Black Eyed Susan's Kitchen

SWEET, SWEET, BAKERY PORN...WE'RE TALKING COOKBOOKS...AND A GIVE AWAY!

            When I go to yard sales, the first place that I usually head to is the box or table with the books. Should it be an estate sale, the kitchen is the place I look for first. In the last few months, I have been buried in cookbooks. Everyone around these parts has been selling their cookbooks. Now, I know that this is great for the caterers, delis, restaurants and fast food giants around here. It keeps them in business. I also know that many people who live in this area do not cook. Their loss...my gain.   One of the cookbooks that I recently found, is called Sticky,Chewy, Messy, Gooey  by Jill O'Connor. As I salivated while flipping through the pages of this gorgeous book, it occurred to me that this was one appealing book. The recipes are to die for, and the pictures...well just look for yourself. Sugar-crusted brownie with whiskey-walnut sauce? Who wouldn't get excited over that? In addition to this book, I found several others, never used, like the Buttercup Bake Shop Cookbook by Jennifer Appel who coauthored the Magnolia Bakery cookbook. There was also a copy of Sweet Miniatures...the art of baking bite-size desserts, by Flo Braker. Even if you don't bake, and I don't, these are feast for the eyes books. Sweet confections to get you salivating. These books were listed on ebay today, as I don't tend to keep baking books in my cookbook library. I am more of a savory kind of girl. The book that I am keeping, is this one... It is simply called Grilled Cheese, by Marlena Spieler. For me, there is nothing better than a lunch or dinner comprised of a grilled cheese sandwich and a bowl of soup. Total happiness!
       Now, because  my book shelves runneth over, and I just can't seem to stop myself from buying them. I would like to jump on the give away band wagon (have you noticed that there have been many terrific blog give aways lately?). Here is a giveaway, that consists of 3 books..the first is The Perfect Pie, because you are so sweet, the second is the Cath Kidston Dream Home Jounal, because you love to decorate, and third is the Amoung Friends with Heart and Soul because you have read through this very long post and will come back again. All you need to do is leave me a comment on this post, or an email if you don't have a blog, and mention in it whether your preference is sweets or savory (just curious... the winner gets all three books together not matter what). I will pull a random comment next week, and if you should mention that I am having a giveaway on your blog, and let me know, I will enter your name twice. Good luck.       

LEARNING ABOUT THE ARTISTS...

               I have been selling things on ebay for many, many years now. I also buy quite a bit from ebay. When the online auction house first came into existence, I thought it was the most brilliant idea ever. For anyone who is a true blue collector of anything, this was the big opportunity to search the world for their treasure from the warm, cozy comfort of their den. What I did not expect, was a whole new education in collectibles, collecting, and the artists behind it all.
               At a recent yard sale, I came across this box of kitty cat ornaments. Not being familiar with the Danbury Mint, I found the price reasonable and the fact that the 20 ornies were still in the oringinal box was a plus. I decided to put them up for sale on ebay, and when I did, there was of course the usual research involved. I spend more time researching the items I sell, than finding them and photographing them. So, it occurred to me yesterday, while doing this research, that the person who came up with these "comical cats" is a real artist. Duh! It just didn't have meaning until I looked up all this information about Gary Patterson and his art work. Someone had to be behind these humorous items, and it was someone who happens to be an artist with a  terrific sense of humor.
              In the last two weeks, I have learned a little about Hummels, and the art involved with them. I have also learned about P Buckley Moss and her art work, which I currently have two of her prints for sale on ebay. The artists behind the hammered aluminum that I have been collecting for the last twenty years, I have done extensive research on, and have been lucky enough to have met some of them before they passed away. Even the midcentury tablecloths that I have been buying and selling for the last few years had an artist behind them. It just seems to be in my nature to get to know who is behind the beauty of the idea. Whose mind came up with this notion and how did they execute it. Reading about Renoir, Van Gogh, Michalangelo, you get an idea of where the work came from and perhaps what the artist was all about.
            Bringing it all back to ebay and selling, I have developed a deep appreciation for much of what I have sold, knowing that there was an artistic mind behind it and that there is someone else in the world who can appreciate it too. Where I used to shy away from things that I knew nothing about, today, I say bring it on. I will do the research and I will learn who articulated their idea into a "work of art". Thanks to ebay, I have met new crafters and artists, learned about established artists and the people who collect their work,and look forward to learning more in the future. I guess for me, it is all in the journey, and this has been a creative and colorful one.

THE BIG BAMBOO

In the tiny little village of Allentown, New Jersey, we found this forest of bamboo. The man walking into the forest, my husband..6'4". How fun to walk through a forest of bamboo, and how unexpected in this little old mill town. Next to the forest, a little haven for the ducks. A cool crisp autumn day appreciated by humans and fowl alike.
         Feeling a little antsy to get away from the shore, we headed west to this little town, to do some antiquing. There is a large, old mill building that had been turned into an antiques shop many years ago. Sad to say, the shop was closed due to work being done behind it on the bridge and the antiques are no more. So, money not spent...probably a good thing...walk through the bamboo? Who would have expected that? We enjoyed the day anyway. Hope you did too.

IN A WORD....SERENE

        Had coffee with one of my all time favorite gal pals yesterday,in the marina where her sail boat is and this was what we were looking at. So serene.

THE YARD SALE TRAIL

              As promised, more amazing finds from last weekends yard sales..I found this leaded glass copy of a Tiffany window, and couldn't resist. The lovely woman selling it told me she still had the box and chain for it..it was never used. It is now hanging in the large picture window in the diningroom. At the same sale, I found these framed prints by P Buckley Moss. They are signed, and I couldn't decide whether to buy or not, but take them home I did. They may wind up on ebay. They aren't really in the style of our home, but I have been known to redecorate a room based on an item found at a sale. The second print has the girls holding baskets with black cats in them...that does appeal to me. Then there was a different sale where I found these Spode candleholders. The story is that many, many years ago, I was gifted a Spode Christmas tree teapot. A few years later, I was gifted a small set of dishes to match. The collection has grown, and  I always seem to  find something Spode at yard sales that I have never seen before. This year, it will be the candlestick holders. The last thing that I found, later in the morning,was this porcelain plate with hand painted roses. For some weird reason, no one bought it. I was pretty late to this sale, and didn't expect to find anything good, but when I picked up this heavy, large plate, I expected to see a big crack, or high price. It was pristine, and 1.00. Like my son said, it must have been waiting there for me. Call me crazy, but this would have been the first thing that caught my eye at that sale. I wonder what else they had before I got there.
   These are the reasons that I continue to follow the yard sale trail around here. It's just toooo good to pass up!  

JERSEY CAN BE PRETTY TOO...

         It is hard to believe that it has been a year already for my darling daughter..better known as first daughter, and her husband,but it is their anniversary today. Happy Anniversary to the happy couple,and if you would like to see or remember that beautiful wedding, you can look here   .
We have been having the most wonderful autumn weather around these parts. Lucky for us, as daughter in the middle was home for a college break last week. She told us that they get a break every five weeks or so, and that the kids call it a suicide break. That made me feel a little scared, and a little sad, however, I am sure that it is all based on statistics, and I am always happiest when my kids are around me. Saturday afternoon, we went for a walk on the Asbury Park board walk. It was so nice out, that there were people on the beach sun bathing. We went to an antique show in the old convention center, and then stopped at The Baker Boys, where I bought daughter in the middle a blondie that they call a magic bar, and magic it was. Lots of coconut and chocolate chips. We then headed over to West Long Branch for a quick lunch at Surf Taco which happens to be one of my all time favorite food chains. Slowly they are franchising more of them up the Jersey coast. The garlic shrimp taco being my favorite, but you can see how many taco options there are. The month of October is beef taco month, with the beef tacos costing 99cents a piece soft or hard shell, limit of ten per order. Daughter in the middle reflected on how fabulous it would be to have one of these near her campus...Surf taco in Vermont?? Maybe Ski taco or Snowboard taco. Anyway, she mentioned that many of her newly met Vermonster friends have a bad image of New Jersey, so I am here to show them that we have a pretty side to us too. Just look at the beaches for a start.
         Yard sales around here have morphed over the last two weeks into moments of nirvana for me. This Spring and Summer were hit and miss on the sale trail, but Autumn seems to be the lucky season. Saturday morning, I found these things at a teachers yard sale. She has been retired for a long time, and had bags of old die cut holiday fun. Just the most amazing things, St. Paddys day, Halloween, Easter, Thanksgiving, amazing. When I asked her much they were, she said "oh, maybe a dime or a quarter a piece", and when I asked her how much for the whole group, lets just say the 3.00 flew out of my hand and into hers. This is totally out of my childhood. I can picture these things thumbtacked on to the bulletin boards. Then there was the sale that got me selling things on ebay again, I found these Hummels which are now listed on  Ebay   and I also found this at the same sale, which I just fell in love with. It is a water color by Joan Sears Miller. She painted the matt to continue the picture. It is signed and authenticated by the artist on the back. She calls it Texas Bluebonnets in a country yard. This one, I will hang onto for a while. So pretty. I feel like one of those commercials, but wait theres more...but I will have to show that to you tomorrow, as I am out of time here today. More yard sale finds tomorrow :)

IF YARD SAILING WERE A SPORT....

              Another fantastic weekend for yard sales in this little area of New Jersey. If yard sales were part of the sporting arena, I'm beginning to think that I might be an Olympic contender. Between today and yesterday, I hit 32 yard sales in four adjoining towns. I went out, looking for smaller bits and pieces. Typical, that is not what I came home with. What I did find, has left me positively giddy. Working backward, last item found today, was this nice sized porcelain pitcher with pink roses. The wicker trishelf thingy was found at a flea market a few weeks ago, and still needs to be cleaned and painted. Before that, I found these cottage books, all at one sale. Prior to that sale, I found this corner etagere with the great sage green shabby paint job. Okay, so this is where I began to get a little light headed...not in a bad way, just on the road to giddiness. I have filled this up, just for the moment with our Halloween decor. Then there was this table which was actually my first find on Friday. The table, is metal, kind of heavy, and very deco in style. Here is another picture of it. Now consider, that I am pretty, ummm, thrifty when it comes to garage sales and you won't believe the bargains..this table was 10.00...the etagere was 15.00 and the books were 20.00. Oh yeah, and that little pitcher...50 cents. Now you know why I am giddy..grinning ear to ear. Oh, and one more thing, I don't dicker...just ask what the price is, and if it seems fair, then consider it bought.
            Since the Halloween decor has come out of the basement, I thought you might like to see where I have gone with it so far..this is the sign that I bought on ebay several years ago, it is in the stairwell. You will find ghosts in the most unexpected places...this one must be the ghost of time. The front porch is sporting a ghost of the past...a little cottage comfort and a little ghostly kitsch. Now I am off to find a few perfect pumpkins for that bench. Oh, and one more thing, except for the sign, which I bought from ebay a while back, the ghost, bench and stool that the ghost is sitting on came from, you guessed, garage sales. I hope that everyone got out there this weekend and did their share to help stimulate the economy...buy from your neighbors. It is good for the environment and your wallet :)  

MAMA SAID

          My mother always told me, if you have nothing nice to say, please say nothing at all. For the past few days, I have written and rewritten several posts, only to scrap them. When all was said and done, that little bit of advice from my mom kept ringing in my ears. Thanks to the media and our government, I am tired, (as in having trouble sleeping at night) of hearing them traumatize and terrorize me! To the media, Please get your facts straight before you go on air, and please consider how you deliver your message. To the government, Please pay attention to what is important, and stop making knee jerk decisions for us. There, I have said it and I am done.
             Now, Happy October everyone! I know that most of you are like me when it comes to this month. I love, love, love it! I have always loved the colors associated with this month... and the magazines are so inviting with their oranges and blacks, and autumnal ideas. Then, there is the  specifically seasonal decor. We grew all of these gourds and this pumpkin in our community garden this year! And of course, there is that opportunity to show off the fun Halloween stuffsuch as the ghost candles and goth girls and these great candle holders, and lets not forget the linens, both vintage and contemporary, and last, and most important to me, the change in clothing. Specifically, the sweaters...and lets face it, what other time of year could I get away with wearing sweaters in shades of orange and pumpkin? Even Pixie, our cat loves this time of year. She is probably my best Halloween decoration. Now if I could only get her to stay in one place for more than a few minutes. She seems to like the sweaters too. There will be oh so many more posts about October fun. We haven't even touched on Octoberfest yet! Till next time.  Susan