Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Mockingbird Hill Cottage

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B is for Bakelite

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I love bakelite. I started collecting it back when I was living in Boston. I had begun to collect the original Fiesta pottery and bakelite flatware went perfectly with it. Eventually, I amassed quite a collection of Fiesta, which I later sold. But I kept the bakelite utensils.

Bakelite was invented by Leo Baekeland, a Belgian chemist, in Yonkers, NY (not too far from MHC.)  In 1909, he patented a phenolic resin that was used in industrial applications. It eventually entered the consumer market and was used in radios, pool balls, jewelry, flatware, kitchenware –  all sorts of decorative applications.

I love the way the colors get richer with time. If I see something with even a touch of bakelite, I’m all over it.

The vintage flour canister was a retro red that I liked, but what sealed the deal was the bakelite handle. The shape and color are fabulous. The vintage napkin ring is the same color except for that wonderful green beak. Bakelite was really popular in the 1920’s and 30’s and you can see that in the deco design of both pieces.

I have a lot of flatware that I keep in an old Harlequin jug. These colors make me happy.

These pieces are in the same color family as the napkin ring and the canister handle.
Most of these handles are a dark green.
The two spoons at the bottom of the photo are red, although it’s hard to see that in this photo.
These are my favorites. I love that two-tone look.
I also have this large kitchen knife and even use it occasionally.
You’ve seen these before. The mah-jongg tiles are also made of bakelite.
I have a bangle bracelet somewhere in a wonderful blue color. And I have a sneaking suspicion that there is more bakelite around here that I am forgetting about…but that can be another post. I’d love to know if any of you have bakelite pieces?

Finished, a Cow & a Birthday

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:: The weekend here at MHC consisted of sinus congestion, a couple of headaches, baseball (Red Sox vs Yankees – we took 2 out of 3. Grin.) and embroidery. Because I was feeling a bit off, I sat around and stitched. And stitched. Reaching down into my sewing basket, I pulled one color, then another, looked up a few new-to-me stitches and, before I knew it, I was done. Yesterday afternoon, I added a few little trims and here is the finished product:

It’s so rainy and dark here today that I had to pull this chair under the skylight to grab the little natural light I could find! My initials crack me up – each one is a little higher than the next – just like I write on a blackboard.

I added some crochet edging that was on some vintage linen napkins as well as a vintage mother-of-pearl button. I wanted it to look homespun so I didn’t mind if the trim was a bit crooked or uneven.

Oh, I had such fun doing this. I have another sampler from Rebecca that I will start next. Note to Rebecca: keep ’em coming! I find this very relaxing and believe me, I can use some of that at this particular time in my life. I’m not sure what I will do with it: Hang it? Use as a pillow cover? Frame it? Right now, I’m happy simply looking at it. It makes me smile.

I’ve sent a few of you to Rebecca’s site, so I know you are having fun with this, too. If you’re thinking about trying one – go for it. The price is extremely reasonable and you’ll have such fun learning new stitches.

:: In other news, Monty the cow has been moved from his perch in the kitchen to a new spot on top of the music cabinet in the den.

We thought he felt a bit left out of family evenings in the den.  He looks happier.

:: I came back from driving husband to the station this morning to find a squirrel running around the inside of the dog corral. He was desperately trying to get out and each time he tried to climb the chicken wire, he fell down to the ground. I knew I had to get him out of there – for his safety as well as the dogs. So there I was, in the rain, trying to get the terrified squirrel to run toward the gate. He would have none of it.  He finally hid behind the planter box outside the side door and I managed to nudge him (all the while chirping frantically) toward the gate which was a few feet beyond the planter. When he saw it, he ran as fast as he could to freedom. This happened once before – with a bunny – again, in the rain. I’m grateful I saw him before I let the dogs out!

:: Finally, Happy 87th Birthday to my Dad! He’ll spend it at the Rehab Facility with my Mom. He visits twice a day, every day. And he counts the hours until she gets home. Love you, Dad.

Book Review: Home Again

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Today I am reviewing Home Again by Mariah Stewart for TLC Book Tours. While they have provided me with a free copy of the book, I am always encouraged to give an honest review.

From the publisher:

Publisher: Ballantine Books (July 27, 2010)

Dallas MacGregor is living the Hollywood dream. At thirtysomething, she’s an award-winning actress beloved by the public and bound for even bigger success. But when her soon-to-be-ex-husband, producer Emilio Baird, is caught in a sex scandal, Dallas’s charmed life turns tabloid nightmare. Determined to shield her young son, Cody, from the ugly uproar, Dallas seeks refuge in sleepy St. Dennis, Maryland—the Chesapeake Bay town where her happiest childhood days were spent. Reunited with her boisterous great-aunt, Dallas wants nothing more than to leave her Hollywood days behind. And when she crosses paths with local veterinarian Grant Wyler, her high school summer love, she finds he’s everything she remembers, and more—and that the spark is still there. But Dallas’s promising new life takes a troubling turn when the unimaginable happens and she finds herself living a mother’s worst nightmare—and Emilio storms into St. Dennis to save the day, along with his damaged career. Trapped in the unwanted glare of the limelight once again, Dallas discovers that it’s coolheaded Grant who is willing to risk everything to protect her and her son, and to secure the future they were always meant to share.

My review: This is one in a series of books about the fictional town of St. Dennis, Maryland. Ms. Stewart paints a lovely portrait of the town and of life on the Chesapeake Bay. For those of us unfamiliar with this area, Home Again provides us with a thoroughly delightful tour.

The story centers around the characters of Dallas, her son Cody, her great aunt who is also a former actress, and the two men in her life, Emilio and Grant. The characters are likeable, except for the obvious bad-guy character of Emilio, and each of them are looking for love and peace. The story follows them on their journey. This is definitely a contemporary romance that deals with the media, with YouTube, and life in the public eye. Mariah Stewart has many contemporary romances to her credit and she knows how to tell a story well.

I had one complaint: the occasional diary entry by the editor of the town newspaper turns up throughout the book and, though I didn’t read it, throughout the previous St. Dennis novel, Coming Home. They don’t really move the plot along and I found myself skipping them as the novel went on.

Home Again is deftly written with a well-plotted story line that should keep all you romance lovers engaged from beginning to end.

About the author:

Mariah Stewart is the award-winning New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of twenty-seven novels of  contemporary romance and romantic suspense. A native of Hightstown, New Jersey, she lives in southern Chester County, Pennsylvania, with her husband, their daughter and their dogs.

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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