Welcome Asparagus!

 

 

Welcome, asparagus - I've been eagerly anticipating your return!!

Antiquing with Friends

I had such fun day antiquing with several friends, old and new.  We spent the day in the Adamstown area where there are scads and scads of antique shops and malls, all in nearby vicinity of each other.

 

We saw tons of Pyrex mixing bowls, casserole dishes, etc. in every color and pattern imaginable.  I was so enamored with them that I didn't even think to take a picture!  Now, my heart is set on acquiring a set of aqua mixing bowls, but who can justify paying $100 for a set??  I've never, ever seen them at the thrift shop, so it may be a looong time until I acquire a set.

 

 

It's always fun to see a vintage yo yo quilt, but I wasn't feeling the need to add it to my collection.

 

However, the lovelies below did come home with me:

 

I've been looking for one of these wash tubs for quite a while.  We used one as kids on the farm - in the fall, we would always gather up leaves in a wash tub (after raking and jumping in them first!), then haul them off to the barn for bedding for the cows.  I've been wanting to use one as the base for my Christmas tree since the current one I have isn't quite big enough.  This one was in great condition and sits level on the ground.  Yea!

 

 

I couldn't pass up an enamel roaster at a good price,

 

or this dear cake stand.

 

I'm such a sucker for vintage Pyrex custard cups - they're great for so many purposes!

And, I was happy to add another vintage refrigerator dish to my collection.

 

:)

 

Thanks, Judy, for introducing me to the Adamstown antique shops!

Poor Birdie

 

 

I thought this was so amusing - a bird built a nest in the wreath on my front door, on top of the fake bird's nest, eggs and bird that were already there ahead of him!  I reluctantly took the wreath down, as it was making a mess on my front stoop.  I even saw the bird coming back with some straw in its beak, looking terribly puzzled as to what had happened to his nest. 

 

Sorry, dear birdie!

Today's Thrift Shop Finds

 

I was thrilled to find these Ironstone dishes at the local thrift shop this evening - they are the exact same dishes we had at home when I was a child!  I need more dishes like a hole in the head, but since it was the  Friday night 50% off sale, who could resist?!  They make me think of the Jetsons... or, Christmas!

 

Below are some pictures of my other finds.  :)

 

Happy vintage thrifting to you!

Liberated Baskets

photo credit: Jolene Klassen

 

I've been in awe of this quilt ever since discovering it on Jolene Klassen's  Blue Elephant Stitches quilt blog several months ago.  I found it so compelling; it almost has a museum-quality look to it.

 

Then, I discovered the book that it came from, Gwen Marsden's Liberated Quiltmaking II, at the AQS quilt show in March.  I ordered it off Amazon, and I began to think, "maybe I could actually make this quilt."

 

But, the more I studied the quilt, the more I realized that so much of the interest of the quilt wasn't just the quirky baskets, but the fabric selection.  How would I pull that off?

 

So, imagine my delight when Jolene said yes to my e-mail request to her, asking if she would consider putting a kit of fabrics together for me so I could make a quilt similar to hers. 

 

The package arrived today...

 

... from Canada!

 

In the envelope was a wonderful assortment of fabrics that I would have never thought to put together,

 

 

with Jolene's little notes taped to each set of fabrics.

 

I am thrilled!

 

Annual 1st Day of Spring Tradition - Belated!

 

 

Since Spring was a little slow in coming this year, I postponed my 1st day of spring rituals - a trip to Rita's and ...

 

... pansy planting - until today, when it actually felt like spring!