It's Party Time!

......over at the Esty Cottage Style Blog!

This months color is Aqua.  The party lasts all week, so I cna't wait to see everyonestrue color! I love the shade of aqua or it used to be called blue green in the crayon box. I think if pine trees on the mountainside.....a pair of flipflops I had in the 60's with a big flower on em with different shades of aqua....a 60's coffee pot I have with gold and aqua diamonds on it.... ya know there are a lot of different hues and shades in this color family...................................................

Here is a vintage set of Melemine dishes I found for sale on Ebay.


We  have this 1950/60 aqua and black pottery bowl for sale at our flower shop.

This is the center picture on one of 4 English aluminum plates in my collections and it's filled with shades of aqua.

 This is a pillow I created using a 1950's hankie, 1960's tourquoise cotton fabric and rickrack, accented by a 1960's enamalware pin.

 My autumn throw I use on my kitchen porch glider has a lot of different shades of aqua.

 These next 2 pictures show a variety of blue greens in 1950's magazine showing fabrics.

 This tin is from the 1960's and filled with embroidery and threads from my Grandma.

 And, this is another 1950-60 vintage dishtowel I beaded and hand-embroidered to create a pillow.

Wow, I didn't realize I had so much aqua on hand. Well...I do love the shades of greens. Here are a few more aquas........................................

Feel free to copy and use these for your own paper crafts! Well, I think I go and see the other guests at the party. If you'd like to join me we'll go thru HERE

Am I Blue...........

Okay, I'm feelin a little blue today, which is not necessarily a bad thing. Especially when it's time for the  Cottage Colors Party over at http://www.etsycottagestyle.blogspot.com/  January's color is Blue.
Now my all time fav thing that is blue is one of the oldest garments in the fashion world, still popular today, and not changed in design over the last 100+ years.....can you guess?..........................................

 Click the pic to learn the history of this fashion staple

Jeans!

I love denim so much that I've used them in a few of my vintage inspired designs at

Brown Gingham Creations...............................

Now I don't have a lot of blue in my house, but I do have touches............................................................



A vintage blue Blenko Glass bowl





These English Aluminum plates





were a recent find.




I love the themes and the colors. They are so 1930-40.



These cobalt blue bowls aren't old, but the Aluminum server and lids I found as a set  are and needed them. LOL, when I purchased this the seller told me it was a bologna server....you placed the round luncheon meat in the indentations and covered with the lids.....I didn't have the heart to tell him he was wrong, but I purchased them for $5 and got the bowl for a $1 each at Olde Time Pottery.  know they aren't the cut glass or Pyrex type glass you usually see with Rodney Kent designs, but I thought it looked good.



This fruit motif jeannie bottle is from the 50-60's/ You sometimes find them as lamps. Industrious husbands used the bottle as the main body of the lamp and the topper as a finial.

Now these next blues are special to my heart................................................................................

This is our Shadow

(yes I know he's gray and black, but see his blue bone dog tag?)



And, these are two of 6 foundlings that are now Shadow's kittencaboodle
Chunkey Monkey (to the left of the ball) is one of 3 Russian Blues.
And, lastly here's a picture courtesy of God's handiwork...................................................................

Now let's go over and see all the other blue posts at Etsy Cottage Style Blog. We'll go theu here........

Click image to enter!

See you there!

December Vintage Alphabet Party

Even tho I'm on vacation this week I couldn't miss the last Alphabet Party at ECS. I was so happy when Etsy Cottage Style asked if I could think of  themes for some monthly posts on the blogsite and help co-host the get-togethers for the blogspot a year ago. We started with A and I cannot believe that we have gone thru the entire alphabet already. It's now December and we're already to Y and Z!




I have a great Yand Z
It's my Pfaltzgraph Yellowware-like America dishes........................................................

                                                                            and platter.

I found these in 1983 at the Pfaltzgraff Outlet in Pigeon Forge, Tn.  I loved the quilt-like patterns on each plate, they were warm and homey....perfect for my someday home. Believe it or not the plates were Zany $1 each and the platter was $3. The next year I puchased a large round platter as well as a large pitcher. Each were $5, but niether has an image like the plates or platter just the gold with the sponge blue edging (actually they were 2nds)....oh and they had no more of the plates of course. .I placed my treasures in my hope basement...remember I've been collecting bits and peices for my someday home since I was 10, so, my parents basement was referred to the 'hope basement' since my stuff overflowed. It stayed there til I married in 93' and moved into my first home with my new hubby. (yes I lived at home all that time) Why the 'hope basement'...from the age of 10-17 I 'hoped' to find someone to marry..lol...there was too much stuff for a 'hope chest'.. I met my HS sweetie and by 1993 we married, but by that time my parents 'hoped' the stuff would leave...... I purchased plates here at home for $1.50 in a coordinating blue color to give me 8 plates. For years I never saw these plates again, until a year ago I saw a whole set in an Indiana Antique Mall, but the price was well over $150. I never realized how poular the pattern was, it was retired relatively quickly, but that has happened to a lot of the dinnerware patterns I choose....my wedding china is Lenox's Prairie Rose and the Onieda Silver I chose, Southern Garden, to go with it both
were retired that same year. Sigh........If you'd like to learn more about this pattern
check out this website.................................................................
Pfaltzgraff America Collectors Club . They have info and pics of all the peices.
Well, I must be off. This vacation week is going quickly. I have oodles of pics to download to show you in the coming weeks and I was again asked to co-host some new get-togethers for Etsy Cottage Style. I have a few ideas that I tyhink will be fun, so, have a great New Year!

Hey Everybody!

It's time for the..................................................................

Over at Sue's...It's A Very Cherry World.....blog. So, I thought you all could join me for the.......................

over at the Etsy Cottage Style blog. It's a monthly party I co-host, where we get together each month and show off collections that fit into a letter catagory. November's letters are W and X.

For W I thought of vintage Wall art.........................................................

This wall art grouping in my entry hall consists 2 vintage August Wendell Eagle motif trays. Two Coppercraft 1960's eagle convex mirrors. A 1960's milkglass vase and a vintage 1930-40's wall clock with eagle finial and a watercolor of Monticello.

 This wall is in my kitchen hall. I always say a blank wall is my canvas. I love taking unexpected items and creating wall art. I have reproduction vintage signs and food stuff labels, a vintage 1940's wooden shopping reminder.

Some of spices and baking items are 1960 vintage and reproduction. The paper strwa in their box are from the 60's. The barn yard pitcher is from the 40's and the other pitcher is a reproduction design of a Colonial pattern from the Met Museum in NY.

The rest of the wall is filled with vintage copper, plaster fruit, more signs, and cast iron.

And my beloved Water pump in the Kitchen Garden.............................................................................

I found this old rusted water pump up in Amish country at an antique market for $40. Jim built a wooden box to make it a more realistic pump. It really pumps water with a recycling pump in it. The oaken bucket is new.

It's surrounded by black-eyed-susan's, clematis, coneflower, and african daisies. It reminds me of the old pump at my Great-Grandpa's farm.

 For X I'll show my newest Fav vintage inspired Xmas house and church.

And, here are some vintage Xmas illustrations for you to use....................................



Well, that's it for this alphabet installment. Do you have some vintage items that fit into the W and X catagory.....come on over and join us at the Etsy Cottage Style Blogspot  for the Vintage Alphabet Party all week long! And, stop over at Sue's It's A Very Cherry World for Rednesday to see all the other red hot vintage finds! Now, I'm off to visit the other party-goers.

Hey! Do ya know what day it is?

It was the third Monday of October and that means they're having the Vintage Alphabet Party over at the Etsy Cottage Style Blog all week long! And, Wednesday is Rednesday at It's a Very Cherry World, so I'll be linking to both parties!

This months letters are  for the Vintage Alphabet is S, T, and U.

I was so happy with these letters this month cause I'll get to show-off my............................................

Unique Souvenir  Plates and Trays

Not a word about that U it's the best I can do 8)

Souvenir Plates

Jim went here as a child. He someday wants to take me there.

These 3 states were fun rides.

Jim went here to visit his Brother back in the 80's

I was born in Californis, so  this is a special plate to me.

and, these 2 plates are from our home State. The one with the Cardinal, the state bird, is really a basket when you lift the handle. I thought that was unique....and Yes Cincinnati has a Coney Island. In it's hayday it gave NY a run for it's money. Paddlewheelers and other vessels would dock at the Riverboat entrance. It is still open today, just on a smaller scale, but it is a popular local attraction. To learn more you can go Here

Aluminum Trays

If you see past posts you have learned I am crazy about 1940-50 hand-wrought aluminum pieces. Today I'll showcase some of my more unsual finds.

The first 2 trays were made for Farberware. The insets are Limoge....a colonial kitchen pattern and a French Country Gentry, almost toile like pattern. They had full placesettings to match the aluminum serving pieces.

You can clisk the pic to enlarge.

 You've seen this one before, but I love the Dutch scene

 This is an August Wendel Canape' Tray

 I display some of my vintage plaster cottages on this 3-tier tray.

 I created a shelf above my dining room window to display some of my collection. These are (left to right) A large serving tray, a relish tray, and a lazy susan tray. The lazy susan should have a glass center with matching cut-glass cover..all of them did, but today you only find the aluminum by itself. How do I know this...My Grandma, who began my collection when I was 14, had one on her dining room table forever. They came in various patterns to choose from in the 40's. I wish I knew what became of hers.........

 2 more trays with a poinsettia pattern.

The next 2 trays are just plain metal.
Cincinnati is a German town, so beer was a big biz here until the 80's. Huedepol Brewery was a large employer and a very popular brand around here.

I know you've seen this tray before too.

 And, this is my newest tray. A $10 wooden bed tray found at the Lawrenceburg Antique Flea Market. The gentleman I purchased it from said it was from his Aunt's estate. She purchased it in the 40's with her first paycheck.

I works perfect for my laptop. It needs a little cleaning, but I don' have the heart to redo it yet.

Some of you may be wondering why I haven't posted about vintage Sewing or Stitches....I assumed you may be a little tired of me showing my creations...if you'd like to see those just go thru my past posts or visit my shops Here...over Here...oh, and don't forget Here

If you'd like to view some vintage stitches visit The Embroidery Guild or to Stitch School

Let's go on over to

 Susan's and visit her Very Cherry World thru Here and see all the 'red' hot vintage finds,

then why not hope over to the.....

at the Etsy Cottage Style Blog, where I co-host the Party thru Here and see all the

Uniquely Special Timeless collections!

Oh and don't forget any time this week you can link your own Vintage Alphabet post at the party too. I'd love to see you there!

Melody