No Guilt Soup Tureen Love

I love all the beautiful French ironstone pieces I see when I visit blogs.....I have secretly wanted a soup tureen, but here in central Alabama, well, we are just out of the French soup tureen loop. 

I would look at them long and often on ebay and etsy, but didn't feel like I would make a purchase from those sites.  I guess I wanted to hear the choir singing in the background when I saw it for the first time--in person.   You know what I mean--the thrill of discovery! Another reason I have hesitated to make a purchase is the cost.  I love the older pieces but they tend to be a bit hard on the budget (but they are antique and from another country).  I told myself I couldn't justify the purchase because I'm too practical and I don't live in a French country home...

if I did, I might be more inclined to look into a purchase.  

      So, when I saw this tureen a few weeks ago, I decided to bring it home.

I found this piece in a local thrift store in mint condition and

 of course, at a fraction of the cost of a French antique. 

 It's rather freeing.... I don't feel like I have to display this tureen 

for months on end because I spent so much money on it. 

 It's a vintage item with identifying maker marks on the bottom

 that show it was made by California Pottery.   

I love that it has the under plate for the tureen to rest on and I love that the design compliments my white Italian Countryside china.

I love the piece, the price and I can still purchase a French antique tureen when I see one AND of course

if the choir is singing!  

Joining the Party:

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Early Spring on the Table

We've had a lot of cloudy and dreary days here these last few weeks--have you?  I usually try to "cheer up" the house (and myself) by purchasing a few new house plants, redoing my tablescape in the kitchen and the vignette on my coffee table.  I usually switch out a few other decorative items in my family room to give that room a fresher look, too.  

I finally found some nice-looking little

 succulents and I decided that

 they would look cute

 in these vintage jello-o molds

 that I've been collecting. 

I have decided that I really enjoy layering 

pieces at my table.  Do you like to do this as well?

Look at all that precious sunshine streaming in--

 I used some bamboo place mats that I got several years ago at Michael's.  Then, I added burlap chargers from Hobby Lobby.

Next, my green dinner plates topped with a salad plate (Italian Countryside by Mikasa).  The napkins came from Pottery Barn.

The wooden bowls were some that I have had for some time. 

 The flatware is Nouveau by Gorham (discontinued).

I hope you are enjoying a lovely early spring afternoon.  

What do you do in your home to welcome spring?

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Winter White with a Vintage Rhinestone Pin

A few days ago, I decided to use some white on my coffee table. The white looks so nice and clean and reminds me of the snow we don't get very often here in central Alabama.  :(

 Here's the complete look.

I started with a burlap runner on the top of the coffee table.

I added a tray that I had made from a chippy cabinet door.

Next came a pretty candle.

Then I used a piece of ironstone to hold a few interesting items.

And last, I put a nice fresh plant in an old planter.

Here are the details.

I like the frosty ornament with the pretty pin

 and the unexpected pine cone.

When I made the tray, I added these handles.  They are old galvanized pulls that I got at a flea market several years ago.

In this picture, you can see my fireplace with the cozy jugs

and the white architectural piece on the mantel.

I got the pair of Indian juggling clubs that I purchased 

from Miss Mustard Seed at The Market on 

Chapel Hill last October.  I just love them!

Now let's look at the last detail.  

A pretty rhinestone pin.

This pin was on my grandmother's wedding dress in 1929.

It looks so nice here-admired and on display (and so much

better than in a drawer--don't you think?)

Maybe there's a spot in your home that might need a change??

I'm enjoying this new vignette, but I know it will

change in a few weeks as spring approaches.

Have you made in changes in your home recently?  

Joining the Party:

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Bees and Tea

Since Valentine's Day is almost here, I thought I write a little bit about HONEY.  Well, not like your sweetheart honey, but the honey that comes from bees.  In October, I got to help a friend harvest some honey.  I thought I was going to be watching, but he had a protective suit for me to put on so I was right in the middle of the harvest. 

It was very exciting!!

Our friend has a number of hives on his property 

and these are the ones we worked on that morning.

Before we got started, he explained what 

the inside of the hive would look like.

He made a little fire in the smoker.
It was my job to use the little billows to keep 

the fire /embers active so that they would 

produce the smoke that keeps the bees calm.

My sweet husband, without a protective suit, 

took the pictures from a safe distance.

The hive was opened and I got my first

 look at the bees inside with the honey.

He used a clean, dry paint brush

 to gently sweep the bees from the honey comb.

Can you see all the bees in the air

 in this picture?  I felt completely safe! 

He didn't take all the honey from the hives.

He left honey for the bees so they won't

 starve during the winter.

My husband told me that there were a lot of bees on my suit---

well, sure--it's because I'm so sweet! ;)

He put all the frames, filled with

 honey/honeycomb, in this box.

We went in the barn where he was extracting

 the honey from the waxy honeycomb.

He had been working on his 

harvest for awhile....he had a lot of honey!

I brought home a frame filled with the honeycomb.

The honeycomb's chambers were filled with honey. 

 When I sliced off the top of the chamber, the honey came right out.   

 Yes, it was sticky.  Yes, it was yummy.  And yes, I chewed

honeycomb.  I actually chewed enough honeycomb

 that I began to feel like I was chewing tobacco

 (not that I actually know what that's like).

I got a quart jar of honey from my frame.

My husband has enjoyed his coffee sweetened with the honey.

I watch my caffeine in the afternoons and I've

found a Tazo tea called Wild Sweet Orange. 

 It's delicious--  very fragrant and no caffeine.

   The perfect cup of tea on a chilly afternoon--

sweetened with a little bit of honey.

A beautiful fall day in Alabama.

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