Mosaic Monday - Christmas Decorations

I'm joining Mary at The Little Red House for Mosaic Monday. Above you see a few of my Christmas decorations. Starting in the upper left corner going clockwise are some clothes pin angels I made for my Mom many years ago, the snowy SNUGGLE bunting I made last year, a little glitter house, an old Santa ornament, one of our first ornaments bought way back in 1973, the glitter church I made this year, some reindeer candle holders, a little figure in the glitter village, and finally in the center is the tiny Silent Night Chapel from Austria. It's a souvenir of my trip there in 2005. You can read more about the chapel here.

I hope your Christmas decorating is going as planned or if not exactly as planned at least to your liking. Please drop in and visit the other participants for more Mosaic Monday.

I Spy

When my girls were little we spent a fair amount of time looking at the I Spy books by Walter Wick. We loved those things and still have a few of them. Yesterday when I was trying to get all those windows washed I was reminded of the I Spy books. You might ask why...

It's because when I tried to wash the windows in Teen2's bedroom, I was confronted by this mess on her desk. So let's play the I Spy game, shall we?

I spy a penny, a light bulb, a bit of hot glue,

some sandpaper, a chain, and two felt pens of blue,

some green handled shears, a little green heart,

a purple controller, headphones, and a car called "Smart".

And that is just a tiny portion of the stuff in the way of washing Teen2's windows. Every surface and the extra bed in her room looks just like another I Spy game. There are miscellaneous electronic parts, a soldering iron, a hot glue gun, scissors, screwdrivers, pliers, colored pencils, books, games, an I Pod, papers, stuffed animals, toys, you name it, it's probably there. I guess that's what happens when you teach a kid to be creative.

Red Cliff Tureen

I'm almost finished with the buffet, but I need a little advice. Here's the basic arrangement, but do you think I should put small white pumpkins on the Martha Stewart cake pedestals? (I got those yesterday at Macy's. They were on sale for only $16.00 each! Regularly $28.00 each, which I wouldn't have spent.) Or maybe something else? Please leave a comment with your suggestion.

So here is the soup tureen from my MIL that started this arrangement. I Googled Red Cliff soup tureen and found {gulp!} that this baby is valuable. Replacementsdotcom had one just like it for $479.95! Nearly fell off my chair.

Anyway, it is beautiful, and I've always displayed it, but I'm glad I put it in a more prominent position where everyone can admire it.

Nice contrast against that dark wallpaper. Don't tell Julia (aka LOM, aka the Lord of the Manor) but I'm thinking of getting rid of that wallpaper and painting the dining room gray. A sort of dark gray, then overglazed with a lighter gray which I would comb to create a grainy texture. What do you think?

These pitchers are from Home Goods and are definitely not Red Cliff, but they support the grouping nicely and since I already have lots of pitchers they add to my collection.

So here it is, almost done except for some accent on those pedestals. Any ideas?

Three or More Tuesday - Teapots

It's Three or More Tuesday again. This fun show-and-tell day is sponsored by Tam at The Gypsy's Corner. Give her a visit and check out all the fun collections.



My collection for today is teapots. Here are five, but I have others scattered around too.

This one came from my Mom's house. I like the old mottled brown glaze and the octagonal shape.

This is the first teapot I ever got when the Lord of the Manor and I were first married. I bought it at a nice gift shop that used to be on the "Miracle Mile". I think it was called Gumps. Funny name, but they had really nice crystal, silver, pewter, and china treasures. Alas, there are no more gift shops like that here anymore.

This cute little teapot is shaped like an English cottage. It even has two dogs on the doorstep.

I got this teapot recently. I love the old fashioned shape and the red transferware pattern. I would love to have a Spode Tower Pink one to match my dishes, but they are rare. And expensive.

This teapot always makes me smile. It just begs for orange spice tea, don't you agree?

I hope you enjoyed looking at some of my teapots. I've got to run now as I have a sudden yearning for a cup of tea! Wishing you Happy Tuesday from Amongst The Oaks.

Cruet Set

My friend JB is in the business of liquidating estates, and she has sales all the time. I try to go to all of them because they are always interesting. Yesterday she had one in a condominium neighborhood, but I went anyway because you never know what you'll find. And sure enough, I found this charming little cruet set.

It was all tarnished so I brought it home and polished it up a bit. And I cleaned all the containers and put salt, pepper, vinegar, and mustard in them. The stoppers don't match so I'll have to search out replacements, but I'm thinking it still looks better on the table than this:

I like the fun shapes...

and the glow of the not-quite-perfectly-polished silver...

and the colorful condiments through the glass....

but most of all I love the little mustard pot.

Would anyone care for a little Grey Poupon?

Not a Tablescape

A springy little vignette I put together for you using my hand-me-down violets and a few treasures I've collected.

Click to enlarge.

Happy Spring from Amongst The Oaks.

Three or More Tuesday - Royal Plates

My friend Tam at The Gypsy's Corner is hosting her 18th Three or More Tuesday. I'm joining in with my collection of Royal plates and mugs.

I don't know why I picked up the first plate, but it was the one on the upper right. I bought it at an antique shop here in town. It celebrates Queen Elizabeth's coronation in 1953. Probably some one's ancestor's unwanted souvenir. I liked it for the Queen's picture and also for the pretty floral border.


For years it sat alone and then...

my MIL gave me this tankard. I think she bought it in England when they visited in 1977. This tankard celebrates the Queen's Silver Jubilee. One side has her coat of arms and the other side has her initials and crown.

This mug and the little plate below are things I bought when I visited London in June of 2003.

I also got this plate on that trip. You may wonder why some dates say 2002, and some dates say 2003. I guess it's because she became Queen when her father died in January of 1952, but she wasn't officially crowned until June of 1953.

So that's my collection of Royal plates. Please join Tam and all the other participants of Three or More Tuesday. And Happy St. Patrick's Day from Amongst The Oaks.

Edited late to add:

I am so sorry that I cannot visit all the other Three or More Tuesday participants, but Mr Linky hates me and won't let me see the links, so I'll only be able to visit you if you comment here. Thanks, Laura

Potpourri Jar

Mary showed a bowl yesterday and the style of it reminded me of this potpourri jar that I have. The little figures are so intriguing. What do you suppose they are doing? My MIL gave me this jar years ago and I have no idea when or where it was made. There are no marks on the bottom and it is about 7" tall. Perhaps one of you know something about it?



These men appear to be rolling out a scroll.

It is made of thin porcelain and I like how the sun shines through it.


I think these ladies are flirting with those men.

So what do you think; valuable antique or Victorian era reproduction?

Mr Jones' Drawing Room

We have exciting news here Amongst The Oaks. A movie is being filmed in our living room! An up-and-coming new director has asked to film Indiana Jones and the Omega Book using our living room as Indie's drawing room. We prepared for it yesterday by finding all kinds of old stuff and staging it to look like a gentleman's rather unkempt study. Think lots of books, maps, and treasures from his travels. See his leather jacket on the chair...

and his sweat stained hat over in the corner?

And there's his battered suit case by the fireplace.

He seems to be studying a map and an ancient journal at the desk. And he has his sextant out dreaming of a distant voyage. Hmmmm, seems to be having a nip of brandy too.

And in this corner are more books, treasures, and a skull! I wonder what ancient secret is written in this journal and how it pertains to this map and skull?

Or perhaps this ship model holds a clue?

There are stacks of books everywhere, several open; perhaps being used for research?

Obviously, Indiana Jones is a man of many interests and I'm delighted that he chose our home to film his latest adventure. I love collecting old stuff and I love helping kids use their imaginations, so today's project delights me to no end. Even if it is just a few high school kids filming a campy Indiana Jones imitation, I'm so excited for them and am willing to loan them almost anything to help. Now, if you will excuse me, I must go iron a blouse for his leading lady.