Look What I Found!

I'm so excited! Today I went thrifting/antiquing.
I haven't had much luck lately but today, I found these!

I nearly fell over when I saw them.  When I asked the lady about the price, which was already very good, she quickly said "I can give you a better price if you like".... well, it was all I could do to keep from screaming "YES"!

I've been looking for pink transferware for  a little over a year, but never found any that I liked at a price I was willing to pay..... I'm not cheap, mind you, just frugal.

The price she offered me was a third of the price I'd seen online... before shipping!

 I bought 4 dinner plates and 4 salad plates. There were only two cups and saucers, but I was so happy I didn't mind. Maybe I can find two more later.




I especially love  Adams English Countryside pattern, because it has sheep on the salad plate. 

 

 Now I'm doing the happy dance, and my hubby was thrilled when I said it could be my early birthday present. It worked for him.

Thanks for letting me share my new "find". You'll probably be seeing it in a tablescape one of these days.
 Glad y'all stopped by.

New Look for the Old Secretary.

 A couple of weeks ago, Donna@ Designs on 47th Street, shared photos of her beautiful new secretary.

When I posted My Entry for Spring, she asked about my secretary that she'd seen in this photo.

I was embarassed to show it to anyone because it was a catch all of little, unrelated "treasures".

Well, then I had to do something. I couldn't show it the way it was, so I started shopping the house for anything that would work.
I found my box of sea shells and started playing.

I wrapped the dark, little books in white paper and tied them with twine.

An old piece of coral went on a round stand.

I filled a flower pot with several large shells.

Recognize the woven glass holders? I added those for texture and inserted a silver julep cup for a tiny bit of sparkle.

Two small transferware plates, a bird figure, starfish, sea biscuits, sand dollars and a lidded dish, and it was finished.
All were things I had, so the new look was "free".

                                                               Ta Da!

My favorite little Staffordshire dog and Waterford clock are always on the desk.

I added a mother of pearl frame and a lamp for reading.

Hope you like the new look. Thanks for stopping by.

I'll be joining Marty@AStrollThruLife for Tabletop Tuesday. 
                                              and Kim@SavvySouthernStyle for Wow Us Wednesday.

See y'all there.
                        

Pineapple Sage

It's been really warm here in Georgia, and I've started looking at the garden centers for my old favorites.
One that I've always loved and try to find each year is:                        
                    
                                
                                            Pineapple Sage.

It has the yummiest fragrance and little bright red tubular blooms in late Summer or early Fall and attracts hummingbirds like crazy.

  

I'll keep it in it's little pot for a couple of weeks, and then put it in the ground.  It gets up to 3 ft. high and makes a really nice full plant for the garden.  

If you'd like more information, this site is very informative. Vegetable Gardner gives ways it can be used, but I just put a sprig in a glass of iced tea for garnish and sit on the deck and enjoy the fragrance.


I'm working on a new look for the secretary in the living room. Here is a little hint:

 

Hopefully, I'll have it finished in a day or so.

Y'all have a great weekend.

True Confessions

Ok, I admit it!! I don't always dine at the table with chargers and monogrammed napkins.
Sometimes I eat at the coffee table in front of the tv.

We interupt this post with a word from the camera person:
Please excuse the quality of these photos as the light was very bright in the family room and they all seem to be a bit overexposed. I'm still getting used to my new camera.  The first photo is the actual color of the couch, etc.

And now, back to "True Confessions":

Also, I must confess that I love Ramen noodles... yes, I know, but they are so easy to make and sometimes when I've had a busy day... or for no reason at all... I make them and pretend I ordered "take out".

To add a little extra nutrition,  I add fresh or frozen stir-fry veggies or sometimes I'll add a bit of cooked meat.
In this photo, I also added baby bok choy that I got at the Asian market.

 Here you see frozen egg rolls that I cooked in the oven and served in a take out carton

To make everything easier to serve, I use the bamboo trays I've had for years. 

The little white dipping bowls and the chop sticks are from World Market, and the red flower shaped dishes that hold the chop sticks are from Goodwill.

The napkins are from Pier 1 Imports last year.

There, I feel much better now that you know my little "secret".
Stop by again for another "true confession".

I'll be joining Susan at Between Naps On The Porch for Tablescape Thursday.  See you there.

My Entry for Spring

Hi, Thank y'all for stopping by again. Come on in. I want to show you a little something new I've done for Spring.
This won't take long because my entry is very small.

You can see the living room on the right; and the entry way chest is to the left of the open door.

For some time I've been looking  for a vase to use on the chest; and the other day at Home Goods I found, hopefully, just the thing.

I loved the color and the detail on the handles, but you know how it is... I wanted to get it home and see if the size was ok, etc.

It's bright and cheery and just the right size.
What do you think?

We usually use the tray to put our keys or mail on, so I like to keep the accessories fairly simple.

Here's another pic and you can see the stairs going UP.

  I left the front door open to get enough light to photograph, so you see why I wanted to brighten the area.

I like to put fresh flowers or greenery there to make it feel more welcoming, but the day I arranged this, I couldn't find white tulips anywhere. So, I used faux ones and added Autumn fern fronds from the garden to give it a "fresh"  look. The  ferns should last for a couple of days and then I can change them.

Hope you enjoy my Spring entry. I'd love to hear if you have any suggestions, especially for small rooms. 

Decorating small rooms is always a challenge... but always fun.

St. Patrick's Day Wishes

Wanting to send you best  wishes, I began "shopping" the house for things which might remind everyone of Ireland.
As I searched, thoughts of my husband's Irish grandmother came to mind, and this little Irish tale began:

It was almost tea time when the mail finally arrived.

Mary Jane placed the mail on the little tray, made a cup of tea and seated herself at the desk.

Looking at the card, she closed her eyes and  remembered her father with his wool cap and blackthorn walking stick as they walked down the lane together.

Sweet memories of long ago.

Wishing each of you a very Happy St. Patrick's Day.

The vintage postcards are from an antique mall perhaps 10 years ago.
The silver tray from Good Will
Teacup from a china set by Arcadian, "Old Rose" pattern, given to me by my aunt.
Monogrammed napkins are from Marshall's last year.
Irish cap and blackthorn walking stick belong to my husband
and the Hellebores (Lenten roses) are from our yard.

I'll be joining Cuisine Kathleen's St. Patrick's Day Blog Crawl. See you there.