Black Eyed Susan's Kitchen

SHAKING IT UP TILL IT COMES OUT JUST RIGHT

                Fickle...I've said it before and I'll say it again. It's a good thing that I am writing about decorating and not relationships. Seems daughter in the middle has that very same genetic tick that makes us like to rearrange our surroundings on a regular (hormonal?) basis. Lucky for me, she has a great sense of space and we work well together as a team. The antique library cabinet that displays part of the aluminum collection was moved to the opposite wall, and we brought the antique sewing machine table in to sub as an end table between the sofa and red chair. We placed the Persian carpet under the modern, leather  coffee table and liked the way it all looked. After moving all of the water colors to one wall, we found ourselves needing one more painting to round out the scheme. Last year, I took many pictures of the sunflowers from our garden and remembered one in particular that stood out in my mind. With help from Picassa, the photo was altered with a watercolor effect. We had it printed and bought a frame for it...voila instant water color for very little money. 
I was once again inspired to make a mosaic of all the shades of green in our yard and gardens. We are especially fond of the Hosta on the left and the center picture is the horseradish growing like crazy! 
I also couldn't resist taking pictures of the Peonies from our backyard garden. They don't get as much sun as the front gardens and bloom much later. The one garden event that has me most excited though is this...
the pea plants now have pods!! Next week we will be eating peas in pasta, in salads and putting them up to freeze. It is all so gratifying!

Linking up with Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday, Smiling Sally for Blue Monday and Little Red House for Mosaic Monday.

♥, Susan

ALL IN BLOOM...MOTHER NATURE'S PALETTE

              Like magic every year, the gardens come alive.
The bunny rabbit families get brazen enough to enjoy the clover growing in the lawn.
The Hosta's and Fern's that have lied dormant, disappearing beneath the earth have once again come out to join the world.
They frame the steps leading up to the screened porch.
One of my favorite flowers, the Iris has come up in shades of purple and blue, peach and yellow...a veritable rainbow!
The roses, oh those heavenly roses are blooming
in shades of red and pink, but the thing that always surprises me the most is that every shade of green goes together so well. I think that maybe Mother Nature is an artist and her palette is an   endless array of colors.

Linking this post to A Southern Daydreamer for Outdoor Wednesday and The Little Round Table for This week in your Garden.

♥, Susan

SHARING THE BLUES

                 The only thing better than having a yard sale is the day after, when everything is cleaned up and there is more space in the house, garage and basement. Should you think for a single second that I am a minimalist and like my spaces to be barren of all clutter, I have a few things to share. First, this is my desk top
which could be construed as a mess of clutter but is in reality a lifetime of memento's neatly arranged under glass. The desk itself is a partner's size kneehole desk....huge, vintage and very sturdy with lots of drawers. I found it at an estate sale 15 years ago and it has been in a few different rooms in our house, finally landing in my little alcove in our shared office/lounge. The top was in questionable condition, and at first I considered painting it or refinishing, and then I realized that a piece of glass, cut to order would coral my memories while giving me room to add new items. It also makes me smile when I run my eyes over the years of this and that making up different parts of my life.
The office has turned out to be a real haven for me. Comfy couch, lots of space for DVD's collected over the years and a TV to enjoy those Yankee games and movies. Baskets have been my second go to source to help coral the clutter. The table under the TV was found at a different estate sale and is perfect for organizing all of the baskets. 
Leaving you with a photo sent to me via phone from my husband from Lyon France. Perfect for Blue Monday, and oh how beautiful...handbags have always been my downfall, however, in this case (lets say very expensive) the picture is appreciated more than the bag would be.

Linking this post to Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday, Little Red House for Mosaic Monday, and Smiling Sally for Blue Monday.

♥, Susan

TOWNWIDE YARD SALE...TO SHOP OR TO SELL?

                This weekend, there will be a lot of traffic in the little borough of Fair Haven. It is not a psychic prediction that I am seeing in my crystal ball, but a pretty sure bet. The big question is, do I join the buyers or the sellers? Well, I am hoping to do both. My kids (and I am talking young adult offspring) have decided that they want to send much of the stuff of their younger years on its way, so they will be manning the sales portion of the event.
Here is just some of what I will be putting out for sale on Saturday. Vintage teacups, English dishware, an antique hope chest (yes we have abandoned all hope), and a fantastic pine china cabinet.
I will also be selling a collection of vintage and newer hand bags including a Carolina Hererra, Coach, Ralph Lauren, Dooney and Borke, and several other designers. There will be vintage and newer wicker furniture including chairs, tables and desks, a kitchen table, hand painted signs to be used as is or cheap enough to be repainted. There will also be nic-nacs and brick a brac and some things that may defy explanation.
Some Harry Potter decor from a now grown-up kids room, and books...there will be cookbooks, kidsbooks, decorating books, how-to books and vintage and antique books. A lovely beaded wedding gown, vintage table cloths and linens, sewing items, hammered aluminum, and much more!

          So, you can see why I haven't written much lately...I have been scouring the house, basement to attic to clear out some of what we have outgrown to make way for the future. 

          Fair Haven will also be having their sidewalk sales in conjunction with the yard sales, which means that my favorite Shutters will have a tent up with half price goodies out for the taking. If you are anywhere near Fair Haven, NJ, please stop by and see what kind of bargains you can pick up...Saturday, the 21st!

♥, Susan

linking up to Leighs Tales from Bloggeritaville for Thrifty Thursday and The Colorado Lady for Vintage Thingie Thursday.  

FANCY FLOWERS

I wonder if the Peonies feel as fancy as they look? They are the ballerinas of the flower world!

♥, Susan

KISSED WITH A HEART SHAPED LIPSTICK AND OTHER HAPPY EVENTS!

                 Some weeks are so run-around busy, that having time to think straight, never mind breathe is difficult....however, this past week might be one of my bloggiest best. There was nothing virtual about it...the week began with an email from my good friend Suzy Spence of the very famous and artistic Georgia Peachez blog.
She was coming up from Virginia and would I be available for dinner?...I would have dropped everything to spend time with her...it has been years since we have been together and so, we had a lovely dinner together and caught up before she had to be on her way. 

           Then, there was the VNA sale in Somerset New Jersey. Laura Sigman of the Shorehouse Chic blog has been my partner in thrifting at this sale more than once now. We had a traffic filled ride north to the sale, and found little that we could not live without, however we did find fellow blogger Sue of Rue Mouffetard blog fame.
Sue was there with her daughter and granddaughter the adorable Miss B. The one item that I could not resist snapping a picture of was this blue pig...
It just screamed Happy Blue Monday!!  I did not buy it, but thought it deserved a bit of admiration.

                   Saturday morning, I helped my friend Laura (yes, a different Laura) out with an estate sale. She owns Plum Cottage in Red Bank, NJ, and she and her husband have been working estate sales since I have known her. This particular sale was at a true mid-century house in Rumson NJ.
The sale was huge and had everything from a lucite cube coffee table to a fantastic set of buttercup pattern sterling. The architecture of the house and the acreage was something to behold. The setting was just beautiful.
That saying, "There's something for everyone" really held true here. Remember, you can click on the pictures to enlarge them. What I came away with from this sale was a new understanding of the time and energy that a sale this size takes. I will be writing more about that in the future. One of the other things I took away from the sale was a gift from my friend Laura who knew that this would matter to me if no one else. While she was cleaning out the draws and cabinets in the kitchen, she came across clipped and handwritten recipes. She probably should have tossed them...many were falling apart, but she knew that someone would appreciate not just that they were there, but that the woman of the house, although maybe not very organized, kept them.
 And so this huge bag of clippings is currently filling my largest market basket. The dates range from the early 1970's through the late 1980's with a few antique items thrown in. It is fascinating and will take me a very long time to read through it all. I found it to be a testament to someone elses mother, a woman I never met, who liked heart shaped lipstick and collecting recipes.

                I hope that everyone had as wonderful a mothers day as I did. We have 2 chicken's on the rotisserie (they smell so good!), our first corn on the cob of the season, and my friend Susan Culberts perfect potato salad recipe already chilling in the bowl. Yes I know I have a lot of friends named Sue and Laura.

                This post is being linked to Smiling Sallys for Blue Monday, Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday, Little Red House for Mosaic Monday and Masterpiece Monday at Boogie Board Cottage.

♥, Susan 

              

WEEKEND MORNINGS...WHAT ARE YOU DOING?

               Choose quickly, will you be watching your children run on a field trying to hit or catch a ball? Will you be rushing off to spinning class? Maybe grabbing an easel and canvas to paint that masterpiece in the local park (okay, maybe in Paris...not so much in New Jersey). Like me, you might be attending the latest garage, yard, tag or estate sales. The weekend hunt where maybe you will find a treasure.
This past weekend was the beginning of yard sale season around here. There were actually 2 local estate sales, and several of the garage variety. In my twenty plus years of participating in this seasonal event, I have learned a few things.
I have learned that it is very important to keep an open mind and hold onto anything you might want to purchase, even if you are not sure. You can always put it down again, but if you don't pick it up, someone else will.   I have also learned that there should never be any buyers remorse at a yard sale. If you buy something you did not want or need, just sell it at your own sale. Usually, when some object of affection catches your eye, it will find a nice place in your home. That old saying that things you like will work well with other things that you like has always held true in our house. This weekend, I found the lovely lustre ware vases from Czechoslovakia, in the first picture. Beautiful, perfect and at a few dollars hard to resist. I don't collect items like this, however, I may hold onto them for a while and see what happens. I also bought the blue Hall teapot...the one to the left in the picture. Last year I bought the one in the center, also at a yard sale, and the third one, I found at an estate sale the prior year...seems I now have a collection. They have found a place on the blue shelf in the newly redone office. Will I be persuing a collection of cobalt blue Hall teapots? I doubt it...I have always preferred the handmade pottery variety, but when the universe hands you a collection, I say enjoy it for a while, and then have a yard sale and send it on its merry way into someone elses collection.

               In Monmouth County New Jersey, yard sales have become so popular that entire towns are having yard sale events. Fair Haven will be having a town-wide sale on May 21st. If it is anything like last years sale, there should be lots of goodies to buy. Bring lots of money and lots of patience, and remember what I said....if it catches your eye, pick it up and hold onto it, because it won't be there when you turn around the second time.

               This post is being linked to Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday, Little Red House for Mosaic Monday and Smiling Sally's for Blue Monday.

♥, Susan