Life in our little cottage in the country
Around the house – as seen yesterday afternoon:
McCoy and Bakelite
Listening
Scout kicks up a rug
Stacks of china
A heart from Judy
Roseville
My adorable nephew, Little Z
Vintage linen
Pretty flowers
Meredith and me (with cow)
The winner of a copy of Hush Hush by Laura Lippman is Barb H. Barb, I’m sending you a email. Congratulations!
New post up at Just Let Me Finish This Page.
Happy Tuesday.
Don went to Trader Joe’s the other day, so I gave him orders to come back with flowers. I even took the time to show him photos of the specific flowers I wanted – alstromeria. He passed his test with flying colors.
Fresh flowers are very pricey around here. Our local supermarket will have a price of $12 – $15 per bunch. I just can’t pay that much money when I know that the price at Trader Joe’s for the same amount of flowers – actually, more flowers – is $3.99. No can do. I got two bouquets for much less than the price of a supermarket bouquet. Pretty good deal!
Not long after I wrote yesterday’s post, our furnace guy came over and replaced our thermostat. He was pretty sure the power surge blew out the thermostat. The replacement, which he thinks might be better, is unfortunately not digital, like the one we had. That means that I have to put on my glasses to read it and fiddle with the dial. Ah well. As soon as he put in the new thermostat, the heat started to come through our baseboards and all was well.
The driveway and parking area were very icy, so I salted everything so Don could get out of here and run some errands, one of which was this:
Yep. We decided we had to get the other three cups and saucers. They needed to be together. I love this Susie Cooper pattern so much and after I learned more about it and her, I loved it even more. For now, they are living on this yet-to-be-filled-with-books shelf. I’m thinking some sort of tole tray would be pretty behind them. What do you think?
More flowers.
Today, I get to go through the depressing ritual of buying new jeans. Yuck. But since a largish hole has appeared quite near the crotch of my current jeans, methinks it’s time to replace them. After all, I mustn’t reveal too much.
Don’t forget: today is the last day you can leave a comment in order to be entered in the giveaway of Hush Hush, Laura Lippman’s latest mystery. Click on this post.
New post up on Just Let Me Finish This Page.
Happy Thursday.
The antiquing adventures of Don and Claudia continue. Sunday found us at our local antique barn where we took shelter from the windy blustery grayness of the day. We didn’t expect to find anything, in fact, we were just killing some time on a Sunday afternoon. However, we did find three little treasures. Each time we found something, I debated whether to purchase it and Don, who turns out to be my enabler, encouraged me to “Get it!”
First up, some Roseville pottery in the Apple Blossom pattern. Let me say straight away that this piece has a big old chip and a hairline crack. That’s why it was priced at $25. Unless the damage on a piece is so glaring I can’t get around it, this sort of thing doesn’t usually matter to me. Even so, I hesitated and…you guessed it…Don said, “It’s been loved and used. Besides, cracks let the light in.” A lovely reference to Leonard Cohen.
What’s not to love about this guy?
I believe this is called a basket. I have one other piece of Apple Blossom that lives on my bedroom dresser. You can see the damage right there on the top edge in the front of the piece. Instead of a curve, you see a sharper edge where the piece was broken.
It really doesn’t bother me at all. If this piece was undamaged it would go for at least $150. I’d say I got a good deal.
It’s so pretty and it works beautifully on the music cabinet underneath the Lost Lamb print.
I don’t know if you’re familiar with the famous English ceramic designer Susie Cooper. I’ve known about her a long time and have always wanted one of her pieces. Her career was a long and fruitful one – spanning seven decades. Her work is highly collectible, especially her Art Deco pieces. I spotted a set of four cups and saucers – all priced individually, thank goodness, so I was able to purchase one. Buying all four would have been too expensive for me.
The details of the design are so charming.
This mark puts the piece somewhere between 1932 and 1964. I have to do some more research.
Whoops! It would help if I picked up the cup and looked at the bottom. The pattern is Woodlands. Made in 1938-39. I just saw a photo of a cup and saucer that’s in the collection at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Maybe I should go back and buy the other three?
And, finally, Don spotted this one and said it must come home with us to join our singing birds on the piano. I’m pretty sure it’s unmarked McCoy. If it isn’t, no biggie. I love the glaze on this little guy.
Isn’t he adorable?
He’s doing the duck version of singing. We like to sing around here, so the more, the merrier.
Then our feet somehow propelled us to the homemade donut shop just a few shops away. Best donuts ever. Oh lordie.
Then we went home and crashed from the sugar. But it was worth it.
Happy Tuesday.
