Yesterday, in the basement of a local antique shop, I came across these lovely (still sealed) boxes filled with sets of dishes. I have a serious problem when it comes to vintage dishes. I have way too many plates and plenty of patterns too. When I saw these the boxes drew me in first, the fact that they had never been open, the adorable wintery pine cone pattern and when I saw the price tag I had to have them! Sixteen boxes of dishes for $25! Needless to say Shayne wasn’t as convinced as I was that we HAD to get them. After a few trips around the shop, going back to the table they were on and my lengthy list of why they were the perfect dishes…he agreed we should buy them. He claims my cuteness and how much I loved them won him over but I think he knew if we didn’t get them he would be hearing about the “dishes that got away” for far too long.

The set includes 8 place settings, 8 soup bowls and salad plates, a serving platter, vegetable dish, sugar bowl, and a creamer. The dishes are made by Mar-crest which is mostly known for their brown Daisy and Dot Stoneware dishes. I’m so happy that I found these and they are sure to be a hit at Christmas. Speaking of which, I also left the antique shop with another box of Shiny Brites to add to our collection.

Happy Halloween!

watching zombie movies

visiting with the best of friends

picking out pumpkins

decorating the porch

fairview country farm

wishing i had room for another chair

practicing pretty hairstyles

Every Fall I get in the mood to devour all things pumpkin and these did not disappoint! I found the adorable pumpkin and owl decorations at the grocery store last year and totally forgot about them. I discovered them hiding in the back of the cabinet and instead of my original idea to make pumpkin cupcakes I found this amazing recipe for iced pumpkin cookies.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon melted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, ground cloves, and salt; set aside.

2. In a medium bowl, cream together the 1/2 cup of butter and white sugar. Add pumpkin, egg, and 1 teaspoon vanilla to butter mixture, and beat until creamy. Mix in dry ingredients. Drop on cookie sheet by tablespoonfuls; flatten slightly.

3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes in the preheated oven. Cool cookies, then drizzle glaze with fork.

4. To Make Glaze: Combine confectioners’ sugar, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add milk as needed, to achieve drizzling consistency.

I have some exciting news to share…One of my photos was featured in the November issue of Cottages & Bungalows magazine! I even got to write an article all about vintage typewriter and decorating with them. Click the photo for a larger view. Happy weekend!