Spring Has Sprung!

There's just something great about tulips. I know, a rose is special and sweet, but I just love the way tulips just keep reaching for the sky. And these pink beauties really make me appreciate spring.

And now that spring has sprung, we have begun venturing out again looking for fun vintage items. Yesterday I found a few neat things:

We went into this dust infested little shop not expecting very much, in fact, I was really thinking "we oughtta get outta here!" But once we started digging around and hadn't started sneezing yet, we figured it was safe. My eye caught these glass aqua beads inside a big 'ol pickle (clean) jar...along with many other beaded items. Most were plastic but I pulled out the two strands of aqua, one having very teeny tiny beads. I've never seen one with such cute and petite beads. They are strung together like a necklace, and not open like those you would place on a tree...but they have the same look and feel of the vintage glass beaded garland. So while I was buying those I decided to get the two pearl necklaces as well. Then I found the neat pastel wrap bracelet (also glass beads.)

I couldn't resist this sweet little set made in Italy either.

Not sure what I'm going to do with them...the new Bella Rosa Antiques website would be perfect for this set made in Italy but the site is just not ready yet. It is so close to being ready...but for some reason there is a hold up. Maybe I'll bring them to our antique booth since we're doing a bit of re-decorating there, swapping out pieces of furniture. We had a nice piece sell so this will mean the floor plan will need rearranging. This is always a good thing!

With more spring like weather sure to be on it's way...we'll have more to show you in the next coming weeks. Can't wait!

Memories in the Making - DVD Slideshow

One of the projects I've been working on lately is for our assistant Pastor. He is being ordained in about a week....and to honor this accomplishment I was asked to produce a memory DVD of his journey. His story is interesting because he went from being Vice President of a successful company to a new job in church leadership. He gave up everything to follow his calling. Admirable and inspiring, to say the least.

I love making these "videos." I've produced several already. One for a 50th Wedding Anniversary (as shown in the photo above,) a graduation, a theater cast party, a wedding, etc. These projects combine several of my loves... vintage pictures and my TV producing skills so this is really a great match for me. I'm not sure what it is about old photos and cool music, but it just works. We connect on so many ways with the visuals of the past and when put to a familiar tune, sometimes it can bring us to tears. Not that this is my goal, but to create something that evokes any emotion is part of the "pay off" for the producer. To see that something I created touched someone else, whether it be through laughter or tears of joy, is really, the satisfaction of a job well done!

Spring = Fresh New Looks

Now that spring is definitely showing up in my part of the world I get this feeling of relief. A need to clean out and organize follows. And after having cabin fever all winter, this is just the right thing.

My blog header is going to get a new look...and maybe even a new background color. I've been working on making my own graphics. Lots of fun to experiment with. I may be changing them often as I get used to them. Or, knowing me, I will revert back to the original "Jillian's Pages" look!

Well I hope everyone had a lovely Easter. My dear hubby and I went to church, came home and then had our own dinner together and made a couple of family favorites to eat. It helps keep them close to my heart, even if we couldn't see each other this holiday. Another simple thing I did for sentimental reasons...I decided to add my Grandmother's (or maybe even my Great-Grandmother's) beaded necklace to my Easter outfit...after seeing several similar necklaces at the stores, I think they are back in style now!

Feeling Nostalgic ~ Sister Pictures

Yes, I'm feeling nostalgic today. Ever just get the urge to go through old photos? I do this alot. It is a fun way to remember who you are and where you've come from...how far your journey has taken you...and maybe where you'd like to go next. Or, it's just a fun way to look back and laugh at some good times.

Now the photo above, I really don't remember being at this park with my family. Guess I was too young? But I have cherished these photos ever since I CAN remember. Especially the next one. Wherever my Sister went, I was sure to follow. My nickname when was I was a tot was "Little Me Too." My family tells me I was always heard saying "ME TOO! ME TOO!" How cute is that????? The plight of the second child...

Note the little Bobo sneakers:

And then the one below always tugs at my heart strings. My big Sis, always caring for me and always my protector. We were visiting my Grandparent's antiques and book store in Hollywood, Florida. (Guess this is where I get it from) and this is out back behind the store. I do remember being there. It was so much fun to see them and their pet Myna bird.

And here we are much later, in the 80's, all grown up. We were given similar gifts very often so of course we had to take a "sister picture" of us in our new hats. I think this actually started a tradition of us wanting to have a "sister picture" everytime we get together. (I hope she doesn't kill me for posting this photo. If it suddenly disappears, you'll know why!)

Thanks for taking a trip down memory lane with me!

Snapshots, Sales, and Summer

Most of us know how much fun a yard sale can be. Some of us can sense one like one senses the weather brewing. My husband is this kind of person.

Maybe he gets it honestly. These snapshots were taken at his parents annual garage sale last year. It is your quintessential sale. The biggie. The ONE YOU CAN'T MISS. They do it every year. It takes weeks of preparation and weeks of tear down. But they love it. And the people who flock there every year love it too. You may have even stopped there yourself without realizing it.
My Father-In-Law puts out signs MILES AND MILES away. I mean this man has the marketing down to a science. I was impressed the first time I witnessed one of their sales and I still am.

You can get anything from toys to dishes, to furniture and tools to sporting equipment. And ANTIQUES. Oh the antiques! So of course, I find myself hoping to get there before anyone else does. And we are usually late....(we live quite a distance away) and I hear about what could have been. Sigh! Here my Father-In Law sets out his fun finds...notice the rural setting in the background. Can't get any more country than this!!!!


So I sit here and think about what is to come. First spring, which is always welcome. And then summer, my favorite time of year. And the fun that waits around the corner...at your local yard sale.

Producer Turned Photographer

Since I've been away from my local TV producing job, I've discovered I still have a need for capturing the visual. To satisfy this creative outlet...I turned to my camera.





When I'm on the road, like on vacation, I really find great opportunities for snapping shots. The photo above was taken in Springfield, ME in front of a cutie little church. I was intrigued by the worn out doors and how the simple wreath made it all seem cozy. I titled this photo "Weathering the Storms" but this particular picture (which I hung hastily just as we moved in to our house) I did not sign or title. I need to do that.





I named it so because the worn doors reminded me of how we are all like the doors, weathering through life's storms, but we just need to knock and God is there, taking care of us.

About 12 years ago during my first trip to Italy, I snapped these two photos without ever thinking I would hang them in my living room. I loved them and they remind me of my special time there, each time I see them.

When we go to Maine each summer I seek out a different lighthouse each time. This one is in Portland, ME. We were there on the most beautiful morning...and as one of the local's said to my dear hubby "It's a REAL STUNNA" (stunner.) We couldn't have agreed more. I have this one framed but I didn't happen to have a photo of it in my computer so I hope I pass the new guidelines set up by Kelli.

At the bottom of my blog I have some other shots I've taken. It is late on a Thursday night and I decided to use what I had in my computer already in order to post for Show N Tell Friday!!! It was either this topic about my framed photography or our three cats, some of which I have already shown in the blog previously.

Either way, you can see more great stuff by stopping by Kelli's House.

LuRay Pastels ~ Perfect for SPRING!

Yes, it's ANOTHER post about my LuRay Pastels dinnerware collection. The last post, which you can find HERE, I gave the history on my own journey collecting the lovely pastel gems, as well as the history on the dishes themselves. Well, since I've added the "Feedjit" feature on my blog, I can see what people are searching for in google or other search engines. I was surprised by how MANY people were looking for LuRay on the internet...

Somehow, I feel as though I have let these eager searchers down. I wrote information about the dishes and where they were originally made, etc...but I really didn't SHOW my collection too well. (And by the way, I am selling my duplicate pieces here, in case you are looking to add to yours.)

So here is another shot...in my kitchen cupboard, just one of many we madeover, just to show off the LuRay. You can see the before and after HERE. The photo above was taken through the vintage style glass we ordered for the cabinets. It doesn't look this extreme in person, however!

But what I wanted to show were some different pieces I hadn't shown before. Like the set of pastel striped "Go Along" glasses I found 12 years after I started my collection. This was like finding a needle in a haystack. But I finally found them. I have no idea who made them. (Maybe Libby) and we only use them for birthdays and special occasions. (Never placed in the dishwasher either.) The celebration of spring might be a good reason! (Since I'm definitely not a winter person.)

The mixing bowls on the top shelf were long awaited, too. My first sighting of a LuRay mixing bowl was back in 1993 or 94 while attending "Atlantique City" in Atlantic City, NJ. At the time, I was a struggling local TV producer and could not afford such a luxury at the prices they were asking at the time...but it was four or five years later when I finally purchased my first mixing bowl. I finally acquired all 4, the green bowl was found relatively cheap, which is why I don't always support buying on ebay. Sometimes it is much more fun getting them at a great price! It just takes longer, if you have the patience.

Something I did not mention in my last write up about LuRay, is the book I bought, shown in the photo above. It is the ultimate book on LuRay pastels, by Bill and Kathy Meehan, called "Collector's Guide to T.S. & T. LuRay Pastels. Great photos and price values....although this was written in the early 90's and we need an updated value guide. I suppose going by prices on ebay is a good gauge.

There are other lines by T.S. & T. covered in the book, but none so popular like the LuRay.



I am always amazed by how cheaply you could buy the set of dishes (although it probably wasn't considered cheap then) back in the late 1930's! Most items under a dollar each.



My best finds may have been while I was living in New Jersey in the early to mid 90's. One day I went into a little shop where they sold handmade crafty items with some antiques mixed in. I happened to look down on the floor, and there halfway sticking out from under a shelf was this box of LuRay dishes. I gasped in amazement! The box was FULL. I took it up to the front and the nice lady behind the counter thought I was a young college age gal (I was a few years out of school by then) who needed to stock her apartment. So she sold me the whole box for $20.00.

Inside were several very rare pieces, the gray color! Now, as much as this color is rare and pricey, I just don't like it. Could be why it was discontinued not too much longer after it was introduced. Well, several years later when I discovered ebay, I sold my gray pieces for about $200.00 and I used the money to buy the pieces I really wanted, like the rest of the mixing bowls I needed.


I sold what I didn't like and bought what I liked. Works for me!

So, if you're searching the internet for information about LuRay pastels, I hope this interested you. Leave me a comment about your collecting experiences with LuRay...I'd love to hear from you.

Corn Flakes

I just think this is funny.

Becoming Jane ~ Pretty Things from Australia

Over the weekend I finally got to see the movie, Becoming Jane. It was really good! Didn't let me down. I didn't think it would. I've become fond of these movies...they are done so tastefully, with just enough mystique surrounding the love stories that they are not predictable. Since I really didn't know a whole lot about Jane Austen, the story of her life was a surprise to me. I've only seen a few of the movies done from her books so I just assumed this would be similar.
It was, and it wasn't.

I found myself completely falling for the whole Jane/Tom love story! It was so sweet and charming. And the CHEMISTRY! They did a great job casting.

And since this was a "chick flick" and a period piece to boot, I figured I was going to be watching it by myself. Well, dear hubby was in the background, of course, not admitting he was becoming interested in the movie. I kept saying "don't you have to go somewhere?" Not that I wanted him to leave, it's just he TOLD ME specifically he couldn't watch the movie with me because he had so much other guy stuff to do. Well, he popped in and out of the room enough while I was watching the movie that he could pretty much follow the story.

And if you haven't seen the movie yet, stop reading here.

(Photo credit below: Becoming Jane Fansite)

It was when the movie was over I exclaimed "I'M SO DISAPPOINTED SHE DID NOT MARRY HIM!"

And my dear husband replies "Imagine how she felt."

This was funny and sometimes men surprise me with their practical thinking.

But overall, it was a great movie and I highly recommend it!!!

And now for some pretty things that arrived all the way from Australia! I've always wanted to go to Australia, ever since I took a tour in Europe. Half of the tourists in our group were from Australia....they were so nice and we had so much fun. I really enjoyed learning the differences in our culture and language. Not major, but there were some neat things I had never heard of before. Anyway, I digress.

This pretty blue pin is from Natasha Burns' Artistic Creations website... half a world away but so close on the internet! Amazing to me.

And she is so sweet! She included a couple of thank you's. This pretty butterfly magnet...
And a thank you card with a printed version of one of her rose paintings! Such beautiful things and such a classy presentation. You must visit her site and see for yourself! Thanks, Natasha!