Teacup Tuesday September 28, 2010 Paragon and Aynsley.

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

http://www.marthasfavorites.com/

and Terri of

http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/

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!

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!!

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

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.

http://www.marthasfavorites.com/

and

http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/

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.

   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.