vintage — Page 37

Vintage Sewing Basket & Peonies

June 6, 2011 at 4:20 pm by Claudia

Only two more weeks far away from home. I’m counting the days. I’ve been here 5 weeks and that is more than enough. The word ‘homesick’ isn’t really adequate. Miss the husband, miss the dogs and miss beauty like this:

Since my husband took this with his cell phone, the color is off, but you get the picture. I’ve missed the peony bloom for the 4th year in a row. I do believe I mean it when I say, ‘No More.’ I said that last year, I know, but all this far away coaching is losing its appeal.

You know that I try to buy something vintage as a remembrance of time on the road. I haven’t had all that much time to explore here and the price of gas has kept me closer to the condo. I did take a little trip to a neighboring town about a week ago and found this:

I’ve always wanted one of these wicker sewing baskets. The ones I’ve found in the past were battered or missing the spindles or the decal was worn away or the cord was missing. This one is in excellent condition. And it’s pink!

Another sweet decal on the inside. And see? The spindles/thread holders are just perfect.

Isn’t it pretty? The decal is so very sweet. I’ll use this for storage of some kind. Right now I’m leaning toward using it to hold all the love letters my husband sent me when he was wooing me. Isn’t ‘woo’ a wonderful word? I think we should all resolve to use it more often.

Today is my day off. Tomorrow and Wednesday are Tech/Dress Rehearsals with our first Preview performance on Friday. I teach on Tuesday and Friday. It will be a busy week and that’s a good thing.

If you haven’t read it already, I posted a book review and I’m giving away a copy of the book. Just scroll down to the previous post.

Husband’s Finds (and One of Mine)

March 24, 2011 at 10:14 am by Claudia

I’m always posting photos of treasures that I’ve found here and there. But hey, Don finds some treasures, too. Here’s one:

He discovered it at a yard sale. The red lettering says “Moxie.” Moxie was one of the first mass-produced soft drinks. Its origins were in a patented medicine called Moxie Nerve Food. Eventually it became a soft drink that is still produced today. I’ve always loved the word moxie, as in “She’s got moxie, that girl.” It means “force of character, determination or nerve.” And guess what? It originated from the name of the soft drink!

Don thought it would the perfect place to store the dogs’ distilled water.

Because our dogs sure have moxie!

Back when we were living in our rented cottage, Don started a collection of these; they’re called Jumping Jacks or pull string toys:

The guy that is second from the right – the cook – started the whole thing. Unlike the rest of them, he’s new. We found him one holiday season in a local Christmas shop. And as often happens, we were intrigued and started looking for more. The rest are vintage, made of painted wood. A few come from Austria. We used to have them hanging in the kitchen window. I’d lost track of them since we moved to MHC and thought they were packed away in the shed, but the other day I discovered them in the back of the kitchen hutch.

Now I have to find a place to hang them. They’re so charming.

Why was I digging around in the hutch? I was looking for my miniature Fiesta pitcher. Didn’t find it, but I did find the Jumping Jacks. I did buy another miniature piece of pottery the other day – not Shawnee – but in my favorite color:

That makes 3 in the collection!

I’m preparing for my whirlwind trip to Wisconsin on Saturday. I must admit to being nervous. I don’t really know anyone there and I’m shy in that kind of situation. I fly back Tuesday, then I pick up a rental car on Wednesday and drive to Boston for 5 days. Can’t wait to see my old stomping grounds, but the thought of the whole thing is rather exhausting. Wish me luck!

Vintage School is in Session

March 20, 2011 at 10:06 am by Claudia

While perusing some of my favorite blogs recently, I saw a post from my friend Lori, the owner of Vignettes. The theme was the cloche, but I spotted something in the background that made my pulse quicken.

Photo: Lori Chandler, Vignettes

That sign in the background, behind the cloches – the one that says “Miss Keybo….School.” That’s what caught my eye. Hey, nothing gets past me! I left a comment asking about it and Lori immediately got back to me with details and dimensions. I didn’t need it but I sure wanted it. And I knew the chances of seeing something like it again were next to none. Lori had it packed and shipped the next day. I left for Chicago with a casual, almost throwaway, mention of a package that might come while I was gone, hoping Don wouldn’t say “Lucy…you’ve got some ‘splainin’ to do.”

It was sitting on the porch when we pulled in the driveway on Thursday.

It’s mounted on wood. The words Contra, Great, Small, One Line, Two Line, Three Line, Four Line are above the keys. And there are little hooks on each key.

This was obviously a teaching tool and I did a little research. I found Miss Burrowes listed in The Woman’s Who’s Who of America for 1914-1915. Katherine lived in my hometown of Detroit, Michigan and was a music teacher. She eventually opened her own music school. She “invented appliances pertaining to the Burrowes course of music study, a method for teaching music to beginners by means of songs, stories, games, blackboard work, chart work, competitive drills and mechanical devices, as well as pianoforte music; some of the appliances are Miss Keyboard’s School, a device for teaching notation and sight reading (patented 1904)…” The entry goes on to list other inventions and music compositions. At the end it says: “Recreations: Reading, Concerts, Theater. Favors Women’s Suffrage.”

Don’t you just love it? I imagine students had to identify the note and then do something like hang a “C” on middle C. Or play certain tagged notes on a keyboard.

Obviously, we like words and graphics around here. I found the old Hymn board several years ago.

I really, really love this. Don likes it, too. At some point I might hang something from one of the hooks but not yet. And it will have to be just right.

Looks like the birds are singing the notes on the scale at the bottom of the sign.

Isn’t it fabulous??? (You can tell I’m excited, can’t you?) I love finding something that I’ve never seen anywhere else, that is unique and perfect for our cottage.

These photos were taken at different times on a sunny day. It always amazes me how light can change something’s appearance. Or somebody’s.

Oh, and I’m fighting a losing battle at the moment. I wrote a recommendation for a former Boston University student of mine who was applying to graduate school in Speech Pathology. Happily, she was accepted by the school she most wanted to attend. As a thank you, she sent me a box of these:

These are the most delicious chocolate chip cookies I’ve ever had.

Drat.

I can’t be rude, can I? I must eat them. It’s the right thing to do.

Vintage Sewing Basket & Peonies

Husband’s Finds (and One of Mine)

Vintage School is in Session

Lambs Like to Party

A Note

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