For the Love of Blue Willow!

          First of all, let me be perfectly clear that I don't need anything else collectible to love!  As a matter of fact, I've been trying lately to ignore any auction or estate sale that might tempt me.   This just proves what I've suspected for some time...some collectibles will find you!
         This particular collection belonged to a great-great aunt in a family who needed help in finding new homes for quite a few items of blue willow that she particularly doted on.  She absolutely loved the pattern and tended to surround herself with whatever she found....that included even sheets and pillowcases, tea towels, some extraordinary table linens, and pieces of the china in just about any form.  It was an extensive collection.  
         Since my husband and I both love the fresh clean look of cobalt blue and white, we said...not a problem!   In fact you'll find it in lots of places throughout our home, so this would be a labor of love...of course!   

          It's been downhill from there.....

         Armed with a sort of inventory list from the family and tackling 2 huge bins, I found myself surrounded with more pieces than I could ever imagine!  Every surface in the living and dining room soon had stacks of china on them! 

         Should have known......

          I started by listing just a few "cute" pieces in one of my stores and immediately met a great collector!  The kitty cat planter turned out to be a "twin" of sorts!  Clay Calhoun had a bank that matched the planter...the two pieces were identical in style and I had a new friend!  Clay has been collecting for some time now and loves to find unique pieces.  (You'll want to look at his Facebook page..."My Blue Willow Collection" with his name and see some fascinating items!)  After perusing the list I sent him, he asked for pictures of other pieces...and we were off and running.  And my education has fast become a priority!  I've been finding out how much I didn't know!

          The biggest surprise came when I started researching for him what was called on the list a "trivet."  

          Looked like one.....

         Didn't even come close!  According to a very helpful blog (Nancy's Daily Dish), this is called a "mezannine", more commonly a "strainer" or a "drainer."   They were used in the bottoms of serving dishes to drain the juices from meats, etc!  Innovative and practical!  (Thank you, Nancy.)  The one I had fit the bottom of a deep serving dish, a tureen,  that had its own platter.  Now it's in Clay's collection.

   I've been taking pictures and listing a few items as I go; what's been listed so far is on   http://seemslikeonlyyesterdayvintage.ecrater.com/.      

    

     The clever little dachshund can be arranged as you wish and will hold nibbles or condiments and such!  

   

         Obviously blue willow has kept up with the times with an instant coffee canister and an electric coffee pot!  With what other things I've already researched there will be some fascinating finds to tell you about.  

         By the way, the queen-sized sheets and pillowcases are stunning!   Just thought I'd drop a hint.....

        

A Very Special Doll Artist...and Delightful Friend!

          One of the nicest parts of having the stores is definitely the people I "meet!"  I received an inquiry a year or so ago from someone in Tasmania, Australia.   She was inquiring about some 4" doll molds I had.  I have a couple of other customers in Australia, so when I answered her inquiry I asked her if she was anywhere near where the flooding was (Australia was having some monumental flooding at that time).  To be totally honest, if the e-mail hadn't had the "au" designation, I'm not sure I would have known for sure where Tasmania was!!  So much for the geography I had in school!
           Her answer was typically her...that they were an island (she also sent a map) off the coast of Australia and "the next stop was the South Pole!!!"  That was just the beginning!  I had just "met" one of the most delightful people ever!  Her name....Dianne Smith.
          She was thrilled that I had the set of 4" DA doll molds (evidently, she said, the last ones in existence) and would I send them to her!  I did...but I had no idea what an artist I had just "met!"
           I have made porcelain dolls for some years now but I was flabbergasted at the ones she does...the finest, tiniest miniature babies I've ever seen!  Not only that, but she knits beautiful clothing for them!  Even the smallest one I've made looks gigantic next to the exquisite miniature babies and children she creates!  

           Oh, yes!  She also moderates some miniature knitting groups on Yahoo and test knits for a miniature pattern blog!   All I can figure out is the days "down under" must have more hours in them for her to get so many things done!!

           Here are some of her prize-winning entries in one show:

           She did send me this picture of a Pouty Billy she made (23-1/2") so that I will know she makes the larger ones as well!

           In addition she had a daughter who is a musician here in the US so we can share our love of that as well.  I also get wonderful funny tidbits about the life in her part of the world....what an education I've had!
           We've visited back and forth for more than a year now and every time she sends a new picture of her creations, I'm in awe all over again.  I'm sharing the pictures with you with her permission of course so you can see what beautiful work it is!

            I don't often get surprises so when I received a package not long ago from her, it was totally unexpected.  She had made me a tiny Pence jug from the finest of threads.  It stands a mere 2-1/2" tall, knitted in one piece!  An incredible piece of workmanship!  It came at a time that I was immersed in a mind-boggling mess of health insurance paperwork that seemed to be going on and on (try explaining some things to a computer that are simple to a human...like a zip code?).  Suddenly I received this serene and beautiful work of art...a gift that must have taken hours upon hours to create...and just as suddenly the frustrations of all those weeks seemed to become much less important!

           From what I understand it is made from a very old pattern and is created from one continuous thread from beginning to end.  That she had taken the time to create this charming bit of beauty for me made all the computer chaos and tangled technology just melt back into perspective.  When you have friends like this, you realize what's really important!

           I keep hoping that one of these days things will work out for us to meet each other...I'm sure the conversation would pretty much non-stop for days...we have lots in common besides the dolls!  In the meantime it's such fun to know that on the other side of the world I have a friend who is marvelously talented and delightfully funny.  Thanks to that set of molds for 4" dolls and our computers, I have a friend, a marvelous doll artist, a half a world away.  That...is the greatest!!

Finishing Up in the Old Ledgers' Cookbooks - Ohio Methodist Ladies' Group

           We could probably browse through these old ledger cookbooks for months, but I have some more interesting people to share with you via their recipes.   We'll take one last ramble down through the pages from the past and give you a few interesting tidbits more before we close the covers.

         

          One of the things that I found over and over in those pages (besides the great assortment of cake recipes) was the number and variety of salad and dessert recipes using Jello!  They had pages and pages of Jello using vegetables, Jello using fruit, and Jello made into dessert!  If you think about it, these were the days before so many "quick and easy", "instant", and "family-pleasing" boxed dinner helpers...something that could be made ahead and put in the refrigerator, like a Jello salad, was a definite plus!  This one had (to me) a surprise ingredient:

Nippy Salad (I thought at first it read "Nifty"!!) - from Blanche

1 pkg. lime jello
1-1/4 c. boiling water
1 c. well-drained crushed pineapple
2 pkgs. Philadelphia Cream Cheese, 3 oz. size
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 Tbls. horseradish

          When jello is partially set, add pineapple, cheese, mayonnaise, and horseradish.  (Note from Blanche:  I put mayonnaise, pieapple, horseradish, and 2 Tbsp. cream cheese and stir well until smooth, then put in jello when partially set.)
          I'm not really sure whether this note meant that she only used the 2 Tbls. rather than the 2 pkgs. or whether she mixed the small amount of cream cheese with the other items and then put it altogether! 
         Since I'm still coming to grips with the addition of the horseradish, I'll let you use your own judgment......

Treasure Pudding

1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. honey
2 beaten eggs
1 c. chopped fruit
1 Tbls. lemon rind
1 c. grated carrots
1/2 c. walnut meats
2-1/2 c sifted flour
1 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
3/4 c. sweet milk

           Cream shortening, add honey and blend.  Add eggs, beat together.  Add fruit, rind, carrots, and nuts.  Sift dry ingredients.  Add alternately with milk.
          Bake in tube pan 1 hour, 15 minutes at 325 degrees.  If baked in other kind of pan., bake 1 hour.

Orange Sauce

3 Tbls. flour
3/4 c. sugar
Mix together.  Add:
1/2 orange juice
1 c. hot water
Cook until thick.
Add:
1 Tbls. grated orange rind  and
3 Tbls. butter

Serve hot over pudding.

          Two little recipes to give you a smile....

Scrambled Eggs

3 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 c. milk
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder (do you suppose this was to "fluff" them a bit?)
1 slice bread, cubed
Mix all together.

I wonder if the cubed bread was to stretch the recipe.  Any ideas?

          This last recipe was definitely created before the influence of the American Heart Association!

Royal Meat Balls

3/4 lb. ground round steak
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
A little chopped onion
3 Tbls. catsup

Form into patties and roll in Farina.  Fry in (get ready for this...)  bacon drippings and butter!

             I suspect in the era these recipes were used that most everybody worked harder, walked more, and in general, had a healthier life style!  They certainly were an active group from what they've left for us in these ledger pages!

            Thanks again, ladies!!

  

Deep into Cookbooks! Came Out with Cookies!

          I've spent a lot of time this last month (with my granddaughter's help) sorting through the wealth of cookbooks I was able to acquire.  Sorting through means taking time to browse through lots of them...sometimes the gorgeous photography alone demands a leisurely scan!
          It's been interesting to find a quantity of cookbooks that are based on restaurants, bed and breakfasts, and quaint inns in Colorado.  I'm not sure yet whether all states have such an assortment of great cuisine, but I've already listed a few neat Rocky Mountain based books with more to come.
          I really do love the cookbooks that are compilations of area restaurants where they share one of their specialties or most popular recipes.  The ones I've been looking at have all been tempting, inspired, and mouthwatering!  One particular recipe for a lemon dessert sent me on a bit of a nostalgia trip!

          Most of you who know us are already aware that my husband and I are second-time-arounders.  We both lost spouses some time ago, actually in the same year, and met a few years later.  Found out that we had gone to school together but didn't know each other then.  It didn't take me long to decide that this guy was the greatest.
          Since we lived quite a distance apart, our time was limited, but he would make the drive (about an hour and a half) three or four times a week.  Usually we would go out to dinner...he loved eating out!  The least I could do if he was going to drive all that distance was provide home baked goodies for him to take home with him!!!
          I had found out that his favorite "flavors" were/are lemon, pineapple, and oatmeal raisin.  In between visits I would scour every cookbook and every magazine to find new ways to intrigue (and yes, entice) him!  I kept the oven busy!  After all, he had to cook for himself at home...the least I could do was help!
         Over time I developed a backlog of his favorites and could repeat.  After reminiscing on all this, I've decided to share some of the "winners" from all my efforts.   Who know when they might come in handy at your house!

          Although the basic oatmeal raisin cookie on the oatmeal box was always a favorite, this one had a different flair:

 Oatmeal Applesauce Cookies

 1/2 c. Crisco or other shortening
 1 c. granulated sugar
 1 egg
 1-3/4 c. sifted all-purpose flour
 1/2 tsp. each: baking soda, baking powder, salt, ground cloves, ground nutmeg
 1 tsp ground cinnamon
 1/2 c. raisins
 1 c. uncooked oats (right out of the box)
 1 c. applesauce

 Beat shortening and sugar in a large bowl until smooth and creamy.  Add egg and beat well.
 Sift all dry ingredients in a separate bowl.  Stir in oats and raisins.
 Add flour mixture to shortening in three portions, with the applesauce in between.
 Stir by hand until well blended each time.
 Drop by spoonfuls onto greased baking sheets.  Bake in pre-heated oven at 375 degrees for 15 minutes or until done.
 Let cookies cool on sheets a few minutes to set before transferring them to racks.
 Makes about 3+ dozen.

           The only pineapple cookie recipe I tried didn't work so well...left that idea and went straight on to pineapple upside down cake, which was better received anyway!

 Lemon Refrigerator Cookies

 1/2 c. softened butter/margarine
 1/2 c. granulated sugar
 1 egg
 1 Tbsp. lemon juice
 2 tsp. grated lemon peel
 1-1/2 c. all purpose flour
 1/4 tsp salt

 Mix butter and sugar until fluffy with mixer.  Add egg, beat until smooth.  Beat in lemon juice and peel.  Stir in flour and salt.
 Divide dough in half and place each on large square of waxed paper.  Knead lightly till blended.  Shape each half into a roll.
 Wrap rolls in waxed paper, twist ends closed.  Refrigerate 4 hrs. or more.  Dough will keep up to one week.
 When ready to bake, cut rolls into 1/8" slices and place on ungreased baking sheet.  Sprinkle additional sugar on slices if desired.
 Bake in preheated 400 degree oven 8-10 min or until edges turn brown.  Remove from pans and let cook on wire racks.

 This one was much easier....Lemon Drops

 1 pkg lemon-flavor cake mix
 1 4.5 oz. container Cool Whip (or other) thawed
 1 egg, beaten
 1-1/2 tsp lemon juice
 1 tsp grated lemon peel
 1/2 c sifted powdered sugar

 Combine dry cake mix, whipped topping, egg, lemon juice and peel; mix well.  Don't overmix.
 Drop batter by teaspoonfuls into powdered sugar, turning to coat well.  Place balls, 1-1/2" apart, on greased cookie sheets.
 Bake in a preheated 350 degree oven 12 minutes or until done.  Remove immediately and cool on wire racks.

          Actually, there was another recipe for Lemon Drop Cookies and I will never, ever forget it!  Any time Les would go by Utica Square in Tulsa he would stop at the candy store and bring me a bag of lemon drops.  One very clever recipe I found used crumbled lemon drops and I couldn't wait to try it! 

          It was, to put it mildly, a disaster.
          Lemon drops melt. 

          Lemon drops melt as they bake and stick to a cookie sheet, even a greased one.      

          Lemon drops finish their tenure in the oven by burning their stickiness into puddles on the cookie sheet. 

          Burnt puddled melted lemon drops take a long, long time to clean OFF cookie sheets.

 Words of wisdom....don't!   

 Just enjoy them out of the bag!

When It Rains, It Pours!

          And did it ever!  Just in time for our church's second craft bazaar!  
          Last fall a great group of the ladies in our church Church on the Lake put together a craft bazaar that was quite successful.  We decided to do it again this spring...trying to find a good time in the midst of Easter, proms, Mother's Day, graduation, etc.  We added something new as well...the First Ever Annual South Grand Lake Swing into Spring Cupcake Contest!  

         The cupcake entries came in on Friday and were judged by a fantastic panel of local judges.  They made very wise choices!
         Vendors set up on Friday night to be ready for a great day on Saturday...and Saturday morning it poured!  Buckets and buckets of rain!  Only in Oklahoma!!!  By noon though the sun was shining and the rest of the day was a delight.

         The kitchen was turned into a springtime lemonade stand with chicken salad sandwiches, pinwheels, dessert, and a tall glass of lemonade for the lunch special.  Great menu!!

I took some vintage jewelry (as always), along with a batch of cookbooks from a group I've found, plus some blue willow ware...found out there are some neat collectors of both.       
         Just for fun (and you can barely see them on the left), I took two of the fabulous vintage piano shawls that I found at an auction in Kansas...both silk, one in pink with multicolored floral embroidery and long-g-g pink fringe, the other in ivory with handpainted red roses all round, long matching fringe. They're beautiful...and I just had to share!
                                      
         Everyone had a wonderful time...especially the winners of the cupcake contest who took home fabulous prizes.

         Couldn't resist sharing with you a couple of the prize winning entries.
         Key Lime Cuties - these were delicious!  First Prize winner in the Fabulous Flavors group...best blend of lime...ever!

        Our Grand Prize Winner - when I took this entry, I was amazed!  This must have been quite a project!  It was first placed as number 1 in the Delightful Designs category, but was voted by the judges as as the Best of Show.   It's name was "#1 with Cheese and Fries"!
         The "hamburger" was a brownie or chocolate cupcake, the "bun" a vanilla cupcake with "seeds".  We decided that the fries were probably biscotti cut into strips.

            It brought a smile to everybody who saw it!  What do you think?

Sneak Preview! Vintage Jewelry Redux!

          Many good things have been happening recently that I'll be able to share soon...but for now, I'd like to show you something I'm calling "Vintage Redux."  Those of you who know me know that I'm pretty dotty about vintage jewelry of all kinds...but primarily anything with rhinestones, especially the grace and elegance of the older pieces!!

          I was very fortunate recently to acquire a stash of estate rhinestones that had been purchased in Europe, coming primarily from postwar Germany, Austria, and Italy.  There were enough "toys" in this collection to keep the most dedicated of us up to our proverbial ears with new projects for months!

          To start with however, I decided to do some repair work on a lot of vintage pieces whose rhinestones were yellowed, or repaired with yellowed glue, or just poorly repaired.  I have a stash of mountings that I've cleaned out and have been (let's face it!) hoarding, hoping that something would come along to restore these graceful designs.

           I displayed some of the repaired pieces recently at a local craft show and I was surprised at how many younger women fell in love with these vintage designs...I think that that alone shows the artistry of those long ago designers!!  Here is a sampling of a few of the pieces...if you like them, I'll be more than happy to share more (this is much like having your kids' pictures with you...always happy to share!!)

           This is more than likely a 20's-30's era piece.  It's the only one that got to retain some of its original parts, basically because I couldn't find anything else that fit those large "flowers" of the mounting at all the way they were made.  The blue "stones" are plastic, rhinestones are new, and the 4" piece is rhodium plated.

         

       This graceful 2-1/2" "leaf" style brooch is so elegant.  Can't you see this on the lapel of a suit or along the scoop neckline of a black dinner dress?  

 

The swirl of the leaves or petals and the graceful circle at the top (almost like a crown effect) gives this piece such a classy look.

          This next one is quite a large brooch, measuring 3-3/4" x 2-1/2", and is quite heavy for its size.

           I hadn't planned to do two brooches with blue, but it so happened that the only marquise or navette stones that were the right size on this one were that deep blue. 

          The effect with all the rhinestones made it an incredible re-do!  Pot metal casting, probably 20's-30's also.

          This sweet smaller brooch is, I think, probably 50's or a bit later.  It is rhodium plated, about 2-1/4" tall, and signed Coro. 

            Poor little thing had had a really rough life and since it has been redone, I don't think it qualifies to stand on its name alone, but its beautiful design makes it a worthwhile "save." 

          It took awhile to find enough baguettes alike to make this little one shine again!

         Hope these few tidbits will whet your "vintage" appetite...there are lots more on the work table...dress and fur clips, as well as brooches large and small. 

          Maybe I'll share some more of them soon!

The Ides of February!

          Most years, it's March!  This year is was February for sure!
          Starting with an insane glitch in my health insurance policy that took weeks to straighten out (turned out to be an internal glitch in their computers), a trip to the hospital for my computer (totally unrelated), and ending with what I thought was a sniffling, sneezing bug (turned out to be a form of rhinitis that is affecting scads of people due to our crazy warm winter weather), I readily embraced March with open arms!
         The health insurance is supposed to be straightened out, the computer is fixed, and my medication is taking hold (I had coughed so much I was in danger of losing my voice....and we certainly can't let THAT happen!!)  
         So....let's celebrate the fact that spring is trying its best to be early (which we know better than to believe in Oklahoma) by visiting the Ledger Ladies for some more of their recipes...I marked some interesting ones whilst trying to be quiet.

        Tucked away in the back of the second ledger were those clipped out recipes from the Cleveland Press plus a torn-in-half offering envelope from the Trinity Lutheran Church in Lakewood, Ohio.  A quick look at the atlas shows us that Lakewood is just outside Cleveland,  so perhaps we can give our long ago ladies a sense of identity and refer to them as the Lakewood Ladies...and perhaps we might not be too far off.
         I've sorted through a lot of the recipes and discarded the ones where the faded handwriting was too difficult to read, or the directions left much to be desired (amazing how many things they "knew" from experience that we would have to have explained today!)    I decided against the recipe that called for "a piece of suet" (aren't you glad!) as well as the one for holiday fruit cake whose ingredients would make your eyes water!
         So...while I'm looking for the arrival of new insurance cards and waiting for the day that my sneezing and coughing will come to a welcome end, let's see if there's something that will interest you from those great gals...the Lakewood Ladies!
 

Treasure Pudding

1/2 c. shortening
1/2 c. honey
2 beaten eggs
1 c. chopped fruit  (it doesn't specify)
1 T lemon rind
1 c. grated carrots
1/2c walnut meats
2-1/2 c sifted flour
1 t. salt
2 t baking powder
1/2 t. soda
1/2 t. nutmeg
3/4 c. sweet milk

Cream shortening.  Add honey and blend.  Add beaten eggs.  Add fruit, rind, carrots and nuts.
Sift dry ingredients.  Add alternately with milk.
Bake in tube pan 1 hr. and 15 minutes at 325 degrees.  If baked in pan bake one hour.

Orange Sauce

3 T. flour  mix together with 3/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. orange juice
1 c. hot water, cook until thick.
 Add:
1 T grated orange rind and
3 T butter.

Serve hot.

Beulah's Frozen Grape Salad  

 (Note in margin says: Good!!)

2 3 oz. pkgs cream cheese
2 T mayonnaise
2 T. pineapple syrup
24 marshmallows quartered
1 #2 can (2-1/2 cups) pineapple tidbits drained
1 c. cream whipped
2 c Tokay grapes, halved and seeded.

Soften cream cheese, blend with mayonnaise.  Beat in the pineapple syrup.  Add marshmallows and drained pieapple tidbits..
Fold in whipped cream and grapes.  Pour into a 1 qt. refrigerator tray.  Freeze until firm.
Cut into squares.  Makes 8 servings.

Nippy Salad   ( Blanche's) 

(This was hard to decipher...thought it might be "nifty"...but read the ingredients.....)

1 pkg. lime jello
1-1/4 c boiling water
1 c. well-drained crushed pineapple
2 pkgs. of Philadelphia cream cheese 3 oz size
1/2 c. mayonnaise
2 T horseradish  (it says tablespoons...use your own discretion!)

When jello is partially set, add pineapple, cheese and mayonnaise and horseradish. 
 (I  put mayonnaise, pineapple and 2T horseradish in cream cheese and stir well until smooth and put in jello when partially set...we will assume "I" is Blanche).

          This one particularly intrigued me...I've never eaten an oatmeal cake, but love oatmeal cookies.

Lazy Daisy Oatmeal Cake 

 9" square pan

1-1/4 c boiling water
1 c. quick rolled oats
1/2 c softened shortning
1 c. gran. sugar
1 c firmly packed brown sugar
1 t vanilla
2 eggs
1-1/2 c. flour
1 t. soda
1/2 t. salt
3/4 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg

Frosting

1/4 c. melted butter/margarine
1/2 c. firmly packed brown sugar
3 T cream or half and half
1/3 c. nuts, chopped
3/4 c. coconut

Pour water over oats and cover. Let stand 20 minutes.
Beat butter until creamy.  Gradually add sugar and beat until fluffy.
Blend in vanilla and eggs.  Add oats mixture.  Mix well.
Sift together flour, soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg. 
Add to creamed mixture.  Mix well.
Pour batter into well greased and floured pan. 
Bake 350 degrees 50-55 mins.  Do not remove from pan.
Mix frosting all together; spread on cake.
Put under broiler for just a couple of seconds until bubbly.

           In the next few weeks I'll be gleaning recipes from some other very vintage sources: cookbooks I've found from the family of an Oklahoma beauty queen...and some down right home cooking from the past from good Oklahoma farm cooks!

           In the meantime, enjoy!