Fertilizer Friday: In the yard

Today I'm linking to this wonderful blog party @ Tootsie Time ! Join in the fun!

I was really surprised to see this flower so big!

 A couple of bees were visiting! This one will bear fruit; I can't wait to eat squash!

On the other side of the yard, I decided to try growing pole beans. It was a first for me because I usualy grow bush varieties. The variety is Kanawake beans and they are heirloom

and originally grown here in Quebec.

I still don't have beans...But they're really growing !

Have a great friday and don't forget to participate in my B-Day Giveaway right here !

VTT: Egg Plate and a Giveaway!

@Picture this! Moncton NB 1988. My Dad was working in Moncton that summer and had taken me for a lovely seaside vacation.

One saturday we went to a church sale. I got a green round pitcher for 2$; I still have it today. They had a big bin with 'surprise bags' for a dollar. I love surprise bags and I decided to buy one. I got this dark yellow egg plate with hen S&P. I thought it was the TACKIEST thing ever!

I couldn't picture having it in my appartment...So I gave it to the very nice lady my dad was working with. She loved it and put it in her kitchen.

I kept thinking about that plate; even after all those years....

Then one day on Ebay 20 years later I found this:

I remember getting a really good deal for it (not better than the 1988 1$ )

And last weekend at a Salvation Army in Prescott, On I found those cuties

They look the same! I wonder what happened to their plate!

The moral of this story is...I should've kept the 1988 ones!

For more Vintage goodies please visit my friend Susan @ Colorado Lady

Now for the giveaway! I'm having a giveaway to celebrate my 45th B-Day on August 22nd.

Here's what I will send to one lucky reader

A little chocolate fondue pot for 2, a small vintage gilded miror, 2 cordial glasses

A 'Barbed Wire' Pyrex divided dish

And other things I haven't decided yet!

To participate you must:

     1) Leave a comment on this post

    2) Be a follower or become one

3) Write about it in your blog

See? It's easy as 1,2,3!

I will draw the name on Monday Aug 23rd

Contest is opened to anyone living on Earth :)  

 

Flea Market Style and Giveaway announcement

So Dan is on vacation this week and you know what that means! Projects,projects,projects and that's why the blogging has been erratic.

Yesterday I had a follow up appointment for my eyes to check to see if I really had glaucoma. And I don't ! YAY! Dancing around Pyrex....

So since we were a the big shopping center, I needed to shop for underwear...again ! The last batch was really cheap and was full of holes . On the way in 6 months.So off to Sears we went I saw a big magazine store and I decided to stop and check to see if they had Flea Market Style. I was real eager to look at it because I had missed the first issue.

And to my big surprise they had it! I hungrily leafed through it and decided to buy it until I saw the price....

12.95$ excuse me? 12.95$ ????? For an ok magazine?

Excuse me, I'm screaming in my living room! Sorry about that. So when I saw the price I said are they f***** kidding? It's a version of Country Living.

I understand it's an indie mag but people who go to fleas, thrift shop or scavenge are not gonna pay 12.95$ for a mag telling them how to decorate with their finds. They already know, it's in them,it's genetic! And besides they want a good deal!

Ok now on with the giveaway! On August 22nd I will be turning 45 (oh my) and to celebrate I will have a giveaway to celebrate!

I will announce it tomorrow on VTT so come back for a visit tomorrow!

The pics in this post were from Morrisburg's Antiquefest last saturday.

Have a great day!

Retro Tuesday: Antiquefest

A super warm Vonlipi's welcom to my 66th follower Monimania!
Saturday we got up early and bright eyed and bushy tailed with hit the road...Direction Morrisburg!

In my little bird brain I was under the impression  that it was going to be HUUUUGGGGE. Brimfield huge! If you've never hears of Brimfield check it out in the web....it goes on forever. We'd even brought the buggy....just like in Brimfield!

Well my fantasies fell flat when I saw about a dozen tents by the river..Gorgeous site...12 tents....Oh well! We were here and we were going to have fun!

Hey Tracy! These are the applainces of your dreams! Pink all over!

I love those oil cans and they were reasonnably priced!

 

I did spot some Pyrex that I didn't have (the bigger yellow fridgie) but it was too expensive for my taste.

 

Check out the bowl with dots! That's not a Pyrex but an Hazel Atlas and it's just as sweet!

Antique shows attract a lot of characters...There was this guy pushing a baby carriage with a very large cat inside. Yes a cat! And he would show it around and answered questions. That was weird. Translation: I'm single, lonely and enjoy attention so I parade my cat.

You could also get some grub on site. It was fun, but being antique sellers the prices were too steep for me. So now I realize that I enjoy antique fairs but I want thrifty deals!

Do any of you know Map-O-Spread? That is one yummy treat! It's spreadable maple (artificially flavoured) butter. It is great on soda crackers or a warm buttered piece of toast! It was really glad to see this old tin bucket. Nowadays it's in small plastic tubs.

We pushed west and ultimately ended up at the Gananoque Flea market. This is a great place to make good deals.

Look what I saw....

  

It is a Pyrex Fireglow nesting bowl set. This is a pretty rare pattern from the 60's. Notice how the pale orange blends with the red.....DELICIOUS! And at 15$ for the 3 bowls it is quite a deal!

No I didn't take the bowls home with me....why? There is the space factor and I have the smallest one !

More on that road trip on another day! In the mean time do visit Tracy @ Crazy Suburban Mom for more Retro Tuesday fun!

Women Food God and Antiques!

Wow I have 3 new foloowers! Abig warm Vonlipi's welcome to Blue Ridge Altered Art , Florine from my-vintage-dollhouses and Bounty Huntress (if you have a blog I couldn't find it).  Visit them they have fab blogs!

A couple months ago I bought Women Food and God by Geneen Roth because I had read about it in my pal's blog Tracy Crazy Suburban Mom. I received it and forgot about. Then 2 weeks ago I was watching Oprah and the author was there...I remembered I had the book! So I started to read it last friday. Well I tought about it ALL weekend!

So this week has been pretty crapesque at work and on night after my shift I ran into Zeller's (small Walmart) and headed for the snack aisle. Oh man oh man I was going to stuff my face! So I was looking at all the chips and whatnots and realised I didn't want anything and I wasn't hungry! I hoped on my bike and told myself: You're frustrated girl, you had a shitty day, live that emotion and all will pass. And it did!

So I'm real psyched because tomorrow we're getting up early and heading out to Morrisburg, Ont for this shinding....

Antiquefest! Cool! And we're packing a picnic! I don't know if I'm gonna bring my super picnic basket because it is pretty heavy..I will take tons of pics I promise!

Have a great weekend!

VTT: Marie Antoinette and Louis XIV lamps

A delicious VTT to you dear readers! Pull up a chair, pour yourself a nice cup of joe and relax reading all the wonderful posts you can find over at Susan's place Colorado Lady !

Yesterday was a crapfest of a day! My Dad told me he couldn't come on vacation with us, it was really flying (the shit) at the postal counter and I might have Glaucoma. Oh Joy, oh bliss!

What I'd like to share today are 2 little lamps that I will be listing in my Etsy shop.

 Aren't they adorable?

   They were the dirtiest lamps EVER! Ok, I'm sure there are dirtier lamps...but these had dead bugs inside...eeewww! Since I wanted to learn more about them I took Louis XIV from his base to see if there was a stamp, BIG MISTAKE! It took me 90 minutes to screw him back on....!"/$%?&*()!

But what I learned is that those 2 cuties are Occupied Japan. They are very fine porcelain.

Now what I need to do is rewire them both because the wire was so brittle it was falling off! Then I'll put them in the store. They even come with their original shades! Too bad Marie-Antoinette was a bad girl and lost her hand somewhere....

The ugliest couch EVER!

Are you grabbing your head and screaming bloody murder? Well I was when I saw this is VV!

Okay that is actually a lazy susan in the corner and a shelf on top....I'm so glad I took a pic! And that print! Well at least if you spill something nobody can EVER see it!

On unrelated maters...I believe my days at the postal counter are numbered. Don't feel bad...I was beginning to fall out of love with that job anyways...I can see it in my supervisor's eyes....she's not loving Miss V. And that is fine. You win some you loose some... 

Retro Tuesday: Hostess Set & Prize Recipes

Hostess set? What the? Of course I'm talking about Pyrex people!

So looking for something sweet for Retro Tuesday I laid eyes upon my Pyrex Prize Recipes book published in 1953.

Leafing through it I couldn't help but fawn over the Hostess Set. No I don't have a complete one, I have pieces of one...

 And this recipe looks almost edible in the bright red bowl!

Not only tasty but inexpensive! Ok I admit that this might be pretty good on a cold night! Is this a side dish or the main dish? Any idea?

BBQ chicken with all the fixings! Doesn't look really BBQ but I could definitely eat this!

See? everything tastes and look better in Pyrex!

It's a known fact! So get in the kitchen and cook something in Pyrex!

Have a great Retro Tuesday! Be sure to hop,skip and jump and say hi to my PMSing pal Tracy @

Crazy Suburban Mom

More Projects Completed!

My oh my oh my! yesterday was magical. We were in the reno zone...so cool!

Ok this is the wardrobe before...One side pantryesque and the other for coats and boots. Notice the before color that deep burnt orange that says: hey! we went to south america and we feel the need to cover the whole house in terra cotta!

After shot. I really like the new panelled doors and that beigy,mocha,brown,khaki color.

Old light (I hate those! we have them all over the house)

New light (I'm totally in love with this one! I've been eyeing it for years now, it's from LLBean-love)

Also this is the toot my own horn moment, I installed it myself and Dan was the helper-I'm the resident electrician)

Our reward...

Lunch! There was some meat, but it was not in Pyrex....so not in the pic!

No blogging for me tomorrow, I'm off to the city for some bloodwork and the annual tit pressing (I hate this)

Have a great evening :) 

Week 'O' Surprises!

I had some very nice surprises this week! I had to go in town (Montreal) for some doctor appointment and stopped at the Salvation army...

It was filled to the rafters! It was quite a while since i'd seen so much stuff but NO Pyrex people! 
                                                                 I found this

And this

And  later that night as part of the Just for Laughs festival we went to see the very funny John Pinette! we laughed for 2 hours straight!

  

Here's a taste!

And I also received some goodies! I traded some Pyrex with Jeni from In Color Order and I received it on Monday.

A beautiful Opal 503 and an adorable hommade tissue holder...LOVE!

A while ago I won Crazy Suburban Mom 's giveaway of a gift certificate from Novica and I chose some jewelry. A girl needs some bling! And I received that as well!

They came in those beautiful boxes...

Some nice hoops. 

This to die for bracelet.

and a gorgeous pendant that doesn't photograph well at all....because of the pearl!

I took this pic from the Novica web site.

I just spent 8$! The rest was covered by the gift certificate! How cool is that?

I had chosen other pieces but was floored by the shipping and duties. They vary from country to country. The web site has gorgeous stuff and I will make some Xmas shopping  there for sure !!!

Today Dan assembled the wardrobe doors for the hall and I assembled the lamp we ordered from LLBean. The doors were later installed but I was too tired for the lamp. The heat is unbearable and my AC feels tired! I should get around to installing the lamp tomorrow! How exciting :) 

Retro Tuesday: Snacks and Hors d'oeuvres

A beautiful Retro Tuesday to you!
Last saturday I found this retro gem at an estate sale in Hudson, Qc. The Snacks and Hors-d'oeuvres book of recipe cards by East and West cookery cards. Published in 1968 by Hamlyn House, The Centre,Feltham,Middlesex.
Of course the pictured grabed my retro imagination...

Assorted Hord D'Oeuvres

Check this spread out! YUM! Canned herrings, spanish salad, ham rolls..Orange juice...ORANGE JUICE!?! this is not my idea of a refreshing drink with appetizers!

Cheese Fiesta! Cheese boats, cheese sticks and cheese aigrettes (the aigrettes are really cream puffs with cheese inside). My mouth is watering!

Scotch Woodcok

At first I thought there was actually some kinda bird inside but it's really just bread, scrambled eggs and plenty of anchovies! Eggs and salty eyebrows, Yum!

Mac'n' cheese. I had no idea it was an appetizers, but a good snack ! And yes it's baked in a Pyrex Butterprint 503! How fab is that?

For more Retro Tuesday Fun visit my ever de-cluttering pal the fab Tracy @ Crazy Suburban Mom !

Have a super duper great day! LOL 

One project down!

When Dan was on vacation a couple of weeks ago...the hall went from deep orange terra cotta (yes we had a Mexican decor period!)to a cool color called Mocaccino and all the trim white. Of course everything needs to be fixed or changed to match.

So my umbrella stand was very tired... Granted it's an antique circa 1890 in cast iron, it was all pale green and chippy and someone had written numbers on it with a marker. My dad bought it at an antique shop many,many years ago.

So I called him up and asked if I could paint it...And he said yes being the amazing dad that he is!

 I know, I know some purist would want to kick my butt for painting  this but I figured that I wouldn't want to use it all green and rusty and chippy and it would look fab in satin black!

BEFORE

AFTER

I can't wait to put umbrellas in it!

Have a great week everyone! :)

Super Sweet Newspaper Ad

Yesterday while on my lunch break, I spied this super sweet ad in the newspaper...

Entire home contents including carpenter’s dream workshop & a basement & garage full of treasures. Hudson, Qc etc...

 Entire home content for sale! OH THE POSSIBILITIES! I told Dan about it...and what I got as a response was: Ok we'll go maybe we'll find a lamp to put in the hall.

We woke up much later than expected...rats! And were on our way around 10 (gasp! such a late hour for an estate sale!).

There was anything in the hall or the living room...where was all the good stuff? Not in the garage were all was left was an old hose and a couple of plastic pots....

But in the basement...

A recipe card cook book (1968 .50 cents), a vintage dry mustard tin (.25 cents), a paper back bestseller (.50 cents), a Biosta sprouter (hardly used $1) and a delicious Swiss made stainless steel fondue pot with the burner and forks (for the shop).

The fondue pot is super cute and I would've kept it for myself but I have a great Le Creuset one (a Xmas gift).

On the way back we stopped at a yard sale benefit for a pet shelter.

I'm all for raising money for a good cause BUT I'm sure they would raise SO much more if the prices were reasonnable. If it was me, I'd rather sell 50 items at 1$ than NO items at 25$...I'm sure you get my drift! we didn't buy anything but contributed a couple of bucks.

Remember people to get your pets spayed and neutered!

 I'm always floored by the vets prices. I have 4 cats and shots run around 120.00$ a year each! That's almost 500$ And what about the garden variety accidents? Well every time we go it's never below 100$ and the vets never know what is really wrong... So last time Pinotte (Peanut) had a big scab on the ear we disinfected the area twice a day for a week with Band-Aid Hurt Free Antiseptic Wash. It worked wonders!

I'm really happy to have found a Biosta sprouter. It works really well and you can get fresh sprouts all year long. I got my first one in 1988 and it was the same mode, nowadays these puppies sell new for 30$.

 Last year I found a used one at VV for 1.99$ it was in better shape than mine but still had minor issues...a leg missing, a cracked tray. This one is mintish!

And the mustard tin...so cool! I've been eyeing vintage spice tins but they get sooo expensive!

Besides that I've been decluttering like crazy! Hats, scarves,gloves!  How many pairs can we wear? We are sending a big bag to the church basement!

Was your weekend thrifty? warm,sunny, barbequiy? Rainy,boring?

Let me know, I love comments! :)

What were they thinking?

Last week I received a STRONG suggestion that the quantity of magazines lying around the house was TOO much...
Ans since everything in life is about compromise....And getting rid of mags (not the vintage ones) was really a good idea. So this week I go through all the mags one by one and I found this....

A new use for mismatched china in the April 2009 issue of Country Living.

There is a full tutorial on how to make a lamp with your mismatched china.....Did you notice the Pyrex bowl in the box? It's a New Dots 403. It is pretty hard to come by and is worth 15-20$.

Ok I wanna meet the person who has no use for a gorgeous bowl and is willing to drill a hole in the bottom.Which I consider extreme crafting.  

 I keep picturing crafters with shards of bowl inbedded in their faces screaming....Or in the emergency room: Tell me what happened....You see I was drilling a glass bowl...and

No you won't be seeing me anytime soon drilling Pyrex! Anyways I'm not too crazy about the end result...

I might do something like that but all in white which could be charming...or if Jadeite was coming out of my wazoo, I might try something in Jadeite 'coz the color is so gorgeous....But NO drilling!

I would so like to meet the crafters at Country Living and see what 'interesting' projects they have lying around in their heads....

Have a nice weekend dearest readers, and be very careful using powertools! 

VTT: Picnic Memories...

AAAAAaaaaahhhhh! Summer!  The scortching heat, the laziness, the smell of freshly cut grass, the promise of a 3 color pop-sicle, the joy of a picnic!

I remember my mom fixing some 'Pigs in a Blanket' with Pillsbury crescent rolls, Kraft process cheese slices and hot dog sausages. She would cook them and when lukewarm put them in an old Lion's Club Fruit Cake tin . We would pack drinks and head up to 'the Mountain'.

The 'mountain' in Montreal is Mount Royal. It's really a hill sitting in the middle of the city. It's green and lush and the lung of the city. It would be my fave place to hang out. I would go there on sunday with my dad to pick wild flowers (before we thought of protecting species-remember it was the 70's).

I also have great picnic memories with my cousins (all big Martha Stewart fans). We would make gourmet fare, meet an have a picnic on a beach in Ste-Adele.

So imagine my surprise when my Dad gave me this beautiful Picnic Basket!

Splendor in the grass....

This one was made in England in the late 50's or early 60's by Sirram.

It is brand new. Vintage yet never been used.

  

Everything for 6 and the tags are still on!

Look at all those fab containers! And 3 thermoses!

I'm so grateful my Dad gets me and shares my love of sweet vintage. This wonderfull Picnic Basket came from the wonderful Mrs Silverstone's shop in Park Ex.

Thanks for stopping by and be sure to visit Suzanne from Colorado Lady for more VTT Fun!