Midwest Gardening:August 2018

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We've had a few milder days this week, but July was very dry and very HOT in Chicagoland. So that means, water, water, water----WATER!

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Our mailbox planter is doing well, long as we keep pumping water in. Hubby built this holder for all the neighbors, or we would have five different poles standing haphazardly in front of our house.

At least the different mailboxes are in order now and a blend. The tubes are for junk mail, which 'thank heavens' we don't get much of anymore. 

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The label on the purple said---Purple Salvia..? but this is what it does.It has been very prolific. The marigolds were supposed to be 1 foot to 2 feet high? hence they were in the middle. Two wave petunias one on each end, have been fabulous!

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Love this fun version---as the designs morph into pinwheels.

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Why is it weeds grow with no water---and regular plants are stunted?

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My pots are getting lush, the dahlias are finally starting to bloom on the right.

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This pot is waiting to explode into dahlias.

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Potato Vine...my go to for lush trails of lime green color.

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Something died on the left or was removed by a squirrel, with no evidence?

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Getting ready to bloom.  Impatiens are having issues with the heat and are sparse and droopy.

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Pots under the eaves, get only half day sun, so are doing okay.

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This area holds heat, despite being in shade half the day. The phlox, got huge with the spring rains, and now watering can't keep it happy.

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The pond has one lonely resident frog this year. Mom was here and must have laid eggs and only one survived. She disappeared early in the summer. This little guy is used to us now, and doesn't dart away every time we walk by the pond.

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My herbs on the porch are toughing it out.

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Potted tomatoes have fried roots though,  and are yellow and loosing leaves fast.

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Neighbors clematis is treating us to some color over the (long skinny Asian) eggplants, which are happy in the heat and producing like crazy.

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Fledgling Robin nosing in one of my pots.

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This area is in part to total shade all day---so the plants are lush! The sun was so bright though when I took pics.

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Hubby finally getting the lights up we bought last year. having to crawl around his huge tomato plants. 

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Luckily he could do some from our walkway.

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Garden is very green, however we've had a few zucchini and beans aren't blossoming yet. Pickles are drying up---we aren't going to get many. Plants that are drowned for two months don't develop deep roots to survive in hot weather. Tomatoes are small, but sweet. Later varieties are holding---large and green, so we just keep watering!

How is your garden doing?

All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own. 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.

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Happy Summer: Finally out on My Porch

We've had a break in the weather in Chicagoland this week. Thank Goodness. Temps have moderated and we have had a breeze off of Lake Michigan that has carried inland and gently cooled the air. 

My chaise is MY SPOT, and it is perfect for working on the computer.

I don't have plants on the porch this year, because it was so hot! 

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Our Porch is filled with old wicker furniture from my parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. Only two pieces are vintage the rest are real antiques, 100 years old or more.

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Toys and children's toys are everywhere.  I just leave them out as part of the decor.

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We have lots of birds on our property, and I have bird items sprinkled everywhere. The porch is perfect for birdwatching, during all seasons.

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The DIY cushions are all made from vintage tablecloths. They are softly fading, but the fabric is so washable and durable---and I don't need to iron them. The table was made by my dad, and painted in a pattern I used for my pottery in the 1990's. It holds up well with a coat of satin poly-acrylic.

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When the family comes, we all collect on the porch. Tubs of building toys are under the furniture. 

The coffee table is often set with a farm or a castle and little animals and figures on great adventures.

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The antique tea cart has a vintage towel I got from Diana, at Adirondack Girl at Heart. American flags are here and there for the summer season.

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The table top was attached to an old wicker library table. We can sit eight here for family dinner or cards in the evening. This is perfect for summer entertaining.

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Again, more tablecloths with some Waverly Plaid as trim.

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Hiding under the table by the window is a bench, perfect for two. 

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I use bandanas for napkins...and the fisherman/mermaid salt and peppers represent my husband and me. The OLD arrangement, gets freshened each year.

I HOPE you are having a Happy Summer, and are safe and enjoying it.

All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own. 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.

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Sandi

Junking Finds July 2018

It's not that I haven't been junking---I have, but more like selective purchasing in thrift stores.  But, when you see something unusual or for a specific person, I can't resist.

Montage of finds for July.

I think I found this in late June? Tortilla warmer for a gift of a crazy person who has chickens. You know who you are....!

It's actually Made in Mexico. Has some crazing, but I love the color and strong design. 

Found one on Ebay---sold for $25.00 so I guess it was a great buy at around $7.

I love handworked linens. This was on such a nice European linen towel, has a fold mark, which should come out in a good wash, but probably never used....and it's already hanging on my rack in the kitchen.

Another old friend by myself, circa 1990's colander. No signature on this, because of hanging as a decor item. see (Finding Old Friends) about my pottery career.

I made maybe a dozen of these hand thrown and just such a pain, poking out all those holes. This was probably hung on the wall, or used for fruit. Despite the pastels, I will use it in my own kitchen.  

I love this pattern and pick up small pieces of it any time I see them. It's Vernon Kilns-California made, Pattern is Chintz--it's very popular still, made during the 1940s.  

Found this adorable ==perfect==baby dish, with the cutest motifs. 

The pink handles and button are early plastic and the metal bottom was a reservoir for putting in hot water via the screw top pink button.

Baby's food stayed nice and warm. This probably had an adorable metal lid with a pink knob.

No maker mark, but a dealer on Ebay has a dish with this button listed as Bartsch and made in Chicago. Dating this early 1940's or a bit older. Perfect gift for a new Grandmother...! I found this in perfect condition at $1.99. 

The  signed Arnold Alanig? ."Spring Garden Print" is a print from an etching print. It is quite nice, and was only $3.00. Gold is not my favorite accent, but mattes take resurfacing well, and white paint to the frame will be perfect for the bedroom.

I knew this wasnt' old, vintage, but not old. I suspect it might be a Victorian Trading piece, dated 1991.... It is silver-plate, nicely detailed and a lovely shape for displaying whatever from cards, fans to flowers. 

Nice frame, 50cents...totally doable ---will use this in the craft room or redo.

I think this a super find...10 luncheons, 6 soup, and 4 dinner plates. A little more than I like to pay---but again, Vernon Kilns made in California 1942 called Cosmos. All the pieces are perfect---no scratches even, just some light crazing on edges and backs common to this type of pottery. Has a very Arts & Crafts Movement vibe...like from the early 1900's. I'm not a pink(call this cranberry pastel) and certainly don't need anymore dishes. 

These will go to the shop---but I won't mind if they don't sell. 

Love the roping detail on these...you can see how tight the surface glaze is...all the blue, green and yellow are handpainted. Labor intensive, no wonder it was dropped during the war years. 

Backside of this gorgeous Antique pitcher. Just a really pretty shape, most of the gold is intact.

This must have been part of a Toilette set. Can you imagine say 9-13 pieces of this in your bedroom? 

There is a stress crack below the handle, probably occurring during molding in the factory. Iron from water has seeped through the inside leaving a trail of iron, but the crack is sealed on the outside with glaze. It will be fine for another 100 years picked up with two hands.

Notice the iron on the bottom from sitting probably in a damp bowl, day after day.

Marked Maddock's Lamberton Works, Royal Porcelain

These early pieces had the round “Maddock's Lamberton Works” backstamp with “Royal Porcelain” curved below. The company was based in Trenton, New Jersey, and the pitcher was made circa 1890s. From pinterest pages, this company made lots of utilitarian Victorian bath ensembles.

Great article on Maddock's here...safe link maddocks-kings-of-industry/.

With the heat this summer, I have been sticking to thrift stores---What have you found lately? 

All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own. 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.

Sharing at these Ad Free blog parties-with ads not in the middle of the blog (I'm going to try and see if this is possible)

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Sandi

 

Finding Some Old 'Friends'

At this point I'm almost like an antique which has led many lives.

Much like the old phrase, "butcher, baker, candlestick maker," I've been an artist, painter, potter, mercantile keeper. I don't usually dwell on the past, but recently found two of my old pieces of pottery at thrift stores. Also a piece I had saved for myself in a long lost tote.

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Finding my own pottery in Chicagoland thrift stores really shouldn't be a surprise---for a period of roughly some 30 years, I sold my hand-thrown pottery and porcelain jewelry (15 years) at art shows through out Chicago and neighboring states. I made thousands of pieces each year, some utilitarian and some OOAK art works.

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I remember this was one of six experimental pieces in this series. In the 80's I had been doing lace impressed terra cotta wall pockets and then switched to the stoneware pockets glazed in white in the 90's. These sold very well, and I tried to incorporate the lace into the pottery, but also make it sturdy enough to use for serving. All my pieces were utilitarian, dishwasher safe, and lead-free glazes.

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One thing about making sculptural pottery is 'problems.' Heavy applications of clay to a thrown piece adds stress and must be done on very wet pieces. Clay has memory and when it is fired--will do funky things--reacting to pressures placed on it in the wet state. Shapes sometimes go back to what happened during the forming process. Warping on smooth edges and rims wasn't uncommon.

I combatted these issues by using a 'grainy' clay that gave more room for expansion/contraction, rather than a 'tight' smooth stoneware clay.

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Back in the 90's the pink/white shabby chic look began---I took advantage of this and produced a wide variety of garden pottery in pinks, blues, greens under white. Roses I found to be a particular problem as they were too dense to dry at the same rate as the piece. Their edges came out naked and crispy, despite the three coats of underglaze and my thick white glaze. I quickly abandoned the roses for sweet peas. 

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I did this plate in 1991, like I said it was an experiment, all 5 different shapes sold at the first show. (One was a total kiln failure and discarded. Trimming on large platters was avoided, as it added to additional stress on the piece while firing.

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Moving forward two years to 1993, this piece I kept for myself.

In 1991 I began working with sweet peas, calla lilies, and underwater sea shells. 

I would cut out serpentine areas of a wet shape and then apply the tendrils, flowers, and leaves or shells and octopus tendrils...These were mostly done browns under white.

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I always loved this teal blue glaze with cobalt overtones under the white glaze. The soft greens were made by using a strong dark green underglaze. Under the white semi-gloss glaze all the colors had the softer tones that were being used in home decor at the time. I loved it for the blue.

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1993 Stoneware Sweet Pea bowl. Notice the finger ridges bathed in the white glaze.

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Found in a thrift store, this little cutie is one I produced in mass. Pink/blue/green kitchens were 

popular in Country America in the 1990s. I produced canister sets, lamps, dishes, children's dishes, just about anything you would use in a Country Home. I had a booth in a Country Sampler store and sold well, until they brought in imported mass produced ceramics. I down-sized my huge booth and eventually left. So, much for made in America.

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The handles were produced by a guy in Texas. I would order grosses of three different sizes, and was constantly running out.

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Selected pieces of this line including lamps were sold wholesale at the Chicago Gift Show. The first day....I wrote 10K in orders and was promptly throwing up in the bathroom. That was a lot of orders to fill in two months and there was still 3 more days of the show. But, it supported my business during the slower months of February, March and April.

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Where did my inspirations come from. Probably my love of my Danish heritage and Danish porcelain. The vintage vase is a Royal Copenhagen vase of a lighthouse on the North Sea. Hand-painted on porcelain in dreamy soft colors....this must have been part of my journey.

I was injured in the early 2000's and unable to throw anymore. 

Sadly, I kept only a few pieces of my own, thinking I would always be able to make more. 

Now, finding even the humblest piece, is like finding an old friend. 

All the opinions and photographs in this blog are my own. 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.

Sharing at these Ad Free blog parties-with ads not in the middle of the blog (I'm going to try and see if this is possible)

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Thank you for your cooperation, Sandi Magle

Sandi