Nap Time

So very niiice!..... Hope everyone is taking some time to relax and enjoy!

M is for Miniatures

Style by Emily Henderson is having a dollhouse Design Challenge. I don't know about you, but I had a thing for miniatures at one time in my life. It happened to coincide with the miniature age of my daughter, Talia and with a specific Christmas gift in the year 1996 when she was 9. Below you will discover the ensuing fruits of our labor, accomplished over the course of two years. She and I assembled, glued, painted, papered and shopped for all of it. (Electrifying it required some help.) Without sounding obsessed, it really was a lot of fun. To participate in Emily Henderson's Challenge, I unearthed the behemoth from the bowels of the basement, dusted it off, and re-decorated the interior spaces as we, mother and daughter, had done so lovingly (and sometimes, not so lovingly) together.

That last word is the essence of what makes this dollhouse so beautiful to me. Enjoy the tour!

Victorian Gabled Charm

Front Entry Welcome

Iced Tea on the Porch

Talia's Place

Attic Respite

Work Station

Master Bedroom

Bathing Beauty

Kitchen Delight

Parlor Time

Stop by Emily Henderson to view all the other awesomely creative miniatures. Thank you, Emily - such Fun!

Me and Mom

By the time a woman realizes her mother was right, she has a daughter who thinks she is wrong. -author unknown

Happy Birthday to Me...and Mom!

love always xo

Ode to Cyber Monday

IT is upon us... Fretting about how much to do in how little time. I am the first one to make the list and begin the search for those perfect gifts at quite the frenetic pace. It all becomes a whirlwind of activity for that one day in the not too distant future. The mutter to myself "Is this enjoyable?" is reflected on the faces and echoed in the voices of fellow shoppers. Yet if we just slow down to reflect on the real meaning of the season, IT speaks to us when we:

Celebrate the joy of love

Feel the hope for peace

Acknowledge the spirit by opening our hearts to the world

The only nod to gifts is the giving of yourself. Happy Holidays with contentment to all!

L is for Lu-Ray

Lu Ray Pastels 'Empire Shape' semi-porcelain dish ware was manufactured by Taylor-Smith and Taylor Co. (TS&T) from 1938-1961 in Chester, WV. The Company was in business from 1899 through the 1970's, at which time it was bought out by Anchor Hocking Glass. The Lu Ray Pastel pattern is charming in its elegant art deco simplicity with lovely muted toned colors. The four original pastels include: Sharon Pink, Persian Cream, Windsor Blue, and Surf Green. A fifth coloration, Chatham Gray, introduced in 1949, is considered a premium color; more rare therefore more expensive. I recently came across a Lu Ray Chatham Gray Teapot selling for $670! For the most part, Lu Ray items are readily available and most affordable, providing that sweet little addition of cool vintage to your modern home. Happy Hunting!

Lusworthy!

Vintage One-of-A-Kind Jewelry - Elevate the Ordinary

Shell Cameo, Georgian style

Enamel Cabochon, Art Nouveau style

Natural Shell Pin, Arts & Crafts style

Faceted Garnet Brooch, Art Deco style

Rhodium and Rhinestone Brooch, 1940's

Krementz Necklace, 1930's -1940's

Sterling Hand Wrought Pin, 1950's

Monet Brooch, 1960's

Handmade Clay Bead Choker, 1970's

All of these beauties are available for sale here

K is for Kitchenware

Utilitarian... it has such a nice ring to it, don't you agree? I especially love the items in my kitchen that have been passed down through the ages without loss of practicality and... utility! These lovely pieces represent the best of design and invention at a time when low tech meant no tech. And, they bring a certain ease and beauty into kitchen-works. From red handled bakelite choppers and servers to rippled glass storage jars and hand decorated salt boxes, vintage kitchenware still charms us with its pleasing simplicity and usefulness. Made in America - with pride. Happy cooking!

Vintage Kitchenware available for sale here

Ode to Halloween

All-Hallows-Eve harkens back 2000 years to Celtic festivals commemorating the end of summer harvests. These festivities, celebrated on the November 1st New Year of Samhain (pronounced sow-en) were replete with celebratory offerings of food and drink to the spirits. It was believed the night before the New Year - October 31st - allowed both bad and good spirits from the dead to mingle amongst the living. Celts dressed in outlandish costumes - known as guising - and roamed the community begging for food while hoping to scare away the evil spirits. Hallowed out turnips were used as lights to guide these 'guisers' through the darkness and bonfires were lit to honor Pagan gods. Faeries were said to be present during Samhain protecting these beggars from the evil spirits. It was believed that people who gave food to the beggars were rewarded; those that did not were punished.

Over the next several hundred years, Christianity's influence replaced the Pagan rituals of All Hallowmas, with All Saints Day as a church designated holiday. All Souls Day / All Saints Day was celebrated in England by going 'a-souling' door to door asking for food in return for prayers for the dead. Halloween was not celebrated by the early settlers of the United States as they were Protestant and as such did not believe in saints. It was the Irish immigrants during the mid 1800's that brought the custom of making Jack-o'Lanterns from pumpkins and the tradition of Trick-or-Treating as we know it today. Happy Halloween! Trick-or-Treat!

Kindness Gift

Kindness becomes its own motive. We are made kind by becoming kind.

Eric Hoffer (1902-1983), American Social Writer

Staffordshire Mush Cup with Saucer, Rowland & Marsellus Co., 1860's

Kindness seems to be the word of the week for me. It has popped up - in conversation, during a book discussion, and in the news; significantly enough as to not be a coincidence. So what does it mean to Be Kind? Here is my short list:

Being charitable

Being virtuous

Being pleasant

Being considerate

Being tender

There is so much more to Being Kind.... As psychologists tell us real kindness changes people.

What does Being Kind mean to you?

Leave a comment and Be Entered to win this lovely antique transfer ware cup and saucer with the inscription:

'Take ye a cuppe o' kindnesse

For auld lang syne'

'Like' my facebook page and Be Entered twice!

Winners will be announced after a random drawing of names by the end Monday, 31 October. Good Luck!

Gardeningbren and gonerustic, kindly contact me via my e-mail, available on my web site page. Thank you!