Thursday, January 19, 2012

Potpourri

You know.....like that Jeopardy! catagory with a little of everything.

I got this lotion for Christmas and it smells SO good!!!



Read this book (LOVE!) and changed a lot of stuff around our house this week.
Source: amazon.com via Katie on Pinterest

Really needed it, thanks Mom!


And speaking of my Mom, this tile backsplash is being installed in my parents kitchen this week.

This tile is much less yellow in person! It's a beautiful creamy neutral and I can't wait to see it all done!!

I've been helping them with their kitchen remodel since last summer. It has included new appliances, cabinets, countertops, sink and fixtures, paint, lighting and hardware, and now the backsplash. Flooring will be next, I know my parents are anxious to get this all done.  We've also been working on their office and guest bedroom, I'll be taking some pictures to post soon. The next order up is their master bedroom and bath.

For Christmas I helped my Dad pick out some gorgeous Coral prints and a pair of lamps my Mom had been eyeing for a while. The lamps are similar to this one.



We found them at Ross, they are beautiful and the quality is outstanding! Imagine them against some creamy chocolate walls....yummy! Hopefully this weekend the weather will warm up so we can get out of the house and go look at some paint colors, it's been -30 for the past three days!! Can't wait for it to warm up!


This week I also started (home) school with Jude.  Stanley and I were both home schooled, him almost his whole life and me just through high school. I LOVED being home schooled!!! I got to work part time, play basketball and volleyball and travel a TON with my Aunts. It's also where Stanley and I met!  We made the choice before we had children that we would home school as well and I am really excited to get started! We have this AWESOME curriculum from Timberdoodle and he is LOVING it, as am I! He keeps asking if he can do more school work.....I wonder how long that will last!?

Also getting REALLY excited for Valentines Day because we have our big ultrasound that day! Do you think since it's a "pink" day we'll be having a girl??    ; )
 
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Watertown Balmoral Melmac Connecticut Made




Photo Courtesy and Melmac Available at Etsy shop SwanVintageFinds



This lovely colleciton of Watertown Balmoral Melmac belongs in a museum all it's own. Designed by Jon Hedu for Watertown Manufacturing Company in Connecticut, we often find mostly Watertown Lifetime Ware.  The Balmoral was a different line and is somewhat harder to find, and little is known about it.  From above, it may look a lot like the ultra popular Watertown Lifetime Ware, until you see the cool retro handles!






Oh yeah, a style all it's own. Buy this collection for $45 at SwanVintageFinds!




Backstamp courtesy of SwanVintageFinds.

Collecting Watertown can be fun.  The earliest sighting of it according to Plastic Living's wonderful Plasti-holic Christopher McPherson is 1946. We know sometimes in the early 1960's did Northern Chemical Company of Boston (the ones who made my favorite Russel Wright Residential, Read about them here) buy the dinnerware lines from Watertown, but soon after both lines produced by the company vanished. POOF, just like that. (Unless you count the Canadian-lookalikes...)  That gives Watertown a 1946-1962ish or so run.   In a nutshell, that's a solid 15 year window of production. Considering the pieces that are still in circulation one can say this is very popular. This line was well made, heavy duty and has a whole lot of Melmac in the plates and cups.  Get them now before they dry up!



You may also like: 






Watertown Lifetime Ware Set in Translucent Blue $65 at Retrochalet.






Lifetime Plate Collection, $18, Cedar Run Vintage on Etsy.







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Sunday, January 15, 2012

Quiet Time

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Thursday, January 12, 2012

The BEST resource for ribbon and trims

  The possibilities are endless for using ribbon and other fabric trims.

On curtains of course.

(Also notice the pom pom trim on the bed quilt and pillowcases...great way to liven up store bought bedding! Grosgrain trim on the lampshade as well.)










Jazz up a lampshade.






Love using it on pillows!







How about on an ottoman?






Or a DIY greek key Roman shade




And don't forget your upholstery!!





Source: bhg.com via Ashley on Pinterest





I recently found Dove Originals Trims. SOOOO glad that I did!! Here is just a small teaser of what they carry and let me tell you, their prices are great!!


Leopard print $19.95 for 10 yards




Yellow Box Pleat $22.95 for 15 yards



Faux leather $17.95 for 10 yards



$22.95 for 18 yards



Gorgeous Art Deco $2.95 a yard!!!



Embroidered Ric Rac (TONS more colors!) $0.59 a yard








Love this one!! $2.49 a yard



$2.95 a yard



$0.79 a yard


$24.95 for 8 yards



$3.25 a yard



Check out their full inventory here.

Yeah, your welcome!
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Russ Wallace Berrie Oily Jigglers Collection

Hey, check out these cool little oily rubber guys circa made by Russ & Wallace Berrie.



This picture was sent to me by Erik Sheets, he collects these rubbery guys. With names like Sarge , Hopeless, and Squiry Wormy these oily little suckers can grow on you if you look at them long enough.



Erik says, "These guys were made of an oily rubber from 1965 - 1971. They are about 3 to 4 inches high, not so little! " Erik is missing a bunch for his collection so if you have any for sale or come across any please drop him a line here.    Have you seen them?  Did you have them as a kid? Leave a comment and tell us all about it!



If you have a collection of cool plastics you'd like to share with our readers, contact me! 



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Friday, January 6, 2012

Jonathan Adler Resin Dachshund : Plastic Fantastic



I received an email from Jenni who asked me what fantastic plastic I received for Christmas. So here is the answer to her question. My friend Anne gave me this awesome Jonathan Adler Doxie paperweight that was part of his Barnes and Noble line. Anne probably didn't know but I'm a huge fan of this designer. Jonathan is a designer from New Jersey with a moxie-chic-hip style. Far be it for me, a vintage plastics girl to promote "new plastics" but the truth is we live in a society where most things are made in China...even if they are designed here.  This little paperweight is so heavy he gives off the appearance of ceramic or wood, but is a high quality resin. Love him.



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Thursday, January 5, 2012

Tomorrow I will have a FOUR YEAR OLD!!

I can't believe that Jude will be four tomorrow!  Four years have FLOWN by and that makes me think how quickly he'll be eight, twelve, and dare I say it.....sixteen!??!?!

Time goes by too quickly for sure!!


Jude was born 4 weeks early and had Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Whenever you have a child born with complications it's scary, but having your first child born with complications is especially scary. You have no clue what to expect, you've never done the "baby thing" before and regardless of how much experience you've had with children/babies before, it's so different when it's your OWN child.

I was able to hold him long enough to have this picture taken before the nurse realized that he was having trouble breathing. He was then taken to the nursery and put on oxygen.

(Sorry for the poor quality pictures they are from his baby book)



























He had to stay in the nursery on oxygen for three days, we weren't able to hold or touch him for the first two days. Any stimulation made him breathe harder, we had to wait until he was down to just 30% oxygen. Over the first two days they were able to gradually wean him off of it as his lungs got stronger. When he was three days old I was finally able to hold and nurse him.

Later that day when we were about to be discharged and sent home they ran a few tests and found that Jude was jaundiced. We had to stay in the hospital for another two days while he had light therapy. Thankfully they moved us to the pediatric floor and Stanley and I were able to room in with him. Here he is, getting a tan!



This was such a stressful time for Stanley and I, not only with Jude's medical problems and some labor complications for me as well, but also dealing with some family issues that arose. But God is good and saw us through it! I'm so thankful for our church and their support during this time!

Five days after he was born we were able to take Jude home. Because he had a late start nursing he had latch on problems and I had to pump and bottle feed him every two hours. So exhausting but so worth it!

Our time at home only lasted two weeks when Jude came down with RSV. We treated it as best we could at home (Dr.s orders) but one night he started having trouble breathing and we had to rush him to the hospital. I can't tell you how terrifying it is to see your newborn baby turn blue, it's something that I will never forget.

Three more days in the hospital on oxygen, here he is getting a sponge bath.


























When he was doing better we were sent home with oxygen tanks for a week.



My poor baby! Thankfully this was the extent of any medical problems for him and he was such a trooper through all of it!

                                                                  Six months old



                                                            One year old!



                                                      Two years old





























                                                  The morning of his third birthday



Looking at him now you would never think that he was a preemie with all those complications! He's just over four feet tall and weighs almost fifty pounds. For those of you who don't have kids- he is the size of kids 2-3 years older than him!

I am so thankful for my sweet boy and for God's grace through the rough start we had with him, he is such a huge blessing in our lives! HAPPY BIRTHDAY JUDE WE LOVE YOU!!!!!
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