DIY Monday: Estate Sale Score Re-do

I subscribe to the email list of a local Estate Sale company and most weeks I faithfully check their website's "Current Sales" page to see what's coming at the weekend. I spent a good bit of last week in great anticipation of the sale last weekend. You see, not all estate sales are created equally.

Some estate sales are clean and pristine. Someone's already gone through the house and picked through. There are no piled up closets, no hidden cubby holes filled with newspaper and boxes, no spidery basements with wooden crates of stuff in these clean and pristine houses. They may have a few pieces of china and silver and crystal, but they don't necessarily speak to my treasure hunting heart.

This past weekend, however, my MIL (who is also a treasure hunter at heart) and I hit the gold standard of estate sales. It was a sale with a garage filled with boxes, trunks and crates that were, in turn, filled with everything a treasure hunter would want. It was a house with linens galore. It was a house with cubbys and closets full of stuff. A cook, a reader, a collector who had traveled - a treasure hunter's dream.

I was in the last room when I saw them. In fact, I saw a stack of them walking out the door and kicked myself for not getting there even 30 minutes earlier because the price was fantastic. But then, when digging through vintage clothing in the closet, I found them... two of them: vintage metal card catalog files.

I've been looking for a vintage set of these for years with no luck. Granted I've been looking for wooden versions, but what I've found have ranged in price from $800 to $3,000. And here in front of me was a set of 30 for $12. TWELVE DOLLARS!

After controlling my hyperventilating, I found my MIL and explained that if I left these here I'd never forgive myself (upon which she insisted we get them), we found help to get them to the car, quickly paid for them and hauled them home to try and convince my husband of their value.

Although I'm perfectly happy with the set - or would be after wiping them down a little - the hubby isn't happy with the color and insists we paint them. Since I'm not worried about the value of these babies (like I'm ever going to get rid of them), I agreed. But after nixing brown, we've settled on a blue/green... or as blue/green as I can get in a spray paint. I'll show you the steps in the next couple weeks! I'm hoping hubby will forgive me when they're done!

Foodie Friday: Grits Y'all

Since we're talking Southern food lately, I thought I'd give y'all a tip on making grits. The key to making good grits is to use milk instead of water. Mama still uses instant grits, but she makes them with milk to make them creamier!

Just use the portions listed on the side of the box substituting milk for water and stirring constantly as the milk heats (so it doesn't stick or scorch). Pour in your grits and stir until they're done (again, check the box for how long it should take). Put in a pat of butter and you've got some kind of delicious!

Inspiration Thursday! The lessons of a garden.

It's hot as you know where around here and has been for what seems like weeks. Living in a condo, I've tried to re-create my Mother's garden in containers, but my poor plants just aren't surviving in all this heat. Sometimes no matter how much I water, the plants just don't make it.

Growing up, we had a gardener's paradise in our backyard. Our yard had once been a park, so we had a 100 year old hydrangea tree we could climb, an 8 foot tall lilac tree and flame azaleas that created a kind of fence around the yard's border. We had huge clumps of peonies and daffodils that announced the spring. There was a fish pond flanked by bowing rhododendron that when drained made a lovely "house". Stone paths wended their way through carpets of forget-me-nots, blue violets and grape hyacinth through the summer. Many summer afternoons were spent picking handfuls of violets for Mama - they didn't last more than an hour, but she would always carefully put them in a little vase and place them in her kitchen window so she could see them as she cooked.

In the midst of this,  Mama had a rock garden. Her vision was a sustainable perennial garden full of wildflowers. For years we worked to get the soil just right, the sun just right, the water just right. We'd get a beautiful clump of butterfly weed or black eyed Susan going and it would flourish for years, only to die after a particularly difficult winter. We had a lovely patch of pinks that grew on a rock for five or six years, but that too is now gone. As I'm facing the frustration of trying to keep my container flowers alive, I'm reminded of all those years in Mama's garden and the lessons I learned.

First, there's a time and a season. As much as I love the peonies and emperor iris, they don't bloom all year long. They burst in spring with their heady fragrance, riot of color and delicate petals, but the hot sun of summer is too much for their fragile hearts. They bring so much joy in their short season, but their life cycle always ends too soon for me.

Second, sometimes you have to persevere when the odds are against you. Every year, we'd start that garden with high hopes. We'd take our meager budget and pick out a few new perennials to add to our garden hoping they'd thrive, but knowing most of our good work didn't make it through the winter. Still, we faithfully weeded, dug the dirt, added the fertilizer and cared for them through one glorious season. We found the joy in doing when we didn't know whether we'd succeed in the long term.

Third, sometimes it's all in the dirt in which you're planted. Mama loves butterfly weed. Even now, we play "spot the butterfly weed" as we drive across the state. You'll see huge clumps of these vibrant orange flowers in the most bizarre places - rocky outcroppings, up the sunny side of a mountain or even growing out of gravel on the side of the road. Somehow these plants seem to thrive in these terrible, rocky soils. But put butterfly weed in a cultivated garden with rich soil, water and careful tending and it just doesn't seem to make it. We could never get it to thrive no matter how hard we tried. It came down to where you put your roots.

Mama's still working toward her dream. When I was home this spring we went again to the nursery to pick out some foxglove, delphinium and lavender. I weeded the garden to ready the soil for her planting. And even now she's struggling to keep the garden lush in August's heat. But Mama knew - because her Mother taught her too - the lessons of digging in the dirt. And I'm thankful she passed them on to me.

Vintage Wednesday: Finding your passion.

Mama's got a new passion. I can't blame her because it's a passion of mine too. She's started collecting Van Briggle pottery - in Ming blue. And she's taught me a couple things as she's pursued this passion.

It started with the vase above (nestled among another of her collections). She knew it was Van Briggle. She liked the color. She liked the flower (a columbine). She got the vase, and started a new collection.

She found that this particular color was inspired by Chinese pottery. Founder Artus Van Briggle was interested in Chinese glazes - particularly the dead glaze process used during the Ming Dynasty. Ming blue is a color you'll see in all the decades of Van Briggle pottery. Some collectors note you can guess at the decade in which the pottery is produced by the highlights (or lack thereof) made by the darker blue overglaze.

Whether the color of the Colorado sky or inspired by ancient Chinese art, I'm sure it's inspired passion in many a collector's heart.

DIY Monday: Wedding Planning

Another friend has asked me to help with their wedding, but this time they need help with more than just the flowers. I thought I'd use the DIY space to lay out some of the things you need to think about with DIY wedding planning.

I find when I'm planning that it helps to visualize the ceremony and reception to help you think through the process. Since I'm not doing the actual ceremony, I don't have to think about those details. I'm left with the actual reception site.

After you've secured your date and determined your reception site, you might be lucky enough to have someone at the site to help you coordinate. If you're doing this in a back yard or random building lobby, however, you might not have that critical help. If that's the case, I might be able to help you think through a couple things.

First, visualize yourself walking through the reception. What do you see?

I'd start with tables. Are there tables available? How many will you need? How will you decorate them? Will you need to rent china and silverware? How about linens? Chairs?

Start by determining the number of people you think will be at the reception. I've never been to a wedding reception in which all the people invited show up, but I've heard of receptions that had people show up uninvited. Plan on a lesser number of people than you invite (I used 80%) and finalize that number when you've received your replies. Any vendor I've ever worked with has been accommodating with respect to planning and numbers.

Map out the number of guests that can sit at a table - ask the rental company to help you with this. There are different sizes of tables that can seat a different number of people. Ask them to help you determine what size and how many you'll need. The number of chairs will follow from this decision.

Then, think about what those tables will look like. What color tablecloth will you use? What about glasses, plates and silverware? One place setting - including dinner and dessert plate for a simple wedding. Salt and pepper shakers? At least one per table. Do you want a runner or overskirt? Some brides like to layer their tables to add color. Often brides like to coordinate the wedding colors with the reception decorations - including the flowers on the tables.

Make sure you've left room for food tables if you're doing a buffet. Food tables look better if you have a flower arrangement on them. And if you're doing the food yourself, you'll need to rent chafing dishes to serve the food.

Don't forget a table for the cake. You'll also need a knife to cut and serve as well as dessert plates and forks specially for the cake service.

You might want to decorate the reception site. That could include table decorations or flowers. It might also include favors at each place setting. What about votive candles? Think about whether you want place cards for your guests. Will you have a DJ or live music? Do you want space for dancing? How about someone to stand with your gifts if people bring gifts to the reception site?

These are some of the questions you should consider when planning a reception. Next week, I'll talk about another aspect of planning a wedding - the flowers.

Foodie Friday: Crock Pot Roast Gravy

Last week I did a pot roast in the crock pot and whipped up a gravy to go with it. You can use this basic recipe to make a beef gravy or a chicken gravy - all you need is the broth from your roast.

The basic recipe is simple. Take about 3 Tbsp. of butter and melt it in a saucepan. Sprinkle on about 3 Tbsp. of flour and mix it in until it browns up and isn't lumpy - called a roux (pronounced rue). Add several cups of the broth from your roast and simmer until it thickens up. Add some salt and pepper and you're ready to serve. Delicious!

Foodie Friday: Crock Pot Roast

I've shared a crock pot roast recipe here before, but I made one today that was pretty delicious and wanted to share. I cut up an eye of round roast, browned it and put it in the crock pot. I added two Vidalia onions quartered and sprinkled it with garlic salt. I then added about a cup of blush Chablis wine and a cup of water.

Seal the lid and cook it in the crock pot on high for about 6 hours or for about 8 hours on medium. I whipped up a pepper gravy (see next week for that recipe) with the "sauce" created as it cooks. It's delicious and SO, SO easy!

Vintage Wednesday: Victorian Mottos

I'm a collector. I don't know why I'm a collector, but I am a collector. Maybe because I've always had a sense that history was valuable and needed to be preserved? Possibly because I compulsively put things in order? Maybe it's just that I was taught to see the beauty in the little things? I do know, however, that I've been a collector for most of my life.

When I was young, I was all about books, books, books. I'd beg for a dollar at a yard sale. I've drool over the first editions in the used book store. I'd pour over the illustrations by Harrison Fisher and Howard Chandler Christy. I loved the feel of paper, the typography, the bindings.

As I've gotten older, I'm more specific in my collections - probably because there's just not room to start a library and a museum in my house. It takes something unusual to catch my eye. But that's what's happened in the last year.

It started - as it usually does - with an estate sale. It was the estate of a collector, which is the very best kind for a collector. She collected crystal - loads and loads of crystal. But she also had some unusual things around the house tucked into closets and cubbyholes. As I walked through a bedroom, a picture caught my eye. It had pink and yellow roses on a black background and a rather gothic Victorian picture with the scripture, "The Lord hath been mindful of us". As I explored the rest of the house, that picture stayed in my mind and in the end it was the only thing I purchased at the sale... for about $10.

Several months later I was walking through another estate sale and found another picture with the scripture "Thou art my refuge and my portion" on it. The style was different in that it was printed rather than embossed and was on a white background, but it still had flowers and scripture quote as a theme. I think I picked it up for about $10 as well.

Well, once you have two, you have crossed the line from pretty object to collection. I then started looking for these types of artwork at the estate sales, flea markets, thrift stores and antique shops I visit. And what I've found is that I've been incredibly lucky to find the pieces I've found. Anything I've found online is $100 or more!

Apparently these pictures followed a trend in Victorian ornamentation called Berlin work. Berlin work incorporated colorful yarns (manufactured in Berlin) with low cost canvas or perforated paper (as opposed to linen or silk) that was accessible to the middle classes as an art form. The industrial revolution and the rise of the middle class gave many women the means to have leisure time and embroidery - which had been a pastime of the wealthy - became a pastime of the middle class. It brought color and art to the middle class home.

I'd seen the paper punched versions of these pieces complete with some inspirational motto, hymn reference or scripture verse worked in variegated thread. I'd not, however, seen much of the printed mutation of these works of art. And when trying to research the history, I found it difficult to trace the roots. After searching for scripture verse art and quotation pictures, among other things, I finally stumbled on the moniker "motto," which opened the door to the little history I've found.

In the meantime, I continue to keep an eye open to these little works of art. During my visit to Gettysburg, I found one more piece to add to my collection. This time it cost me all of $12, and had more roses along with Victorian and Nouveau motifs. This one says, "Love One Another" - another scripture reference. And so my collection continues to grow as I search for bargain additions in my newest treasure hunt.

Working Tuesday: Photographing Jewelry

I found myself with a bit of free time this weekend since the hubby was out of town. Since I'd been thinking for months about doing new photos for the website, I called the owner of Milk Money Designs and asked if she'd come help me do a shoot. She was happy to assist!

When I first photographed the jewelry, I was worried about making the photo pretty by setting a scene. The problem with this is that although the jewelry is the focal point of the photo, there's quite a bit to draw the eye. Gradually, I used fewer and fewer props. I've eventually learned that jewelry photographed on a plain background puts the jewelry in focus - as there's nothing to distract the eye. I feel like it took me WAY too long to get to this point given the pictures that caught my eye on Etsy were these kinds of pictures: simple, white background, close up, prominent in the frame.

I've also learned the importance of natural light to photographing my work. If you're using conventional lights, you'll notice a slight yellow tinge to your photos. Using natural light or halogen lights with full spectrum bulbs (such as an OttLight) helps pull out the true color of your pieces. I've not yet gotten the hang of pulling the shadows out by using diffusers (which can be as simple as white fabric), but I'm getting there.

I've invested in a portable light box - like the one shown here - to help, but I know there are do-it-yourself demos online that can help you build a cheaper version. I've also found great success with just a piece of white fabric propped up against a wall under a skylight in my house.

I'm learning more every day!

Foodie Friday: Feta Burgers

Looking for a twist on your 4th of July burgers? How about Feta Burgers? If you like Feta cheese, you'll love these burgers.

 

Ingredients:
1 pound lean ground beef
1 egg
1 packet Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1 8 oz. package Feta cheese, cubed

In a mixing bowl, mix 1 pound of ground beef, pour in cubed Feta cheese, crack an egg over it and add your packet of salad dressing mix. Mix with your hands and form into patties.























Place patties on the grill or fry them up in a skillet to your desired state of done-ness. Throw the cooked burger on a bun with lettuce and tomato and you'll have a delicious holiday treat!

Vintage Wednesday: A girl and her chair, part 2

Remember my obsession with chairs? Well, meet my newest addition.

It started back in 2003 in a little town called London. Mama and I had braved the metro to find a pokey upholstery shop in an "interesting" part of town. Freezing cold, we walked through a door into paradise. Well, it was paradise for those with a love of good upholstery fabrics. I have many obsessions.

While Mama was looking for fabric for costuming, I was enjoying the colors, textures and designs surrounding me. And then I found THE fabric. Gold and red. The right red. Mackintosh roses. Nouveau lines. Spectacular. I was in love.

Taking a deep breath because of the price, I got enough to cover a chair, a SPECIAL chair, a someday chair.

Years passed and many chairs came through my life, but none was right enough to use the golden fabric - until last Christmas when we found THE chair. Technically, it's a rocker - with swan arms, long lines, padded cushions, and a rose carved in the top. Given my recent obsession with swans (check out the Swoon Studios logo) and my love of roses and Nouveau lines, the chair was perfect. It had a textured mint green fabric from the 50s that was begging to be changed. Enter the golden fabric, some red trim, a gifted upholsterer and voila... my latest addition was born.

And as I gaze at the regal glory of this chair, my mind drifts back to that cold, cold day in London and a piece of fabric that inspired a dream come true - because I know that one day I'll rock babies in this chair. What a story that will be.

Vintage Wednesday: Social History

There are moments in life where a word or phrase opens a new door - one you'd not known existed before - into a world that delights you with it's rightness. College was full of these moments for me. Things I knew in their randomness suddenly started finding order. Much of this order I attribute to a history professor named Bill Mahoney.

Professor Mahoney - as we called him when we first met him - was still finishing up his doctorate so he was still close enough to being a student that he seemed to identify with us just a little better than the other professors. Most of the other history professors were in the latter stages of their careers, which made Mahoney a breath of fresh air. His classes were FUN.

History had pretty much been a part of my life. I joke that we've probably seen every fort on the east coast, but I don't really remember going to the beach until I was 14 (I don't count the trip that happened when I'd just turned 4 because it's a little hazy). I'd dressed up in 18th century costumes and traveled to rendezvous since we celebrated the bicentennial. Daddy is a huge American history buff we'd often hear stories of how our neck of the woods was settled. "It was down on the other side of the Cheat River, when we came up on this meetin' in the middle of the night...." History was everywhere. Taking history classes was inevitable.

The thing that Dr. Mahoney taught me, the thing that brought randomness into order, was the concept of social history. Now, there's a high falootin definition of the theory of social history, but to break it down into layman's terms, social history takes into account the way people lived. It's not just a series of dates and the study of wars. Social history values the entire picture of life as our society evolves.

Social history doesn't just mark the industrial revolution. Social history looks at the way people lived before the machines, the threat the machines brought to their way of life, the emotional reasons the Luddites rose up, the art and architecture that resulted, the population movements that ensued. It looks at the entire picture. And suddenly Mama talking about the lines of furniture or the designs in dresses changing from the 18th to the 19th centuries fit into Daddy's talks of battles and freedom. And every antique began to tell a story.

Even though I wasn't a history major, those classes opened my eyes. Instead of seeing a corset cover, I can tell you the class of person from the fabric and cut. Instead of seeing stitching on a sampler, I see the precursor to home schooling. Instead of seeing a wooden bowl, I see how that bowl fit into a family's life. I identify antiques by thinking about how we developed as a society. I probably couldn't tell you the important battles of the civil war or dates of international treaties, but I probably could tell you how people lived, what they wore, the kind of music they played and how they fed their children in a particular period of time. History is relevant to me in a way it wasn't before I took those classes.

Dr. Mahoney is still at my college teaching history - and I'm pretty sure he's still sharing obscure Irish and Czech punk music with students like me (I doubt I'd ever heard 3 Mustafas 3 without him). I don't know if what he's teaching as revolutionary to them as it was to me. I do know, however, that I'm very thankful he chose a little college town in WV to ply his trade.

Inspiration Thursday! Look around.

The gentle fall of cherry blossoms in full bloom.
The petals of an orange tulip, splayed like a child's fingers reaching for the sun.
Clumps of daffodils, faces forward, begging, "Pick me! Pick me!"
A regal old camellia bush bursting with little red crinoline petticoat flowers.
The glow of a tree, blossoming white, backlit by the gold of the setting sun.
A canopy of green, budding trees against a stormy sky.

These are the pictures in my mind as I drive back and forth to work drinking in God's creation around me. Writers more brilliant than I have tried to capture the newness of this season, the life unfolding around them. I struggle for words that capture what I see. I mentioned to a co-worker last week that the Cherry Blossom Festival (which is a very big deal in Washington, DC) had passed me by with all the craziness of this year. I don't want to miss this season and the renewal it brings.

Growing up, it was a common occurrence in my family for one of us to gasp, "Look at the TREE!" or "The daffodils are budding!" or "Look at the redbud in the mountains!" You see, we were "carefully taught" to pay attention to the world around us. Mama was intentional in drawing our attention to trees or flowers or even people with particularly interesting faces, which in Mama's world often included a lifetime of lines and wrinkles. She taught us to feel the promise of the coming year like the warmth of the sun. We would shed the darkness of winter days and embraced the light of a new cycle of life through the lilacs or the daffodils or the baby chipmunks we'd occasionally spot nesting in a wall.

I think when you're young, it's easier to see through those eyes. I find it a little harder at this age. There's always so much to do when you're juggling home, work, friends and family - even our fish, Jeeves, demands time. Thankfully, I had an intentional mother who trained me to look and see. So the snapshots continue to appear as I hurry along my way, sometimes stopping me, reminding me to breathe and give thanks for these gifts I've been given.

Vintage Wednesday: Opera Glasses

My collection of opera glasses - and I use the term "collection" loosely - began with a gift. My best friend presented me a stunning pair as a birthday gift with the instruction that I was to put it in my will that she receive them back upon my death. Yeah, they're THAT beautiful. And I do have a clause in my will with that bequest just because of her.

My opera glasses are silver, inlaid with mother of pearl, are from Paris at around the turn of the 19th Century and have a telescoping handle for optimal elegance. I've proudly carried them to the ballet, the symphony, the theater - pretty much anywhere I can get away with using them. And last year on a ~ahem~ "landmark" birthday, I returned the favor by giving her a pair from the same maker with a removable handle, inlaid in mother of pearl and in gold. Her first response? "She's just trying to get out of returning hers in her will!" She might be right.

I have a certain fascination with opera glasses. They evoke an opulence, an elegance that's not a part of my everyday life. I feel as if I should put on a long gown and gloves - not forgetting my opera length pearls - when using them. A carriage should arrive to take me to the theater where I preside over society from the comfort of my box... in my dreams of course.

Having started with such an elegant pair, I've not often felt the need to expand my collection. My only addition as of now is one with little birds on the side and that's really only because I got a good price and loved the birds. If you're looking to start a collection, you can expect to pay anywhere from ten to many thousands of dollars. I just peeked to see what's currently on ebay and there's a gold nouveau pair with diamond, sapphire and ruby bees on them for over $23,000. That's a tad bit out of my budget, but they're gorgeous!

When looking make sure the mechanism that allows them to focus is in working order. Also make sure the lenses aren't cloudy as I understand sometimes can happen with older pairs. If they're inlaid with mother of pearl, look for cracks that could lead to further damage.

I've very much enjoyed owning a little piece of history. Might you?

Working Tuesday: Tax time...

For those of you thinking about starting a home-based crafting business, I have a couple words of advice. Please note, this isn't legal advice, nor should it be in any way construed as "tax preparer" level advice. It's just a couple practical suggestions from someone who wishes she'd known some things.

1. Keep all your receipts in a designated location. Sounds pretty basic, right? You'd be surprised how difficult this can be for "artist types." I'd much rather get on with making something than thinking about whether or not I've stored my receipts in the proper place. When tax time comes, however, I'm so glad that I HAVE stored my receipts in a central location!

2. Keep good records of your sales. So the notification comes that you've got a sale on Etsy and you're focused on packaging and packing and shipping. I get it. You want a happy customer. But you're also going to want a happy tax man and keeping good records of sales makes the tax man happy. If you're doing a show, this might be just a simple receipt book that lists the item sold, the cost of the item and the tax collected. With Etsy, it might just be printing out the sold orders page and putting it in that central place I talked about above. Either way, work ahead to avoid frazzles later.

3. Go to IRS.gov and familiarize yourself with the expenses in the Schedule C when you start your business. It may open your eyes to new receipts you should save or mileage you should keep and how to notate those expenses. Again, the tax man frowns upon guesstimates. Plan ahead and save some grief.

4. Ask for help if you are confused. There are a myriad of "small business" entities that can probably help you answer your tax questions. I know I've tapped my state resources when I've needed help. That's their job and they're usually happy to help unless there's some legal reason they can't.

That's it. That's my wisdom. It may not seem like much, but I wish I'd done some of these things when I first started a home based business those many years ago! And now, I've gotta get back to doing those taxes....