Shouldn't be long now...

Looks like the barn swallow nest is complete. Rather impressive considering they just started on it ten days ago. The mud on the wall to the left is what remains of their first two attempts that I knocked down. I hope I don't regret letting them build the third nest. So far they've pretty much ignored me.

Square Fiesta

Here's another picture from home. Stacks of Fiesta square plates in chocolate, cobalt, sunflower, scarlet, tangerine, shamrock and peacock for sale at the Homer Laughlin outlet...


The second photo features stacks of the square bowls in peacock, shamrock, cobalt, and scarlet. To the left are some regular Fiesta shapes in the newest color, lemongrass.

Fiesta Lemongrass

Here are some of the pictures I took last week of the new Fiesta color Lemongrass. The small bowl at the lower right hand corner is lemongrass, the larger bowl is chartreuse. Lemongrass has more of a yellow tint. Also shown are chocolate, ivory, and cobalt. This new color is tough to photograph!


Lemongrass with turquoise and tangerine.


Lemongrass with turquoise and chocolate.

Goodbye, Bea

Beatrice Arthur (May 13, 1922 – Apr. 25, 2009)

Vera Charles.
Maude Findlay.
Dorothy Zbornak.
Ackmena.

She did it her way.

LINKS:
Bea Arthur on IMDb
Bea Arthur on wiki

Goodbye, Peter

Peter Dennis (Oct 25, 1933 - April 18, 2009)

Actor. Appeared in Star Trek Voyager

Peter Dennis on IMDb
Peter Dennis on wiki

Sunday dish

Fiesta Ironstone in turf green. One of my favorite Fiesta colors, and, without a doubt, the most underrated. It was the last glaze developed for Fiesta and was in production for only a few years (1969-1973). It holds a special distinction as being the color with the least amount of pieces available. There are only fourteen and they are: mug, creamer, sugar, sauceboat, sauceboat stand, vegetable bowl, soup/cereal bowl, fruit/dessert bowl, teacup, saucer, 10" plate, 7" plate, shakers, and oval platter.

I should mention a few coffee servers have been found in turf, but they were not officially produced. Other NOP items that could turn up in turf in the future would be the disc pitcher, jumbo salad bowl, teapot, and the covered casserole.

Shown are the 10" plate, suaceboat with stand, vegetable bowl, covered sugar, and creamer.

Last year, it was a mockingbird. This year, it's a barn swallow. There's a pair of them building a nest on the porch. They typically build nests on barns, hence the name, but this particular male and female decided my house will do just fine.

I've knocked down the beginnings of a nest twice, but they are so damn insistent so I'm going to let them keep building and see how this plays out.

Right now they are rather tolerant of humans, but I bet that all changes once the female lays her eggs. If they're anything like the mockingbirds, this is going to be a very tough spring.

Birthday

Turning 38 today.
BTW, This is were I was born...

Honestly, they make it sound much better than it really is! When I was a kid, I remember East Liverpool being the place to go. It was full of shops and cafeterias. Everything has moved to nearby Calcutta where there are tons of cheap stores whose names end in "mart" and dozens of fast food joints practically piled on top of one another. East Liverpool has lost its former glory. Today, my mom refers to the area as Graysville!

Sunday dish

Vintage Fiesta covered sugar in old ivory with decal. I've seen pieces with this treatment before online and in print, but this is the first time I've been able to actually own one. I thought they might have been hand-painted, but I can tell they are decals. I guess its supposed to be an apple, but the color seems off. Maybe a plum?

Rosie's Munnies

Rosie O'Donnell has been selling items on Etsy.com to raise money for 'Rosie's Broadway Kids'. According to her selling profile... Rosie's Broadway Kids provides instruction in dance and music and a professional theater experience for children who might otherwise not have the opportunity.

Some of the pieces she sells are Munnines -- vinyl figures you can draw or paint on. She uses sharpies, signs each one, and seals with varnish. They generally run about $200.00 and to date, I've gotten three. May seem like a lot of money, but it goes to a good cause and I get something Rosie herself worked on. Here are the three:


Left to right: Bryan, Red Ink, and Bubble Bump
Here's a picture from the original listing for Red Ink featuring Rosie with the Munny along with her daughter, Vivi. Check out the links below and get yours today:

Rosie's Shop on Etsy.com
Rosie's Broadway Kids
Rosie.com

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I got in the mood to try a Munny myself so I bought a couple blanks off eBay. Here's my first... sort of deranged jack-o-lantern head with a clown body's. Not what I intended, but that's how it came out.

BEST MASHUP on YouTube

Double Wedding Ring

When we went to Randy's parent's house last month, I noticed a quilt bundled up in a closet where they keep towels. Randy's mom told me it belonged to his great grandmother. After Randy and I both showed an interest, they gave it to us. I was able to clean up all the old storage staining and now it hangs in the living room.

Wish the bright blue joining fabric was red to match the furniture, but I like it just the same.


About ten years ago, I helped an elderly lady sell quilts on eBay. I learned about the different patterns, popular colors, feed sack material, hand stitching, stitches per inch, etc. I learned more about quilts than I will ever need to know.

Sunday dish

The stick handled creamers were original to Fiesta, but made only in 1936 and 1937. They were made in the first six colors only.

The ring handled creamer replaced the stick handled version in late 1937. The handle may be different, but the bodies are identical. This style lasted until 1969 when it was replaced by the "C" handled creamer for Fiesta Ironstone. Ring handled creamers come in eleven colors.


Group shot of the two styles of Fiesta creamers.

Garden pic

Tulips in a vintage Fiesta ivory vase

Square Fiesta

Finally got around to getting some of the new Square Fiesta. I picked up the 9" plate and the mug at Tamarack last week. The 10" plate, bowl and small plate I got at Elder-Beerman.

There are a lot of mixed reviews of this new shape. Personally, I think it is genius to take a 75-year old line of dinnerware and redesign it into something new.

Contemporary square Fiesta in chocolate and sunflower with vintage round Fiesta in red and cobalt.

It was that bad...

I'd seen Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home dozens of times before 1989. What a disappointing followup Star Trek V turned out to be! At least I got my silly marshmallow dispenser out of it.