Mother Goose Nursery Rhyme with Music

Another scanned page from an old book. I think it would have made music lessons more enjoyable for children. My mother was forced to take piano lessons and she disliked them immensely, so much so she couldn't play a note later in life. 🎹 

I was never able to read music and I've heard that part of the brain is also where learning a foreign language is located. I was never good with those either. I woke up to a nice cool morning in the low 60s and it felt wonderful. xo

18th Century Dog Collar Inscription

Too tired to post tonight so here is an old illustrated quote I made back in 2011. I have always been interested in antique dog collars and I love the comical inscription on this 18thC one worn by a dog presented to the Prince of Wales by Alexander Pope. I copied the dog from my Royal Book of Crests and added the text.

I AM HIS HIGHNESS' DOG AT KEW,

PRAY TELL ME, SIR, WHOSE DOG ARE YOU?

See the old post here. 

xo

Hanging Out The Clothes

An illustration from one of my old picture books for children. I love the flowering trees used as clothesline posts. Notice the high brick wall to "hide" the laundry, especially the undergarments. Randolph Caldecott was the illustrator.

See all of my old posts about this illustrator and MANY more examples of his delightful artwork. I love each and every one and you will too. Enjoy. xo

Bookplate Etching: A Miniature Work of Art

I have blogged about this bookplate from a 1931 gardening book in the past, as well as on an Instagram post shown below. The small shell beside the bookplate shows its actual size. I have more than one book with this bookplate and the one I scanned above did not have the wrinkles in the left margin. I experimented with the scanner on my new printer over the weekend and the scan above shows all the detail in this bookplate. So many bookplates are miniature works of art that are worthy of being enlarged. The engraver was Banks B. Gordon. He was hired by the Etchcraft Company to engrave the steel or copper plate for printing a design that had already been drawn by an artist. I'm not sure whether he was an artist himself and could do custom work directly with the end user of the bookplate.

The book collector with more than one bookplate design to paste in her books was C. A. Maude Eden. See another one I have blogged about with a poem about her love of books, birds, and flowers. xo

1736 Child's Tombstone Returned to Newbury Massachusetts Graveyard

This stolen tombstone for two year old Abigail Chase has been returned to Newbury, Massachusetts, settled in 1635. An astute auctioneer in Bucks County Pennsylvania is responsible for the recovery of this looted hand-carved folk art grave marker. This article speaks to the diphtheria epidemic that raged through colonial New England for five years between 1735 and 1740 taking out 22 of every 1000 people, mostly children. At the same time, scarlet fever advanced from the south, the two plagues eventually meeting in Essex County in the autumn of 1735. The Museum of Old Newbury is planning a ceremony later this summer when the recovered stone is unveiled at the Old Bridge Street Cemetery to celebrate long-lost Abigail’s memory. 

Read the entire article in the link below. 

https://www.antiquesandthearts.com/pook-pook-reunites-puritan-family/

Saturday Blooms

Random blossoms from my back yard shot yesterday (Friday) after mowing with the walk-behind mulching mower when the grass was finally dry enough. Today I'll do the front before the afternoon rain that may or may not transpire. All the hydrangeas are outperforming this year as you can see. The first photo is a gift from a neighbor as a thank you for a favor. At first I thought it was a potted plant but after research I learned it is a compact hydrangea. The label said summer splendor but all I could find online was red splendor. Anyway I am going to plant it and see what happens. My neighbor said it was deer resistant too. I am going to love something with such vibrant colors. The second photo is my Lacecap Hydrangea and the third and fourth are my Limelight that has become a tree this year this year rather than a woody shrub. Last year, I cut back the bottom branches to encourage this and it worked. Have a great weekend. xo

John Brunsdon, Printmaker with A Video Biography

I came upon this printmaker quite accidentally and I love his work. After he passed, all of his plates were destroyed so that all of his prints offered for sale by the Estate were printed during his lifetime. The print above called Valley in The Hills has been sold. I thoroughly enjoyed his video biography on youtube where he takes you through his entire life with archival footage. It's really fascinating. I have embedded the video below but it's also available within his website where you will see many more examples of his artwork and gain a bigger understanding of printmaking from start to finish. His color process, done all at once, is on the film too.
JOHN BRUNSDON 1933-2014

British Artist, Printmaker, and Painter

JOHN BRUNSDON -- THE PRINTMAKER. This YouTube Video is offered by The Tate Gallery -- Watch when you can set aside 20 minutes of viewing time. I promise you will enjoy the film. xo

My Attic Office Showing New Printer

There have been a few questions about the actual size of my new printer so here are two photos that might answer how it compares with the Apple iMac desktop computer in my attic home office. This is what is called "selective" photography with areas in the photo tidied up but not the rest of the space, if you know what I mean.😂

Here it is all in a closer view, ready for printing and scanning. I didn't realize how much I have missed my old scanner either. I have used it quite a few times and I remain very happy with my purchase. Are you sick of hearing about it yet? This is my first all in one printer that just happens to be wireless. I wasn't even shopping for that feature but it's very handy.

xo

Cookie Recipe for My Cookie Mold

 I found the perfect recipe for my Hessian Soldier mold thanks to a comment from @kathiquilts suggesting he would make Springerle cookie. I searched and found a recipe but I like the same auther's Traditional Speculoos Cookie better (also called Windmill Cookie). She illustrates how to use a mold like mine only hers are wooden.

The recipe calls for Baker's Ammonia (Ammonium Bicarbonate) and I have never heard of this but it's an essential ingredient to prevent the cookies from becoming too hard. I searched google and Whole Foods has it. She explains this on her blog post with recipe here. She walks you through every step with numerous photos. Enjoy. Save this recipe for the holidays.

xo

Hessian Soldier Cookie Mold from Williamsburg

I purchased this Virginia Metalcrafters item hanging on my wall long ago at an estate sale. It turned out to be the perfect size to hang in my pantry/office on a narrow space beside the front window. He is a Hessian Soldier made of Aluminum (called Silvertone) and was copied from an old mold used in the Bake Shop at Williamsburg. The impressed stamp shows the Virginia Metalcrafters’ familiar Betty Lamp hallmark.

I have never made a cookie with it but I would use a shortbread or maybe a gingerbread recipe if I ever tried.

I have seen a similar design on fireplace andirons too. There are wonderful items out there and it's up to people like you and me to find them, display them, brag about them, and love them again.

UPDATE: I FOUND A RECIPE TO USE WITH THIS MOLD HERE.

xo

Another View of My Pantry Home Office

This is another view of my home office in the pantry showing the hanging cupboard with yesterday's blog post's photo printed and hanging on the side. I have baskets on top full of  loose light bulbs of every description, a small portable paper cutter, and wooden rulers to the side. Bills waiting to be paid when they are due are in a standing organizer on a table below the chalk board. It really is a working office in this small space. Once bills are paid, the receipts go into a large filing cabinet in my attic office. This works beautifully for me. When I open my mail, the junk goes into a recycling bin and the important stuff goes into the proper divider until it is needed.

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xo