Three or More Tuesday – Figural Salt and Peppers

Three or More Tuesday is sponsored by Tam at The Gypsy's Corner. Please visit her for more participating posts.

My three items today are whimsical salt and pepper sets I’ve gotten during the past several months. I didn’t plan to collect them, but was just charmed when I saw them -- and the price was right.

At the hospital guild thrift shop I found two tiny salt and pepper shakers at 10 cents each. They are ceramic red and green peppers. They are additions to my collection of ceramic fruit and vegetables, including salt and peppers.

From the consignment store I bought a pair of colorful birds -- woodpeckers. He is the pepper and she is the salt! Don’t they seem to be having a rather serious exchange?
At the thrift shop I found a pair of vintage penguin salt and pepper shakers with a luster finish.
They are in great condition, even with a bit of crazing.


I hope you enjoyed this little bit of whimsy. Thanks for visiting today. Please come back soon. I would enjoy reading your comment, and will visit your blog as well.

New Front Foundation Garden

This post is being linked to Metamorphosis Monday & Mellow Yellow Monday. My new front garden has all perennials, including yellow flowering ones.
Metamorphosis Monday, is hosted by Susan of Between Naps on the Porch. Go there for a listing of more transformations.


Visit the other posts at the Mellow Yellow Monday blog.

When I got home Sunday June 7 from a long weekend away to attend my niece’s high school graduation, the landscape service had taken down the overgrown shrubs at the front of the house. From two huge arborvitaes and two huge rhododendrons there was just a bare space at the front of the house.
Here is the front yard spring 2008 with the rhododendron in bloom. I wrote in May 2008 that I was having to say goodbye to the fertile shrub.

Here is how it looked at the end of last week with all the overgrown shrubs taken down.
On Friday June 12 the manager of my landscape service took me to a nursery in a nearby town, Northboro. I took photos of the plants in the back of his truck.
These are the plants we bought for the foundation border at the front of house
1 rhododendron - Rhododendron Chionoides
2 holly - Ilex x meserveae “Blue Angel”
2 boxwood - Buxtus sempervirens “Green Velvet”
2 wintercreeper (euonymus) - Euonymus fort. “Ivory Jade”
2 day lilies - Lilium asiatic “Tiny Bee”

At the house I took photos of the plant containers under the deck waiting for installation on Monday.
The two day lily plants were on the deck so I could enjoy them over the weekend.
Monday provided a whole new look to the front garden with varied green leaved plants and yellow flowers. Here the plant containers are set out keeping mind their growth habit, leaving space for increase in height and width.

They have all been planted. I had other photos but they included the landscaping personnel, and I didn’t ask permission to put them on the internet.

Rock stepping stones provide access to the faucet for watering and for the fuel oil delivery service.

Urns on the front steps provide more yellow flowers. Two urns hold yellow Pansies on the landing.
On the top steps a small urn holds MiniFamous Compact Safran Calibrachoa, which I bought at a plant stand on Thursday.


On the ledge beside the steps a planter holds Jane Bright yellow Marigolds and trailing Licorice plant, also from the plant stand.
It is quite a relief to have the front of the house all clear of the large shrubs. It makes the front of the house look so much better now. It has been raining most of the weekend and will continue all week. It will be great when we have a sunny day for outdoor exploring.
Thank you fir stopping by and looking at my new front garden. Do leave a comment

Please visit our two hostesses at the links above to see more transformations and mellow yellows.

Share a Garden Sunday – Developing a New Garden Bed

Late last Friday June 12 I got the idea of putting the two new Iceberg roses in a new bed under the bedroom window where I could see it close-up. A new bed was formed on Monday and the two roses planted I showed pictures on my Outdoor Wednesday post of the new bed which I decided should be white with blue.

Then on Thursday 6/18 I bought some white Wave petunias, White begonias and MiniFamous Compact Safran ‘Calibrachoa’ and Dusty Miller to add a silvery gray accent.
The Safran ‘Calibrachoa’ promises to provide an abundance of brightly colored blooms all season long.

I love the texture and form of begonias and the white ones are a favorite.

I've only got one dusty Miller planted because my back forced me to stop and go inside. Besides, it is very wet since it has been raining off and on. We're supposed to have rain every day this week.



Now I must look for blue plants to bring my idea for a blue and white garden to fruition. I want to plant some perennials as well as annuals.

In the meantime, a terracotta planter with purple petunias and coleus adds some color to the developing garden bed.

Tomorrow I will post about the brand new front garden.
Visit Color Outside the Lines to enjoy more shared gardens.

Cloche Party Showing Belleek

Marty39 at A Stroll Thru Life is having a cloche party today, Friday June 19. Here is her invitation: "So, ok ladies, let's dig out all those cloches, apothecary jars and whatever you have and decorate them and show us what all you create, where you use them and let's all get inspired. Use what you have and join the party."


A cloche is a great way to highlight one object under glass. It also works well as the focus of a vignette. Having decided to share some of my Beleek china, I am also linking to the very talented Kelli’s Show and Tell Friday





I have only one real cloche and it is on the small side. It is Princess House Crystal "Heritage", with the etched floral decoration. The little bird on top is a charming note.


My vignette inside the cloche features the Belleek "Tridacna" yellow cup and saucer. It has the Green 5th mark, from 1955-65. What I really like about Belleek Parian china is its softly shimmering color and it delicacy. Shell pieces like this are light and translucent.
Inside the cup a couple pearl sprigs add a delicate touch.

It is set on the 10 ¼" Belleek Cake Plate. It is Brown mark Parian porcelain with light yellow highlights.

Also included at left is a Belleek Small Bowl at 5" diameter. It is also Brown mark Parian porcelain with light yellow highlights. Displayed inside are a few tiny sea shells that I've collected at various beaches.

On the right side is a Belleek Shell-shaped Plate. At 6" X 5" it is Green mark Parian porcelain with light yellow highlights.

I hope you enjoyed viewing my cloche and Belleek Parian items. Please visit again soon. I would enjoy your comment.

Be sure to go over to marty39 at A Stroll Thru Life to view all the creative uses of cloches.

Vintage Book for Literary Doll

Well, here we have another post on literary dolls. In a previous post we met Linnea, Madeline, Raggedy Anne, and American Girl Addy, and in a second post, Alice in Wonderland.

Today the literary character is the young Swiss girl, Heidi. My doll is by Effanbee from the 1980’s. She is 11" tall and has on a navy blue dress with tiny white flowers, with a pinafore over her dress, and a kerchief over her head. Her petticoat and bloomers are white and her shoes are black.
Her long blonde hair is braided and tied with red ribbons which echo the red hearts on her pinafore.
She sits in a doll-size Windsor chair.
Here is a vintage copy of the book, Heidi by Johanna Spiryi, which I found at the community thrift store. The cover is yellow printed in navy blue.

The book was published by International Readers League, New York in the year I was born, following World War II.

The edition is part of The Child’s Classics series.

Aside from the color frontispiece opposite the title page, painted by Anne Anderson,

there are no illustrations in the book. This makes it seem that, though a child’s classic, it was written for adult use. So, I’ll have to be on the lookout for a child’s edition, don't you agree?

It was good to have you visit today. Please come again soon. Leave a comment if you wish.
See more Vintage Thingies Thursday posts listed by Suzanne at Coloradolady.