Vintage Vibe

I know you know that I love all things glass ~ and vintage (well, not ALL things vintage, but a good amount).  And I love finds, steals, gifts from family and friends and, aaand, a "shout out" from a kindred spirit on Pinterest!

Have you ever wanted something when you saw it?  Ogled over it?  Wanted it?  Couldn't afford it? Never got it, but it was always in the back of your mind?  I would say, "One day. . .. one day, I shall have one".  Well.  A month or so ago I was playing with paper at Dolly's house and before I left she sent Miss Sarah to the attic to fetch something.  Down came the following:

 

"Would you like this?" she asks.  Say what?  Be still my beating heart!  Why, yes, YES I WOULD!
You could have knocked me over with a feather.  Oh, Dolly!  Thank you so, so much! Insert Happy Dance! Ahhh. . . . chippy love!   I have pondered for a while as to how to use it. 
I'm sure the perfect thing will come to mind, but if not, I love 'er the way she is!

Then a couple weekends ago the Lion's Club here in town had a "community yard sale" in their building.  I hemmed and hawed over whether or not to go and finally caved around 11:30AM.  I know from experience that all things good and pretty and valuable are usually gone in a matter of minutes.  So I figured I was just going on a scenic tour of the place.  (I've  never been in their building before.)

But someone, aka: God, was watching out for me and my addiction!  Just look at what I came home with (all for under five buckeroos!):

Not one, but two, serving dishes!  $1.00 each.  They are pretty good sized.  Larger than a relish tray. The pattern is called "Star of David".  Told ya He was watchin' out for me.  Used them on the 4th.
Two little candle holders that I'm going to turn into pin cushion bases.  They are heavy as lead and very, very sparkly. And they were only a quarter each.
And lastly, (Heidi Jane ~ I can't believe it!) a tiny little Banana bowl!  That's right.  A.  Banana. Bowl.  It's a pressed diamond cut kind of pattern.  Cute.  Shiny. And tiny.  For ~ hold on ~ two smakeroos! Two!   Ahhh. . . . . Happy Jig! Happy Jig!

On our Annual 4th of July get together my sister surprised me with these:

Like my old Maxwell House coffee jars, they are vintage and they came from Dad's. (All but the little one in front ~ she picked it up at a thrift store).  The star lid on the little one belongs on one of the bigger jars, but the OCD in me wanted consistency.  (go ahead and laugh) The lids even have the old cardboard seals still in them!  I asked her why she gave them to me and you know what she said?  Because I said I liked them and if she ever got rid of them I would like them.  Now, how's that for sharing?  I'm going to use them on patriotic holidays for sure!  Already have it planned out in my noggin.  I love the scene on them ~ a kitchen counter with a window, a coffee mill, a coffee pot, a jar of coffee, utensils, a loaf of sliced bread and a vase of flowers.  Love it!

And then, today.  I'm on Pinterest and see I'm mentioned in a pin by my Kindred Spirit on the West Coast of this here United States of America.  She thought of little ole me when she pinned this:

It's an old Coke carrier like the one I have, only this gal (http://www.infarrantlycreative.net) put shelves in hers to hold pretties.  She even used black, white and red accents!  Can we say: "Oooooo, ahhhhh"?   It was sweet of Christie to think of me after reading my blog post about my Coke carrier.
Even sweeter that she remembered!

Life is too short not to enjoy things around us. It's too short not to share your love, your heart, your talent, your spirit and the things that connect us to one another.  Every day it seems I'm reminded of those that God has led into my life, be it for the long haul or for short stints.  I'm grateful for each and every one, even if I fail to say it.  I feel sometimes I am a miserable friend.  Sometimes I fall short ~ but mostly I just fall.  Flat.

Forgive me?
I love you guys!

Leaning on the Door Jamb of Life

Have you ever just leaned on the door jamb of life and watched your kids and the talents they have or are developing and wondered where they came from? I don't mean the obvious answer. We all know the Lord bestows upon us various talents and gifts. That is a given. But, I'm talking about the human part of the process.

I have been "leaning" a lot lately and pondering those very thoughts.

I look at my children and grandchildren and observe those things they have an interest in and do. And I wonder. . . . . who and where did that come from, exactly?

There is singing, and cooking, and scrap booking, and sports, and building, and sewing, and art, and fishing, and reading, and writing, and on and on and on. The talents intertwine from family to family and generation to generation. I see this when someone wants to sew. Or when someone puts together a beautiful scrap booking page or card. Or when I hear a hammer or drill or saw. Or when I hear the harmonious voices that only siblings can share.

They say the fruit doesn't fall far from the tree. I think it's even deeper than that. I think those little sucker roots that run just beneath the ground surface feet or yards or even miles away.
They sprout up replicas of the "first generation tree". Quite unexpectedly these saplings appear and to my amazement remind me of my past. How can it be that I am staring into the future and the past at the same time? How is it I can connect one with the other just as easily as connecting the dots? I believe it is something stronger than a notion - it's a deep desire to keep the past alive in the present for the future.

It makes me weepy with nostalgia to think one's heritage is but a glance away - that the things I long for from my youth are manifesting in front of me as I grow older. No - I can't go back. I don't want to. But. . . . I can, and will, take comfort in these things as they blossom in front of me. They are what talk to my soul. That these gifts and talents have coursed not only thru my blood, but the blood of my ancestors, to the ones I love most, is more than I can handle at times.

And so it goes - that huge, strong tree has produced many saplings down the line. And for that, I am grateful.

My "Heirloom" Quilt

Heirloom according to Webster:

1. (n) a family possession handed down from generation to generation

2. (adj) being an old variety that is being cultivated again

One of my favorite things is to peruse antique stores. I am a wonderful window shopper! One of my favorite places to visit here in Hebron was a place called Cheryl's. The girls called it "the Blue Store" because of its vibrant (and I mean vibrant) blue color. They liked it because she had candy at the front and there was a shabby chic display in pinks and whites. Just for them it seemed. All pretty and some glittery.

One particular day I was in there by myself (rare). Some of the booths had been rearranged and the shabby chic section was moved across the "isle". As I'm sauntering along something caught my eye - something in the shabby display - just hanging there. It was a quilt and it seemed terribly familiar! Now, I generally don't shop fabric goods, especially quilts. They can be quite pricey. But I couldn't help myself with this familiar object. I walk up to it - it is sooo familiar. I pick it up, I turn it - I examine it - I can't believe it! There in my hands was my quilt! The second quilt I ever made in my life - I was not even 20 years old when I made it! How could this be? I call my sister, Donna, and asked "what should I do?". Cheryl wanted thirty dollars for it - a bargain for sure - and my sister wanted to know the condition of it - not so good - so. . . long story short - Donna suggested I not buy it. Oh, I was devastated, and - reluctantly agreed. After she hung up, she talked to Greg and he said I should get it, no matter the shape, it could become an heirloom. Donna called me back to re-advise me - but too late - my heart had made my mind up to get the thing - my quilt - my hard work.

I told Cheryl it was my quilt - this I knew for sure. How could I know for sure - the fabric - the aqua blue check and the brown stripe in particular. The check was from a dress I made in Jr. High Home Ec and the brown stripe was from a shirt my mom had made my brother when he was young. (mom made a lot of our clothes) I recognized other fabrics, but these two and the backing were the things that said "I'm your quilt!". As I explained these things to Cheryl, she was flabbergasted! (she wasn't alone here) What I didn't know was how she ended up with it. She said she had purchased it at an estate sale on Riverside Dr. in Fruitland. Now, my dad lived in Fruitland. We had a yard sale after he died to get rid of some of the stuff he had. Could my quilt have been an item sold at that yard sale? I will never know the answer to that question. but what I did know was - I was standing there with my quilt in my hands (that I had to pay thirty dollars for)!

Now since it is my quilt and I haven't passed it along yet, is it still an heirloom? To me it is, because I'm sure my mom helped me. It has pieces of her in it. We didn't do the traditional quilting because we didn't have a quilting frame, so I "tie knotted" it. That was another identification factor. The pattern is called "Grandmother's Flower Garden". Fitting isn't it?

I feel the quilt has come full circle - if objects can do that. It found it's way home and reminded me of simpler times - times with my mom and times I should create with my daughters and grand daughters. Of times I can't bring back but thru memories.