Blog Feature! Many Thanks to IDreamedISaw

Many thanks to IDreamedISaw for featuring my tag on her blog! Stop over and see this plus many other beautiful tags!!

Strawberry Preserves

Do you love strawberry preserves? Well, here is a simple recipe for you! And Strawberry preserves make a great gift too!

Simple Old Fashioned Strawberry Preserves

Yield: Approximately 3 cups

1 1/2 - 2 Cups of Sugar

3 One Pint Containers of Strawberries (hulled)

1 - 2 tsp. lemon juice

Place hulled strawberries in heavy large saucepan and mash coarsely. Stirring frequently, cook strawberries over medium heat until beginning to thicken, around 6 minutes. Reduce the heat to low. Add sugar and the lemon juice, stirring until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium and boil gently until the mixture thickens and mounds on the spoon, continuing to stir frequently, about 25-30 minutes. Remove from heat. Cool in the refrigerator. .

Refrigerate in an airtight container and eat within one week.

An Award!

Many thanks to my friend Marilyn at Our Victorian Cottage, who passed along this award to me! As we go thru life God blesses us with people sent our way who come to hold a special place in our heart. Some we never even meet face to face. Such is my friend Jules at Whimsical Notions. Jules lives in Australia. Somewhere that I most likely will never be able to go to. But though far away God brought her into my life thru the internet via a group that we both belong. And though I have not been an active member of the group in a while, Jules still visits me and I visit her thru our blogs and emails. Jules is such a special person. She has strength, courage and hope that shines thru and she doesn't even realize that it shines in her. And I guess that is what really does make her so special. Jules has a huge heart and is such a loving, kind and giving soul. She's a friend to all in need. And I don't know how she know, but she always seems to show up when I need a smile. So Jules, this award is for you. Thank you for being the dear sweet lady that you are. And thank you for always bringing me a smile when I need it.

Retro is a Good Thing!

Can you smell the tomatoe soup and the cherry pie aromas filling the kitchen?

I thought that these tags turned out so cute and cheery! I love red accents in a kitchen and I thought that this set of tags would look so cute displayed in a frame in a retro country kitchen or incorporated into a retro kitchen collage! Or cute to attach to all those baked goods and Soups-in-a- Jar gifts at Christmas time! Don't you think so too??

Coffee Stained

I have decided that hubby and I are not true coffee-a-holics. I have just about given up coffee only to have it on really, really cold days and then a cup will do me. Hubby still drinks it everyday, but I think that he likes a little coffee with his cream, as they say. Very weak coffee. Either way he still always makes a full fresh pot of coffee each morning and there is always lots left over.

So I used the coffee to stain these tags. Even after soaking them for over two days there was still not a lot of dark color. I actually "faux aged" these up a bit with inks, but am still pleased with the results. Oh...and they do smell like coffee.


Hope your week is off to a great start!

Lucy

Days of innocence. Playing doctor with your sweet little baby doll. One of my favorite things to do when I was a little girl. I still remember the smell of a new baby doll. I don't think I'll ever forget. I can remember that one time my Momma and Daddy surprised me with a larger than life sized doll. I was only around three or four years old. I remember that she was much taller than I was and she was a "walking" doll that I lovingly named Lucy. I remember holding Lucy's hand and standing beside her as we walked along and having to look up to her. And though I remember her quite tenderly, I must have been quite rough with her because I remember that her head had to be taped onto her neck many, many times. After a while she was pretty ragged looking, but it didn't matter to me. I loved her. I remember that my Momma and Daddy wanted to get rid of her because she was quite pitiful looking and of course I wanted to take her everywhere with me. They tried to persuade me by offering to buy me a new dolly. But I wasn't interested in getting rid of Lucy. One morning I woke and could not find Lucy anywhere. I cried and cried and looked and looked and looked some more for her. Having forgotten that Lucy had made a trip outside, my Mom had opened the back door to let in some fresh air and as I was looking out the door, I saw Lucy in the trash and went running outside to get her. My Mother tried to explain that Lucy had seen her better days and that she and Daddy were going to buy me a new dolly. I just would not have it. I wanted my Lucy. Reluctantly my Mom let her come back inside. I remember rescueing Lucy from the trash many, many times. Finally she was indeed gone. I don't remember how or when, only that she was gone. And I don't remember the doll that took Lucy's place, but I do still remember my Lucy.

Lavender Gathering

Lavender is one of my many favorite fragrances. If there is such a thing as my favorite fragrance. I must admit that I can't pass by a flower or herb without touching it and holding it to my nose. Lavender seems to calm me for some reason. I keep lavender oil by my bath so that I can unwind and relax in the evenings with it's scent.

I also keep a lavender sachet by my bedside. This one, along with other goodies was sent to me by my sweet friend Cindy of CatnapCottage. She probably doesn't even realize how much pleasure it brings me. I often wake up at night and pick it up from my nightstand when I can't sleep and give it a gentle squeeze to release the aroma. I'll share some of the other sweet things that Cindy sent to me soon. Thanks so much Cindy! For those of you who don't know Cindy, I hope you will stop over and visit her. She's a sweet lady and if you love vintage textiles you are really in for a treat!

I hope your day is filled with thoughts of people who have brought joy to you by simple tokens of kindness.

Up to Not Much of Anything

It seems that here lately I never quite accomplish much of what I intend. Today was forecasted to be a beautiful day and it was indeed! Gorgeous clear blue skies, a little cool nip in the morning air and a warm afternoon would have been the perfect flea market or yard sale day. But somehow that didn't happen. I think that getting a late start on my day kind of put a damper on that. I hate when I can't sleep at night and then fall off around 5 or 6 a.m. only to get a couple of hours of sleep. What I should have done is just put on a pot of coffee and be ready to hit the yard sales by 7:30 and then slept if I could when I returned home. But that didn't happen. Getting up late seems to ruin my day somehow. I used to be an early morning riser and now I am getting to sleep about the time that I should be waking up! So I think that my internal clock is all messed up.

I also planned on trying to spend some needed creative time in my studio for a bit today.

But not much of that happened either. But between laundry and a few household chores, I did manage to create this one little set of tags.



Tonight I hope to be working on one of my many crochet projects. I tend to get bored easily so I usually have several projects going on at a time. One of those projects might get finished tonight and maybe I can share it with you soon.


Hope your day was more productive than mine and filled your day with good things!

Tiny Little Kits

Tiny little creative bits and pieces for creating or embellishing! Gift packages, scrapbook pages or wherever your creative muse takes you! Check them out here!

The Old Painted Cottage: Cottage8: Before & After Reveal#links

Jennifer over at The Old Painted Cottage has just revealed Cottage 8!! You have to go take a look at the amazing transformation!! Go get your cup of coffee, tea or cola and enjoy your visit!!

The Old Painted Cottage: Cottage8: Before & After Reveal#links

Spreading the LOVE! Introducing SUGAR PINK BOUTIQUE and JENNIFER'S COZY COTTAGE!!

I know I have said it many, many, times.....BUT.... I am always so amazed at the creative talent and the beautiful wares and supplies of my team mates on the Cottage Style Street Team over at Etsy! Today I would LOVE to introduce my friend, Jennifer's shops! Sugar Pink Boutique and Jennifer's Cozy Cottage! I think you are going to LOVE her shops!

Let's go visit Sugar Pink Boutique first!

Talk about a eye candy and sugar sweet goodness!! Sugar Pink Boutique specializes in beautiful vintage supplies such as ribbon, pom pom trim, berry beads and glass glitter and she also has some beautiful home decor creations just perfect for those of us who love cottage style home decor!

Yummy trims!

Candy Color Sparkling Crystal Pins

Pretty fabric sampler packs!

Adorable Scottie Dog!

Darling little hand crafted journal!!

Gosh it's sweet!!

And there is so much more!!

Now let's see some items from Jennifer's Cozy Cottage, where you will find pretty papers, gift tags, cards, pre-made scrapbook pages, vintage cabinet cards, paper punches stamps and journals!

Vintage Paper Bundles!!

Scalloped Paper Circles!

Vintage Sheet Music Bundles!

Now!! What are you waiting for????

Hurry and hop on over and check out all of the items at Jennifer's Cozy Cottage and Sugar Pink Boutique!!

Oh....and after you finish shopping, stop by and visit her blog!! Tell her Barbara at Southern Lady's Vintage sent you!!

Pretty Ribbon

Don't you just love pretty ribbon?

I WON!! Thank You Our Victorian Cottage and Bailiwick Design Studios!!

Did you all think that I had dropped off of the face of the earth? I have been such a bad blogger lately and I hope you all will forgive me! Not only have I been a bad blogger, but I have won some very nice things and haven't shared those with you yet!! Now THAT is a disgrace on my part!

First, I won this wonderful book from my friend Marilyn of Our Victorian Cottage! It is packed full of all kinds of project ideas for uses for pillowcases!

I laughed when I opened the card that Marilyn sent!




I saw all of her kitty stickers and thought of her "boyz" Bailey, Mr. Binks and Max! You will have to read about them on her delightful blog, Our Victorian Cottage!




And Marilyn also included a pretty bookmark that her crafty and talented daughter, Connie made too! Thank you so much Marilyn!! And please tell Connie thank you too!! If you get a chance stop in over at Marilyn's blog and also visit her Ebay shop where you will find some gorgeous and intricate designed hand crocheted doilies and other crocheted goodies!

*Photo courtesy of Bailiwicks Designs

Next I won this cute as can be cherries heart tin that I from my Etsy friend, Jill, of Bailiwick Designs! And she has more of her tin hearts available in her shop, along with some wonderful sachets and pincushions and lots of other goodies! Visit her Bailiwick Designs shop to see for yourself!

Jill also included some beautiful vintage inspired christmas tags that I also love and wanted to share those with you too!!




Many thanks Jill! If you get a chance, please visit Jill's delightful blog and her Etsy shop too!

Valencias

I would love to introduce you all to a wonderful new shop on Etsy known as Valencias! Valencias has a touch of nature, vintage and romance.

She has some of the most beautiful hand created hair combs that would be perfect for a bride, bridesmaid, or really for just any occasion! Use them to dress up or a fashion accessory when you are in your jeans and a crisp white summer shirt. Love Renaissance Festivals? Her nature inspired hair combs fits that fashion too! And she loves doing custom orders!! Right now she has a Grand Opening Special. Each purchases comes with a free gift! I am not sure what that free gift is but you can believe that it will be something beautiful!! I hope you will check out Andrea's new shop. I think that you will love her creations!

If you are a lover of vintage china like I am, you are just thrilled when you find a beautiful old piece of china. I find it remarkable that some of these pieces are actually very old and have somehow survived lots of family dinners over the many years. I imagine that they graced the tables of many family Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter dinners during their time!

It is particularly fun when you find discontinued patterns! And I found some beautiful pieces lately and wanted to share them with you!

The piece pictured above is Wedgewood china, manufactured in England. The pattern is called Cornflower and the Pattern Number is AK8023. This particular piece is a salad plate. Pattern was manufactured from 1940 - 1964. I was fortunate to find a couple of these salad plates, especially to find them in such a nice condition!

I also have a Wedgewood Tigris dinnerplate that I found a while back that I may have shown you already. I will show it again just in case you, like me, love the old collections and you may have missed it first time around.

This is a beautiful 10 inch dinner plate also in a discontinued pattern of Wedgewood Tigris #A7165. USA Patent August 1, 1922. Also Made in England. Pattern features blue flowers, green leaves and a bird. A pretty scalloped edge around the plate too.

I love old china plates and even though I do not have full sets of these patterns, I always pick them up and bring them home with me when I find them. It's a lot of fun to research them and find out the age and dates that they were manufactured and learn a bit about their history.

I also have some vintage Noritake. This piece is a creamer. It is pattern called Modjeska. Also discontinued. Manufactured in Japan around 1918. It has a pretty yellow border and also features an urn filled with fruit and flower design.

Another piece of Noritake. This one is in the pattern called Wild Ivy. It was manufactured from 1959 - 1973. Also a discontinued pattern # B102. It is Cook N Serve and features ivy leaves that are a green / gray color.

So here are a few of the pieces that I have found. I hope you enjoyed a bit of the history of the pieces!

Lots of love,

Barbara

My Peonies are Blooming!

My peonies are blooming now!! I love peonies! Who could not just love those beautiful huge ruffled blooms? And the fragrance is beautiful too. The blooms are so huge that they weigh down the plant, so it is best to stake them. I use a metal garden ring to help support the plants. Peonies are very hardy and will last for many decades. If you decide to plant one, make sure that you plant it where you want it to stay and make sure that there is plenty of sunshine. Peonies do not like to be moved and doing so may take years to re-establish and also several years for blooms. Peonies can be divided but I wouldn't suggest that until only after they become crowded which is usually a long time, probably 10 to 15 years. Fall is the best time to divide them. If you do divide, each section should contain 3 to 5 eyes on it's tuber.

Not only do I love these but ants love them too! Ants feed on the sweet, sticky secretion which covers the flower buds. I wish that their gorgeous fragrant blooms would last longer. They usually last around 6 weeks, maybe a few weeks longer. I have two plants at my mailbox and one in one of my backyard flower beds. I did have many more of them. But as you may know, in the fall they die back down into the ground and there are just the tubers that remain in the ground. I think that a couple of them were accidently thrown out when my sweet better half cleaned out the flower bed. I am also missing my about 4 of my huge hosta that were about 18 years old or so. Mr. better half thinks that I believe his story that he hasn't touched them. And truthfully he really doesn't think that he did. He doesn't realize that they also wither down and there is nothing but the roots in the ground once the plant dies down. So I am sure that they got tossed out too. Well.... I really can't complain. Bless his heart, he didn't know. And besides that I am just very fortunate to have him doing all that he does do around here. He really is a sweetheart.

I love the contrast of the red lilies against the silvery lamb's ear. Lamb's Ear is very soft and furry looking, hence the name. And they shoot up stalks that have tiny light purple flowers. Very diminutive flowers. They have a very nice sweet fragrance. Bees and butterflies love them.

Most of the perennials that I have on my property I started either by seed, root cuttings, or divisions from other plants. The lamb's ear is one that I have propogated very easily from seed. I started off with one very small lamb's ear plant many years ago. I left most of my lamb's ear at my prior home when I sold it and brought just one plant with me when I moved to this property because I knew that with a couple of them I would soon have many lamb's ear plants. Another thing that I also love about them is that they are beautiful even in the winter here in Georgia. At the end of the season I leave the stalks for a while and give them time to dry down a bit. When I remove the stalks I sprinkle the seeds around here and there. The seeds are tiny little things but there are a gazillion of those little seeds. I never fail to have more plants come spring the next year.

Here is one of the rose bushes that is in the lower garden. I don't know the name of the roses but they are climbing variety of rose and are a very pale pink. They drape over a cedar fence and I am afraid that they no longer get the sunshine that they need in order to bloom like they once did. The rose bush is very large, several feet taller than myself and my husband, so moving it is not an option. It was already planted on our property when we bought our home. I knew in time that the oak trees that were nearby would in future years shade out much of the needed sunshine required for roses to bloom to their potential. But they were already too large to transplant even then. They have a beautiful sweet fragrance and there is also a honeysuckle vine that is entwined thruout the roses.

Years ago my father brought me one of these spiderwort plants that I had asked him to get from his brother. They have long grass like leaves and my plants have tiny little three petal purple flowers on them. I have also seen Spiderwort with white, magenta or blue flowers. These plants are very easy to propogate. You can divide the plants and seperate into new plants, propogate from seed and also from cuttings. You can cut these down and it will be no time before they are blooming again. Very easy to have lots of plants! My uncle and my father both have now passed away. Whenever I look at them I think of both of them. If I ever move again I will always carry one or more of these plants with me. Here in the south I plant my Spiderwort in the shade. If you live in the north they may tolerate the sun and may even bloom more heavily with a little sun.

Well, I hope you have learned something by stopping in today. Hopefully I will have more to share with you soon. In the meantime I hope you are enjoying your spring and summer blooms!

Lots of love,

Barbara

Today was a beautiful day here! This time of the year the local gardening centers start calling out my name so today I stopped in one of the local gardening centers to check out all the new bedding plants that are coming in. I can not help but want to get these hands into the soil when I see all of the beautiful bedding plants! Color, color everywhere!!

One thing that I love to do when I have the time is to grow my plants from seeds or from cuttings. During the winter I order seed and bulb magazines and dream of what I will be planting the upcoming spring season. It kind of helps to tide me thru the winter months to keep my mind focused on what my garden will look like come spring. And there is just something about planting a seed and having a beautiful plant grow from it that makes my heart sing!

When I was looking at all of the beautiful bedding plants I realized that along with everything else the price of them has gone up. Makes me wish I had gotten an early start by sowing my seeds indoors this year! A lot of seeds can just be sown directly into the soil once it warms and all fear of frost has passed. But if you want to get an early start I thought I would share a few things with you. I have planted seeds in about anything I can find. I save all of my seedling trays from year to year making sure that I clean them well and sanitize them so that my plants have a healthy start. But many times I run out of seedling trays and have to be a bit more resourceful for containers to plant my seeds and put my cuttings in. So here are some of the methods that I have used in the past. If you're a gardner you probably know about every tip here, but if you are new to gardening you may learn a bit!

1. Save those egg cartons! I shared this tip with you in my prior post but thought it worth mentioning again. Although any of the egg cartons can be used to plant your seed, I prefer the biodegradeable cardboard ones. When you get ready to transfer your plants to the garden you can just put them right along with the plant into the garden.

2. Cardboard toilet tissue tubes and napkin tubes can also be used to plant your seeds. Just cut and fold in the cardboard on the bottom to hold the soil and insert your seeds. Again, biodegradeable so plant it right into the ground once your seedlings are ready to go into your garden.

3. You can even roll newspapers and fold them to make a bottom and use the newspaper seed starting pot to plant your seeds. And when the seeds have sprouted you can plant it in the ground because it is biodegradeable too! Do NOT use newpaper for food type seedlings because of the ink used in the newspaper printing, but I do use them for flower seeds.

4. Save your film cannisters and medicine bottles. Wash them and dry them well and you can reuse them to store seeds in for next year's plantings. You can type labels and tape them onto the containers to identify the type of seeds, the date that you collected them.

5. Eggshells can be washed out and you can break away the tops of the eggshells, insert your seed starting soil and plant your seeds in them. Again biodegradeable!

6. Save your popscicle sticks. They can be washed and recycled. Write the name of the seeds, the variety and the date sowed on the popcicle sticks.

7. Recycle plastic containers from yogurt, butter, non-dairy topping, etc. Wash them well and then sanitize them by soaking them in a 10% bleach solution for ten or fifteen minutes so that they are clean and free of any kind of germs. Make sure that you put holes in the bottom of the containers so that they have adequate drainage.

8. To check larger seeds for viability soak them in water for a few hours. Some seeds have a thick coating and may need to be nicked prior to soaking. You can accomplish this with a pair of clean, sterile nail clippers or by slighly sanding the surface of the seed with a bit of sand paper. In most instances the seeds that are still living will sink to the bottom and the ones that are not usable will float to the surface.

9. I always try to plant more seeds than I need because all of them will most likely not germinate and also because I want to be able to choose healthy seedlings when I begin to thin out the weaker or smaller ones.

10. To make sure that your seeds have a good start once you have them sown keep them in a warm spot and make sure that the seeds do not dry out and that the soil is evenly and consistently moist. Make sure that you check them every single day. Some of the seed starting trays come with a clear cover to help keep the moisture and humidity in. You can also use clear Saran wrap to cover your containers to help with moisture. To keep the soil moist I use a misting bottle to spray over the soil instead of trying to keep the soil moist by watering because those little seedlings once sprouted are very fragile. If you are anything like me when you see those little seeds sprout you will rejoice and be glad of a job well done!

One of the plants that I love to plant here are the Wave Petunias. Oh my goodness what a glorious display of color! And the little plants spread out like crazy!! When I saw the price of them this year I sure did wish I had started them earlier from seed. I may start a few of them from seed anyway but I have a feeling that I most likely will be purchasing them directly from the local nursery and paying the bigger price. Sometimes life just happens and we don't have time to do all the things that we intend doing!

I hope that you found a tip or two to help you along in your seed starting adventures.

Til next time......

Lots of love,
Barbara

Happy Earth Day!!

Recycled wooden case

What are some of the ways that you help to protect Mother Earth? Even small & simple things can make a big difference when we all pull together!

1. Lower your thermostat.

2. Insulate your home.

3. Use organic cleaning products like vinegar and baking soda.

4. Seperate your trash so that recycled items go into the proper bins at your local trash compactor sites. Newspapers, cardboard, glass, plastic, aluminum cans all can be recycled. In many states it is the law that you seperate items that can be recycled.

5. Bring your own grocery bags when you shop or opt for paper over plastic if you have a choice. It's easier to recycle paper products.

6. Buy local produce or plant your own! Lots of fun to raise your own vegetables!

7. Use eco friendly cleaning products like vinegar and baking soda.

8. Turn off lights when you are not in a room and unplug appliances that are not in use. And use energy saving light bulbs.

9. Don't leave the water running when you are hand washing dishes or brushing your teeth.

10. Wash full loads of laundry and use the cold rinse cycle.

11. If you use a dish washer only use when you have a full load.

12. If you are a gardner plant heirloom varieties and start your own compost bin.

13. Egg carton make great seedling trays!

14. Buy products that use recycled products when you can.

15. Limit the time that you are in the shower and use low-flow shower heads.

16. Shop local thrift stores, yard sales and flea markets and buy items that can be re-used, recycled or repurposed.

That last one is of course very close to my heart! For me it has always been the thrill of the hunt to find great stuff that can be re-used, recycled or repurposed. It's fun and it saves money and helps Mother Earth by reusing things instead of filling up the landfills and dumps. I guess you could say that I have loved vintage before it was the "cool" and "trendy" thing!

So in honor of Earth Day, this week Vintage Market Team on Etsy is showing our support of protecting our Mother Earth by hosting a sale! You can find items 20 - 75%off!

I am offering a 25% discount for all items in Southern Lady's Vintage Etsy store!

Stop by in soon! I hope to have more tips!

Vintage Johnson Bros. "Garden Bouquet" Bowls