Ivy and Elephants: May 2012

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Happy Anniversary!!!!

What's It Wednesday #27

As we celebrated Memorial Day this week we also celebrate our one year blog anniversary. The best part of this journey has been the meeting of all of the amazing people along the way. We are so grateful to each and everyone of you.

Our blog launch featured Patti's amazing repurposed bottles. We received a number of emails requesting the sell of a few of these gorgeous pieces bejeweled with antique pieces and gorgeous bows.

The Time for Summer Fun featured Paula's son. He had so much fun planting succulents in silver for his grand-mother.

Patti's hand-painted French half doll depicts a young mademoiselle checking her rosy cheeks as she perhaps awaits her amor. In the background is a vintage ormolu framed mirror, capturing it all in Mirrors: A Reflection of the Soul post.

Paula created this elegant blackboard for the To Shine or Not to Shine post and sits in the kitchen and was super simple to make. All that was needed was a silver tray purchased on sale at a local antique store, blackboard paint and chalk. Yep, that was it. This idea came from the fabulous Cindy of My Romantic Home.

Patti placed a couple of bathing beauties, strings of pearls, seashells, and a whole lotta bling as she placed a gorgeous base under a beautiful cloche for the Cloche Encounters post.

Paula featured this contrasting vignette was posted on the Ebony and Ivory post. There is large porcelain vase in the back with porcelain roses around the neck and a silk floral arrangement from my mother's retirement party. Two very special ebony statues from Ghana pose between the porcelain pitchers and creamers. In the foreground is a very delicate rose. The juxtaposition of colors, objects, history, culture and textures is what Paula calls "Vintage Urban" living.

These elaborately carved ivory puzzle balls are a part of Patti's vast collection of amazing Asian puzzles and were featured on our A Puzzling Situation post.

In Up in Smoke, Paula showcased her collection of silver cigarette cases. Each one has its own character and are perfect as picture frames.

Patti loves rare clocks, watches, hourglasses, and all things related to time. In the As Time Goes By post, she shares her favorite form of timepiece which is the French mantle clock. This beauty has an enamel inset of angels, a pair of peacocks, and a hand painted satin glass finial.

Patience lead to the perfect vignette for my dresser which was featured in the Skip to my Ormolu post. I topped it off with the standing hand mirror. There is nothing like a little gold to make a girl feel special.

Have you ever seen such an extraordinary collection as Patti's cameos? Cameos have been around in some form as early as the third century B.C. They are carved in relief from compressed layers to reveal a portrait or scene in a contrasting color. For more beautiful cameos go to Cameo Appearances.

One of Paula's favorite collections are her silver compacts, sovereign cases and stuff boxes which she featured on the Off the Chain. The sterling silver compact belonged to Paula's grandmother; her initials are monogrammed on the cover.

What are some of your fondest memories this Memorial Week?

xoxoxoxo

Patti & Paula

Thank you all for participating in our "What's It Wednesday" linky party!

Don't forget to grab a feature button.

Thank you all for all that you do to inspire others!

We have been inspired each and every week by each and every one of you.

Here are this week's WONDERFUL features

Beautifully decorated bottle at For the Love of White

Walking in a Wicker Wonderland at SKLong Images

Beautiful Cottage Garden Tote at Knick of Time

Amazing Teacup Chandy at Forever Decorating!

A summery tablescape designed by Creating Wonderful Spaces

Tuesday, May 22, 2012

The Sweet Life

This week I’m sharing some sweet little goodies that I have in the china cabinet. While digging through (frantically looking for something to post), I pulled out this box and the wheels started turning. It’s a pretty good what’s it too! It’s a Victorian crystal and bronze sugar casket in a diamond point pattern. Sugar was once not readily available, and like tea had to be imported. It was so precious as to be kept under lock and key as well. Thus, these pretty little boxes, called caskets. (Maybe this should be my next collection.)

This is a sugar scuttle and scoop, a silver replica of the ones used for coal. It’s gorgeous on the table and no one can resist a chance to dig in and sprinkle a little sugar, yum!

What luncheon or tea would be complete without a master sugar bowl with its own set (12) of demitasse spoons? These were first made by American silversmiths in 1874 and remained popular through the 1920’s.

This is perfect for sprinkling on powdered sugar or cinnamon sugar at your hot chocolate bar. It’s a sugar castor, muffineer, or just plain old sugar shaker.

Since we’re sharing sweets, I’m putting in my favorite honey server. His silver wings lift and he has a shovel to drizzle on the honey. Sweet!

Last, a little thrift store find for syrup. (It must be for one, I’d use that up at one go!) It has a cork with an attatched spout and this little brass collar that says syrup, adorable! Thanks for sharing the sweet life with me!

Hugs,

Patti

And thank you all for participating in our "What's It Wednesday" party!

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Kiss From a Rose

What's It Wednesday #25

When I was a very little girl, I had a best friend. My best friend and I would have tea parties, watch the roller derby, and I would tell her all of my secrets as we gardened together. Although she is no longer with us, my great-grandmother will always be in my heart. Roses were her favorite flowers to clip and bring into her beautiful home.

This platter is one of my favorites. She used to serve me Social Tea Biscuits on this platter. She always made me feel very special and like a fairy princess. She even had a special name for me. She called me Polly, and I was the only person allowed to call her by her first name, Helen. This always amazed my mother. Her grand-children called her grandmother and she truly was a "Grand Mother". I have no idea what the other great-grand children called her. I just know they didn't call her Helen.

Helen loved to entertain. She was known for her elaborate garden parties, teas and other social events.

When my mother was a little girl, Helen used this china for special lunches. It was one of her favorites. The china was created by the Homer Laughlin Company which began in 1871 by brothers Shakespeare and Homer Laughlin. Fiestaware would later become one of their most popular dinnerware lines.

Helen was much like the roses she grew. She was elegant and beautiful, and in her life time she dealt with many thorns. She lived in a world where she had to hide the fact that she was jewish and had to blend into a very different world. This meant that her grand-children, which included my mother, could not address her in public. By the same token, she could not go to her grand-chidren's schools and participate as a proud grandmother.

Instead, Helen sent a taxi to my mom's school every Friday to pick her and my Uncle up and carry them to her house for the weekend. If they did not go to the beach for a picnic, Helen would prepare elaborate lunches for her grand-children and serve them on these very plates.

When I was a little girl, Helen would not only serve delicious lunch on her favorite lunch china, she would prepare the most scrumptious desserts. There was always something from her vegetable garden included in the meal. After our wonderful meal, she would sneak me a cup of coffee. Please don't tell my mother.

My mother and some dear friends came to visit this weekend, so I served a delicious spinach and strawberry salad which allowed room for dessert. I served our lunch on Helen's lunch plates at the same table she served her friends, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Helen always had some decadent dessert up her sleeve, from mouth watering pies, to elaborate over-the-top cakes. She loved to celebrate everything from my ballet recitals to Dusty Rhodes winning a wrestling match.

My great-grandmother was not only a role model for my grand-mother, mother and I, she was a role model for the community. She had a heart as big as all outdoors and was known for her life time of philanthropy and service to the community. Helen will always be my guardian angel my special rose.

Who are/were the special roses in your life?

xoxoxo

Paula

Thank you all for participating in our "What's It Wednesday" linky party!

Don't forget to grab a feature button.

Thank you all for all that you do to inspire others!

I know I am inspired each and every week by each and every one of you.

Here are this week's WONDERFUL features

Helen loved these Currier & Ives plates and Shelia at Note Songs has a gorgeous collection

Tami has an amazing collection of beautiful vintage dolls at Pink Butter Creme Cottage Market

Cette oeuvre d'art françaises est magnifique. Please visit Sew Passionate

Ann at Moonbeams & Fireflies has an amazing eye for beauty.

Elaine wrote the most beautiful tribute to her gorgeous mother at Creating Wonderful Spaces.

Barbara Vintage Noritake china is fabulous at Two Birdies and a B.

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Apple of My Eye

Sunday I spent the day with my two BFFs, Debbie and Maria. Our history is long. We met at school, and have remained close over twenty plus years.

You see, our job, our work, is a great profession. We are teachers. So is Paula, and her mom, and her mom before her. It just gets in your blood I suppose.

The apple is our symbol and no one has a bigger collection than my friend, Debbie.

Every room, even the bath, is a canvas for apples of every hue and medium, spread over a lifetime of collecting. She retired a few years ago but still finds time to volunteer to remain close to the children. They are the real reason we teach.

I’ve seen lots of changes over the years but some things never do. Like the light in a child’s eyes when he sees something wondrous; the smile when he finally understands; the wildly waving hand and high-pitched squeal of, “I know, I know”; or how his heart swells with pride from your words of praise. What a gift to share in this delightful world.

During this, Teacher Appreciation Week, I’m thankful for having had my share of these glorious moments that money can’t buy and time can never erase. It’s not the cards or gifts that I will remember but these precious children whose lives I was blessed to touch. What memories do you have of a special teacher? We'd love to hear about them!