going somewhere?....

For those of you who have followed me for a while, you know that I become obsessed with things.  

If it's on my list and I find one, most people would check it off their list and move on.  

I become obsessed and want to find more....

and more...maybe there is a better one out there....this one was really long!

and more .... this one can't be found in the states, so it is special!  ( it's from a little shop in the Cotswolds in England)

 and more...this one was different because it had the numbers down the side....gotta have it!

I say to my husband I need to make a collection... or I need to share them with my customers... because surely, if I am obsessed, then so should they be right?....
Well that's what i tell my hubby... :)
And so, here is one of the latest obsessions - subway or bus signs (along with the loving cups and...)


Here are a few I am offering for sale (shown below).  
The first was cut from the original shown in my second picture (the long one) It's the real deal.
The other three are great reproductions, one of New York, one of London and the last one of Paris.
Let me know if anyone is interested in any of these last four.

I would like to travel to all these locations!

vintage apothercary...

Some other things I have come across were thee three little boxes of old apothecary things.
Perhaps they came out of someones medicine cabinet?

The first box was definitely medicine cabinet.  
But some really cool packaging ideas.  

Most of these things still had the ointments an potions still in them.

Then there was the beauty box.  
My favorite was the hair curler.  How did that work??!

I also liked the bakelite ring boxes.  
I wonder if an engagement ring came in one of those?

Then the last box was the perfume box. 
Such beautiful small petite bottles. 

Each bottle was a work of art.  
You don't get anything like that anymore.  
And those that still have labels were so beautiful!
I especially love the Colgate one that was still in the box and still had perfume in it.  
Must have been especially special! 

 I love the scents too.  
They were so pure and innocent, not the complex scents of today

and the trophy goes to....

i just bought this great, ugly set of trophy loving cups.  
They are in horrible shape, which is why I like them so much!
This type of trophy is called a loving cup.
They are large, two-handled cup, often made of silver, that may take many forms. 
In the past, at weddings, banquets, or meetings, a loving cup might be shared by a number of persons for ceremonial drinking, symbolizing friendship and unity. 
Loving cups are often given as trophies to winners of games or other competitions.
They are very hard to find and when you do find them they are very expensive and not usually in the best shape. (as pictured above! lol!)
Oh well, I'm in love with my ugly loving cups!

happy daisies!

We are close to the week of the gardens being in their prime.  
Here in central Ohio that is usually the first week of July.
Here are a few of the beauties blooming in my gardens right now...
Happy daisies are my favorites....

 climbing clematis...

 snowball bush that is over 100 years old...

 beautiful hydrangeas....

 purple loosestrife and daylilies....

Stately Hollyhocks....

These are some of my favorites and they all bloom at the same time!

nothing cuter...

My sister asked me why I haven't been posting lately. 
I guess, not much is happening in my life right now, as I am laying pretty low and recuperating.
One thing I have enjoyed watching is this little pair of kittens that were recently born in our garage.
We had a little black kitten arrive late last Fall and she started living in our garage.  We thought  that she would be a good mouser.  She was a little skittish but warmed up and let us pet her every now and then.
Then another black cat appeared.  This one was a bit more fluffy and was very skittish.
Then this Spring we heard a little "mew" from behind the freezer.  Since then mommy has been taking really good care of the kittens.  They are fat little dumplings.  I seriously don't think there is anything cuter out there than baby kittens....

.... except maybe my kids :)

you never know what you'll find!

I bought this pair of candlesticks a while ago.
I'm not sure if I got these at an auction or a yard sale.  
I do remember I only paid about a buck for them.  
I bought them because I thought they were pretty.
I was ready to list them on etsy for about $20.  I thought that would be a great profit for them.
Since I have a lot of time on my hands right now,  I thought I would do a little research, so I cleaned them up and researched the markings.

Well, glad I took a little more time and researched these!  
Come to find out they are worth between $300-$500!
I have a couple other things that I researched this week that I will share with you.  
It pays to do a little research!

I would call this one a pretty good find!

big band

I love old instruments.

I love the patina of old instruments.  Old wood, old silver.  

Here are a few from my collection.  

I think I have enough for a small band... violens, cellos, saxaphones, clarinets, trumpets, trombones, baritones...

I have them all over my house.

warning....teenagers in the house

School is out.  The kids are home for the summer.  
And I am home with them.  
This is something new for them and for me.
We had to have some ground rules to live by.
I found this a few weeks ago and I just love it!
I posted it right in our dining area.
We'll see how this goes.....

time to slow down and smell the roses...

So, I have not been blogging lately as I have had a bit of a health set back.  All is fine.
I just got out of the hospital yesterday.  
That is the longest I have ever had to be in the hospital.  I now have about 8 weeks recuperating time.  
All is fine, I will just need to slow down for a couple months.  
Slowing down is something I am not used to doing.  At all.  
As I sit outside this morning on the deck I am observing things I have never observed before today.  

First I have a wonderful home to recuperate in....

a beautiful pond to sit near, gorgeous gardens to look at....
 My husband did so many things to make it nice for me while I recuperate.  He built me this lovely gazebo on the deck, so I could sit outside and not be in the hot sun.

He installed irrigation to all my gardens, urns and flower boxes so I wouldn't have to worry about watering things.


This morning I sit out here and listen to the sounds.  The many songbirds calling to each other.  The tree frogs chirping, the bull frogs in the pond.  The hummingbirds and bees buzzing by.


I spend my every waking minute either working at work or working on the house to get our place to look good, but I have never had the time to just sit and enjoy it.
Now I can!

So I will now take time to enjoy the beauty, peace and calmness of our country home.
This should also give me more time to blog, and visit other peoples blogs!