Monday, October 31, 2011

Happy Halloween!!!

           Happy Halloween from Ironstone and Pine!!      


Wanted to say thank you to Tina over at What We Keep for sending me an adorable Halloween package of giveaway goodies......Beautifully embroidered vintage linen towels, edible goodies, and festive fun.....thanks Tina!!




                      May all your tricks be treats!!  Happy Halloween!!!






Happy Haunting!!

devon :)

Friday, October 14, 2011

Tina over at What We Keep was sweet enough to include me in her recent Most Versatile Blog award.......It's very flattering as a newbie blogger to have someone find you and think enough of your blog to promote it with an award that others can link to......





The rules that go along with this award are simple.....



The rules for this award are:
  • Thank and link back to the person who gave you this award
  • Share 7 things about yourself
  • Send it to 15 other bloggers and let them know you have awarded them
  • So let's see....hmm,  7 things about me.......

If I get to a movie early enough I can pretty much eat
my entire bag of popcorn before the movie starts

I'm terrified of snakes and have a fear of heights

Good antique places make my heart race and I lose all track of time

I've become addicted to Ghost Adventures (thanks to my daughter)

My van is a constant mess inside, it's really awful
(but hey, it's a barn car...it's supposed to be that way!)

I am terribly sentimental when it comes to "things"
it's hard for me to part with the most simple items if they have meaning....but I'm getting better....and my house is getting cleaner :)

I love driving in the country and looking at houses and farms,
I find it very relaxing


So I suppose that passes for 7......at first I thought it
was going to be hard to think of a few, but
now I'm finding it's really easy and have to stop! (of course I've
got a list of "loves" right over there, on the right sidebar....so that's
kind of cheating but they were there first! :)
So now it's my turn to choose other blogs for the award....and I'm picking:



Julia at Blissfully Content

Cheryl at Sweet Young Journey


Michella at Michella Marie

Destiny at Farmhouse Vintage

Rebecca at Walnut and Vine

Andrea at Town and Prairie

Kary at My Farmhouse Kitchen

Debi at Seven Gates Farm

Maura at Lilac Lane Cottage

Mary at Framed and Tagged

Gina at Cottag3

Stephanie at Southern Charm Cottage

Ruth at White Whimsy


These are some of the blogs I have recently discovered and followed
as a new blogger;  I find them to be beautiful, creative VERSATILE blogs
written by some interesting and talented women.  I hope you will
take a look at their posts and consider following them during your days online!
Thank you again Tina for a great idea, it's a wonderful way to get to
know one another around the blog world!!
Have a Fun Weekend everyone!!
Devon :)

Monday, October 10, 2011

My Best Bloggin Buddy Lisa and her Incredible Designs

I think many of us know one of the best things about blogging is the friendships we make with people we would most likely never meet otherwise.......it's wonderful how someone will track you down after a post or a comment and you find how much you have in common, and the next thing you know you are buddies outside of the blog world, sharing a friendship hundreds of miles away.  Such was the case with my friend Lisa.  I had happened to see one of her button stars on another blog a while back, and immediately put in my order.  LOVE this star..............




It was so pretty in person I made sure to let her know........and before we knew it we had started a correspondence with each other.  She checked in on my blog (and paid me some immense compliments...!) and let me know her web site Bilancia Designs would soon be up and running.  I couldn't wait, Lisa designs and creates some of the most beautiful and unique stationary and dried floral arrangements I have ever seen!





When I told Lisa I was going to embark on a new venture and open a small booth at an antique mall, she was so excited for me, and she offered to make me some custom cards and tags as a "booth-warming" gift.  What a sweetheart she is!!  I gave her my information, (I had decided to call the booth "Vintage Whimsy") and she did the rest.  This past weekend I received a box full of her wonderful and talented work........I am so excited I just had to share it!!




personalized gift tags with gorgeous ribbons...






The most unbelievable customized calling cards......





Look, just LOOK at her handwriting!! And she does this freehand!




Fun vintage-style stamps....




I love this one with it's buttons......



and this one, look at the detail on the door.....






Aren't they just great and unique?  I absolutely LOVE what this girl can do!!

She also does a line of seasonal-related designs;  Here are a few with the
Halloween theme......


Gotta love it....look at the eyes on the cats! and the pumpkins!



She also enclosed a gift tag to put with a bottle of wine....it came with it's own
little burlap wine bag!





Lisa, I cannot thank you enough...... what a sweet, sweet thing you did for me!



All of her designs are one of a kind and handmade......
I could go on and on but I know
the pictures speak for themselves.  
Why do ordinary when you can do something
so much more unique and attention-getting?



She writes a wonderful blog along with her website.....Bilancia Designs, I am
lucky to be her bloggin buddy!!

Thanks Lisa, I love ya!

Devon :)

Monday, October 3, 2011

New Treasures

I admit it.  Etsy has become my downfall.  I'm pretty good about not just buying for buying's sake, whether it's clothes or whatever, but sometimes it's just a little too tempting to be on there for something as innocent as posting feedback and then before I know it, I'm in some sort of eye candy wonderland looking at priceless things I can't live without.  I've gotten to be pretty good about keeping myself in check (book).........after all, I'm trying hard to declutter and scale down my collection of things.  But every once in awhile, something makes it to my favorite list, and the next thing I know I'm looking at it again, and again, and again.......until I come up with a simple reason why I should just go on and welcome it into the family.  Here is one such pretty I just couldn't live without:



This is I believe what is known as a Bride's basket.........I had never really seen one before and wasn't familiar with the custom of it........I have read where small cakes were placed upon it, but I'm still in the dark about the custom or popularity of it.  All I know is I fell hard for the detail of this little sweetie............



Hmmm....Father and Mother.........and then, look at the date!



Obviously a 50th wedding anniversary gift from a child or children to their parents............way, WAY long ago!  I'm a sucker for rare and one of a kind pieces like this, dated from a different era.  Not only is it unique, but the details are amazing and beautiful.  I believe those are little cherubs dancing around on the plate?



And the designs around the rim, just so pretty......




My idea is to use it as a sort of candle holder or display piece.........here's a look at it holding a strand of vintage pearls that was another treasure I found the other day at an antique store-



I love the old jewelry pieces, look at the clasp on the pearls.....







Although not an Etsy find, I saw this beautiful silver cream and sugar set at an antique store near me the other day......



Normally I'm not to drawn to silver service pieces like this......but there was something about the sugar container that reminded me of a little loving cup



Again, I'm a sucker for details........I just love the little rim engravings on the set





Gotta stay off Etsy and out of the shops, I think!!


On a different note, I was finally able to do a little rearranging yesterday with the help of my husband.......a couple of years ago my sister in law from New York State sold her house and told anyone who cared to come up with a U-Haul was free to pick whatever they wanted.   Even though we lived a good 1000 miles from her at the time, I didn't have to persuade Mr. Ironstone to drive up there and take advantage of such a generous offer.  He knew as well as I did that she had some amazing pieces she was happy to share with her family since she was scaling down and moving to the city.  He brought back a beautiful pine farm table (used for many of my pictures here on the blog, like above with the Bride basket)  And also this gorgeous old English Pine Hutch.  Believe it or not the hutch has been sitting in my garage with a protective cloth over it ever since he brought it back.  We just never really had the time or desire to rearrange things and bring it into the house.  Now, though, I'm ready to do some painting and make some changes in time for the holidays.  I decided (with some sadness) to take out my mother's inlaid mahogany sideboard (don't worry, it's going into storage for now, not to the auction block) and bring the hutch into the dining room.



The red walls may or may not stay up through Christmastime.......I'm ready to lighten up my colors, but I admit the red is a great background at the holidays........in the meantime I'm happy with the switch, and hope to eventually get the other dark pieces out of the room.....





I guess it's only fair to show the other half of the room while all this was going on........don't want anyone to think I'm not capable of a real mess.......this all came out of the sideboard that was taken out (it's mostly my mom's crystal that was kept in there).....



and pictures off the walls........




(yes, that is an English saddle on it's end.....mine when I was 11.........I'm still trying to figure out how it got in here but I think my daughter must've had something to do with it :)  )



Finally, I would love to say thank you again to Maura of Lilac Lane Cottage for the lovely house sign I won in her giveaway a few months ago from Ramsign






Thank you Maura!  The sign is beautiful and is only temporarily on the fence post until I can get it hung over the front door!!






       Thank you everyone for catching back up with me, I appreciate your visit and comments so much!!


                                                                         devon :)