Sylvia's Simple Shots

This week was a time to remember those who served, fought and paid a price for the freedoms I enjoy.

I have uncles and those closer than that who served to protect our country.

I am so blessed and appreciated what I have.

I have been looking for a container to hold my unPaperTowels.  These are pieces of fabric that I can use around the house that will clean up messes that I would have used a disposable paper towel.  These then can be laundered and returned to be used many other times.  Saves trees.

A Dollarama purchase with is exactly 10 inches wide and 5 inches across which is what a unPaperTowel measures folded in half.  

Perfect!

I had this book on my night stand for a while.

I bought at the Thrift Store because it was J R R Tolkien.  I read the basic story which was good but there is lots of background stuff.

This is a edit by Christopher of his fathers writings and I just did not want to read about when the stuff was written, how much was kept, how much was rewritten and changed.

I will put it with the other J R R Tolkien books and lit it sit.

I repaired some of my reusable bags this week.  These are not made to last in some cases.  This one is very good but the inside seams needed to be finished so they would stop unravelling and leaving tiny red threads every time I used

it.

The manufacturer put a seam at the top of the handles where the most strain is placed.  Of course, that is silly.

The hems were keeping the handles from falling apart completely so I wrapped a piece of poly/cotton fabric around the top of each handle and sewed them securely.

This will be in service for a few more years.

This bag was one I collected at the ReUse center to bring my goodies home this week.  

The handles hand become disconnected even before I got home.  I thought I will just sew them back on.  Upon further examination the handles just disintegrated as I tug on them to test the strength.

Fortunately, a few weeks back I found some webbing for $1 so I was able to give this bag new handles for a song.

This bag is made of much light material because it is meant to fold up in a small pouch.

I was fortunate to bring home some poly/cotton scraps from the ReUse Center this week and they match perfectly.

I added a bottom to the bag which had 1 hole worn into it from dragging.  The handles are a little long. 

The seams had to be reinforced on the inside to ensure they did not unravel.

I added a strip of fabric around the top edge as well where the handles are attached to the bag.  At least the handles are one piece unlike the other. 

I am so glad the fabric matched so well.  Back into the grocery bag collection.

I found this very cute ceramic tree at the arts and crafts store last week. You can see that it is meant to be an ornament but is is way too heavy for that purpose.

I thought it would work well with my small Nativity Sets.  It is a bit small for this set but will work well for the smaller one.

I have a few bottle brush trees as well that fit this purpose.

It is super cute and it was on sale 50% so I could not leave it behind.

This is a glass ornament which opens and you can put something inside.

I used to have one but it broke a couple of years ago.  I am glad I was able to replace it.

It's that time of year.

A few people I know put up their Christmas Tree the Remembrance Day weekend.

My wall Christmas Tree will not go up until after December 1st.  My crafting projects are caught up and I have Christmas cards to do so I should be ready in plenty of time.

Antique Mall Visit

I made a visit to the Antique Mall yesterday in search of some cool stuff and a few photos.

Found this Royal Doulton Toby Jug called the Poacher 1954.  There were several of them and they were well displayed.   At a price of nearly $50 I'm not sure how soon it will leave the shelf.

My Macro Monday challenge was green do I took a photo of these vintage salt and pepper shakers.  They were within the 3" limit.

These certainly are from the 50s or 60s and very classic shape and color.  The gold accents are really nice.

I ended up with another photo abstract from the Mall you can check out here.

I found the Lady Teddy all dressed up for a day on the town.   Her leopard print outfit I am sure is all the rage.  Pearls around her neck and a feather boa to finish off her outfit.

I love the button on her hat. 













Speaking of halts I found this gorgeous ladies felt hat in a light grey.  Very well done. Elegant and stylish.

There was a good variety of vintage glass Christmas Tree Ornaments in a variety of conditions. 

I noticed a lot of pink ones.  The trees used to display them also came in different styles.

This is my mosaic for sharing.

Mosaic Monday #2 hosted by Angie at Letting Go of the Bay Leaf.

Breakfast - This Week

I received this mug for Christmas.  It features a Chickadee on this side and a Cardinal on the other.  I received the coasters and tea towels as well.  The red one matches the tablecloth really nicely.

They are part of the Cardinal Collection from Northern Reflections.





I created a center piece for the table with three mercury glass pieces.  I placed the tree, a bottle with a pick of Christmas greenery, and a fluted ornament on a gold large charger plate.  I added a large pine cone for contrast to the sparkle. 




The centerpiece was added to a handmade table runner.  This one features black, gold, silver, and grey.  The grey and black coordinates well with the colors in the mug.   It`s they are put together offset which creates a wavy design.

I had grapefruit, rye toast with peanut butter and a small sweet square.  I received the grapefruit knife from a friend who no longer eats them.
The knife is marked H. Morton Sheffield Make from stainless steel.
I chose a pointed teaspoon to make the removal of section easy. 






This is an overall view of the table this morning.  I am enjoying my white IKEA building background.

I have added some wooden block buildings which I bought recently.

The mug holds Masala Chai tea with some honey and cream.

Sharing with Bernideen on her Friends Sharing Tea link up.

Share Your Cup #112

These are crystal tree ornaments for our Christmas Craft sale in November.

They are octagon chandelier crystals connected with brass wires and measure about 3 inches. I have added some gold organza ribbon hangers to make them easier to hang on the tree.

They will make any tree sparkle and shine during the Christmas season.

I made sixteen which I will donate to raise funds for mission work.

This was lunch today featuring fresh garden tomatoes from my Mom's garden. 

I toasted two slices of multi-grain bread. 
I then added some old cheddar cheese and melted it under the broiler.
I sliced a nice fresh tomato which I layered onto the slices and seasoned them with salt, pepper and a bit of greek seasoning. 
The sandwich was placed on a blue glass plate which is Luminarc France - Avon Royal Sapphire glass.
I had cup of Masala Chai tea in a nice yellow mug which coordinated with the charger plate. 

I finished this book Maeve Binchy - Scarlet Feather this week.  My aunt passed it onto me recently and it was an excellent read.

I will have to check out some of the other titles by this author.  She passed away in 2012 at the age of 71 and she had written 37 titles I believe.



Tea tonight was decaf Earl Grey with a few chocolate cookies.

The tea cup is Countryside in blue by Wedgewood.  The saucer for the teacup was not included when I purchased the plates from the thrift store so I substituted a plate white saucer.   The white tea pot by Stokes is just right for evening tea.

I'm working on a macro photo for a challenge on Flickr.  We have to take a photo of an object on a mirror.  I've not done that before so I'm taking some practice to get a great shot.

Here's is a teardrop crystal from a chandelier on a mirror.  We cannot include the edges of the mirror.  I will have to search the web for samples.

Sharing with Carol at Art and Sea for Share Your Cup #112.

Share Your Cup #204

My collection of white porcelain tea cups is growing.  I found 2 cups from Stokes at Goodwill for a $1 each.  They are a pure white color, have a bit of texture and present very elegantly.  I filled it with Jade Citrus Mint green tea.  I will be getting rid of my Mikasa ones which don't have saucers.
Check out this post for my last tea cup bargain.

This is a wonderful hand blown glass ball.  It has a wonderful glass hanger at the top.  The outside is iridescent, multi colored and textured.  Shining a light through it reveals wonderful colors.  It's a wonderful beautiful thing and I look forward to having the sun shining through it in the mornings.

This is a tea caddy spoon.  What is it?
A caddy spoon is a spoon used for measuring out the dried form of tea leaves, that are commonly called tea. Traditionally made of silver, they were in common use in the 19th century, when tea was a more expensive commodity. Tea was sometimes stored in elaborate boxes or containers called tea caddies, and these spoons were made to be used with such containers.  I think it's silver plate but with no marks it's impossible to tell. 
This was an extra in a bag of stuff from a second hand store so I'm thrilled that it is a tea related item.  It has Australia etched in the bowl and the Harbour Bridge Sydney on the emblem.

This mystery piece of glass showed up this week.  It was free and undamaged.  It has wonderful colors in it, such as teal and copper.  I have put a tea light on the inside to show of the colors. 
The mystery is what is it?  It has 2 holes on the side which have been drilled.  Why?
It could be a vase but then the hole don't make sense,










it could be a pot which may explain the holes if suspended by some sort of string,
it works as a tea light holder.  Do you have any suggestions or ideas as to it's purpose?  Leave me a comment.

I bought myself a nice bowl for salad.  I eat a lot of vegetable salads during the summer.  I have been eating it from plastic bowl from the dollar store.  Today that changes.  The old one heads out to the second hand store and this nice glass bowl takes it's place.  Eating should be a pleasure and a nice bowl will make it so.  It can also double as a serving bowl when entertaining.  It's just an elegant simple bowl which will wash up nicely after being used.
Love it.






Sharing with Carol at Art and Sand for Share Your Cup #204.

Share Your Cup #202

I bought these molds this week because they were yellow and I did not have any of them in my Tupperware collection.  As you can see by the second photo I have been duped.  These are not Tupperware!! But very good copies.  The color is great so they will stay.

I thought I would post an update to my herb garden in a pot.  They are growing. The dill in the centre and the cilantro are doing well.  The very skinny chives in the back are going to be a long while before I see something I can eat.  The other on the left is basil which is quite a bit behind as well.  I don't have the natural talent my mother and sister have.  I will be patient.

I recently came across a large collection of these glass ornaments in red, blue, white, silver and glitter.  They are the same size as others I  had to I decided to keep a few to supplement my photos in future particularly during the holidays.  I will be sending the rest to the second hand store for the next person to think they are cool!

Peeling paint on the side of a sea container parked at a construction site during my walk this week.  I like to have a variety of textures to use as backgrounds in my projects and the color was just right.

I'm working on owls for one of my calendar projects so I have researched a lot of patterns on-line to see what I would like to make.  This is the closest I have found but it needs some changes to fit my idea so I will get the pencil out and start redrawing it.  Keep an eye for the project later on this year. 

Linking with Sharing Your Cup #202 hosted by Carol at Art & Sand.

Mosaic Monday - Stills & Tea

While under the weather recently I decided that I would change from my regular Rooibios Chai with cream to a tea with no cream.  I found Jade Citrus Mint from Teavana which is a green tea that I could drink with just a bit of honey.  It is delicious.

I selected a clear glass cake stand onto which I placed some glass ornaments. The collection includes matte white pine cones & shiny round balls, matte silver balls, pearl hearts, and mercury glass stars.

I continue to set up tea related stills.  I have reorganized my storage of table setting materials so I can see them all at once.

I chose the white lacy edge tray, the navy tea pot with 2 of the matching cups, a yellow vase with sunflowers and a yellow candle on a mercury glass holder.

Submitting to Mosaic Monday hosted by Judith at Lavender Cottage.