“In three words I can sum up everything I've learned about life: It Goes On.”
Robert Frost
Showing posts with label vintage cute. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vintage cute. Show all posts

Friday, January 28, 2022

Winter Roller Coaster

It's been a winter roller-coaster of temperatures.  Regular cold, extreme cold, mild cold, bitter cold, go for a walk cold, huddle under a blanket in front of the TV cold, more extreme cold, 5 minutes till frostbite cold etc.....  My kitty Guy reminded me to add one more kind of cold, "hissy fit" cold! That is the sound he makes when he walks outside and the ground is too cold for his little dainty feet. Even though he has more toe fur than any other cat I've ever known! So I pick up the spoiled hissy cat and walk him around until we both have had enough.

But meanwhile, looking out my side window from the comfort of my home is a view of this pretty old oak tree.



I caught this just a bit after sunrise the other morning. The glow of the sun made everything seem better.

In other news, I've opened up my Etsy shop again and have tried to be better about listing items every few days. I get in a rhythm and things seem to move along. The rest of the time seems to be stuck on the phone trying to get answers to questions for things like insurance changes, drivers license renewal information etc. I've been on hold for hours it seems just trying to get a quick answer that after spending more hours online I was never able to locate the information. This pandemic is really getting old!

Thus is life. Lines and waiting. 

 

Above, me praying for an end to the extreme winter cold. Just kidding, this is a cute little figurine that I've listed in my shop.




Well what can we do? I say put on the tea kettle and have a cup of tea! I'll have "Constant Comment", one of my faves. Have a wonderful winter, hope you are staying warm and toasty!

Diane & "Hissy Fit" Guy

Thursday, April 9, 2015

Once Upon a Time



We have April showers.  The rain is pattering on the roof and when I step outside I smell the sweet scent of spring earth .... the smell of the garden waking up after its long winter slumber. The Fairies are awake again too, and they sometimes sneak in and bring little presents.

I found one hanging out next to the bottle of Port wine. He looks to be holding up some kind of little snack. Don't mind if I do little Fairy friend. The sound of rain on the roof, a wee bit of Port and a snack. It's a nice way to spend the evening.

I remembered that somewhere in my image files I also had a sweet little Fairy poem with an illustration. Probably ripped from some old magazine long ago, I love the illustration and the poem.  I uploaded it to my Fairy Pinterest board and wrote the poem out so it's easier to read.






Once Upon a Time by Mary E. Wilkins Freeman illustrated by Childe Hassam circa 1900







Once Upon A Time

Now, once upon a time, a nest of fairies
Was in a meadow 'neath a wild rose-tree;
And, once upon a time, the violets clustered
So thick around it one could scarcely see;
And, once upon a time, a troop of children
Came dancing by upon the flowery ground;
And, once upon a time, the nest of fairies,
With shouts of joy and wonderment they found;
And, once upon a time, the fairies fluttered
On purple winglets, shimmering in the sun;
And, once upon a time, the nest forsaking,
They flew off thro' the violets, every one;
And, once upon a time, the children followed
With loud halloos along the meadow green;
And, once upon a time, the fairies vanished,
And never more could one of them be seen;
And, once upon a time, the children sought them
For many a day, but fruitless was their quest,
For, once upon a time, amid the violets,
They only found the fairies' empty nest.

by
Mary E. Wilkins Freeman

illustrated 
by Childe Hassam

 

Mary Eleanor Wilkins Freeman (October 31, 1852 – March 13, 1930) was a prominent 19th-century American author.  Frederick Childe Hassam (October 17, 1859 – August 27, 1935) was a prolific American Impressionist painter, noted for his urban and coastal scenes. In 1882, Hassam became a free-lance illustrator (known as a "black-and-white man" in the trade), and established his first studio. He specialized in illustrating children's stories for magazines such as Harper's Weekly, Scribner's Monthly, and The Century.




Remember if you come upon some Fairies in the garden, tread softly, 
you don't want to frighten them away!
~~ Diane ~~






Thursday, October 2, 2014

Soft and Quiet



Soft and quiet, October arrived. The rain on the roof is tapping lightly while I sip on my gi-normous cup of coffee. The house is quiet this morning and I look over some of the enchanted vintage items I picked up last weekend.





I found another silly rabbit planter, this one with a little pink bow around his neck.  A few gorgeous teacups arranged on top of the piano amongst the Autumn decorations, placed there out of the way of kitty foot traffic!






Pretty roses and cosmos adorn these two cups and saucers. Rain dripping off the roof and all the windows are now closed up, there's a real chill in the air.  Even the kitties are not happy with the cold wet weather and after their morning breakfast, went right back to their favorite warm spots for naps.

This little owl creamer is so sweet and goes so well with the Autumn colors. Soft and quiet, that's kind of how these pictures came out. I snapped them with my phone, too lazy to go down stairs and get my other camera!

.





Last weekend was the last Flea Market of the year for our favorite venue.  My hubby and I gathered up as much as we could find.  We were like crazed squirrels hoarding our treasures for the winter.  It was much nicer last week getting out than it will be in the coming cold months. And just like that the weather changed from an 80 degree day on Sunday to now in the 50's with rain.







Speaking of crazed squirrels, what do you think of this little charmer?  It is a dark brown squirrel nut or candy dish. He has gold trim on the little dish he holds in front and gold around the large bowl opening which is his tail. My husband called him psycho squirrel. I think he is cute and couldn't resist. It was worth getting up at 5:30 in the morning just to find this little treasure!

Next time I'll be sharing a few photos of a little trip north I took with my husband. We drove along the shore of Lake Superior all the way from Duluth to Grand Marais MN.

Until next time....  I'll be seeing you in BlogLand! ~~Diane





Thursday, May 1, 2014

Happy May Day





May is finally here! April has sent us a deluge of rain in the last several days and we are just about to float away.  My poor kitties are not happy to be cooped up in the house and when we do go out we must jump over huge puddles and dodge the rain drops! It even has been cold enough to send snow flakes down again, but we will not dwell on that!

Oh I wish it could be sunny and as bright as you see in the vintage image above, those little animals are happy as can be, no puddles in sight!

As I get older, I think back to ancient times when I was a child and pulled this little gem out of the archives for you.  Here I am with another girl on a May Day many years ago. I'm the one facing the camera. The other girl was one of my closest childhood friends.



We are each holding little May baskets and are walking down to the stage where the May Day King and Queen are waiting. There was a whole procession of boys and girls and the royal court consisted of the older teenagers. We also had a Maypole outside that we danced around with the ribbons. No pictures of that though, but I still have the recollection of the yearly event.

A few years later the May Day celebration was canceled and disappeared into oblivion.  I seemed to be at that age where things just kind of ended (1962). Maybe it was because of the Vietnam war and people felt there was no time for this kind of frivolity.

The month of May is the time of year when warmer weather finally arrives and the flowers and trees are in bloom.  It is often a time of love and romance and a time to celebrate the coming of summer. Our April showers are no doubt going to bring an abundance of May flowers and I can hardly wait!

Have a wonderful May Day!





Tuesday, June 4, 2013

The Laughing Duck



Well maybe he's quacking and not laughing, but whatever he's doing, he is very cute! I picked him up at a local Flea Market last weekend. This duck planter is from McCoy pottery and was produced around 1951.  He still retains some of the paint which was cold painted over the glaze.

If I had more room I would keep him, instead he and the books below are all going into my shop. Goodbye little ducky, I will enjoy you while you are here!





This book is titled "Somebody Saw ...." by Adriana Saviozzi. Vintage 1962. This book has many cute illustrations throughout. It depicts animals doing the most unusual things!
























Here is another book that also has a nature/botanical theme. It also seems to be similar in color. Maybe I am being drawn to the yellows because we have a string of gloomy days forecast for this week.  At least we will have some sun by Friday (the weatherman promised)!  In the mean time, these happy images will have to do.



The book "Apricot ABC" by Miska Miles and beautifully illustrated by Peter Parnall, depicts the demise and rebirth of an apricot through the view of the animals and insects that encounter it.
















 Once again, my funny, yellow duck!



Sorry, I just can't resist saying this.....

Hope your week is just ducky!

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

The Whimsical Art of Bjorn Wiinblad

These decorative wall plaques were designed by the Danish Art Deco artist Bjorn Wiinblad. The images are designed to tell the story of a young couple. Each month represents a different stage in the couple’s life. They start by falling in love in January and end with a new baby in December. These whimsical pieces were manufactured by Nymolle of Denmark in the 1970’s.

This plaque is for March or “Marts” and is titled “Victoire” or Victory. This whimsical image depicts the victorious groom carrying off his new bride. They are accompanied by two angels who hold garlands of roses to celebrate the young newlyweds’ bliss. The image is in red and white. The plaque measures approximately 6” in diameter. There is a hole at the top for hanging. There is some crazing but there are no chips or cracks. Most of these plaques are available in black and white, the red is a bit more rare.



"Victory"






 

This plaque is for April and is titled “ Konflikt” or “Conflict”.  Rain and dark skies symbolize the turmoil of young love. This is a red and white image. The plaque measures approximately 6” in diameter. There is a hole at the top for hanging. There is some crazing but there are no chips or cracks. Both are now available at CraveCute on Etsy.

These wall plaques would make wonderful housewarming or hostess gifts for a young couple or just fun pieces for anyone who loves the whimsical art of Bjorn Wiinblad.

 
"Conflict"



bjorn wiinblad portrait
via Dwell






Bjorn Wiinblad
1918 - 2006

 "Wiinblad's style is marked by bright colors, playful design, and a sense of joyfulness. Often incorporating human figures into his work, Wiinblad's characters were usually round-faced and charming. Some of his better known professional associations include porcelain work for Rosenthal, illustration for Hans Christian Andersen, and textiles for Nymolle Fajance Fabrik."  from Dwell





Thursday, April 26, 2012

Shawnee Pottery Collecting

Here are a few of my favorite Shawnee Pottery Company pieces. These items have been collected over the past twenty years. One piece I inherited and didn't even know it was Shawnee. These items did not actually start my collection though, it was a single teapot found in California. Then it was another, and another and well you know how it goes!

In April and October I do a complete cleaning of the top of the cabinets in my kitchen where my collections reside. In between I do a little bit of dusting, but twice a year I haul out the ladder and climb up there to remove everything from the top of my cabinets. I run them through the glass cycle on my dishwasher and they come out beautifully clean. My pottery has all the paint under the glaze so I don't worry about hurting it. I also do not use the heat cycle on the dishwasher. Since they were all so clean and shiny, I thought it was the perfect time for them to get their pictures taken.





These are the Puss-N-Boots cats. The two little ones are creamers and the large one is a cookie jar. They are probably the most valuable  pieces I own.  My husband and I found them over 15 years ago in Missouri. I took the color from the pottery for my kitchen cabinets and I hand mixed the blue paint for the trim to match the blue in the teapots and kitties. I just love the colors of the pottery and their cute little kitty faces!



The Little Chef cookie jar belonged to my mom. She had it on her kitchen counter for forty some years and it was always filled with homemade cookies!  Only after she passed away and I inherited it did I look at the bottom and realize that it was a Shawnee piece.


Teapots started the collection over 20 years ago in California.












This teapot has gold trim and gold decals.


Shawnee Pottery was started in Zanesville, Ohio in 1937.  The company closed in 1961.  Most pieces had paper labels to denote their origin, however most of those have long since disappeared. Many pieces have USA incised into the bottom of the pottery.  Shawnee Pottery was sold at the local Five and Dime store very inexpensively.  Pieces are becoming more collectible over time, especially the cookie jars and gold trimmed items.




The kitty on the right is wearing a pink straw hat, just because!

I have three teapots that have a blue and pink flower on them.

I have four teapots with blue flowers.


Notice the different handles on the teapots. Also the styles of the base are different, some have a scalloped border and others are plain or have a horizontal border.


The top of the wall between the kitchen and living room is open. It's the perfect place for my teapots! I have a total of twelve teapots, plus one without a lid that I use as a pen/pencil holder. I also have several Shawnee salt and pepper shaker sets, but I will save them for another time!





I am happy with the size of my collection and don't plan on adding anymore teapots or Puss-N-Boots. Sometimes it's just good to enjoy what you have and be satisfied.

Hope  you enjoyed my collection. Until next time!
Diane

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Some Cute Vintage Finds

This past week just flew by! I took a couple of days to tend to my flower gardens and a couple more days to go to some estate sales. Today I would like to share my wonderful vintage finds with you.




This cute kitty planter is from the 1950's.  It is unmarked, but some research has led me to think this is a Shawnee Pottery piece. I have not been able to verify that for sure, so I need to do a bit more digging. She is so cute with her long beautiful eyelashes! I may be falling in love with this little sweetie!




I found this extra large watercolor paint set, by Page of London. The theme is Alice in Wonderland and features a detailed lithograph of the famous tea party. This tin has most of the paint blocks still intact and the tin itself is in remarkable condition.

A quick search found that a few years ago one sold at a Christie's auction for around $500.  However some have sold recently for much less.  My husband has several more of these tins with different themes, but he will not let me sell them (even though they have just been sitting in a box in our basement for years)!


I love the magical creatures!




Pose for the camera and say peanuts!





Look at these cute little elephant salt and pepper shakers from Hull/Leeds Pottery. They are just so cute, one has yellow ears and the other has blue ears! They are from the 1940's.



This poor little lass has lost her mate! She is supposed to be singing, while he accompanies her on the accordion. Right now I think she is saying "Boohoo! I'm all alone!" She is one half of a set of the Shawnee Pottery Company Swiss Children Salt and Pepper shakers. I did find her mate for sale in another online shop. Maybe the two will be reunited! She is also from the 1950's.



Here is another Shawnee Pottery piece, a small planter of a rabbit peeking around a tree stump. I have to say I think this rabbit looks a little deranged, but that's just my opinion! I am sure someone would love the little guy!

Our outdoor sales and markets are just getting started so can't wait to get out there and look for more. Now if I could just focus on getting them all listed in my shop I would be doing great!

Oooh, I think the sun is coming out! Off to take some pictures of my garden!   ~~ Diane






Friday, December 23, 2011

It's Almost Christmas!

Can you feel the anticipation? 
These special moments and celebrations are what we humans are all about. We love the ceremony and the traditions that connect us to the past and pull us into the future. So here we are on the threshold of another Christmas and then another new year. I hope we can all savor and enjoy this precious time with family and friends as the year comes to a close. 

I'm sharing just a few more pictures of some of my favorite
Christmas images and some from Flickr friends.


Thank you dear readers for following me along this first year.


Vintage pink christmas ornaments






VINTAGE CHRISTMAS CARD








Through a Looking Glass













Vintage Pointy Hat Santa Christmas Card 1959


Have a very Merry Christmas and a Fabulous New Year.