Fond farewell

I have a confession and I'm ashamed to admit it because it goes against everything I normally stand for.

I'm dreading fall. There, I said it.

It's funny, because under normal circumstances I'd say it was my favorite season. I love knitting socks, snuggling under woolly blankets, apple picking, wearing thick tights, drinking hot cider and collecting leaves. But for some reason I just can't let go of summer this year.

All I want to do is sit in the shade and eat peaches, forever and ever. Summer, please don't go. I miss you already and you haven't even left yet.

Read More

The Red Chair

Wow, my head is still spinning just a little bit from all of the funny internet business about An Apple a Day. Luckily, it's back to business as usual round here and I'm sitting in a freeeezing coffee shop, deciding whether I should eat another cookie. I vote yes.

For a fun treat to celebrate all of this blog love, i thought i'd drag you to my favorite antique store of all time (other than Moon River, duh). The Red Chair in Peterborough, NH.

This store does pretty and sweet better than anywhere else I've ever been. Better than anywhere in any big city and no, it's not just because her prices totally do-able by comparison. Jocie's taste is just stellar and her merchandising is brilliant.

The mohair stuffings are dedicated to Francesca, whom I had the pleasure of dragging here in real life (along with dear GBS).

I bought more than my fair share of blue and white bits (see first photo) and have decided that when I die and go to heaven, I want an 18th century delft tile fireplace. or backsplash. or entryway. oh heck, tile the whole house.

Side note- When my mom was in town a few weeks back, I bored her to bits looking at delft tiles on ebay. Eventually she pointed out that if I spent a little less time on the internet hunting for antique tiles I might have a boyfriend. I guess with age comes wisdom. That being said, I still want the darn tiles.

Read More

Ice cream bowls: Part II

Two more photos of the bowls for good measure. I just can't stop, I apologize.


And by the way, I am SO freakin excited for New Hampshire blueberries next month. Pies galore!

Read More

Ice cream bowls

Mrs. Ginny Branch, the mother of our Mrs. Ginny Branch Stelling, is amazing. This woman stole my heart and has me begging to move to the south, so I can learn to be so hospitable and thoughtful when I grow up..

During the wedding, when most mother's of the brides are panicking about this and that, Mamma Branch spent the weekend smiling and prodding us to eat more treats. She also had packed the girls in our hen house vintage picnic baskets full of oatmeal cookies and other assorted goodies (like toothpaste, which we had, of course, all forgotten)!



Knowing that I'm a sucker for white and blue, she found me 3 little vintage these ice cream bowls as a thank you for helping Ginny do some of the planning. They are so perfect and sweet I could cry. In fact, I think I did. Not surprising, given my past history at weddings.

Read More

Off the wagon

Sadly, I think my minimalist moment has ended and I am shopping again. Dear lord, how did this happen?! I was doing so good for a while.

Oh right. It was the thrift store blue and white china. At least these were only a buck.

I'm not normally a huge fan of souvenir plates, but this one is from New Hampshire so I couldn't pass it up even if I wanted to. Which I didn't.



I think I fell for the back of the plate more than I did for the front. Not the first time nor the last.

Yesterday I roped Kristi into shooting a little blue and white table spread. It started off as something completely different and I kept on adding some blue in between shots, till, POOF... It was all about the blue and white.

As always.

Read More

Measuring Spoons

I am a smitten kitten over these porcelain measuring spoons for a million reasons.


1.They are blue and white.
2.I've gone without any for two years.
3.They are solid enough to take a beating in the sink.
4.They make a lovely clinking sound against each other.

and last but not least....

5. Jim just walked into Anthropologie and bought them for me as a surprise, along with these darling measuring cups.... for no reason at all. Now I get to say thank you by getting Alice Waters in the kitchen tonight.

Read More

Blue Plate Special

Okay, okay! No more posting about blue and white china after today, I promise. After a round of flea markets this weekend, my pile of collected china could no longer be ignored as it threatened to topple at any minute.

But before I could find a home for the pieces I'd already found, I needed to do a bit of rethinking my space.

Here's the wall across from my bed before the shift occurred. Cute, but so busy and cluttered and I never did get the spacing right on the gallery wall thing.

Trying to find a better arrangement, I moved my beloved empire dresser off to the right to let some more light in and brought in a fireplace mantle (acid green, yuck!) to center at the foot of my bed.

Once the mantle was painted to match the trim in my bedroom, I drilled holes and screwed in into place in the wall.

I bought 13 plate hangers from my local hardware store to hang my 13 plates above the mantle.

Attaching the hanger to the plate was so easy and the hanging hardware was included, too. I swear to you, I was a bit intimidated but it was a snap.

I worked out the general outline on paper first and just eyeballed placement, having to rehang some of the more wonky ones.


Some of the plates are from the 1890's, some are from the 1970's, some are chipped, some aren't. Some cost 99 cents and some were $25 and you'd be surprised which is which.

In the beginning I was a little fussy about only buying beautiful old, old, old plates but in the end it didn't matter, they all look wonderful together. Yay, hopefully I can refocus my energy and money away from china now!

Read More

Recession-proof collecting

I've been downright thrifty since I switched away from full time employment; no fancy coffee, farmers market flowers or, you know, basic health care..... But somehow, I cannot kick the china habit.

Recession..blah blah... 401K plummeting....stocks down.....massive layoffs... Amy says "Oooo look, I've got 3 new blue and white pieces of china!" Earth shattering, right?

This platter survived the original great depression so maybe it can teach me a thing or two about hard times.

This one in perhaps my favorite so far (and not just because a handsome boy SURPRISED me with it after a long day of work!). Don't ask me how I got so lucky, I don't know.

French, duh. This little maker's mark makes me want to redo my business card, so simple and elegant!

And when those closest to you, cough cough, ginny branch, start giving you magazine tears of china, you can bet your bottom dollar you have a collecting problem.

(and a very thoughtful friend who will shop with you till the bitter end!)

Read More

China Blues, again.

I finally broke down and started buying bits of blue patterned china. I've always coveted of a collection of my own (see both here and here!) and this week antique lust finally beat out practicality.

I blame it on the new "great depression". The less I go out to fancy pants breakfasts, the more I want to buy myself little thrift store treats. I know, I know, I'm a shameless consumer.

I found this little 1920's teapot for $5 in Queens. Makes me happy I stocked up on Dundee marmalade last time I went to Trader Joe's, so now I can have a proper tea party.

This is the Wedgwood plate that started it all. Sweetly crackled and a mere $3? If this is wrong, I don't want to be right.

And the back of said plate..... Now I'm a dunce when it comes to china markings, however, I do know for a fact that unicorns are pretty. So based on that fact alone, I think this was a good investment in our economy's dreary down slide.

Next time, more fool proof investment ideas from me.... Thoroughbred race horses! Beanie Babies! Florida timeshares!

Read More

China Blues

Oh dear, I wish I could find an identical antique drying rack like the family's one from Elmwood.

A big part of my kitchen rehab was to bring some order to my shameful collection of dishes. I have a sweet set of hand painted dishes and saucers from the 1950's that I love, but when I grow up I'm dying to start a blue and white china collection like the small one above, from the summer house. Plus blue and white patterned china is incredibly easy to find, I swear I've seen a cute piece at every dang thrift store I've ever been to.

Please don't remind me that if I would have bought the all the pieces I've seen in the past, my dream dish collection would already be complete, thank you.

Read More