Make new friends and keep the old, one is silver and the other's gold. I first learned this song as a young girl in Girl Scouts and have never forgotten it. Back in January, I chose to share this song as part of my very first Silver Sunday. Thankfully, Beth @ Gypsy Fish Journal decided to continue with Silver Sunday as the Second Sunday because today I want to share about both my golden friends and my silver new friends that this song reminds me of and this Sunday party is the perfect place to introduce them. Thank you Beth for hosting the party.
My best friend is Darcy. You met her on an earlier Silver Sunday post. She is the wonderful lady with the log cabin home decorated Victorian Shabby Chic, with the pet goats (Rachel, Phoebe and Monica), the pet pig and the 6 foot tall Suit of Armour. (If you missed it, please click here.) There isn't a room in my home that doesn't have some plate, artwork or pillow that wasn't a gift from her. She knows my style to a T. Years ago she presented me with these lovely silver fruit, some of you may have already seen them, but I wanted to add what makes them so special. For all my friend's immeasurable talents, the one she lacks, she does not sew. When she first presented me this fruity gift, they were in a cast iron basket that was lined with a cloth napkin that she had painstakingly sewn and embellished. Of course I loved the fruit; however, knowing what it took for her to figure out the operation of a sewing machine, done only for a best friend, that gift was priceless.
I have known Melody for over 25 years. Our paths have varied over the years but we always find ourselves reconnecting. She currently is my office assistant and thank goodness she keeps me focused at the tasks at hand. Like many of us, she is helping her elderly parents begin the process of cleaning out and downsizing. Recently her mom passed on to her a pair of silver wine glasses. They are a beautiful soft silver, but what makes them even more beautiful is the music they produce. When clicked together, a note emanates from these goblets, clear and bright, as a note sounding forth from a silver bell. It really is quite amazing. When she presented them to me, knowing that I would appreciate and use them. I felt honored. I promised to cherish them as if they had been a gift from my own mother.
I count both Darcy and Melody as true and golden friends. Not into blogging themselves, they nonetheless are supportive of my efforts and encourage me as I learn new computer skills. Please note the fancy framed photos. I have been practicing and having too much fun.
As much as I love my old friends, it has been because of blogging that I have met so many new and delightful friends....... My Silver friends. This is how I met Shara of Monkeybox. Awhile back she was showing her finds from a school rummage sale. All fun finds. Then she showed what she found in a box of vintage Christmas decorations ...... silver plastic reindeer and a sleigh. They were my reindeer or I should say the reindeer I had as childhood Christmas Decorations. I left Shara a comment on how special those reindeer were to me as they reminded me of my father. I now only had a few and I don't remember if there had been a sleigh but at some point in time, there must have been one for my set as well. It had been so amazing to see this find of hers because I have never seen these reindeer anywhere else, ever.
Imagine my surprise when the day after I posted my comment, Shara responded by asking if I would like the sleigh and the reindeer. We had just met! How sweet and thoughtful and more meaningful to me than she knew. I received her e-mail on March 15th. The date may have significance to only a few that know it is the Ides of March, the day Caesar was killed. However, it has significance to me as it was the day my father passed away. I was only 13. This friendly gesture from a stranger was as if my father was saying hello to me, that very day, through Shara. The silver may be only plastic, and an antler or two may be missing, but these little reindeer and sleigh are worth more than gold to me. Had it not been for blogging and my stopping over to Monkeybox for a visit, I would not have met this lovely lady. I would love to go junkin' with her anytime.
Here is a photo of the combined sets of reindeer and the sleigh. I only need to find one more. Because they were Christmasey, I decided to show them in my garden for a more springtime feel.
When I wrote back to say Thank you to Shara I asked her if she wouldn't mind if I waited until now to do a proper blog post thank you. I knew then that I wanted to save it for today's Silver Sunday. But I find today that I have more thank you's to share. You see, my previous post talked about a giveaway prize I had just received in the mail. The timing had been perfect as I had been rather sick with a cold. I was only mentioning the cold to set the tone for just how nice getting a fun package on an otherwise horrible day had been. What I had not expected but was not surprised at, the thoughtfulness of my fellow bloggers and the sweet comments that post generated, concerns for my health.
So a special thank you to Melinda at 15 Bella Vie, Carol at Old Glory Cottage , Linda at A La Carte , Sweet Bee Cottage, and Athena at a Weblog of Artist Athena Workman for your kind thoughts. I would invite you all and Shara over to my house for tea and rich red velvet cupcakes if only I could. Please be sure to stop by and say hello to these lovely ladies, and see their fun blogs, their gorgeous jewelry and amazing one of a kind dolls. When I wrote about doing a giveaway to celebrate having 100 followers, I remarked that my blog is both a journal of my life as well as a journey. Having such great folks join me in my travels brings me such joy and happiness. How lovely is that .... all the silver in the world can not buy that feeling.
Thank you for enduring a lengthy post, but I wanted to take the proper time to say Thank You to all. Please be sure to visit Beth and all the other folks participating in today's Silver Sunday. She certainly knows how to throw a party.
I will be announcing the winner of my giveaway Sunday. Not to keep up the suspense on purpose, it is late and I ran out of time to add up all the comments and extra chances. Good luck to all.
Have a lovely day.
Sherrie
Happy St. Patrick's Day. Today is also Wednesday is Rednesday. Our gracious host of the party, Sue @ It's a Very Cherry World, suggested last week in honor of the holiday to add a little Irish green to this week's reds. Long before Domestic Diva Martha made this color combo popular by showcasing her daughter's retro kitchen in her Martha Stewart Living magazine, I had long used that color scheme in my decor .... I love putting bright red accents with my Jadeite plates. So here are a few of my pieces.
The breadbox is a reproduction piece, a gift from a friend, and with its "Jadeite Green" color and red roses, it sets the tone for today's Irish Red. The sweet little napkin holder is festooned with strawberries and has a green stripe around the top. I found it at Goodwill for $1.99. It is marked Japan. Everything else except the bundt pan are lawnsale or thrift store finds. The cake pan was marked on clearance 75% off at my local grocery store. You have got to love the color. I am thinking it would look fabulous with red enamel polka dots painted on .... It's okay, I have other bundt pans for any actual cooking.
Red and green thermoses.
Here is just a sample of my glassware, mostly Goodwill or lawnsale finds.
3 vintage potholders, salt and pepper set and a popcorn tin, all from last fall's rummage sale at my favorite church, at $.25 apiece.
I love to collect vintage kitchen utensils both plastic and wooden handles .....
Red and Green. I just love the green glass handle on the egg beater. The tin is going to become a lamp. I have the parts gathered and just need the time to assemble.
I also use new pieces such as this tin sign found at Christmas tree shop, (after Christmas 90% off - - honestly it almost feels like stealing) and I just love the paper napkins, printed with my favorite jadeite green with a red mixer. The cloth napkin is from a set of 6, the same church sale and same price. It was a very good sale!!!
This metal thermometer is one of my favorite pieces. It has two hooks for hanging your potholders. I remember paying $10.00 at a flea market, more than what I usually spend, but I had never seen anything like it before or since. The red salt shaker was a recent purchase for $.50 cents and the green one was a dime last fall at, you guessed it, the best ever church sale.
This tray was a $.50 lawnsale find, I just love the red roses against the green, and the Fire King pieces were all priced between $1.00 - $5.00. I use the food chopper all the time.
The metal red apple cookie jar was found for free!!! The fabric was a lawnsale find, a couple of yards for only a $1.00. Pieced with coordinating fabric, it will be made into curtains. For the time being, I use it as a tablecloth. The photo does not show very well the jadeite green color found in the flowers against the red background. By the way, I have seen Jadeite spelled various ways, this is how I spell it. I would appreciate any suggestions or comments on the issue. Thanks. Also included is another potholder, a crocheted beauty.
My second red apple cookie jar is a porcelain piece and a lawnsale find for $.25. The clock was at Goodwill for a few bucks. Really, with finds like these, who needs Home Goods or Target?
In an earlier post around Christmas, I had remarked that I had never heard of Holt Howard before Vintage Christmas Monday, and that now I wanted to collect them. Imagine my surprise to find that I already owned a piece. I had purchased this little green and red flower candlestick holder at a Christmas Church sale for a dime, sometime ago. I didn't know, at that time, the name Holt Howard. It matches this Christmas theme pot holder perfectly.
Here is a better view of the fabric along with a rug that I have had for over 25 years. I just love the green and red stripes. The tablecloth was found for $2.00 also at a Christmas Fair. The graphics are adorable.
Well that is it for today's reds (and greens). Thank you again to our host Sue. Please be sure to check out all the other participants of Wednesday is Rednesday (click here) and be sure to wish them all a Happy St. Patrick's Day.
Speaking of happy, nothing brings a smile like a red box of Girl Scout cookies or maybe even two. The boxes are empty, with my family, the cookies only lasted 2 days.
Please be sure to join me again this Friday, when I will be announcing my 100 Followers Giveaway. I am so excited. I couldn't have reached this goal with out the amazing support of all my new friends. I can't wait to show you what I have put together to say Thank You. See you then.
Have a great day.
Sherrie
The February issue of Country Living Magazine has a delightful article on Girl Scout Collectibles. It brought back a lot of good memories, as a girl scout myself in the 70's and years later as my daughter's Girl Scout Leader. Both memories are as equally as enjoyable.
The article shows the progression of badge styles from 1913 - 1980. Of course I was a Brownie first and then from 1970 -1973 a Girl Scout. I actually earned the sign language badge that is showing as vintage ..... boy, do I feel old!
Here is my sash and below is a picture of me in full Girl Scout Dress Uniform. I know, I know, I look so serious .... honestly I was having fun.
My favorite badges dealt with art, of course.
I had so much fun as a troop leader. My girls enjoyed making necklaces from hardware store nuts and bolts, bottle caps, safety pins, paperclips and beads. We also did a time capsule that is buried in my backyard. There is an elderly housing complex next door to my home and every holiday, the troop and I packed up a party of food, decorations, music and crafts and took it next door. The residents loved having us over, and would look forward to it, weeks in advance of the event. My girls were equally as excited. They loved helping cut out shapes and gluing on the glitter, for what ever the holiday was. It was so nice to see all the smiles, both the young and the old.
This is what the new uniform looks like. It is just a vest and the girls can still earn the badges that you see already sewn on as well as patches they receive for the Annual Cookie Sale and other special yearly events.
This is my daughter at age 10 in her Girl Scout vest. It is green, but in this picture it looks blue. I think she was going for a "model" pose with the flowering bush behind her.
Even before I saw the magazine article, I was thinking Girl Scouts. It may be March when the cookies are delivered, but it is January when the orders are taken. Fortunately, there is always someone in the neighborhood or a co-worker's daughter that is a Girl Scout. You better believe that I am going to have my box of Thin Mints come spring.
Welcome to Silver Sunday Blog hosted by Beth at the Gypsy Fish Journal http://thegypsyfish.blogspot.com I wasn't sure what I might have that would cover all the days of this blog party especially now that Christmas is over, afterall, the holiday season exudes all things Silver and Gold. But it is now the New Year, 2010, and with a few exceptions, the Christmas decorations have been put away. In this photo, resting on each candlestick holder, are two silver reindeer ornaments that I keep out for the month of January. They hold fond memories from my childhood. One of my earliest Christmas memories are of these reindeer. I can not recall how many reindeer my family originally owned, I am fortunate to have these two in my possession. Each year, they would be used in a different manner.... hung from lengths of velvet ribbon in the windows, displayed on a large mirror with fake snow laying atop the dining room hutch, and of course actually prancing all over the Christmas Tree. I have the candlesticks paired with two of my favorite mercury glass pieces, along with a silver bowl of fruit. The latter was a gift years ago from my best friend. It lends an air of formality to my hallway table, until I can replace it with that first of the season vase of fresh springtime flowers.
To properly herald in the first Silver Sunday Blog, we should raise our glasses in a toast to our host, Beth. I found these silver rimmed glasses (a set of 8) at my favorite church rummage sale this past fall, for a dime apiece!
They are sitting on a silver tray that was given to me by old friends over 25 years ago. The tray is engraved U.S.N for United States Navy. He was a retired Commander in the Navy. He passed away 15 years ago from a fast spreading cancer. Like my reindeer and fruit, this tray always brings memories of the person, and of happy times.
While it is good to hold dear these old memories, it is the New Year and time to create new ones. It reminds me of the old Girl Scout song that rather fittingly goes:
"Make new friends, but keep the old, one is SILVER and the other gold."
Please be sure to visit all the other participating Silver Sunday Sistas sites in today's Silver Sunday Blog. I look forward to next week, when I strike Gold, I mean, Silver, in my sewing room/treasure trove. Take care.
I have known Melody for over 25 years. Our paths have varied over the years but we always find ourselves reconnecting. She currently is my office assistant and thank goodness she keeps me focused at the tasks at hand. Like many of us, she is helping her elderly parents begin the process of cleaning out and downsizing. Recently her mom passed on to her a pair of silver wine glasses. They are a beautiful soft silver, but what makes them even more beautiful is the music they produce. When clicked together, a note emanates from these goblets, clear and bright, as a note sounding forth from a silver bell. It really is quite amazing. When she presented them to me, knowing that I would appreciate and use them. I felt honored. I promised to cherish them as if they had been a gift from my own mother.
I count both Darcy and Melody as true and golden friends. Not into blogging themselves, they nonetheless are supportive of my efforts and encourage me as I learn new computer skills. Please note the fancy framed photos. I have been practicing and having too much fun.
Here is a photo of the combined sets of reindeer and the sleigh. I only need to find one more. Because they were Christmasey, I decided to show them in my garden for a more springtime feel.
