Friday, March 26, 2010

The Tradition of Collecting Easter Items



I was very lucky to have been born to a woman who loved holidays to the max. My Mother was a farm wife. Work on a farm in those days was manual labor, a hard but rewarding life.

Every holiday was looked forward to as a big event. She was, a kid at heart, which is a trait of hers that I have thankfully inherited.

We lived in the mountains, below a church. Going to church every Sunday was a very short walk , so, one did not miss church.

But to be honest, my fondest memory of Easter is the way my Mother prepared for it. Yes, we had the huge meal...but, the tradition started with saving the egg shells. Instead of breaking the eggs we had for breakfast every morning, we would make a hole on one end, empty out the contents, then save the egg's shell...laying it on a rack in the summer kitchen to dry out. The week before Easter we would find a nice branch from a tree outside. Put it in a bucket of dirt ( we did not call it soil, we called it plain and simple, dirt ), bring it into the house. Dye the egg shells, string them, and hang them on the egg tree ( the branch found outside ). My Mother also made home made chocolate covered candy eggs. Big ones , trimmed in yummy colorful icing trim that were shaped like spring flowers...each had our name on them...in icing. This would be placed in a huge Easter basket ( the same basket for each of us, used every year )...the Easter basket also had a few penny toys from the 5 & 10. So, naturally, when I grew up, collecting vintage Easter was a must. I have shown a few Easter items from my collection for you to enjoy. Rather you celebrate Easter or not, the items are sure to bring a smile to your face. The images of vintage Easter are truly happy images. After all, Easter heralds Spring...when the flowers come back to life in full bloom and the gray trees with no leaves create the miracle of leaves vivid with color once again. To those of you who celebrate Easter, Happy Easter to you from me...to those of you that celebrate something else at this time of year, my greetings of Happy Spring to you too. The world is huge, we are small, let's all share this planet with the hope it will always renew every year with the lush vivid colors of Spring and the promise that miracles do happen.

Monday, February 15, 2010

Collecting Patriotic Colors for Your Home

I have always enjoyed looking at our American flag. My childhood home is above Fort Ritchie , which was once a camp for our servicemen. My husband is a retired Air Force Recruiter. Naturally, anything patriotic attracts us like a magnet. So, if you enjoy Patriotic items , but really do not know what to do with them, here are some suggestions. I have an old home with a foyer. The foyer is filled with items of Hagerstown ( where we live ), with Patriotic items mixed in. I installed a shelf above the archway to the next room. I placed an American flag on the shelf draping it over 2 old bicycle flag holders to create a swag. I added antique tins, a flag book, and I framed a sign using a piece of a flag for the back round. ( special mention, one should not cut a good flag ). If you live in home that has a stairway at the entrance, lucky you. Place patriotic theme prints along the wall going up the steps. The dowels to the banister is perfect to drape a flag, or to suspend interesting red white and blue items. I have an old showcase filled with old soldiers and other patriotic things. You do not need a show case to create the same affect. Instead of that set of china in your dining cabinet, fill that cabinet with the good ole red white and blue, put your dinnerware in the bottom closed door of the cabinet instead. Color welcomes the visitor, patriotic colors creates a tug at the heart..a proud tug. Put a blue and white gingham table cloth on your dining room table , a basket of flowers in the center and there you have it...a Patriotic collection to enjoy, and add color to your home at the same time. Remember, recycling is actually buying vintage and incorporating it into your home's decor. Buying collectibles is not just for the collector anymore, it is to enjoy using in your home. From me to you, let's wave that good ole Red White & Blue