Monday, April 16, 2007

Views from my kitchen counter and family room

I believe I mentioned this on the day I decided to use the pretty cut glass pitcher as a holder for my teaspoons. I had purchased it at a thrift store last year, it has been sitting tucked back (safely) on a shelf in my kitchen cabinets since then...until the day I saw a similar pitcher holding teaspoons in a magazine. Wallah!! Beautiful... It took about thirty seconds to locate the pitcher and place my teaspoons in it, set it on the kitchen counter near my coffeepot and "tea stuff"...and the rest is, as they say...history.

I can't tell you how handy it has been to have my teaspoons in that location. It's also pretty to look at. What started as a problem (having lost at least half the teaspoons in my silverware set over the years), turned into something quite pretty (the collection of pretty teaspoons from thrift stores). The cut glass pitcher is just a tiny bit larger than one would use for cream. I placed it next to the one-cup teapot to give you an idea of the size.

This type of serendipity "decorating" is why I love to look through decorating magazines (as well as Tea Time and others). How often I've had that happen, either I have something similar I can use or the idea gets tucked away in my mind where it later takes bloom at a thrift store, garage sale, or flea market.


The "side table" next to a rocking chair is actually two vintage picnic baskets stacked on top of each other. You can't see it clearly but the container holding the greenery is a vintage metal bake pan. I used to use the larger picnic basket all the time for...picnics! Now both of my regular picnic partners have grown up but we had some lovely times with our "loaf of bread, jug of wine (juice or sodas, actually), and thou" picnics. :) The rocking chair is the one that sets out on my front porch in warmer weather.


Here's a little bit of a closeup of the two picnic baskets. The small baker's rack was a $5.00 purchase from a garage sale many years ago. I used to have a rather large collection of bears but these are the favorites I have kept, along with three others on a stand in the main bathroom. This disposable camera isn't too clear but I think you can get an idea of what they look like. Most are "Boyd's Bears" that were either purchased or were given as gifts in more, uh..."favorable to such purchases"...financial years. :)

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Brenda ~ I enjoyed seeing your baker's rack and all your treasures. $5 is a great deal! I have one that's filled with houseplants in our nook window.

But my eye spotted right off your wire chicken basket on the floor beside the baker's rack. Was that a family hand-me-down or thrift shop find? I have one my aunt gave me, and I have it hanging on one of those wrought iron S hooks on a wooden dowel that's attached to my spice cabinet. Did you see the recent article (either this month or last) on chicken baskets in Country Living magazine? Very interesting and very antique collectible.

Thanks for sharing your view and treasures.

Brenda@CoffeeTeaBooks said...

No, I didn't see that! I'll have to check my library copy.

I have the bigger wire chicken there and then a small one on a table on my front porch. I believe both came from garage sales along the way!

The larger wire chicken has "roosted" in various spaces in my home. :)

Laura Talbert said...

Brenda, you have inspired me! I have several 'spare' creamers that would be just right for holding little spoons to stir my coffee with. (I do not call them teaspoons as they are actually old baby spoons:)
Thanks!

TheNormalMiddle said...

It is all so lovely and inviting!

Elizabeth said...

Hi Brenda,
So very pretty.
Hugs,
Elizabeth

Lallee said...

Very nice displays, Brenda. I love the spoons in the pitcher~so welcoming for a spot of tea or coffee.

Candy said...

Love your bears :)