Monday, April 30, 2012

A Project Off My List!

When I participate in a Tag or ATC swap, I always make a prototype. It's usually a simple version of what I eventually end up with.

Yesterday, I decided I needed a place to keep the prototypes.

I had an old picture frame that at one time held a painting that my Grandper did....

I used a staple gun to secure chicken wire to the back of the picture frame
and hung it on the wall in my craft room. I used some small plastic clothespins to hang some of the tags and ribbon to hang the rest.

The tag in the middle with the 3 young ladies was sent to me recently by my blogging friend, Tammy who blogs at Tammy's in Love, and the angel on the corner was given to me by one of my flea market friends. The rest are prototypes of tags I have made.

I decided if I tried to display all of the tags I've received it would be a little overwhelming...so I will continue to display them by season or theme.

It was an easy project, and one I'd been meaning to do for quite sometime....

So glad I finally got around to it!!!

chris

Sunday, April 29, 2012

Weekend Fun!!!

This Saturday I went to two estate sales, and had a great time sorting, and digging through boxes! Both sales had parts that were organized, you know the jewelry and the "expensive" china. And, they both had boxes and boxes of stuff to go through.

Saturday was day number three for the first estate sale....the men in charge keep saying no offer refused. I did not have to offer, I was very happy with the price they named for things I had gathered.

The second sale was family run. Prices were reasonable. And this one had a trunk full of linens to sort through!! Some of them have some pretty good stains on them, but the needlework is great shape!!!


Some napkins and what seems to be a dresser scarf set
Dishtowels with vintage veggie images...not embroidered, it looks like a pen was used to trace images onto the towels....is anyone familiar with this technique?
A vintage baby jacket and bib

fans from Singapore with silk images
a vase that I thought might be Roseville...wrong, but made in the USA,  and a lovely head vase in perfect condition..not a chip on her!! I found her on a shelf in the garage covered in dust and grease.

Crossing my fingers that you had the same kind of luck as I did this weekend!!

Chris


Friday, April 27, 2012

Paris Anyone???

I have been participating in the monthly ATC swaps hosted by Kimberly who blogs at  ArtJoyStuff. This month the theme was April in Paris. You need to make 6 Art Trading Cards.....not too many so it's fairly easy. The ATC's are 2.5" x 3.5" in size. That's the main requirement... the size.

This is the third time I've joined one of Kimberly's swaps. The first two times I had a difficult time coming up with an idea...it doesn't make it any easier to come up with idea when you see what others are creating. The ladies that join Kimberly's swaps are truly artists!!

This time however something came to mind right away......

My mom wore Chanel No. 5 perfume for as long as I can remember. And Coco Chanel was born in Paris and her fashion house was in Paris. I decided that my ATC would represent Coco Chanel.







I made my base card by using the sandwich method...I cut file folders and glued them together. I downloaded my images from the web and used weatherstripping to have the main image, the perfume bottle stand out. A little lace, and some vintage snaps, embellish the ATC. On the backside of the ATC a picture of Coco Chanel and a picture of a few of her fashion designs...a button and a pearl...Equals.....

.... done and in the mail!!

Crossing my fingers that my partners enjoy my ATC's!

chris

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Grab A Plate!!

Years ago at an estate sale, I came across a couple of chicken feeders. I thought they looked like fun, of course, they were reasonable in price, so I brought them home.

The first thing that came to mind...a planter for herbs.... and then in looking at the feeder I thought perhaps a little shallow for a planter.

I have a difficult time passing up plates at garage sales... chipped or not, big or little, I can't pass up a plate. 

BINGO!!!!

Plate holders on the fence!! It did not matter if the plates were chipped or not.

I'm linky up to Share Your Cup at Have a Daily Cup from Mrs. Olson

Dessert anyone?

chris

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

Celebrating!!!

The baby quilt is done.....

with two special squares added to the back...the hot pink and white flower is from a dress my mom, the girl's Grammy loved and wore every summer, and the clown fabric from a baby outfit Mr. Math's mom, the girl's grandmother made. A little something to remember two special ladies.
the table set with special favors for our special guests
And can you have a baby shower without a diaper cake and yummy mini bundt cakes?
the five aunties and women who are like sisters to me 
and daughters one through five!
All in all, a wonderful weekend!!
So much fun having the Xavier Ct. House full!!

chris

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

DG Lesson #2

Cameo, "Ballerina", or "Dancing Girl", is our lesson of the day. Cameo was produced by Hocking Glass Company between the years 1930 and 1934. It is considered one of the top three patterns that people collect. There are more unique and unsual pieces in Cameo than in any other pattern, making it difficult to collect a complete set.
Cameo was made in green, yellow, pink, and crystal with a silver rim. Most easy to find is green.  I only have one piece of Cameo in my collection. And it is a cookie or biscuit jar. This one comes with a lid...although it has a small flake on it.
The last few times I have posted about Depression Glass, I have shown cookie or biscuit jars. Over the years I have collected quite of few.  I use three in my bathroom to hold cotton balls, Q-Tips, and make-up pads.
The master bathroom in the Xavier Ct. House has very little counter space. The cookie or biscuit jars come in handy!!

chris

Monday, April 23, 2012

So Excited!!!

Featured on Welcome Wagon 


This past Friday, I found a wonderful and unexpected comment on my blog. It was from Brenda, who  blogs at Cozy Little House..... She told me that she had featured my blog on Welcome Wagon Friday!

I was so happy, I couldn't stand it!! Honored! Proud!!

I ran around the house telling anyone who would listen that I had been featured on Brenda's blog! And... it was a weekend when the Xavier Ct. House was full! So... lots of people to share my excitement with.

Brenda has given me several good tips, especially about taking photos. The best tip she gave me was... take your pictures in natural light, if at all possible.  Photography is an area that I need to improve on. And I have started using my iphone to take pictures. My little digital camera is old and I have one the latest iphones.  It's a phone provided to me by my employer... thank goodness it's ok to use it for personnel use...it's a much better camera than my old digital one. Brenda suggested that I should keep my camera with me all the time. I keep it in my pocket and have started taking photos when I'm walking or out in the yard.




I sent Brenda an email thanking her for featuring my blog. However, I did want to publicly thank her as well! If you haven't visited Brenda's blog, you should... she has a wonderful etsy shop as well.

chris

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Hoping Janelle is Proud!!!!

Saturday was the annual St. Tomas of Canterbury Ladies Tea. When I was struggling to come up with a theme, Janelle who blogs at Sweet Bee Cottage, suggested American Farmhouse.

With that in mind I headed to the fabric store... I seem to find inspiration and ideas when looking at fabric.
I found a fabric panel that was setup to make place mats... I set clear glass plates on top so the print would show. Wide mouth mason jars, were the drinking glasses with a gold burlap napkin tucked in. 

I decided that chairs needed a little something....how about blue jeans? When I think of farmers I think of blue jeans and a red bandanna.


I cut the legs off of the blue jeans, stitched the waist closed and slipped them over the back of the chair... added a red bandanna and I was done!
I like to set a favor of some sorts at the table when hosting tea.  In keeping with the farmhouse theme, I decided to give each guest a pair of garden gloves, and a pack of seeds.

A metal lime green watering can, filled with flowers, and two embellished flour sack dishtowels, are the centerpiece. I set a small oil painting of red barn up against the watering can. One lucky lady took home the centerpiece as a raffle prize.
On the menu for Saturday's tea were several different tea sandwiches.... cucumber, chicken curry, and egg. Ceasar salad, mini quiches, and of course, scones with jam, lemon curd, devonshire cream, and petit fours finish off the menu!
I loved Janelle's suggestion of American Farmhouse...it was easy to do and not too expensive! The fabric was on sale, plus when you add in, and I can't believe I'm even say this... my senior discount, the fabric was one of the most reasonable purchases I made! Garden gloves, and seeds from the dollar store... Gotta love the dollar store! The watering can from OSH and flowers were the biggest expense. All in all, not too bad! Oh, and the four gentlemen who work for me, each had to bring in two or three pairs of old jeans, so I could make the seat back covers.

Thanks again to Janelle for a great suggestion!! You can visit Janelle at Sweet Bee Cottage

chris

Thursday, April 19, 2012

Busy, Busy, Busy!!!

This is a busy weekend for the McKinley's! Daughter number 1's baby shower is this weekend, hosted by two very close friends and the 4 aunties. Mama is coming from Atlanta, and the aunties are coming from Seattle, Reno, and Eugene. Auntie number 3 lives here in Santa Clara Valley, so she doesn't have too far to go. We will be busy going back and forth to the airport, both San Francisco and San Jose. I love it!!

The Xavier Ct. house will be full to the brim this weekend! Of course, Mr. Math and I can't wait to have all 5 girls home for the weekend.

I am looking forward to the shower, friends closest to our family will be there, as well as one of my cousins! I can't wait!!


I also have to decorate my table for the St. Tomas of Canterbury tea...and, of course it's this Saturday.
About a month ago, I did a post looking for suggestions for a theme... I was having a hard time coming up with an idea. The overall theme for the tea is Americana and Janelle, who blogs at Sweet Bee Cottage, suggested an American Farmhouse type theme. What a great idea!!

Sooooooo..

I have the placemats done, and the strips cut to embellish the dishtowel favors. I have the tea cups wrapped, the sugar and creamer filled....silverware and glassware packed carefully..


I feel like I'm in pretty good shape to get everything done in time.

I guess we'll see!!

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Around the Block!!!

I'v been walking a lot lately...and there's lots to look at when walking through the neighborhood!

A yellow Rose.....

A climbing Cecil Brunner rose, on a white picket fence....


California Poppies


Wisteria

And my one of my favorites....

Nasturtiums!

What do you see when you take a walk around your block?

chris

Monday, April 16, 2012

DG Lesson #1

I've decided that once a week I am going to share a different Depression Glass pattern with you. I'll give a little history and I'll include a picture of the pattern too.

This week I'm sharing a pattern called Royal Lace. Royal Lace was made by the Hazel Atlas Glass Company, between the years 1934 and 1941. Royal Lace was made in Crystal, Pink, Green, Blue and Amethyst. Amethyst is very hard to find and only one piece is known to have been found, a sherbet dish. Royal Blue is a favorite color with collectors and it's fairly easy to find.

I have two pieces of Royal Lace. A Royal Blue cup and saucer, and a Pink cookie or biscuit jar. Another one of my cookie jars without a lid.


If you wanted to buy a set of Royal Lace in 1934, you would have paid $2.99 for a 44 piece place setting. Not too many families could afford to spend that kind of money during the Depression.





One little tip...when shopping for Depression Glass, be sure to check the inside rims of plates, bowls, and cups for chips and flakes which might have been caused by stacking. And..if you come across a piece that has a chip, be sure to make sure that the price reflects that.

Happy Collecting!!

chris

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Successful Detective Work!!

About four months ago, Flea Market Friend and I were at our local flea market.... we found two antique wicker chairs. We were in love!


In speaking with Sharon the vendor, we found out that she was bunko friends with Flea Market Friend's sister-in-law. Flea Market Friend's sister-in-law, had moved out of the area years ago, but this vendor remembered her like it was yesterday. We sat in the chairs and tried to picture them in our homes. We thought they were too big and we knew they were too expensive. We took Sharon's phone number, just in case. After a month or so, Flea Market Friend called and said, I'm throwing her number away OK? I said yes go ahead. She tossed it.

I have often thought about those chairs.

Last week I went to the Flea Market by myself. As I was walking around I recognized Sharon. This time she was a shopper. I asked her if she still had the chairs and she said yes. I gave her my number and she said she'd call me in a week or so.

Sharon phoned my cell and I told her I would like to come take a look at the chairs on Saturday but needed to confirm my schedule at home.....I would call her back. When I tried to call her back the number did not work.... it was a record message!! From some business wanting me to buy a cruise! Not the person I was looking for.

Now I was in a panic... of course I wanted the chairs and I could not get a hold of Sharon. I did not know if she would call me back.....

THINK, THINK, THINK.....

I called Flea Market Friend to see if she still had the phone number.. Nope, she had really tossed it out! She said she had an idea...she'd call her sister-in-law to see if she still had Sharon's number.



Flea Market Friend called and said... Success!! Sister-in-law had a number...wasn't sure if Sharon still had the same number as years ago, but it was worth a try.

It worked! Flea Market Friend had found a number that worked!!

I borrowed a truck and went over this morning and picked them up. Sharon told me she traded sewing for the chairs 40 plus years ago when she lived in Minnesota. The neighbor that she traded with said that the chairs had been in his wife's family for years. Sharon thinks they are about 70 years old or so. One is a rocker and one is not. They have great cushions! And on one side of each chair is a place for your newspaper or magazines!

And she came down in price too!!

I am not sure if I will keep them outside for the summer or use them in the house. They are very comfortable!

I'm so happy that Flea Market Friend is such a good detective!!

chris

Friday, April 13, 2012

Mailman Mike!


A sweet book about a young boy named Timmy who is mailing
his Grandma a letter about his new puppy.


Mailman Mike brings letters, magazines and free samples to Timmy's house.
He brought packages and picture post cards from faraway places.




Timmy worries because it is taking so long for his letter to get to his Grandma. His letter has to travel by airplane and train!


One day, finally the letter is in Mailman Mike's mailbag

Mailman Mike is worried though... Timmy is not waiting for him today!


Mailman Mike rings the bell, looking for Timmy....


Mailman Mike is surprised to see Timmy has something better than a letter.... His Grandma came to visit!!


Timmy proudly tells his Grandma, Mailman Mike knows everything! And rain or shine, he always comes to see me by half-past nine!


I am just like Timmy... I love getting mail... maybe that's why I love the swaps so much!!

I'm linking up to Lil' Vintage Story Books.

chris