I hope my American readers had a lovely Thanksgiving. I know we did. We had a very quiet day. I did a lot of crocheting – new scarf in the shop and another one will be listed tomorrow – and Don took a trail walk. We did have a lovely dinner. We don’t do meat on Thanksgiving, or any other day for that matter, because I’m a longtime vegetarian. Don found a new recipe for Stuffed Portobello Mushrooms in the New York Times and he made it for our dinner.
Oh my heavens.
Unbelievably good. Mouthwateringly good. And, may I say, much more tasty than any meat I can think of.
And I, of course, made my grandmother’s Cloud Biscuits.
Fresh from the oven. These biscuits are one of my favorite things ever. Grandma made them, Mom made them, my niece makes them, I make them. Don drools over them, as do I.
I have a feeling they’re very close to traditional baking powder biscuits, but in my family they are Cloud Biscuits.
Pumpkin Pie for dessert. We were stuffed.
My main birthday present arrived on Wednesday. I found it on Etsy and Don thought it should be my birthday present. I, of course, agreed.
I had to have it.
The frame isn’t as beautiful as the one I saw locally, but I think the print itself is bigger.
There was only one problem. It arrived with the glass broken.
I was very unhappy.
The nice lady who is selling part of her Parrish collection did not do a good job of packing it. No bubble wrap. Just protective cardboard corners on the frame. And nothing between that and the top of the box. I wrote her immediately and she’s going to send me money to replace the glass, but come on! I now have to find someone to cut the glass and carefully pry off the vintage backing – probably from around 1910.
I’m sure you won’t be shocked when I say I’m pissed off. So is Don.
She felt very badly about it and said she uses the same company all the time and this has never happened. They were supposed to mark it as Fragile.
Not one indication on the box that the package was fragile.
I had to take it out on the porch, put it on a towel, and carefully take the broken glass out of the frame.
The seller is a sweet lady and has the same passion for Parrish that I have, but I told her she has to pack things more securely in the future, or this will happen again.
Sigh.
In spite of all the drama, I’m thrilled to have my own original print of Dinkey Bird. It’s stunningly beautiful.
But it has no protection at the moment, so I’ve put it somewhere out of the way.
New in the Etsy shop:
Obsession Scarf in Grapevine. I really, really love this one. The colors are so lovely. It’s available here.
Update: It sold almost immediately! Another one tomorrow, I promise. Keep watching for updates.
I’ll be listing another scarf tomorrow. I’m also crocheting some special orders, so these hands are busy.
Happy Friday.
Hi Claudia any chance you will share the recipe for the cloud biscuits?
dq
I will. Remind me, okay? Thanks for purchasing that scarf, Diardre. Do you still want me to make the other one you requested?
I can’t tell you how happy I am that you got that print!! BUT how awful that the glass broke, it could have ruined the print for sure and now you have to have it fixed. Still it’s amazing. I would love the recipe for those biscuits also and the mushroom. It looks so good!! It’s a sunny day here and I’m just going to hopefully stay home and do some decorating. My Mom wants me to go to WalMart…NO, just no!! LOL.
hugs,
Linda
Oh, no absolutely no to Walmart! On Black Friday???? Yikes.
I’m thrilled I got the print, but the glass had really shattered. It definitely could have ruined it.
Enjoy your decorating day, Linda.
I called my Mom and told her no to WalMart today!! No way! She wants one thing they have on sale for $10, maybe it will be there tomorrow I said.
Good!
I would like the recipe for the buiscuits as well.
I think it’s on the blog somewhere, Sue, but I’ll post it tomorrow.
I saw that very picture on Etsy and I’m so pleased that it now lives with you. Pity about the glass. I had a watercolour reframed recently (broken glass and badly damaged frame in transit) and asked the framers to save me the original labels and markings from the back as provenance matters in this case.
Yummy dinner! We celebrate Thanksgiving in October, but next year I may be tempted to cross the border for another Thanksgiving dinner and some Black Friday shopping. It’s just too darn cold here to get worked up about going out to shop, even for bargains.
Have a fun ‘Black’ Friday!
I think that’s what I’ll do, too. Provenance matters with a Parrish, as well. Staying in on Black Friday – I always do – and I’m crocheting like a madwoman!
What a shame that something so longed for arrived in such sorry shape. But how fortunate that the print was unharmed.
In the late 1960s I shared a huge 1920s apartment on Comm. Ave. in Boston with five guys and one other girl. There were two bathrooms and Becky and I had one to ourselves. We painted the walls a deep royal blue and our only decoration was a Parrish print with all its fabulous colors. We must have found it at a thrift shop. Wish I knew what happened to it.
I bet you got it for a song at that time, Margaret. That must have been some striking bathroom!
I lived on Comm Ave during my first year in Boston!
Glad you had a wonderful Thanksgiving…me too! Our family was together, first time in five years…and it was filled with good food and good cheer! Too bad about the Parrish….now you have to go to all that trouble to have the glass replaced. We are staying in today…going to put out a couple of Christmas things….maybe. We had a little freezing rain overnight…seems like a good day to stay in! Enjoy your day! ;)
Yes, it’s very, very annoying!
I’m so glad you had a lovely Thanksgiving with everyone in the family together. Priceless! Stay inside!
I am so glad that you got a Dinky Bird for your birthday!…I had my fingers crossed and I should have known that Don would come through for you…I would have been pissed too…anyone who has done any shipping should know better than to send something fragile without bubble wrap and marking the package FRAGILE…Well, maybe since she has to pay for new glass she will be a bit more cautious when packaging…We had a nice Thanksgiving here too…turkey and all the traditional sides…I think I would have traded my turkey for those mushrooms though…I love stuffed mushrooms…and one of those biscuits would be heaven..my biscuits were good but they came from a can…lol..Have a great weekend you three…I need to chose a new book to start today….
Well, I practically told Don it would be my present, so don’t give him too much credit! He’s very happy about it, thought. I’ll publish the like to the portobello mushroom recipe as soon as I can get it from Don. Enjoy your new book!
Claudia I’m so glad you had a peaceful Thanksgiving. We too enjoyed a quiet day. Lots of yummy food, full tummies and sleepiness.
In regards to your picture, the seller should contact the “company” that packed and shipped the picture and advise them of the poor packaging and damage. More than likely, a claim will have to be made. Unfortunately, the responsibility of getting it repaired falls on you. You will be amazed at what it will cost to have this done properly. Don’t be surprised if the glass replacement cost more than what you paid for the picture. I speak from experience.
P.S. I love the scarves that you are crocheting. The colors are so beautiful and coordinate with many of my outfits. I just wish they didn’t sell so fast. ;-)
I already told the seller that she should file a claim. I’m going to try and do the framing as inexpensively as possible – perhaps buying a frame where the size of glass matches this frame. If not, I’ll have to spend some money which ticks me off!
Glad you had a good day. So sorry about the print. That company who packed it for her should have to pay for the re-frame work necessary…. but after filing claims, etc. etc. it will probably fall to you anyway. ugh.
We are not going out into the madness, either. We did do a bit of shopping last night…. from our couch, and everything but one item has already shipped. We were nice and warm and no one was pushing or shoving, and I didn’t have to deal with any idiots walking into us as they were mesmerized with their cell phones. I am hoping the other kids will send us their lists soon as well, so we can do another order and be (nearly) done.
Hope you are having a great day…. leftovers?? Enjoy!
Shopping online is my favorite way to shop – especially at Christmas, Chris. No real leftovers – except biscuits! Yum.
I’ve sold on ebay and etsy for years, and for even longer I was a picture framer and shipped framed art all over the world. When I ship framed art with glass I will tape the glass in a starburst pattern first with masking tape. That way if it does get broken it hopefully won’t cut the picture.
You probably won’t be able to salvage the backing, just carefully run a razor blade or knife along the edge of the frame to cut the paper backing so you can see what is holding the picture in place. On something that old it is probably small brads. Carefully work them out with needlenose pliers, just working the brad back & forth. Then you can take everything out and clean up any glass slivers. Measure and check a local glass or frame shop, glass should not be that expensive.
If you are putting it back together yourself , clean your glass with an old cotton t-shirt material for no lint and vinegar water works very well, just make sure it is totally dry before putting your picture back together. I recommend using glazier points (they kind of look like arrows) to secure everything in the frame, you can push them in place with a wide screwdriver or putty knife, just go slow. Put a thin bead of Elmer’s glue on the back of the frame and use brown paper or even a pretty gift wrap to cover. Let it dry a couple minutes and use a razor blade to trim (set the blade about 1/8 in from the edge, hold your thumb on the side of the frame for balance and slice down the length of the frame.) Then you can put back whatever hangers it had or use new ones.
You’re so crafty I know you can do it!
Oh, thank you so much! What valuable information and it’s something I know nothing about. Thank you so, so much. Yes there are small brads holding that backing in. The backing is in pretty bad shape, if you touch it, it shreds a bit.
Anyway, thank you for taking the time, my friend, to painstakingly outline the steps necessary. Bless you!
Your gift from Don is fabulous. I know how much you like his works. Your dinner looks delicious also, You’ve been busy making those gorgeous scarves. I love mine. We are having ice and rain all day today and tomorrow so I’ll get a chance to wear mine.
Happy weekend.
Judy
Stay dry and safe, Judy! Ice is no fun!
I’ll bet there are some wonderful frame shops/services in your area, Claudia. They’ll have – or be – experts who can take beautiful care of your Parrish picture for you. One of my mother’s favorite assignments as a temp, years ago, was working in a small framing business in our little village in upstate New York. She learned a ton about how to frame art – and other items too – how to set off a picture or photo – or any object really – to its best advantage, where to place art in a home, and where not to etc etc. She really enjoyed the days she was called to help there – even though she really just covered the office, phones, billing etc for them – and eventually became personal friends with the owners. We always considered them artists too, because when they finished their work, the picture looked even better than before it was framed!
I think a talented framer is indeed an artist, Janet!
Claudia, So glad you have that print. ho needs meat with those biscuits? Yummy. Blessings to you and Don for a great weekend, xoxo, Susie
We’re having leftover biscuits with our dinner tonight, Susie. Have a wonderful weekend.
I’m so happy you got your print! But sad to hear the glass was broken!! I’ve purchased a couple of things over the years through etsy/eBay sellers that were wrapped SO RIDICULOUSLY bad … and, of course, ruined. So frustrating! Hopefully the hassle of getting it repaired won’t be too bad.
I hope so. It amazes me that this woman who says she has shipped a lot of her artwork in the past with NO problems doesn’t know how to ensure it ships safely!
Your T’giving dinner looks yummy. One of my daughters and I are pescatarians, so while the rest of the family ate tri-tip, my daughter cooked lobster Mac and cheese for the two of us. So awful about the broken glass! I hope the fix-up won’t be a big hassle. Your scarves are beautiful. I can no longer crochet because it hurts my hands too much, and I want to be able to keep my hands healthy to continue to stitch and knit.
I have to be careful about my hands, also. That’s why I make these scarves for a limited time period.
My sister had a similar situation some years ago. She purchased a Roseville vase, somewhat expensive and the seller simply put it in a box with nothing around it… no bubble wrap, packing paper…. nothing! Of course it arrived completely broken to bits and then the seller disappeared from Ebay. How annoying. Sorry the glass was broken in your artwork. It’s such a lovely piece too!