Spring is Sprouting Up

Today the weather broke - less cold, more sun.

Spring is sprouting up...a little at a time...both outside and in.

No Easter yet, just a few little touches that show Spring is on the way.

I bought this little doll dresser at a flea market this past weekend. I've always wanted one. A shamrock hankie and a little pixie welcome St. Patty's Day.

A garden elf planter and some spring Pyrex.

Pens in milk glass pots waiting to be used in my journaling bible journaling - {a new hobby}.

Spring Blossom Pyrex and a cute plastic butter dish found at the thrift store.

Daisies from Trader Joes and milk glass - the perfect combo! They last for weeks and make me smile.

A new handmade wreath for the door.

These tablecloths have been stored away all winter in an old dresser. When I sold the dresser last week they were stacked on this chair until I figure out a new place to store them. I realized that it is crazy to own all of these lovely tablecloths and not use them. None of them are "perfect". Many of them show small stains and are super soft from years of use and washing - all the more reason to use them and change them out often!

The first of the tablecloths to make it onto the table - this spring beauty showcasing tulips!

Shamrocks {thanks again Trader Joes} in a vintage planter. 

 A cute vintage milk glass mug found at the thrift store - my favorite kind! {candle sticks in the background are vintage McCoy}


Enjoying the little things!
Blessings,
KayteeJane

Valentine's Day

Here is what is on display for Valentine's Day this year ~

Remember that red tinsel tree that I bought at Target after Christmas for $4? Well here it is with Valentine's Decorations on it. The felt owls & hearts were also Christmas ornaments from Target that I found on clearance after the holiday. I thought they would work better for Valentine's. I hope to add more ornaments on the tree each year.

My Hazel Atlas Crinoline is front and center right now on top of my shabby cabinet.

This Storybook Doll was my mom's when she was a child. 

 

The corner cupboard decked out with milk glass and Valentines. 

{I put all the yellow pottery away until Spring.}

 Westmoreland Glass birds in the background.

 Aren't these two faces adorable? These were actually found in someone's garbage several years ago {along with many other fantastic treasures!}. I was thinking of selling them both but decided at the last minute not to. I think it is the boy's plaid hat that grabbed my heart.

Honey Valentine - love this one.

McCoy heart vase in a very soft pink. This was a gift from my husband last year.  

One of my favorite gifts ever!

Love birds

Pyrex on display. I decided to go with my Friendship pieces this month - and some pink.

Paper straws with hearts {Target dollar bin} in an old milk bottle.

 Some vintage linens from my collection. Red roses are so perfect for Valentine's Day.

Last but not least ~ my "Sweetheart" planters. The pink one was my first {another Valentine's Day gift from my husband a few years ago}. Since then I've found two more in white & blue.

 

Happy Valentine's Day!

Love,

KayteeJane

My favorite vintage finds of 2013

I've been enjoying visiting some of my vintage blog friends who are posting about their favorite finds for 2013. I thought it would be fun to think about what great things I found this year also. Here are my favorites.

Best Pyrex find from a thrift shop - This entire set of Butterprint refrigerator dishes was found sitting on the shelf at my favorite thrift store. I bought the entire set for less than $10.

My first Fire King bowls - found on Craigslist. I can't wait to look for others to complete this set.

Milk Glass - 2013 was the year of milk glass for me. Previous to this year I never looked twice at it. Now I can't get enough. I love it. I went to an amazing estate sale this year where I bought several beautiful pieces all from the same sale. Husband also found me that beautiful milk glass punch bowl this past year too. It is hard to choose my favorite piece but those candlesticks (the ones in the back - not the hobnail) rank up there pretty high.

A new collection - horse ribbons. I've always had a fondness for vintage things with horses. I guess it comes from the same place in my heart that longs to live in the country. I found these ribbons at an antique shop in Virginia this summer. I love them. The brown one is my favorite. On my wish list is a tin cup of some sort.

A hankie box filled with vintage buttons. I bought this at a flea market. The seller had more buttons for sale that I wish now that I would have bought also. These just make me smile when I look at them. I doubt I will ever use this box for hankies after all since I love it with the buttons inside.

Pink Pyrex. I bought my first piece of Pink Gooseberry this year. I found it at a second hand shop. I hope to complete the set at some point.

Another awesome find from the thrift store - and from my least favorite thrift of all Goodwill no less! Hazel Atlas Pink Crinoline dishes!!! This is a case of being in the right place at the right time. These had just hit the sales floor. I also think I bought them because of the price. Usually vintage stuff at Goodwill is marked higher than the other junk but in this case they kept to their set prices for dishes and mugs which means I bought the cups for 25 cents each and the plates for 50 cents each. As much as I bitch complain about GW I guess I did score there after all.

My list wouldn't be complete without my most favorite thing to collect - McCoy pottery. It has always had my heart and that hasn't changed. I found a few pieces this year. This lovely flower pot was found at a yard sale this past summer and no that price is not fake. I decided to keep the price tag on permanently for smiles. I love how M.P. initialed her tag. She didn't want to lose out on her 10 cent sale. God love her.

All in all it wasn't a bad year of junking after all. As I look back through my posts I realize that I found a lot of cool stuff, but much of it was sold online - which is ok as the money helped out a lot this year. I did keep many good things for my personal collections and there is definitely not a lack for great junk around my house at all. I don't know about all of you collectors out there but I want to hold on to my vintage more and more these days as good sales are few and far between. Do you think there will be a day in the future where all we will find at yard sales and thrift stores are Dollar Store and Walmart crap? I loath the thought.

So what are you looking to collect this year? I know for me I am always on the lookout for more Pyrex for sure. Most specifically I would love to find the Green Dots #404 bowl to complete my set and also the Hot Air Balloons #444 bowl to complete the chip and dip set. I may have to end up going online for those.

I'm also hunting for vintage clothing these days. After my stint as a 50's housewife for Halloween I'd love to find a few great dresses from the 1940's - 1960's.

I love looking at the collecting blogs that I follow to see what great things others find. It certainly inspires my collecting. All in all anything vintage from the 1940's - 1960's has my heart and if it is priced right I will buy it. Kitchen stuff and glassware are favorites.

Here is to more great vintage finds in 2014! Thanks for coming along on the hunt with me.
KayteeJane

Happy New Year 2014

Happy New Year! I have to admit that New Year's isn't my favorite holiday. In fact I really don't like it much at all. Not sure why but it just isn't my thing. What I do like is a new beginning. I'm also a fan of quiet winter days - which is what January and February in Pennsylvania bring. Yes, there are those of us out there who don't cringe at the W word. I enjoy being at home, cooking warm food, crafting, reading, watching movies. I'm sort of a home body so Winter suits me just fine.

Do you make resolutions? I do, but try to keep my list short. The main reason is I'm pretty bad at keeping them. This year my resolutions include:

praying more
crafting more
spending less & getting on a budget

Let's hope I can actually keep on track this year and follow through.

I also want to blog more. I follow some amazing ladies out there in cyber space who always inspire me. It is so nice to see other women who love homemaking, vintage, cooking, crafting, creating. There is a scripture passage from Provers {27:17} that says "iron sharpens iron". I believe in that totally.


Source: http://wanelo.com/p/6435928/religious-coaster-mug-rug-bible-verse-scripture-as-iron-sharpens-iron-proverbs-27-fellowship-light-blue-flowers

When I am in fellowship with other creative, spiritual, inspiring, women I want to be better myself. Of course sometimes looking at others and their accomplishments can backfire and become envy. If I compare myself to others in a negative way {Their blog looks amazing. They have more followers.} it most surely will zap my joy.


Source: http://www.pinterest.com/stacij15/cool-sayings/

Because if you aren't doing something with joy in your heart than you shouldn't be doing it. So while I look to other's for inspiration I will stay true to myself.

So if you are here for the first time, or you have visited before, thank you! Thank you for giving up some of your time to walk into my life for a few minutes. I hope that in some small way I have inspired YOU - because that is what sharing in this forum is all about - inspiring and encouraging others. If you would take a few minutes more and leave a comment I would greatly appreciate that. I love it when you comment to let me know your thoughts about what you have read or seen or just to tell me that you were here.

And with that lets move on to one last resolution - to use this in 2014!

This beauty came to me back in the summer. It is milk glass and in amazing condition. My husband found it at a flea market and bought it for me. He told me that the seller was an older lady who was parting with some of her own treasures - downsizing if you will. I won't even tell you how much he paid because it is criminal. Let's just say that it cost less than a cup of coffee at Starbucks - her marked price, not my husband's.

I wanted to show it to you months ago - filled up with some delicious-looking frothy punch. I never did because I never actually used it. As we speak it is boxed up and stored in the basement. I hope to change that this year. I may need to have a party purposefully to make punch - because that would be good enough reason to have a party in my eyes anyway. :)

Truthfully I would be happier receiving a gift like this than jewelry or furs. This is just my kind of happy!

I have this wonderful vintage cocktail book with some recipes for punch.

Now there are no excuses! I will be keeping this resolution!

So here is to new beginnings, staying true to yourself, being inspired and making punch {and serving it in a vintage punch bowl of course!}.

Happy New Year
love,
KayteeJane

Thanksgiving Recap

One last post before the Christmas posts begin....Here is my Thanksgiving table. I cooked this year for my family. I tried to use as much of my Pyrex and vintage glassware as possible. This year I went with white milk glass, clear glass and some Pyrex - mostly Snowflake, Butterprint and blue tones to match my dishes.

I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving this year.

Please stop back tomorrow - Dec. 1st - for an Advent craft project to kick off the Christmas season.

KayteeJane