A Crewel Embroidery ~ A Favorite Thing

Last week on A Favorite Thing Saturday, Linda of A La Carte shared a lovely cross-stitch piece that she had made for her parents. It is sweetly simple in design but carries a beautiful sentiment -- you can see it here.

Well, that lovely stitchery brought to mind a crewel embroidery picture that I had made for my mother's birthday in 1972. And, since her birthday was a few days ago (she would be 101), this is a perfect time to share this embroidery.

She hung it between the living room and dining room on a portion of wall that was between the opening to the hall (from the living room) and the swinging door to the kitchen (from the dining room). There was no wall between the two rooms -- just one big open room that spanned the width of the house. Anyway, it fit just right there and looked bright and cheery against her light green walls.

When she died in 1978, my father asked me if I would like it back, and of course, I did. And it has hung on a wall in each of the several houses I have lived in since. Now it is hanging in my sun porch, and I smile when I see it. The flowers are still bright and cheery after all these years! Hey, I just thought of this:  my walls are light green too (even though photo editing doesn't show that)!!

This was in a kit and when I was almost done, I ran out of the crewel yarn for the bricks! Oh no!! I searched high and low and finally found some that was close to the color -- I don't think anyone else ever noticed, but of course, I did!! And that bugged me no end! Can you tell where the substitute color is?

A friend of mine made the frame for me, using a wood molding with a brick design to mimic the brick in the stitchery.

I really like the fuzzy centers of the flowers -- I remember them being somewhat difficult to do and I clipped one or two of them a bit too close, but I like the 3-D effect!

And, of course, what matters is that my mother loved it, 

and that it brought her joy.

♥♥♥   Linking to A Favorite Thing Saturday over at Mockingbird Hill Cottage
           and to Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound

                                

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Bambi .... and a few friends!

My Etsy vintage shop has gotten pretty sad looking so I'm trying to get photos made and new things listed. It's the photos that take me the most time -- not so much the actual taking of the picture, but the editing! It just seems to take me forever!!

But I've got a few things ready!

This cutie deer planter is just the sweetest! Doesn't he remind you of Bambi?

I'm sure he was doing a bit of exploring beside the woodland pond and....

Oh my! Surprised by a funny little frog!

Bambi is already in my shop but here are a few things you can expect to see soonest!!

This beautiful afghan -- 

crocheted and then cross-stitched with the flower design.

So much loving work was done on this one!

I think it's perfect to curl up under on chilly fall evenings!

Here's a fun cookbook -- full of holiday treats!

Like this Halloween cake!!

A pretty Fenton strawberry

These cute Monkey Pod snack dishes -- bell pepper and pineapple

And, how absolutely priceless is this .....

a ceramic asparagus canister!!

So, think I can get them listed today?

We'll see!!

♥♥♥   Linking Bambi to Knick of Time Tuesday -- take a look -- there's lots of great vintage to see!

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My Grandmother's Goblets

Last week I mentioned the goblets I was using as part of my fall decorations and decided that they would be perfect to show this week. They are among my very favorite, and very special, possessions.

As with most heirlooms, these goblets have a story. They belonged to my grandmother, my mother's mother. Her name was Lonnie and she died when my mother was fifteen, which means that my grandmother died around 1926.

I have no idea how old she is in this picture but it is one of those that were tinted to have color in the photo. My mother had the original copied and gave one to each of her brothers and sisters. 

She's lovely, but why couldn't they smile back then?!!

My mother came from a family of six -- four girls and two boys. (And then added two more half-brothers and two step-brothers when my grandfather remarried!) All ten of those children were considered family for all of their lives, no matter that they might not all be related by blood.

Apparently, my grandmother's things were scattered and the goblets were not thought of for a very long time.  Well, my mother went on a quest to find them (I can vaguely remember her doing so) and eventually tracked them all down. She wanted each of the girls to have two goblets each.

Mama's two goblets resided in her china cabinet until she gave one each to my brother and me. After my mother's death, my brother gave me his goblet. So now I have two, and they are very special indeed. 

I have done some investigating -- I figured that they were Carnival Glass but didn't know anything about the pattern. I have learned that the pattern is called Colonial and the color is Marigold. They were made by the Imperial Glass Company in the early 1920s and apparently were only produced in the Marigold color. They have a distinctive octagon shape on the base.

I cannot tell you how precious they are to me, or how thrilled I was when my brother gave me his. I guess he thought that since he never had children of his own, I could give my children one each and keep them in the family. 


♥♥♥  Linking my goblets over at Claudia's for A Favorite Thing Saturday

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Fall Tea Set ~ A Favorite Thing

Most of the time, my thrifting hours are spent hunting down vintage goodies for my shop, oftentimes things I can enjoy for myself for a while and then pass on to someone else who will love them just as much. So that was my thought when I found this tea set.

But, you know what? I think I might just keep this one for myself! I have what has turned into a tea set collection (more on those another time!) and this little one will fit in just right. Plus, I use fruit in my dining room decor, and the colors in this tea set are perfect!! I even have two different placemat sets that blend right in! So I'm declaring it a keeper!!

I'm using it in my fall decorations which will stay up through Thanksgiving. I've got a bit of Halloween up for Miss Noli's delight and will add in some Thanksgiving as that holiday nears.

Don't you love that pineapple doily? I found it somewhere long ago -- someone had tea dyed it and I think it looks just perfect with my tea set!

Close-up of the design -- it is hand painted and on the sticker you can just barely make out the word Japan and something else that I'll have to get out a magnifying glass to even pretend to see. I'll have to do a little investigating as to its origins.

Did you notice these goblets? They are another favorite thing! A very, very special favorite thing! They belonged to my grandmother, and I think I will tell you about them another time -- maybe next week!

Oh, and guess what!! 

Peanut Bird was featured this week on A Favorite Thing Saturday!!! He was my entry for that fun party last Saturday (read all about him here....) and sweet Claudia gave him a little feature time! Oh my, Peanut Bird was just beside himself when I told him, and is now insisting that the trail mix jar goes to another shelf so that he gets top billing. Silly Peanut Bird.


♥♥♥  Linking my fall tea set over at Claudia's for A Favorite Thing Saturday,
 and on Pink Saturday at How Sweet the Sound 'cause we're showing fall stuff there!!


                                   


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Red at the Main Street Grill

I didn't have a single red thing in mind for Rednesday today.....

(or for Vintage Thingie Thursday for that matter.....)

until I took a mug out for my morning coffee.

And there it was!

I've always liked these mugs with their red sign reading "Main Street Grill" 

....and their retro look

They are from Hallmark and go along with the Mitford series houses (now retired) which were based on Jan Karon's books. They make drinking coffee (and cocoa in the winter!!) a lot of fun!


♥♥♥  Linking my mugs to Rednesday over at It's a Very Cherry World. Check it out for more red fun!!
♥♥♥  Linking them too over at Vintage Thingies Thursday at Colorado Lady. Lots of fun vintage goodies to see!

                          

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Peanut Bird ~ A Favorite Thing

When I first discovered Claudia's fun link party at Mockingbird Hill Cottage, I knew I'd have to participate! It's a place to share a favorite something each week, and to visit others and discover their favorite things. I love this idea, and plan to link up each Saturday.

So, on to one of my favorite things!!

Hello! Do you know who I am?

I'm Peanut Bird!

The world famous Keeper of the Peanuts!

Whenever my father-in-law wanted peanuts, he would head to Peanut Bird. Now Peanut Bird always sat around quietly waiting for his big chance when Jim would open the pantry and bring him out. I always thought that Peanut Bird was such a cute Keeper of the Peanuts and, when it came time to go through the things in my in-law's home, I made sure that Peanut Bird came home to live with hubby and me!

After a number of years of peanut duty at our house, Peanut Bird resided in the hutch and did not serve us peanuts anymore. Then one day recently, hubby brought home a bag of peanuts and I remembered Peanut Bird..... patiently waiting to be filled with peanuts again.

So now he is sitting on the baker's rack in the kitchen, beside the special jar I use for fruit and nut trail mix, holding peanuts. And reminding me of my wonderful father-in-law who made eating peanuts fun!

♥♥♥  Linking Mr. Peanut Bird over at Mockingbird Hill Cottage for A Favorite Thing Saturday.

 

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Look what I found by the curb!!

Every now and then I'll spot something that someone has thrown out 

and think to myself that I just NEED it....

 I know you have too, so fess up!!

So why is it that I feel like a thief -- a thief that EVERYONE has their eyes on -- as I skulk around, trying to act nonchalant.  I mean, they did throw it away, after all. 

But that thief feeling persists and so it's got to be a really great thing for me to do a stop and grab with what I KNOW are many eyes peering from behind the curtains, watching me.....

. 

I can tell you this -- I will never dumpster dive!!

When I saw this chair, I knew it would be perfect for photos but it was on my street and I felt kind of embarrassed to stop. So I passed on by, got to my house and reasoned that I didn't know the people who threw the chair out .... so I went back. Now all those eyes were on me, for sure! 

Got out of the car and -- oh no! -- no seat in the chair 

and it was a bad paint job of white over blue! But I HAD to get it now since I had totally made a spectacle of myself. And, of course, I had a bit of trouble juggling it into the back seat! Glory be, I finally got it in and turned the car around and went back home. 

Oh, my cheeks were burning!

But it's a cute chair even with the bad paint job. 

And it will be great for vintage photos.

I decided to leave it as is with the blue showing through, but I think I'll have to fashion something for a seat. 

The afghan kept trying to fall through!!

(this is an afghan I made and listed (and sold!) in Magnolia Surprise, my handmade shop)

OK, it fess up time -- what have you picked up on the side of the road?

♥♥♥  linking my side-of-the-road-thievery over at Smiling Sally's for

 Blue Monday

       

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