I Love Flowers

I love flowers; but I guess you all figured that out by now.  :)  I also love big, beautiful, glossy books about flowers.  Which is why I LOVE this book:  A Passion for Flowers, by Carolyne Roehm.  My sweet family gave it to me for my birthday.

It is absolutely filled with gorgeous flowers, arranged in beautiful containers.  In fact, as a thrift store addict, the containers make me almost as giddy as the blooms themselves.

These photos really do not do it justice.  I really need to start scanning them.  Wouldn't you love to have this gorgeous all-white arrangement, in it's lovely footed crystal bowl?

It is a wonderful coffee table book to peruse on a cold and dreary winter's day.

And it is giving me some terrific ideas...  I'd love to start featuring a flower arrangement in a unique thrift store find here in the blog.  Maybe once every couple of weeks?  We all need some flowers to get through the winter, right?  ;)

My Valentine

Yes, I know it's not Valentine's Day yet, but I just discovered how to add textures to my photos, and I'm having an enormous amount of fun playing with Photoshop.  This photo, alone, was nothing to write home about.  But with some texture and a quotation, I really like the way it turned out.  I think I will use it as a Valentine's Day card.  :)

Snow Day

Here is another little scene from near my favorite thrift store.  Just enough snow to look pretty.  I took this last week.  By today, we should be in the middle of a big bunch of "wintry mix."  We get a lot of wintry mix in New Jersey -- snow, sleet, freezing rain.  I don't look forward to it, except maybe that I might be able to get a few pretty ice photos.   So I think I'll be sitting in front of the fire today, with a good book and a cup of tea.  :)

Stay warm, dear bloggers!

Lovin' Spoonfull

We were young and foolish when we got married;  we did not register for wedding gifts.  We had some crazy idea that it might seem like we were being greedy.  Thus, we never got the sterling silver place settings that other brides and grooms receive when they wed.

Actually, that was probably a good thing, since it has given me the excuse to frequent lots of thrift stores and antique shops over the years, buying pretty dishes and silver.

This serving bowl was a thrift store find last year.  I think I paid about $5. for it.  The spoons I found in an antique shop.  The set of five was $60.  They are coin silver, made in New Jersey around 1850.

And you know I just LOVE the monogram, even though it's not mine.  ;)

Thank You!

Thank you SO MUCH for all your SWEET birthday wishes!  You are all such wonderful blogging friends, and your comments mean the world to me!

Yes, we had birthday cupcakes.  My very talented daughter took this photo.  :)  And we spent the day taking a nice brisk walk in the park and then relaxing in front of the fire, reading.  

So, that's about all I have for today.  Back to our regular blogging program tomorrow.

It's My Party

Sunday is my 52nd birthday.  Yikes, that sounds even worse than it did last year!  I went back and read last year's post, and I don't think I achieved even one of those things I listed.  And I'm not feeling at all introspective this year.  So I decided to just make myself a great big mosaic bouquet.  Because a girl needs a few flowers on her birthday, right?  ;)

Have a great weekend, dear bloggers!

Country Love

Just a little bit of country love for you today.  This house is down the road from my favorite thrift store, and I just couldn't resist taking a picture.  Wouldn't you love to live here?   :)

Click on the photo to enlarge it, so you can see the geese in the road!  :)

Silver and Sunlight

As some of you already know, winter is not my best season.  ;)  This has been a very cold and snowy season so far, but at least it's been sunny.  Here is the latest in my attempts to capture as much sunlight as possible in our Little Red House. 

Silver and sunlight -- perfect together!  Have a wonderful Wednesday.  :)

Inauguration Day

"We have been told that we cannot do this by a chorus of cynics.  .....   We've been asked to pause for a reality check; we've been warned against offering the people of this nation false hope.  But in the unlikely story that is America, there has never been anything false about hope."

                                                                                                 Barack Obama

More than any other, this is a nation built on hope.  I pray that we can all move forward in a spirit of cooperation, to face the challenges of our time.  This is a day of hope.

No comments today.  Savor the day.

Happiness

Cut crystal

plus mirror

plus sunshine

  equals a great big bowl of happiness!  Wishing you all some sunshine today.  :)

Kitchen Closeups

I just wanted to show you a few closeups of what's in my kitchen at the moment.  I love these plates (above) from the thrift store.  They only had two of them, but I couldn't resist.  At $1.25 each, they didn't exactly break the bank, and I love the scene on them so much that I may just use them for display anyway.

A peek at one of my favorite antique tins (above).

This tole tray (above) was an ebay purchase.  I love olive greens, reds and black.

I tend to move curtains from room to room, because I have the same general colors on my whole house.  These started out in the dining room, but I think I like them best in the kitchen.

Rusty tin is another fave.  As are roosters.  This little tin box, with it's charming silhouettes, was found at a store in Weston, Vermont.  Don't you love the little chick cut-outs across the bottom?

OK, I think I've pretty much exhausted the kitchen at the moment.  Well, maybe a few table settings next week...

Have a great weekend, dear bloggers.  And for my friends in the northeast -- stay warm!

Kitchen Ramblings

I had a little fun yesterday playing with the accessories in the kitchen.  Don't you think these would all look great with cafe au lait paint?

The wire tree is for Christmas cards, but I like it for it's sculptural quality.  I think I'll leave it out for awhile.

Ooooo, I'm really starting to like copper.  And nesting chickens are a favorite.

The print belonged to my mother.  The trophy was found by my father on a construction job.  He was a heavy equipment operator, and dug up cool things all the time.

I also have a thing for old tins.   And for birds, and nests.  And I have no idea what this post is all about.  It's late, and I'm starting to ramble...  Sorry.

Peace out.

Choosing a Color

First of all, forgive the blurry photos.  I grabbed them from some old posts, and they don't seem to have traveled well.

Lately, I've been thinking of updating my kitchen.   I love the cabinets, which are about four years old, but the wallpaper is beginning to look a little dated.  It was chosen to complement the old cabinets, which were quite a bit more rustic.  I'd like to paint in here.

I'm having a little trouble choosing a color, though.  Perhaps a light brown -- a sort of cafe au lait?  My creamware would look great against that.  Or maybe a dark olive green?  

Or even a creamy white?  I don't think I've ever painted anything white in my whole life.  LOL

note: this is the current wallpaper; it covers half the kitchen, while the cabinets and a beadboard backsplash cover the other half.

So, any ideas?

It's All Golden

It may be freezing outside, but here at Little Red House, it's all golden.  Happy Monday!

Name This Vase

Does anyone know what you call these things?  Tulip vases?  Tulip holders?  I have no clue.  Another thrift store find.  Yes, I know.  I've got to stop going to the thrift store...  But I guess as obsessions go, it's not a bad one.  ;)

Looking back over my posts this week, I think I should have been calling this Thrift Store Week.  I honestly don't buy tons of stuff every week.  Honestly.

In other news this week, my Christmas decorations are still up.  I was going to take them down yesterday, but my daughter was home sick from school, and begged me not to.  At this rate, they'll still be up for Valentine's Day.  Maybe I should start making up some construction paper hearts.  LOL

Have a wonderful weekend, dear bloggers.

Bone Dishes

A little set of transferware bone dishes from the thrift store for you today.  And I don't even like fish.  Go figure.

Sunlight

My house is a total mess, and my Christmas decorations are still up, because my daughter wanted them there to cheer her up after her first days back in school.  This is just about the only place in the whole house that I can look at without cringing.  Sometimes, when the world around you is falling to pieces, a shaft of sunlight can make everything better.

Happy Wednesday!

Resolutions

I'm not big on New Year's resolutions, but lately I've been thinking that perhaps I should consider getting rid of some of the clutter in my life.

Maybe I should stay away from the thrift store.  Not bring home all the pretties that catch my eye.

But my favorite thrift store sends out these emails with photos of all the new arrivals.   So seriously, how could I resist?

Small Staffordshire plate: $2.  Small silver spoon with harvest scene: $2.  New Year's resolution?  Not happening.

New Year's Giveaway, and Monograms

OK, first for the giveaway.  My dear friend, the random number generator at random.org, drew for me.  And the winner is...

No. 56!  That would be Denise, of First A Dream.  Congratulations, Denise, and welcome to blogging, too.  Denise is a new blogger, so I hope you all will stop by and say hello.  Denise, please email me at mrcarroll@optonline.net with your name, address and phone number, and I'll get your print right out to you.  :)

Next, I have a question for you all:  How do you feel about monograms?  I think I have mixed feelings about them.  When I was younger, I thought they were a little pretentious.  But now, I've begun to change my mind.  And thrift store silverplate is the reason.

I love it.

I can't get enough of it.

  

Of course, I do have to point out that most of the monogrammed flatware I have doesn't actually have my own monogram on it.  But that doesn't matter.  I think what draws me is the beautiful letter designs, and the thought that someone cherished these pieces enough to place their initials on them.   

Be sure to click on the images, so you can see the monograms more clearly.  And let me know where you stand on the monogram question.  Inquiring minds want to know.  :)