Glass Plate with Rose Design

These pretty little plates came from my grandmother on my dad's side. They have an embossed design of roses and leaves on a frosted background. They're perfect dessert plates - wouldn't they be pretty with little tea cookies?

I have 3 of them in all. You're welcome to one, two, or all three.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/54095818/glass-plate-with-rose-design

Vintage Spool of Nylon Sewing Thread

My grandmother made most of the clothes for her family. This little spool of thread was in her sewing box when we found it. Even partially used, it has a certain charm. Whether you choose to use it or display it, it would make a nice addition to a vintage collection.

http://www.etsy.com/transaction/34366921

 

You Know It's A Good Funeral When...

You know it's a good funeral when no one wants to leave.

Mom's funeral services on Friday were lovely. The service was beautiful, and my sister gave her a wonderful tribute spoken from the heart. The neighbors and church provided an amazing lunch at the pavillion by the lake.

Toward the end of lunch, my cousin's husband mentioned that he was having car trouble. The check engine and oil lights were on and bells were dinging. Since they had to drive back to Cincinnati that afternoon, we called a local garage to check out the car before hitting the road. The garage owner took the car for a test drive - no bells, no lights, nothing. He pronounced the car safe to drive.

Then, our Cincinnati family wanted to come back to our house to change clothes. When they'd gotten comfortable for their drive home, we said our good byes and they hopped in their cars. All the cars pulled safely out of the drive - except my cousin's husband. He cut the corner too sharply and landed in the ditch!

We pushed and we pulled, but the car wouldn't budge. We called AAA. And waited. And waited. Finally, we set up a card table and chairs in the drive, got out some leftover food from lunch, found a deck of cards, and made ourselves comfy. Needless to say, the tow truck driver thought we were a mighty silly sight! Despite his laughter, he got the car out of the ditch in a jiffy.

Because it was 4:30, it didn't make sense for them to get on the road and sit in Friday afternoon traffic. So we went to dinner.

You know this story isn't over, right?

At dinner as soon as our food was served - you guessed it - my cousin's husband knocked over a full glass of water! Poor guy. It just wasn't his day.

All in all, I'm glad everything happened the way it did. Instead of leaving at 2:00 they left at 7:00. Those extra hours gave us time to visit and catch up - time we wouldn't have had otherwise. Mom would have been pleased.

In Memory of Opal Koch, 1929-2010

My mom, Opal Koch, passed away Saturday, September 4, 2010 at the age of 80. Mom is the Opal in VintageOpal.

Mom had been in the hospital several times this year, and each visit was more serious. This last time was just too much. She was in the intensive care unit for 2 1/2 weeks, but wasn't able to recover.

She and dad celebrated their 51st wedding anniversary this past June. Together they have three children and four grandchildren.

She will remain in our hearts and memories forever.

The photo was taken when she was in the Navy.

Keep Mom in Your Prayers

Mom is the "Opal" in Vintage Opal. She's been in the hospital, Intensive Care Unit actually, since Wednesday. It's serious. Very.

I'd rather not say more, because she values her privacy. But keep her in your thoughts and prayers if you do that sort of thing.

Leaf-Shaped Glass Candy Dish

This lovely leaf-shaped dish is something I remember having around the house when I was growing up. Mom and Dad would put it out during cocktail parties or bridge parties, filled with nuts or bridge mix - Mom was big on bridge mix.

So was I, now that I think about it. I got a big kick out of sneaking handfuls of bridge mix when the grownups weren't looking.

My guess is this is something they got or bought in the 1960's, shortly after they were married.

It's made of clear glass and in great shape, despite the sticky little kid fingers checking for bridge mix. 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/54094390/leaf-shaped-glass-candy-dish

Buttons For Sale

Sorting through the buttons in Grandmother's button box has been a pleasant activity, almost meditative. Brown ones here, black ones there. And white ones - the most plentiful - right there. Once I had them sorted by color, I sorted them by number of holes, and then by size. Finally, I've been able to put families of buttons together.

On the one hand, it's kind of nice to have my little buttons all sorted out and in shiny ziptop bags. They look so neat and orderly, ready to head off to their new homes. But as I'm listing them, I'm getting nostalgic. Nostalgic over buttons I've never even seen? Yeah.

I'm feeling a little guilty for not keeping them and putting them to good use. Good use? Really? Although I was once a darn good seamstress, I haven't sewn in easily a decade. How on earth could I use up hundreds of buttons? And I have my own collection growing in my sewing box upstairs should a button go missing from some of my clothing.

And what about making something with them? They're great for altered art projects or collage. So, yes, I may keep some. But I'm putting the rest in the shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/VintageOpal?section_id=7277910

Please take a look. Photographing them has actually been fun. I'm finding they have wonderful character all their own. I'm getting some photos with nice abstract qualities.