Tuesday Display Chain~ Life is Yummy ~

Each Tuesday Misi, of Gable House Musings, chooses a theme and invites bloggers to play along with her "Tuesday Display Chain". This week the theme is "Yummy", to be interpreted by  each participating blogger as they see fit. 

I confess, I have a bit of a sweet tooth...so of course when Misi said "yummy", my mind went right to dessert...

 ~Even my pies are a little "kattywhompus"~

As grandpa Ralph always said, "I only like two kinds of pie.

Hot...and cold."

But for a really yummy treat...you can't beat my favorite scone recipe. People beg me to make these...now they can beg you too.

 From the 1989 February issue of Country Living Magazine, 
I give you...

Chocolate Chip Scones

2 cups unsifted self rising, all-purpose flour (see note)

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup milk

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease baking sheet. In large bowl, combine flour and sugar. With pastry blender or two knives, cut in shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs.

2. In small bowl, combine milk, egg, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients, along with chocolate chips and mix with fork until mixture clings together and forms a soft dough.

3. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead gently 5 or 6 times. With lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 7 inch round. Cut into 4 wedges.

4. Place scones, 1 inch apart, on greased baking sheet. Pierce tops with tines of fork.

5. Bake scones 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Note: Or add 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt to 2 cups regular all-purpose flour.

Kattywhompus Tips: Knead gently, no more than needed to hold the dough together. Over handling will give you tough scones. Instead of rolling out the dough I pat it into a flat round with my hands and cut it into eight scones. Also, these burn easily. I watch them carefully and bake until lightly browned...golden brown on top means the bottoms are too dark for me. See the photo for "lightly browned".

And then there is my very favorite sweet thang. Mancake. ;)

~Yummy~

See the other Tuesday Display Chain participants at: http://1890gablehousemusings.blogspot.com/

Until next time...

~Tuesday Display Chain~ Spring Florals

Each Tuesday Misi, of Gable House Musings, chooses a theme and invites bloggers to play along with her "Tuesday Display Chain". This week, at Old Lady Morgan's request, we are sharing how we accent our displays with Springtime florals, picks and vines.

Now admittedly, I have not done much in the way of Spring decorating. And typically, I go with dried or fresh flowers from the garden and roadside. But as luck would have it, I picked up a few silks and artificial things at the end of the season last year. So, here goes... 

 ~Aged cheesecloth and twine add a realistic touch to a bouquet of silk daffodils and white dogwood on the kitchen table. Daffodils are one of my favorite flowers. I was really quite taken with these...even the stems look real.~

 

~I've switched out a dark bonnet for a lighter one and added some "snowdrops" to the greens already in this wooden box. Instant Springtime!~

One of the things I found on clearance last year were these wonderful herb bundles. They look so real that I was amazed...the foliage is variegated and some leaves are even fuzzy-just like the real thing!

The faux herb bundles are fabulous for tucking in baskets, crocks or softening up a wood shelf or box.

~This little vine basket makes a perfect nest for my favorite spun cotton chicklet.~

~A pretty dogwood pick accents English Abbey transferware and a pair of dancing rabbits.~

~In the living room, silk forsythia and pussy willows surround gourd eggs nestle in a bed of natural flax.~

~A nest, a bowl and a chick, lend some color to a dark step-back cupboard.~

A hand carved jenny wren, makes it's home in an abandoned birds nest. The little ironstone pedestal bowl was a thrift store find. 

~Sometimes simple is still best. Creamy white tulips from Trader Joes, displayed in an old graniteware pitcher.

And for our hostess Misi...a little vintage foo foo. The old basket has faded silk and paper flowers woven around the rim, and I collect these old plush bunnies. I'm not sure why I find them so sweet and endearing. But that's a collection for another day.

See the other Tuesday Display Chain participants at: http://1890gablehousemusings.blogspot.com/

Until next time...

~Simply Primitives Sneak Peek~

We all know what happens to socks in the dryer. Now see what happens when they hang around my mending basket too long...

For sale on Simply Primitives. Hurry...two have already been adopted!

Hello, my name is Rhonda...

...and I'm a picker. As you saw in my last post, I love treasure hunting. And finding vintage treasure usually involves lots of time spent digging through thrift stores and garage & estate sales.

I bought this transferware, luncheon service for six, from a sweet lady on Craigslist this week. Red "isn't her thing"...fortunately, it's mine.

A few of you asked where I find so much good stuff...I thought I'd share some of my best pickin' tips.

1. Go often. You will have to devote some time to treasure hunting if you want to find the good stuff. You might get lucky on your first trip to Goodwill, but it's unlikely. As Ben Franklin once said, "Diligence is the mother of good luck." The harder I work at finding treasure, the luckier I seem to get. Eventually you will learn which days to stop in which shops, what neighborhoods to shop, and you will even develop an "eye" for the things you like. Speaking of Goodwill...their stores are OK, but personally I love the little church thrift shops. Better pickin', better prices, and the proceeds usually support local mission projects.

2. The early worm gets the yellowware/hutch/firkin/etc. If you aren't a morning person, become one. I am not naturally gifted in this area, but I have been known to be on the doorstep of an estate sale at 5:30am with a cup of coffee and a book. Behave yourself and no one will mind. 

3. Which brings me to...be polite. You don't need to grab, push or be obnoxious to get the goods. I'd rather leave empty handed than engage in rude behavior.

4. Be genuine and friendly. People like to talk and tell their stories...listen and be sincere. Don't try to get one over on people. It's icky and most people can sense it.

5. Don't be squeamish. Sometimes you will have to touch some grimy or unpleasant things...it's inevitable. Take along some hand wipes or carry a pair of work gloves with you.

6. Utilize the local newspapers for sales information.  I like to get the newspapers and plan my garage sale route based on time, what is offered and location. Also note the time sales begin and end.  Please respect people who say "no early birds"...they have probably been working for days to get ready for the sale and would like to sleep until 7 am.  

I found these 1958 princess phone key-chains in a tattered old box at a garage sale last summer. They were under a table where some of the less desirable items had been stowed. I had no idea what they were at the time...but when something is so darn cute, how could I go wrong? Let's just say I made a profit. My point? Look closely and look everywhere.

7. Utilize online sites like Craigslist.org, freecycle.org and estatesales.net. Subscribe to these sites and have notifications sent straight to your inbox. Get to know the estate liquidators...which companies have good prices, who does a great job...which companies should you avoid? Whether buying or selling, please keep folks abreast of your intentions...and for heaven's sake, respond to emails. If you make an appointment, please, keep it! I am stunned at the number of people who are no shows on Freecycle. They are being GIVEN something and can't be bothered to show up? Always be safe when making contact with someone you don't know. Meet in a public place or take someone with you...they can even wait in the car, but never go alone. I always let sellers know I have someone with me and that I will need to find an ATM to get cash. If something seems off, it probably is...leave immediately.

I just love the old calico, ringers and stenciled porcelains and have been trying to collect enough of these buttons to make a sampler. Thanks to a sweet Craigslist seller this week, I'm ready to begin. 

8. Talk to people...especially people who you are already buying something from. Tell them what you collect. Ask questions. They might have what you need...but you'll never know if you don't ask. Never be pushy or pressure someone to sell something they aren't ready to sell. If you're pleasant, they'll remember you when they are ready.

A friend of a friend called me when she was ready to sell her mother's button collection. She had heard that I like old buttons. I bought 800 of the loveliest buttons I've ever seen from her...and we both went away happy.

9. Be prepared. Fill up your gas tank the night before your pick. Fold down or take out seats in your vehicle if you need to. Make sure your cell phone is fully charged. Have a GPS or map of the area you're going to. Get up early and dress for success...wear comfy clothes & shoes.  Make a list with dimensions of things you are looking for and bring along a tape measure. Take a snack and plenty of coffee along. Know where the clean bathrooms are. Pack hand wipes.  Head out with a smile and be nice.

10. Be patient and enjoy yourself. Half the thrill is in the hunt. Cross you fingers and rub your rabbit's foot. Today may be your lucky day!

Happy hunting! Until next time...

~Tuesday Display Chain~ Bowls

Each Tuesday Misi, of Gable House Musings, chooses a theme and invites bloggers to play along with her "Tuesday Display Chain". This week we are showing off "bowls". 

I am a collector of bowls...big bowls, little bowls...bowls made of pottery, pewter, wood, china, glass...I love them all.  These are a few of my favorites...

~This tiny yellowware bowl was a garage sale find...just .25 cents. Isn't that great? OK, so here's the not so great part...see the spice box it's sitting on? Also a garage sale find...it was $10 and had the original finish-including stenciled drawer fronts. I thought it was ugly, and not that old...so I gave it a prim finish. Can you say young and stupid? Saw one just like it (before condition) in an antique shop for $150. *sigh* OK, moving on...~

~More garage sale bowls. Are you sensing a theme? My entire house is decorated in early garage sale.~

~I found this set of nesting yellowware bowls at the thrift store, four of them for $20. The two largest ones are pictured here on my $1 corner thingy. I think it might actually be a plant stand, but it works for me.~

~Red hutch full of primitive goodness~

~You guessed it...garage sale. Hutch, $50. Loading it into a minivan by myself, priceless.~

~Rowe pottery bunny, and a piece from my Dad's baby dishes, surround a wooden bowl filled with gourd eggs.~

~A redware bowl from Turtlecreek Pottery, a favorite gift from my Mother in love.~

~Wooden bowls rest on a dry sink.~

~A HUGE yellowware bowl from my grandmother. It measures 14" in diameter and makes a fabulous punch bowl.~

~An old trencher takes center stage in the buttery. The woman I bought it from said it was hand carved by her great-grandfather. I know...how could she sell it?~

~Vintage Pyrex, colorful and fun. And no, this photo isn't staged. I bake outdoors all the time.~

 

Not my style, but still...one of the prettiest bowls I've seen. 

It seems to me that one can never have too many bowls.

See the other Tuesday Display Chain participants at: http://1890gablehousemusings.blogspot.com/

Until next time...

~Giveaway Winners Announced~

Today was one of those doggone lazy dayz, dreary, overcast and only fit for napping. And that's exactly what my trusty assistants did. So I had to find another way to choose the giveaway winners. 

 ~You snooze, you lose.~

 In order to do things in a way that is fair & square, I assigned each person a number in the order they commented. Next, I used used the random number generator at Random.org to select three winners. And the winners are:

Wendy at Ravenwood Whimsies, you have won the primitive heart, framed silhouette and the spring issue of Mercantile Gatherings Magazine!

Becky Jean at Primitives n Stitchin', you have won the spring issue of Mercantile Gatherings Magazine!

Conni at Cabin Fever Primitives, you have also won the spring issue of Mercantile Gatherings Magazine!

Congratulations ladies, please send your mailing address to me at kattywhompusprimitives@gmail.com so I can get your prizes out to you!

 ~Did we miss something?~

Thank you to all who joined in the giveaway fun and most especially, thank you for your sweet comments! Until next time...

~Early Work Mercantile~Updated February 15th

See what I've been working on...Early Work Mercantile.

Until next time...