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

Merry Christmas to you

I haven't posted much this December. Just too busy. This season flew by. I didn't have much Christmas spirit this year either. I'm hoping it kicks in tonight when I'm at church and carries through to tomorrow morning when my kids are opening their presents. Since my blog has been around now for 2 Christmases I'm only going to show some of the new things I've added to my decorations. I am using most of the same decorations this year that I have used in the past several years. If you want to see click on the label to the right that says Christmas to see any past posts.

These are my new to my collection. The Jingle Bell bowl was found at an antique store. My husband bought the Egg Nog bowl and cups for me for my birthday from eBay. I am hoping to actually use these for egg nog tonight.

These paper bells were found at a yard sale this summer. I wasn't sure what I was going to do with them, but I decided to just hang them up and use them. (glitter letters from Target/Rachel Ashwell Shabby Chic)

These trees aren't new but how I am displaying them is. I like how they look inside the vintage containers. I was actually thinking of getting rid of them but they have new life now.

Thank you for stopping by to visit. I do appreciate all of my visitors - both new ones and familiar ones. I know I will never know all of you personally, but it means a lot when I read comments from people that I've never met before that appreciate the pictures and also share a love for vintage things. From my home to yours - Merry, merry Christmas and Happy New Year. May God Bless You!

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

Divided Dishes and other vintage usefulness

I try very hard to use all of my vintage kitchenware and not just hoard it. When I first bought some of the Pyrex divided dishes I wasn't sure if/when I would actually use them. Because of the divider and also because each side only holds a small portion of food, I have always been sort of stumped about using these. Collecting vintage kitchen ware really exemplifies to me how much more we must eat in today's society than families ate in the 1950's and 1960's. Even my older coffee mugs hold a fraction of the coffee that my newer mugs hold. Anyway, I still love using the vintage over the new any day. I actually smile when I use my Pyrex to bake and serve food! Here is one way that I have used the divided casseroles. If you have another great use please share it with me!!

The lids make these perfect for storing food in the refrigerator.

This Melamine plastic dish also works nicely to serve small portions of fruit. No lid for storage, but cute for food that will be eaten right away.
And I've been using the milk glass compotes that sit on my kitchen counter top quite a lot. For the beginning of the school year I put in granola bars and fruit leathers for the kids. Those didn't last long.

 

Oh so pretty and useful all at the same time! I love vintage!


KayteeJane

Milk Glass

Lately I have been having a love affair with Milk Glass.  I used to not care much for it. In fact I would see it just about everywhere for sale and I wouldn't even give it a second glance. Over the past few months I've seen milk glass online everywhere...on vintage blogs, and on etsy and Instagram. I guess that is what inspired me to give it a second look. Oh the power of pictures and blogging. I guess I am pretty easily influenced.

Anyway...Here are some pieces I found recently. I love how it looks grouped together on top of my country cupboard.

I bought these three hobnail/ruffle pieces this past Saturday at a garage sale. A mother/daughter duo who sell antiques online were selling off some of their inventory. I was super excited when I saw these items on the shelf. I had spied a similar milk glass candy dish on a favorite blog recently and was hoping to find one for myself while out treasure hunting. I never dreamed that I would find what I was looking for so quickly. The two smaller pieces in the front are vases.

The larger footed bowl in the background (with daisy inside) was purchased at the Salvation Army store recently. It still has a Fenton sticker on it.

I always see these tall bud vases for sale at thrift stores. They are usually around $1 each. I have decided to start collecting them. Once I have about 10 or 12 I plan on selling them all on etsy together for one price. I figure that maybe a bride or someone planning a party might buy them. If they don't sell that is fine. I will just keep them on hand to use for gifts for friends. These are much prettier (and cheaper) than any vase you would buy at Walmart.

I am also using milk glass on my desk. Each of these items cost less than $1. Just today I saw several milk glass footed bowls at the thrift for sale.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my new collection! Here's to seeing things you once overlooked in a new light.

KayteeJane