and check out Susan at A Southern Daydreamer
for a list of other Outdoor Wednesday posts.

SLIM PICKINGS!

It has been pretty slim pickings around here at the yard sales the last couple of weeks. But, I was pleased with what I did find. The blue Windsor Castle plate has an old Johnson Bros. mark, and was $2.00. I paid 50 cents total for both of the etched candle holders - they are quite heavy and appear to be old with nice etching of tulips on all four sides.

I love little, old books especially red ones. The top one is an 1891 dictionary with an inscription to Lewis from a teacher. The bottom book is of mystery short stories from 1927. I paid 25 cents for each book.

Please go by the following link parties to check out the other participants.

Rhoda at Southern Hospitality
for Thrifty Treasures Monday

Linda at Coastal Charm
for Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays

Thanks to Rhoda and Linda for hosting these get togethers.

I'M PONDERING PILLOWS AGAIN

I'm in a pillow making mood again. I've always wanted some wool pillows to use in the living room during the winter . Last year, I made one pillow from a wool Ralph Lauren skirt that I found at Goodwill (click here to read about that, if you wish). That was as far as my wool pillow project went last winter. This year, I'm determined to get an earlier start. (Is it too early to think about winter???)

Always on a budget, I checked out Goodwill for more suitable wool and found several pieces of new fabric from some one's fabric stash. It was $4 for as much as I could stuff in a plastic bag. I ended up with several different wools for a total of over 5 yards of wide fabric.

I decided on a monogram pillow, so I thought how hard could that be now that I had all of this luscious wool. At first I was thinking I could hand embroider the monogram like my grandmothers always did, but I decided that was too much work for these arthritic fingers. Since I have had some success with the satin stitch on my sewing machine, I thought that would be the answer. But as I was doing a sample run, my 41 year-old sewing machine decided it was tired of doing the zig-zag, and the lever broke. No replacement parts could be found by anyone for my trusty, old machine. It still sews a nice straight stitch, however. So, now on to plan C - applique. I decided to cut out my monogram from felt and sew it on. Did you know that you can buy felt made from recyclable plastic that washes and dries wonderfully?

In anything that I make, washability is important to me. I always prewash and dry all of my fabrics before making a project. I washed all of my Goodwill wools in Woolite in the machine, then dried them in the dryer on low. They came out great.

I used osnaburg (sometimes called hop sacking) for the background of the monogram. It's cheap - $2.99 per yard - and has a nice texture after laundering.

All in all, the pillow cover cost me under $2.00. The most expensive thing was the zipper for the closure and I had a 40% off coupon for that.

Just call me frugal --- but then I'm not even going to talk about what a new sewing machine is going to cost me!

I'm linking up to the following parties. Be sure to check them out for lots of fun posts.

Cindy at My Romantic Home
for her Friday Show and Tell.

Donna at Funky Junk Interiors
for her Saturday Night Special party.

OF COURSE I DO!!

I was asked if I still had the 'Gone with the Wind' Scarlett O'Hara doll that was in the picture of my mother and I shopping (my mother's day post). The picture was taken in 1941 on the streets of Pueblo, Colorado.

Well, of course, I do -- I'm the queen of pack-rats and have kept everything!

Here she is today.

FAVORITE THINGS - MOTHER'S DAY

I'm joining in with Laurie at Bargain Hunting with Laurie

for her Saturday Favorite Things party.

Be sure to check out her blog for always a fun read, plus a list of today's Favorite Things participants.

Since it is Mother's Day weekend, I thought I would show you four of my favorite pictures of my mother.  She was so intelligent, actually brilliant, that she started 1st grade on the day she turned 5 years old, skipped the 7th grade, and had graduated from junior college at age 17 before she married my Dad.   When I started to school, she started working for the federal government rising in the ranks until she was in charge of offices all over the state retiring at the age of 65 after a long, successful career.  She was always a mother, then a grandmother first, however.  She gave me a wonderful childhood, then supported me in everything I ever did.  Failing health took her too young, and she never did enjoy her retirement years.  

There is never a day I don't think about her - there is something every day I wish I could share with her. I so would like to introduce her to her great-grandchildren, for instance; as she enjoyed my kids so much.  

Here are my favorite pictures of her:

The first one was taken when she was in the May Day court in college (1937).

I was six-months old, and Mother was only 19.

Mother loved to shop, and we made regular trips to the city.  This was taken on the streets of Pueblo, Colorado.  She had just bought this 'Gone with the Wind' Scarlett doll for me, and she was trying to keep me from running into people.  I couldn't take my eyes off of Scarlett.

A GRADUATION STORY

May is the month of graduations, so I thought I would tell you a little graduation story.

My Dad graduated from high school in 1931; and as was the custom in small-town Colorado, the senior class went on a 

trip to the big city of Denver during graduation week.

Below is my Dad on the right pictured in his annual.  See his motto under his name -- "I love me, I love me, I love myself to death!"  He was quite full of himself!

 While the class was enjoying the sights and experiences of the big city, they stayed at the Shirley Savoy Hotel in downtown Denver.  

At that time not all hotel rooms had en suite bathrooms and the facilities were down the hall.  But the rooms were equipped with a chamber pot for those middle of the night needs.  Wouldn't you have hated being a hotel maid in those days - oh, my!

SOMEHOW the above chamber pot MANAGED to come home with my father from that trip.  He must have had a memorable trip because this pot was always around my parent's house.  Don't worry, my mother made sure it was thoroughly sterilized and sanitized.  She always used it to hold National Geographic magazines.

A THRIFTY TREASURE AND A TABLETOP

I'm linking up with Rhoda at Southern Hospitality
for the Thrifty Treasures Monday party. 


This little table is one of those we found a week ago at a yard sale for $7.50.  It did need a little work such as replacing some missing molding and a new finish. 

The wood of this table is beautiful plus it has some wonderful details; such as the inlaid wood on the drawer, the pretty pedestal, and the rosettes on the feet.

I'm also linking to Marty at A Stroll Thru Life

for her Tuesday Tabletop party.

My parents were married in 1937, and on the table are three of their wedding gifts.  The lamp was a gift from friends who owned the local furniture store, and the picture in the background was from one of my mother's college professors.  The little pitcher holding the lilacs is part of a china coffee service that my Dad's parents and brother gave them. 

Please check out Rhoda's and Marty's blogs by clicking on their blog names above to see who else is partying along.

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