“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It Goes On.”
Robert Frost

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Do You See the Resemblance?

I few months ago I decided to update my avatar to something with softer pastel colors, since I love the kitties, I chose a cat planter with rosey cheeks and ears and a soft yellow bow. The kitty had just a bit of black on the fur for contrast.  My husband picked this planter up for me at a garage sale last year. He knew I would love it!


My Avatar Kitty aka CraveCute


I fell in love with this cute little kitty and am very happy to have found her.  OK my husband found her, but whatever! Then one day while browsing an Etsy Epsteam (Etsy Pickers and Sellers Team) treasury, I spied the kitten planter below!!




Kitten with ball



It was love at first sight! I knew I just had to have her!! I went to the shop of The Zoe Bird and immediately snatched up this little cutie!




Notice the resemblance here? 
Mamma kitty has finally found her long-lost kitten!


Are you my Mamma?





Let me tell you a little bit about where they came from....

They were created at American Bisque Pottery which started business in West Virginia in 1919 and ended production in 1982.  Most American Bisque was simply marked with an impressed USA mark, or a mold number and USA mark. Many pieces were unmarked or had paper tags that almost always came off.

Most pieces have unglazed wedged feet on the bottoms. American Bisque is a very heavy pottery. Both of these pieces are underglazed, which simply means the paint was put on under the clear glaze. Some American Bisque items are cold-painted, meaning, the paint is applied after the item was glazed and fired. Cold paint has a tendency to flake or wash off over the years and is just part of the aging process on vintage pottery. The kitty planters are probably from the 1950's.



Even the goldfish is cute!


Sweet!



Pink bow





So Happy Together!

I'm so thrilled that I could reunite these two cute vintage kitty planters, they are adorable together!
I hope you enjoyed this look at some cute vintage collectibles today.  
What kind of things do you collect?


Friday, April 26, 2013

Guy's Giveaway Number Four

This is the last giveaway in April, but don't fret, I plan on doing a giveaway 
every month or so.

First I want to congratulate the winner of the May embroidered towel, it is nun-other than our feline friend Sulky Kitten. I guess the Egyptian God of Cats, Bastet looked down on poor Sulky and granted her some good fortune, because I heard that this wasn't the only prize she has won lately. She is one lucky cat!

Today I have something rare and lovely.  It is the book Pim, by Eva Skerry-Olsen and illustrated by Marvin Anderson.  Lithographed in the USA by Duenewald Printing Company. Coslett, Allentown, Pennsylvania, 1948. This is a first edition book. Don't get too excited, it is not in what I feel is salable condition. However it is still too valuable a book to be torn apart. I decided to see if any of you are interested in it. If this book were in good to mint condition it would be worth $75 -$200 but as you will see by the photos, it has had a hard life. Water damage, a torn page and a stray mark or two has destroyed much of its value. The good news is the gorgeous lithographs are almost all intact and if someone really wanted to, they would make beautiful framed art pieces. That is entirely up to the winner.

This is the charming story of Patty whose playmate was the lovable wee Pim, straight from the Land of Make-Believe. 



Over the "Hills of Day," and just this
side of the "Valley of Sleep," lies the "Land  of Make-Believe."
Here come many lonely little girls and boys to find a playmate
among the happy Little People who dwell in this bright land.
Here it is that Pim was born.

And although the Land of Make-Believe is a Land of Golden Dreams,
Pim and his friends are as real as can be.
PATTY thinks so.
And so does SUSAN SNOOPERDORF SPEZZERFRITZ.
And so do I, who wrote this story.
And so will YOU, who read it.
  --- The Author
From Pim by Eva Skerry-Olsen 1948







Page was torn and the tape let go, but page is still there.



Please leave your comments below expressing your wish to win this book if you would like to enter the Land of Golden Dreams that are found within its pages.  Just remember you need to follow my blog to enter.

We are supposed to have our first glorious spring weather this weekend, so I probably won't catch up with your blogs until next week. I hope you all have a wonderful weekend too!         
                                                                                                                    ~~~ Diane



Thursday, April 25, 2013

Please Invent a New Cone of Silence

"throwback -- A sudden reminder of the past. This can be brought about by hearing a song from high school, seeing an ex..... Similar to a flashback." source
I've decided to start a new periodic Thursday theme called "Throwback Thursday"; it may or may not occur again, just depends if anyone else finds it amusing. Because after all this blog is all about you the reader. Well OK not all about you, it's mostly about me and my weird thoughts about stuff.  But well I guess I am getting to that age when I start to sound like my parents, when they said things like "Do you remember back when ...blah, blah?" I unfortunately usually stopped listening about then.

Anyway this whole idea about the cone of silence came about when my husband and I were trying to have a quiet lunch out the other day.  We ended up sitting across from an obnoxious cell phone user and thus my husband reminded me about the cone of silence. No idea what I am talking about??? Then you are a mere child and let me educate you.

This gadget was used on the old Get Smart show (1965-1970)  on NBC.  The gag was that it didn't actually work and they could never hear each other but everyone else could hear them. Still no idea what I am talking about, here is a classic bit from the show.




Well I would like a cone of silence that really does work in a slightly different way!  Ideally  with the press of a button the cone of silence would envelope me in a euphoric force field type bubble that sound waves could not penetrate or at the least would be diminished to a whisper.  I  can think of several times this would come in handy.

For example the other day while shopping a mother and her sweet toddler were discussing whether said child should be hanging on the side of the cart.  A disagreement ensued and said child started shrieking so loud I thought me ear drums would burst!  Or how about those pesky cellphone users like the one we encountered in  the restaurant that answer the phone at the table and proceed to get louder as the call progresses.  Then there are the people who turn their car stereos up loud enough to make  my car windows vibrate. Feel free to comment with your own examples!

I want some high-tech company to come up with a new cone of silence, please!


 What was one of the favorite catch phrases of Maxwell Smart?

Friday I will return to my cute posts and the announcement of the winner of the May towel and a NEW Giveaway item! So please come back and enter!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Comfort Food

As we continue to endure the never-ending winter, I felt it was time for a little comfort.  Growing up that always involved food and usually desserts. Please do not turn me in to the sugar police, I do not recommend eating this sort of thing every day.  This is perfect for a brunch or large family gathering.

This recipe is a combination of two recipes I found in a Taste of Home cookbook.  I found myself with a bunch of homemade lemon curd and some fresh blueberries that I wanted to use up, so I created this recipe.  My husband can attest that sometimes the recipes don't work, but this one was utterly delicious!

So good, in fact, that it was pretty much gone by the time it dawned on me to take a picture of it.

The last and rather large piece of Blueberry Lemon Coffeecake.



Blueberry Lemon Coffeecake
Fresh blueberries, lemon curd and a buttery crust!

Batter Ingredients:


¾ cups
Sugar
¾ cups
Butter, softened
½ tsp
Baking powder
½ tsp
Baking soda
½ tsp
Salt
¾ cup
Sour cream
1
Egg
¾ cup
Lemon curd
2 ¼ cups
Flour


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a spring form pan with nonstick cooking spray.

In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar together. Add the baking powder, baking soda, salt, sour cream, egg and lemon curd. Mix thoroughly. Add the flour and mix just until combined. The batter will be stiff and very sticky.

Spread the batter in the bottom of the spring form pan and slightly up the sides. Set aside and make the filling.

Filling Ingredients:
½ cup
Sour cream
½ cup
Lemon curd
2 cups
Fresh blueberries, washed and drained



Filling Directions:

In a small bowl mix the sour cream and the lemon curd together. Sprinkle the blueberries onto the batter. Pour the lemon curd/sour cream mixture on top of the berries.

Baking Directions:

Place the spring form pan on a baking sheet and place in the preheated oven. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Reduce the heat to 325 and bake an additional 45 minutes. Test by shaking the pan slightly, middle of cake should not jiggle. Interior of cake will be very moist. Remove from oven and cool. Remove the spring form pan and transfer to a large platter or cake stand.

Icing Directions:

Mix 1 cup powdered sugar and 1 tablespoon milk together until smooth. Drizzle over the top of the coffee cake.



For more Crafts, Recipes, DIY and Home Decor check out ..... Nap Time Creations.

Happy Tasty Tuesday!



Sunday, April 21, 2013

Ten Ways To Help Save Mother Earth

 It's Mother Earth Day on April 22nd. Below I have listed ten easy things to do to help save her.


  1. Use less water by fixing your leaky toilet and dripping faucets. Turn off the water when you brush your teeth. Stop using bottled water and use water from the tap (almost all US water is safe to drink). Use a filter for your water if you must (I use a Brita).
  2. Stop driving everywhere! Use public transportation when you can, or ride your bike. Try walking instead, it's also good for you. If you live in the suburbs where that isn't feasible, then at least combine your trips to save gas. If you use a list and plan your trips you will also save time and money.
  3. Recycle everything you can and be thoughtful about what you buy. Some things are easier to recycle than others.  Stop buying the stuff that ends up in the landfill because it is hard to recycle.  Things like juice boxes and milk cartons come to mind. Read this and this.
  4. Compost your kitchen waste. Read how here.
  5. Change your light bulbs to the new LED lights.
  6. Turn off the lights when you leave the room.  Unplug any unnecessary chargers or appliances.
  7. Make sure your home is energy efficient, when replacing appliances make sure they are Energy Star rated and approved.  Get a programmable thermostat for your house and stop wasting money overheating or cooling your home when you are away.  
  8. Have a home energy audit done, costs average around $500 for a professional inspection. Or check out this site instead and do your own.
  9. Maintain you car, simply keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure will increase the fuel economy of your vehicle. 
  10. Buy locally made food and products.  It helps your local economy and cuts down on transportation costs and pollution.


Friday, April 19, 2013

Guy's Giveaway Number Three

Guy is back again this week with more news and photos of our wild Minnesota weather.  Old man winter will not let us go and visited again with the biggest snowfall of the season!

When we woke up this morning this is what greeted us. The mallards were in the yard looking for bird seed and seemed a bit bewildered by the depth of the snow.  In the distance the lake has frozen over again and is mostly covered with snow.  Closer to the edge the snow and lake water have turned to slush.  We have about nine inches of fresh snow and thankfully with the warmer temperatures it should be gone in a few days.


Mallard Ducks







Mallard Drake

Guy Noir looking at Mr. Duck!

Guy covered in snow!

Lets get to the Giveaway! I drew a name out of my winter fleece hat and the winner of the Little Yellow Chicks is Stacy. Check out her blog and Etsy shop Magic Love Crow.  Congratulations to the winner and thanks to everyone that entered.

Here is your next chance to win. This is a pretty embroidered towel I did and I would love to share it with one of you.  Leave a comment and let me know if you are interested in receiving the towel and I will pick one winner and post it next week.  Any mention of my blog or shop on your social media is appreciated by not required.  The only requirement is that you follow my blog.

Flour Sack Dish Towel

Good luck to everyone and have a wonderful weekend!
                                                                 ~~ Diane

Friday, April 12, 2013

Guy's 2nd Giveaway

I'm just going to say it, we are having a miserable spring here in Minnesota. Ice, snow, cold weather and dreary days are really taking a toll on everyone. It has been ten years since we have had a heavy snow like this in April and we have gotten spoiled. I am really starting to get cranky about this, so what to do? Well I have decided to distract myself with more pleasant things like giving away more fun items to all of you! 

First of all I want to congratulate Debbie Nolan, she is the winner of the "Smudge" book! Debbie is a fantastic watercolor artist and you can view some of her art on her blog called View From Harmony Hills. Thanks to everyone that entered.

For those of you that didn't win, don't worry I will be having many more giveaways in the future. In fact this month, I am going to try to do one each week. Thereafter, I will try and do one each month, until I run out of stuff.  Judging from my house, I doubt that will ever happen!






 Yellow Chicks: Free to a Good Home

  

 

I made these little chicks over a year ago now and put them in my Etsy shop thinking they would sell right away.  Alas, they have been neglected and even though they have been favorited and put in several Etsy treasuries, no one actually wanted to pay for them.  Fortunately my vintage items have sold well; my little shop is slowly growing and I have enough to do to keep me busy without actually making anything! 

So these little chicks need to go to a good home.  They are actually about the size of real chicks, they are made of paper mache and have been molded, hand painted and glittered.  They have little feathers on their bums for tails and even though Easter has past, they would still look cute with your spring decor. 

If you would like to win the Yellow Chicks, please say so in your comments and make sure you are a follower of my blog.  If you win, I would love it if you would share my blog and shop links with others or write about it on your own blog, however that is not a requirement. I will pick a name at random and then post the winner in about a week.  Good luck to all!

Since this is Guy's Giveaway, I thought I better post a picture of him.  We are still celebrating his one year birthday this month, so I thought it was appropriate to show what he looked like last year when we brought him home.


Guy Noir 2 months


Thursday, April 11, 2013

Spring In Minnesota

Looks a lot like Winter!!!











Hi all! While we wait for the snow to melt, I will be planning my second giveaway this week. Check back to see who the winner of the "Smudge" book is in my next post and enter the new giveaway.

Tuesday, April 9, 2013

Love and Light





A few months ago I was invited to participate on a group board on Pinterest. When I read the board title and description below, I couldn't resist. Almost every day someone finds or creates a beautiful image with inspiring words attached. While I await yet another snowstorm with 8 inches of snow heading this way, I wanted to share my most recent favorite from this board. Just a little something to cheer you (and myself) up in this never ending winter.



Love and Light for All

This board champions love and light for all people. May we love one another for the unique individuals we are, respect each other for our differences, rejoice in the attributes we share in common as members of the human family, celebrate the joys of living, uplift and comfort each other, and live together in harmony and peace. Namaste Day!
Board created by
Loveandlightnow.org & facebook.com/LoveandLightNow are dedicated to our collective healing and enlightenment. Love & light to all! ~ Christina Fullmer

                   via


Have a beautiful day!




Saturday, April 6, 2013

Guy's Giveaway

Guy has been reminding me that I have been saying I'm going to do a giveaway for awhile and that I had better get with it. So in honor of Guy's First Birthday, here is the first item I am going to give to one of my great blog readers.  The name of the book is "Smudge", both the story and pictures are by Clare Turlay Newberry.  It's a darling book about a mamma cat and her kittens.


Guy relaxing after his book review of "Smudge".

As you see in the pictures, the book has been thoroughly examined by Guy and it meets with his approval! This is a gently used book and is a newer edition (1998). It is a large book, approximately 12 x 12 inches. 

If you would like to win this, simply leave a comment saying you want the book.  I will pick a name at random from the entries and announce the winner back here in about a week. The only requirement is that you are a follower of my blog, so whether you live in the UK, Canada or anywhere else, please enter! After the winner is picked, I will need your mailing information and I will send the book on it's way.













"Smudge"

From "Smudge"



The rest of the pictures are of Guy being himself, a cute little rascal!

Look at the picture below....
Do you see the paw on the right side of the photo? I was trying to clean off my desk of assorted clutter, (including this vintage pom-pom cat), when suddenly......

 There was an attack in progress!!!!!!


 Someone really wanted to get that thing!


 After closer examination, Guy decided it wasn't that much fun after all.


He decided to get onto the window ledge where he could look outside.






Guy, like many of us are still wondering when spring will actually arrive.




Guy Noir is One Year Old Today!

Still waiting for spring!