Ironstone Jackpot

Hi, everyone!

I know that many of you love ironstone, as do I.  However, I was a little 'late to the party,' as I really only
started collecting it a few years ago.

Over the past week or two I suddenly hit the ironstone jackpot, and thought I'd share my finds with you.
These all came from different shops, and were wonderful prices!

This soup tureen is newer so it might not technically be ironstone, but I don't mind.  It includes the plate, lid, and ladle.
I added a plant to it and sat it on a chippy stool that was my Grandma's.  She'll be 91 next month!

I placed this along with some green rubber boots in a corner of my dining room, underneath my herb boxes.

I found another tureen with a lid and ladle. I arranged it with some other things on my whisky barrel lid.

It's on my buffet under the window where I've lined up my little creamer collection.

Yes, I found a third tureen, and this one is definitely old.

I added it to my collection of ironstone that's displayed in the barn wood cabinet that my parents made me.

I think it looks quite nice sitting next to my cow creamer collection.

I loved this pitcher the moment that I spotted it!

It's got lots of crazing which I think adds so much charm, and I love its' shape.

I filled it with dried lavender, sat it on a little mint green paint-splattered bench that I recently got...

...and placed it beside the love seat in the living room.  I like the little bit of soft color that the bench and the lavender add.

I found this little adorable gravy boat which already sold in my Etsy shop...

...and a couple of other small pieces that I plan to list on Etsy soon.

So what do you think of my newly found pieces?

Enjoy the rest of your weekend :)
(I'm gonna be bundling up as we're supposed to get 4 more inches of snow!!)

I'm sharing on these great blogs:   Cozy Little House
                                                   Thoughts From Alice

Saturday Spotlight: Tracie from Fishtail Cottage

Hi, everyone!   Kris from Junk Chic Cottage and I wanted to do a regular feature on our blogs, something unique that hasn't been done before.   So we came up with an idea to 'spotlight the real life behind the blogger' in a more personal way.

There is so much talent and inspiration in blogland, and we thought it would be fun to bring you a closer look at the person behind the blog.

Every week on Saturday we will spotlight a blogger and have them tell us a little bit about themselves and their blogs.  You will be able to see and read about each of the bloggers on both Kris's and my blog. 

                                                                 
                                                                 


Today my guest is Tracie from Fishtail Cottage.  Tracie has a pretty cottage style and I love to see how she repurposes vintage finds and uses them in her decor.  Please sit back, relax, and enjoy getting to know Tracie better!

I first want to say how excited and honored I am about being featured over here at Must Love Junk! Not sure where to begin, I had to go back through some of the other features to see what I should share with you, but realized quickly that this post is just about being “real” about who I am! My name is Tracie and I began “Fishtail Cottage” blog in 2010.

It came about after several email exchanges with a very special lady Dore at Burlap Luxe about my garden. Dore encouraged me to share my passion of gardening the journey of decorating my home. After much thought, I went ahead and began to create Fishtail Cottage.

The Gardens here at Fishtail Cottage are very young.  I began my landscape in 2006 when we first moved in.  Because we built our home and the land was ‘clear cut’ – I started with just plain dirt, well I should say “clay”.  I tried to think of the big picture and decided to put in the bones of the garden.  I brought in truckloads of good soil and drew out how I wanted landscape to look in the years to come ~ very little was accomplished that first year other than grass, a rose terrace, concrete walkways and stairs and the fence.  I couldn't help but plant some things like boxwood and a few bulbs to see some sort of green outside. But over the years the gardens have evolved quite nicely…and every year there is so much to look forward to seeing how it changes. Sharing with you some of my favorite photo’s of the garden this past year.

My home is another amazing transformation that has happened since I began blogging.  Here are some of my favorite photo’s and projects I’ve accomplished over the past few years!

Looking back, it’s difficult to see my current life without the outlet sharing my creative world with others.  This blog has given me a way to journal my ever evolving garden and home for myself! To see the changes over the past couple years is amazing.  The friends (yes, friends) I’ve met online with similar interests has impacted me more than words can say.  The encouragement and inspiration I’ve found in others has given me inner strength to attempt projects that I never would have dreamed I would try.

I hope that Fishtail Cottage has blossomed not just a Blog, Facebook page, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest but a resource for others to be inspired as well! There is still so much to look forward to discovering together! Thank you so much for coming over and taking the time to read about me!

xoxo, tracie

Thanks so much for sharing with us, Tracie!  Your gardens are just stunning!

Please stop over and visit Tracie at Fishtail Cottage, then pop over to Kris's blog to read about Debbie at Lakehouse!

Have a great day :)

Horsing Around

Hi, everyone!

While my mom and I were out 'junkin' for our shop last week, I came across this sweet little guy.

I've seen old children's rocking horses before...

...but I've never been drawn to one like I was to this!

I mean, just look at that patina!!

There's some variations of grays and blues...

...as well as some patches of soft coral/pink peeking through.  Can you tell that I'm smitten?

 I used his seat to display a nest...

...and then gave him a new home on a small bench underneath my barn wood shelf...

...which is loaded with goodies.

This area is in the front of my living room, next to the hallway and my stack of suitcases.

On the bottom of the shelf underneath my new treasure,  I gathered some decor books...

...stacked them in a quirky wire basket...

...and placed 3 small boxwood topiaries on top.

I think that the little guy looks quite happy here, don't you?

He's the perfect size and perfectly distressed, so he fits right in!

I hope that you enjoyed meeting him!

Thank you so much for stopping by...

...and have a wonderful day :)

I'm linking to these wonderful blogs:  thoughts from alice
                                                        Revisionary Life

Saturday Spotlight: Cathy from My 1929 Charmer

Hi, everyone!   Kris from Junk Chic Cottage and I wanted to do a regular feature on our blogs, something unique that hasn't been done before.   So we came up with an idea to 'spotlight the real life behind the blogger' in a more personal way.

There is so much talent and inspiration in blogland, and we thought it would be fun to bring you a closer look at the person behind the blog.

Every week on Saturday we will spotlight a blogger and have them tell us a little bit about themselves and their blogs.  You will be able to see and read about each of the bloggers on both Kris's and my blog. 

Today you are in for a real treat!  My guest is Cathy from My 1929 Charmer and she's so much fun!
I found Cathy's blog shortly after I started blogging almost 2 years ago.  She had a weekly link party that I enjoyed linking up to (and still do!)  The first thing we have in common is that both of our homes were built in 1929!  We also share a love for 'good junk'.  Cathy never fails to make me laugh with her comments on my posts (even though they usually involve threatening me with bodily harm!)
Please sit back, relax, and enjoy getting to know Cathy better.

I am so flattered that Susan asked me to be a part of her "Life Behind The Blogger" series. Actually, I was a little surprised since Susan and I have...what shall I say...a junkin rivalry going on! To be honest, it's no contest...Susan would win by a mile!

All of us know the great finds Susan shares and I drool with envy. Do you remember when she shared her vintage floral frogs? I was pea green with envy and left a friendly comment: "Well if I was to stop over I might just accidentally push you, gentle like, but enough you just might fall on one of those floral frogs! Boy wouldn't that be a sight! Then you'd be walking around with floral frog holes all over your rear end!" I just couldn't help myself, really!

The last photo I can remember liking of myself was....

when I was five years old! This was one of my most favorite dresses.

In order for me open up and share a bit more about myself I have to feel, well, more comfortable...

There that helped...me at 62! ! This reflects who I am, a person who loves to joke around while enjoying life with a sense of humor.

Let's sit on the deck and chat a bit! My name is Cathy and you might know me from my blog, My 1929 Charmer. I come from a very large family and I am the middle child of 10. I did not have an easy childhood and developed my sense of humor to survive those difficult years.

My Mom, Wanda, was the most influential, loving and creative woman in my life. Mom's creative spirit lives within me every day! Oh how I loved her!!!

It will be 16 years in September that I married my dear husband, Chaz. We had a garden wedding and I made all the food for 110 guests. Let me tell you that was the craziest thing I ever did. Talk about stress... being a bride and the Chef in one day!

I owned The Charmer before our marriage when Chaz moved in, you see he really didn't have a choice, I was NOT moving. The Charmer was built in 1929, a Sears "Mitchell" model home.

Our dinning room last fall, I am a lover of pattern and color!

Our kitchen remodel...

Our stairway.

A little bit about before I started blogging? I graduated from college with a Microbiology degree and my specialty was in Mycology (5th kingdom, fungus/mold). Fungus/mold are the coolest and some pretty amazing fungi. It was exciting for me since I am ravenously curious about nature.

Aren't they beautiful, the 1) Zycomycete; 2) Exophiala salmonis; and 3) penicillin (where the antibiotic came from). Every day I was privileged to view these beauties. I have a microscope at home, and I'll go for walks in the woods to collect specimens! I've been know to leave mold growing on food in the frig...so I can view them under the microscope. I know weird!

Mycology also lead me to the coolest position I ever had, I worked at Brookfield's Zoo Laboratory. I shook hand with the apes, touch poisonous snakes, pick worms out of chimpanzee poop, etc. It was an exciting time since I love animals so.

Then a tragic event took place in our lives, my sister, Christine, died very young and unexpectedly of a major heart attack! This was the catalyst to do something I was passionate about. I quite my job, attended and graduated from Culinary School! After school I started my own Personal Chef business, It's Dinner Thyme, until I retired at 60.

A professional shot of me in my chef's jacket!

Whether I am cooking, gardening, baking, sewing or creating...I am enjoying it so. When I retired I needed another venue to share my passions and blogging has become this to me. As long as I am creating in some sort of way, I find my soul is happy.

I'm am a decoraholic, thriftaholic, stitchaholic and gardenaholic! No one should limit themselves to just one addiction! Go big I always say!

I love needlework of any kind! Just a few of my needlework projects...

1) How To Make An Ann Taylor Lampshade; 2) Knitted Fall Leaves; 3) Burlap Trimmed Curtains (tutorial) and 4) Pinch Pleated Curtains (tutorial)

Another passion of my is gardening. I received a Master Gardener Certificate though the University of Illinois Master Gardening Program...

1) The top two photo are our front garden; and 2) the bottom two are a few garden rooms in our back yard.

I hope you've enjoyed your time here getting to know a little bit more about me. Thank you Susan having me here today.

Cathy, I really enjoyed getting to know you better-what an interesting life you've had!  I definitely need to hire you as my personal chef, since I hate to cook!  "Will trade junk for meals"...does that sound like a fair trade? ;)
Please visit Cathy at My 1929 Charmer, then head over to Kris's blog to read about June at Laughing With Angels.
Have a wonderful day!