Junk Gypsy is my name........

..............finding hidden treasure

is my game.

Porcelain glove form from 1987 - found at ScreenDoor in Asheville, NC - my other favorite place to hunt.

Who would have known that in my 'golden years' I'd be on the hunt! Traipsing through antiques malls, vintage and re-sale shops, flea markets, even wonderful furniture makeover shops hidden away in dreary old warehouse buildings..........places that are boiling hot in Summer, but freeze your extremities in Winter as you poke around, muffled in scarves and gloves, looking for something special. Me, who used to like everything perfect, non-chipped, no cracks or crazing, perfect paint, polished and shiny. Things are much different now.

Then there was France, the entire country a repository of beautiful old things for the home. You know how my eyes were opened there, and my heart leapt so much I was in danger of never making it back to the USA!

Here is my wonderful 'name tag'. Perfect for my forays into junk land. Remember my recent weekend in Charlotte, NC and my three visits (in two days, no less!) to the fabulous Sleepy Poet? It was there, amid an amazing array of treasure, I found Janna's two booths full of the best stuff. Artsy Fartsy Junk Finds is the name..........really fabulous vintage, painted, chippy, tarnished, much-loved, mostly neutral shaded items are her game.

Janna and her hubby also craft beautiful jewelery from found items, adding special words. When I opened my little parcel from Janna I was thrilled with my necklace. It has already brought interesting comments when I wear it, which is often! I also bought another but as it's for a special someone for Christmas I can't show you until later!

Do you have a special piece of simple jewelry you love to wear? Something made by a family member or friend. Perhaps not expensive, but pretty and meaningful to you. If you can't get to Charlotte, do visit Janna's online shop and see more of her special jewelry which you can purchase online............and check out all her other fabulous finds.

Beginning to look............

.....................somewhat like Christmas around the cottage.

Huge bunch of wonderful dried gigantic oakleaf hydrangeas from my 'tea lady' dear friend, Mary Ann. Great decorating potential in these.

Martha Stewart 'jingle bell wreath' from a few years back, on a silver hanger engraved with our family name - a lovely gift from dear friends.

If you ring my doorbell I'll be happy to show you around however I'm not done yet! This is the year I'm simplifying so holiday decorations have been edited, that takes time, and I'm just using things I really love to look at and which tie in with my simple French country, with a bit of Nordic thrown in, look.............mainly in white, cream and silver.

Busy weekend. Beautiful Christmas music concert, an annual treat, along with Moravian sugar cake and sweet coffee. Spent time in the gazebo yesterday afternoon putting up the Christmas tree - quite chilly so had to make a steaming mug of chocolate to warm my frozen hands. Worth it though, the lights sparkling in the crisp air really brighten up the night garden.

Wishing you happy, fun times decorating. I'll have more pictures to share later.

TIME for another Pink Saturday

I don't remember if I had a cute alarm clock such as this one...............

................but I do remember waking early before any buzzing or bells disturbed my Christmas Eve slumber.

I recall clearly the weight of the white stocking at the foot of the bed. Very early on Christmas morning, while the house was still quiet, I would wiggle my toes until I felt it there........much too large to hang, it was draped across the bed, the weight exciting, the anticipation building. My stocking was a knitted fireman's sock, long, thick, and woolly, given to me by an uncle who had fought fires following WWII bombing raids along the Devon coast. I used that sock for many years, Father Christmas was generous in the simple way that Christmas was in those days.

Money was tight at that time, there were only a few presents tucked in the big stocking, but that was just fine. There were no TV commercials, catalogues and gigantic toy stores displaying so many mass-produced and unnecessary gimmicks and toys. A doll with clothes sewn by Mum, perhaps a tin of watercolor paints, always a book to read.......and one year, when I was very young a big, brown cuddly bear, named Teddy of course. At the toe of the stocking were some unshelled nuts and always the special traditional Christmas orange........a fruit we rarely found in British shops during the year.

Oh what lovely Christmas times we had. Simple, quiet, not really starting until a couple of days before the 25th. No month long rushing about, stressing out and emptying the back account.

Happy Pink Saturday...............thanks to our hostess Beverly at How Sweet the Sound for making us think back and relive those lovely memories. I know I'm going to enjoy reading other bloggers stories today.

Sitting Pretty............

Some time ago I moved my laptop to the dining room table. After the redecorating project early this year, I decided it was the room I most enjoyed sitting in to write my blog, send my e-mails etc. The window is large and looks out onto the front porch and garden where the birds and squirrels come to the feeders. It's a bright room and the French blue grays make it peaceful and conducive to thinking and writing.

I didn't get far with the Christmas decorating last night. The rain came down in buckets, tree branches were snapping and power outages occurred in the area. It was scary, I was here alone as DH is on a business trip.

But, I did have a pretty chair to sit in! I'm thrilled with the way the French linen hemp grain sack used as upholstery fabric has changed the appearance of this aging chair.

We used the dark blue striped sack for the box seat, front panel and cording.....................the section with the monogram MT has been saved and I will make a pillow cover with it.

The textured dark blue-gray velvet was used for the back. This same velvet will be used to re-cover the seats of the regular dining room chairs.

What do you think of this little makeover? I think it looks great and it's very comfy, especially the padded back which the dining chairs don't have.

Sitting comfortably........soon

Remember the odd dining chair (that's 'odd' like in there's only one, bought as an orphan years ago) that sat in a corner awaiting a visitor or an extra dinner guest now and then?

Even Artemis, Greek goddess of the hunt, kept looking askew at it stuck in the corner of the upstairs landing.

By the way, this Artemis was another recent great find at the Sleepy Poet in Charlotte, NC. You may remember the miniature bust just like this from ScreenDoor in Asheville, the one that found a home on my mantel. This new beauty is large and was waiting to come home with me...............and at 50% off how could I pass her by and leave her in that booth which was probably going out of business. She may have been tossed aside, chipped and cracked, unloved, with no chance of being admired in a special place. DH sighed, gave me that look, you know........good grief not another Greek moving into the cottage..........then gently wrapped her in a blanket and tucked her safely between our suitcases in the trunk for the ride home.

Anyway I digress, this post was to be about this odd chair. You may remember I painted it and sent it to the upholsterer with French hemp grain sacks and smokey blue-gray velvet. This chair, with fresh paint and a new dress, is now ready for a permanent spot in the dining room.

Tomorrow I'll let you peek.....................tonight I'm sloshing about in tissue paper and covered in glitter as I unpack, unwrap the Christmas baubles, so must away and get going on the decorating.

Mr. Toast's First Annual Christmas Tea

This afternoon will be special. Mmm, also known as Mr. Toast, my ex-pat blog friend in Colorado, is welcoming each of you to a Christmas tea.

Singing Christmas carols and songs will be enjoyable...............always fun with a group of friends. Come on, don't be shy, nobody cares if you can't carry a tune or hit the high notes.

We Brits are almost always 'tea-aholics'. Ingrained since birth, we are drowned in it from early morning until afternoon tea time............then later a quick stop at the village pub for something a wee bit stronger in the evening!!!

So dear blog friends, grab your warm sweaters, wrap your muffler around your neck, pull on tall boots, and throw on a toasty warm coat............hop a plane, ride the rails, buzz over on your snowmobile, roll up in a trusty 4-wheel drive.........but be sure to head for Aspen, Colorado where Mr. Toast will have a crowd of merry bloggers ready to join in the fun at tea time.

The warm and wonderful party outfit I will wear to tea, complete with wrist warmers - it looks perfect for chilly yet stylish Aspen.

Tables are set with special china cups and saucers. Teapots are steaming in their holiday themed cozies. Silver spoons and delicate cake forks add shine and say, "stir me, dig in". So many goodies to taste, holiday foods we save especially for Christmastime to nibble, munch, bite into and say, "Yummy, that's so good, worth waiting for all year". I know the candles will be burning brightly welcoming one and all to tea.

I carefully carried my special teatime treats across the miles last night. Luckily an old bearded guy in a bright red suit let me use his sleigh as he doesn't need it until Dec. 24! The journey was chilly and the reindeer, although friendly, kept trying to nibble the treats!


The British sherry trifle. Bottom layer is spongecake spread with raspberry jam and soaked heavily in good cream sherry. Real thick homemade custard, no instant pudding allowed here. Freshly whipped heavy cream topped with sliced, toasted almonds and strawberries. So absolutely fabulous, and it's not only made at Christmas - any time during the year when a really wonderful dessert is needed for a celebration, a Brit can whip up one of these beauties - our Mums taught us well!!

Beside the promised trifle, I also brought along this yummy chocolate no-bake torte - quite easy to make, rich and delicious, and any leftovers (that's a joke) keep well in the 'frig....................................


.....................and one more very English cake, always served with tea, the Victoria Sponge. This recipe every school girl learns in her first year of home economics - but it doesn't always turn out looking this good - I'll be honest, mine didn't!!

So hurry over to visit a fun and talented Englishman at his blog Hot Toast and Jam. He'll be waiting to pour you a cuppa and you'll enjoy meeting other bloggers who love tea. Let's celebrate the season with warmth and friendship.

*******

Teatime Tomorrow.....

Aspen, Colorado

....................I'm invited to Mr. Toast's first annual Christmas Tea. Imagine, a real British holiday tea right here in the beautiful mountains of Colorado.

Today I'm busy packing my warm clothes, making my teatime goodies and tonight I'll be on my way to Aspen...............IN MY DREAMS of course!!!

Hope you'll stop by too - there should be lots of yummy food, the very best warming English teas to sip, lots of fun caroling and meeting new blog friends.

Want to share in some pre-Christmas spirit before the rush?

See you for tea in Aspen tomorrow.

The Highway Home

A late Autumn evening. One major holiday over, another quickly approaching. Driving the highway toward home as the sun goes down. Clouds turn orange and pink behind the leafless trees. I love to see a deciduous tree's 'bones' when the leaves have been whisked away. Thoughts cross my mind.......will there be gentle snow or diamond hard ice coating these branches come Winter? Will the squirrels' nests remain safe as the North wind blows?

The road is straight, the traffic light, the sunset gentle........home creeps closer as miles fall behind us. I knit a few rows, read a few pages until the light dims. We chat about the last couple of days. The bright lights of the great city where we first met - visiting family and friends even older than us, wondering how many Thanksgivings remain for each one of us. It was lovely sharing stories of the days long ago.

Traveling I-95 South toward North Carolina.

The journey home was the destination.

Thanksgiving in Alexandria

This afternoon I strolled along King Street in always interesting historic Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. Walking feels good following a celebratory meal.

The day started off with thick fog and changed to dreary, misty rain, but despite the dampness, colors were still there.

I love this street with quaint old buildings leading gently down to the Potomac River. Now the home of restaurants, coffee shops, an elegant hotel, the weekend outdoor market, and shops with inviting windows, it still wraps one in history during a stroll along the brick sidewalks.


Sometimes when I return here shops have changed......today was no exception. This beautifully decorated home and design shop, new to me, grabbed my attention and was my favorite. Of course it was closed due to the holiday. All I could do was press my nose against the glass and sigh.

Taking photos through windows often result in nothing but blurs and weird looking images. Sometimes though, the reflections of the goings on in the street make very beautiful scenes.

Inside these windows, now dressed for Christmas, were the most beautiful chandeliers, furniture, statues, candles, and ornaments. It was like peering into Aladdin's cave.

A sign on the window says that everything will be on sale tomorrow! Can I persuade DH to brave the 'black Friday' crowds tomorrow? Take a left to Old Town prior to a right turn back home to North Carolina? The weather forecast is gloomy, cold, wet and windy............what shall we do? We also plan a quick, if that's possible, stop at IKEA.

What a quandary if I have to choose.........beauty from an Old Town shop, bargains from the big box store!!!!

A Thanksgiving Message

t this time of year, when we give thanks for the many good things in our lives, I feel compelled to write to all of you who have followed my blog for almost three years. To you, I offer special thanks for being friends I can count on, and people I enjoy interacting with. To those of you whom I've had the extreme pleasure of meeting in person ~ and this year there have been several ~ I sincerely hope we meet again next year because it was such fun.

I've refrained from making this blog a soapbox for either personal or social issues. For me this is a journal in which I can express my love for the beauty of Nature, the pleasures and decoration of house and home, the garden and its glories, the preparing, cooking, and of course eating, of healthy and delicious foods, and love of family and friends. I enjoy sharing images of my travels to places many of you will visit some day................just be sure to keep them on your wish list. Some of you have interests totally opposite to mine. You may not even have the desire to travel far from your comfy homes, and this is just fine. I love the fact you still stop by to look at my images, read my words, and leave a kind comment when you have time.

My wish for a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with family and friends goes out to all of you, and, as this busy holiday season arrives, I wish you and your loved ones good health, much happiness, love and kindness - it's really that simple.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

It's all in the numbers.............

Do you have a special number?

This is mine 77


I lived in just two houses growing up in England...........well three if you include my grandma's flat where I spent my first few years along with my mother during WWII. There, we apparently scurried to the lower floor and hid under the stairs when the air raid sirens sounded........and stayed until the 'all clear'.

When my father came home from the Royal Air Force, we moved to the '40's version of modular housing, cute little cookie cutter homes, lining curving roads on an 'estate'. Built by the local government, using prisoner-of-war laborers, they provided much needed post-war housing. That house no longer stands, being replaced by newer, modern homes some years ago. The number of our house was 17.

We moved to the next house, just a 10 minute walk from No. 17, when I was 7. Our new bungalow was (is) number 77. My fondest memories are part and parcel of that little brick bungalow. Sold some years back following my mum's death, I still stop by when on a trip home. To catch a glimpse of the brass numbers by the front door is to remember all that happened from age 7 to almost 19 when I emigrated to America. Fond memories all and brought close to my heart when I see the number 77.

Linen towels ~ old silver candlesticks ~ four Mason's Oak Shape antique plates (marked 'first designed in 1813') ~ brass number 77. All from Sleepy Poet Antique Mall, Charlotte, NC

At the Sleepy Poet I found this brass number. It was beaming out at me from all the treasures in Janna's 'Artsy Fartsy' booth and I had to have it...........after all it's MY number.

Sharing beauty................

Remember me showing you this gorgeous vintage sideboard/buffet recently? A grand piece, displayed at Revival Antiques here in Raleigh, NC during their Holiday Open House. My friends, photographer Dorothy Blum Cooper and artist Bobby Cooper from Louisiana, who moved to North Carolina following Hurricane Katrina, are restoring a beautiful historic home. They saw my post, came to town, and have purchased it! This is great news. I can't imagine a more perfect home for this beauty, or a nicer family to care for it.

Silver service at 'Sleepy Poet'

ILVER..............................

Remember the treasures I told you about at the Sleepy Poet Antique Mall in Charlotte, NC? It was there I found this great buy.........the three piece silver plated pot with sugar and creamer, plus the tray they sat on......all for $18.00.

For the time being I'm displaying this set in the secretary in the guest room, which, as you can guess, is because I've run out of little nooks to place irresistible treasures!


Still quite 'silver' and shining, I know these pretties will eventually start to tarnish.................and no prompting will make me polish them!

Other 'silvery finds' at the POET......................................

The tag reads, "Old rusty crusty dust pan, perfect for a candle". What a good idea - and I have one already so know what to do with it now!

Gorgeous serviette rings - kicking myself for not buying them!

With Christmas coming and decorating on our minds, silver items always look special, reflecting tiny white lights, holding glowing candles and serving special treats. I can see the unusual shaped glass jar on the shelf full of candy, the bowl and plates offering cookies, mince pies and chocolates.

Are you 'silver' or 'gold' when it comes to decorating for Christmas? Of course the two mixed can be awesome too and both are exquisite mixed with white. Gold perhaps warmer in the firelight, silver bright and glistening, especially if you are lucky enough to celebrate where there is snow outside the windows.

Have you started decorating for the holiday season, or do you wait until Thanksgiving is over, the turkey leftovers eaten and the china packed away? I haven't done a thing yet but realize I must get a move on......................and soon!