Monday, January 31, 2011

GRANDMA'S PITCHER

Watt Pitcher



Tea is comforting to me anytime of the year. We drink it 365 days of the year. Whether its served hot with sweetener and cream or lemon and honey we love it! I drink brewed iced tea year round. 
 My grandmother served iced tea at her house in a vintage Watt Pottery pitcher, seen in the picture ABOVE. I bet she had this pitcher forty years or more. Several years ago she knew my sister was coming for a visit and gave it to my sister to give to me. I cherish it along with all of the memories of seeing her brew the teabags in a saucepan on the stove, then dump in several cups of sugar, stir and serve. Her tea was syrupy delicious and even made  better by putting in several tart pieces of lemons to cut down on the sweetness. I cannot drink iced tea today without it being sweet and with lemons. I use sweetener now trying to cut down on my real sugar intake. Of course the dilemma of artificial sweetener versus real pure cane sugar always crosses my mind. I guess you trade one vice for the other in hopes of making the best choice.
Watt Pottery is highly collectible and sought after. My grandmothers pitcher is a Watt Pottery #17 USA pitcher. It shows wear and has a crack on the outside of the back of the pitcher.  My grandmother made tea in this pitcher for as long as I can remember. I used to be afraid that when she poured in the warm brewed tea that it would break apart. Eventually I believe she stopped using it to preserve it and not let it get cracked anymore. Some history of Watt Pottery follows.

In 1949 Watt Pottery began hand decorating its pottery pieces. The patterns were simple  with as few brush strokes as possible which allowed for low production costs. The pieces were decorated by teams of three people.The bright colors against the deep creamy clay background gave Watt Pottery a country appeal.
Most pieces of Watt ware are marked. The marks are large, often covering the entire bottom of the piece. They usually consist of one or more circles  impressed into the bottom. The words, "Watt" and "Oven Ware U.S.A." are impressed as well, although some pieces have only one phrase. Classic Patterns often feature a script "Watt" with no circles. Most pieces also have the mold number impressed in the center which helps to make the piece easier to identify.

Watt Pottery reminds of days gone by and simpler times. In my case it reminds me of days at my grandmother's house drinking tea, swinging in the porch swing and eating a delicious made from scratch home cooked meal. Good memories they give us comfort and put a smile on our faces.





Thursday, January 27, 2011

CHERRY PIE PLATE GIVEAWAY!!

You have to go check out this lovely blog, "Welcome To My Kitchen." Sheila is the lovely blogstress of this blog all about cooking! On her blog giveaway this week I will be giving away a lovely cherry pie baking dish to one lucky winner! Please go and check it out and comment and add this lovely blog to your favorites. Check it out here:
http://recipe-korner.blogspot.com/

 

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

HOPEFUL SPRING

Ahh the long days of winter, how they linger. As I sit here and look out my living room window I'm happily thinking about the hope of Springtime. I know it's a sure thing that eventually the sun will shine more each and everyday to come, the trees will bud, the grass will turn green and the birds will start to sing their songs. Thank the stars for HOPE. 

We all HOPE our shops do well, we all HOPE for good crafty creating ideas, we all HOPE to find that diamond in the rough to sell in our shops, we all HOPE for new places to peruse, dig through, smell the mildew and treasure find in.  HOPE is a good thing and the HOPE of Spring to come brings a smile to my face. I like to think of green things and fresh cut grass and the smell of fresh air through my screen door, seeing tiny buds peek their new heads up above the earth and hear the birds sing their songs once again to remind me of lovely things in nature that are gifts to us.

I'm thinking of garden planting,  potted plants, herbs, screen doors, bird song, blue skies and cloudy wisps of white all signs of HOPE.

Here are a few pics of my house last Spring. They give me HOPE that new things are coming and that these dreary cloudy days of winter blahs will be behind us soon.  HOPE is a dream to hold onto, don't let yours go!




 These lovely shops have things that remind me of Spring and hope and joy! Go check them out and all of their beautiful wares!

Sweep the dust away with Springtime hope.

http://www.etsy.com/shop/anythinggoeshere

CHECK OUT THIS LOVELY ETSY SHOP!











Springtime cake in the park!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/BaysideVintage

CHECK OUT THIS LOVELY ETSY SHOP!










Green vase and pink flower happiness!

http://www.etsy.com/shop/penny

CHECK OUT THIS LOVELY ETSY SHOP!










 Water those sprigs of green Springtime love!


http://www.etsy.com/shop/JoieDeCleve

CHECK OUT THIS LOVELY ETSY SHOP!






 MAY YOUR HOPE SPRING ETERNAL!! 

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

The Sisterhood of Vintage

The Sisterhood of Vintage


 I've had my Etsy shop, Zenful Goods up and running for about six months now. It took awhile before I got my first sale. I researched, and I read of ways to do it "right." I still spends lots of time reading and researching on ways to improve my shop, get my name out there and make sales. 

One of the smartest things I have done is to join several  Etsy Teams. Let's face it, when you first start your shop up it's hard to figure everything out. Everyone seems to have it all together compared to you and you feel lost out there in the big ole' Etsy world. This is where the sisterhood comes in. It came to me in the way of  teams. In one particular team many have added my shop to their favorites, have featured one of my items in their treasuries or have sent me a message or have commented on the team blog and it all helps when you feel you need a life line to hold onto. I have even ask advice from others and they have been most gracious in offering it to me.

Today I celebrate the sisterhood of vintage. To the one's like me who have been a newbie and know how it feels to swim alone. Thank you for your kindness and camaraderie . Those in this sisterhood know the feeling of loving old things and finding them, taking pictures of those things and listing them in our shops. We thrive on it, we love it, it is a big part of us. Let us stand united flying the vintage flag with a big old heart in the middle!

Here are some items from new shops on Etsy. Give them some love sisters!

GlassGirlMe opened shop on December 27, 2010



Find this shop here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/GlassGirlme






JannasTreasures opened shop on January 4, 2011


Find this shop here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/JanasTreasures





Malibloom opened shop on December 2, 2010 


Find this shop here:
http://www.etsy.com/shop/malibloom


Welcome to the Sisterhood everyone!

Monday, January 17, 2011

Winged Fever


Birds for some reason call to me. I love all of the beautiful colors nature has given us in these winged creatures. The primary colors of yellow, red and blue that adorn birds of the Midwest. The cardinal with it's lovely red coat and black mask, chin and its red bill. The goldfinch with its yellow body, black cap and winged tail. The beautiful bluebird with its thick coat of azure blue.


I've always loved birds! They are free, they can fly and they are beautiful. I especially love cardinals. When I go on a vintage hunt I'm always looking for bird figurines or items with birds on them. On a recent thrift hunt I found a bird figurine that had a chip in it and the paint was coming off but I fell in love with it anyway. I brought it home, dusted it off, gave it a love touch up and now it looks better but still worn. We who love vintage love worn out, wrinkled, peeling, rusty, dusty, cracked, chipped and USED stuff!! It's OK if one wing is chipped or the paint is worn off. We the sisters/brothers of VINTAGE have kind hearts and we love what others throw away, give away, no longer like, grow tired of and have too much of.  We are caretakers of over indulgence, memories of things once loved, old and no longer pretty and thrown in the heap STUFF. We are nurses of mercy for all of these things. Today I celebrate the love of winged creatures in all of their beauty and the joy that they bring. Fly free and don't look back.


These are some lovely bird things from some lovely ETSY shops! Enjoy tweet tweet!






 A lovely bird hair barrette from this wonderful ETSY shop!
http://www.etsy.com/rosebudcottage









 Six vibrant colorful bird mugs from this great ETSY shop!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/bountyhuntress












  These lovely magnets can be found at this sweet ETSY shop!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/PipingHotPapers

Thursday, January 13, 2011

WORK IT MAMA

Do you have a workspace in your home? Are you using it? Several months ago when I decided to set out to sell on Etsy my first thought was a workspace. I had a spare room/office area in one bedroom so I decided to use that as my space. I went out and purchased a piece of counter top at the local big box fix it store that was already cut and finished.  I brought it home and mounted it to the wall and then purchased two dowel rods to use as legs for extra support. Whala a work table! Then I purchased two 24 drawer cabinets to hold my cache of vintage finds, jewelry, bits, pieces, new stuff and other needed items. These come in handy and help you to keep organized. Ha! See my messy work area?Having your own space to lay things out, contemplate, mess up, draw out, store and be creative is very important. 

I sell mostly vintage items in my Etsy shop and I need plenty of cabinets to keep my items in. So I have those and lots of cabinets with drawers to hold my wares too plus a bookcase to keep all of my creative idea books in.  See pictures below.

We are creative types on Etsy, so whether you have a vintage shop, sell jewelry or any other handmade item it's nice to have all of your STUFF in one place.
 Being organized does help but some like to keep things messy it just makes them feel better or there are others who like all of their ducks in a row.  I'm usually really messy while I'm churning out an item then I clean up later. Well, usually hmmm. 
Finding inspiration always helps so I surround myself with things I love. I have a  inspiration board with all of things that make me feel BLISSFUL. For me it may be a picture of a old prom dress, something painted green, cardinal birds, James Dean(iconic rebel), pictures of my kids when they were little, junk, junk and more junk pictures,glass bottles, pictures of a old farm house and many other bits of ephemera that inspires me. 










MY TWO INSPIRATION
          BOARDS                                                                

 Etsy has so many lovely shops. Here are some wonderful finds for your workspace/studio!
STAY INSPIRED MY FRIEND!
  
 Find this lovely retro green cabinet at THIS ETSY SHOP!
RECOCO

http://www.etsy.com/shop/recoco





 Find this lovely memo board at THIS ETSY SHOP!
JOY FRAMEWORK

http://www.etsy.com/shop/JoyFrameworks








Find this lovely wood storage shelf at THIS ETSY SHOP!
MOXIETHRIFT

http://www.etsy.com/shop/moxiethrift

Monday, January 10, 2011

Lovely Locket Lady

I'm drawn to the loveliness of lockets. It's like a dejavu moment and I feel like I've been propelled back in time with a high collar dress on and my corset and of course my lovely locket! Not! I would of hated the high collars and stuck in a cage feeling of wearing a corset and cinching up the waist until I couldn't breath.
Luckily I live in the 21st century and I'm free to wear what I want.
I just know I love lockets. They come in all sizes and shapes and many different themes and colors.
One of my favorite lockets I  found is from the Etsy shop Botanical Bird featured to your left. I just love this locket and in fact my honey got it for me for Christmas and I could wear it 24/7! I love the little verdigris bird, the petite whimsical flowers and the tiny verdigris flower. It is such a feminine and beautiful locket! Thank you Botanical Bird. You can find this shop here. Go check it out!
http://www.etsy.com/shop/botanicalbird
I recently ordered some lockets myself and hope to create something to sell in my own Etsy shop Zenful Goods very soon. Getting inspiration from a fellow creative mind is a good thing. It brings joy to our hearts and helps us spread the love and creation of others. In a world of chaos, creating takes us outside of ourselves and into the world of fun and whimsy and gives us the inside power to push on.

Another sweet shop on Etsy is Opera House. You can find it here: :http://www.etsy.com/shop/OperaHouse 
Featured in this shop is a locket made into a bracelet. It is oh so lovely, unique and beautiful. In an antique brass tone chain, locket that opens and a gorgeous pearl and rhinestone charm. This shop also features many other wonderful and unique creations. Go check it out!                                                                               
Drawing inspiration from what is around us is a good thing. Whether it's from a fellow artisan, a picture, a drawing or something in nature. Whatever it may be, it only takes one spark to get our creative juices flowing. We all feed off of each other in this artistic community of all things vintage, upcycled vintage or vintage looking. It is all a good thing! Go CREATE my lovely artisans! It is food for the soul. Peace.           

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Thrift Shop Junkie

There are times I sit in quite contemplation of going to a thrift shop and perusing the shelves for lucky finds. I walk in I smell the air of mildew, moth balls and dirt but I'm happy. I try to relax and not get overly excited and push my cart too fast. 
I have found especially if you go on days when the shops are more crowded lets say a Friday or Monday, that calmness is key. The aisles are packed with other pickers and gatherers and you don't want to give away your ammo so it's best to remain calm. I circle around like a quite vulture waiting to grab my prey of all things old, used, vintage, peeling, unique, retro and cheap. I look up on the highest shelf way in the back and my eyes go back and forth looking for a find. I bend my body down and look on the lowest shelf and I sometimes squat down and look. My fingers get dirty, my feet may hurt and I feel I've found nothing. Then suddenly out of no where I find the one small thing I can take home clean up and recycle, reuse or sell. I feel relieve but I don't show it. I just keep circling around each shelf of glassware, kitchen junk, pans, tins, pottery, mugs, plates and other bric brac. 
Truthfully I'm on a high thrifting, it is a drug of sorts. It's the fun in the hunt, the thrill of spending pennies for something and getting a treasure from someone else's trash.
I bring my finds home and soak them in the sink to clean the dust away. I dry them, I polish them and I sit and look at them. I am a junkie of thrifting, a trash picker, a hoarder, lover of old things, queen of bargains and tainted in my dreams of all things old. 
My plight is in all things old this is my drug of choice for I am a THRIFT SHOP JUNKIE!