I'm still alive!

It's been crazy busy around here. I've been doing a lot of trumpet playing and running around with the kids. We put in a pond at our house too (more about that later!) And MaryDeluxe came for a visit and we are hatching a plan to take over the world...(shhh- you didn't hear that...) I've totally neglected the blog and I hope there are still some folks following me!

I did find some good stuff lately. It's been way too hot for yard sales but the local flea market was going strong last time I was there and I found something I've been looking for for a while.

A spaghetti lamp! I've actually wanted one of these to hang like a swag lamp, but this is a floor lamp with two globes. I may separate one into a hanging lamp (should be easy) but then again I may keep it as-is. The pole part is in rough shape; it would have to be painted to use it. I know these sometimes go for crazy prices online, so I'm tempted to resell it since it was only $10! What do you all think? 

As my kids are getting old enough to understand geography, I'd been wanting to get a vintage globe to show them other places around the world. When I sell something overseas in my Etsy store it is neat to be able to show them where the package is going. I've seen some globes here and there, but nothing really old or interesting. The holy grail as always a light-up one, and.....

... ta da! I found one! 

Thanks to my friend who is cleaning out her mother's house (same one as in the Giant Lamp) I got to go over and get a sneak peak at some of the furniture they're going to get rid of. Hopefully those will pan out in the future, but I got to take this globe home with me today. I think it's from about 1949/50, because Alaska and Hawaii are both states, but Korea is still one country. I love love love this and even my husband agrees that it's a keeper- which is a rare thing indeed!

Some recent flea market finds

Just because I've been really busy doesn't mean that I don't make time to shop! I've been going to yard sales and the occasional flea market in search of great treasures for the shop. (Even though I've been neglecting my shop something terrible these days, I have still been buying stock. Just have to list it!)

It's yard sale season around here and I have probably been to a few dozen over the past couple of weeks. But it is getting harder to find good stuff, definitely. Most of the time it's cheap modern junk and when I do find some vintage it's often overpriced. *sigh...* I guess we're too trendy! :)

The only real good thing I found at a yard sale was this:

A 1940s Bakelite weather station for $2. It works great; I've been wanting one of these for a long time, but didn't want to buy a new one. This one has style! We actually use a barometer quite a bit for fishing; it's usually not even worth going if its over 30 (as it is today!) 

I actually bought the weather station at the same estate sale as the Giant Lamp- they've been having a yard sale about every 2 weeks trying to get the place cleaned out. I bought a couple more items of clothing there, but that was the only yard sale I went to that I even bought anything at.

We also have a weekly flea market here that even though it's close, is quite hit-or-miss as far as quality goes. I hadn't been yet this year, but I'm glad I stopped by this weekend. 

I found this great vintage tablecloth. I don't think I've ever seen a palm tree-themed one before, so I snapped it up for $3. (I don't care that it's 54" square and doesn't fit my table. :P)

I love vintage aviation stuff, especially flight bags. I found this one from BOAC (now known as British Airways) from the 60s. I had to have it for $3, and it's a keeper. I know I need to sell some of this stuff, but not this- it's the perfect size for overnights and is just so classy. I have a vintage plaid flight bag that I actually take as a carry-on when I fly; its amazing how much I can fit in it and how it always makes people smile when they recognize it. Same deal with this one!

Just checking in!

Hi all, been super busy these last couple of weeks- been doing lots of trumpet playing, plus inching toward closing on a mortgage refi next week, plus building a pond in the backyard = no time for blogging!

But in the meantime, enjoy this little video clip from the Johnny Cash show, featuring Al Hirt and Guido Basso:

Thrifted Thursday: Swan Lake

And just when I thought my love affair with paint-by-numbers was over, these came into my life!

I fell head over heels for these. They're very nicely done and a large size, plus they come as a set. Luckily for me I had my son (aka 'Eagle Eye') along on my thrifting trip yesterday. I picked up the one with the swans and thought for about 2 seconds whether I was going to purchase it or not, and while I was doing that he noticed the other one in the bin. Sold! (For $6 each.)

I've started collecting vintage landscape paintings to decorate the hallway up at the cabin. I saw the idea in some magazine where a lady did the same thing- just filled the stairway floor to ceiling with paint by numbers of horses. It turned out great, and I'm envisioning the same up there but with landscapes.

I don't know what it is about p-b-n's, but I have always loved them. Maybe it's the thought of an amateur trying so hard to get it right or the definition of the lines of color, but I have a bunch of them. I could very easily cover a whole wall with them and I just might!

Rednesday: Vintage tablecloth

Joining a Rednesday link party today. Not something I've ever really done much of, but I happened to have this great new tablecloth and wanted to share it.

I bought it at a recent rummage sale for $4. I've never seen another like it, with the bold colors and Asian graphics. If you'd like to see some more of my collection of vintage printed tablecloths, I've written about it here: http://practiceintime.blogspot.com/2011/02/susieqt-collects-printed-tablecloths.html

I found the link party through Pam at Virginia Retro (a great blog for vintage tablecloth lovers) but the party is hosted here if you want to join.

Make it from Scratch Monday: Rhubarb Jam

I have an abundance of rhubarb this year- every couple of weeks I cut about 10 pounds of it from our established patch at the cabin, plus I have a young plant here at the house that is producing a bit this year. I have used it fresh, frozen it, canned it- you name it, I have done it this year.

The one thing I did want to try was making rhubarb jam. I haven't bought supermarket jam in years; it is so easy to make your own. If you have never done any canning, this is probably the easiest way to start. Last summer I made peach jam and a bushel of peaches made close to a dozen pints, so I knew I would get plenty out of the rhubarb. Here's a tutorial on raspberry jam as well.

I was hoping to find a recipe that was a little different than straight rhubarb jam, so I looked to one of my fave food bloggers and found this one: http://www.foodinjars.com/2010/04/april-can-jam-rosemary-rhubarb-jam/ with rosemary and lemon zest. I love rosemary and always have some fresh on hand, so that sounded good to me.

Her yield was 3 half pints from 4 cups chopped rhubarb. Since my 10 pounds would yield substantially more than 4 cups, I had to increase the proportions. This can be very problematic with jams and jellies, because the larger the batch, the more difficult it is to get a good set. I was originally hoping to find a recipe without added pectin, but once I saw the proportions I figured I should add some to make sure.

I ended up with close to 12 cups chopped rhubarb, so added about 7 cups sugar (just thinking about it makes my teeth hurt, but rhubarb always needs a lot of sugar) one lemon's worth of zest, and a few sprigs of fresh rosemary.

Chop the rhubarb. Make sure you use only the stems, as the leaves of the plant are poisonous. 

Put the rhubarb in a stock pot with the sugar. Allow it to sit (without turning it on) for about half an hour until the sugar starts to liquefy.

Add rosemary sprigs and any other seasoning (I also threw in some whole coriander). 

Cook for 30-45 mins until the mixture begins to look like jam, but not real thick.

Add one envelope of pectin and stir while boiling for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and add lemon zest.

Fill clean warm jars, leaving about a half inch of headspace. I removed the large sprigs of rosemary, but didn't go to any great lengths to remove the smaller bits. (My family will no doubt complain about "pine needles" in the jam, LOL)

Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes.

Remove from the water and listen for the seals to set. My yield was 5 pints, plus two smaller jars for gift giving.

I spread it on some fresh rosemary-olive oil sourdough bread I made the same day. I was really busy in the kitchen that day, but it was so worth it! The jam came out really well- the rosemary flavor is very subtle and the lemon zest very bright. If I make this again, I might use only half the lemon zest. Rhubarb has a very citrus-y flavor as it is, so I'm not sure it's even necessary to add the lemon.

Thrifted Thursday: Time for a Picnic!

School's out and it's time for picnics in the park!

I found this great old biscuit tin while out thrifting last week. It's plenty big for sandwiches and snacks for four. In fact, I already used it to take to WWII weekend Saturday. It was only $3 and in great shape, except for some wear on the lid. But no rust!

The Skotch Jug cooler is one of my favorites. I thrifted it years ago and it has been on every picnic since! It's the old style with the glass lining so it doesn't absorb any odors. (Remember how your Thermos used to smell back in elementary school? Yeah, me too- like it was yesterday. ;)