Friday, November 12, 2010

Pink Depression for Pink Saturday

Last month was my birthday and one of the best presents was to get to spend 1:1 time with my cousin Donna. I don't think we had ever done this before? It is so fun to get to know my cousins as adults and now they are all Grandma's! ( I am the baby cousin). So while we were sitting on the front porch at 1515 I was presented with this!




Is this not gorgeous? 

I have my Grandmothers piece that is the round pink insert with the metal handle in plain pink. This one is similar but I have never seen one like this before. My cousin said when she saw it she knew it was for me! She was so right!

Close up of the etching..........and the best part..........

It matches my Grandmother's pink luncheon plates!
I have 8 of these beautiful plates. I am sure my Grandmother had these out when she hosted a Eastern Star or Book Lovers group in her dining room.
So I am already thinking about Spring and having a tea with some friends or family where I can use the plates and platter my cousin bought me!

Oh Happy Pink Saturday!

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

I Miss You Mom November 11th

Today is a tribute to my beloved Mother. She was my best friend and confidant and I miss her everyday. She was such a strong, loving and generous person. Born in a small town but raised in downtown Detroit during the depression. As a teen she moved back to her hometown and thank goodness she did, so she could fall in love with my father. The love stayed strong during WWII and upon my fathers return from the Pacific and they were married. My Mom was a teacher and the bread winner while Dad finished his degree. After many disappointments they finally had two children whom they cherished and provided a most wonderful childhood for. My Mom was a widow at 52 but made sure we continued our educations. She never complained, she loved life. She spent her retirement going places with her Father who lived to be 91.

The last time I saw her was when I went home for a auction at Decorating Tennis Girls Bed and Breakfast. It was cold outside, but my heart was so warm being near her. That was eight long years ago.

Here's to you Mom you were and are the BEST.





Please also remember out Veterans today, this is the day the Armistice ending WWI was signed. It is also cousin Marty's birthday.

Monday, November 8, 2010

Thanksgiving Table Top Tuesday

Today I had time to put the Halloween away...so that meant makeovers of various areas in my living room. Here is what I did on the shelf about the library table in the entry way.

While Christmas shopping this last week I picked up some new things. The 2 Mercury glass votives I bought for Christmas but love the look for fall. The turkey plate I picked up at Home Goods for $2.99. A few of my postcard collection and a pitcher from my collection.

We finally had a hard frost here Saturday morning, otherwise the pitcher would have nasturtiums in it. The bittersweet was plentiful this year, I love to decorate with it.




Found these little acorns and pumpkins and have them setting around the house.


Joining Mary at A Stroll Thru Life!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

Show of Your Cottage Monday

Thought maybe you would like to see some pictures of my kitchen at 1515. I wanted it to be totally different than my kitchen at home. I remembered that at one time there was a gray and red tile floor, yellow walls and red checkered curtains. I love kitchen collectibles but was always looking for green, but there was so much red out there! So hence, I picked a sunny yellow, painted the ugly cabinets white with glass pulls, and had to have a black and white tile floor. It is so nice to sit and visit and cook in my Grandmother's kitchen!




DID YOU SCREAM!!!!!!!!!!! Te he this is the BEFORE picture! When my Grandfather died in 1978 the people that bought 1515 remodeled the kitchen. So it had not been updated in 32 yrs!

Does this look better? After!


I had the table in my garden cottage at home, it is perfect here. We picked up the chairs on trips and outings, each has it own story. This is looking to the west window.


Looking from the dining room into the kitchen. On the left is the furnace door which we made into one huge chalk board.......my little cousins love drawing on it. It also is great to welcome people with a note when I am having a dinner party. Hanging up on the rt are my maternal Grandmother's aprons...don't think she would mind them in my paternal Grandmother's kitchen.


A old radio cabinet I picked up for $40. Needed a place for cook books and to show of some things.


Decorated for Halloween and Fall.


I really love my scale lamp, it was one of the first things I bought!

When my cousin bought this chair....I thought it was too green. Got it home and it was perfect! Love the tomato pillow, all the chairs have vintage pillows, one with banana and fruit, one with red cherries.

This belonged to my maternal Grandmother and I had it the basement with laundry detergent on it. What was I thinking!!

The blue crock was my Grandmother's and it is back in the kitchen where it originated. In reading my beloved Aunts memories, she stated " I can see Mother sitting by the west window in the kitchen with her blue crock in her hand mixing a cake". The thought that I can sit in the same spot with the same crock gives me goosebumps.
I had the crock for years and I always make my Christmas cookies in it.


The first time my cousin Donna came to stay after we got the house she brought this with her, my Grandmother's cookie jar.......I cried. The meat grinder she brought too and it was hers too.


Yep, the shelf has things brought back to where they started, the coffee grinder and Campbell's coffee can returned to their home at 1515. My Dad had them at home and I inherited them.


I had shown the bread box on the blog when I got it....here's where it ended up. I think it fits in great!


Hope you enjoyed the tour of the 1515 kitchen! I just love to go sit in it and look out the window and imagine the conversations that took place there between my parents, Grandparents and Great Grandparents.

Hope your week starts out great!

Join Cielo at Show Off Your Cottage Monday

The Shopping Season has started!!

I knew the day after Halloween that the Christmas commercials would start.....and they did.  But I don't remember all the Christmas open houses being so early? Came home to 1515 to go to the open houses with my twin cousins. It seems as if I wait until I am home the middle of December to go shopping there is nothing left.

We had a great day Saturday.....we even had our picture taken with Santa and Mrs. Claus!

Santa ice sculpture

Santa has a open sleigh that he drives!

In Illinois we don't normally have red geraniums in a sleigh for Christmas, but I think it looks beautiful!


A squirrel enjoying a left over pumpkin outside the local B&B.

The B&B had all their employees make gingerbread houses. Some talented people! They were gorgeous.


Love the little red house.


They were getting ready for a dinner party. Thought you might enjoy looking at their tablescapes.
This is more a pretty fall picture than a Christmas picture!


Have a wonderful Sunday and Happy Shopping!

Friday, November 5, 2010

Pink Saturday

I love Pink, my bedroom at 1515 is very pink! Last month I went to a local auction and picked up a vintage pink tablecloth for .50 cents! It still had the original tag on it but stains from the crease. I brought it home washed and ironed it and here are the results in my pink bedroom.



Here is the pink pom pom Wilendure tablecloth


Side table before I added the vintage tablecloth


And after, I think it turned out pretty good!



I definitely think I will get my .50 cents worth!


Happy Pink Saturday!
linking up with How Sweet the Sound http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/my_weblog/

Monday, November 1, 2010

Table Top Tuesday

Here is a look at the Library Table at 1515. When my grandparents lived there, they had 2 library tables. I was the lucky recipient of one of the tables and my cousin the other. The one that sat directly where this one is sits in my cousins house in alcove with a window he had especial added on to the house! I can see my Grandfather sitting there talking on the phone or going through paper work.

This one we found on one of our cousin weekends and we knew we had to get it! So a couple of us bought it and took to 1515.

Pictures of my Grandmother sit on top, with her Carnival glass candlesticks.

Check out the glass Scottie dog, it was my Grandmother's and one of my cousins brought it back! The picture on the left is Grandmother and on the right are the 5 girl cousins on my birthday last year, we had a ball!




Picture of Grandmother in a ice storm with her muff on the left and a picture of her as young girl. Old office materials from a local supply store. The butter pat matches my Grandmother's tea cup.



The bottom shelf holds family genealogy books. My cousin brought this sheet music, too cool it has our local river on it....it really is spelled Embrass but here the wrote the way it is pronounced Ambraw.


Have a great Table Top Tuesday!
Joining Marty at A Stroll Thru Life