Saturday, July 31, 2010

Memory Verse for Sunday and My Favorite Word at This Moment:) :) :)


Feel free to share this Scripture photo with your friends/loved ones or on your blogs. Please let people know where you found this :) :) Oh, to see the full-sized image of this photo or any photo that I post here...just left-click on the image :) :)

Hi everyone... It's actually Saturday night as I write this...but I want it read for Sunday. I'm going to try and take Sunday off from blogging...at least for today anyway :) :)

Here's the latest memory verse for this week....Psalm 27:4 !!! Enjoy!!!

Also my new favorite word is "kerfuffle". It's my new favorite word because of how it sounds when I pronounce it. I love the way it rolls of the tongue. It makes me laugh too..because of the way it sounds!!!  I first came across this in the Anne of Green Gables books and movies. This word is British in origin..and specifically Scottish if I remember correctly. "Kerfuffle" is a loud disorderly disturbance or tumult!!! Marilla Cuthbert used this word...I think it's very apropos for her, don't you? Oh I loved all the characters in the books..but anyway...I don't want to cause  a "keruffle" by writing too much :) :)

Here's a plain version of the collage as I was playing around with all the hydrangea photos that I took!!! I even turned the middle photo into a black & white with just a hint of color :) :)

 
Have a great Sunday and a really good week!!! That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

Like Money Flying Out of My Wallet, So Are The Yardsales of My Life :) :) :)

Good afternoon, everyone!!! I'm having a really great Saturday so far.  I found some more yard sale stuff yesterday and today, which was a total blessing.  The prices were dirt cheap...AND I also figured out how to create a collage with my photos...so I can display  a lot of different photos in one picture...You'll see what I mean in just a moment :) :) :)

This morning I wanted to go for a walk for some exercise, but also to get some much needed photos!!! My goal is to take at least one photo per day. So far I've been really lucky to have more than that :) :) :) My dad didn't want to walk. He wanted to go for a drive...so we did and I ended purchasing some items at TWO yard sales!!!!  Here's what a I found yesterday. I'll post comments below each photo :) :)

The first house I stopped at, it was wild..they had plus-size clothes for sale..in sizes that fit me. I picked up these seven items (5 tops and two zipper-hoodies in pink and navy blue) for just $4 for everything TOGETHER. This includes the soap I'll show later..that was just a quarter. It was great. The prices ranged from $0.25 to $1. Most of this I can't wear till winter... but that's not far off...and it's so hard to find clothes that fit me :) :) :)


I found these padded hangers at another yard sale. I LOVE padded hangers. I think they add a touch of feminine charm to my wardrobe. They also are gentler on your clothes and give them some space to breathe. The set of four satin padded hangers was just $0.50 for FOUR...not bad!!!


A pillow heart sachet hanging from one of the padded hangers. Now that's really pretty and cute. This is just the sort of thing I really like. It makes hanging up clothes more "glamorous" :) :) :) I'm all about the frills!!!


I found this at the same place as the padded hangers. I'm not sure what it was originally used for, but it was so cute with the pale lavender/blue and the mint green ruffled edging. I'll find a place to put this..and it's given me some ideas for decorating some plain cotton towels that I have!!! This was also just $0.50...a real bargain considering the detail.

Here's the fun part...where I combine my love of yard sales and my newly learned technique of creating a photo collage. It saves space on my blog :) :) I don't mind space...but I like my blogger friends and want to keep them :) :) :) You are all much loved in my house ;) :) :) These are the rest of the yard sale finds from Friday. For any of the collage photos, if you want to see the larger version just left-click on the image!!!!


Now this photo shows items from both yard sales.  This natural soap was only $0.25 cents and it was brand new...I double-checked it. I used it this morning and my skin feels GREAT!!!! It has lots of natural oils.  That little black leather case is a Mary Kay lipstick case. It holds one lipstick, lipliner, and lipgloss. It was only $0.50. It was funny because the lady who was selling them was a Mary Kay consultant. I have one just like this that was really ratty...you can see it in the collage with the brand new one. So that was an unexpected need met today!!! Last but not least in this photo was the 8 oz. glass measuring cup for $1. I already have one, but we did need a 2nd one..and this just happened to be there...Oh now that I think about it, the glass measuring cup was from a THIRD yard sale!!

So far I have only spent $6.50.  I don't mean to brag by talking about the cost. I do this to illustrate the point about how much you can save at yard sales and still find really cool things that are useful, beautiful and will fill a need in your home...and the ocassional want, too :) :) :) You're helping someone out and saving money at the same time...that's always a good thing :)


So then my dad and I found some more yard sales today...two to be exact..one near my home at "The beautiful couples" house. Yes, you've heard me mention them before. Click here if you'd like to read about how I first met them at, of all places, a yard sale. They always have great things donated to them by the community . 


One of the yardsales was on a busy street that had no parking. So my dad and I just parked in the hospital parking lot across the street.  My dad stayed in the car with the air conditioning while I got to brave the crazy streets...not really, there were no cars...which is unusual because this is usually extremely busy traffic area. Oh, the hospital had some  beautiful hydrangeas and these other tall purple flowers that were on this really tall bush. Lilacs maybe?....well, see for yourself and see how I put everything in a collage :) :) :) This was so much fun, I may have to try this again...


This was the collage of the hydrangea bushes...so beautiful and so varied in color, even in the same flower!!! I love the soft blues, pinks, purples and indigos!!! Some of the flowers were starting to wilt...but that's okay...they are still beautiful!!!!

These are the purple flowers that I  saw growing on this bush.  It was really funny because when I first passed it, I thought it was a tree. No, this particular bush of flowers was taller than me...and I'm a tall woman!!! This was also at the hospital parking lot.
Alright, here is the last of my yard sale finds for today. I found one vintage/antique cook book on all the tips you need to know for baking  and some other great things...check it out....This first collage shows everything I bought at the "beautiful couple's" yard sale and the "busy street" yardsale...

The "beautiful couple's" yard  sale I found a craft book, a book on baking printed in 1935 (original printing was 1933)...a real SCORE..I Love the 1930s especially...two vintage looking wine signs made out of wood..one for Bordeaux and one for Burgundy, a spiral notebook of Mead writing paper (which I actually needed...just funny I found it here..) and a camoflauge pocket Bible...all of that was just $3. It was a real deal.

The teacup/coffee cup is Wedgwood from the Peter Rabbit collection by Beatrix Potter...for $0.25. It was a cute thing and I love "The Tale of Peter Rabbit". Oh, that Campbell's soup bowl with the lid was also just $0.25...both of those items I bought at the "busy street" yard sale.


This is just some close-up photos of that craft book. It's quick and easy ideas that can be done in 30 minutes or less. I  had browsed through this and new I would use some of the ideas. What I love about this is the detail for each project on the front, with the pattern on the back.  Also look at the side of the page...there's a little fold out tab that has alternative projects on the inside...and on the outside flap, gift giving ideas for family. So this was really worth far more than what I payed for this book and the other things together!!!
So all total I only spent  $10 for everything that you see pictured on today's post from the various yardsales!!!  It's a lot of fun. The yard sales are great..and I discovered that there are people who will camp out an hour BEFORE the yard sale starts so they don't miss out on the good deals. Crazy....but it works. I haven't tried it yet...maybe someday. One thing is for sure...Fridays are the best days to go shopping at yard sales..all the good stuff is still available AND most people are still working, so your chances of finding a diamond in the rough are very, very good!!!
WELCOME TO: Valrie of Poems My Way. Click here to pay here a visit, especially today!!! She's got a lovely poem she posted for  Pink Saturday. Also...she has some really great and very simple ideas for how we can support our men and women in uniform. Please check it out and prayerfully consider writing to a soldier. They don't get lots of mail..and it's a nice way to send them support/love from home!!!
I also wanted to mention Bramblewood Fashion today.  Click here to pay her a visit. Ashley is a lovely young lady who has some fantastic sewing skills. She has a perfect blend of sewing skills and modesty. Check it out. She is a huge Anne of Green Gables fan just like me..and she also loves Regency fashion, just like me!!! She has many posts for Anne of Green Gables  fashion week, that you will LOVE, especially if you like the books, movies, and the spin-off TV series "Road to Avonlea".
Well, that about does it...See the photo below for my special signature!!!! Have a great weekend everyone!!!

Friday, July 30, 2010

365 Day Photo Challenge for July 24th thru July 30th, 2010

Hi everyone...It's Friday and here's my next series of photos for my 365 Day Photo Challenge. If you are interested in more details about the challenge, see the Practical Simplicity Photography button on my  right sidebar  or click here.  This has been a lot of fun and sometimes a challenge.  So I'll be keeping it "simple" today :) :) :)



Saturday ~ July 24th, 2010 If you left-click on this photo, it should enlarge. You'll see a fat, chubby,fuzzy bumble bee.  That was a total surprise. I thought I missed Ms. Bumble Bee...but lo and behold, there she was when I was reviewing my photos :) :)


Sunday ~ July 25th, 2010 These purple flowers sprouted out behind my home. If you look at the bottom of the photo, there's wild berry bushes. It's not uncommon to see people stop, pick and eat these if they pass them on the sidewalk :) :)


Monday ~ July 26th, 2010  Gray clouds over my hometown. I thought we were in for a thunderstorm or a rainstorm. No...I was cheated...not a blessed drop or crack of thunder.


Tuesday ~ July 27th, 2010 Pooh Bear ice cubes made from a rubber ice cube tray I purchased at an IKEA store years ago.

Wednesday ~ July 28th, 2010 Some cute flowers near my neighbor's front door. These flowers are actually about the size of a thumbnail....very tiny, but so very cute :)


Thursday ~ July 29th, 2010 I love growers/crafters markets. This is hands-down my FAVORITE stand at the market!!! They make the BEST hand pies and turnovers...both sweet and savory :) :)


Friday ~ July 30th, 2010 Now this was a complete surprise...three young ladies riding their horses down the sidewalk near my local grocery store. How cool is this? Very cool. Yep, I definitely live in Oregon....and Oregon, she sure is beautiful :) :) :)


BONUS Friday ~ July 30th, 2010 Just a random street in my town..my dad and I saw this house as we were looking for yard sales...I fell in love with this house. It made my heart melt, so I had to take a photo. Isn't it beautiful ? :) :) :) :) I love older homes. There's so much detail and character. I'll bet the inside of the home has some super cool nooks and crannies...all the best old homes have those.

I found some really nice things at a few different yardsales today. Those photos will be up tomorrow. What was a totally unexpected blessing was finding some plus-size blouses and zipper-front hoodies ...all for just $4 total.  So that was really, really nice!!!! I'm in need of tops and shorts etc.

Did you all have a good week? I've had an awesome week.  I don't know about you, but I'm got homemaking on the brain.  I can't get enough of it.....especially homemade cleaning supplies..and the last two days I've been thinking about nothing but pink ZOTE soap. So I"ll be ordering some from Lehman's in the next few weeks!!!!

Oh, I'm in the "I'm so poor, I owe myself a nickel" phase of the monthly budget...so, I've been mulling over some ideas for accomplishing what I "want" to make with things that I "already" have in my home...all while still "spending absolutely NOTHING" :) :) :) This should be fun :) :) :)

Oh, comment from my dad after I told him the dining area is MY decorating domain... "Heather, you're turning my home into an antique store." :) :) :) Gotta love dads!!!!

That's the news from Oregon today. Love and hugs, Heather :)

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Growers/Crafters Markets have the best food & I love a good book!!!


















This photo is courtesy of Prairie Flower Farm. Please pay the blog a visit. Tell them I said hello. You can find the Prairie Flower Farm button my sidebar!!!


Hi everone... Are you having a good week so far? I'm having  a great week. Today I made a sort of unplanned trip to my local growers/crafters market.  I wanted to  buy a couple of hand  pies/tarts...one sweet and one savory. So it was such unexpected fun today, I just had to snap some photos and share them with you all.

Here goes...The last time I was at the growers/crafters market was back in May. I went with some friends.  This particular market is held at the local National Guard Armory. It's fantastic.  I was so surprised by all the variety. This market is small, but mighty..and there was everything there from fruits/veggies, fresh eggs...to handmade toys and cutting boards :) I was really hungry and I saw these hand pies..and they were yummy, yummy.....and yummy!!!

When I looked at the sign, I noticed it read Pennington Farms. Oh I remembered this place. This is the farm that was featured in the July 2008 issue of Country Living magazine. At the time I didn't know they were local. I just loved their baked goods and their story.  Here's a link to the online article. It's worth checking out, the photos are fantastic. So when I realized they're local, I was really happy!!!

The first visit to the market I purchased an apple turnover and an Italian savory hand pie..both are handheld pies..so yummy. Today I purchased a blackberry hand pie and a spinach/Swiss cheese hand pie :) :) Of course, I shared both with my dad. This is my favorite booth for jams, baked goods etc. I asked if I could take a few photos. The very nice lady said "yes".  Here's a few photos of the booth...and you'll see why I love it so much :) :) :) Oh, click here to visit the Pennington Farms website :) :)


Look at all those yummy bottles of fresh preserves and jams!!!


Pennington Farm has lots of hungry fans :)


This is a little bit about the farm. They also have this on their website too :)


Okay...I love stuff like this :)


Here's some of the fresh berries available for purchase. There was quite a bit more this morning...but people kept buying it all up :) :)


Now this is what I'm talking about :) :) :)


These are the little bags that the hand pies and turnovers are lovingly packaged...wow, even the bags are cute.


This is the blackbery hand pie. Yummy, yummy, and did I say yummy!!!!


These were miniature jars of preserves that were $1.25 each..I'm going to reuse these jars for a craft project when the preserves are all eaten up :) :) :)


This was a free postcard...so I took one home. This booth has so much to look at , buy and enjoy :)

My other favorite booth at the growers/crafters market is Full Circle Bison Ranch. I love bison meat because of how it's raised...100% grass fed. It tastes a lot like beef. Click here to visit their website. Now I didn't purchase anything here, because I am on a budget...BUT they are very well known here in Southern Oregon. Their products are sold in quite a few farmers markets and stores.

What caught my interest was the bison hide and the bison fur pelt.  My dad makes leather Bible covers from leather hide..and I saw this..I knew he'd be really interested. So that was my "hook" for getting him to come to the farmer's market with me today :) :) Oh, in addition to their bison meat being 100% grass fed, it is also certified ORGANIC. That's so important.  For me at least, I'm careful about the meat I eat...because whatever the meat animals eat, you eat too. So it's just a personal conviction of mine.

The gentleman at the booth today was a real sweetheart. My dad was asking a LOT of questions, which was his way of saying that he loved the booth, and especially that bison leather hide. It's super soft...softer than cow leather hide.

I don't eat a lot of meat, but when I do, I LOVE bison meat or organic beef. Full Circle Bison Ranch specializes in buffalo meat :) :) :) It's really good.

There's all sorts of bison meat products to purchase there or on-line. Full Circle Bison Ranch will ship to your door :) :)


Here's my dad talking with the nice gentleman in the hat. They're talking bison leather hides. The bison pelt on the right is also really interesting!!!


I wrote this on the back of the Pennington Farms paper bag that kept my hand pies safe till I got home to eat them :) :)   I wanted to thank them for letting me take some photos :) :) I highly recommend both businesses because their product is good, but they were also really nice to me!!! That's important in my book...don't just frequent a business for the product...but also for how they treat you as a customer :) :) :)

Oh, I love to read. Lately I've been reading a lot of historical Christian fiction. I love this genre because its great romance but also clean and uplifting.  One of the author's I love to read is Mary Lu Tyndall. Click here to visit her website or  you can go straight to her blog by clicking here. She's been having a giveaway durings Fridays in July for her book "Surrender the Heart". It's the first book in the  "Surrender to Destiny" series. This book opens up in 1812 right at the onset of the war of 1812 between the USA and Great Britain.  I won a copy. I'll finish reading this book really quickly :) :) :)

I had previously read Mary Lu Tyndall's series "Charles Towne Belles series"..which takes place in the 1750s during Colonial America.  All of her books have romance, adventure, danger and the Gospel is weaved throughout the books. So these are fantastic romances that will leave you feeling uplifted and wanting to read more.

This is me holding a copy of Mary Lu Tyndall's book "Surrender the Heart". This photo was taken today.


Mary Lu even autographed the book. How cool is this? I love it!!!!

My dad and I had a great morning. It's going to be another hot one today, for sure. I didn't know the farmer's market opens at 8:30 a.m. So the next time I go, I'm definitely going to be there when it opens :) :) :)   

I got something good to eat and now I have something romantic and uplifting to read. I hope you all are having a great day today!!!! That's the news from Oregon.  Love and hugs, Heather :)

Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Anne of Green Gables is the best ever & The Girlhood Home Companion Magazine :) :) :)

Hi everyone...

As most of you know by now, I'm a huge Anne of Green Gables fan. I've read all  8 books, seen all the movies except for the last one , belong to a couple of fan clubs...I love anything related to Anne of Green Gables. There many kindred spirits out there who feel the same way I do. Oh, I couldn't figure out how to include some of the images from the article I reviewed. So I borrowed images from the web. I gave credit, where there was a credit given. Otherwise, if there was nothing, I just mentioned where I found the images. All of them were found on the web using the Google search engine :) :) Enjoy....:) :) :)

I borrowed this image for the Welcome to Anne of Green Gables website. This is not my photo. Please click here to visit this website and see all of the fun Anne news!!!

I first encountered Anne Shirley when I was a young teenager, about 12 or 13 years old. I had a copy of Reader's Digest magazine, and there happened to be a book excerpt from "Anne of Green Gables". Oh I loved it so much, I bought the book and fell in love with the whole series :) :) :)

My dad was telling a customer one day about how much I loved the books and the movies.  At the time, the second Anne of Avonlea movie had just come out. A few days later, this nice lady brought both movies on VHS and gave them to my dad. I never knew her name, nor I was I able to thank her!!!..but she did such a wonderful thing for a young girl that day. I still have those VHS tapes. By now they're very ratty and old, but they've been watched over and over. These are movies that never get old. I even love the spin-off show "Road to Avonlea" Click here if you'd like to see that official website :)


This photo is also borrowed from the Anne of Green Gables website. Please click here to visit them.  I always wanted to marry my own Gilbert Blythe as a young girl. I still do :) :)

So one day I see this short two-page review of an article about Anne of Green Gables in The Girlhood Home Companion Magazine. Click here to visit this site.  I love this magazine because it really encourages a neat relatioship with God and between mothers and daughters. There are so many lovely projects that you can do together.  This is a great magazine, especially if you have young girls between the ages of 10 and 18.  I think this magazine has some great ideas that you could maybe use with Sunday gschool girls, if you don't have kids of your own. Plus, I love all the ideas etc!!!

When the magazine, published the two-page preview of the Anne of Green Gables article..I went wild with delight...simply wild with delight!!!!   The wonderful people at The Girlhood Home Companion magazine graciously sent me the entire article. So let me tell you something about it and why you should seriously consider obtaining a copy this magazine for yourselves...besides the obvious..that it's got cool Anne of Green Gables stuff in here :) :) Oh, this is worth every penny and the issue with the cool Anne of Green Gables things is the "Between Friends" issue. Click here if you'd like a copy for yourself :) I was not paid to do this review.  I just really love the magazine and Anne Shirley...so I offered to do this ;) :)


This image was borrowed from the web. Every woman needs a to have a Diana Barry to compliment her inner Anne Shirley  :) :) :)

The article was written by Lori Lane, who fell in love with "Anne with e" as an adult.  Lori is a woman after my own heart, and so is anyone else who feels the same magic that I do when I read these books. I realized I'd found my decorating style etc. Anne Shirley started my love of all things vintage.

Lori took a trip with some family members to Prince Edward Island to see the setting of L.M. Montgomery's books. The first one is appropriately titled Anne of Green Gables :) :)  Lori travels around Prince Edward Island and takes some beautiful photos of some of the places that were inspirations for the stories. I wish I could live in a house just like the one pictured in her article :) :)

 
This image borrowed from the web.

There's another really great article by Nancy Baetz about the author L.M. Montgomery herself.  She really encourages you to read the books first before seeing the movies. I agree. Read the books first and get a feel for the author and the story. You won't regret it :) :) :)  Oh, L.M. Montgomery was born 100 years before I was and didn't marry until she was 36 years old. I'm 36 now, so that holds some special things for me as well.  I love how L.M. Montgomery really contrasted the relationships between old  people and very young people.

Nancy Baetz does a wonderful job of talking about some of the important events in L.M. Montgomery's life. She really makes the author come alive. I think when you know something more about the author, you can appreciate the books that much more.

There are some beautiful scenes lovingly recreated and photographed for you to enjoy.  There's also a really neat idea for creating your own vintage scrapbook a la L.M. Montgomery at the end of the article.

I think that The Girlhood Home Companion magazine is a wonderful resource for women...young girls and grown-ups like myself. It encourages us all to strive towards those things that are good, helps us to develop good relationships with our mothers and daughters, AND most important of all, encourages all of us to become the beautiful, women of God that He has created us to be!!!  I know that I'll be picking up a copy of this issue for myself.

Image borrowed from the web.

A very sweet young blogger friend of mine, Ashley, has a lovely website called Bramblewood Fashion. Click on the title to view her blog :) :) :) She has amazing sewing skills and creates beautiful fashion that is also tasteful and modest at the same time. She also was posting some wonderful things for an event she was participating in called "Anne of Green Gables Fashion Week". There are many links at the bottom of the current post if you want to view Ashley's posts for Anne of Green Gables fashion week. I think you will really enjoy this a lot, especially if you love "Anne with an 'e' " :) :)   She is also another huge Anne of Green Gables fan :) :) :)

WELCOME TO: Debbi of All in My Cottage. Click here to pay her a visit. Her blog is lovely and if you love pinks, roses, vintage etc...then this is a site you will LOVE. When you click on her profile information, you'll find a link to her business blog as well!!!

WELCOME TO:  Dana/swt_angel_79 of In the Life of a Mom. She's the newest person to join my blog. Thank you :) :) :) Click here to pay her a visit. (updated at 6:24 p.m.) She's a mama who loves her kids :) :) :) Dana, I'm including you in this post, since it'll be a couple days till my next post and I wanted my friends to get to know you :)

Well, that's about it for today.  I hope I've done justice to The Girlhood Home Companion Magazine. I encourage anything that is good and wholesome and will bring out the best in all of us :) :) :) Definitely check it out. Thanks to The Girlhood Home Companion magazine, especially Jill Novack, for letting me write a review for you. I thoroughly enjoyed it!!!! Your magazine is absolutely delightful!!! That says a LOT because I'm very picky about magazines!!!!

Have a lovely Wednesday everyone. Thanks for taking the time to visit me. I pray that God will keep you and strengthen you as you continue to walk with HIM :) :) :)  You are much loved and prayed for over here :) :) :) That's the news from Oregon today!!! Love and hugs, Heather :)

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

My 3rd Tea Time Tuesday & Teapot and Tea Things Tuesday for July 27th, 2010.

Hi everyone, I'm a little late getting this post together. I had some things I needed to get done today, that I had been putting off. Okay Here are my tea things for today.

This first teacup was actually given to me by a friend.  I was staying at a friend's house while recovering from surgery in September 2004.  She had this lonely little teacup. She asked if I wanted it. I said  "yes"...even though I wasn't real thrilled with the design at first. However, it did grow on me and now I love it :) :) :) I'm so glad I kept this little teacup!!!

Isn't the design lovely? It's got such detail. Oh and wait till you see the backstamp on this teacup. Every teacup should have such a lovely backstamp :) :) :)


I'm especially fond of teacups that have a special something on the inside room...almost always a flower or two :) :) It's like a special secret surprise :) :) :)

Here's a close up of the detail on the teacup.  This is incredibly colorful and intricate. If you look carefully around the rim, you'll see the design of the cup itself in addition to the beautiful colors :) :)



Check it..this is just too cool...even around the handle there's detail!!!  Nothing was left out of this teacup...except some tea ;) :) :)



I did some research on the internet.  I haven't been able to find out much about the history of the company. However, this backstamp is stunningly beautiful. Just look at all that detail. So I went to my now favorite website for looking up any possible china pattern out there. It's called "Replacements Ltd." Let me tell you, if you need replacement sets, this is the place to go. The prices vary..but I was able to find the same pattern here. Click here to view other items in this pattern "Chartreuse". 

The backstamp...even the backstamp is a work of art!!! This was made by the Homer Laughlin Co.  This pattern is no longer manufactured.

I decided this lonely little teacup needed a friendly saucer to keep it company.  Remember awhile back how I talked about going to the thrift store to look for tea things? I totally hit the jackpot. I'll show just some of those finds today.  I found all of these tea things, with the exception of the sugar bowl, at the local St. Vincent de Paul thrift shop. As it happens, ALL DISHES etc were 50% off :) :)  Here's a lovely little saucer I found to go with my "Chartreuse" teacup.  I know the pattern doesn't match, but it's so pretty and has lots of detail. This saucer only cost me $1.

The detail is exquisite. I found some similar examples,but was unable to find this exact pattern online.

This is the backstamp.

How this was a really interesting find. I also found these teacups at St. Vincent de Paul. I actually bought TWO of them for just $1.50. These are lovey little china teacups.  I have a matching sugar bowl that was given to my dad decades ago. My dad gave it to me...and when I saw these teacups I bought them to go with the sugar bowl. This is a Japanese teacup with lovely, dainty pink/gray roses.

I really like the delicate detail of flowers climbing up the entire cup :) :)

This teacup also has a secret flower detail on the inside :) :)


The manufacturing date for this particular pattern is around 1959. The backstamp on this teacup is also quite lovely!!!


Here was a another lonely little saucer for $0.50. This was the closest thing in terms of color and tone, that would go with the "Rosebud" teacup. I love mismatched dishes!!!  It matched the "Floral Mist" design I found here at Replacements Ltd. Click here to view on image. They didn't have an image of the saucer, but this matches the plate perfectly.



This is the little Japanese china sugar bowl that prompted me to buy the two  Harmony House "Rosebud" teacups. My father doesn't even remember being gifted with this sugar bowl, but I do!!! I've had this sugar bowl for at least 20 years now...and can you imagine how delighted I was to find something that matched almost exactly in a little thrift shop? That's just a really nice treat. Here's the lid to the sugar bowl.

The one difference in this sugar bowl verses the teacups is that there's a slight pale yellow accent of miniature rosebuds in addition to the grey stem leaves/pink roses.


A side view of the sugar bowl with a small rosebud detail.


Here's the larger pink roses detail on the other side of the sugar bowl.

Surprisingly I found this pattern on Replacements Ltd here. I also found this exact sugar bowl selling on eBay here. I"m more surprised by how much these things sell for than anything else. For me, teacups and other dishes etc, I buy because it's beautiful or I inherit, as is the case with this sugar bowl :) :) :)


Those are my tea things for today.  If you know anything else about these particular china patterns, please let me know. I couldn't find much history about how these patterns came to be in existence, just some info about the names.

Oh,  I even made special heart-shaped ice cubes with the pink rubber ice cube tray I purchased the other day. Click here to see a small photo of it. You'll need to scroll down a little bit. I wanted to show you all "romantic ice cubes" and I totally forgot. I'll make sure and have it ready for next week :) :)

We had really serious dark clouds last night and I thought maybe finally we'd have a rainstorm. Alas, it was not to be..some areas saw some thunder...but not me. I did close my window last night. I was afraid of getting struck by lighting in my room. A little unrealistic I know :) :)...but I just wanted to be on the safe side!!! Now I feel cheated.

Alright, I'm off to watch a  another cool episode of Perry Mason. That has become one of my new favorite "old tv shows" :) :) It's got glass and drama without any of the yucky stuff.

Thanks for joining me for tea today. I hope you all have a blessed day. That's the news from Oregon. Love and hugs, Heather :)