Summer Sweet Peas

Hi Everyone

 Happy Wednesday

♥

Today we picked the very last of the

 sweet peas from our garden

So grateful we still have flowers blooming 

so late in the summer 

especially with all this heat

{Love}

their delicate petals and beautiful colors

but of coarse

 the best part is their fragrance 

 so

 fresh and feminine

I placed them in a 
 vintage white ironstone
 creamer next to 

   our newly found vintage turquoise oar 

A fun salvaged find from our walks

on the bay 

someone was going to burn it for a bonfire on the 4th of July

 I  quickly rescued it from the fire pit

It was just too pretty to burn

 The Oar has just the right amount of

 chippy shabby charm that comes from days in the summer sun

~Pretty Summer Colors~
You know what they say......
One persons fire log is another persons vintage chippy treasure
linking for
White Wednesday

romantic saying for today
 

"You called me and I came home to your heart"
Robert Browning

♥
Pam

Vintage Monograms

 Hi Everyone

 Happy Monday

♥

Did you know that during the 1800-1900's

cloth napkins were reused by the same person for an entire day...
or even a week

Because napkins had to be hand washed , hung outside to dry and then ironed,
 they were reused for
 breakfast, lunch and dinner
The used cloth napkin would be rolled in a
monogrammed napkin ring at the ready
 for the next meal

 Every person in the family had their own monogrammed napkin ring
 so the cloth napkins were not used by someone else

Each Napkin ring had its own unique detailing
 some had filigree on the edges
 some were embellished with flowers
The silver had to be polished too unlike here at our home
LOL

These vintage silver napkin rings tell a story of the past

A time of elegance

{Love}
 our bling
napkin rings

 We are all grateful we do not have to re-use the same cloth napkin
 for every meal or for a week at a time...

 {Love}
 to use them for special occasions

♥

romantic saying for today

"Your Love is as pure and sweet as honey"
unknown


♥
Pam

Vintage Shopping Test # 10

Hi Everyone

 Happy Saturday

♥

Are you ready to test 

your vintage shopping skills again?

Vintage perfume bottles are quite unique

It always surprises me that the perfume was transferred into a different bottle

Most of the perfume we buy today

 already comes in pretty bottles
Perfume bottles are so feminine and romantic they
are so fun to collect

Here is the first perfume bottle it is so adorable 

with its pink daisy flowers and  white polka dots

it has a pretty silver stopper too

The second perfume bottle is all glass including the glass stopper

and  it has very beautiful  curvy details

One of these perfume bottles is brand new and the other one is vintage 

Do you think you know the answer?

 Both of these perfume bottles are unique and beautiful

 but the real vintage treasure is the second perfume bottle

the one on the right

 It is all glass with a art deco design and is a real vintage treasure

How did you do

Did you guess right?

Does anyone know what these pink/purple flowers are called?

  linking for Pink Saturday

romantic saying for today

"My true love hath my heart and I have his"

Sidney

♥

Pam

Dining Alfresco

Hi Everyone

 Happy Friday

♥

  This summer has been hot even here in Southern California
We have been dining alfresco to keep cool
dinners have been lighter fare mostly salads and fruit

Spinach salad with  freshly  picked strawberries
 from the garden and sliced almonds
yummy

♥

 Fresh bread 
 { thank you trader joes}
and a few apples from our tree 
with a variety of cheese

♥

All ready to go
onto the table outside

Eating outside reminds us of our  trips to France
 they dine alfresco with such ease
for some reason eating outside makes us slow down 
we don't rush
we savor the moment
 and the the meal

{Love}

To smell the freshly cut grass
  to feel the evenings cool breeze

It is always fun to add a few cut flowers from the garden
light the candles
 add a little romance to the evening.....

How are you staying cool this summer?
linking for
My Romantic Home
Feathered Nest Friday

 romantic saying for today

"Two souls with but a single thought "
Halm


♥
Pam

Bakelite Vintage Treasure

 Hi Everyone

 Happy Wednesday
♥

Sometimes when  shopping
 for vintage treasures

I am surprised at what is found or what seems to find me

   Many of you have asked me about this Bakelite

 light switch cover 
which says
~God Bless Our Home~
♥

It is a vintage treasure that literally fell into my lap
we were shopping  in Texas
 I was looking at cowboy boots
 I grabbed a pair off a high shelf and then sat down to try the boots on
 I turned the boot over and the cover fell onto my lap
I took one look and
sighed
This treasure quickly found a place
in my heart
♥
and now it is in our Home
It is one of my favorite vintage treasures
The seller could not figure out where this treasure came from
or how it got into the boot
He just gave it to me!!!!!

{Love}

 it felt like it found me somehow
and it is right where it belongs
Have you ever had a vintage treasure seem to find you too?
linking for White Wednesday

romantic saying for today

"Love is the master key that opens the gates of happiness" 
Holmes 


♥
Pam

Peaceful Life

Hi Everyone

 Happy Tuesday

♥

The past few days we turned our television off

We don't watch much television anyway 

so it is not a big sacrifice for our family 

Ok...
 we can tape our favorite shows

 {TIVO}

 so it is not a sacrifice at all really plus when shows are taped

 we can fast forward through the commercials 

{LOVE}

watching a one hour show in 25 minutes LOL

Every summer our family takes a TV vacation

We all reconnect 

talk face to face 

play cards and board games ,take walks, hold hands

We garden, arrange flowers,eat, have a fire in the fire pit, roast marshmallows

laugh and talk some more

The first year this happened by accident

 The power in our neighborhood went out and we had to make and eat dinner by candlelight 

{this is when we decided to build the fire pit in the backyard}

It was so much fun

the rhythm of our lives changed
for a few days

We did not know what time it was 

Life was peaceful 

 When the power came back on we were all

surprised at

how loud everything seemed 

We had enjoyed the quiet

Every year it seems we all like our tv vacation 

even more than the year before

There is a renewal of togetherness and communication 

that we are all grateful for

It was fun while it lasted 

I am already looking forward to next year.......

romantic saying for today

"Dost thou love life?Then do not squander time for that is the stuff life is made of"

Benjamin Franklin

 

♥

Pam

Vintage Wedding Cake Topper

 Hi Everyone

 Happy Monday
♥

With a Wedding in the family happening

 in a few weeks we all have what I am calling

~Wedding fever~

It is amazing how much goes into planning  a destination Wedding

 especially on a Island

everything has to be brought in by boat or plane

 the logistics has been like landing a stealth bomber
 on a mini aircraft carrier

 Being a born romantic 

{Love}

everything about Weddings

Above is a picture of the wedding topper my Parents had on their wedding cake
It got broken a few years ago and we put it back together as best we could can you see the cracks?

Here they are
on their wedding day in 1955

 Their Wedding cake topper
makes me smile because as you can see both of my Parents had dark hair
 and this couple has blonde hair?
so funny
I am so grateful to have this family  treasure 
♥
Vintage Cake toppers are a popular treasure to collect
♥
The soon to be Bride and Groom are trying to decide 
 what to put on top of their Wedding cake

via

The flowers on the top of this Wedding cake
 look simple and gorgeous

{Love}

 the ivy and pink roses
but what if you want to keep the topper as an heirloom?

via

This rustic adorable grapevine heart would be cute
 for a garden country Wedding

via 

{Love}

 this simple wire heart too
We need ideas for the cake topper
for the upcoming Wedding
I would {Love} to hear from YOU
 what did you have on the top of your Wedding Cake?
I will show you soon  what we had on the top of our Wedding cake
hint...
it started a lifelong collection

romantic saying for today

"Today I give my heart to you and only you forever"
Chandler

♥
Pam

Pretty Paint Colors

Hi Everyone

 Happy Saturday

♥

 I am so sorry to all of you who have been trying to visit

 ~White Ironstone Cottage~

the past few days

We were Hijacked YES

Someone was able to add a "gadget"  on my blog YIKES and redirected everyone to another site
I was not alone it happened to other bloggers  too

I had no idea what was going on
 It took me several days to finally figure it out

so grateful to have you all back and very

Grateful that the hijacking is over

Many of you have asked me about the

 paint colors in our Home

The first place we will start with is the

♥

 heart of our Home our kitchen

The paint in this room is light and clean 

The walls are painted 

Ralph Lauren Nantucket White

 the trim and beadboard

are
 Behr Ultra Pure White
 high gloss enamel

Here in the dining room the walls are painted
Dolphin fin by Behr
 a soft grey that is one of my new favorite colors
the  trim and built in china cabinet are painted
 Behr high gloss white enamel

{Love}

 the way the white pops against the gray

Our living room walls are
 Ralph Lauren Crab Apple
 with you guessed it Ultra pure white trim on the windows and crown molding
Crab apple is a beautiful beach sand shade that is a wonderful neutral

{Love}

being able to quickly change the decor in this room
with just a few accessories because of the neutral color on the walls

The entry color is a custom shade
The wonderful thing about paint is you can get a custom color made to match anything

I {love} paint chips but they can be deceiving
 here is a great tip if you find a color you like on a paint chip
 get a sample of the lightest color
the top one on the  paint chip
 and paint the color on a wood paint stick
when it is dry tape it to the wall
You can always go darker and a sample paint is very
 inexpensive Dunn and Edwards is only 3.94

Another tip is to stick with just a few colors for consistency
we have just  four colors throughout our home
plus white trim and ceilings and some floors
it keeps the home flowing from room to room

I know that adding color can seem daunting but I always say
 if you don't like the color you can always  repaint it
 I {love} the way the white details pop with a color on the walls
 and paint adds warmth and character to any home

linking for Pink Saturday
and Bloghop

romantic saying for today

"To Be Loved be Lovable"
Ovid

♥
Pam