Friday, November 8, 2024

Rebuilding Fall with Antiques on the Buffet

I confess, the buffet was a dumping ground for everything in October...medical info, files, mail, pumpkins, seeds, garden folders, it was all there and even with Halloween we didn't use. 

It still isn't 100%, It needs a bit of foliage and lights there...before I take full buffet photos, but it is coming together, so let's look at some of the usual suspects.


First the decor is pretty much where it landed. My antique mirror is wedged in and a permanent fixture at this point. It was in my grandmother's attic above an old bed...circa late 1920's-30's.


 I collect unusual (cheap) pumpkins, either artisan or thrift store. 
The little birds are from Spring, I still have to put them back into the china cabinets.


I haven't used a runner this year...I plan on serving dessert here for Thanksgiving, so the bare tiles (Fall themed birds) are fine. I will add some darker candles, or put sleeves on the white ones. I love the upholstery fabric pumpkin to the right.

The key piece on the right side is this tea pot, a find this year. It's very old---


and dread of all dreads...totally unmarked. The giveaway is the handle is Ebony (steam had raised the grain on one side) as is the finial. The English ones (Sheffield) are made with bakelite handles.


This teapot design has been made in many forms. Because it is unmarked it was either not produced for export (had to be marked for export with origin early 1900's and on) or it is older than say 1900.  I have no intention of selling it so it doesn't matter, I love the design and the lines and the elegant handle of Ebony wood.


Here's a shot all by itself...isn't she pretty with that collar! 


Finally, with online sleuthing I found the same one unmarked-labeled British Colony Bachelor teapot. (so somewhere in the middle east, or India. The craftsmanship is excellent and it is great condition. I'm guessing either India, Burma, or Malaysia which would have a supply of Ebony wood.



My little wagon is frankly full of....a crowd of bottle stoppers from my grandparent's trips to Europe. One is missing a hat which I found separate and saved, not knowing what it was.


They really do look like they have been 'on and off' the wagon...LOL.


This guy looks so unhappy. They are ALL from the 1940's 50's. Carved wood probably from Germany, there are two others similar, the double one has been id'd as Italian.


Some of the corks have disappeared, I can repair that. 


The donkey is my favorite he is animated with the tail as a lever that moves his head and his ears wiggle. He's an Anri design from Italy.


These two certainly look to be German or Swiss and I need to find a new cork for it.


These are harder to find, the first one is pretty common, the fisherman is sterling, so I think it may be Danish...the Duck I couldn't find, at least it is silverplate. They need a good polish, so on the list before Thanksgiving.


A little Oompah-pah music and you could have a party.
On the other side to balance out is another piece of silver.


This large water pitcher is Homan plate on Nickel Silver...I just like the style, the company operated from 1896-1904 before a name change. Stylistically they made some beautiful pieces. This is in need of polishing, which I may do for Christmas, but I like the weathered look for Thanksgiving.


A cutglass bowl ??? used to elevate the pumpkin...I can do better than that. A cork material pumpkin (thrift store) cool texture, my canning ring pumpkin and velvet and beading on the bowl. A sweet Czech creamer from the early 1920's. I have a pitcher for sale of the same pattern. 



Below is our doorstop which is a treasured family piece. It held the doors to the screened porch open at my grandparent's cottage in the 1950's, and the same at my parent's cottage until 1984, when he was packed away. I found him after 2012 in my parent's house when it was sold. 


He's a little dusty and worn, but original...and loved, at least after I give him a bath
'Buster' and I were close friends when I was a child,  and I used to carry him everywhere---he's heavy and has a collar and chain that attaches to the handmade house that sits on the door wedge. I freed him years ago from his chain.  He's a Hubley Boston Terrier from the early 1900's and highly collectible. 
But he doesn't eat much, so he's staying. Some things you have to be thankful for, and he's one of my favorites. 


Next is to really dress the buffet, since I have all this collected. 
It will probably change before you see it again. 
Grins, Sandi

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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.


Thanks ALWAYS for visiting!

I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question. Please don't use my photos without my permission.
 Sandi Magle

OldNewGreenRedo



Wednesday, November 6, 2024

Mather Water Color II on a new platform.

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 Mather Water Color II on a new platform.

Monday I began my second round of Water Color classes on the Mather site.
Mather is a senior platform for enrichment courses that are basically free. 
If you are over 55, by all means take a peek at their offerings. The classes are taught by Art Therapists, the sites are safe places to learn and interact with seniors from all over the country and a few overseas.


I was so excited to begin Water Color II...and I was all ready to work. We received a 4 page handout to print out, with the same info on supplies and basics of color theory, which is excellent reference for a beginner or advanced person. It's nice to have the basics eeked down to four pages.

The new platform, Fireworks instead of Zoom...really wasn't working well for me.
I sent info in and Mather, as well as Fireworks responded quickly. Hopefully they will have the kinks worked out, next week.



I chose a small palette, and some pan water colors I got in my easel kit with all sorts of 'student' grade supplies in it. 

I had used a couple of these colors on my Creative Mindfulness projects and thought they were better than just student grade. I especially like the mustard gold, so I planned to use that today.




The lesson for today was on a technique.  We were using was Flat wash/(wet paint on dry paper) as well as 
Flat washes on top/over existing painting layers. Building colors in layers.


We were encouraged to do some swooping lines and abstract spaces, simply painted with layers of color.  Flat wash / Wet on Dry...meaning a full wet brush of pigment on dry paper. and then criss-cross layering of the same application in different colors. 

I chose the (adjoining colors on the color wheel) analogous colors: orange, yellow orange, and yellow.  And, the (opposites on the color wheel) complementaries of Yellows and Purple.  The idea being, when using these colors, how do you get shading when painting a lemon. Purple mixed with yellow produces some of the colors you see in the earthy tones..perfect for shading on a lemon.
To me, using black is mudding, and I often use Paynes Gray (a blue/brown) based color mixed for shading. So I was anxious to try these complementary shading techniques.


I'm really liking that straight line of orange over/under the purple wash...and the mustard gold on the edge. Not having a subject was freeing to just explore the lines and swaths of color. 


One thing about watercolors is they always dry lighter and less intense. The yellow here, held it's strength, but I'm really tempted to continue playing with this page and bringing up the contrasts.


I'm loving all the tones here...you can see all the swipes I did in this yellow orange/mustard, purple arch I did here...I tend to work very wet with large brushes, I think I will try some line work on top of all this...again free to play 
and learn the medium and how it reacts to different applications.

I hope they get all the performance kinks out of the system by next Monday, but I can't wait.

Hope this leads to some Happy Watercoloring.

If You enjoyed this post please FOLLOW IT in the upper right hand corner, to get just one email of each AD-Free post.

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.


Thanks ALWAYS for visiting!

I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question. Please don't use my photos without my permission.
 Sandi Magle

OldNewGreenRedo

Fall Kitchen Tour!!

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It's Still Fall in our HOME!

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We didn't decorate much for Halloween this year. I started Fall in early October because of having surgery in the middle of the month. I didn't want to have a huge change to make.

I pulled this thrifted tray out to set this vignette on my counter. Basically all I use this counter for is to unload the dishwasher. I'm blessed with tons of counter space and a large island where all the prep and cooking goes on.
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I'm still dealing with plants that haven't found their homes yet from outside. The long enameled pot is a French Fish Poacher. The pumpkins and gourds are a mixture of Faux and real, can you tell which is which...lol.  A blue jar filled with dried Dill and a stack of heavy stoneware plates,  and a Fall towel hide the empty banana rack. Gourds dried or Faux.

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Our everyday dishes are in this cabinet. I still have to rearrange the top shelf when I am comfortable on a ladder. And I have to wait until Hubby is home.

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The cabinet is a bit messy, but this is what works for us. This photo tells me this cabinet needs some attention. Many of the dishes are thrifted and I see my Tulip plates (center back) are still up from Spring. Hmmmm? 
Normally I add a few color pieces for seasons...I still haven't found my Fall ceramics tote???

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Our little white buffet is covered in a thrift store woven tablecloth. It has a 70" round  Hearth and Home tag, and still had folds in it from the original packaging. A steal at $2.00. I gravitate towards plaids for the Fall and winter holidays.

The long squash is one of 6 we grew, very delicious---was some sort of Illinois variety that my friend gave me seeds for. 

The white pot holds a lemon grass plant from outside. We will see if it sprouts again or not. It was so dry outside for 8weeks and now we have had 3 days of rain.

This is quite a mess, as I have a large pot of Rosemary, a Hummingbird plant. 
On the far end is my curly willow plant from the pond. The frogs disappeared soon after I removed this, I think they liked hiding under there.

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Pigs and mushrooms and gourds, and even a gnome are here and there. Way too much, but it will change a lot as  I get more organinzed. These plants take up so much space and the kitchen has the best light.

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Curly willow, an Oxalis (left), a spider plant designated for my bedroom, soon. 

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Fall is sparse here, but i mixed our German flasks with a Danish brass (drinkers) plate (the noses are rubbed off from so much polishing), my Grandmother's Friar Tuck Cookie Jar, and one lonely pumpkin. LOL. A few bits of fall toned dishes and pots.

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Here's the main kitchen problem...Herbs and all my Mandilla plants that are still blooming like crazy.  I set up a temporary plant stand to give them all the light they demand.

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This kitchen window is a southern exposure and gets the best light in the home for plants.

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With the rain the third day...I actually turned on the lights above the windows. They are woven in a Eucalyptus vine and I haven't needed to use it. But, with daylights savings done and the rain, it's been so dark in the afternoon the warm lights are welcoming.
My dining table has a Walmart plastic table cloth on right now..I have lots of messy projects to do...and this is perfect for right now. 75% off, so $2.00, and I love that their seasonal cloths are wide enough for my large table. 

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Our large Enamel platter holds one of our garden pumpkins and some squash the rest is Faux. I elevated the pumpkin on a bean pot.

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The other side has faux cabbage, a real pinecone, and faux Tomato, mixed with gourds, real dried and faux
On the back end is my favorite Fall candle.

WELL, that is unplanned Fall in our home...a bit of this and that from one tub of Fall stuff. It's taken me 6 weeks to get this far...I can't even imagine doing Christmas.
I'm not sure we are even doing Thanksgiving.

Do You Use Real or Faux
 Decor in your Home?

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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.


Thanks ALWAYS for visiting!

I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question. Please don't use my photos without my permission.
 Sandi Magle

OldNewGreenRedo

Sunday, November 3, 2024

Everything has a Season: Turkeys in the Yard!


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Happy Sunday to All.

   Friday and yesterday we removed all the 'Halloween and Spooky' stuff from the yard, cut the grass and cleaned up. Saturday I came home from a thrifting trip to see this in the front yard. 

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They do make me smile....a bit of color in this November year which can be quite dreary here in Chicagoland. I swear you can hear them gobbling...!
That will be it for decorating until November 29th.

We DON'T DO....
HALLOW THANKMAS
in this HOME

ONE precious holiday at a time. That doesn't mean I don't think about it. Don't be silly.
But, this time of year, I always think of this song by the BYRDS from the 60's. 
At the time, I thought it was actually a war protest song, but in my old age, it is also a guide from 
(Ecclesiastes 3) on how to live.





 Working retail/wholesale most of my life has cured me from starting Christmas in JUNE,..UGH! There is time for EVERY SEASON.
PLEASE, Take time to enjoy what you have
 Right NOW!

Seasonal Side NOTE....
Last weekend Sunday our kids were here helping with the yard. 
Always---they leave things behind....Son the hat, Grandgirl her earphones. Glasses are mine that have already lost a lens ($ store readers). So this is what I did, to send a photo to remind them..

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He looks a bit like my son this way, without his signature 'smirking grin'. I bought this pumpkin to bake pies  for Thanksgiving.


I must say the Living Room pumpkin wears it well!
LOL...makes me smile, AGAIN.

Does your family leave a 
trail of possessions when they Visit? 

If You enjoyed this post please FOLLOW IT in the upper right hand corner, to get just one email of each AD-Free post.

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.


Thanks ALWAYS for visiting!

I will try and respond to every comment and answer every question. Please don't use my photos without my permission.
 Sandi Magle

OldNewGreenRedo