Beleek China - Finding Unknown Treasure

Yesterday I posted about Portmeirion Glass & Dinnerware.  Another item to be on the look for is Beleek China from Ireland.  Probably the most common pattern is their shamrock, but they have many others.  When visiting my sister  in Tennessee one summer I found a gorgeous Beleek Nautilus tea platter.  It had a shell texture to most of the plate that was an iridescent shell color and then a pale iridescent yellow color in the center.  See photo at left. I paid $2 for it.  It sold for a little over $20 on Ebay ... not killer profit, but not too shabby either.

Here is a link that will show you many photo examples of Beleek china.  Good hunting! :)
http://www.google.com/search?q=belleek+china+photos&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

Portmeirion Glass and Dishware - Finding Unknown Treasure

A while back a friend and I were at a regular yard/garage sale.  The lady's older neighbor had given her a dirty box of stuff to put in the sale, which she did not bother to unpack.  When I saw the boxes sitting on the drive I almost did not bother to dig through them, which would have been a mistake.

After digging through the dirty stuff I found two boxed sets of drinking glasses, four per box.  Each of the four had a different flower on them with their Latin name.  The boxes were intact, but rough and a little dirty.  I was not familiar with the brand name, but took a chance, paid $2 per box and brought them home.  When I checked them out on Ebay they were selling for around $50 a box.  They were Portmeirion Botanical Cooler glasses and quite collectible.  I sold both for near $50 each.  So, be on the look out for Portmeirion glass and dishware, and the moral of the story is, "don't be afraid or reluctant to dig through the boxes". :)

Woolen Blankets and such...

Went thrifting yesterday with my daughter at three of my favorite shops.  First stop I found a vintage Hudson's Bay 4 point wool blanket in very good condition.  I wasn't sure about buying it, but forked out the $3.50.  Upon returning home I checked Ebay and found one like it that sold for $120 on Dec. 17th.  Hope mine goes for that price.  It is currently listed.






Also found a china collectible plate from the Oldest Episcopal Church in Ohio.  It is also listed on Ebay.  Have never experimented with these types of collectibles, so not sure what to expect here.

And, I found a vintage Fruit of the Loom Blanet Cover/Duvet.  It had no stains and the only tear was a small one at one of the button holes.  I put it in my booth at the resell shop, which I will probably be closing in a month or two.  The clutter in my garage in the form of large pieces is getting to hubby and to me as well.  Plus, I really should not be wrestling around pieces of furniture.  So, back to Ebay only for me, which is fine.  No rent, no heavy furniture and, hopefully, less clutter ... we shall see.

How's your thrifting been going?  Any great finds and flips?

Floods and Frogs ...

We had a small flood before Thanksgiving which ruined the laminate floors in three rooms of our home. The flood was caused by a valve on our icemaker which failed.  Kitchen leaks can come from numerous locations ... dishwasher, sink plumbing, icemakers, etc..  So when my hubby saw these cute little guys online we purchased a pack.  They were a little too large to fit behind the frig, but we put one under the dishwasher and one under the sink.  They start making a noise when water is detected.  They are advertised today at http://www.woot.com/ for $12.99 plus $5 shipping ... worth the investment if it saves your floors.

Hope you are staying warm wherever you live.  Right now it is 26 degrees at 7:55AM in Central Florida. We are not snow bound, which is hardly a consolation.  Who wants to go out when it is that cold, especially with no snow in which to play.  Stay snug.

Leah :)

Family & Creative Gifts ...

Everyone was home, which made it a great Christmas!  With one married and two away in college I count my blessings when they are all here at the same time ... best Christmas present ever. :)

The guys started a game of monopoly while we gals finished some last minute shopping Christmas Eve day.  Kate's husband, Ben, took the spoils in that game, but Phil gave him a run for his money.

As per our Christmas Eve tradition we went out for a Chinese dinner, then back home to watch A Muppets Christmas Carol.  We had a repeat showing of How To Train Your Dragon before dinner as Kate and Ben had never seen it.  If you haven't seen it, do, it is a cute movie.

To bed by 11 as I needed to rise at 7AM to make dough for the candy cane coffee cake some of my family members love to have Christmas morning.  Hubby fell out of bed with me and we sleepily prepared the dough, which did not rise as it should so we did not have breakfast until after gift opening, which made it brunch at 11:30.  Everyone was famished by then.

My oldest daughter and I gave several vintage, thrifty gifts to my youngest daughter.  They included a floor lamp, metal mesh art trash can, German tins full of other thrifty finds and more.  She loved it.


Our pup received his traditional Christmas chew toy and enjoyed working on it as we opened our gifts.  He loves it when the whole family is in the same room together ... I guess it is the pack animal thing.  He is such a great pet, found at the pound, part chow and part golden retriever and possibly lab as well.  He looked like a Teddy bear when we got him and that is how he became our "Teddy".

Via Facebook I obtained pictures of the vintage Barbie doll house my older niece redecorated for her younger sister as a Christmas gift.  Check it out...

Complete with deck on top and stairs and...

it looks like a vintage Barbie at the sink...

Here's the bedroom...

and bathroom.  Great job, Claire! :)

Hope your Christmas was wonderful, spent with those you hold dearest and that your New Year is blessed in every way!

Much love,

Leah :)

Red Wednesdays at It's A Very Cherry World and A Vintage Coat

Check out Red Wednesdays over at http://suelovescherries.blogspot.com/ .  I'll be linking this post there to share our festive stockings and goodie gifts.

One of my very first posts was about these stockings.  My talented mother-in-law first made these in the 60's or 70's for her family, then continued the tradition as they married and had children.  Santa's face is knitted into the stocking as well as the individual's name.  There are also sparkly sequins added to Santa's beard, hair and cap ... and a pom-pom.  Thanks, Mom, for all your labors of love.

Also included in this post is a picture of a vintage faux fur coat I picked up at an estate sale for $5.  It is in great condition - the lining is immaculate and there are no holes, tears or stains on the outside.  Tag says it was made in The Netherlands and that the outer portion is 100% wool.  Somehow they made the wool look like fur.  The buttons are an amber-tortiseshell look.  Thinking of putting it on Ebay this week.  Think it would sell?

Hope you are enjoying the season with those you love and that you and yours have a Joyous Christmas and a very Blessed New Year!

Canadian Maple Leaf Cookie Recipe

Canadian Maple Leaf Cookies

(From Jan H. through Recipezaar.com)

Makes about 4 dozen

4 C all purpose flour               1C butter or marg., softened 
3/4 C packed brown sugar
2 t Cream of tartar
1 tsp. baking soda 
2 eggs

3/4 tsp. salt      1/2C real maple syrup (I used grade B for stronger flavor)

1 tsp. maple flavoring (not in original recipe, but I added for more flavor)

Measure all ingredients into a bowl.  Mix on low speed, scraping bowl
occasionally until well mixed.  Shape dough into ball; wrap with plastic
wrap.  Refrigerate dough one hour till easy to handle.  Preheat oven to
350 degrees.  Grease large cookie sheet (I did not do this and I used
a baking stone).  On lightly floured surface, with lightly floured rolling
pin, roll 1/3 of dough at a time 1/8 inch thick, keep remaining dough
refrigerated.  With floured 3 1/2 inch maple leaf shaped cutter, cut dough
into leaves.  Place cookies one inch apart on cookie sheet or use parchment
lined sheets.  Bake 10 minutes or until golden. (I baked 12 minutes on stone.)
With pancake turner, carefully remove to wire racks to cool.  Repeat until all
dough is used.  Store cookies in tightly covered container.

I frosted my cookies with a mixture of powdered sugar, melted butter, milk and
maple flavoring.  Can't tell you the measurements - maybe 1C sugar,
1-2Tbsp. butter, 1/2 to 1 tsp. maple flavoring and 1-2 Tbsp. milk.
Just add wet ingredients gradually till you get the right consistency.  Enjoy!  :)

Christmas Cookies, Presents and More

 Merry Christmas, Everyone!  Hope you and yours are having a beautiful Christmas season.  What are you doing to celebrate? 

Other than getting things back in order after having new floors installed, I have baked maple cookies, done some Christmas shopping (mostly online, Yay!) and spent time with family (my college kiddos are home for the holidays - double Yay!)








This year I am wrapping gifts as they arrive and putting them under the tree.  Waiting till Christmas Eve to wrap everything was crazy.  I used to do this to deter little fingers from exploring presents too early, but that made Christmas Eve a marathon for Mommy. So glad my family and I can enjoy looking at presents under the tree for the season and Christmas Eve will be more relaxed and enjoyable.

These Christmas plates are displayed year round in my dining area.  Their colors go with my decor so we get to enjoy looking at them all year long.  They are a Lenox pattern of which I have these two plates and one mug.  Even purchasing them at Marshall's at a discount is too expensive for me to justify having a whole set for one season.  This is enough for me.











Check out Goody Girl Red's idea for making beautiful Christmas ornaments from vintage costume jewelry at:

http://goodygirlred.typepad.com/goodygirlred/

Enjoy your Christmas, All!


Blessings,  Leah :)

Sweet Vintage Stocking

Finally went out to hit three of my regular thrift stores today.  It has been awhile since I have been able to thrift shop due to prepping for new floors and cleaning up afterward.  I will take pics of the finished product later to post.

Found the sweetest vintage felt Christmas stocking today.  Put it on Ebay and it immediately had a bid at $9.99.  I paid $1 for it.  Here's a pic of the little beauty ...

Isn't she cute?  She was stuffed full of cotton and had some pin holes in the back as though she had been used as decor only.

I also found this 1988 plastic Ziggy ornament.  It has a battery compartment on the back, so must have had an audio greeting or music.  Maybe it still works and just needs new batteries.  I put it on Ebay as is though.


















Also found this lady.  Think she is an Aunt Jemima type syrup pitcher in a gold color glass.  Think she is vintage, but not sure.  Anyone know?  Nothing is written on the bottom.

I also found two Christmas stockings, one was a denim cowboy boot and the other patchwork print with applique Santa and snowman.  Also found a gorgeous Christmas planter and some Christmas shapes baking pans, as well as another couple of ornaments.  These all went in my booth.  I should have taken pictures of them to post.

I'll be posting these at and joining the Thriftshare Monday belatedly over at Selena's here:
http://apronthriftgirl.typepad.com/apron_thrift_girl/2010/12/thrift-share-monday-december.html
and Linda @ Coastal Charm's Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays here:
http://linda-coastalcharm.blogspot.com/2010/12/nifty-thrifty-tuesdays-no41-its-great.html
Hope you are having a wonderful Christmas season so far!

Blessings,  Leah :)

Enjoy The Season ...

Wishing you and yours a wonderful Christmas Season!

White Chocolate Peppermint Candy

Several 14oz pkgs. ready to melt white chocolate, such as Wilton's Candy Melts in White

Several 16 oz bags Red Peppermint Crunch or Red & Green Peppermint Crunch (we buy these at D&G, as specialty store in the Orlando area)  or...

Soft peppermint sticks, crumbled, which I find at Cracker Barrel and some Drug Stores. Put them in a plastic freezer bag and crunch with a rolling pin.

Melt chocolate according to package directions.  Stir in desired amount of peppermint crunch or crumbled peppermint sticks.  Spread on wax paper-covered cookie sheet.  You may place in the freezer to speed setting.  Once set, break into individual servings with a knife.  It is bark so it does not have to be even ... kind of like peanut brittle.  Or, you may purchase candy molds and spoon mixture in them to set.  These do not have to be refrigerated.  However, do not store with other candies.  The peppermint is strong and will transfer.  Enjoy! 

(I have tried several times to adjust the font so that all is the same, but for some reason I am having no success at it.)

Buckeye Peanut Butter Candy

Buckeye Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Candy

• 1 1/2 cups peanut butter
• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 cups confectioners' sugar
• 4 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/4 - 1/3 bar parafin

In a large bowl, mix together the peanut butter, butter, vanilla and confectioners' sugar. The dough will look dry. Roll into 1 inch balls and place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet

      Melt parafin and chocolate chips separately.  Melt chips in microwave dish for one minute on high, stir and then heat at 30 second intervals, stirring in between till melted.  Melt parafin in pan on stove top on low just till melted.  Don't heat parafin too high or it will burn chocolate.  Once melted stir parafin into melted chocolate.

Roll balls around in chocolate with a fork and then place on wax paper covered cookie sheet.  When full, place sheet in freezer to set.  Candy must be store in the frig or freezer. Recipe makes about 100 pieces. Enjoy!

I'm joining the Linky Parties at: http://vintagejunkinmytrunk.typepad.com/vintage-junk-in-my-trunk/ and http://shabbyvintagejunk.blogspot.com/  Check it out.  They have some vintage give-aways to celebrate their  100th posts.  Congrats, Ladies! :)