Time for spring cleaning
It is a lot of hard work,
But satisfying.
When it’s done, I’m glad.
But, there is always more to do.
For now, it’s enough.
As spring emerges~
It’s time for new adventures.
Wonder what they’ll be?
A clown with many faces.
As we were spring cleaning last week, I brought down a clown that sits on a high shelf, to dust it off. As I was dusting it, I was transported down memory lane.
This clown was from my mom’s collection. She had quite a fun collection. I wish I had taken a photo of all the different clowns she had at one time. Whenever I see a clown figurine, I think of her. She died in 2009.
I kept one of her clowns. It’s a wonderful clown, with masks that can be put on and off its face. Not only is the clown a nice remembrance of my mother, but also, it evokes fond memories from when we would go visit her when my boys were little. They would always ask grandma if they could change out the masks on that clown. She would say “yes”, and they boys would carefully put on a new mask.
After cleaning up the clown, we put it back up on the shelf, where it stands tall (ready to perform for us I think) until the next time.
The Minnesota fall has been warm and wonderful. There have been many days to go outside to play, or work, or a little of both…(balance!)
The 1960’s vintage orange, glass dish.
So I went outside one, fine day to clean off our deck. I picked up a shiny, orange glass dish sitting on the table and took a trip down memory lane as I remembered where it came from.
Back in junior high, maybe – I’m not sure how old I was, I bought this orange dish for my parents to give them on their anniversary (I must have borrowed money from my dad to do so – ha!) but I can clearly see this dish displayed on shelves in the J. C. Penney store at the Apache Plaza Mall, near my childhood home in NE Minneapolis (the mall no longer exists.) It was sitting on a clear, glass shelf with other beautiful glass pieces. I sometimes marvel at the things I remember (and the things I have a hard time recalling!)
Years ago when my mom moved into an apartment and downsized she asked me if I wanted the dish back, so I took it. I couldn’t believe she saved it all those years. But what I thought was interesting is that even back then, when I was so much younger, I was attracted to colored-glass. Little did I know I’d collect colored-glass vases and dishes in antique stores as an adult.
My colored-glass collection on old Singer sewing machine wrought-iron stand. I replaced the broken cabinet with a clear glass shelf to display the colored-glass pieces. A string of lights help show it off after dark.
I especially like green glass but all colors attract me. I find fun things to do with them…use them in place settings to serve ice cream or dessert, put single stems in the vases to decorate a place setting… it’s even a joy to wash them and see them shine.
A green glass lamp, and other pieces.
A few of my dishes in an Amish-made cupboard with clear, glass doors.
An Iris in a lavender colored-glass vase.
As I collected other items off the deck to bring in for the winter I took inventory of a blue, glass ball hanging off the pergola (also from my mother), along with a red glass flower hanging for decoration, a glass hummingbird feeder, and a white glass globe with a candle inside on another table.
So hard to capture this beautiful display of colored-glass…
In April 2014, when I first started blogging, I had a post about colored-glass on a different site. I copied an excerpt from that post and copied it below…
“…While exploring the town, our stroll down Main Street took us into an antique shop where I found a bright, orange, glass basket that would go well with a new picture in our dining room. When I went to the counter to purchase it, the clerk asked, “Do you like color?” Well, yes, I do! It was an unexpected but interesting question. I do enjoy color…in everything: flowers, in nature, in décor, in clothing, in all of creation. And I enjoy scouting antique stores for colored glass and I occasionally find a piece to bring home for my colored-glass collection.
I’ve been thinking of that question a lot these days as I notice Spring bringing new life and color all around me.”
The orange basket on my African tablecloth on my dining room table.
I made the star-shape glass piece in the window at a fused-glass art class.
I think porcelain and pottery are beautiful too, but give me a colored-glass piece any day.
