Hello everyone! It's been oddly chilly here but oh so pretty and November-blustery.
Last week my friend B drove down to visit. Off we went to the thrift shops. (You can see above that the urban mainland towns have no picturesque charm whatsoever!)
But first we found a new-to-me yarn shop. B drives so I can navigate. Good thing, as this was so teeny tiny and in a one way alley---I'd never have found it on my own.
I do love to be able to see and touch the yarns I use, so I was happy discover this tiny shop. Good and bad: the owner was nice, they had a small selection of fine yarns. The not so great [but I can see why they do it]: there was a knitting club in session that day and to me it felt like I was intruding, like I walked into someone's home! The shop is about the size of my kitchen and the ten or so ladies filled it to bursting. Maybe we'll go back, next time with a friend who crochets?
Nearby, a shop that B likes a lot.
This is a better quality thrift shop---consignment clothing and vintage clothes, a few pieces of furniture and home decor. LOL, cute turkeys! I resisted.
I have had my eye on this Venetian glass mirror.
Been wanting it for a year or more. The price is right too...but it is just too ornate for my cottage. I wanted it for that dining room wall where I just hung the driftwood star. A mirror would look neat there..it would reflect the ocean and light. But, sadly not this one. The good news is that B got a gorgeous black wool Tahari suit in her size. $15.oo! Wow.
After that we went to the thrift shop by the flea market. It can be a treasure trove. But not last Friday. The shelves were pretty bare! Do you think spring is a better thrifting time? When people spring clean and do not want to store all the winter-y junk?
By then we were starving! We had dinner at our favorite Thai restaurant. We keep saying we'll try someplace new---but the alternative good place had a 45 minute wait---to eat at the bar! That's not fun, so Padh thai and spring rolls, yummy!
I did the flea market alone this past Sunday:
Yeah I fell for another big mixing bowl...
It looks like a Red Wing bowl...and the guy swore it was.
But it also kinda looks like a repro with its satiny perfect glaze. No markings.... I've paid in the hundred-plus dollars for Red Wing bowls so it was well worth 15.oo.
The same dealer had this very large platter stashed in his van but he brought it out for me. It's bigger than it looks in the photos, like a very large turkey platter. Beautiful cobalt blue sponge design--again, though: repro? The dealer said 1920s? Hmmm.
It has markings on the reverse but they are faint and indecipherable. 20.00. Great photo prop for my handmades.
The background quilt top is a recent eBay treasure.
It is rather fragile but I hope to have it quilted; that would help preserve it. I think it will require a narrow border to stabilize it. This calico is not as pink as it seems, it's a nice red. Or I can use something from my antique fabric stash. I want a double pink calico for the backing!
Wonderful design and colors; I love the red triangles mixed in the tan points. Probably that tan was also red and has now faded with age.
Recipe! I love to bake and I use any excuse to do so. A friend is coming? Gotta bake a cake! When B to visit came I made a blueberry lemon pound pound cake, to serve with Double Bergamot Earl Grey tea, on that windy and chilly Friday. I'd seen the cake on Pinterest, zillions of choices here
I cheated! I used a pound cake mix. Subbed Greek yogurt and skim milk for the water; added lots of lemon extract flavoring and a box of fresh blueberries. Baked in my old bundt pan. For the glaze, I mixed more lemon flavoring with confectioners sugar, drizzled that on top. It must have been a good cake because my kids, who usually refuse to eat my baked goods, gobbled it up! The point is, you can have the fun of baking and make your house smell warm and delicious without endless hard work and expense...just picture the end result you want and experiment! Can hardly go wrong with a mix and a bundt pan...
have a great weekend! Bake a cake?
love
lizzy
.........gone to the beach
Original recipe here I think.....
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