Monday, December 30, 2019

Christmas Gift Basket and some Transferware Sleuthing!

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First a Very Happy New Year to you all!

Now that the powder sugar and candle smoke has settled, it's time to ponder the coming new year, and the contents of my Christmas goodie basket from a dear friend. 

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Since I have been laid up and not able to thrift shop---sigh---my BF found some wonderful Transfer-ware pieces, she knew I wouldn't have passed on. I adore transfer-ware...and now the fun begins.



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These plates are all perfect except for manufacture flaws (few) and really lovely! This dinner plate has such a lovely floral rim and intricate pattern.


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Script marks are always a bit hard to decipher sometimes. This pattern is Genevese?  and the maker mark in the lower left is ?? and 
an A lower center and China on the right. The made in or country is missing the transfer did not make it totally on...Hmmm. To Etsy--looking up Genevese....wow!

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The word on the left is Opaque, and it's 19th century Minton! The lovely blue plate was made between 1836-41. Date confirmed antiquemarks.com


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This luncheon plate is perfect and has an interesting leaf pattern and a rich berry red.



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When you have all this information, it should be easy? Ironstone, no pattern name though. With this info I will do an image search for the pattern, found it--'Vista.' Mason's used versions of this mark for MANY years. I got a serious headache searching this one.  
Many years of this mark or similar/with 'where's Waldo' tiny variations. Because of the 'acid resisting colors', I'm thinking 1930-early 40's. 


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Here is another very Old company---Coalport which has been making pottery/porcelain in England since 1796. I love the rope edge and all the shading in the flowers on the rim.  "Pastoral" is one of those country patterns where every piece has a different scene. They made blue, red, green, and multi-with brown of this pattern over the years. 
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This mark dated from the 1920's according to an Etsy dealer...best guess at the moment! The impressed in clay marks are very hard to read to meticulously date within a 10 year or so stretch.

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I thought this plate had an aesthetic vibe. I Love the panels with the intricate boat scenes. From another very old company, Thomas Mayer, clearly a collector must have passed away and the plates were donated.

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Much older 1826-1834 ...?

Here the transfer mark actually is missing a bunch of info...oh joy.
Happy information though is the urn mark and the "Canova" pattern is very distinct. This mark has been attributed to Stoke, England and was made between 1826 and 1838. I found this information on RubyLane antiques. 

Prices are all over the place for these pieces....but I love the size and the fact I can mix them with my other pieces!


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My friend also has a real sense of whimsy---and included this fun little pin cushion with a 1950's porcelain poodle perched on top....she is a Major Dog Lover!

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She added some 1950's earrings and some jewels, buttons on a burgundy toile print making a perfect 'Smile' to include in the basket...what a fun gift!
And, I really love a good sleuth. I think the gorgeous plates will have to find a place in my kitchen--which has red/white stripes in the wallpaper or in my corner cabinet...they are just too pretty!
Thanks to Emily!

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Thursday, December 12, 2019

Family Cookie Day 2019

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This was 2019...and what I miss the most this year!

Originally Posted on Dec.12, 2018...but we are having cookie day on the 14th this year!

Quick Post---You know you are having fun when no one takes their phone out and takes photos.

I had to do these the day after, so this is only about 1/2 the cookies. Last Saturday, I set up our huge kitchen table with 3 leaves and 9 chairs...(we were 12 cookie baker/decorators) this year. The guys handled the rolling out and baking with help from or kid crew.

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The table was set with two big carousels of gathered/donated decorations/sprinkles/icing and some bowls for distributing, paper plates for decorating on. Paper toweling is a must---!

I make up a batch of icing in white, blue, yellow, red, green that gets hard for spreading, and then we use the commercial cookie icings for outlining, which honestly were fabulous and easy for little hands to work with.

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We used a (12 cup flour batch) of sugar cookie dough and (6 cup flour) gingerbread batch(those you bake really thin.) The sugar cookie recipe is from my husband's grandmother, the gingerbread is from an old Scandinavian cookbook. This makes more than enough cookies for five families.

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Everyone had their own style in decorating---some love lots of frosting and sugar, 


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others, just do outlines---the biggest hit were random eyeballs on everything...LOL. Orange was a new addition for snowman noses, but became foxes, mushrooms, duck, chicken, and bird feet.

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The cookies have to set up for a couple of hours before they can be packed away.


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New cookie cutters this year were a Unicorn which was very popular with the kid set,
and a 3 pc train---which no one could figure out what they were.---! 
RECIPE: Very Old (5 generations) and excellent.






THE most important part, gathering our family and friends together for FUN and MEMORIES even though no photos.

How are your memories coming for these holidays?

All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own, unless otherwise designated. I have not been paid or reimbursed in anyway for my opinions, posts or any products shown or anywhere I shop.

I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question.
Thank you for your cooperation,




Sandi Magle

Tuesday, November 26, 2019

OUR REALITY-Happy Thanksgiving to All!

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To all those out there, preparing, cleaning, shopping, scurrying for the the holiday, my spirit is with you!

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I'm pulling photos from years past--because very little is being done here because I'm still recovering from my knee replacement. I'm doing well---and GIVING THANKS!


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There have been no fun kid projects this year!

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And no new goodies to share......but I GIVE THANKS to my readers, friends, doctors, therapists besides my wonderful friends and family!

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The important part isn't shiny windows, or sparkling glassware---it's gathering together with those you LOVE and sharing that LOVE!

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Of course there is all that good Food!

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But, family heirlooms are still packed away (I can't get into the basement!)


But I love the warmth and joy of the images of Thanksgiving!

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The bounty of our countries farms, and homemade pies!

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The recipes...And THANKS to all the people who share their love and knowledge  on their blogs!

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We did get up our Tom Turkey up in the yard, but no pumpkins are out....with the frost and snow we have already had!

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Other favorites are lurking in downstairs bins....

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Dinner this year will be on paper plates and a buffet-streamlined, store-bought pies,(shudder), and no fuss!
We are calling it, Rustic and Informal....
But most of all We give Thanks for the LOVE 
Family and Friends will gather and share!

Thank you all for your well wishes, and best to you and all your 'families'

And have a WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING!

Thank you for any and all comments.
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Friday, November 8, 2019

Thoughtful Moments #4 Turn, turn, turn....

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During the the season of Autumn, 

I'm reminded of the song/poem/verses...to every thing there is a season.

A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep

music Pete Seeger for this post my context comes from recording of Turn, Turn, Turn, -The Byrds 1965. 

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I don't do Twitter, I really don't do Instagram, I peruse Facebook to keep up with family and some scattered friends--which has been lovely, but basically while I am gregarious in public, I'm actually can be quite the introvert. I thought I could blog and not let too much of my real self leak on the page.


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My last blog post was on October 19th(2019), two days before my knee replacement surgery. That week had been hideous with multiple doctor visits, paper shuffling, scrambling to make the home safe and easy to function in, and just an all out chaos scramble. Life as well as blogging took a back seat as we muddled through the 'have to's', sterilizing the bedrooms and bathrooms, making sure we had everything I would need before the surgery. Yard work was interrupted all week with high winds and insistent rains, making just keeping the leaves off the walks and front porch total chore, and leaving poor hubby with all the pick up and put away---in our yard.


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The last of our squash finally came in. We got two bushels of gorgeous butternut squash. I hardened them off on the table on the back porch. Hopefully they will hold in my vegetable trays in the cabinet. 
Luckily my kids took some off our hands...they are so sweet this year.



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Anyway finally thinking we had LIFE under control.
So, Sunday the 20th---we went for a short ride---color had been elusive here in Chicagoland, trees were either bare or still deep green and just not cooperating with the normal season of FALL. I finally downloaded the few photos I took that day. The scenery is slim and the light was gray to October nasty with a bit of sun now and then.


I knew a selection of hardwoods and many maples were in our favorite park, Lakewood Forest Preserve in Wauconda, Illinois. Huge old oaks are stubborn to colorize in any year, and they were their usual browns and some deep mahogany color. Even there the usual yellow colors were elusive. The pond was still filled with geese and of course their chattering discourse. Late on a Sunday the park was quite empty.


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A series down the center of an empty parking lot...put on quite the show. You can see in the background though really nothing as far as colors from the bushes or grasses.





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Even the gutter collected this beautiful array of leaves...more than just the maples--you can see many of what I call Nature's Potpourri.





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Looking close the leaves aren't just red, but every shade of crimson, orange to even some yellow green.


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We never really had a golden autumn...and with below freezing temps dipping across most of the country...who knows.
This photos is my 'HOLIDAY FRENZY' of green and red, that we are being assaulted by everywhere NOW. Veterans Day and Thanksgiving occupy my November calendar.

To everything (turn, turn, turn)
There is a season (turn, turn, turn)


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Squirrels know this, and are very busy in the yard cleaning up under the bird feeders. This little guy---stands guard on the porch.

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Even the Marsh grasses were beige to green still trying to dry. 


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Little touches of red in a sea of green---such was Fall in Chicagoland. Since then we have had 6" of snow and more snow twice. The temp was 17 degrees tis morning. This has just has been one heck of a crazy year. 

My surgery went well, I start heavy duty PT this coming week. Each day is an improvement. My son and daughter-in-law are coming for a short visit and dinner tomorrow. I'm starting to feel like I want to reattach to the world. I confess I had TV binged on Halloween bake-offs and Oak Island and had to laugh at the disasters and the amazing accomplishments of such creative people. 
It all comes around in a circle, we keep turning---and the world moves at the same pace, no matter how fast we wish to hurry it up.

Turn, turn, turn, 
A time to be born, a time to die
A time to plant, a time to reap
A time to kill, a time to heal
A time to laugh, a time to weep


Thank you for any and all comments.
Finally I am able to reply to comments by using Chrome. So all you Mac users who have upgraded to Catalina---this might help the glitches on Blogger!


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