Laura's Rose Garden

for hosting this weekly gathering of friends who have a lot of PINK mixed in with their gray matter!!!

I am back!

I was sick another week (missed two weeks of work) but went back on Tuesday and worked Tues (13 hrs), Wed (13.5 hrs), Thurs (14.75 hrs). On Friday I felt like I had been hit by a truck, but I went out for lunch with my girlfriend, Wendy, and that helped a great deal. We only had a couple of hours together, but we enjoyed a fabulous lunch at a new seafood restaurant in Belleville. It is called "Kalay's". I had their pan-seared Digby Scallops and they were Delicious, Exquisite, Plump and for lack of a better word YUMMY-SCRUMPIOUS!!!!! Do I need to tell you I love scallops??!!!

I came home from dropping Wendy off, picked up my daughter, Alyx, to drive her back into the city for work and promptly came home and went to bed at 3:30 in the afternoon and slept until after 6 pm.

So, today is Saturday and I feel much better after a good nights sleep.

This is what greeted me as I entered my livingroom.

This is my Clivia. Many years ago my Mom gave me a baby plant from her ancient plant and this is that same baby plant today. I think she is twenty years old!

The next 2 pics below were taken 7 days ago when she was begining to open her flowers.

And today she is in full bloom!

My latest treasure is an antique Mueller Volksteadt Dresden lamp.

It is soooooo beautiful!!! I think she is from the 1920's to the 1930's.

She needs a very gentle bath in warm soapy water, a new cord and a special shade. When I get her all spiffied-up I will do a post about her!

I hope everyone has a restfull!!!!! and wonderful weekend!

Love and warm hugs, Laura

Happy Pink Saturday From Your Long-lost Blogging Buddy Laura!

2011-03-05T10:42:00.000-08:00

Happy Pink Saturday!!

I haven't posted since mid January and I cannot believe that it is now the fifth of March!

I have come to realize that the older I get the FASTER time flies by!!

Much has happened since I last posted, so here is quick update.

Monday January 17th I handed out 5 resumes to local nursing homes (all within 20 minutes drive of home).

By 4:15 that same day I received a call for an interview. It was from the nursing home where I really wanted to work! By noon the next day I had received calls for two more interviews. The next day, Wednesday I had three interviews. I was offered a job at the hursing home where I really wanted to work on Friday and started the next Tuesday January 25th. I received job offers from the other two nursing homes as well. What a boost to my ego that was! This nursing home is brand new and absolutely the best one in our area! I love working there!

Our daughter experienced a huge cut in her hours where she was working and moved home at the beginning of February. She is back in her old room, the new sewing studio/guest room. The only piece of furniture I would let her move back in was her bed. (I didn't want her to get too, too comfortable in there). She has now found a new job and it is turning out to be great for her and will soon be full-time hours, so we expect that she will be apartment hunting very soon.

Last Saturday I woke up with a sore throat and that quickly manifested into influenza. I was smart and did get the flu shot in the fall, but the dag-blasted bug got me anyway! I have spent the better part of a week in bed. I did manage to read abit, "Coming Home" by Rosamunde Pilcher ( I have read it three times and I still LOVE it!). I sipped on weak tea and toast when I felt like crawling out of bed. My sweet hubby looked after me when he was home in the evening. He is just the best in the whole wide world!! My chest still feels heavy and my strength is coming back slowly and I do feel better, but I will be going up stairs for an nap shortly.

Yesterday, I received a letter from Sweet Beverly at "How Sweet The Sound"

http://beachvintage.blogspot.com/

asking me to link-up for Pink Saturday. I thought to myself, "If I am feeling better that is just what I will do!" So without further ado, I would like to welcome you to Pink Saturday in my cosy livingroom.

My Uncle Jack, who is now 87, sent me a letter a few weeks ago and in it he included a $5. bill with a tiny note stuck to it, "To buy a treat!". Last Saturday when I was feeling yucky witht he sore throat, I purchased two little pots of pink! hyacinths. They have opened up and are filling the house with a lovely spring-time fragrance! Thank you Uncle Jack!

This is the table behind my sofa. Do you see the snow outside? Soon it will be gone. Two months until the lilacs bloom!!

Sweet hyacinths in an Aynsley plant pot.

Some of my "pretties".

When my mother died, I found this poem and framed it in this vintage convex glass frame. It has brought me great comfort over the last few years.

Some of my "Ladies".

My cousin, Heather, gave the card to my Mom and Dad on their 60th wedding anniversary. The coupel swing back and forth. The little guy on the right is a first issue Royal Doulton named "Golliwog". His face is so angelic.

"Laura" by Renaissance China in England circa 1940-50s.

A tiny Dresden lady.

A large Dresden lady.

I collect jugs!

More jugs!

I also collect vintage cookie and candy tins. But they will have to wait for another posting on another day.

It is raining here today in eastern Ontario. The temperature is currently 41 F (5 C). It is going to cool down to below freezing later this evening so the wet will turn into freezing rain and then snow. I am going to have a snooze whiel huuby goes groceriy shopping then I will make a pot of tea and read through my new Victoria magazine.

Happy Pink Saturday Everyone!

Love and warm hugs, Laura

Winner Of My First Give-Away!!!

2011-01-16T05:25:00.000-08:00

Hello blogging buddies!!

I have been so busy this past birthday week I have not had any time to sit down and post the winner of my first give-away.

Thank you to everyone for your birthday wishes!!

I did the draw the old fashioned way by writing the numbers out on a piece of paper,

then cut them out

and placed them in a cache pot.

My son, Wes, drew the winning number.

The lucky winner is number 73!!!!!

73 is

Malay-Kadazan Girl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Congratulations Sweetie!!!

Please contact me so I can get these treasures into the mail for you!!!

I am still working on getting items listed on Ebay. I am not a technical gal, so it is taking me a bit longer than anticipated to get things up and running. I think I have most of the glitches (brain farts!!) worked out (EEGads!!! that sounds sooooo bad!!!) LOL!!

I'll post tomorrow and introduce you to my Ebay listings.

Take care!

Love and warm hugs, Laura

Please Pray For Sandy, Sarah and Simone in Australia!!

2011-01-11T16:58:00.000-08:00

Hello to all my blogging buddies world wide.

Three of our blogging friends in Australia are facing absolutely horrific floods in Queensland, Australia.

Simone at

Sarah at

http://www.abeachcottage.com/

Sandy at

http://www.paintmewhite.com/

I am sure that you know of others in our blogging community who live there also.

Flash floods are occurring and sweeping cars and people away into rapid currents of turbulent muddy waters.

The loss of life and wellbeing is catastrophic!

Please say a prayer for all people facing these challenges and send this message far and wide so our positive thoughts and love circulates and keeps them safe and sends them hope for recovery soon.

Love and warm hugs, Laura

Happy New Year to Everyone! A New Venture for Me and Presenting My First Give-Away!!!!

2011-01-04T09:07:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!!

I hope everyone had a blissful Christmas and Holiday Season.

2011 is here and with the new year comes a sense of adventure and new beginnings.

After many years of telling my hubby that I am going to sell on Ebay, I have finally taken some measures to do just that. I have been collecting treasures, crafting and refinishing furniture and lamps for more than forty-five years and the time has come for me to let these beauties travel to new homes where they can be appreciated and loved by others. I have thousands of antique and vintage items such as jewelry, clothing, shoes and purses/handbags, crocheted and embroidered linens, art, figurines, depression glass, milk glass, pottery, china, majolica, American and Canadian Brilliant Cut glass, silver (sterling and silverplate), copper, brass, lamps, books, dolls, toys and just about anything you can think of!! So stay tuned for more information about my Ebay selling. I will be posting again in a few days to give you the particulars.

Today is also Tuesday, so I will be participating in Teacup Tuesday with the lovely Martha and Terri of

and

http://ceoriginals.blogspot.com/

These two wonderful ladies have hosted 43 Teacup Tuesday celebrations. The weekly party allows bloggers to invite new friends into their blogs, showoff their teacup collections, and share a cup of tea or coffee and the happenings in their lives. Martha and Terri were very supportive when I first began blogging in May 2010. I cannot thank these ladies enough! They are both genuine, beautiful human beings to the core!!

We are having a late morning tea today, as it is now eleven o'clock. I am using one of my favorite tea sets; it has roses on it!! The teapot, milk and cream jugs, cups and saucers were made by Wedgwood under the Imperial Porcelain manufacturing name. Some of the cups and saucers do state the name Wedgwood. This pattern is especially dear to me because it bears the name of my father-in-law, "Vincent".

Ther is a wee guest joining us. His name is "Mai" and is made by Goebel of germany. Do you see the butterfly he holds in his hand? He is telling us that on this cold and snowy day we should remember that spring is on her way! Do not give up hope!!

I have prepared some nibblies. You may choose from Almond biscotti, date squares, raspberry coconut macaroon bars or chewy chocolate and coconut bars. They are displayed in a beautiful American brilliant cut glass dish.

I have not yet found a sugar bowl in this pattern so I am using the sugar from my Birks silver tea service. The spoon belonged to Laura Mulligan, my maternal grandmother's best friend; she was one of the women I was named after.

The gorgeous tray that the tea set is resting on, is from England and made in the 1920s.

I think this is the first time that I have shown you my tea wagon. I bought it from my friend, Dee. It is made by the Gibbard Furniture company of Napanee Ontario, which is just a twenty minute drive from my house. It was made in 1910-1920 I think. Gibbard closed its doors in 2008 after an incredible 173 year period.

Here is a closer picture of the cup and saucer. Remember that you can click on any picture which will enlarge it and then you can zoom in on the view as well.

I am using five o'clock spoond in Birks sterling Chantilly pattern. They are dear little spoons!!

Miss Bear has joined us! She is wearing her pearls and mink stole.

I think I'll nibble a piece of biscotti. Which would you prefer?

Yummy!!! I promise I won't dunk!

NOW!!!!! Presenting my first EVER give-away!!!!

As many of you already know I love roses! So, I have collected a couple of items which I wish to send off to a lucky someone. This give-away is open to anyone on Earth. I am sorry to exclude my alien friends from Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Pluto and the other planets, but I am sure you can appreciate the fact that the shipping to Pluto would be (tee-hee!) astronomical!!!

I am giving away a Royal Albert "American Beauty" cup and saucer, a gorgeous scarf covered with roses made by Tabi, a sterling and freshwater pearl bracelet and a pair of sterling and freshwater pearl dangling earrings. I will draw the winner on my fifty-first birthday!!! January 13th, 2011 at twelve o'clock noon EST (my time zone).

You may enter my give-away by doing any or all of the following:

1. Leaving a comment here on this posting.

2. Become a follower of my blog and leave me another comment on this posting that you have done so. If you are already a follower you are automatically entered into the draw.

3. Tell the followers of your blog about my Give-away by posting about it and then leaving another comment for me here.

4. Post a link to my Give-away in your sidebar and yes, please leave another comment to tell me that you have done so.

I wish everyone luck in this, my first give-away!!

I am off to work on laundry and some more of the everyday life of a middle-aged girlie!

God bless you and give you a blissful life in this new year!

Love and warm hugs, Laura.

Christmas at Maplethwaite Manor.

2010-12-23T13:34:00.000-08:00

Good morning everyone!
Merry Christmas!!!
I am joining Beverly at

http://www.howsweetthedound.typepad.com/
for Pink Saturday.

I still have some last minute shopping to do. Tim and I are going out this morning to brave the crowds and watch the craziness of last minute shoppers!!

I roasted a small turkey on Wednesday and Wes, Tim and I ate it with dressing (stuffing), mashed potatoes, green beans and gravy. I usually do my turkey dinner the week before Christmas, but with all the cleaning and decorating I have been doing, I had to postpone for a few days. It was worth the wait!!

Our house has been very quiet at Christmas time for the past four Christmases. In 2006 I was recovery from a breakdown. In 2007 we were grieving the deaths of my Mom, June 2, 2007, Tim's Mom, June 16, 2007 and Tim's Dad, December 1, 2007. In 2008, I was having more health issues. In 2009 we were grieving the death of my Dad, February 4, 2009. Plus, I had just had shoulder surgery at the end of October, 2009.

Now Christmas time 2010 is here and I have decorated the house inside and out! Our tree is the best one we have ever had. My mother would have loved it!
On Christmas morning we will be having a huge brunch with ham, eggs, latkes, orange French toast, special coffe and Mimosa! (champagne and orange juice mixed)
During the afternoon we will relax and watch movies, read our new books and go for a walk across the fields in our back yard.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Love and hugs, Laura

P.S. I'll see you in 2011!

Christmas in "My" Living Room.

2010-12-21T15:44:00.000-08:00

Hello and Merry Christmas My Dear Friends.

I have taken some pictures of "my" living room. I will do a post tomorrow and show more pictures of the rest of our home at Christmas.

I hope you enjoy your visit here.

Would you like a glass of champagne or rum and egg nog or mulled wine?

This old radio cabinet houses my stereo and cds. The photo is of me and my Dad summer 2006. The felt mice on the windowsill are special; Mom made the chubby one many years ago, and the tall skinny one my daughter Alyx made about ten years ago.

The lamp was my mothers. It is from the 1940s, I think.

I have a bluebird on my windowsill, also!

This is my pink tree. It has pink decorations, balls, china teacups and teapots. One set is from Connie @

The other set my children gave to me years ago for Christmas.

I also have golden birds and angels, a porcelain doll and vintage brooches and other special baubles and bling! The satin roses were made by my friend Lynn from Teacup Stitches!

Candles are aglow!

Lynn from

http://lynn-teacupstitches.blogspot.com/

shared a beautiful vintage Christmas image last week and this is one of the things I did with it. I copied it and framed it in this lovely old frame ( the glass is convex). The Royal Vienna plate in the stand was my dear mother-in-laws. I picked up the silver bride's basket at an auction about a month ago. The guy who bought the joblot that it was in did not want it, so he GAVE it to me!! It is exquisite and he did not want it!!! (I still cannot believe my goodluck....or is it GODluck!!)

I have had the oil painting since we were newly married, around 1983/84. It is signed and dated 1877. I love the greens and the reds in it and usually hang it above the mantle at Christmas time. The silver centrepiece is from before 1900 and is made by the world renowned Walker & Hall Silver company from England. I bought it at the same auction where the man gave me the bride's basket. The bride's basket is unsigned, but it has the same frilly lace edge that this centrepiece has, so I think that it is a Walker & Hall piece, too. The youing couple to the right is me and my baby Christmas 1981. It was our first Christmas dating. Our son's graduation picture from highschool is on the left.

I'll be back tomorrow evening with more pictures. Please drop in for another visit.

Love and warm hugs, Laura

Finished the TREE!!!!!!

2010-12-20T09:40:00.000-08:00

                                                 PHEW!!!! I finally reached the point where I had to say "ENOUGH!!" I still have a couple hundred glass balls to hang on the tree, but I keep having to remind myself that I used to decorate three trees and all will not fit onto one tree!!! So here "SHE" is.......TAADAA!!!

She is my "Memory Tree". So many years, so many memories, so much love!

I'll be back soon to show you pics of the house!

Merry Christmas!!!

Love and warm hugs, Laura

I'm getting there!!!!! decorating continues............

2010-12-19T19:05:00.000-08:00

Well..................Like I said..................I'm getting there!

I was up at 5 this morning. I knew that I had a lot of work ahead of me if I wanted to get all the decorations up today.

It took me a while to wake up enough to get working.

I started with the bins of wreaths and garlands.

It took me four hours to "fluff up" three lengths of 18 foot garland, one length of 9 foot garland and four large wreaths which we hang outside on the windows.

I had green stuff all over the family room!

On the right in the picture below you will see a riding burro. My Uncle Manley gave it to me for Christmas 1962.

Bins full of decoration.

The lights work!!

Oh Ya!!

Last year I bought a pinata at the dollar store. I copied some pics off the net and printed them and then cut them out and pasted them right over the existing pic on the pinata.

Viola!!

I decorated Honey, too!

The hat stayed on for approximately forty-five seconds. Just long enough to take some pictures.

She was NOT amused! But I was!! LOL!

I have my little tree decorated in my living room and the big tree in the family room has only about a quarter of the decorations on it.

But I have hit that proverbial wall! You see, as I unwrap each decoration and discover what is wrapped within the tissue paper, memories flood in and make me a bit melancholy as I recall who gave me the decoration, or what was happening in our lives when I bought the decoration. Many of them belonged to my Mom and Dad. My Mom always made Christmas magical. I miss them both all of the time, but I feel their absence keenly at Christmas time. So, I am going to get a goodnights sleep tonight and finish decorating the tree and the rest of the house tomorrow.

Night-night!

Love and warm hugs, Laura

I found a tree!!!!!

2010-12-18T14:41:00.000-08:00

Happy Saturday my Blogging buddies!!

One week until Christmas!!

Gasp!!

I have been busy cleaning and tidying and making room for the TREE!

I started pulling the bins of Christmas decorations out of the garage.

I store the large wreaths and garlands in large garbage bins (pic below).

They have wheels so are easy to move from the garage to the house.

Tucked safely inside away from mice, chipmunks and squirrels!!

My Mom gave me the wreath below in 2005. It is quite large and hangs from the ceiling. I hang it in the garage throughout the year so it doesn't get crushed.

Christmas bins stored in the garage.

More bins!

Earlier last week I looked for a tree at the local country store. I had picked up a nice one there last year, but this year they were very short (less than six feet).

I grew up in an old Queen Anne Victorian house which had a large bay window. My mother's mission was to fill that bay window with the largest tree that could be found. She always had a spectacular tree!!

I inherited that desire for a large tree. One year the tree I picked took up half of our livingroom! It was a beauty!!

I stopped at the Salvation Army store on Thursday and noticed that Christmas trees were being sold across the street. I drove up to the lot and found THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BALSAM FIR TREE!!!!

IT IS NINE FEET TALL!!

AND SOOOOOO BUSHY!!!!!

Here is my baby! I told him to smile and show his teeth!!

He did!!

I love you Babe!

This is the corner where the tree will be.

This is the best tree bucket that I have found. See the whole where water can be added?

I place an old towel on the floor then cover that with a plastic garbage bag to protect the floor.

Tim is holding the tree while son, Wes, screws the screws into the tree trunk.

Tim had to make some adjustments so they switched jobs.

Tim used some wire and anchored the tree to the wall as well. I have many antique and vintage decorations that would disintigrate if the tree fell over.

Tim the tool man and Wes!

Many years ago I invented a hose apparatus to fill the bucket.

At the time, Tim said that I should patent the idea. I didn't. Years later I saw "my" design being sold in stores!!

Tim models the first prototype. It is a piece of garden hose with a funnel attached. Stick the hose end into the hole of the bucket and fill through the funnel end. Very neat and tidy!

Here "She" is!!!!

Is she not beautiful??!!!

She smells sooooo fabulous!!

I am going to let "Her" rest overnight so her branches will settle down. I'll put the lights on her tomorrow and begin decorating, too!

Stay tuned!!!

I'll post again tomorrow!!!

Take care!

Love and warm hugs, Laura

Preparations for Christmas continue......Polishing Brass!...I've added more pics!

2010-12-14T09:22:00.000-08:00

It's Tuesday December 14th, 2010! Ten days until Christmas! I think I'll make it in time!!! LOL!

I fell last night after my hot bubbly tub (wet feet on the ceramic tiled kitchen floor!!) (I was on my way to dry by the fireside) I bashed my right knee, elbow and wrist into the floor. I am feeling banged up a bit, so I am not going to move furniture today!

I have a collection of antique and vintage brass that I have collected over the years. I have scored some fabulous pieces at yardsales and thrift stores. People get rid of it because they don't want to polish it. BUT!!! I don't mind polishing it at all!!

When I was a kid, a few weeks before Thanksgiving, Mom would clear the kitchen table and cover it with newspaper. Then she would bring out a bunch of soft rags and small saucers. She would pour small amounts of Silvo for the silver and Brasso for the brass and copper into the saucers. She and I and sometimes my brother, Bill, would then begin polishing her collection of brass and silver. It was a happy time, because we knew that our Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner tables and table tops through out the house would be resplendant with bright shining accents!! We would break for tea and fresh cookies. Those times are sweet, warm memories to me!

So everytime I dig out my silver and brass polishing supplies, I am transported back to my childhood days.

I quickly took a few photos this morning to give you an idea of what I use and how I set up for this little task.

Like I said, I use "Silvo" for the silver and "Brasso" for the copper and brass.

It has been a few years since I have polished the brass so it is beginning to look kinda grunggy.

I have placed a large garbage bag on the top of the kitchen island then layered newspaper on top of that. I have shown the old metal can that Brasso used to come in and also the new plastic bottle that it now comes in in the picture below. I wear old crappy clothes, 'cuz I always get some gunk on my clothes. I also wear a work apron and rubber gloves (buy them at the dollar store, when the chemicals begin to kill the rubber, just throw them out and grab another pair). Music on the stereo is a must!!! I am listening to Patsy Cline's Greatest Hits!

On the right you will see an English brass candle stick with a green candle in it. That is "before". On the left you will see the mate; it is covered with the polish. I used 0000 steel wool and a small wire brush to get into all the nooks and crannies.

*****WARNING!!!!*****

******DO NOT USE STEELWOOL OR A WIRE BRUSH ON YOUR SILVER!!!!!!******

When I have removed all the tarnish gunk, I then wash the item in hot soapy water. This removes the gunky polish.

Next I get a soft rag, old flannel peejayjays ( I love that word.....I think I made it up....I haven't seen nor heard anyone else use it!) work best, but old tee-shirts and towels will work, too. I cut them into about ten inch square pieces. I use one rag to hold the item and another to do the polishing. Holding the item with a clean rag prevents regucking up the piece while you polish it.

Here is another candle stick in the "to-be-polished" lineup.

(As you can see in the background my kitchen is a total disaster area!!! It will be tidied up AFTER I get the polishing done!!

Below on the left you will see the finished product.

It is sparkly and bright!!!

Gotta get back to polishing so I can take pics by Friday!!!

I have been busy, busy, busy polishing brass.
The candlesticks below with candles have been polished.
The ones without have not been polished.

Del Shannon has been singing and I have been rockin'!!!

All polished and alight!

Gotta go and tidy the kitchen and make supper. Baked ham, baked yams
coleslaw and green beans!

Take care,

Love and hugs, Laura

Rebecca's Give-Away and I am deep in the process of decorating!!

2010-12-13T05:17:00.000-08:00

Good Monday Morning My Blogging Friends!!

My friend Rebecca at

http://rebecca-gatheryeroses.blogspot.com/

is having a Christmas Give-Away!

She has made the above pillow and is offering it on her blogsite.

You can click on the link in my sidebar to go directly to the Give-Away post.

I have finished the redecorating of the upstairs hallway and stairway and have spent a number of days cleaning and tidying the house.

I have started decorating for Christmas so I have uploaded a few pictures to tease you!

I will be back later this week, hopefully by Friday! to show you our Maplethwaite Manor at Christmas Time!!

Take care my special friends!!

Love and warm hugs, Laura

Dee's store, Simply Eclectic.

2010-12-08T05:39:00.000-08:00

Good Day!

I have been redecorating our upstairs hallway and stairway for about ten days and I finished last night!!

BOY!! I am exhausted!!!

So, I am going to tackle today at a much slower pace!!

In September my friend, Dee, opened her store, "Simply Eclectic" in downtown Stirling, Ontario.

I featured her store the second week she was open.

Last Thursday, as part of my day out with my girl-child, I drove to Stirling so Alyx could experience Dee's lovely store.

Simply Eclectic is located at

26 Front Street

Stirling Ontario Canada

613-395-4152

The front door is a very cheery Christmas red!!

The doorstep is decorated using fresh evergreen bows and natural twigs and branches from the fields and woods on Dee's farm.

She certainly has a beautiful eye for floral arrangements!!

And wreaths!

Once inside you are greeted with the warm, fragrant atmosphere of Simply Eclectic.

Dee has selected an array of new, vintage and antique furniture.

Cupboards are filled with lovely "things" which include transferware, glassware, Bridgewater candles (exquisite fragrances!!!) knick knacks, jars and vases to name just a few items.

Art work is strategically placed throughout the store.

Christmas is everywhere!!

A red bookcase!

I love this small desk (shown below).

It is a perfect size for a small den or bedroom or hallway.

Flashes of red make you turn your head and investigate further!

I think the small buffet below would look great in a French Country kitchen. Do you remember the rooster lamp from Mike's store Funk & Gruven? (see previous post) It would look fabulous on top of this buffet!!

Red wooden Dutch shoes!!

The small chest to the right would make an excellent place to store your CDs.

Here you will see an antique drying rack draped with gorgeous pashmina shawls/scarves.

Another dried branch and silk flower arrangement nestled into a new wire plant stand.

More red!

Silk poinsettias and the handles of vintage rolling pins.

Dee has a fabulous selection of antique crockery!

A collection of Johnson Brothers ironstone dinnerware.

This antique Victorian cupboard has been adorned with evergreen bows, a shimmering metalic tablecloth and garlands of pine needles.

An antique walnut dropleaf table sparkles with a collection of new mercury-glass candlesticks and other silvery items.

A week ago Dee brought a Gibbard buffet and china cabinet into the store. Hurry in to check them out! They are very reasonably priced and won't last long!!!

More art and vintage baskets and boxes.

Beautiful vintage patchwork quilts and an assortment of vintage crochet and embroidered lovelies!!

More silver!

Hello Sweet Dee!!!!

Honey, I love your store!!!

I could live in it!!!!

I get over to Simply Eclectic a couple of times each month. I have always! found something to "feather my nest" with.

There are a number of eating establishments in Stirling, a lovely bookstore, a bakery, a fabulous thrift store and other boutique shops as well!!

Try to plan a late morning or afternoon visit.

Simply Eclectic is open Tuesday to Saturday from 10 am until 5 pm. Occasionally Dee has to close a bit early, so call ahead at 613-395-4152, if you are planning to visit later in the day.

I hope you have a chance to visit Dee at Simply Eclectic before Christmas. The store is filled with eye-candy and marvelous gift ideas for just about everyone on your list. I am sure you will find one, two or three things for yourself as well!!!!

Take care my lovelies!!!

Enjoy this Christmastide!!

Much love and many warm hugs, Laura

Funk & Gruven A-Z........One Of My Favorite Stores!!!!

2010-12-05T07:23:00.000-08:00

Our daughter, Alyx, flew out of the nest about a month ago. She is renting a townhouse with a couple of friends and working fulltime hours at Belleville's Pizza Hut. I have seen her a couple of times and spoken with her a few times on the phone, but I was trying hard to give her some space so she could get her independent feet on the ground. I was really surprised (and very excited!!) when she told me that she wanted to spend a day "hanging with me!!". So last Thursday we got together.

First off we headed to Stirling to visit my friend, Dee's, store, "Simply Eclectic". I'll be posting about her store in a few days.

Across the street from Simply Eclectic is a bakery that acquaintances of ours opened a year ago. It is called "Not Just Desserts". Daily they have fresh baked breads and pastries, homemade chocolates (their Cranberry Biscotti Bark is 2die4!!!!) and they serve breakfast, lunch and dinner in a quaint eating area. We'll be going back to try some items on their menu!! I'll post about this experience later also.

We were getting pretty hungry after sampling the dark chocolate cranberry biscotti bark, so we headed back into Bellevile for lunch at The Red Lion. I had been there the previous week with my friend, Wendy, and had eaten the chicken fingers and fries and WOW!!!!! they were sooo delicious!!! They were hot and tasty and my platter was filled!!!! So we returned to have lunch because Alyx likes chicken fingers, too! We were not disappointed and our bartender/waitress, Christine, was friendly and wonderful also!!

Finally, with our bellies full, we drove around the corner and up the street to my friend, Mike's store. I don't know how many years Mike has been in business in Belleville, but I am thinking that it must be close to twenty years! I have a wardrobe that I bought out of his warehouse (the old St. Vincent de Paul Store on Coleman St.) when the kids were little and they are now 25 and 22, so that's why I am thinking that "Funk & Gruven" has been open for that many years.

Funk & Gruven A-Z is located at

52 Bridge Street East

in downtown

Belleville, Ontario, Canada.

Their phone number is 613-968-5612

Their website is here:

http://funkandgruven.blogspot.com/

I parked across the street from the store and as we approached it my daughter, Alyx, exclaimed, "OH MY GOD!!!!! I love that chair!!!!! She was talking about a very yellow, Retro, bucket-like chair that was sitting outside the store. I told her, "There are actually two of them!!!" She had to try them on.....and.....they fit!!!! LOL!!

The store is in a brick Victorian building and it just oozes vintage charm!!

When the weather is favourable, Mike has a selection of furniture on the sidewalk. When I am in Belleville I will drive by Funk & Gruven at least twice, just to get a fix on the eye-candy that is waiting to be purchased and taken to a new home. Often I am forced to find a parking spot and take a closer look at Mike's new inventory!

Inside the door is this gorgeous vintage naugahyde club chair from the 1930's. The cushions are removeable and are covered in a fine silk tapestry fabric. The fabric is a little worn, but it has that shabbyfabulous patina that is so much loved by us Shabby Chic, Romantic Cottage chickies!!! Come to think of it, it would look great in a Paris Apartment decor as well!!!

Mike has an excellent selection of vintage and antique art ranging in styles from Victorian, to Retro/Eames era to Traditional to Modern.

The mirrors he has hanging are beautiful. Again, he has a varied selection of styles of these as well.

The store is full of wonderful pieces of antique and vintage furniture in various woods, styles and finishes. On the table tops and dresser and buffet surfaces he has arranged an ever changing assortment of "objets d'art", lamps, vases, glassware and knick-knacks.

And suspended from the ceiling are EXQUISITE chandeliers, pendant lights, and vintage and antique hanging lights.

A very French Country Rooster lamp!!! awaits you on a lovely handpainted table.

Alyx "lurves" these 1950's aluminum and turquoise plastic spice jars. She really grooves on mid-century stuff!!! (I don't know where she came from!!!) "To each his own" I guess!!! LOL!!

Another chandy!

Antique English brass candlesticks and a collection of vintage stemmed glasses!

More gorgeous lighting!!

I wish I had room for this lovely walnut server!

Do you see the needlepoint covered footstool underneath? Yummy!!

Ya gotta take the time to look in all the nooks and crannies in Mike's store. I am sure you will find something that you cannot live without!!

Alyx on the left and Mike on the right. Vintage lamps and lights on the shelf above!

See the French pine dining chair in the foreground? (It's a little left of the centre) It is part of an excellent French Country dining set. It would look magnificent in a Provencale (thingy under the c to soften the sound) kitchen or dining room. Mr Rooster lamp would look great in this decor, too!!!

Hello Michael!!!

I love your store!!!

Now ladies and gentlemen hold onto your hats! I am about to present a most magnificent brass and crystal delicacy.

Voila!

An vintage French crystal chandelier!! It is just dripping with sparkling jewels! It is hidden in the back of the store. Perhaps you should go and check it out before Mike moves it to one of the front windows of the store.

More lovely light fixtures and another chandelier!

Hmmmm..........what is that hanging on the support beam! It's a leather whip!!! An eclectic Christmas present to buy for that kinky friend of yours!!! You supply the stiletto heels! Nudge, nudge, wink, wink!!! LMAO!!

Alyx liked this Morrish/Moroccan style light fixture. It would look great in a Gothic decor as well!

An antique glass fire extinguisher and a vintage brass sconce.

Oh! Be still my beating heart!!! This mirror is a stunner!! It is very large, about four feet tall, I think.

It would be quite a statement piece in a front hall or stairway. It goes fabulously with the French Crystal Chandelier I felt weak-in-the-knees for!!

In the middle of the next picture you will see a large ceiling light fixture with a brass and glass pineapple featured in the centre of the light. It would look excellent hung above the French Country dining set.

This is a darling handpainted pale blue with white accent Bombay Chest. It is the perfect size for a bedside table or end table in a small livingroom. It looks like a piece of Wedgwood jasperware. It would look marvelous in my livingroom! (BUT....I don't have any room for it!!! Sigh!)

The coffee table featured in the picture below would be great for those people who decorate with a Mid-century or Hollywood Regency theme. It's a classic! On top you will find a selction of vintage barware.

There are shelves full of wonderful collectables. Mike even has a display of vintage jewellry, compacts and small collectable dodads.

This coming Friday evening December 10th, 2010 between 5 and 9 pm Mike is hosting a

Christmas Open House at his store.

Here is the invitation!

Tim and I are going!

Will we see you there?!!!

I hope you have enjoyed this virtual tour of Funk & Gruven A-Z. Belleville is located "smack-dab-in-the-middle" between Toronto and Ottawa. It is a two hour drive from either of these large Ontario cities. I can assure you that it is worth your while to make a trip and check out the wonderful and ever-changing inventory in Mike's store. Like he says, "Come in...Have a good look!"

Take care my blogging friends!!

I'll be back later this week to feature my friend, Dee's store, Simply Eclectic" in all it's Christmas splendor!!

Much love and many warm hugs, Laura

Happy Pink Saturday Showcasing My New Sewing Studio and Guest Bedroom!!

2010-11-20T10:01:00.000-08:00

Good afternoon dear blogging friends!!!

I am so sorry for not getting this post up earlier today, but I just had to spend some extra time "tweeking" around with the little extras. I also wanted to wait until the sunshine was shining in the south window. When that happens the room just glows!! I will have to write captions later (hopefully by Monday) because my BFF Tammy is coming over for dinner to celebrate her 50th birthday and then she is staying the night. She will be our first guest staying in our new guest room!!!!

I hope you enjoy the pictures (there are quite a few!!!)

Ask any questions and I'll try to answer them when I write the captions later.

Happy Pink Saturday Chickies and extra special thanks to Miss Beverly at

for hosting this shabbyfabulous fun weekly partay!!!!.

Very Exciting News and Before and During Pics of My Sewing Studio

2010-11-19T07:24:00.000-08:00

Well, now! Where do I begin? In my last post I stated that I had returned to work after being off for 32 months on LTD for two bad shoulders that needed surgery. My first day back was November 1st. The first week of orientation was ehh, ok, not so bad. I had so been looking forward to getting back to work and doing what I do best....nursing! What I did not anticipate was my RESPONSE to the rekindling of ALL THE STRESS RELATED TO THE JOB!!! After the first week I developed hives the size of dinner plates....all over my body!! At first I thought it was from the paint fumes, but that thought was pushed aside when the hives became WORSE when I was at work the second week. THEN!!!....I started having chest pressure, nausea and vomiting, my blood pressure was 165/98 and I had worsening insomnia (I forgot to mention that I had also been unable to sleep since returning to work). OH MY GOD WAS I UPSET!!!! Here I was returning to a job I loved and my body was saying, "NO! DON'T GO THERE!! RUN! RUN! AS FAST AS YOU CAN!!!

I also could not help but notice that the corporate atmosphere of the hospital had changed. IT WAS NOT FRIENDLY! Yes, I renewed the acquaintance of some coworkers, but I could not ignore the fact that there was an underlying current of negative electricity snaking its way through the comings and goings of all that was going on there!

Oh how I cried! And oh how TERRIBLE I FELT FOR LETTING MY FAMILY DOWN!!! And I tried to reason with myself about how wonderful THE MONEY WOULD BE!!! How we would be able to pay off the bills that had accumulated and we would finally be able to re-side the house and put in new windows and travel and, and, and........

And then........

Well.................

I came to my senses!

I will repeat.

I CAME TO MY SENSES!!

My senses were saying.....my senses were SENSING (and screaming!!!!) that I was IN DANGER!!

I realized that if I stayed there it would not be long before I was sick again either physically or mentally!! I tell ya, the chest pressure I had was very real AND I DENIED IT!!! And I am a frickin' cardiac nurse!!!

SO!

I QUIT!

I DID!

I RESIGNED!

IMMEDIATELY!

(after some long hard thinking!!)

On Monday November 15th!

And so now I am a free agent. I am unemployed. I have no income.

BUT!

I know....

that everything is going to work out.

One door has closed...............

Another door has opened!

Please come with me as I walk you through a new beginning.

This used to be our daughter's bedroom. She painted it a dark chocolate brown a number of years ago. She moved out on her own a few weeks ago. A few hours after she was gone (October 30th) I started to tear up the carpet!!!

And rip out the underlay.

It was such a dark room. But it was her room, her cave, her refuge from the world of college and every day life.

Ali graduated in June from Culinary Management at Loyalist College in Belleville and is now working fulltime hours at Pizza Hut. She loves it there and they love her! And she loves being on her own!

I gotta tell ya that I am not a dark chocolate person when it comes to a paint colour. NOPE! Not this GIRL!!

I have wanted to get into this room and wave my magic pink shabby wand for years!!!

The ceiling angles and nooks and crannies are soooooo English cottage beautiful!!

The windows look out onto my perennial gardens (and in these photos, the SNOW! that was falling that day (October 31st)

This is my 24 year old son, Wes. He is so big and strong!!! He is my hero!!! He took out all the carpet and underlay that I had ripped out!!!! I love you Wes!!!

The heating ducts in this room are screwed up royally. We will need to rip up the sub floor in this room and the master bedroom next spring to reconnect the heating ducts which have for some unknown reason become or have been disconnected.

You can see in the next pic that someone cut a hole in the floor and then cut a hole in the heating duct to let warm air from the furnace into the room. The problem is that (we think this is what happened) when they (the goons who did the work) were cutting the hole in the pipe, they loosened the connection from the pipe in the masterbedroom. Soooooo...not one bit of heat gets into this room. The heat just goes off into the space in the floor beneath our bedroom.

Snow on the roof October 31st, 2010.

Back to the transformation!

AH!!!

THIS IS MORE LIKE IT!!!

BETTER!!!

MUCH BETTER!!!!

OH YAH!!!!!

I picked up two matching bookcases at Sally Ann in Belleville. It was the opening day of their new store on Sidney St. The bookcases were $24.99 each!!!

This wardrobe was $20.00 at an auction a few years ago.

I removed the wood spline that held in the cardboard backing and mirrors so I could paint it.

There is a piece of vintage linoleum inside on the bottom.....I kept it!!

AH!!!! Much better all nice and clean and WHITE!!!!!

Proof that you can paint ordinary junk crap bookcases and make them shabbyfabulous!!! I used CIL Melamine paint in Ultra Pure White from Home Depot.

I had a couple of green glass knobs left over from another project so I used them on the wardrobe. You can clik on the pic to get to a bigger pic and then clik on that pic to enlarge for a better view.

The next pic is very dark, but I wanted to show it to you because there is something very important in it. See the funny looking metal wire wine bottle rack near the middle of the pic? I used it to store the bookcase shelves while they dried after I painted them (the shelves). You can barely see one shelf sitting along the bottle supports. My girlfriend Anne used it when she painted the doors of her kitchen cabinets. It is a fabulous idea and I will use it again when I paint my kitchen cabinets next spring!!

Are you ready?

Would you like a teaser picture?

Or two?

John Cabot roses from my Eastern Ontario November garden

A "Victoria" vignette!

Please come back tomorrow for Pink Saturday when I will be presenting my new sewing studio.

Thank you for tolerating this long post. I think that even though I wrote about two different happenings, you can see that they are inexplicably intertwined.

Oh.......

another thing to mention..........

the hives.........

the nausea..........

high blood pressure..........

and the chest pressure....

THEY ARE GONE!!!!!!!

HALLELEUJAH!!!

THANK YOU GOD!!!

Love and warm hugs,

Laura xoxoxoxo

I am back at work!!!

2010-11-02T18:01:00.000-07:00

Hello to all my blogging friends.

I thought that should let you know that I am back at work after being on LTD for 32 months. ( I am an RN in a busy critical care Cardiac Sciences Unit.) I am currently going through orientation and will be very busy for the next few weeks as I get back into the swing of things.

My daughter has moved out and we will be turning that lovely east and south facing room into my sewing room and guest room!!! I have taken some before and during pics and will post them when I get some more time.

Please rest assured that I have not deserted my blog nor you! and I will be back in a few weeks time.

Take care!!!

Love and warm hugs, Laura

Pink Saturday October 29th, 2010 Pink Vases and other stuff.

2010-10-29T17:50:00.000-07:00

Hello Chickies!!!

I have been busy with life in general. After being off work on LTD for 32 months and having two shoulder surgeries I am finally returning to work as an RN in a busy Cardiac Sciences Unit at a local hospital. I have spent some time tidying the house and getting ready for orientation and getting back into the swing of things. PLUS!!!!! Tomorrow, our 22 year old daughter is flying/fleeing the nest!!! She is sharing an apartment with two friends of hers and will be only a ten minute walk from her work. (NO more driving her to and from work!!!) WHOOOT!!! WHOOOTT!!!!

I will be turning her bedroom into a sewing room and guest room. I have spent the last week washing, sanding and painting three pieces of 1960's French Provincial furniture and will post about them and the room transformation later in November.

Now, let's get on with the show!!!

Thank you to sweet Beverly at

for hosting this weekly party.

I have to admit that I feel some-what guilty about not posting for more than 22 days. So this post is going to be picture heavy. I hope you enjoy it, though!

Last summer I picked up this tiny little treasure of a vase at a yard sale up the road from us. I paid a mere dollar for it. It is exquiste porcelain; very thin and delicate and is only about three inches in height. It is not marked. Could it be R.S. Prussia? Or French procelain? Whatever it is I love it. The pink and peachy colours along with the greens makes it look kind of autumny in nature. Next spring I will fill it with a big bunch of Lily-of-the-Valley. Oh...I can't wait!!!! But...I will have to endure this coming winter.

This next vase I purchased from my friend Wendy, who sells on Ebay. It is Nippon and has a beautiful rose on the front of it. (That's my Aunt Ida in the background)

Can you tell that I love rose vases? Actually, I love just about anything with a rose on it!!!

Do you see the foot dangling in the upper right corner?

It belongs to......

Miss Bear.

I have a story to tell.

Many years ago my mother picked up an old blonde Persian lamb coat with a mink collar. A friend of hers asked her if she knew anyone who would like it and she exclaimed, "Laura would love it!". And she was so correct!! I held onto it for years. My daughter wore it for Hallowe'en in 1994. It hung in my closet for more years after that. One day in the fall of 2006, I was shopping at Value Village and started talking with a woman about silk scarves. She said that she bought them to spiffy up the bears that she made. I asked her what she made them from and she said, "Sometimes I use mohair and sometimes I use old fur coats". Bazingga!!! I asked her if she would be intersted in a blonde Persian lamb coat and she said, "Yes!" So I got her address and phone number and a few days later I took her the coat. She made me a coffee and showed me some more of her projects. She was a retired court reporter and had lots of time for crafty things. She said to me, "I'll call you when I get your bear made". I was so excited! I did not expect anything in return for the coat and here she was saying that she was going to make a bear for me!!!!

About six weeks later, Joan called to say that the bear was finished. I invited her over for coffee and she brought "Miss Bear" with her.

Here she is! She is wearing a strand of pearls and a mink collar lined with a silk scarf!!! She is currently sitting on a turquoise dyed fox collar that was attached to a suit my mom wore in 1967. Someday I will think of something to do with it.

I bought this made in Italy basket at my friend, Dee's, store. It is gorgeous!!! Next summer I will fill it with roses from my rose garden.

Now I am justing including some pics of my Teds. I pick up teddies that are fully jointed. I am going to sew some pretty frocks for them. My friend, Lynn, from Teacup Stitches inspired me to collect them. She collects vintage Stieff bears.

I made this stocking in the fall of 2006. It has Mary Rose fabrics, vintage crochet and lace and bits and pieces of vintage jewellry and Swarovski crystals. It will be a family heirloom. Some day I hope to give it to a future grand-girlie!!

Last, but definately not least are two exquisite cushions which I purchased from Lynn of Teacup Stitches. I love them. She is a seamstress extraordinaire!!!!

I have other blogging friends who make exquisite pillows/cushions and stockings. They are Rebecca at

http://rebecca-gatheryeroses.blogspot.com/. Her shop is

http://gatheryeroses.com/categoryView.php?cat=home#top.

Brenda is another blogging friend. You can find her at

http://www.shabbycatsandroses.blogspot.com/

Brenda sells on Etsy and you can get there by visiting her blog.

I hope you have enjoyed your visit today.
I am on my way now to pick up my daughter after her shift. Tonight is the last night that I will be doing this, because tomorrow she will be moving into her new "pad"!!!   Whoot!!! Whooot!!!! We are all excited for her!!!
   Happy Pink Saturday to everyone. I will be up early Saturday morning to visit as many Pink Saturday participants as possible.
   Take care!!!! Love and warm hugs, Laura

Cookbook Bookcase and a new lamp!

2010-10-06T08:32:00.000-07:00

Good morning my friends!! I have been busy working on furniture lately, hence the silence on my blog. I mentioned a while ago that I was working on a bookcase. I picked "her" up more than a year ago at an auction. I thought she would be the perfect size to hold my cookbooks in the kitchen.

I believe she is from around the 1890-1920 time period. I thought she was made from oak. Someone had started to strip the paint off her, but never finished the job.

She still has the original sellers label. You can click on the pic and then zoom in for a closer look.

This is a side view....partially stripped. You can see what looks like a nice oak grain.

Heirloom brand chemical stripper doing its job!!

After I had been tediously slathering on stripper, leaving it to work for about 10-15 minutes and then scraping off the gunk, I discovered that the wood was actually Ash that had been "grained" to look like oak. In the process also, the glue for the appliques dissolved, so I was able to very, very carefully remove the appliques to clean them up better.

The grained over stain was black and I had to use more stripper and "elbow grease" to get it all off.

I also ended up removing the back so I could really get at "her" to clean her up more.

Here she is stripped bare!!!

After sanding by hand with 120 grit sandpaper.

I absolutely loved how the grain "popped" out when I applied a coat of Minwax brand "English Chestnut" stain.

Better pic below.

Applique back on and stained.

The weather has been cool here for the last week, so I left her to dry for a few days in the garage.

Then I applied three coats of semi-gloss urethane, sanding between each coat.

I brought her into the kitchen this morning (after I applied felt stickies to her feet, so she glides across the tile floor)

And replaced my cookbooks!!

How does she look?

I know that she would look very pretty with a new "white dress" on, but after spending so much time stripping off the old paint, I wanted to enjoy her natural grain look. Who knows.......maybe in twenty years I will want to paint her white!!

She actaully matches the table and chairs now. They need refinishing, too. I was going to paint them, but after seeing the results of this bookcase, I am pretty sure that I'll strip the table and chairs and stain and urethane them also. BUT.....I'll be doing that next spring!!!

I took my daughter into town yesterday and dropped into the St Vincent de Paul Store and scored anew floorlamp.

I think you would call it "Florentine" style. The lamp, shade AND bulb are all in great shape. Cost me all of $7.00!! It has even been rewired!! All I had to do was plug it in!

I love the detail.

I may paint her white, but for now I am just going to enjoy her slightly,chippy, giltness!!!

I hope you all have an exquisite day!

Warm hugs and crisp apples, Laura

Teacup Tuesday September 28, 2010 Paragon and Aynsley.

2010-09-28T07:16:00.000-07:00

Happy Teacup Tuesday Everyone!!!

I am back after a bit of a blogging break. I just got busy with stripping furniture and other bits of life.

So here we go!

Thanks of course to Martha of

and Terri of

for hostessing this wonderful weekly event!!

I have just checked out their postings for today and they have some gorgeous and exquisite teacups today!! Go and take a look-see!!

Here is a sneak peek at my "cookbook" bookshelf in process of being stripped and refinished.

It was partially stripped when I bought it at an auction more than a year ago. I had to wait 'til my shoulders were better to tackle this big job! I'll post the entire job when I am finished. I am still debating whether to stain and urethane or to just repaint it cottage white. Check back next week and see what I decided.

I like to collect things to have when I have grandchildren. My own kids are 22 and 24 and children are far, far into their future, but I pick up things here and there to have when I do have grandbabies. Things such as teddy bears and puppets and little chairs and dishes and silverware.

About a month ago I bid on and won two Paragon Honiton teacups and saucers. They turned out to be demitasse cups, but I loved them anyway. They are the perfect size for this future "grandma" and "grandgirlie" to have a special tea party with.

The dresser scarf was a 25 cent thrift store find from a few weeks ago. After being very gently washed (read soaked!!) and pressed......It is exquisite!!

I bought two dessert plates from my friend Wendy who sells on Ebay. They are made by Aynsley of England and the pattern is "Regina".

They complement the demitasse sets perfectly!

Remember that you can click on any picture and then zoom in for a close-up.

The little cups are sooo delicate. The pattern is lacy and rosey with just the right amount of gold highlights.

Very pretty handles!

Paragon. One of England's best china manufacturers (in my mind anyway!)

This next teacup I bought at my friend, Dee's, store which I blogged about last.

It was made by Aynsley of England ( another exquisite producer of china).

Corset shaped cup and dainty handle. The pink is really deeper than the pic shows.

Plain inside with the exception of a thin gold band.

Saucer and cup are embraced by bands of gold ivy vines

I hope you have enjoyed your visit with me today.

I have to get ready for my last physio therapy visit. After two and a half years, many tests, one failed procedure and two successful surgeries I am well on my way to complete recovery and returning to work hopefully by November!!!

Have a wonderful day and check out Martha and Terri's posting today for MORE participants in Teacup Tuesday!!!!

Warm hugs, Laura.

"SIMPLY ECLECTIC" My friend Dee's new store!

2010-09-16T17:11:00.000-07:00

Today was a rainy and cool day here in eastern Ontario. I decided that I would drive to Stirling and check out my friend, Dee's new Store.

Yesterday was the first day she was open.

Her store is called "Simply Eclectic" and is located at

26 Front Street in downtown Stirling, Ontario.

Phone 613-395-4152

The store is right across the street from the Stirling Theatre.

The front window presently features a simple display of an antique wicker chair and some shabby rusty iron figures. Dee has hung a huge vintage window as a feature in this big window.

I love absolutely everything in this store!!!

There is an eclectic collection of Claire Burke home fragrances, locally made artisan soaps, new and old furniture, new and vintage prints and oil paintings, and vintage china, pottery and crocks.

AND....vintage teacups!!!!

This is a picture of Dee with her seven month old granddaughter, Lily.

I loved this iron bust of a maiden.

Her merchandise is very reasonably priced.

I had to talk myself out of buying many things, because I didn't want to empty her store!!!

This is an exquisite set of glass pitcher and eight matching highball glasses.

A basket of rag balls.

This says it all!!!

I have one of her willow wreaths!

Right now this large kitchen cupboard is not for sale. Dee and her father repaired it and refinished it and she now uses it to display some reproduction Fiesta Ware and other vintage finds.

Check these out!!

I love the vibrant colours.

This gorgeous harvest table holds an everchanging display of lovely items. Beneath it Dee has placed some vintage baskets that she has for sale.

This is a fabulous vintage Coke cooler!

Another vintage display cabinet.

These are birdhouses that Dee has made using vintage teapots and coffee pots. I have two of these!!

Her rag dolls are gorgeous! She makes them using new and vintage fabrics.

This glass lemonade set is exquisite!!

These soaps were homemade by a company in Prince Edward County, Ontario.

Here is an antique parlor table and a new iron loveseat and folding iron occasional table.

Dee has collected crocks for years. Do you see the dash churn in the back?

I love this antique ash kitchen cupboard unit. It is on casters so it could be used as an island.

It sports two wooden cutting boards which slide into the unit like a drawer, a deep drawer, a flour bin on the lower right and a deep cabinet on the left. It would look perfect in my kitchen!!

My favorite piece in the whole store is this antique walnut gramophone cabinet!

The side panel cupboards keep eight vintage binders of records safe and sound!!

Here it is with the doors closed.

And open....I think this would work nicely as a bar cabinet. I envison a collection of crystal decanters, glasses of various sizes and your selection of liquid libation!

Dee sure is clever at using vintage wares in silk and dried flower arrangements!!

I hope you have enjoyed this visit to Dee's new store, "Simply Eclectic".

She will be having an open house soon to celebrate the store opening. I'll let you know when that is happening.

Tell her that Laura sent you!!!

Love and warm hugs, Laura.

I am having fun with Playlist!!

2010-09-15T03:48:00.000-07:00

Good morning Chickies!!
I have been up since 5:30 goofing around with Playlist. WHOOT WHOOT!!! More tunes to come as I dig out some very old favorites!
Hugs, Laura

Teacup Tuesday September 14, 2010 Grafton Willow

2010-09-14T05:42:00.000-07:00

Happy Teacup Tuesday Everyone!!!

Blessings to all and especially to Martha and Terri who are the two sweet ladies who host this gathering of friends and collectors each week.

and

http://laurasrosegarden.blogspot.com/2010/09/familyroom-furniture-makeover.html

A few days ago when everyone was busy getting ready for the day, we heard a bit of a "crash" and what sounded like glass breaking. GASP!!! Who broke what!!???? BUT!....no one had dropped anything! Very strange happenings indeed!!

This morning as I came into my livingroom the sun was streaming in the big bay window and I noticed that something was askew! The wooded diamond grate for one of the windows flanking the firepalce had fallen out! OMG!!! That's what fell! I was afarid to see what was broken.

The grate had fallen against my Wedgwood jasperware lamp (ugh!!!) NOT broken!! and two glass shades had been knocked all....the...way....down....to....the....floor......BUT!!!! neither one were broken either! PHEW!! So I put things back together, said good morning to Mom and Dad in my favorite picture of them from the summer of 2006 and decided to feature Dad's blue willow teacup for today.

Dad received this cup and saucer one year as a thankyou from some friends of my Mom's for taking her and them to a number of Master Gardener's meetings. He always treasured it and gave it to me when he sold the homestead.

I love the bright medium blue colour. It is so fresh looking.

Beside it I have an antique "Think of me" teacup.

And in behind that is an antique mustache teacup with pretty roses on it.

Here is the stamp on the bottom of the willow teacup. It is "Grafton" before it was "Royal Grafton". I love the colour of this blue willow so much that I have started collecting it and have amassed a goodly amount over a few short years.

Geesh!!!! I gotta go and drive my daughter to work.

Have an exquisite day!!!

Love and hugs, Laura

A 911 Remembrance and Happy Pink Saturday September 11th, 2010.

2010-09-11T06:47:00.000-07:00

   Nine years ago today, I was at work. I am an RN and was working on a very busy cardiothoracic surgical ward at a hospital in eastern Ontario. This ward also had a burn unit in which some of us were trained to work. A coworker had been on break and watching tv in the planning room and came out to tell us that New York City was being bombed. When we could, we watched in total disbelief, the events that were happening south of the Canada/US border.
   My parents lived through the second world war and tried to instill in my brothers and myself a sense of always "being prepared". This sense kicked into high gear when the tragedy started unfolding. I called my Mom and Dad's to see if they knew what was going on. I had left my 13 year old daughter at home alone with a bad cold and wanted Dad to go to pick her up. I didn 't want her to be at home alone watching the horrific scenes on tv. Mom answered the phone and said that Dad had already left to go and get her. One child taken care of. Our 15 year old son was at school, so I trusted that he was taken care of also. My husband was at work at a local college, so I knew where he was. You may ask, why was I worried about my family when we were so many miles away in Canada? Well, we live relatively close to Canada's largest airbase in Trenton, Ontario. If there was some kind of Armageddon occurring, that airbase would surely be a target and I needed to know where my family was.
   One of my colleagues, a young woman in her late 20s thought I was being weird (paranoid!). She was born to parents who themselves were born after the war and she did not have children yet. She had a totally different life experience. I explained to her about my need to be prepared and my concern with the airbase. She said, "It's too far away. It won't affect us." I knew better!
    As that horrible day unfolded our manager came to us to to let us know that an emergency meeting had been held with the upper management at the hospital and "we" were preparing to accept possible burn casualties. After watching those horrifying scenes on tv I said to some coworkers. "I don't think there will be many casualties to nurse". I received more strange looks. I just knew that there was no way that very many people would survive the catastrophe that was occurring before our very eyes.; not enough to warrant bringing them all the way to our hospital many hours away. As my shift drew to a close at 7pm that day it became evident that I was right. It was plain to everyone's eyes that not many would survive those towering infernos and hijacked planes.
    Nine years have slipped by since that day. The world has changed. My children have grown. My parents are gone now. My husband and I are older. Everyone now knows how the events of September 11, 2001 have forever changed the lives of virtually everyone on our planet Earth. We, as the Human race, must not let this happen again. Draw your family close. Love them. Get to know your neighbours. Become involved with your community. Be tolerant, but also be observant. Speak out against hate without imbuiing more hatred. Do your best. Wake up every day with a smile and understand that we live on the most priviledged continent on Earth. We are a lucky bunch of coconuts. Let's do what we can to make our Earth a better place for everyone.
   On this memorable anniversary I am joining Beverly at http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/ for Pink Saturday. My pink post is going to be a small one because I have been working to get some furniture projects completed while the weather is still warm. I have posted every day this past week, so scrollback and take a look at what I have been up to!!

I did manage to stop into my favorite thrift stores this past week and picked up a few pink lovelies. Above you will see a vintage 1960s towel with pretty crocheted edging.

Here is a small ginger jar with a lovely pink rose bouquet transfer on it. It is made by the Sadler Pottery Company of England.

This is a small pickle dish with a lustre glaze and sweet pink roses. It is made in Germany.

This is a picture of my bedside table. I have all kinds of soothing pinks close by me! The drapes are pink silk damask that I scored a few years ago for $2. each.....I got four panels!! I think they are from the 1940s. They each measure 84 in by 72 in. , are lined and are very, very heavy!! I washed them very carefully in many bathtubs full of cool, soapy water and then dried them on the clothes line. They took hours to iron!!!I then modified them from a pinch-pleat to a rod pocket. I think it was worth all the effort! There is the pink magazine rack that I bought at an auction last year and then painted. The lamp was a Sally Ann $3 purchase. The cover of my journal is a very pretty collage of pink flowers.

Looking closer now you can see the strand of pinky pearls Tim bought for me when we were on our vacation in St Lucia a year ago. They are draped over an oblong, pink milkglass bowl which I use to drop my jewelry in at the end of the day. The small creamware vase has pink ranunculus flowers in it. The crystal clock is from the 1950s and belonged to my Mom. The tiny Eiffel Tower is from the 1960s and is made from a very pretty pink copper!!

I hope you have enjoyed our visit today.

The weather is predicted to be sunny and a pleasantly warm 23 degrees. I am off to work on the third piece of the wall unit!!

Take care.

Love and many warm hugs,

Laura.

My New (to me!) Chandelier.

2010-09-10T08:05:00.000-07:00

I love chandeliers! They epitomize elegance. You can use them in a traditional decor as well as a shabby cottage chic, Paris apartment or eclectic funky country decor.

I have been every fortunate to score five chandeliers over that last few years. I have never paid more than $10.00 for each of them. My largest and most elaborate one I paid a mere $3.00 for!! (start the car, start the car!...no really....the guy selling it thought it was truly very ugly.....but what do (most) guys know about chandeliers anyhow!??)

I picked my latest chandy up at a yard sale last Saturday while I was on my way to Mike's Barn. (See previous post). I had stopped into said yardsale the day before and the owner was asking $35.00 for it. So.....I waited until the weather changed to rainy and windy conditions and stopped back at 2 in the afternoon and offered him $10.00. He gladly said, "Sure!".

Here "she" is hanging from a vintage birdcage stand.

She still had the ceiling attachment connected and the wires had just been cut, so I knew I would need to rewire it. She was also very dirty and grimey. Normally I would just get out my Wundex and paper towels to clean the crystals, but I wanted to make sure she was thoroughly clean.

So I took her apart....very.....very....carefully. I took a pic of the sequence of fittings so I would know how to put her back together. I washed the crystals in a plastic tub with warm soapy water in it. I rinsed in clear warm water and wiped carefully with an old terry towel.

I had a small jar of antique gold leaf paint so I used it up on the frame and fittings.

I went to Lowe's yesterday and picked up a roll of gold lamp wire, a new plug and an inline switch for about $12.00. And......here she is in her new "dress"!!

She is radiant once more!

I'll post another picture of her this evening once it gets dark.

Have a wonderful afternoon.

Warm hugs, Laura

P.S. Here is an evening pic.

My First Visit to Mike's Barn, West Lake Ontario

2010-09-09T05:34:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday I decided that it was high time that I visit Mike's Barn in West Lake, Prince Edward County, Ontario.

Mike is owner of Funk & Gruven A-Z Antique Store in Belleville, Ontario. It is a fabulous store full of all different styles of antique furniture, lamps, dishes and collectibles. The Barn, in contrast, is full of antique furniture "in the rough" and you will also find boxes full of "buried treasures".

The Barn is located at 1305 County Road 12, West Lake Ontario.

This is Mike walking down the gang plank from the barn entrance. I found it difficult to take pics inside the barn because the lighting was inadequate on that particular day, but suffice to say that it is full of architectural building things (large collumns), old windows, beams, and a nice collection of "shabby" old country kitchen cupboards. (I love old cupboards...have a collection of 8 I think!!!)

This is a kitchen cupboard that was in the driveway of the "shed" which is another building on Mike's property. I loved this cupboard for its simple lines. Can you see the tongue and groove boards at the back? I imagined this cupboard painted medium 1940's green on the inside and cottage white on the outside with reproduction green glass knobs and handles from Lee Valley.

I considered buying this gorgeous French Provincial bed.

It is in dishevelled condition, but that is what I found endearing!! There is the headboard, rails and footboard. Mike said he thought it would look pretty refinished and in a little girl's room. I thought of stripping it all, and using the pieces to make a grand wall shelf with broken china mosaic inlaid where the upholstery would have been.

There were a couple of vintage birdbaths in the driveway. One small.....

And one large.......

This shabby PINK jam cupboard caught my eye, also!!

I think this is a Woodard iron patio dining table and chairs from the 1950's. It has the original black paint on it that is a bit chippy. You could use it "as is" or easily strip it with chemical paint stripper and repaint it in your choice of colour. I think???? it was $100.00 for the set.

I had fun rooting around in the shelves that were outside. There were drawers and boxes full of all sorts of things!! This is where I found my special teacup and saucer and the dove bookends which I blogged about a few days ago.

Here is a shabby old wall cupboard leaning against the west side of the barn wall. Don't let the rough condition scare you! With a little TLC and elbow grease and paintstripper it could be turned into a fabulous wall storage cupboard!

A few treasures.......

I found this small white cupboard in the hayloft section of the barn. I thought it may be an old radio cabinet.....

And it was!!! Mike said, "It's going to need some TLC". and I replied, "I'm pretty good at TLC!!" (wink!). He carried it down for me so I could get a closer look, but I had already pretty much decided to buy it!! Someone had modified it into a shelf of sorts.....it was open at the back of the cabinet. BUT.....I was more interested in what the front looked like!!

I got it home and started to work on it on Sunday.

This is what I found......

after I started removing the extraneous pieces of plywood from the earlier modification.

Do you see that fabulous dentil molding??

And the side panels.....

The walnut veneer on the top was beyond redemption, so I just peeled it back with some force and a putty knife.

It revealed a flat hardwwod top.

The front "skirt" has a pretty medallion.

Aren't the legs sweet??

Most of the old white paint came off with a paint scraper, then I tackled the rest with Heirloom Fast Acting Paint Remover. I used the putty knife to scrape off the gunk and also a small steel brush and steel wool.

Back view.

And front view!

More pretty appliques!

Sooo....this is as far as I have come with it. There is a shelf in the middle which is waiting in the sidelines. I am going to think about how I am going to refinish this darling little cupboard. I have considered painting it a semigloss pure white and doing broken china mosaic on the top. What do you think I should do?? Any suggestions out there??

I await your reply!!!

Have an exquisite day!!

Warm hugs, Laura

Revamped TV Credenza

2010-09-08T05:21:00.000-07:00

I guess I am on a roll as far as blogging is concerned. Today is my third posting in as many days!

One day last fall, while wandering through my favorite thrift store, The Salvation Army Warehouse in Belleville, I spied this long oak dresser that had been crackle painted white. It was very heavy and sturdy, so I thought it would make a great TV credenza for our new large flat screen tv. The finish was crappy, but the price was right...$10.00!!! (ten) So, we happily used it as is for many months, until a few weeks ago, when I had dear hubby and son take it outside so I could work on it. I had decided to revamp it to go with the other furniture I had refinished. See that posting here

The crackle finish was sound, just uneven, so I opted to just sand and paint the base without going through the mess and hastle of stripping it

The top finish was gross! GAG! I could see a lovely oak grain beneath so......... I stripped off the crackle finish and revealed the beautiful oak.

You can see that there is lots of storage in it. The cupboard on the left houses our stereo and the drawers store our DVDs, the Wii and other tv/computer-game-stuff.

Here you can see the oak nicely!

This is after one coat of Minwax brand English Chestnut stain and one coat of satin urethane. The base required just one coat of Laura's Cottage White paint (CIL Melamine oil based paint)

This is after!

I just love it!!

Hubby still needs to hook up the stereo, but he's been working overtime getting ready for teaching his new computer networking course.

So stay tuned because I am now working on a three piece bookcase wall unit. I have the centre piece finished. Here is a pic to tease you with!! You can see that I painted it my signature cottage white, but I had hubby remove the corrugated plastic from the back and I replaced it with pine beadboard strips that I stained English Chestnut to coordinate with the other furniture. Hubby and son took the cupboard on the right to the garage this morning, so I will be painting that later today!

When it's all finished, I'll do a grand tour of the familyroom!

I hope you have a lovely day!

Warm hugs, Laura

Teacup Tuesday September 7th, 2010. Treasure from Mike's Barn!

2010-09-07T03:30:00.000-07:00

Hello Bloggies! I am back again for Teacup Tuesday with Martha at

and Terri at

http://www.funkandgruven.com/

Thank you ladies for hostessing this weekly gathering of teacups.

I live in eastern Ontario Canada. The closest city is Belleville and it has many thrift stores and antique stores. One of my favorite antique stores is "Funk & Gruven A-Z".

Mike, the owner, also has a barn literally packed full of "stuff in the rough" in West Lake out in Prince Edward County. I have been meaning to go to the barn for years and finally made it this past Saturday. I have a blog posting for that trip so I will keep it short here and just say that I found some treasures!! One of these treasures was a cup and saucer!

The barn is full of stuff and there is a shed full of stuff and shelves outside with boxes of stuff tucked away. I moved some pieces of old wood away from this shelf and started rooting around in this box.

And searched in this old drawer full of stuff also. I found what I thought was an exquisite teacup and saucer and a pair of creamy white ceramic dove bookends. The teacup was chipped, so Mike gave it to me!! Thank you so much, Michael!! I will always treasure it!! The dove bookends were $5. I'll show them in a later posting.

I got home and carefully washed the cup and saucer right away!!

They were made by William L. Lowe of Court China England. This set was made between 1928-1930. The pattern is very busy and elaborate. There is lots of what looks like handpainted gold edges and flowers and scrolls. The flowers are pink and violet with a very pretty green and a bit of yellow. The teacup has a wavy/crimped rim as does the saucer. I think the handle looks like a little elf's ear!! (You can click on the pics and zoom in for a closer look)

I found the following information in an Ebay listing

"William Lowe Court china was based in Longton, North Staffordshire "the home of English fine china" from 1874 - 1931

They were based at the Sydney works on the corner of High St and Sutherland Rd Longton"

I decided that I needed to take some closer pictures, so you could see the design and the vibrant colours!!

Is it not gorgeous??!!

True "eye candy". The design reminds me of a stained glass window in a cathedral.

I hope you are having a lovely Tuesday browsing through all the teacup postings.

Take care!

Warm hugs, Laura.

P.S. I just had to tease you with a pic of the dove bookends.

Love, Laura!

Familyroom Furniture Makeover.

2010-09-06T06:36:00.000-07:00

Good Monday morning everyone! I hope y'all have had a great weekend and are now enjoying your (hopefully) extra day off.

I have been refinishing furniture since I was 15 years old. After 35 years, I have been able to redo more than sixty pieces, ranging in size from a small side table to a large buffet and dresser. It is one of my favorite things to do.

More than two years ago I developed calcific tendonopathy in both of my shoulders. I was unable to move my shoulders as they both froze at virtually the same time. Over the first year of dealing with this ailment I saw one surgeon who wouldn't do anything. Over the second year I found a wonderful surgeon who operated on both shoulders, right shoulder at end of October 2009 and left shoulder end of April 2010. He removed calcium deposits, scar tissue, bone spurs and shaved off the end of the shoulder bone (so when calcium deposits come back they won't be stuck between top of arm bone and end of shoulder bone). He also saw a partial thickness tear in the rotator cuff of my left shoulder. He did not repair it, but left it to heal on its own. So, now after many months of healing and physio therapy I am once again beginning to work on some furniture.

One day I was glancing through an old Laura Ashley Home catalogue and fell in love with their line of "Bramley" furniture. I have included a small pic.

I really liked the way the natural wood tops and shelves of this line blended with the painted bases. It gave the furniture a sophisticated country look.

Shortly after my shoulders froze I came across a coffee table and two end tables in our local Salvation Army Store. I paid $65.00 for all three pieces. They were very sturdy pieces made by the Kroehler Furntiure Company, probably in the 1970s. We used them as I found them until I had enough strength to "work my magic" on them!!

My hubby and son moved each piece one at a time out to the wood storage area of the barn. This is where I had set up a work area where I had lots of ventilation but was out of the weather. I had them elevate the pieces on top of old wooden shipping boxes, so I could work on them with out causing myself further injury. The first thing I did was wash the whole piece with a solution of TSP and water and then rinsed it with clear water. This removed dirt and furniture polish. Next step was to strip the finish from the table top. I used Heirloom brand Paint Remover (Fast Acting...not the Robust one).

I painted it on with an old "natural bristle" brush because if you use a synthetic bristle brush, the chemical stripper will make the bristles go all goo-ey. YUCK! (been there, done that!). Now don't be in too much of a hurry....let the chemical work for you. I often apply a second coat on top of the first depending on the heat of the day. The second coat just makes it all work better. Then, while wearing special gloves which will not dissolve in the stripper (They are stripping gloves and they do begin to dissolve after a few hours of use, but they do protect your hands from serious chemical burns!!), I used No. 3 or No. 4 steel wool to wipe off the "crap". I cleaned it down to the bare wood.

I then neutralized the chemical stripper remaining on the wood by wiping it down with Methyl Hydrate that I had poured onto an old towel rag. This step removes the "sheen" left behind by the stripper and helps to even out the colour of the wood.

I left the table alone for a few hours for all the chemicals to evaporate, then I sanded with 250, then 400 grit sand paper and wiped with a tack cloth to remove the dust and grit.

Over the next few days I first stained the top (used Minwax brand "English Chestnut" colour) one coat, let it dry for 24 hours then gave it 5-10 coats of oil-based poly-urethane in a satin finish. Urethaning the tops actually took about four days for each piece! I gave the coffee table 10 coats and each of the end tables 5 coats. You must wait for each coat to dry thoroughly or you will literally "gum-up the works!!" I sanded with 400 grit sandpaper between each coat and wiped with a tack cloth to once again remove dust and grit. Sanding and using a tack cloth is essential to obtaining a smooth finish. Now while the tops were drying I wiped the bases with Paint thinner to prepare them for painting, then painted them with two coats of CIL brand Melamine paint in my "Laura's Signature Cottage White".

After about two weeks of work, I am proud to introduce to you, my "new" familyroom furniture.

I have since, revamped the TV credenza also, as you can see in the pic below. I will post that job, later this week.

I love the way the tables now stand out from the ash floors and how the tables look beside my shabby cottage chic rose sofa. (It's down-filled with a possible "Shabby Chic" slipcover. I paid $25.00 (that's right, twenty-five dollars!) for it at my local Salvation Army Store!!)

A few moths ago, I bought a three piece bookshelf/wallunit for $100.00 at St. Vincent de Paul. You can see it in the background here. I am in the process of redoing these shelves also. That will be another post when I get them finshed.

Since I have started redoing furniture again, my arms are getting stronger and my stamina is improving greatly. I am hoping to be back to work (I am an RN in a cardiovascular recovery unit) sometime in November. Yippee!!!

I hope you have enjoyed your visit today.

Stay tuned for more adventures with Laura!!!

Warm hugs to everyone!!

Pink Saturday August 28th, 2010 Miracle Makeover Party and Pink Depression Glass.

2010-08-27T07:36:00.000-07:00

Happy Pink Saturday!!!    I am so happy that you popped in!!! My Pink post follows this anouncement:

This weekend I am joining Beverly at     http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/
and Kelee at        http://www.katillacshack.com/
for the much anticipated Pink Saturday and Miracle Makeover Party Video Reveal.

    This amazing true life story is about a young woman named Colette Gautier who was diagnosed with breast cancer and was given only a 5-15% chance for survival from this horrible disease. She is a single mom living in a small rental house and is facing the hardship and trials of chemotherapy. She was going to have to endure the side effects of the cancer-killing drugs while languishing in a dreary dilapidated old bedroom with only austere, depressing outdated wallcoverings, curtains and furnishings. Thanks to the brilliant design ideas of Kelee Katillac and funds provided by Guideposts at    http://www.guideposts.org/
Colette's bedroom has received an awe inspiring, restful and whole "body-mind-spirit" magical healing transformation. Please go now and view the transformation video at
http://www.katillacshack.com/
You will laugh, you will cry, you will PRAISE GOD and all of his wonderful MIRACLE WORKERS and your life will be transformed knowing that MIRACLES DO HAPPEN!!
Please remember to leave a comment on Kelee's blog, . Each comment will generate a $1.00 donation from "Design Gives Back" to go towards ANOTHER Miracle Makeover. You will also be entered into a draw for a possibility to win one of the following prizes listed at the bottom.
You may earn up to $5.00 in donations by leaving comments at these four other partner site links:

www.facebook.com/guideposts

Spiritual Sunday @ BloggerSpirit

Country Wings in Phoenix Blog

Pink Saturday @ How Sweet the Sound

-GIVEAWAYS TO WIN:
NEW Janome Sewing Machine

Erin Houghton Roses Painting

Guideposts Magazine Subscriptions

Penny Carlson Mosaic Cross

                                                           My Pink Post..............
                                                       August 27th 1983-2010
                                              Happy 27th Anniversary to Timothy and Me!!

                                         I was going to scan pics of our wedding but our scanner has given                                                    up the ghost. BAD SCANNER!!!
                                   Instead I am featuring more pics of my depression glass collection.

I have had these pieces for more than twenty years. I rearranged my display on the porch buffet and used pedestal cake plates to elevate the collection.

(You can right click to enlarge the picture and then zoom-in for a closer look on all my pictures)

Everything sparkled with a rosy hue when the afternoon sun shone in through the windows.

I picked up this collection of sherbet dishes and underplates just a few weeks ago. The glass is very delicate and etched with a cornflower and leaves. One sherbet design is more elaborate than the other and the glass is a tiny bit thicker and darker.

This is a small bit of the green depression glass.

The buffet and glass by canlde light.

I wish you could drop in to see it in person!!

Hubby and I are taking off for the day and have made reservations at our favorite restaurant in Belleville, Ontario. It is called "L'Auberge du France" and serve excellent French cuisine. I am looking forward to escargot and lamb, lots of garlic and their wonderful rose wine!!!

Happy Pink Saturday my Lovelies!!

Warm hugs, Laura

Teacup Tuesday August 24, 2010.

2010-08-23T14:27:00.000-07:00

Happy Teacup Tuesday!

Once again, I am joining Martha at
http://www.marthasfavorites.com/
and Terri at
http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/
for their weekly show of teacups.
I am also joining Wanda Lee for 'Tuesday And Wednesday Teatime In Blogland'! at
http://theplumedpen.blogspot.com/
and Pam at Teapots and Tea Things Tuesday
http://silkenpurse.blogspot.com/

Today has been a bit of a dreary day with the skies being overcast and the occasional spattering of rain. I decided to spend some time in my bedroom (the MASTER bedroom! LOL!) and tidy, vacuum, dust and polish furniture.

With that out of the way, I made myself a small pot of tea and sat down to enjoy it and pen a short note to a new friend.

The teacup I am using was given to me by my beautiful Momma, Nancy. She died from lung cancer just a little over three years ago now on June 2nd, 2007. I miss her so much every day ( wiping tears away) but I am so lucky that I have so many mementos of her surrounding me.

Here is a small French Ivory frame with a picture of her. "Hello Momma".

The cup and saucer were made by Royal Albert and the pattern is "Serena". I think it is from the 1950s. When I was growing up Mom would often make us a cup of tea in the afternoon and I would always use this cup and saucer. I loved the allover pink roses and little blue flowers.

It is just an exquiste set!

While I wait for the tea to steep a bit more, I look at some more treasures on my writing desk. Here is a picture of Timothy and me on our wedding day, August 27th, 1983. It was soo hot that day, almost 100 degrees in the church, sweat was pouring off of Reverand Buchanan's forehead. Timothy's, too, I might add!!! LOL!!

Tim gave me the Willow Tree "Together" figurine a couple of years ago for our 25th Anniversary. I love it!

On the left is a vintage silver bachelor tea set that I bought at a thrift store a few years ago. I normally have it polished and sparkly, but I thought I would leave it for a change. It is the perfect size for "just a spot of tea"! The cottage white box on the right is something I put together the spring that Mom was ill. I found the old wooden box in the drive house at Mom and Dad's. It had a half-hazard green paint covering it and was full of old nails. The appliques were rescued by Mom for me from my old piano. My brother, Gord, had been keeping the piano and using it for a number of years. It was a glorious mahogany upright grand piano manufactured by the Martin-Orme Company. One night when Gord let his dog, Teddy, out for his evening walk, out went Teddy and in came a skunk!! The "blasted" animal proceeded to spray just about everything in Gord's kitchen, but the piano sustained the most damage. The skunk did make his exit, finally. Poor Gord and his family had a terrible time and spent weeks trying to get the smell out of everything. The piano had to be put onto the porch where it got drenched during a storm. The beautiful appliques peeled back and the veneer lifted. The poor thing was a goner. BUT, Momma used a paring knife and lifted all the appliques and gave them to me one day a few months after the skunk happening. I saved them until I knew where I wanted them. I glued them to the old wooden box and painted it a creamy white. Mom used it at her bedside when she was ill. She kept her nail file, glasses, mints and other little necessaries close by. I now use it for my collection of greeting cards and writing paper.

I think the tea is ready. I use a bit of sugar and milk! The sugar shell has a square scoop. It belonged to Laura Mulligan, my maternal grandmothers best friend. She is one of the women I am named after. (I am also named after my Father's mother; she was a Laura, too.)

While I was polishing the wood on my desk, I moved everything onto our bed. Of course, when you move things around, you can get distracted (I always do!). I started looking through the cards in the white box. I rediscovered some lovely vintage get well cards I had. So...lightbulb moment!!!.....I thought I would send a note to a new friend.....her pup, actually!!! Can you see who it is addressed to??

Now can you see???

I'll pop it into the mail tomorrow (Tuesday) morning.

Thank you for visiting me on this lovely day.

God bless!

Love and warm hugs, Laura

Pink Depression Glass and Other Goodies!

2010-08-21T04:25:00.000-07:00

Good morning my fellow bloggers. Happy Pink Saturday to you. This fabulous weekly celebration is hosted by lovely Beverly over at How Sweet The Sound
( http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/pink-saturday/) .
Thank you Beverly! You have brought so many wonderful new friends into my life!
I was blog surfing a couple of days ago (it is my new quiet time hobby!) I came across Roselle's blog
http://roselle-seasiderosecreations.blogspot.com/2010/08/pink-saturday-depression-glass.html

She was featuring some gorgeous pink depression sherbets that she had found thrifting. Check them out they are beautiful!! Her post inspired me to show you some of my pink depression glass, too.

It all started way back at the dawn of around 1973. I was 13 and was working for my Dad in the retail store of Maple Dale Cheese Factory near Plainfield Ontario. It was my first job and I was making 50 cents an hour bagging cheese curd......stuffing one pound of fresh, salty, warm, curd into a plastic bag!! OMG!!!! I still love the stuff!!! (and yes, I could eat as much as I wanted while working!). Anyway, this job allowed me to have some money in my pocket. My Mom had started a `Hope Chest` for me when I was about six, so I started adding to it.
My first piece of pink depression glass cost me 25 cents. It is an hexagonal platter. I purchased it at Peggy`s Store in Thomasburg where I grew up. (It is a small hamlet in Eastern Ontario). You can see the platter resting in front of Momma`s rose platter. Just a few years ago (thanks to Ebay!) I learned that it was made by the Lancaster Glass Company in the 1930`s. I was drawn to the ``pink diamonds`` in the centre of the platter and the ornate handles. It is still very precious to me.

The week after I bought the platter, my Dad brought home the creamer and sugar for me. (You know, I had forgotten that, until I began to write this post!!) He bought it from Peggy`s Store as well. They have the same etched flower and leaf pattern as the platter.

As you can see, those three pieces, began my almost forty year collection of pink and then green depression glass.

My collection has grown! To go with the glass, I started collecting pink rose dishes!

And pink rose jugs and pitchers!

And any lovely thing that was PINK!! The candle sticks or bud vases below are 1980`s Fitz and Floyd which I paid 50 cents for last year. You can see more of my Myott rose trellis dishes, too.

My cravings for pink things has encouraged my creative side to ``pinkify`` many vintage items including this plaster plaque. (it was once brown and gold)

So, the collection of pink things craze continues. These are some of my plates and crocheted pot holders which are on my kitchen wall above the big bay window. You can see that it is still dark out. I HAD to get up at 5:30 this morning to take pics and write and post this!! Pink Saturday has become a big part of my life!! LOL!! I love sharing my ``Pinks`` with you and I love, love, love visiting everyone`s blogs to see ``what ch`all got`` that is PINK!!

Well, it`s 7:15 am now and the sky is overcast. I am still working out in the garage cleaning and organizing it. Hubby moved more than half of the furnture and boxes of ``stuff`` out onto the lawn yesterday. It spent the night there!! So today, before it rains!!, he is going to move most of it back in, but it will be more organized this time. I will post about this huge chore early next week. I`m thinking of having a huge yard sale on Labour Day Weekend. I gotta get rid of some stuff!!!!

Happy Saturday Everyone!!!

I hope you have an exquisite weekend!

Love and warm hugs, Laura

P.S. I think I need to git me a bag of warm, fresh, salty curd today!!

Teacup Tuesday August 17 2010.

2010-08-17T12:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Teacup Tuesday!

Once again, I am joining Martha at

and Terri at