Isn't it sweet?

I found this little beauty of a sandwich (or cake) plate at a yard sale for a buck.  I kinda sorta hoped it would be classified as chintzware, but according to Replacements Ltd., it just didn't make the cut.  It's from the James-Kent Ltd. company (made in England) and it's called Pearl Delight.

But I did find that the same place in good condition is worth about $12, so -- it's not a bad investment after all.

What do you think of it?

I'll have a BIG slice!

Years ago I bought a beautiful milk glass cake plate in perfect condition.  I brought it home, got out of the car, and as I was entering the house, the screen door whacked it--breaking off a large chunk.  Oh, how I cried.

It took me twenty years to find another just like it, and oddly enough, I believe I paid the same amount of money for it as the first one ($4).

I've got a birthday coming up and I know what my cake is going to be sitting on.

Do you have a cake plate?  What style is it?

A rose is a rose ...

Following last Thursday's post ... the little crackle box with the rose on top,  I found this at a yard sale in Fair Haven.  Isn't it darling?  It's pretty now, but I know I'll enjoy it even more this winter when the snow is on the ground and my roses are hibernating.  (I believe I paid a $1 for it.)

Do you love roses as much as I do?

A little late with this ...

Good heavens!  I forgot to blog.  I went through so many weeks of getting NOTHING that when I did start to find treasures, I forgot to blog about them.  Well, at least now I have fodder for a couple of weeks worth of blogs ... and alas, soon the yard sale season will be over.  But, fear not -- let me share a few of the things I found while canvasing the backroads of Wayne County.

I'll only show one a day -- otherwise I'll be scratching my head trying to think of something to blog about.

A few weeks back, I had a guest come visit.  Before she arrived, I decided I should try to "girlify" my guest room. I found this darling little crackle box at a sale for only 25 cents.  Right now I'm keeping my excess earrings in it.  It sits on a shelf on a doily looking just lovely.

Come back Monday to see what else I found! (And wish me luck that I find something pretty on Saturday.)

Happy 4th of July!

Another disappointing weekend

The weather was dreadful, and the Savannah town-wide yard sale was literally a wash. I bought ONE item (which I haven't yet had a chance to photograph). So here's what I did not find and did not buy, but saw on Pinterest. Fun, huh?

Now that would make an interesting  addition to my teacup collection, wouldn't it?

Not A Pricy Pachyderm

Okay, I'll admit it.  One of my first collections was of elephants.  My grandparents gave me a lovely pair made of ebony with real ivory tusks.  I love them and still have them.

I try not to buy too many elephants, although I do seem to buy a lot that are "wounded."  The baby elephants that have been mistreated.  I have quite a few of them.  I wish I could repair them, but I don't have those kinds of skills.  So I just love them -- something they were sorely missing for most of their lives.

This fellow is about 10 inches tall and weights about four pounds.  I'm going to use him as a doorstop.

He was part of a larger herd, but he stood out from the rest.  They were all about the same size and reasonably priced at about the same amount, too.  I paid $4 for this fellow.

Isn't he lovely?

Perfect for the summer

Several years ago, my sister-in-law bought me some "thirsty stone" coasters.  Not only were they pretty, they were pretty pricy.  (Found them in a catalog for $40!)  Well, as the Kansas song says, "Nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky" and neither did my thirsty stone coasters.  They leak!  The cat knocked one of them off the coffee table and it broke in half.  : (

I saw these summery tiles at the first sale I stopped at on Saturday and had to have them.  A little piece of felt and some glue and they will make great summertime coasters.

The cost?  $1.

Aren't they cute?

Back in the yard sale saddle again!

Where have I been?  Oh, doing stuff.  And on the weekends, my friends and I have been back on the yard sale circuit.  Unfortunately, the pickings have been mighty slim lately. Since I only bought three things this weekend, I thought I'd stretch them out on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (leaving the best for last, too -- so be sure to come by and check the blog later this week).

I have been looking for a lovely 2-tiered plate for the times when I serve tea.  Who doesn't want to set a pretty table?  I checked out Macy's in Rochester and did a double and triple take at the prices for a brand new one.  But my friends and I went to the big neighborhood sale in Lyons over the weekend and look what I found.

Okay, maybe I am limited to using it in the winter (think I can stretch it out until at least Valentine's Day?) but for the price -- a whopping seventy-five cents -- I think I can handle it.

What would you have paid for such a cute plate?

Lest we forget . . .

Happy Mother's Day!

April Showers!

Finally!  It has rained.  The ground was starting to look like the Bonneville salt flats, so dried and cracked.  So while usually a wet weekend would have me down in the dumps, now I'm looking forward to seeing my hollyhocks grow -- same with the rest of the perennials.

How's the weather where you are?

Happy Easter!

Happy 2nd day of Spring!

Technically, yesterday was the first day of spring.  After any winter (even one as mild as this past one has been), I look forward to the "official" start of the new season.  (Not so much fall and winter.)

Spring to me means FLOWERS! First came the snowdrops . . .

Then came the crocuses ...

My daffodils are about to bloom . . .

and finally ... the tulips ....

What is it you like best about Spring?

Oh, yum ... corned beef and all the trimmings

Did you have a wonderful (pseudo) Irish meal on Saturday?  We did!  I had thought about trying to make Irish stew, but I couldn't find the right cut of lamb.  So we had ...

Corned beef, cabbage, potatoes and carrots . . .

along with Irish soda bread . . .

It was wonderful!

What did you have for your St. Paddy's day dinner?

Hot dog!

The weather has been terrific -- if you're a duck.  No, really, it's been wonderful temperatures, but clouds and sun and a little rain.  But that didn't stop us from hauling out the grill for the very first hot dogs of the season.

I'm a hot dog purist.  Onions and ketchup and that's about it.  Mr. Ivy likes the works.  Can you say sloppy?  But they sure smelled good on the grill the other night.

Of course, hot dogs need other picnic food.  I made tuna-mac salad and we had potato chips, too.  A diet meal?  No.  A healthy meal?  No way!  A tasty meal?  You got that right!

Have you had your first bite of summer yet?

The Change Jar

Doesn't every have a change jar?  I do.  All year long I collect the loose change I get and toss it into my jar.  When junking season comes along, I'm ready.

My favorite thing to do is go junking on the weekends with my two best girlfriends.  We're talking every weekend.  Funny, but we hardly see each other during the winter months, but come April, we're ready.

Of course, first we start out at the local coffee shop to gossip, drink coffee and eat doughnuts, but after that, we're serious--or at least I am.  I usually drive because the other two are too busy gabbing, but that's okay, we're all having fun.

My jeans pocket is full of nickels, dimes, and quarters and I'm ready to find those bargains.

How about you?

Oh, the weather outside ain't frightful

I don't know about you, but I'm absolutely delighted that, not only DIDN'T March come in like a lion, but it looks like the lamb is here to stay.

The forecast for the entire week is in the 60s.  IN MARCH!

Yahoooooooo!

The robins are back.  The geese are flying north.  My daffodils are about 4 inches high.  The calendar isn't quite ready to say spring is here, but I sure am.

How about you?

Getting closer to junking season!

It's already the 5th of March. Just think, in five weeks the garage and yard sales will begin again. My favorite sale in Lyons, NY is only 9-10 weeks away! (I sure hope that family on the bend will haul out their popcorn machine this year--and that the college student who makes fried dough will come home for the weekend. I sure missed both treats last May.)

I liken junking with the anticipation of Christmas. I mean, think of it--there's potentially 24 weekends of shopping and gift-giving. (Um...most of these gifts I give to myself, and a few go to the house.)

Once again I'll be looking for vintage dishware, pictures, and linens.

What are you going to look for this junking season?

What I'm watching . . .

I know I'm not the only one who's watching Downton Abbey.  Isn't Maggie Smith a hoot!

But as I've been watching/thinking about it, I remember other wonderful Masterpiece Theater sagas that I've loved.  Thanks to the Internet, I can order everything I've loved and watch them over and over again, like, Upstairs, Downstairs.

And I've just ordered The Forsyte Saga - The Complete Series. (The original one -- in black and white.)

What are you watching on the tube these days?

PINTEREST and me

A friend (can I really call her that after this???) recently sent me an invitation to join yet another time sink.  This one is called Pinterest.  Where you have a virtual bulletin board and pin all kinds of neat stuff on it.

I'm hooked!

It is sooooo much fun to share some of my favorite pictures of the girly things I love.

Want to find my boards?  Click here!

From lemons to lemonaid?

Mr. Ivy and I love scones.  Our friend Carol knows this, so she gave us a couple of boxes of scone mix (along with a basket of other goodies) for Christmas.  The mixes were for cranberry scones and blueberry scones.

There's just one problem.  We don't like cranberries or blueberries.  (How come she hadn't noticed that?)

But, not wanting to look a gift scone in the mouth we decided to use the gift that was given with such love.  To do that, we had to get rid of the offensive dried fruit.  I hauled out the sifter, dumped the cranberry scone mix into it, and sifted away.  Next, I baked the mix (just add egg and milk) and substituted raisins for the cranberries.

Mmm ... mmm ... good!

Happy Groundhog Day!

Repeat along with me:

IT'S GROUNDHOG DAY!  (Make it a good one!)