eBay + Etsy = 2 Easy

I told myself I would not peruse eBay or Etsy in search of tin doll heads.  I didn't listen but after taking a little look-see, told myself I would not buy.  It is just too easy to succumb.  Well, I did not heed the voice within (what??? you say) and now it's an official collection.  

It was just such a good deal I could not say no.  Heck, the shipping was almost as much as the doll head.  This one is marked Minerva on the front and Germany 6 on the back.

Good looking family, no?

Do you listen to the voices from within?

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Another Hump Day ~

Oh, the weeks are just flying by.  Already past the mid-point of July.  How did we get here already? It was another hot one on the north coast.  I am so thankful I work in an air conditioned office and now have A/C that works both in the house and the car.

Took grandson Jake swimming today.  Well, he swam, I did not.  Still haven't gotten the nerve up to look for the bathing suit and actually try it on. He had a ball.  His back flips off the side of the pool make me too nervous so I made him stop.  I tried to catch him mid-air but could not.

My new old cupboard top.  Not wild about it but it's a start.  My collection of ironstone is pretty pathetic . . . I guess I'll need to do something about that and I don't care much for the coverlets either.  A very small part of my stone fruit collection is on the third shelf next to a piece of Peaseware.

The large sampler was a gift from a former college roommate, many years ago.  She and I have not seen each other in 20 years and are planning to get together soon.  Stitched in 1984, it hung over my bed until recently when I replaced it with my Magdalena hooked rug.

Part of my collection of treenware ~ one of my favorite collections, picked up one or two pieces at a time.

Tomorrow evening is hooking with Katie at the Chairmaker in Vermilion.  My next hooking project is not ready for the frame, so I'd better go draw a pumpkin on linen so I have something to work in.  I'm not ready for fall ~ just a pumpkin is a no brainer to draw.

There's a relatively new blog in town.  If you are a mom to a son or two, or just need a laugh, stop over at Janice's blog, the Rug Hooking Store.  I'm sure she will appreciate the visit.  Stop by her website and take a peak in the the rug gallery.  I left with a serious case of rug envy!

Thanks so much for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

New Old Treasures ~

Hooker friend Jane (no blog) is moving and is having a tag sale.  She is changing her decorating style so is selling lots of good, old stuff!  I had early buying privileges ~ woo hoo.  I did pick up a few treasures and may have to go back for more.

I have a weakness for old spice cupboards.  I think this is #7 for me.  I also got a couple pieces of vintage tin Halloween.



Vintage turkey candy containers from the Fanny Farmer Candy Company which I believe was a Cleveland, Ohio company and a wooden bread board.

Old Santas.  (LOVE these!!!)



I had one old pewter plate.  Now I have an official collection!

I also got an enamel pot for dyeing wool (if I ever do . . . lol), the Mary Emmerling flag book, a Zoar crock (not old) and a few other odds and ends.

* * * * *

My early daffodils are already done blooming, but there are so many other things bursting with color.  Living close to Lake Erie, I was spared a frost but a bit more inland, people are worried about damage to the fruit trees.  Hopefully little damage was done!

Kiss the kids and furbabies!

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

More Christmas and a Thank You ~

A big thank you to Elaine at Wool Stitches and More who presented me with this award.  It's German for I love you.  I feel honored that she chose me.  I am supposed to choose five blogs and present the award to them to spread the love.  I don't mean to be a party pooper, but I just cannot choose only five blogs to present it to, so I will be selfish and keep it to myself.  Please stop by Elaine's blog and say hi to a fellow hooker :)

Tonight I feel as if I've been spinning my wheels and getting nothing done.  I did get a few more things done, but my decorating list is still quite long.  Here are a few more pictures.  As you can see, I still have not mastered the "less is more" style of decorating.  The snowmen are sitting on a doily that my grandma crocheted decades ago.



Two vintage snowmen ~ gifts from a dear friend.

Celluloid reindeer.

Pretty scary to think that decorations from my youth are now considered vintage . . . lol!  {These are not ones I had as a child, but ones I've purchased over the years.}



The Santa in the back is embossed paper ~ marked Germany.  The bottle brush tree is also vintage.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

"Tis the Season ~

A big thank you from the bottom of my heart for all the kind comments regarding Eema.  They mean so much to me and Dolly.  I appreciate each and every one.  

* * *

I am knee deep in Christmas boxes.  I am trying to simplify ~ rather unsuccessfully I might add.  Many of my decorations are gifts and as I unpack them, memories come back and I have a hard time not putting them out.  Annie has been helping me.  Yesterday I brought a 3' tree down from the attic.  I had left the silicone lights and old glass bead garlands on the tree.  Next thing I know Annie has stolen one of the bulbs and is chewing on it.  Now I don't know if I can blame her, but I then discovered half the lights were not working.  I removed them from the tree along with the glass garlands.  One of the strands of garland broke with glass beads flying everywhere and as I'm trying to pick them up, Annie is stealing them.  Thankfully she let me retrieve the one she had in her mouth (without biting me!) before she had a mouthful of glass.  Today I was at the store buying some silicone caulk because I really wanted silicone lights on the tree.  So in between trying to decorate and working on hooked Christmas presents, I am dipping bulbs in caulk.

One of my little repro feather trees.  I cross stitched the piece under it 20+ years ago.

A favorite Santa ~ made in 1990 by Vaillancourt Folk Art.

The first repro feather tree I bought MANY years ago.  The samplers are antique reproductions that I stitched in the 80's and early 90's.

Celluloid Santa and reindeer.

More celluloid Santas and reindeer.

A flock of vintage German woolly sheep.

Vintage glass Santa ornament on yet another feather tree ~ this one old.

I am SO HAPPY to report that my picture downloading problem has been solved.  WOO HOO!  It dawned on me that my problems began when I got my new camera and my DSO figured out that the setting I was using was taking HUGE pictures that were just too large to download easily. 

Thank you so much for stopping by. 

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Salt, Pepper and a Peanut ~

Welcome friends!  Thank you for stopping by.  I hope everyone is having an enjoyable holiday weekend!

I am back from my get-away to southern Ohio visiting my dear friend Wink.  It was a quick visit, but well worth the drive.

In 1985, I believe, we took a trip to eastern Pennsylvania to antique.  On the trip out, every antique shop/mall we stopped at seemed to have an over-abundance of salt and peppers shakers, so as a joke when we returned to Ohio, I started her her very own collection.  Now, even 25+ years ago, that was so "not her".  The criteria for a pair was that they had to be cheap ~ and TACKY!  Back then, cheap was $1-$2.  Today, I will usually pay not more than $3, though I have made an exception or two for extra tacky!  Each year for her birthday and Christmas she gets a set and if I see her at some point during the year, she gets a pair, too.  A few years ago, she kindly asked me to stop giving them to her because her salt and pepper shelves were full.  Being the good friend that I am I told her absolutely not.  I could not break tradition!

Here is the set she received for this visit.  It's boys sitting on the commode and one says "Billy can" and one says "Billy can't".  Check out the expression on their faces!  Tacky!!!

 

Here's a good part of the collection.

 

There are a couple pair of feet and rolls of toilet paper . . .

 

Chamber pots . . .

Brides and grooms and when you turn them around the couple is old and fat. . . .  (I have not kept track of what I have bought and sometimes get a duplicate.)

My absolute favorite and most expensive pair to date.  They fit the tacky bill, but I had to give $7 or $8 for the pair, but I just could not resist!

* * *

I absolutely love this picture of my Peanut who was adopted a few months ago.  Here she is sunbathing on the beach in South Carolina.  Mom Ronna reports that they love her to pieces and she is a doll, though still incorrigible in the car.  (Oh, she was SO BAD!)  After trying to condition her for the car ride without success, they had to resort to doggie valium to calm her down enough for the ride!  Isn't she just the cutest thing?



As much as I don't want to, I must head to the vegetable stand and grocery store since I am having a cookout this afternoon!

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

More Vintage Christmas ~

As promised, here are some more of my vintage Christmas items. This year, I have a small tree in the bathroom where I've hung all my figural light bulbs.

Plastic from my youth that is now considered vintage. I guess that makes me vintage, too :)

{{The other night, I took my son and grandson to a pizza buffet (grandson picked the place), and for the first time ever, I was given the senior price. I didn't realize it until today. For some unknown reason I looked at my receipt this morning. Talk about ruining my day!!!}}

I love the graphics on this old cigar box lid. I've filled the box with vintage ornaments.

Celluloid and early plastic reindeer ~ many with only a single antler ~ under my only old feather tree.

Feather tree with some old ornaments. All the bead garland is vintage.

Old Santa.

I was told this angel was from my Grandma's Nativity set.

Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren