A Little Gift and a Little Thrift.....

Gentle Friends, just a quick post today.....  a little back story.... some very good friends of ours bought a second home up in Guerneville.  The house was they bought was filled full chock full of things and slowly they have been going through the "stuff.  One of the things they found was a long stitched picture and they knew of my interest in "stitching" things and so they gave it to me.....

... although there is a little damage, the floss used looks to be a variegated wool, and it is stitched on a paper ground...

.... it is in a Victorian Faux Bois frame with chip carving which probably dates to the mid-1880's... it's a really fun piece and I was so happy to have rescued it...they didn't want it and it was headed for the Goodwill pile....

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... I found this great blue transferware plate at a thrift store on Saturday and I bought it not because of the picture of the State Capital of Illinois, but for the border which is very similar to the "Wildrose " transferware pattern, I collect.

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There you go sports fans, thanks for stopping by do stop again!!

Take care,

edgar

Buying Some China

Gentle friends, I thought I'd show you a Christmas present I bought for myself........

..... I found this set of cream soup bowls and liners on the bay of evil - they were a super price and I just couldn't pass them up.  At Replacements they are really expensive per set, so when I ran across them I had to have them.  The pattern is called "Lace" and was made by Castleton China.  This expands my mom's wedding china and although I inherited quite lot of it - for some reason there were never cream soup bowls to the set - and I knew I could use them..........

......  "Lace" was first introduced in 1954 so it was quite a new pattern in 1955 when my parents were married - they have a real 50's feel to them - IMHO - the combination cream china, grey base and pink and white Queen Anne's lace flowers with platinum banding look great on the table.

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That's about it for today sports fans, thanks for stopping by.

Take care,

edagr

The Gift of an Antique Coverlet

Gentle Friends, I wanted to wrap up the week with a wonderful surprise gift made to me by a dear friend.  Last weekend our friends, who lives down in Monterrey, came up for a break for the heat - since we hover in the low 70's upper 60's a little cool air did her some good.  She has been a friends of Rico's for years, from when they were very young and living down in Merced, in the San Joaquin valley.  

She has visited lots of times before and usually the most we do is exchange books, we both like reading Royal biographies and stories,  she borrows from me and I borrow from her.  This time while we were all sitting around she said, I brought a present for you.  I was dumbfounded, she said "its an old blanket that I have no real use for".  I was thinking fast, what to do with an old blanket......  then out from the plastic bag she brought it in came a gorgeous hand woven overshot coverlet.  My jaw hit the ground.  She unfolded this wonderful thing looking for the hand written tag her great Aunt attached, in 1969, giving the provenance and names attached to its earliest history.  I couldn't believe it - the tag dated it to before 1850 and probably to Virginia as the family moved west to Tennessee then and it came west with them.  Here are a couple of snaps......

I spread it out on my Great-Grandmothers bed to show how it looks - and it looks super de duper!!  and here's a closeup....

....  I didn't leave it on the bed but folded it up and put it away.  Th coverlet is made up of three woven strips sew together length wise - that are about 30" wide by 102" long.  There is next to no damage, except a little fraying here and there on the edges and one of the corners, other than that it is in super condition.  

Now, here's the question....  is there a repository of these coverlets or a place one can get more info and try and date it??  Anyone out there know anything about these or how to care and display such a treasure???  it has virtually no odor, its a little musty from living in a trunk but that's about all there is going on with it, I think if it was to hang outside in the fresh air that would dissipate quickly.

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That's about it for today sports fans, thanks for stopping by do stop again!!  Have a great weekend!

Take care,

edgar

Some Super Mail and a Flicker

Gentle Readers and Dear Friends I was so happy to read in the comments that the little clip went over with a hoot - and there are so many fans of the show.  I really enjoy Downton Abbey and was (still am ) a huge fan of Upstairs Downstairs - although of the same period and feeling they are different stories - one city one country - great acting and great looks about them both!!

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Yesterday the mails brought to super packages - the first one I opened was an Exchange piece from Marie - Creative Thread - she was my partner in the HOE Santa Ornament Exchange.  Here is a snap ...

He is a real darling little guy - called "Wee Santa 2004" from Heart in Hand designs.  As always it is perfectly stitched and finished and will look so cute on my stitching tree next year!!  Thank you so very much Marie!!!!  I'll be finishing up mine this weekend and getting it in the mail next week.

The second package has come from so very far and took the long way around the globe as it has taken it over a month to arrive.  It is a sweet giftie from a Blogging Buddie from Greece!!  It was from Ariadne - Ariadne From Greece - stop by her Blog and wish her a Happy Birthday!!  Here is a snap...

She sent me a cute little stitched ornie for my stitching tree, a skein of lovely yellow silk and a bar of delicious Greek Chocolate!!  Thank you so much for you thoughtfulness - and thank goodness it has finally arrived!!  Isn't that a great stamp!

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The flicker was a one I saw last night - it was from my Netflix Queue and is a newer film - Midnight in Paris - 2011 - starring Owen Wilson, Rachel McAdams, Kurt Fuller and Mimi Kennedy - 

I was hesitant to see this film and have avoided it since it first came out for many reasons -  here are a few.... I am no fan of Woody Allen films (except "Radio Days - love this film!!),  Owen Wilson and Rachel McAdmas' "acting ability" is lacking and so very wooden so often!!

But, what intrigued me about the film finally pushed me to see it...  I love the idea of time travel and for Owen Wilson's character to travel back and forth from the present to the 1920's and then back even furthur to the 1890's and forward again - and to meet some of the most famous ex-pats living in Paris between the Wars - like a dream come true!!  So, if you can get past Owen and Rachel and go along for the ride you will enjoy it as much as I did last night.  It is not a long film at 94 minutes and the visuals are spectacular - Paris has never looked so good!!

That's it for today sports fans.  Thanks for stopping by, do come again!

Take care,
edgar