the days of wine and roses

They are not long, the weeping and the laughter,

Love and desire and hate:

I think they have no portion in us after

We pass the gate.

They are not long, the days of wine and roses:

Out of a misty dream

Our path emerges for a while, then closes

Within a dream.

Ernest Dowson

I think all of the cold weather and snow this month has turned my head to thoughts of summer picnics, of days of wine and roses. I know they will come again, although they seem far away now.

A sweet basket to carry your wine.

floral heart basket from Bountiful Goods

 A table set with wine and roses.

engagement picnic via Ryan McGinnis

 A simply sweet setting.

Mr. Darcy's cordial glasses from Fabricated Family

 A pretty summer dress for the occasion.

one shoulder vintage floral dress from Other Peoples Property

So I guess I'll keep dreaming and hope for some warmer sunny days soon. In the meantime I can certainly enjoy a nice glass of wine.

 

santa and the grandkids

Well I didn't get down to Atlanta in time to go with my grandkids to see Santa this year, but I thought I would share some of the pictures their Aunt Katy (my youngest daughter) took of the visit. They went to the Botanical Gardens in Atlanta and what a beautiful Santa he was. Of course the the kids are pretty beautiful too. 

 All pictures via winsomehollow

I'm not sure who was having more fun, Santa or the kids, but looks like a good time was had by all.
I'll be driving down to spend Christmas with them on Wednesday so I guess I'll get to see if Santa was listening. Have a great rest of your weekend and don't do what I did today, which was try to go to the mall. After 40 harrowing minutes in the parking lot, I managed to escape. WHEW!!!

decorating with vintage photographs

Vintage photographs whether displayed singly or in groups, framed or unframed add a lovely touch to a vintage home decor. It's wonderful, when you can display antique photos of your own ancestors, but if you don't happen to have any, don't let that stop you. There are plenty of old photos available in every price range, and so many ways to display them.

How about a grouping in your kitchen?

via simplesong

Group pictures with different but complimentary frame styles over a side table.

via simplesong

 I have grouped antique photos with other vintage finds.

 Here are a few of the antique photos available in Gossamer Memories .

family reunion photo 1919

victorian wedding photo

victorian grandmother

adorable baby

Hope you have a wonderful day.

a pretty holiday table

I love setting a pretty table for my holiday dinners. Here are some suggestions from ImSoVintage
for your table.

A pretty bowl filled with vintage ornaments makes a lovely centerpiece.

Gorham silveplate bowl

If you haven't already started your own collection of glass balls, here are some to fill your bowl.

glass baubles

I like to serve my dinner by candlelight and silver candlesticks are always a lovely touch.

gorham silver candlesticks

or a collection of brass candlesticks.

tall candlesticks

What could be more elegant than silver flatware. A full service for eight...

community silver

or just a few well chosen serving pieces.

specialty forks

and don't forget a beautiful serving bowl. Even one special piece can add elegance to your table.

transferware tureen

Thanks for visiting with me today and happy dining.

lexington home featured on apartment therapy

I am always so pleasantly surprised when I see a local home or artist featured on a major design blog, and today I was so happy to see this Lexington, Kentucky home featured on Apartment Therapy. You can read the entire article here.

Lauren has created a charming cottage look  in her over 90 year old home near downtown.

 

What a cute idea for a bulletin board.

All pictures via Apartment Therapy 

Enjoy your day!!

laura zero...mouse infinity

via

Those of you who don't know me well, don't know about my rodent phobia. It's a big one. When I was working on my masters degree in counseling psychology, they wanted me to work on a study that involved white rats. I tried to explain to them nicely that I don't do rats, white or any other color. (I am definitely nondiscriminatory). No problem, the supervising psychologist told me. I can desensitize you. A weak bahaha was my response. He put me in a room with a window that separated me from the rat. After ten minutes of me turning varying shades of green and then white, he declared me incurable and said I had better just collect data. HA!!! There are some phobias that I believe are best held on to.

Well dear reader you are now asking yourself why I am telling you of my psychological woes. I will quietly whisper it to you so as not to be overheard. There is a mouse in my bedroom. 

A MOUSE IN YOUR BEDROOM?? you ask. Oh yes, in my second floor cozy bedroom, where there is no food for it to feast on, but apparently where it has decided to set up housekeeping. A couple of days ago, I thought I saw something flying across the floor. Hmmm, I thought. maybe I have been consuming a little too much chocolate again. An hour later, I was nicely brushing my teeth when I spotted the evil doer scurrying from the bedroom, across the bathroom, and out into the hall. (Insert ear piercing scream here). So I went and collected the resident persian, who normally isn't allowed in my bedroom due to allergies. She sauntered around the entire area and declared her work was done. Well, I mean really. What did I expect. This cat dines on deli turkey. Why in the world would she lower herself to an unworthy mouse. Needless to say there have been other sightings, with much more anxiety on my part.


So I have declared war. It's me or the mouse, but one of has to go. I raced over to the local hardware store and purchased some of those fancy "the mouse goes in, but it won't come out" traps, filled them with peanut butter, collected my bedding, and moved downstairs to the couch. I woke up with a sense of well being. Surely, when I went upstairs, the intruder would be gone and after disinfecting my entire room, I would be able to once again enjoy my wonderful surroundings.


Imagine my shock when the first thing that greeted me was that creature running across my bedroom floor. Really? Are you kidding me? Apparently he thought I had moved out and left the room to him.


So this morning I am getting sticky traps and putting them all around the room. If that doesn't work I am declaring my room a hostile zone and  calling in the national guard.


Well, my friends, I will let you know what happens. In the meatime if you have any suggestions, I would love to hear them.

a snowy sneak peek sunday

As you can see, a cold snowy blast has hit Kentucky this weekend. I don't know about you, but I have always loved the snow. Nothing like sitting by the fire with the Christmas decorations all up and watching the snow fall, while listing some fabulous new finds in my shops. 

Here is a sneak peek at some of the things that will be appearing this week.

Thanks for visiting and enjoy the rest of your weekend.

a treasury of vintage gift ideas

Thought I would share this treasury of vintage gift ideas I am honored to be a part of today. It is from NachoKitty and features some wonderful items from the Etsy Vintage Team.

a vintage gift guide

Click on the caption below the picture to get to the treasury.

Have a great day and enjoy your holiday shopping.

just me and my trusty camera

For quite awhile now I have been dreaming of and trying to save for a new camera. You know what I'm talking about...a camera with all the fancy bells and whistles...one where I can take multiple photos quickly...one where I can shoot photos in low light...one where I can fade out the background...well you get the "picture". I check out all the Canons and Nikons online and in the newspaper on an almost daily basis and dream of that moment when one of those babies is mine. Let's face it, a camera is probably your most important tool (other than your computer, of course) that you need when selling online. Everyone is happy to tell you that without good pictures you are basically doomed. GULP!!!

Six years ago I purchased a 3.2 megapixel point and shoot finepix camera, which at the time I personally thought was hot stuff. Okay we all know it doesn't take much to excite me. Then I opened an online business and the photo battle began. I started out shooting my photos outside. UGH!! my daughters were quick to point out they weren't too good. (well after all there had to be some reason we had children) Then I moved inside to a dark background. Again a thumbs down. Next I figured out that inside next to a window provided me with the best light and I have been tweaking that venue for quite some time now. The website Picnik has been a godsend, but I still want my new camera.

 Insert BIG SIGH here. 

Unfortunately my camera savings account seems to constantly get depleted by life's little emergencies. You know what I'm talking about. The computer blew up. The power window cable in my van snapped.... I mean really am I never going to get my new camera? Am I never going to have wonderful photos?


Yesterday I sold an antique coffee pot in my shop. The lady who bought it called me up, a bit frazzled, because she had never purchased anything from Etsy before and as this was a gift for her sister, she wanted to make sure the payment had gone through. While talking to her I asked her how she had found my shop. Well, she said, I googled vintage enamel coffee pots and yours was one of the ones that came up. I decided to buy from you...."because your photos are so good"...


Really?? Really??


Moral of this story. As much as I still want a fancy new camera, because it will make photographing my items easier, I think I will embrace my little point and shoot camera for now and realize that maybe we don't always have to have the most expensive gadget to have success, and when the time is right for me to get a new camera, I am going to keep my trusty little camera to remind myself of that.

Have a wonderful day and thanks for visiting.