Maple Season

We traveled to upstate, as in the real upstate NewYork, to Rodman to spend a week on our friends’ maple farm, Spring Hill Maple Farm, during sugaring season. It was great fun for me. I didn’t really do much to help outside other than walk back and forth to the sugar bush to see how full the tanks were. Contributing to the cooking and cleaning up isn’t really work to me and that was what I did when I wasn’t just hanging out. Naturally I had to make something with maple syrup, so I tried a maple scone recipe and it was very tasty.

Maple Scones

Sad and Abandoned Blogs

Who knew that people were still viewing this blog? Obviously, not me. Thankfully the reasons I had abandoned this blog were not tragic. Do you ever hope when you see an abandoned blog that nothing bad happened? I do. In our case it is just a case of so many things changing in our lives over the past few years. These have been good changes and maybe more of the story will come out.

I’m not going to promise what will happen here. I don’t really know. If it starts to look sad again, I can always delete it. For the time being I don’t want to. 

Overlapping Pyrex Dishes and Letterpress

Letterpress Pyrex casserole

I’ve been sorting a huge collection of Letterpress blocks for months now.  When I got the collection I had no idea that many of the pieces would overlap with so many other things that I love.

Pyrex Red Autumn Band

Parting with Buttons from Paris

Did I buy these buttons to use on something myself or did I buy them to sell?  There are a bunch of sewing projects rumbling around in my brain, but I don’t think buttons figure much in them. Was I holding onto the memories through the buttons? But wouldn’t it be fabulous if someone actually used them in some way, even if it was in a sweet little vignette? I’ve added them to my Etsy Shop.

Don’t Forget A Valance for Your Retro Kitchen

The Last Bouquet

Last Bouquet

Marc put these together on Sunday. This will be the last Bouquet of the year.  So I think my summer hiatus must officially be over.

Back with an AuctionReport

Yes, I’m still here. The Letterpress project continues. But that doesn’t mean I haven’t been out there buying.

Last night there were loads of tools to sit through and I only bought a couple of things. There were two lots of hankies, about a hundred in each lot. But they were all folded up, or more accurately put, scrunched into tiny balls and tightly stuffed into plastic grocery bags. So I really could not tell too well what they would turn out to be like. A quick search has turned up a Nursery Rhyme, and astrology wheel and a scottie dog. Not to be greedy, but after they go through my little laundry I am hoping for more good ones.

There are also a number of mens’ hankies in there. I actually love a hanky with a nice plaid around the outside edge. In fact, that is the kind I like to take running with me. (Have a mentioned that I’ve taken up running again?) I was thinking that some clever person who loves a more retro look has probably come up with some fabulous way of using these. If someone has a picture of anything made with those I’d love to share it here.

And then I bought a mailbox. I am embarassed to say that my shop mailbox has been broken for about two months at least. The door came off. Last night for $5.00  I got a great one in white that just needs to be cleaned off a little. I’m also going to stencil a number on there too.

But now for the bad news. The auction was nowhere near over when the building started to flood. No kidding. I felt so badly. The water seemed to be pouring in as the water came down in sheets outside. The runoff was incredible. Most people started to help move things…but to where.  Their building is always so chock full of stuff. I am afraid that today they have a terrible mess on their hands.  Hopefully, their loses won’t be too great.

Sniffing Bakelite

Sometimes when discussing bakelite with people they have expressed their inability to distinguish the scent of it.  For myself, after thirty years of looking at it and using it I’m not usually one of those people who stands in a public place feverishly rubbing the piece in question to work up some heat on it and then sniffs it. I’ve even seen folks licking the stuff.

Chartreuse Bakelite Tablespoon

A couple of weeks ago, before “Letterpress World,” I placed a handful of bakelite pieces into a plastic bin I’ve been using for years. It has a tight fitting lid to keep the dust off things that are waiting for their photos to be taken. Yesterday when I opened the bin the smell of bakelite, or the chemical phenol formaldehyde of which it is made, nearly knocked me over. So if you have a piece you could easily learn the smell by such a strategy. I’ve had other plastics in the bin and there was barely an odor at all when the bin was opened.

A mix of different color bakelite handles  is a cheery site. So don’t be put off by the lack of complete matching sets available.  But keep the handles out of direct sunlight as that will quickly change the colors.

Art Deco Bakelite Knives

It isn’t that vintage letterpress isn’t pretty…

…it definitely can be.  The filigree-type pieces from the 30’s are lovely. It would make a lovely paperweight if you don’t print. So I don’t really want to say I started to miss pretty after nearly a month of working with so much printing stuff. It may be light and bright that I started to crave.  So I did break down and list a couple of other things.

First, a Crown Staffordshire cup and saucer in the Blue Bow pattern. If you’ve never seen this pattern or any other china patterns that has  raised enamel work on it, hunt for some.  On this pattern the bows are enameled and feel embossed as you run a finger over them. Gorgeous!

And for a fabric fix I added a vintage, 36″ floral bouquet fabric to Etsy. This is a piece I bought thinking I would use it. Truth be told I can’t even remember what I thought I would use it for. That’s always a bad sign. And it is really too lovely for a life in a drawer. It is barkcloth era, but it is more of a flat broadcloth. There are no makers marks on the salvages.

Wondering what happened to the auction and flea market reports?  A couple are on the way as soon as the sun shines for some major picture taking.

A Lovely Spring Shower

Some people just have a knack for pefect entertaining and my friend Linda has it in heaps. She also has years of practice too. Here are some photos for the Bridal Shower she just had for her future daughter-in-law, Kelly.

The food was a super assortment of finger foods.
She prepared it all herself, with the help of the bride’s mother.

The French Tulips in the Glass Pocketbook Vases here door prizes.

So this is a picture of the dessert bar. What the heck!
Ok. It is better that you can’t see all the desserts.
You would be so jealous.

If you haven’t been to Linda’s website, go to Lilli-Maeg Floral  Specialties
to see what fabulous work she does.