Another new one....

I do not know how people who collect antiques or run antique shops can keep track of brands and designs and manufacturers. It boggles the mind. Every time I find something I like and start researching it, that leads to something else I find that I start researching. Hopping around on blogs this week led me to a post about Taylor Smith Taylor. Which led to even more research. Here are some items that were my favorites.

I still have not found a cream and sugar bowl to purchase. But I do like this set.

Perfect little cereal bowls.

Another blue pattern.

Sister is going to love these pink flowers with the pink interior of the cups. How cute are they?

Of course, she will also like this pretty turquoise set since she has a whole section of her kitchen dedicated to turquoise and pink.

This is Taylor Smith Taylor's Ever Yours Boutinniere pattern. I keep seeing this pattern and falling in love with it. 

Look at this entire vintage pink set they made. That is absolutely gorgeous.

They didn't just do pastels. Look at this tall pitcher with the rooster. This really caught my eye.

All the blue Ever Yours pattern reminded me of the vintage Fire King pattern called Bonnie Blue. Mom had a set of these. You would get them free in Mother's Oats. Daddy always drank his coffee from them. I see this set on Etsy and Ebay all the time, but I want to find one at a thrift store or yard sale. I saw them everywhere last year when I first got into yard sales and thrift stores. Now that I want a set, I probably won't find them anywhere.

I'm taking the day off today and heading out to some vintage shops to see what I can find. Have an awesome Good Friday.

The dreaded alarm....

It's one of those days when Hubby is not going to want the alarm to go off. When it rings and awakes him from a good nights sleep, he is going to be 60.

That's right. The big 6 - 0.

He has never been one who worried about birthdays. He has always said it's just another day. Until he realized he was going to be 60. He was hoping it would just slide on by. He would rather we didn't remember it. But guess what, it is HERE.

Hubby is a man who doesn't worry about a lot of things and age has always been the one thing that never bothered him. But I think 60 has not only arrived, I think it has slapped him in the face with reality.

We had a conversation a month or so ago. He said he didn't want any big hoop-la about his birthday. He wasn't going to bring up the fact he was 60. He said he preferred to pretend like it was just another day. He said there was no need to let people know he was going to be 60. A few hours later, the mail man ran and he received his renewal for his drivers license.

He told me to open it and I read it. It stated that since he was going to be 60 this year, he had the option of whether or not to put his photo on his license. I just lost it. So much for keeping it on the Q.T. that he was going to be 60. Guess if the DMV knows it, everbody knows it.

In honor of the great day, I moved out of my comfort zone of cakes and cookies and actually baked him an apple pie for his birthday. I was so proud of myself.

Well, actually it was rather easy since I used Pillsbury pie crust and canned pie filling. And I must confess that I had to call my daughter-in-law, Jamie,  for advice on how to make it even with it being store bought stuff. She makes hers from scatch so I could feel her cringe over the phone at the thought of store bought pre-made ingredients.

 

What can I say, I've never made apple pie before. It may not look like the greatest pie every made, but he snuck into it last night and has a piece with some ice cream. He said it was delicious. I just wish it looked better. Guess Jamie will have to give me lessons before his next birthday.

But no matter how bad he doesn't want to face 60 and no matter that the pie may not look the best, I do hope he has a very happy birthday today.

Happy birthday, sweetheart. I love you.

Partying with a twist....



I know so many people who love Thirty-One products and they would love to earn the free products, but they either don't have the time or the room to have a party. In many cases, they aren't sure they know enough people to invite to a party. So we are going to party here with a twist.....

We are going to hold an online party through midnight April 10, 2012

Everyone who places an order will be entered in a drawing to become the "hostess" of the online party.  The winner will be drawn on April 11th and announced on this blog that morning.

What does a hostess of an online party do? That's the beauty of it. Nothing! All you will be required to do is to select the free product(s) you want. The dollar value of products you receive will be based on the total dollar value of all orders received. The winner will also be notified by email and will learn how much she has earned to "spend" on free products. It's that simple.

The April special is purchase $31 in products and receive any purse for 50% off.

You can shop here by clicking on The Store to place your order and become registered to win the hostess benefits of the party. You can email me at beesplace31@gmail.com with questions or simply leave a comment here and I will respond to it.

 

Remember, any order placed, no matter what size, will be registered to become the hostess and will receive free products based on the total party orders as well as being eligible for all hostess benefits. Learn more about our Hostess Rewards.

I am promoting the online party on Facebook as well and already have a little over $100 in orders so the lucky winning hostess is well on her way to earning some free products.

Feel free to share this blog post with your friends and family.

The things you learn...

I love reading romantic fiction. One thing I have found is that even when you are reading fiction, an author will do tons of research and sprinkle the fiction with facts and findings that are true. I was reading a novel this week and the main character was visiting a friend and he was cooking for her and was getting out everything he needed for the meal. She made a comment on a bowl he was using and said she loved the vintage yelloware bowl.

Now, being a bowl lover and a vintage nut, I had to go online to see if such a thing existed since I have never heard of it. Well, it does. Apparently these items are hugely collectible.

Country Living magazine had this to say about yelloware:

ORIGIN American, early 1900s.

ORIGINAL USE Potteries throughout the United States produced pressed, molded, or thrown mixing and serving bowls. These 3" to 18" diam. nesting bowls were clear-glazed to emphasize the natural pale yellow to dark mustard clay. Bowls were often decorated with bands.

 

I have seen these bowls everywhere and never realized how collectible they were.

Apparently they are not just the yellow color. They are all over E-bay in varied colors and patterns. I like this pink and blue one. I actually had a pitcher like this but don't recall whatever happened to it.

It turns out they are called yelloware because of the crude yellow clay used in the early 1500's when Yellow Ware began making pottery in England. Over the years, they perfect the process and experimented with different base colors and stripes, but it still maintained the Yellow Ware name for the process that was used to create the pottery.

Apparently from what I am finding on Etsy and E-bay, the yelloware pottery was even famous for pitchers as well.

The above pitcher is from circa 1880. For the most part, the prices are reasonable on these items.

I have also seen yelloware items on Pinterest. Crocks was another item they made a lot of.

Some show some wear and tear, but they are still functional. It just gives them character. But some are in really great condition.

I am wondering if my sister has any yelloware in her house and isn't even aware of it.

Over the years, I have sold pitchers and crocks that I no longer wanted. I wonder now if any of them were yelloware and I never realized it. This blue one above is on Pinterest as yelloware and the blue one below is on Craig's List, simply listed as very old pottery. There is some resemblance so I wonder if this one is yelloware as well. Apparently the wide band was a tradition in yelloware.

These are the types of pottery you see at a lot of yard sales. I'm going to have to keep my eyes open for a piece or two of it.

 

Unexpected finds....

I love when you are driving along and see a yard sale and just get that urge to stop for just a second. That happened to me on Saturday and I am so glad I gave into the urge and stopped.

It was around noon so most of the good stuff would be gone I figured. The first thing that caught my eye was this adorable shelf.

As I sauntered over for a closer look, I said how cute it was but had no idea what I would use it for. The lady said it would be great as a little shelf to hold some cookbooks. I checked the price tag and can you believe it was only .75 cents! It is solid wood and it great shape. Nothing coming loose; no major scars. So I brought it home and now it holds a place of honor on the cook book section of my Baker's Rack. For now, I put my springy teapot on it, but that is subject to change. I don't know what I will use the drawers for, but I'm thinking maybe my holiday cookie cutters. I just adore it and am so glad I stopped to take a look.

If you will recall, I recently changed the decor in my bathroom to include lavenders, lilacs, and purples. I have been looking around for a good deal on a lotion dispenser, soap dish, and toothbrush holder with purple. At the same yard sale yesterday, I found this entire set. It is like brand new. It doesn't look like it has ever been used and the price for the entire set was just $2.00. What a deal!

And here is the set at its new home on the sink. I just love it.

I just love finding what I'm looking for and finding it at a great price.

The joy of being joyful...

 

For the most part, I am a very upbeat, positive person. Call it optimism, call it being a Pollyanna, call it what you will, but I simply can't stand being negative about anything. I personally believe it is because of my faith. I have such deep rooted faith in God, that I find it hard to worry way too much. I try to just give it to Him and let Him handle it. I find when I do that, things always work out for the best. It's hard not to try to step in and do things my way, but I have learned to let go and let God. He's way bigger than me and can handle my problems and concerns easier than I can.

One of my favorite bible verses is Philippians 4:11 - "Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content." It doesn't mean I don't suffer problems, grief, fear, pain or despair at times. It just means that there is someone more powerful than me that I can give the troubles to. This lets me go on about the joy of living.

 

 One of the simplest words in the English language that really packs a punch is JOY. We struggle through so much in our daily walk that it is good to find joy when you can. It is good to look for joy in day to day situations.  

Find something to make you smile or look for the little things that make you laugh. I have found that being able to laugh at yourself is an important part of living a happy life. If we can't laugh at ourselves how can we be truly happy. Psalm 89:15 says Blessed are the people who know the joyful sound! They walk, O LORD, in the light of Your countenance.

I love laughter. It makes you feel good inside. It releases pent up anger and frustration. It can relieve stressful situations. But the best kind of laughter is when you can laugh at yourself. Don't take yourself so seriously all the time. We all do and say things that are amusing. Look for those situations and be glad that you are able to laugh at yourself... then share it with others to bring a smile to their face as well.

I did something yesterday that made me laugh at myself. Then the situation progressed and got even funnier. I even called my Mom to share the story with her so she could get a good laugh out of it. I want to share it with you this morning in hopes that it brings a little laughter your way and a little smile to your face.

 

I was getting ready to head out for the day. I had just finished drying my hair so I reached into the bath cabinet and pulled out the hairspray. As I was giving it a good coat, I thought "The hairspray seems lighter this morning." So I took a good look at the can and sure enough, I was spraying deodorant all over my hair. I chuckled and put it up, brushed my hair good again and the got the "real" hairspray out. After I covered my hair good I thought to myself "I might as well put my deodorant on next.".......AND PROCEEDED TO SPRAY THE HAIRSPRAY UNDER MY ARMS.

Now, if you can't laugh at yourself after you do something like that, there is just no hope for your sense of humor.

 



Stuff I found this week...

When I was out and about this past week, I found this cute little milk glass bud vase for .99 cents.

Yesterday, I found this little pitcher and bowl for .50 cents at a yard sale. It is filthy. I'm going to need to soak it to get it clean, but I still love it.

My daughter gave me this cute basket. Well, actually I asked her where she got it and kind of hinted that I needed one so she gave it to me since she didn't really use it for anything.

Hubby surprised me on our anniversary with a pretty springy top that is purple with daisies on it. This ring matched it and for only $1.00, I snatched it up at a yard sale.

If you are in Walmart or your local grocery store today, check out the novelty ice cream section. Good Humor has developed York Peppermint Patty Ice Cream Bars. Oh my, sheer heaven.

I'm trying to decide how bad I want these shoes. I love the look, but not sure these old legs could stand the strain. But they would just be for church and they would be so cute for summer. It depends on how tall that heel actually is. So we shall see.

Saw this top the other day at Walmart and thought it was very cute. May have to make a trip back to get one. Of course, I would never wear the scarf, but I just love the nautical look of navy and white.

Well, I'm going to close for the day. Not sure what all I will get in to before the day is out.