collecting — Page 30

Scenes From Around the Cottage

February 27, 2016 at 9:14 am by Claudia

As is, of course.

2-27 scenes sofa

Monty watching over the living room.

2-27 scenes turntable

Music, Maxfield Parrish, Scout…

2-27 scenes coffeetable

Coffee table.

2-27 stair art

Art climbing upward.

2-27 scenes livingroom

Looking toward the den.

2-27 bookshelves

Books and pottery.

2-27 scenes full livingrom

Living room.

2-27 scenes upstairs hall

Hallway.

2-27 scenes paints

Paint, glue, tools.

2-27 scenes minipottery

Miniature pottery.

2-27 scenes desk

My little corner.

2-27 scenes painting

Painting by my dad, now hanging in our shared office space.

2-27 scenes newheadshot

New headshot. Dreamy.

2-27 scenes stairway view

Stairway view.

I have plenty more where these came from. The cottage is providing enormous comfort and solace for me right now. The sunlight streaming through the windows makes me smile. I love seeing all of our treasures; tucked into corners, on shelves, on the walls.

A minimalist I am not. Though I can look at minimalist interiors with an appreciative eye, they are not for me. I’ve lived a life. I’ve hunted and gathered. I’ve found treasure and I’ve made things. Everything here tells a story – our story. So as I sit here in my chair or walk around the cottage, I am thankful for all of this evidence of a life lived, of a house finally found, of our life with our dogs, of music and art and literature, of whimsy and joy and color and texture. A nest that wraps its arms around us, where splashes of color and well-loved furniture and objects catch the attention of a wandering eye and bring a much-needed smile to one’s face. Shelter from the emotional storm.

Happy Saturday.

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My Favorite Vase

February 26, 2016 at 9:02 am by Claudia

As I hobbled around this morning, moving carefully (my back seems to be at its worst when I first get up) the morning light was shining on my vase of flowers. It was if they were under a spotlight. So I grabbed my iPhone and took a picture.

2-26 vase

And then it occurred to me: Have I ever talked about this – my very favorite vase – before? If I have, it was only in passing.

As a collector of pottery, you must surely know that I have a LOT of vases. (A quick count of what I can see from my blogging chair results in at least 15 – and there are a lot more of them in various cabinets and on various surfaces. Maybe I’ll count them someday.) So, when I say this one is my favorite, that’s saying something.

I found it years ago, when I was living in Cambridge, in a little shop I used to frequent. It was run by two ladies who often had vintage Fiesta on hand and I used to collect Fiesta. They were so helpful and would call me when they found pieces of Fiesta they thought I would like. (I often wonder what happened to that shop.) This was in the late eighties – early nineties, so we’re talking at least 25 years ago. I saw this vase and was immediately taken by its form and function.

2-26 vase closeup

It was made by Red Wing Pottery. The outside is a matte white glaze and the inside is an apple green glaze. I looked it up on eBay and I didn’t see any pieces like this one, though I saw other designs in this white/green combination.

What makes it work is the simplicity of the design. It’s geometric in design; a four-point star. Those four corners formed by the star are the key. When I take a bouquet of, say, alstroemeria, and put it inside the vase, the stems automatically fall into the corners while some remain in the center and the bouquet looks beautiful. No arranging required. It looks utterly natural.

Genius.

2-26 vase closeup corner green

I have a feeling I was initially drawn to this by the white/green combination, which I find striking.

It’s the perfect vase. It’s the one I always go to. I don’t know what I’d do without it.

I have no idea what I paid for it at the time, but I was on the strictest – and I mean strictest – of budgets, so it can’t have been much.

2-26 vase 2

I just looked at the marking on the bottom: Red Wing USA 412. (Made in about 1952. We share the same birth year.) In searching for that particular number, I see that it was also made with a pale blue exterior and a coral interior. That would be pretty, too. (Hmmm. I’d have two of them! I’m filing this thought away for future eBay searches.)

Yesterday: I realized that vacuuming is entirely different now that Scout is not with us. There was hardly anything to vacuum. I stood there looking at the rugs and the floor which used to be a treasure trove of her beautiful hair and sadness overwhelmed me.

We still don’t know what to do with ourselves.

Happy Friday.

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Adding a Backdrop

February 25, 2016 at 8:37 am by Claudia

Rain, torrential rain, thunder, and lightning which seemed to go on for hours – we were part of that same devastating storm that has wreaked so much havoc. Fortunately, we are soggy – very soggy – but safe. I’m thinking of all those who were in harm’s way. This one was and is dangerous.

I’ve done something to my lower back and I’m hobbling around the house. I don’t know how it happened, but it just seems to get worse, so I’m sitting here in my blogging chair with a heating pad. Yesterday, I hung around upstairs in the office for quite some time and my desk chair, though charming, doesn’t offer the best back support for this kind of problem. In other words, it made it worse, though I didn’t realize it until too late in the game.

Crap.

I think I stayed upstairs because the downstairs reminds me too much of Scout and I was alone all day, missing her companionship. I didn’t break down until Don came in the door – then I lost it. But I got through the day. Small victories.

I browsed online, looked at the Top Secret Project, noodled around and then I actually did something. I decided the color inside my pink cabinet left something to be desired. No, I didn’t start painting, though that may happen in the future. I grabbed some scrapbook paper that I had on hand.

2-25 roseville

And I pieced it together (I only had a few sheets) to create a backdrop for the Roseville Pottery.

2-25 mccoy

And the McCoy Pottery.

It’s clearly pieced together and you can see the seams, but I don’t much care about that. This is for me. Now that I have the idea, if I see some wrapping paper that I like I may replace this with something seamless, but for now, I’m happy.

2-25 twoshelves

That pink candy box contains letters written to my grandmother from her younger sister, Rhoda. Rhoda died at the age of 15 during the flu epidemic of 1918. My grandmother’s sister, Maggie, also died. I can’t imagine how devastating that must have been. I’ve read many of the letters. Rhoda was full of life, charming and delightful. My grandmother never got over losing her sisters.

2-25 closeup

I think the pattern and color really help to frame the pottery – the paper functions as a backdrop.

2-25 cabinet

The bottom shelf has yet to be sorted through and arranged. I have to clean out the craft/crap closet first. And I don’t have any more scrapbook paper. So don’t look at that shelf, ignore it. Cast your eyes upward.

That’s better.

Doing something was nice. It was simple, but I made a little change that makes me happy.

Hold on a minute: there’s more McCoy on that second shelf than there is Roseville on the top shelf.

Hmmm. That is a problem that needs to be addressed ASAP.

Happy Thursday.

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Scenes From Around the Cottage

My Favorite Vase

Adding a Backdrop

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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