VINTAGE VIGNETTE #9

My mother grew up on a farm learning to cook from her grandmother, who ruled the kitchen. Grandmother was notorious for being a fabulous cook, all on a wood cook stove, but thought that the nasty jobs like kitchen clean up, killing and dressing chickens, etc. was the domain of the assorted kids and grand kids. My mother vowed she would never, NEVER, marry a farmer as she wanted nothing more to do with killing chickens for supper! Well, she married a farmer, but my father promised there would never be any chicken slaughter in her future. Mother must have had a soft spot for chickens though, as she always had dishes decorated with chickens and had 2 or 3 chicken and rooster figurines sitting around in the kitchen. This one from the Royal Copley Company was a favorite.

The cookbooks were also my mothers from the World War II era - I love the title of the one called "Pie Marches On"! I found the large brown glass bottle in my Dad's workshop when I sold their house. I don't have any idea what kind of liquid it held or its intended use, but I loved the shape.

Lots of memories of my parents in this vignette.

Thanks for stopping by,
Sally

TABLESCAPE THURSDAY

It's not Tablescape Tuesday anymore, but here we are at Tablescape Thursday!! Check out Susan at Between Naps on the Porch for a wonderful selection of tablescape participants.

I'm finally in the Valentine's Day mood and have pulled out some of my antique valentines to dress the table.

The dishes are among my favorites for this season. The white plate is Mikasa Italian Countryside - a recent consignment store find of service for six for a total of $28. All of the red glassware and plates are from my Fostoria Argus pattern collection. Valentine's Day would not be complete without some red transferware. These salad plates are in the Romance pattern from Alfred Meakin & Co. The monogrammed napkins with an "S" can stand for Sally, or Salmagundi, or our last name, or just for "Sweet"!!

From Hobby Lobby's after-Christmas sale, I picked up these red and Mercury glass votives for 80 cents each. They are just as great for V Day as they will be for Christmas!

The Valentines are some of the ones I discovered in my Great Grandmother's belongings. They are wonderful die-cuts with movable parts. We also have quite a few antique Valentine postcards from the late 19th century.

And you have to have chocolate hearts to finish off a celebratory meal!!

Thanks for stopping by,
Sally

MET MONDAY

Time for Met Monday hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch. All winter I have been wanting some wool pillows for my living room, but everything was way out of my budget. So I headed to my local Goodwill and found this Ralph Lauren skirt for $2.00.

It was a beautiful skirt; looked like it had never been worn; and was 100% wool. It was a size 4 (I haven't been a size 4 since I was 4 years old), so decided it would make a good pillow!

I threw the skirt in the washer with some Woolite, let hang til dry, then cut out the lining, zipper, and waistband. My trusty old sewing machine was just waiting to metamorphose a skirt into a pillow. I added some cording I had plus three shell buttons from my grandmother's button box to jazz it up a bit.

I'm pleased with it, and am now on the hunt for more Goodwill 100% wool skirts!

Now, go over to Susan's blog (Between Naps on the Porch) to check out all of the other great projects this week.

Thanks for stopping by,
Sally

I WON SUE AND MISS SOPHIE'S GIVEAWAY!

Sue along with her adorable granddaughter, Miss Sophie, recently had a giveaway and I was fortunate enough to win! If you are a regular reader of Sue's blog, Rue Mouffetard, you may remember the darling calendar starring Miss Sophie as movie heroes/heroines. The giveaway was a DVD of one of the movies portrayed by Sophie in the calendar. We chose "Dr. Zhivago", so I was expecting a padded envelope with the DVD. I was so surprised to get this huge box in the mail with all of these goodies in it for a great movie night at home.

Check this out! Boxes of candy, popcorn, hot chocolate mix with marshmallows, and, of course, the movie were enclosed

Plus, there were this popcorn salt shaker from Williams-Sonoma and two pairs of cuddly socks to keep my feet warm while watching the movie.

How great is all of that? Thanks Sue and Sophie! Please go by Rue-Mouffetard; Sue is always cooking up something good.

Thanks for stopping by,
Sally

NAIL HEAD TRIM

I love nail head trim on furniture. Are you familiar with the above product that makes it so easy to add nail heads to a project?

It comes in a strip like this with a hole every 5 nail heads. You just take a tack and nail it in the hole through to your piece of furniture. You get a nice, straight even line of nail heads!

I recently bought this little twig stool at an auction, but it really needed a new upholstery job. Sorry, I don't have any before pictures. I just wasn't thinking!! Here it is with its new plaid top and nail head trim.

I have a hard time deciding in my home decor if I want sophistication or rustic; so, I just combine the two. Hope the design police don't show up to tell me otherwise!!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Sally

WE HAVE A WINNER!!!

In celebration of my 100th post, I'm giving away today this apron and potholder that I made just for this occasion, plus this transferware cup/saucer. I will also include a couple of surprises in the box from the great state of Colorado. And no, Gloria it isn't Coors beer. (Wouldn't that be illegal to send across state lines!!!) At any rate, I so enjoyed reading all of the comments about this giveaway. But, more importantly, I have appreciated your friendship over the last few months as I embarked on this blogging journey.

So, without further discussion, I have put all of the names of those that have commented on my last two posts in this blue bowl.

My two charming grandkids stopped by after school today and drew the name of:

Yes, you may have to click on the picture to see that the giveaway goes to NIKKI of Blah, Blah, Blah blog! And wouldn't you know, Nikki is a notorious non-cook, but said in the comment that her husband would be so excited to see her in an apron. Here you go, Nikki, email me at salmagundiss(at)yahoo(dot)com with your mailing address, and I'll get the package right out to you. Then, of course, we want to see a picture of you in the apron in front of that big metal box that heats up and cooks food!

Thanks to everyone who participated. I'm always thrilled when you comment on my posts and I read everyone of them!

Sally

TABLESCAPE TUESDAY & A GIVEAWAY REMINDER

Once again it is Tablescape Tuesday hosted by Susan of Between Naps on the Porch. My favorite place to eat lunch when I am home alone is at the computer. So, today I've fixed a tray so I can share my lunch time with you, my blogging friends!

The menu today is simple - some salad, creamed cheese & almonds on whole grain bread, a tangelo, and a chocolate brownie.

The glass and salad bowl are Fostoria in the Argus pattern. The larger plate is "Liberty Blue" which was part of a dinner set sold inexpensively in 1976 to celebrate the U. S.'s bicentennial. The Liberty Bell plate is also from 1976 produced by Wedgwood as a special edition award exclusively to Avon Representatives. I found it at a yard sale years ago.

Thanks for sharing lunch with me!


A REMINDER!!

On my previous post, I announced a giveaway to celebrate my 100th post. All of the commenters on the previous post and this post will receive a chance to win this apron, potholder, the transferware cup/saucer, and a couple of surprises. So, it is not too late to throw your name in the bowl!! The drawing will be held on January 28th.

Thanks for stopping by and please go by Susan's to find all of the other Tablescape Tuesday participants.


Sally

A GIVEAWAY FOR MY 100TH POST!!!

My 100th post is coming up, so naturally I wanted to have a giveaway to thank everyone who has been so kind to me during the last few months. I've been doing a little sewing just for you. I made an apron just like I use to make back in the 1950s when I was first married. No respectable cook should be without one - just ask June Cleaver!! Then I made a potholder with a transferware cup on it - all of my friends are getting potholders this year from me, and I wanted to include you, my blog friends.

Now, you all know how I love my transferware. So, in my giveaway, I'm including a cup and saucer, in order that we may share a cup of something hot to drink across the miles. This cup/saucer is from the W. H. Grindley & Co. Ltd., England in the 'Homeland' pattern.

I will also include a couple of surprises in the package - a little something from the great state of Colorado. (I promise I won't send you any snow!)

And now, the rules: You will receive a chance to win for commenting on this post and also on my next post. So, if you comment on both posts, you will receive two chances to win. Then, I have a charming grandchild waiting in the wings to draw the winning name on January 28th. If you do not have a blog, please leave me an email address when you comment, so that I can reach you if you do win. Also, sorry but I must limit this to those of you in the Continental U.S. - you know how high postage rates are getting!

Good luck everyone; and thanks again for supporting me during my blog journey!!

Sally

"THE TRUCK"

The above picture was taken in the early 1970s of our bright red 1971 Chevrolet Suburban. Yes, we bought that huge hunk of metal, gas guzzling vehicle brand new in January 1971. We had to wait 6 months after we ordered it for it to arrive from Detroit. We were so excited that when the transport came in we went to the dealership in the dark and watched it being unloaded. Bob said that night that he was never going to sell the beauty! Well, guess what?, we still own that Suburban, fondly known around here as "The Truck".

At the time, we had a two year old, and thought that all of that steel would protect our precious cargo. We strapped him in the middle seat with the lap belt (no shoulder seat belts in those days). When we adopted our daughter at three weeks old, we brought her to her new home in this hunk of steel just in my arms - no baby car seats in those days either. It makes you wonder how everyone survived, but luckily "The Truck" has never been in an accident.


The kids grew up, and they learned to drive "The Truck", which was not an easy chore. There is no power steering, no power brakes, no automatic transmission, and no air conditioning. They loved taking it to school, however, as it would hold a whole bunch of kids to go out to lunch. We never worried too much thinking all that steel would protect them.

"The Truck" was our only vehicle for a number of years, and served as the work truck for our engineering business. It has been on back roads, up and over mountains, through mud, snow and ice; it has been on family vacations, to the grocery store, and to church. It has hauled so many pieces of furniture; wood, etc. from the lumber yard; appliances; and has been known to be a temporary storage room for something that wouldn't fit in the house, garage, or shed at the moment! The back end has a wooden floor big enough for a 5-year old's dance recital. It has been very faithful to us!

Finally, a year ago, Bob decided it was time to reward "The Truck". It had grown rusty, lost its hubcaps, and had oxidized to an orange color. Pretty sad!!

And now, here it is with its new paint job and hubcaps. Isn't it a beauty once again? It still runs like a top and guzzles gas like there is no tomorrow, but we love it.

Happy 38th Birthday, "Truck"!!!

PACK RAT OR COLLECTOR??

Am I a pack rat or a collector?

A pack rat is defined as a rodent of the Rocky Mountain area. Well, my in laws may think of me as a rodent sometimes, and I do live in the Rocky Mountains.
A pack rat has well developed cheek pouches. Mine are pretty chubby!
A pack rat will drop what they are carrying, and exchange it for something else they see and want. That is definitely me in an antique mall.
A pack rat is particularly fond of shiny objects. I love my German lustre dishes.
They hoard miscellaneous & unneeded objects. Just how many different dishes does a person really need?

Now, a collector of objects is said to:
SEEK. I'm definitely out there looking.
LOCATE. There is no problem finding an object of desire.
ACQUIRE. It appears I buy plenty.
ORGANIZE. Well, I guess that is questionable.
CATALOG. Never, I don't want to know how many dishes I have!
DISPLAY: That I do.
STORE: Obviously.
MAINTAIN: I adore my dishes (isn't that maintenance?). Plus, if I ever need to have a sit down dinner for 120 people, I'm ready!!

So, what do you think? Am I a pack rat or a collector? (I purposely only opened the doors on just two of several cupboards holding my dishes. I didn't want to cloud your judgment of my obsession!!)

Thanks for stopping by,
Sally

MET MONDAY

It is the very first Metamorphosis Monday hosted by Susan at

Between Naps on the Porch. I have chosen a recent project of my husbands to share today. I've mentioned before that Bob loves to find a box of wooden parts at an auction for a dollar or two. Then, he sorts them to figure out just what he has. This chair came in pieces in one of those boxes. Once he had it laid out, there were only a couple of rungs missing. Sorry, I don't have a picture of all of the pieces; but this is what it looked like all assembled and still unfinished with the new rungs he made.

Early 20th century pressed-back chairs have always been a favorite of mine.

Here it is finished with its new seat.

I'm using the chair at my desk, so I had to make a cushion for comfort!!

Thanks for stopping by, now go and visit Susan for more wonderful makeovers.

Sally

VINTAGE VIGNETTE #8

The bird print with glorious colors and bamboo frame was recently found at Goodwill for $2.00. I have a small collection of vases made by Lee & Bonnie Wollard of West Coast Pottery in Burbank, California in the 1940s. They are all quite fluid and organic in style - this is my favorite with its green to brown glaze.

Under the dome is a hummingbird nest. When my children were young, they enjoyed watching the mother and baby hummingbirds in this nest in the eaves of my parent's carport for about four consecutive years. Then the nest was inactive for at least 10 years. When I sold my parent's house after their deaths, the last thing I did was cut this nest down. The nest was balanced between two wires. It is fluffy inside, but the outside is made of tiny paint chips gathered from the green colored house next door. Now, my grandchildren are fascinated with the nest.

Thanks for stopping by,
Sally

MY ROLE MODEL FOR GROWING OLD

I was going through some old pictures and came across the above picture. This is my mother on the left and her cousin, Louise, on the right. The picture was taken in about 1923. They were adorable in their hats and my mother with her hankie and Louise with her little purse. Everyone in the family has always called my mother's cousin, "Pete". It seems that when she was a kid, she fell in the irrigation ditch and came out all covered in peat moss; so a great-uncle started calling her Pete.

Pete was my mother's first cousin - just four months younger than my mother. Both sets of their parents were divorced when they were young. This was pretty unusual for 1920s-1930s; so, they were raised together more like sisters on their grandparent's farm. In addition to being cousins/sisters, they were also best friends for more than 70 years from birth till the day my mother died. They hardly lived much more than a mile from each other their whole lives, and visited back and forth continually. Therefore, Pete has always been a part of my life. This is a picture of Pete and me taken in 1939.

Pete is the only person living that remembers the day I was born. That must mean that both of us are getting old!! Well, Pete is 89 years old this month and is my role model for aging.

She is sharp as a tack; always tells it like it is, but never is judgmental or complains. Her kids adore her, and she still takes as good care of them as they do of her. This last summer, Pete buried her middle son - he was only 51 years old. It must be terrible to bury one of your children; but Pete was so full of faith and grace, she made it easier for everyone else.

Pete and I live 90 miles from each other, but we regularly telephone and see one another occasionally. She always is interested in everything I'm up to, asking about my family, etc. and always wants to know what I'm cooking for supper. Her grandmother (my great-grandmother) was a great cook; but was terrible at cleaning up afterwards, as she thought that was what kids were for. Pete and I always laugh about Grandmother and her ways. Pete has lots of memories to share and is my link to my ancestors.

Here is Pete recently - we were looking and laughing at some old photos.

I'm sure Pete will never read this, as "computer" is not in her vocabulary; but I needed to write down how important she has been to me. Guess I had better go call her. Anyway ---- I want to ask her if I sucked my thumb as a baby. For some unknown reason, I want to find that out!!!

TABLESCAPE TUESDAY

It is Tablescape Tuesday once again hosted by Susan at Between Naps on the Porch.

In the winter, we eat a lot of soups and stews for our main dish. So, today, I have set the table for two using some of my brown transferware.

The soup bowl is from the 19th century aesthetic period manufactured by W. H. Grindley and Co., England. I have several pieces of this pattern with its charming birds and asymmetrical Oriental banding. The 'manly' soup spoon and butter knife are from my great-grandmother's monogrammed silver. The bread plate at this setting is 19th Century, 'Stag' pattern from C.S. & Sons, England.

For an under plate, I have used a pair of 20th century brown transferware plates in the Tonquin pattern by Alfred Meakin, England.


The glassware is Fostoria, and the bread plate in the foreground is 19th century, in the 'Perak' pattern.


The two larger candle holders were made by Bob's grandfather from apple wood from his backyard. The smaller holder was made by my father from one of the original walnut trees planted by pioneers in the small town we grew up in.

Thanks for stopping by, and now head over to Susan's to check out all of the other great tablescapes!!!

Sally