china and pottery

Collecting & Crochet

March 10, 2011 at 11:29 am by Claudia

Rain, rain and more rain today. Sounds like the sump pump will be put to use once more. There are flood warnings as the rivers rise due to snow melt and several inches of rain. I’m keeping an eye on the snow – will it be entirely gone by the end of the day? Crossing my fingers.

You all know I have an extensive collection of pottery – predominantly McCoy Pottery, with some Red Wing, Roseville, Hull, Fiesta and Bauer. Then there is the china – oh my. Mockingbird Hill Cottage is a wee little cottage – there is only so much room here. So when I saw my friend Cheryl’s post about her exquisite collection of Shawnee Miniatures, my heart went pitter-patter. Take a moment and visit her – she has displayed them on a charming little vintage shelf. I’ve fallen in love once again (and they’re tiny!) Being the inveterate collector that I am, a little seed was planted in my brain. Fast forward a few weeks and I had a slap-upside-the-head moment. I remembered two treasures I found a few months ago that have been sitting on a shelf in the studio cupboard.

I have no idea whether these are Shawnee miniatures but they certainly are the start of a collection, aren’t they? Now if I could only find my miniature Fiesta pitcher which has mysteriously disappeared.

Don’t you just love it when you start a new collection?

My wonderful and talented sister, Meredith, has once again dangled a little carrot in front of my eyes. She was the one who told me about the Obsession Scarf. This time the carrot is the Japanese Flower crochet pattern that has become very popular of late. She’s having a great time crocheting the flowers. Yesterday, I found myself making some test flowers. The one on the left has 12 petals – the one on the right has 10. I made these using some Debbie Bliss Baby Cashmerino that I had on hand, since my stash is now next-to-nothing. Baby Cashmerino is expensive, therefore, not practical for anything large.

Mer is making a shawl. I might make a little rectangular throw to place at the end of our bed as we move into Spring. If you visit Mer’s blog, Mereknits, you can see the flowers she has made so far. She’s joining them together as she goes.

I’ll be making more today. It’s the perfect project for a rainy day. – after I eat the pancakes Don is making as I write this post.

What are you up to today?

Baths, Photographing Trees & Presents

December 13, 2010 at 1:15 am by Claudia

Oh lordy. Today is dog bath day. I’ve mentioned before that this is a major undertaking. Unlike those of you who blithely give your dogs a bath in your own home, we must journey several miles away to a dog wash. Scout and Riley are fairly large, extremely hairy dogs. Riley hates getting a bath. I repeat: Hates It. Lifting him into the tub will accomplish nothing but the spectacle of a big, wet dog escaping and then running around the house, shaking every part of his body. At the dog wash, we can put on his muzzle, secure him to the tub, and wash away…all the while telling him what a good dog he is. He gets clean, we don’t get a fear bite, and all is well. Scout, on the other hand, loves getting clean. She’s a girl, through and through.

We put this off until we absolutely have to. We have to. Afterward, both dogs will be exhausted. The next 10 days will be about chasing tumbleweeds of dog hair around the house. Hopefully, by Christmas all will be in order again.

We got our tree on Saturday. Yesterday, we decorated it. I’ll have some photos later in the week, though I always get frustrated trying to take photos of the prettiness I see in front of me. Last year, I googled ‘photographing Christmas trees and lights’ and read all sorts of advice, but the running theme through all the posts seemed to be that it is next to impossible to take a successful photo of a lit tree unless you are a professional photographer with lots of equipment. This year I will adjust my expectations.

Once again, I have been blessed with treasures from my friends. When my friend Elizabeth and I got together in New York, she gave me a little present.

You know I’m loving that dress form. What was inside?

Homemade caramels. Oh boy. They are scrumptious! Thank you Elizabeth!

My friend Betty wrote me a note around my birthday saying she had something in her house that kept reminding her of me and she had decided to send it to me. It came on Saturday.

Gasp! Yes, indeed – it reminds me of me! Is this not beautiful? Here’s the other side:

I’ve done some research. This pitcher was made by Hull and the pattern is Sunglow. Uh oh. The collecting urge is starting again. How many kinds of pottery can I collect? If you were in my home right now, your answer would be: ‘Apparently, a lot.’ I cannot help it. I know. I’m hopeless.

Hey, I don’t smoke. I don’t drink. I never did drugs. I’m a vegetarian. This is a relatively harmless vice, don’t you think?

My new obsession? Saving my pennies for a new camera. (Sssh! Don’t say anything about it to my current Canon. ) I love my camera. I just want to be able to do more. I really love photography and it’s time to step it up a notch or two. Or three.

I’m just putting it out to the universe.

Curvy

November 3, 2010 at 10:31 am by Claudia

You’re looking at the top of my 30’s era china cabinet which is in our den. On it sits my vintage Hendryx birdcage, several vintage and well-loved books and some of my Roseville pottery. When husband and I sit on the sofa and watch television, this cabinet is right in our sight-line (as we say in the theater.) The other evening, Don asked me to look closely at one of the pieces – this one:

Says he: Doesn’t it look like a woman’s body with hands on hips? Curvy with a waist?

Says me: Why yes, it does.

And now every time I look at it, which is often, that is what I see. Should I name her? She’s sort of flirty isn’t she?

Speaking of curvy, my obsession with vintage dress forms continues. I scour Craig’s List every day. Sometimes several times a day. I’ve missed out on a few recently. There is a vintage Wolf dress form that has a lot of wear (to put it kindly – I swear a musty smell emanates from that listing) that I had my eye on, but it is way out on Long Island. If you remember my over 3 hour long journey there last year for a coaching job, you can see where this is going. Too much time, too much gas for something that might be too damaged.

I love this style – wonderfully vintage and usually with a wire cage at the bottom. However, most of the listings I see are pretty pricey, more than I’m willing to pay.

More and more, I find I am drawn to these adjustable forms. They are often made by Acme and might be better for the limited amount of space I have upstairs.

Once I am obsessed about something, there is no stopping me. I will find one. (I sound a bit like Scarlett O’Hara.) If anyone in the NY/NJ/CT area knows of a great deal on a vintage dress form, oh please let me know? Pretty please?

What have I come to? I’m reduced to begging.

Have a wonderful day!

Collecting & Crochet

Baths, Photographing Trees & Presents

Curvy

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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