THE WEEK BEFORE CHRISTMAS

This Christmas season has been enjoyable because the pace has been slow and easy.   I baked peanut butter cookies yesterday for some goodie gifts.  There's something about baking at Christmas that I love.

My daughter, Melanie, lives in Las Vegas and we sent each other gifts.  We received a huge box from her, in fact, it was bigger than my Norfolk Pine!   Yes, we already opened everything!  Here's the giant box she sent, and the pretty wrapped presents under our big tree in the dining room. I love the doggie mug and made a delicious cup of White Christmas Tea that was one of her gifts.  Vinnie was a good sport and let me pile all the gifts on him for a photo op.

IT'S DECEMBER!

How did that happen?  Well, I still haven't completed my cellar project.  The cellar itself is in pretty good shape, but there's a table full of "stuff" that needs to be dealt with. I've moved on to Christmas.   I started on Monday and didn't look back.  It's been at least a decade since I put up the tree that I bought and decorated with lights in 2002, so I started with that and put it up in the dining room.

Next is my lovely Norfolk Pine that is celebrating her 4th Christmas with me.  She's such a cutie and spends delicious time outside from late spring to November.   She spends the winter in the living room near a south-facing window and a cozy radiator/heater to keep her warm.  She has a friend now, a beautiful little olive tree that will spend its first winter inside.  And to the right of her is a pot of English Ivy.  I made the three stars that sit atop her crowns.

On the opposite end of the living room is our fireplace.  This is the most time-consuming project because I box up some of the items on the shelves, then clean up all that remains and clean the glass shelves.  Once that's done, I decorate the mantle. The candle lantern is new this year and will be part of my "deer" tablescape.

Moving on to the sunroom, in the northeast corner is my little faux pine with an angel and ribbons in a pretty pink and vintage style miniature ornaments.  The tree is nestled in a beautiful ceramic urn that once belonged to Vinnie's Mom.   The four angels at the foot of the urn were also hers.

And finally, in the southeast corner of the sunroom are the nutcrackers.  The tall one was an after-Christmas buy from Lord and Taylor about 15 years ago.  His base is a music box that plays Silent Night.

Enjoy your Christmas season

May every day be merry and bright!

CELLAR MADNESS, NEVERENDING

The cute 1946 coffee pot?   Well, I didn't win the bid. Someone outbid me, and when I attempted to increase my bid, I got to $8.50 and counting, so I stopped, and let the other bidder have it.  I didn't really need it as I would have used it decoratively.  I continued to look for something that would go with my quirky girls, and I found it!   A sweet light blue polka dot coffee/teapot that I can actually use.  Here's the set so far.   I found a pretty small bowl in my cache from the cellar that goes nicely with the set (bowl is not pictured), and on its way is a set of two darling harlequin baby clowns that will join the set.  I'll post a new picture in my next post.

What in the world does this have to do cleaning out my cellar?  Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.  That's what happens when you segue. 

Ok, back to the cellar.  It looks great, but I have a table full of "junk" in the basement that needs tending to.  I have to part with most of it and am struggling with that thought.   

I did manage to hang the 3 cassette tape racks (each one was 2' x 1.75').  Vinnie didn't want me to get rid of them, so I found a bare wall in the basement that was perfect for them.   It wasn't without drama.   I got the bright idea to hang them with alien tape.  I hung them up, and all was well for about 3 hours.  While I was in the kitchen cleaning up the dinner dishes, suddenly, CRASH!  Ohhhh, man!  Yes, it was one of the racks.  It suffered some damage in the fall.  The backing came off, and there were cassettes scattered everywhere.   What a mess.  A second rack was coming loose, so I took it down before it could fall.  I was so discouraged, I couldn't face fixing the problem, for a week.  I finally went down to the basement yesterday to rehang the racks.  I was able to reattach the backing on the one rack and got both racks hung up with the one rack that didn't fall.  So finally and once again, all three were back on the wall.   I added two drywall screws to each of them to avert any future crashes.  Sometimes success comes after failure and not giving up.  There's always a lesson in life.

From the cellar floor to a basement wall!

That's the extent of my recent progress.  More to come...stay tuned.

CELLAR MADNESS, CONTINUED

Not a whole lot of news on the cellar purge.  I am about 75% finished, and I need to figure out what to do with a table full of junk that should all be tossed.   I'm thinking about putting it out in my driveway with a big sign:  Free:  take what you want, but leave the table! 

The most shocking revelation was how many candles I have.  I swear, more than a couple hundred including a bag of tea lights.    I never throw away a candle if there's any life in it at all...may come in handy someday. 

This week was a nightmare.  I had a stubborn clog in my kitchen sink that took the plumber a couple days to find and clear.  I had him fix a leaky drain trap in the upstairs bathroom while he was at it.   Then there was the home appraisal for our refi (lower interest rates!).    I did several days of prep for that including fixing my bedroom ceiling which suffered some water damage a few years ago from the Central A/C unit in the attic.   The A/C was replaced shortly thereafter, but I never had the ceiling repaired.  I discovered that my bedroom ceiling is wood, as this house is almost 100 years old.  I managed to patch all the scratch coat but wasn't able to paint.  Why? you ask.  Because I bought the wrong dang paint.  I bought a "base" paint and thought it was white.  Wrong!   A base paint needs pigment, regardless of color.  Lesson learned.  Preparing for the appraiser also forced me to patch all the cracks in the cellar floor.  I used DryLok "Plug", a quick-drying concrete product.  Today the appraiser came, and he was in and out in 1/2 hour.  So I spent the rest of the day relaxing, except for the part where I went back to Home Depot to exchange the paint (sigh).

 And lastly, I found a cute coffee pot from 1946 on ebay.  I bid $4.95, and I'm sure I'll win the auction.  I can just see my 4 quirky girl cups gathered around this coffee pot.

HALLOWEEN 2021

The Table is Set!

The seeds for this year's spookiness were inspired by a post on Pinterest.  Even though it was only July, I was scrolling through for Halloween ideas when I came across this great vignette that had a creepy hand in it.   Ok, now I was on a mission!  After stalking ebay, Etsy, and Amazon, I found it!   One problem, when it arrived, the hand was green, but I wanted a white, ghostly hand.  So, of course, I painted it.  Voila, exactly what I wanted.  Next was the need for a black lace tablecloth.  This was my idea, and I didn't want one of those Halloween lacy spiderwebby coverlets, I wanted one with that "Arsenic and Old Lace" feel to it.  So even though it was July I pulled together the first elements of my Halloween tablescape.

I tried the black lace over a white tablecloth, but the contrast was too stark, so I opted for a sparkly beige cloth that worked to my liking.

After the hand and tablecloth, came a few other items, like skulls and fans.   I found two plates at HomeGoods that worked perfectly with my scheme.  They featured a "Mr.& Mrs." skull.  Black and Beige on a creamy white background, the plates were made in England, and I love them.

The week of Halloween rolled around, and I set my table and decorated the fireplace.  The fireplace was a repeat of last year, but the table setting was my new creation.   The two tall topiaries were acquired many years ago and they seem to spice things up.  I enjoy Halloween and always prepare my classic chili served with a cold glass of white wine.  Trick or Treat!

CELLAR MADNESS CHONICLES

 Ohhhh, here we go again.  This time it's the cellar.   The basement is divided into 4 spaces.  The entire space is the footprint of our home and for the most part an open space with a 1/2 bath, laundry room, and an enclosed wine cellar under our sunroom at the front of the house.  It is subterranean and amazing how steady the temperature stays down there.   Of course, the drawback to most basements is they can get water from to time which mine did recently when we got a hurricane and tropical storm back to back.  I'm a few hundred yards from the bay, so the water table can rise quickly, but my basement is geared to handle water as long as it's not more than an inch or so.  Double tile floor on top of concrete and a sump pump. Also, everything is off the floor by at least an inch. 

The wine cellar is my focus because even though it has 4 large wine racks, it's also a great storage area because of the steady temperature.  Candles, paint, dishware, etc., are safe because there is little temperature fluctuation.  

Much neglected, the cellar became a disorganized mess, so I finally got the bug to clean it out.  In doing so, I had to clean up the walls which were in need of a new coat of DryLok.  Whew!  That stuff has a strong odor!  I woke up this morning feeling woozy, so I'm taking a little break today until this dizziness goes away.

Meanwhile, I drug all the "stuff" out of the cellar so I could organize, clean, and paint when I ran across this cute Baileys Irish Coffee Cup.  It was my MIL's and now I have it.   It's quirky and I love using it around Halloween.

I've been working away on the cellar and making great progress. I had wine racks on 1 and 1/2 walls, so I removed the 1/2 wall which left me with one wall for wine storage.  When I removed the unwanted racks, I was left with a nice framework of shelves.  It looks so much better, and the shelves will be much more functional.  The rear wall has wine storage which is plenty.

 I've got one more area on a wall that needs cleaning up and a coat of DryLok. I dread doing it, but it must be done.  The dust and fumes are killer, but I'll wear a mask and use the vacuum.  Ugh!

Now it's time to weed out.  Absolutely the hardest part of any purge.  I tend to hang on to things, but I am determined to toss, toss, toss.

  

GARAGE MADNESS CHRONICLES - Week 3

    Day 15, Monday.  Here we go, time to get in gear and finish this project.  Today I cleared off the backyard table.  I packed up four boxes and brought some items into the house to clean up and look over.  Here's the table when I started:

    As you can see, my Mom had a copperware collection.  Most of it is Coppercraft Guild made in Massachussettes.  She must have purchased this in the late 60s early 70s.  I'm thinking she bought them at home parties featuring these wares.  She has two trays, a chocolate pot, creamer, sugar, covered casserole with glass insert, a bowl, and a candy dish.  I brought them in, and except for the hammered tray which had corrosion, the pieces were in pristine condition. These pieces are on ebay.  It would be easy to price and sell them, but for now, I cleaned and boxed them up and will keep them in the garage.

    I also found a Herend (Hungary) ashtray.  It's small, but goes for about $25 on ebay.

    All cleaned up:

        Day 16, Tuesday.  Oh my!  It's been a busy day in the garage.   Moving things around, and going through boxes.  I found a real stinky one that was sitting on the floor.  It had a couple dozen of Vinnie's LPs in it.   He was able to salvage about 8 of them.  I unpacked two boxes, then repacked them.  What a chore.

    I found a vintage Coca-Cola tray amongst my Mother's things.  It features a woman in a yellow bathing suit, and on ebay it goes for $99 to $325.  Wow! Should I keep it?

    The next pic is of two pixie figurines made in occupied Japan which were my grandmother's.  She kept them on her windowsill along with a small brass pony and would let me play with them when I was a little girl.  I'm so fortunate to have these memories.

    Day 17, Wednesday.  I thought today would be a lost day because I'm meeting my girlfriends for an early dinner tonight. We haven't had a gathering for about a year and a half because of Covid.  But even so, I got in gear and managed to get through almost all the boxes in the last third of my garage.  These are all my seasonal items for home decor, such as the Christmas tree which I took a quick look at, and all of the Christmas decorations.  I threw out quite a bit, and now, there are no cardboard boxes touching the garage floor.  I managed to finish by 2-2:30 pm, rested for a while, then got ready.  We had a wonderful time.  It's so much fun to gather with friends!

    Day 18, Thursday.  Up early again, and hit the garage with a vengeance.  Today I organized and threw out more stuff.  You know those videos of little varmints digging a hole, and the sand and dirt is flying out behind them?  Well, that was me, throwing stuff out the garage door.  I mean seriously, we had seven beach chairs, and there is two of us.  Omg, so I threw out two of them.  Low and behold Vinnie came out to see what I was doing hours later and he asked me, " Are you throwing those beach chairs away?"   I didn't give him a nice answer 😡.  Come on, really?  Dozens of empty boxes came out.  However, I was running out of gas and piled them back in the garage.  After a good night's sleep, I'll break down and bundle them because everything will go out tomorrow for recycling and trash.  It feels so great to almost be done with this huge project.

   

    Day 20, Friday - FINIS! O.M.G. It's done.  I am so happy.  So, this is the way I look at it:  Rather than a can of worms, my garage is now...a can of sardines 😂.  Put another way, instead of a huge jumbled mess that was unorganized with dozens of mystery boxes, now, it's organized, labeled, and you can actually walk around without fear of something falling on you.  And it smells a heck of a lot better because anything damp was dried out, repacked, or thrown away.  

    Last night an image popped into my head of a beautiful glass fishbowl.  Backstory:  One year when we vacationed in Montauk, we stayed at the "Pool House" and there was a beautiful glass fishbowl/terrarium out by the pool.  It was slightly damaged, a crack as I remember, but it was beautiful.  Soon thereafter, I saw one in HomeGoods, and snapped it up.  It looks like this:

    So this fishbowl popped into my head, and I thought, I know it's in the garage somewhere, and today I stumbled onto it!   It was one of the last boxes I opened.   One flipper foot was chipped with very sharp edges, so I put a coat of epoxy over the damaged area.  It's so beautiful.  I packed it up in my Vitamix boxes, and it awaits its turn to come out, probably next summer.

    There it is peeps, the Garage Madness Chronicles finally comes to an end.  

Until our next adventure, I'll bid adieu.

THE GARAGE MADNESS CRONICLES - Week 2

    Day 9, Sunday.  Today was "repair and regroup" day.   In one of the boxes was a blue trash bag full of linens that belonged to my Mom and Grandmother.   They were damp from the storm and reeked to high heaven, but they didn't appear to be damaged.  Other than the normal yellowing that occurs with age, and the strong musty smell, I decided to tackle the job myself.  It was recommended by my BTS group (FB) to take them to the cleaners, but I'm sure that would have been a $200 bill.  A pre-soak with Oxi-clean and a gentle wash, the results were astonishing.  The huge 144"x 104" monogrammed "S" damask tablecloth came out beautiful.  No damage and what floored me, not one stain.  Was this magnificent piece ever used?  I don't know.  Six monogrammed "S" napkins came with this exquisite cloth, also in pristine condition.  And then there is the table runner I made when I was a teenager which I hand washed.  I air-dried everything and will start ironing tomorrow.   

    The other fun project was fixing a "flea bite" on a beautiful porcelain serving dish that matches my Grandmother's Haviland Ranson dishes.  I filled in the tiny nick with epoxy then painted it to match the dish, and you cannot see the repair.  I also fixed a beautiful rosewood trivet that had one short foot.  I lamented a popsicle stick and glued it to the bottom of the foot.  Voila, even, steven. This is fun!

In the garage, I reorganized some of the boxes and stacked them in a more logical order.  My plans to repack Mom's Colclough Ivy tea set didn't materialize.  I'm enjoying this beautiful set want to leave it out so I can see it.  It's a shame that the teapot and sugarbowl are missing.  I may replace the sugar bowl.

    Meanwhile, back at the ranch house...I mean dining room, I reset the table in a fall motif.  Roosters, and lots of fall colors. pictured below.

    Day 10, Monday.  Should I bore you with more laundry details?   Oh sure, go ahead, yawn!   I ironed my ass off today.  All the linens are clean, and many are ironed and ready for use.  The large monogrammed tablecloth is made of the most scrumptious Irish linen.  It's soft and silky, just lovely to touch and look at.  I spent most of the day ironing and repairing.  A mismatched set of 4 large white dinner napkins (Irish linen, I'm sure) had two napkins that needed repair.  I darned a hole in the middle of one, and I had to re-hem one side of another.  But honestly, how did these napkins survive from the 1920s to today without a stain?   Not one stain.  It boggles me.   Let's see what tomorrow brings. Here is a pic of my Mon's beautiful Colclough Ivy tea set and one of her gorgeous table toppers.

    Day 11, Tuesday. Didn't work on the garage today!  Shopped, cooked, and got ready for a wedding on Saturday.  However, it is trash night.  Most all are recycling now, but put out one framed poster and tossed a few more books.   Slowly but surely.    Here is a pic of the table I set, and a cake I made today.

    Day 13, Wednesday (a week later!)  Yes, I took a break and straightened up my house which was suffering from the effects of Garage Madness.  The huge mess from the garage and back yard had made its way into my kitchen.  No can do!  However, I am happy to say that most of the trash that accumulated has been carried away. 

    We also had to get ready for and attend an out-of-town wedding which was fun and beautiful.  The venue was on the Hudson River in Poughkeepsie at the Grandview, and the vows were exchanged outside overlooking the river on a perfect evening.  It was lovely.

    Back to Garage Madness:   I did some research on a tea set that belonged to either my Grandmother, Nana, or her sister, my Great Aunt Beulah. It is Japanese Kutani ca 1920s-30s.  Kutani means nine valleys.  Hand-painted gold on white porcelain, the pattern is Countryside and is scenes of mountains, trees, rivers, bridges, and houses. The teacups are quite small, so this may be a demitasse set.  

Day 14, Sunday.  Today was silk flower day.   I organized my silk flowers into 3 plastic tubs and remade a wreath for the front door. Fall has officially arrived at the Zeccola's.

THE GARAGE MADNESS CHRONICLES - Week 1

My two-car garage was built in 1927.  We have lived here since 1998, and the garage has been a dry space for 23 years. It has a plank wood floor and the large double garage door is sealed shut, but there is another standard entry door on the north side.  We use the garage for storage only, and the place rivals anything you've seen on "Hoarders".  Stacks of boxes six feet high which included ours and our parent's things. Nine huge storage boxes shipped from California after my Dad passed, and a like number of boxes containing treasurers from Vinnie's Mom, and there were all sorts of other miscellaneous items stacked in teetering piles.  Narrow paths were carved out between the towers of "stuff"... It was quite a wonder to behold.

Last Friday I went into the garage and noticed that one of the large storage boxes sitting on the floor was listing with several boxes on top of it.  The whole stack was leaning like the Tower of Pisa.  After further inspection,  I could see a five-inch watermark on the bottom of that box as well as several others sitting on the floor nearby. Oh, hells bells, my garage floor got wet after Hurricane Henri and Tropical Storm Ida came through our area within a week of each other, and now, any cardboard box sitting directly on the garage floor sucked up water like a sponge.  All of these boxes had contents wrapped in packing paper, and a number of them were packed with books.  The air smelled like wet paper which made me a little woozy.  This girl had her work cut out for her!

The next day, Saturday, I dug in and worked until 9 pm. Unpacking, repacking moving stuff in and out of the garage.  My back yard was full of flattened boxes, bags of clothes, bags of trash, bundled books, and unpacked items strewn out on four different tables.  With the help of a hand cart, I managed to drag two huge window A/C units out of the garage and up the driveway to the front gates.  At 9 pm I was exhausted, so I left everything out in the night air and called it a day. 

Day 2, Sunday morning I was up at 8am and went at it again.  Luck was on my side as it stayed dry through the night.   I worked until noon dragging out dozens of flattened boxes from our move to our home in 1998 (who does this? Hangs on to 20-year-old boxes?).  They were standing on end, but all of them absorbed water and needed to go.  I unpacked a few more wet boxes, but I had to call it a day so I covered everything with tarps and plastic in the event it would rain.  Lo and behold, we did get light rain, so my precautions paid off. 

Once in the house, I had a chance to marvel at some of the treasurers I uncovered today, like the dozens of beautiful antique hankies that were my grandmothers.  One prettier than the next.  Some were fine Irish linen, others were embroidered or cross-stitched, and a few were adorned with beautiful lace.

Day 3, Monday.  The first thing I did was make a trip to HD to pick up packing paper, baling twine, a few plastic tubs, and some ventilated plastic shelving.  After this project, there will be no cardboard boxes on the floor. The plastic shelving unit worked out great. I divided it into two, 2-shelf units, and put one shelf on the floor.  I managed to pack two of the plastic tubs, and I threw out a lot of stuff (felt so good!).  I called 311 and asked about the A/C units and was told to put them out on recycling day.  I also called St. Mary's to pick up six large bags of clothes.  

Today's treasure was a beautiful Waterbury mantel clock that was my father's, and it now sits on my fireplace mantel.  I found a myrtle wood salad set that my mom purchased in Oregon while on a motor home trip.  Melanie and I were with her when she bought it.  We followed the Pacific Coastline all the way up to Oregon.  It was beautiful.

Day 4, Tuesday.  More of the same, plus, baled all the wet, flattened boxes for recycling, put the trash out for pick up on Wednesday, and labeled the clothing bags for pick up.  Again, I found a treasure trove of gems.  Among them were my kindergarten report card and picture.  The teacher suggested that I laugh too much and should be "more quiet"...omg, some things never change!

Day 5, Wednesday.  Put out the clothing for pick up, and had a Vet appointment for my precious Sadie's annual check-up and vaxes.  When we got home, I did a few more things like going through some papers and went through one of the computer boxes. Kept some of the programs, and all of the backup discs because they need to be destroyed. I was pleased that all of the trash was picked up, and St. Mary's picked up the clothing. I put everything away and called it a day.  

Once inside, I had a chance to look at the linens that were my Mom's.  In it is this gorgeous tablecloth with matching napkins embroidered with "S".  I'm not sure if it was my Mom's, or my Grandmother's.  It looks brand new, so I'm guessing it was Mom's.  Also several vintage tablecloths and a few hand-crocheted table toppers and a beautiful linen table runner with pulled thread work. Among them was a table runner I made her as a gift when I was a teenager.  Harvest gold velveteen with avocado green trim and yarn tassels.  Classic 60's.

Day 6, Thursday.  Not very productive with the garage project today. Took a break, as it was supposed to rain. I had a long phone call with one of my best friends and she told me about a recycling event on October 23rd, so I'll be able to dispose of electronics, paint cans and unused bottles of yard spray etc.  I also took Vinnie to his favorite men's store to be fitted for a suit.  We have a wedding the following weekend and at some point, I'll need to figure out what I'm wearing.  I'm two-thirds of the way through that big mess in the garage.  I would like to get a few more plastic containers and another shelving unit.

Day 7, Friday.  Trash and recycling day! Oh, joy.   I put a  ton of trash and recycling out for pick up.  Let's hope it all goes.   Not much progress in the garage, but had fun unboxing my MIL's Homer Laughlin Country Inn Collection, Made in USA. The pattern is Classic '60-'70's.  A setting for four, she had 10 coffee cups, a coffee pot, large round platter, and salt & pepper shaker.  This collection warms my heart because Mom Z loved having friends over for coffee and cake.  I could visualize an Entenmanns pound cake on the platter.   The packing paper was newsprint dated May 4, 1994, and on the box, in her handwriting was "Glass". After a good cleaning, I set the table as an homage to Mom Z.  The yellow-crocheted doily was my Mom's, and the napkins from ebay.

Day 8, Saturday. Happy Day!  All the trash and recycling that we put out were picked up.  The two A/C units went because trash pickers got them for salvage, I'm sure.   I'll pack up the Homer Laughlin and two other dish sets in the garage, and that will be it for today.

Yikes

The trash doesn't look too bad, but Lawdy, Bawdy, you should see the garage.  It looks worse than when I started!  Isn't that always the way when you're cleaning out and reorganizing?  It gets worse before it gets better.

Double Yikes!

 I think my kindergarten teacher was generous when she gave me an "is improving" grade for keeping materials in order.

To be continued...THE GARAGE MADNESS CHRONICLES - Week 2 will be on shelves soon.

SUNFLOWERS AND BUFFALO CHECK

It's Labor Day today.   Where did the summer go?    New York City Schools start Monday, September13th, and I've begun to decorate with sunflowers, apples, and pumpkins.

Below is a "Back to School" vignette.  Are you ready, kids?

I like buffalo check, and it, too, reminds me of fall.   Of all the colors that look pretty with this motif, my favorite is sunflower yellow.   In my hunt for a few buffalo-checked items to set my table, I did a storyboard to see what would please my eye.

A storyboard is useful for me as I can add and delete ideas as they pop into my head.  I considered using a white or apple green tablecloth but loved the beige as it calmed down the palette.

My final task was to make a flower arrangement with sunflowers and my favorite white flowers, spider mums, which are also in season in the late summer, early fall.  As it turned out, I made two arrangements. One for a gift using a pretty white pitcher from Homegoods as the vase pictured below, and one for my table using a white gourd pitcher with a grey handle which I already had.

House warming gift for Renee:

The arrangement for my table:

Buffalo check table setting:

Sixteen days of summer left!   The autumn equinox is September 22, 2021.   

Enjoy!

DOWNTON ABBEY

 Oh, how I loved that show.   Julian Fellowes, the creator/writer of the series, has an amazing imagination and flair for dialogue.  I was inspired by the series to design jewelry which I refer to as the Black Line. After a bit of research and finding photos of a few of the ladies with their fabulous dresses and jewelry, I came up with the pieces in the collage below.   The tasseled pieces are lariats and can be worn in different ways.

THE BUTTERFLY AND THE STORM

Butterflies are special to me.   They evoke a fond childhood memory of standing in my Grandmother's back yard, arms outstretched, palms to the sky with a nickel in each hand glimmering in the sunlight.  My brother and I would do this to attract the beautiful blue and black swallowtail butterflies that would flit from flower to flower in my grandmother's garden.  Occasionally one would land on my little hand to check out the nickel.  It was so gentle and tickled my hand before it gracefully took off.  It was a thrilling experience for a five-year-old.

There are many monarchs this time of year in the area where I live.  Lovely and graceful, they flutter through our yards.  To my dismay, I found one on my porch last evening upside down with its wet wings pinned to the ground.  I gasped and carefully picked it up.  To my surprise, it started moving.  It was still alive!  Not sure what to do, and with a hurricane raging through our region, I found a dry protected spot in our yard, but it didn't want to leave my warm hand.  Finally, it settled in the sheltered spot.  I reluctantly left it there wondering if it would survive the night. 

This morning the storm had passed and the sun was out, so I looked for the Monarch.  It had moved from its shelter and was clinging to a wall.  I urged it on my hand and marveled at its beautiful wings and delicately spotted body then took it over to a high sunny ledge in the garden.  When I nudged it onto the warm bricks, it stood there for a moment, flexed its wings, and suddenly was in the air darting around effortlessly.  It easily soared over our high fence and disappeared.  What a miracle that this delicate creature survived the storm.  

Don't lose hope, you never know what tomorrow will bring.🙏

DIA de los MUERTOS (DAY OF THE DEAD)

I am working on a Mexican-themed tablescape, and a sugar skull will be part of the decor.   Sugar skulls (calavera) are traditionally used during the Day of the Dead celebration which has its roots in pre-Columbian mesoamerican cultures.   The use of skulls during this celebration date back to the Aztec empire.  The Aztecs used real skulls for their celebration, but the Spaniard explorers introduced "Sugar" skulls which were made from a paste of sugar, lemon, and hot water. In more recent times, the skulls are made from a multitude of materials such as plaster of Paris, polyresin, or even paper mache. The sugar skulls symbolize the sweetness of death.   Note that sugar skulls are smiling, as they also represent the smiling face of death.   Unlike Halloween which evokes fear and is rooted in Celtic traditions, Day of the Dead is a joyful celebration of the relationship between the living and the deceased and has evolved from the traditions of ancient native Mexican and Central Americans.

The Day of the Dead is November 2nd but is celebrated from October 31st to November 2nd. November 1st celebrates children, and November 2nd celebrates adults. Families welcome back the souls of their deceased relatives for a brief reunion that includes food, drink, and celebration.  The Nahua (the Aztecs were Nahua) rituals honoring the dead family members provided food, water, and tools on altars (ofrendas) or gravesites honoring the deceased and aiding them in the difficult journey from Chicunamictlan (Land of the Dead) to their final resting place of Mictlan.  The deceased traveler must pass through nine challenging levels before reaching Mictlan which takes four years to achieve.

Traditional foods for the celebration are pan de Muerta, or bread of the dead, which is a yeast-based sweet egg bread.  Other food and treats may include calbaza en tacha (candied pumpkin), Calaveras (sugar skulls), tamales, atole (a sweet drink), and spicy Mexican hot chocolate.

Orange and yellow marigolds (flor de Muerto) are used during the celebration. The Aztecs believed the colors and scent of the flowers would lure the dead from their resting places.   Also, the rose crown, a headband of red roses is worn by women or placed on the sugar skulls during the celebration.  In many of Frida Kahlo's self-portraits, she is wearing a floral crown.

I'm a native Californian and remember seeing the highly decorated, smiling skulls in the Mexican markets, but it wasn't until my interest in incorporating Mexican decor on my table that I understood the celebration of Dia de los Muertos. 

SOMETHING'S FISHY

 Every Summer I create a "fish" table.   The star of the show this year is this colorful triggerfish creamer, and she's hanging out on a colorful tablecloth I purchased on ebay last year.  I set the kitchen table with the idea of having an ice cream party.   

With all this fishy stuff going on, I got the urge to make a trifle.  Don't know why because I never made or even tasted a trifle, but it's a beautiful dessert and has all good yummies in it. Trifle is served in a certain type of bowl.  It's a straight-sided bowl, often footed, but the original trifle bowls were not footed.  I happened to have a non-footed trifle bowl, so I placed it on a cake pedestal, and it looked awesome.  I moved the table setting to the dining room and set it up for trifle and tea.  I decided to make a banana split trifle and invited our good friends, John and Rosemary to join us for dessert.  We had a lovely time, and I was pleased with how the trifle turned out since it was my first attempt.

Banana Split Trifle

Traditional trifle uses a sponge cake soaked in sherry or some type of alcohol and is a must for Christmas dessert. I didn't use the alcohol, as it's not to my liking. I used Godiva White Chocolate Pudding, and I wouldn't go that route again.  I think vanilla pudding would taste better which is what I'll use next time. It took me almost an hour to make it.

My trifle was layers of the following starting from the bottom up. (Serves 8)

        Marble cake cut into cubes (optional:  white or yellow cake)

        Sliced banana

        Vanilla pudding 

        Bananas, strawberries, and crushed pineapple (drained)

        Marble cake cut into cubes

        Vanilla pudding

        Topped with a thick layer of whipped cream, Hershey's Chocolate syrup, and toasted walnuts.

I made it 3 hours ahead and kept it in the refrigerator, and it held up perfectly.  Beware, your kitchen will look like a bomb hit it, but I rinsed and quickly stashed the prep dishes in the dishwasher.

Enjoy!

ODE TO A WONDERFUL FRIEND!

My Bestie, Rosemary, is an amazing woman.  She is an accomplished artist, is about the most fun person I know, and has a heart as big as the sun🌞. She recently gifted me my first MacKenzie-Childs piece, a hand-painted ginger jar, and I can't wait to make it the centerpiece of my tablescape.  It's magnificent, and I love the colors.  Here it is:

Mac Kenzie Childs Ginger Jar, Madras

THANK YOU, ROSEMARY!

HALLOWEEN IN JULY

🎃I know, it's summertime, beach time, garden time..way too early for Halloween-time. NOT!

When I saw a vignette on Pinterest which featured a creepy witch hand, it inspired me to do some prep work for this year's Halloween haunted dining room.  I searched high and low for this hand but didn't want to overpay for it.  Finally, I found it for a decent price on Amazon.   It was perfect, a white, very pale hand (ghostly) with long black fingernails.   This is what arrived:

I was disappointed that the color of the product didn't look like the picture in the listing, but I got to work and painted it.  A simple remedy.   Here's my finished hand in a vignette I created with a (new) black lace tablecloth, a pumpkin that has held on since last Halloween, a few books, some beads, pewter candlesticks, and white candles that I painted black.  Spooky, huh?

I have a cat skeleton, but I needed a human skull.  Found a cool one, again, on Amazon:

Every year I purchase a couple items for Halloween.  2021: Creepy Hand, Human Skull, and black lace tablecloth...boom!

PLAYING HOUSE

 I love to set a table.   Mix and match. Then a photo to remember it.  Today I wanted black and white with green.    So here it is.

Chargers are from Amazon:  Koyal, French Provincial

Dinner plate: Varages France

Bread plate: Casafina Green

Goblet: Libbey Garden and Vine, Green

Stainless:  Wallace, Napoleonic Bee

THE BURNT WICK

What do I mean a burnt wick?   I mean the wick on a candle.   I found out in recent years that you should always burn, or blacken, the wick of a candle before displaying it in your home.   The origin of this practice goes back to the time when electric lighting was introduced into private homes.  The first electric lamp was perfected in 1911, and in 1926 the Electricity (Supply) Act was passed which led to the establishment of the national grid.   Initially, only the rich could afford electric lighting.  However, candles displayed in a home that had electricity were lit for a few minutes then extinguished in order to blacken the wicks and look as though they were in use so as not to embarrass those guests who could not afford electricity.  It was a matter of etiquette by "polite society".   Displaying a candle with a burnt wick continues to this day to be a symbol of warmth.  I light candles on the table a few minutes before my guests arrive because the ultimate warm welcome is a lit candle.

CHRISTMAS IN JULY!

 I love to do a few things for the holidays in July.   It's fun to be ready when November/December approaches.   I have four decorative deer, a tabletop sitting deer which I changed from a glittery gray to white with gold accents, and a white wall-mounted stag head both of which I bought last summer.  I got a great deal on the stag head, $10 at HomeGoods because an antler was broken which took me two minutes to fix when I got it home.  I also have two silvertone metal standing stags (I'm thinking about painting them white).  

This year I added a pair of deer, sitting and standing.  Again, I got a deal because an antler had come off the sitting deer, and again, a quick fix.   Also, they had these horrible holiday collars around their necks.  Those came off, but there were two holes drilled in the neck which I filled with wood putty and dabbed over with white paint.  So my collection has grown to six.

Deer before repair

Deer Collection (after repair)

I have a few Christmas gifts for my daughter.   I would like to send them off to her at the end of October.  So far I'm giving her a white faux fur hide, A gift box of hot cocoa bombs, and a lovely set of Godinger cocoa mugs.  After scouring the internet, Amazon, Etsy, and ebay, I decided on a set from ebay.  They match her Christmas decor, and I know she'll love them. I'll hunt for an article of clothing for her, something for her fiance, Marty, and a little something for her three puppies. Then off it goes!