Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Life in our little cottage in the country

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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?

Eggs on my mind

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Spring is here and my mind keeps going to ‘eggs’ – especially the blue of a bird egg. I found this image courtesy of The Graphics Fairy. She has a wonderful site filled with clip art. I made a copy of it on heavier weight paper and put it in a frame from Ikea. I just love it and it was very inexpensive, too! The tiny eggs came from Vignettes.

I’ve been wrestling with lower back pain lately. The furniture in this apartment is all donated to the theater. As I’ve posted before, none of it is great for my back. Lately, even my best efforts (boards, lumbar pillows) haven’t been helping. In desperation, I went to Ikea yesterday to contemplate buying a proper chair. I have about 3 more months here and don’t see how I can function with chronic pain. I wandered around contemplating my choices. Do I just buy a chair, put it together, knowing that I can’t transport it home? The one I had my eye on came in a more bulky package than I had hoped; not easily repacked and sent home. (The idea of renting a van seems better and better.) In the end, I went with this $39.00 wicker chair, thinking at least it has back support. We’ll give it a try ~ hopefully it will do the trick and I won’t have to spend more money on another chair. I hadn’t been in Ikea for a long while, though why I picked a Sunday I don’t know. It was absolutely jammed with people.

More eggs – I love the pastel of these eggs from Michael’s nestled among my fabric eggs and the new Somerset Life. It is absolutely beautiful! Check out the story inside on La Maison Rustique. By the way, I had a comment from Mary asking more about the sale. Mary, just click the link and all your questions should be answered.

I’m going home for a visit on Saturday! I can’t wait to see my husband, my dogs, my sweet little cottage and work in the garden. (Another reason why I have to get my back in order.) I have Don checking out the yard for signs of life. He assures me that my lilac bush planted last summer has made it through the winter and has little buds on it. Wonderful!

Have a great day.

Easter and Egg Cups

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Spring and Easter are coming and I thought I’d share some of my egg cup collection with you.
I’ve been collecting egg cups, mostly figural, for several years. It all started with a Fanny Farmer egg cup that was given to me by my godparents when I was a child. It is the egg cup in the picture below, right of center, with two yellow chicks on the front.


I hung on to this egg cup for many, many years – sometimes displaying it, sometimes packing it away. Then one day I read an article on egg cups and realized that there were collectors out there. I started doing some research, went on Ebay, and discovered a whole world of wonderful, delightful figural egg cups. I find the figurals especially charming. Just like illustrations in a vintage children’s book, they take me back to a place of innocence and wonder. Maybe that’s why I want my next project to be the building of a dollhouse. For me. Why not?

So, many years later, I want to thank my godparents, Edith and Nick, for giving me my very own egg cup. Who knew it would one day start a collection?

Lambs Like to Party

Lambs Like to Party

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