Captivated by Curiosities

Our little Miss Nelly Grey has a few handsome suitors today...

Mr Copperfield has hidden a bouquet of "butterfly blue pin cushion flowers" to impress our lil' Miss Nelly... He certainly has my attention... OH MY you know how I love blue flowers!!!

She has set out a few of my English Demitasse cup & saucer sets...I had found these poor little darlings on a clearance self for 75% off the sale price of $5 "AND" that was for 8 sets!!! Hmmm, that's practically FREE!!! They are creamy white, cobalt blue and trimmed in gold... The light blue transferware is "Burleigh Asiatic Pheasants" and it's the dishes I ALWAYS use when serving a man's favorite...

What a way to impress the guys ladies... Serving "Blueberry Pie"(or Apple), will always make them melt ...

I always keep a plentiful supply of fresh whipped cream in my gardens... Would you like a scoop on your warm pie?

"Is it wise to entertain more than one beau at a time"???

Miss Nelly said "As long as the table is set for three, of course it is wise to keep them both close. We shall see who wins my heart by asking for seconds of my warm blueberry pie"!

Here is my "Find of the Year"... I strolled into Goodwill like any other day and there were PLENTY of junk bins piled high that were not displayed yet. NOW those of you that know GW, "KNOW" that you have to be ever so careful in those bins. They put crystal on the bottom, layered with books, some decanters, various metal objects of UNKNOWN  VALUES, a group of scotch tape dispensers taped together(marked 50cents), but had NO TAPE on them... TOP LAYER is always "HEAVY METAL"(and I don't mean music)!!!  It's a wonder that ANYTHING survives, "BUT IT DOES". This day I spied a lady holding what is pictured here. YES! It was an antique "Minton Toast Tray"...She was examining it WHILE I was dead in my tracks(I do believe my mouth was probably open too). I didn't know if I should "HIDE" and spy on her, or just pretend I didn't see what she was holding... If I looked interested she would SURELY BUY IT! So I walked away and peeked around the corner... "IT WORKED, she put it back"!!! I moved right in and picked it up... It had a chip! Hmmmm! Did I care, NO! I did not know who the maker was, I needed my stronger glasses(not on me)... I put it in my basket and looked in the bin for more, then I moved to the other bins... There it was "AT THE BOTTOM" upside down, "crying my name"...It was a PERFECT MATCH to the one I had, but this one was MINT! Hmmm, what to do? I roamed around a while and decided to just take the perfect one and put the other one back... I didn't hide it, I put it on a shelf for ALL to see how beautiful it was...I paid for my treasure($3) and went home...I searched the internet and found that My "MINTON TOAST TRAY" was "RARE" mid 1800s and was worth approx $300...

Little Nelly said "WHAT!!! you left the other one at GW"??? Are you crazy!!! Yes, another sleepless night brought me back to open the doors of GW ... I made a B-Line to where I had left my "Twin Toast Tray"... There it was "STILL THERE"!!! No one knew what I did... No one knew how wonderful this toast rack was... My quest was complete, I would sleep tonight and have pleasant dreams of "Toast and Jam"... Did I tell you "I LOVE Toast Racks"???

It is such fun to treasure hunt...This cute little gent was so busy "Painting his birdcage red" that he almost didn't notice me enter... The little shopkeepers bell jingled as I entered and I asked WHY he would choose red as the color of his paint... He looked up at me and smiled, hesitated and answered "Why Not"! then he chuckled and said he had a bucket of it left over and wanted to brighten up his shop!  OKAY NOW...I'm giving you a budget of one item, "What will you be taking home with you"???

Lil'Nelly is LOVING being sandwiched(like the cream fluff in the Oreo cookie) in between these "Two Minton Toast Trays in the Willow Pattern"...Look at all the GOLD trim on them! They are "Gorgeous", Can you see me SMILING"!!! They are quite large, MAYBE to accommodate the "M" arch that Minton created...Do you think the "ARCH" is to represent "MINTON"? Well, My maiden name is "Miller" so It's a fine Minton/Miller ARCH for me!

This antique leaf dish(no markings) in Black&Gold with handpainted roses is very pretty indeed! At first the orange rose was going to keep it from todays table BUT look how it matched Mr Twist and Mr Copperfields HAIR!  YES it gets to stay... Did you notice that Mr Twist looks JUST LIKE Prince Charles?

I bought this beautiful rock crystal sugar&creamer years ago "for a song". It was SO DIRTY I couldn't see the intricate detailing, but for practically nothing I rescued it from it's tomb and soaked it in a nice bubble bath...Do you see her smiling pretty now...She was FLAWLESS!

Although for years I thought of it as a set, I discovered today that "It is Not"... I have identified the maker as American,"McKee" , pattern "Rock Crystal", Circa 1920s"... It is a creamer, but the open sugar is NOT the match(it isn't even a sugar??? )... It is a "Footed Jelly"... Both pieces have the company trademark on the bottom "a circle with the words pres cut"...

 It is such a gorgeous stately set that ORIGINALLY I thought I'd serve Hubby "Breakfast in Bed" using the sugar(NOT a sugar), as a compote for fresh berries with sweet cream in the creamer... Hmmm, I guess my original instinct was "RIGHT"! and "Mr Cottage LOVED my idea"!!! NOW I know the unidentified piece is a "Footed Jelly". LOVE THAT!!!

My newest $1 addition is this rare little "Royal Crownford Staffordshire England" Calico dinner bell... Can you see it sitting "So Pretty" on the plate with the blueberries??? When you are ready for your pie, just jingle it!!!

"Here you go"...

Some of my garden blue...Clematis "Blue Angel", is one of my favorite. The texture reminds me of seersucker...

I hope you've been captivating some curiosities of your own... I'll look forward to hearing all about them???

McKee Glass started producing glass around 1834.  Around the 1850 time period a new factory was built in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to produce flint and pressed glass. The company relocated to Jeannette, PA. in 1888 until 1951 when it was bought by Thatcher Glass Manufacturing company.  Types of glass produced: Depression, Pattern, Milk White, Utility Kitchenware.

A HISTORY OF McKee Glass. READ ABOUT IT HERE

I'm LINKING TODAY to
"Blue Monday@Smiling Sally" 
"Tea Time Tuesday@Rose Chintz Cottage" 
"Return to Loveliness@A Delightsome Life" 
"Table Top Tuesday@A Stroll Thru Life" 
"Nifty Thrifty Tuesday@Coastal Charm" 
"Tea Cup Tuesday@Artful Affirmations" 
"Home and Garden Thursday@A Delightsome Life" 
"Share your Cup Thursday @Have a Daily Cup of Mrs Olson" 
"Vintage Thingie Thursday@Coloradolady" 
"Tablescape Thursday@Between Naps on the Porch" 
"Vintage Inspiration@Common Ground" 
"Home Sweet Home Friday@The Charm of Home" 
"Thrifty Things Friday@The Thrifty Groove" 
"Feathered Nest Friday@French Country Cottage" 
"Seasonal Sundays@The Tablescaper" 

She Sells Sea Shells by the Sea Shore

"Today is ALL ABOUT THE BEACH"!!! I am RE-POSTING my INDOOR BEACH scene JUST FOR "Kathleen's Beach Party @ CUISINE KATHLEEN"...

Here in New England the rain just keeps on coming..."SO"... what is one to do when you have a beach day planned and no sun... You pack up your party and move it "In Doors"!!!
The "Backdrop Seaside Village" Scene is a hand painted material from Manhattan that is stretched for hanging...I found it in the early 70s at a little shop called the Women's Exchange" where ladies sold their goodies and it was a SORT OF a yesteryear Thrift Shop... It followed me home for only $2...

My VERY favorite beach snack is fruit...Grapes have always been a staple on my beach blanket...

"Marydon, I LOVE the seams on your bags" ...This has become one of "My Very Favorite Things"!

This Cup & Saucer are SO Special to me... The first trip my Hubby and I took to Maine together in 1973 I had this lovely "Queens English Bone China Set" follow me home... I know it had a little "Nudge from my Sweetie", pointing it in the right direction! He even demonstrated to me the Proper way to hold the Cup... When he saw me putting together this "BeachScape"  today he smiled... I know he remembered it, he picked it up EVER SO Gently and gestured  the "Proper way to hold the Cup"!

Keep peeking in on Conghaile Cottage to see more treasures I've won... AND to just say hello..."I Love you all"!!!

Ebb Tide is one of the most beautiful songs of all times... This is my sheet music for my piano, I have had it since the 60s...Before you go any further "Listen Here for piano version"  ..."Listen Here for Righteous Brothers version"... Both are guaranteed to make you melt... Ok, you can leave the music playing in the background while you move on to a little more "Beach combing"...

It was Such Fun to morph my Living room into the Beach!!!

She was selling sea shells by our sea shore "BUT" children do get sidetracked very easily when it comes to playing in the sand... She's almost finished with her "Sand Bear"!!! I think she's quite talented... The large conch shell behind her belonged to my Grandmother who had it all her life. She was born in 1885 and she told me this shell was her Mothers. I remember sitting with her for hours listening to her stories of walking, on the beach, looking for shells...She would hold the shell to my ear and ask me to listen to it sing... I would hear the Whoosh of the ocean and I "Do Believe" I could smell the salt air as Gramma went on with her tales... The basket sitting behind "Sand Bear" is a thrifty $1 find... Can you resist such temptations when they follow YOU around the shop? I think not!!!

The backdrop is a "Quaint New England Seacoast town"... We spend lots of time at sea, one of my PASSIONS is Fishing! I LOVE IT! Hubby and my youngest son are both Sea Captains... Oh No that makes me the MATE... BUT... they don't make me "Swab the deck"(unless I want to)!!!

This Sweet Face is a "Julie Good Kruger Little One"... She was born in Pennsylvania... Her Sand Bear Creation is a GUND...

Have you noticed the seashell ribbon that is sand-storming my vignette??? Can you see it has real shells inside it??? A very long time ago, I fell head over heals for this ribbon and bought a whole spool of it! I had NO IDEA what I was going to use it for BUT I had to have it(YES, Ribbon often follows me home too)... July came along "AND" my Fathers Birthday!!! I don't remember what I gave him that year BUT I do remember that it was tied up with the prettiest bow this ribbon could make! Dad LOVED his gift and as he loosened the bow he handed it over to me and said "Here you go, Save it for next year"... Now and then the bow gets used and passed back & forth ... How can you make something that is already on your favorite things list even better... "EASY"...Tie your Dad's Love and Heartstrings on the end of that ribbon!!!

"Marydon @ Blushing Rose  GORGEOUS bag that "I Won" over at Coastal Charm... You MUST go explore Marydon's World AND Beautiful creations. "She has a Shop Too"!!!  How Lucky are we to know her!!!  Thank you "So Very Much" for my Nautical Bag"... "I LOVE IT"!!! "Big Squishy Hugs"...

"You Must visit Linda@Coastal Charm", she has the most delightful blog AND she's the owner of Cottage Charm Antiques... It was through Linda, I won Marydon's beach bag...AHHH, "Life is good"!

"Ok... Three times FAST...
She Sells Sea Shells By the Sea Shore...
She Sells Sea Shells By the Sea Shore...
She Sells Sea Shells By the Sea Shore...

Well? how did you do???


"I HOPE you all don't mind that I REPEATED this post"?

Garden Spells

My gardens, here at Conghaile Cottage, are in full bloom...

This book "WILL" captivate you...If you LOVE gardening &cooking, with a big pinch of magical enchantment, like we experienced long ago in "Practical Magic", you will truly enjoy this book ... No Witches here, only "Pure magical fun"...

In a garden surrounded by a tall fence, tucked away behind a small, quiet house in the smallest of towns, is an apple tree that is rumored to bear a very special sort of fruit.  In this luminous debut novel, Sarah Addison Allen tells the story of that enchanted tree, and the extraordinary people who tend it...

Furnival Quail Brown cup and saucer with matching teapot...What is not to love about little birds gracing our pretties!  

My green bowls are vintage "Indiana Glass" (green patterned or pressed glass) in the pattern "Loganberry or Raspberry"... I have been finding one or two, here or there, and piecing together a SET so I can serve Strawberry Shortcake in them... I have seen other colors BUT the green is my favorite... Aren't they gorgeous? The raised berries on these bowls reminds me of the wild strawberries we used to pick in Maine when I was a wee one...Oh Those memories are priceless, and those tiny little wild strawberries have the "BEST intense strawberry flavor"...They make the cultivated ones taste watered down... "Have any of you had wild strawberries"??? I live in a wildlife sanctuary of my own here at Conghaile Cottage ...SO... all the wild berries we have are enjoyed by the generations of creatures that lived here LONG before we arrived... The berries are theirs, "I will not intervene"...

The twig chargers are a fantastic Goodwill find for 50cents each. There was a whole stack of them, and of course I bought them all. I "HAD" seen some at Pottery Barn that I LOVED and were on my WISHLIST(now scratched off)... I like these MUCH BETTER(hmmm, could it have had anything to do with the price?)
I just found out who makes the incredible chargers... They are "Pier One twig chargers"... thank you Sonia@Miss Bloomers, http://missbloomers.blogspot.com/2012/06/burlap-bunnies.html for my positive ID... "Isn't The Land of Blog a wonderful place"???

Have you had the pleasure of drinking tea or coffee in "Every Cup" you own??? I'm working on it, and for now, whenever I bring home a new one I cuddle with it filled with my favorite coffee...Of course as I take the first sip I think of how "Life is Good"...

God gifts are endless. If we just open our eyes they are everywhere. Creation was one of His gifts to us. Being Creative is another. I've had the pleasure of meeting one of His Gifts. Our Own Marilou from Lulus Lovlies has the patience of a Saint. Here you can see she started with a real goose egg and turned it into a masterpiece. I can read Love in the painstaking steps something as intricate as this would take. ANYONE who knows me , "KNOWS", I adore LACE, AND this is what that reminds me of... She even signed it... I will always Love&Cherish this and I'm sending Marilou "Big Heartful Hugs"...Be Sure to visit her, You'll LOVE her as much as I do!!!

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The guardian of the feast today is the "Cutest Ever" little grizzly bear cub named TROUBLE! How about that, he has his OWN BOOK! with the sweetest story too... 

A few more GW treasure finds are "the biscuit jar" ..."An antique Harker Pottery Co little creamer from about mid 1800"...and 2 more of those sweet little Heisey Crystal Cups I bought for 50s each!  The day I found the stack of Heisey cups(both pink and green), I almost let them get away. I picked one up to examine it. It was SO LIGHT and CRYSTAL thin I thought it was plastic. They were very dirty so I didn't see their brilliant sparkle. I put it down and continued my treasure hunt BUT was drawn back in their direction. Again I picked one up and held it to the light where I discovered Heiseys Trademark "H inside a diamond"... "YES, they were a true Diamond in the rough and NOW the two stacks were "MINE"!  When they arrived home to Conghaile Cottage and had their bubble bath, "They were FLAWLESS"...

Be careful of those apples, they carry Garden Spells...The Feisty apple tree that bears prophetic fruit, and it's edible flowers, imbued with special powers. Generations of the Waverley family have tended this garden. This tree ACTUALLY throws it's apples... and ..."WELL"... you'll just HAVE to read the book...

Would you like a "SPLASH of TEA"???

I own lots of cookbooks BUT I have a favorite one... If I had to narrow my collection, THIS "SCONES&TEA" ,Would be my #1 pick! I plan on making EVERY SINGLE goodie it contains...Where did I get it??? "I WON IT" from "Liz@Rose Vignettes"... Do I recommend this book? "YES, YES, YES"! and now go peek into Liz's beautiful "Land Of Blog" . Tell her I send a BIG HUG, and you'll really want to follow her... Thank you again and again Liz!!!

When I won Marilou's giveaway @ Lulus Lovlies I never dreamed this would be so gorgeous! She even sent this little iron birdbath to use as a stand...She made a little nest to cradle the egg, AND look at the lace and gems strung on the base... She's a true artist and I'm so happy to show this off in my home... Our lives here in the "Land of Blog" are like Christmas Every Day! "Love and Hugs to you all"...

I'M LINKING TODAY TO
"Nifty Thrifty Tuesday@Coastal Charm" 
"Tea Time Tuesday@Rose Chintz Cottage" 
"Table Top Tuesday@A Stroll Thru Life" 
"A Return to Loveliness@A Delightsome Life" 
"Tea Cup Tuesday@Martha's Favorites" 
"Tea in the Garden@Bernideen's Tea Time Blog" 
"Home and Garden Thursday@A Delightsome Life" 
"Share your cup Thursday@Have a Daily Cup" 
"Let's Dish@Cuisine Kathleen" 
"Vintage Thingie Thursday@Coloradolady" 
"Cottage Garden Party@Fishtail Cottage" 
"Tablescape Thursday@Between Naps on the Porch" 
"Home Sweet Home@The Charm of Home" 
"Feathered Nest Friday@ French Country Cottage" 
"Thrifty Things Friday@The Thrifty Groove" 
"Seasonal Sundays@The Tablescaper" 

French Limoges, Venetian Lace & The Lady in my Garden

With all the new "E-reading", the "inventory of "Real Hardcover Books" is endless... I have a growing pile next to my bed, of stories to explore before I drift off into slumberland... This new book, "The Forgotten Garden"  is a novel of outer and inner journeys and a homage to the power of storytelling. It's filled with unforgettable characters who weave their way through its spell binding plot to astounding effect. 
It's a serious book that must have your complete attention and devotion or you'll get lost. 
Did I like it... YES!!! Do I recommend it... YES!!! but ONLY if you can give your total concentration to your reading ... If you plan to SKIM through the almost 550 pages of enchantment, then this is NOT your book... You MUST PAY attention to all you read...

This French Limoges tureen almost got away! One fine day I began my treasure hunt at Goodwill...This "Gorgeous & Flawless" piece sat there "Smiling So Pretty at me"!!! I began "The Exam"(I know my priceless treasure was holding it's breath) . The inspection was a success, not a single blemish. "I could tell "Mr Limoges Tureen" was SO EXCITED to be going home with me!  He never dreamed his "Centuries Old Antique Heritage", could end up HERE on a dusty shelf, side by side with MASS PRODUCTION!!!

It wasn't a happy ending "YET"!!! This tureen had ONE PROBLEM! "WHAT you ask"??? Well... The color tag on it would be HALF PRICE the very next day...Hmmm, what to do!!! YES you guessed right...I ACTUALLY put Mr Limoges Tureen, in an out of sight spot on a bottom shelf(OKAY I confess, I piled a few tall bowls, that looked like NO ONE would ever look at them,in front of him)...Bid Him Farewell and promised I would be back "FIRST THING" in the morning...  I did not get a wink of sleep that night, sneaking a minute by minute glance at the SLOW MOVING hands on my alarm clock... Was all this worth the half price sticker?  I stared at the ceiling all night long, "wondering" just how much did I really save "considering" the price of gas(to&Fro)... Hmmm

At the break of dawn, I was "On My Way"!!!As you can see Mr Limoges Tureen now lives at Conghaile Cottage!!! Were you worried??? He was a terrific bargain at $6...
Of Course he got my special bubble bath before entering into "Our Land of Blog"...

Vera Bradley Majolica plates(the same pale Wedgwood blue that Mr Limoges Tureen is wearing on his flowery lapels) will be perfect to serve my guest of honor today... She's waiting in my garden... She's so cute, I peeked out and saw her pulling a few weeds for me...

It's SO NICE to have little helpers... even if they are as Bashful as this guy is

There are no markings on this charming little  basket ,vase... Does anyone recognize it??? Maybe Hull , Shawnee, Royal Copley??? 

The music provided today is a robust "Treefrog Serenade"... My special guest is enjoying him, I can see her tapping her foot as he sings...

The aroma from the kitchen has taken over... My guest just peeked in and told me "It's time to serve"!!! She's an expert and her word is gold...NOW for you to meet her...

Isn't she TOO CUTE sitting there waiting for "MOI"... In case you haven't had the pleasure of meeting her... "Julia Child, I would like to introduce you to all my very special friends here in our Land of Blog"... AND... "All my very special friends here in our Land of Blog, I would like you to meet Julia Child"...
"AND for Tea Cup Tuesday Julia is SHOWING OFF her own personal favorite cup"... 

Please ladle yourself a bowl of Julia's famous "Boeuf Bourguignon"... I'll slice you a wedge of my crusty french bread to sop up all the juices...

This is France's Le Perche... It is where some of "my" french ancestors came from... I have followed my maternal Grandmothers family back to here in the 1600s... It is such a beautiful place!!! 
You can read a little about it HERE ... 


I hope you enjoyed your visit today... Till our next visit
"bon appetit"!!!

The cups & saucers you saw are  "CROWN DUCAL " England... They are demitasse... If you noticed Ms Child had a large cup...She insisted on using her OWN favorite mug... 

I'm Linking this week to
"Blue Monday@Smiling Sally" 
"Nifty Thrifty Tuesday@Coastal Charm" 
"Tea Time Tuesday@Rose Chintz Cottage" 
"Table Top Tuesday@A Stroll Thru Life" 
"Tea Cup Tuesday@Artful Affirmations" 
"A Return to Lovliness@A Delightsome Life" 
"Home and Garden Thursday@A Delightsome Life" 
"Vintage Thingie Thursday@Coloradolady" 
"Let's Dish@Cuisine Kathleen" 
"Cottage Garden Party@Fishtail Cottage" 
"Tablescape Thursday@Between Naps on the Porch" 
"Vintage Inspiration Friday@Common Ground" 
"Simple&Sweet Fridays@Rooted in Thyme" 
"Home Sweet Home Friday@The Charm of Home" 
"Seasonal Sundays@The Tablescaper"