Wednesday, July 20, 2016

Summer Blooms at Lazy Day Farms



It's mid July, and yes, I'm feeling lazy.

The Mad Tea Parties are scheduled for July 23rd,

but alas I've not set a table for this year's party.

Too hot to be outside, and life has filled

my schedule with other things.





Instead, I reached into my photo files while in the

comfort of my air conditioned home and pulled up this rather fun  

 Lazy Day Farms table to share this week. 

I spied it last April in a booth at Marburger Farm.

This charming table was created by the very talented,

Marsha Smith of Cottonseed Trading Company

out of Jacksonville, AL.





The chippy white table with wooden folding chairs

looked right at home on the wood chip floor.





I admit, I was extremely tempted to snatch up

this vintage Lazy Day Farms truck.

It made such an adorable plant container!





I frequently wear a straw hat during the heat of summer.

As cute as these were, I already have plenty of my own,

but don't they add an adorable touch to this setting?





Rusty, vintage garden tools also appealed to this gardener,

even if they were past their prime for actual gardening duties.

 Wouldn't it be fun to use these to decorate a potting shed?





I thought the vintage floral hankies tied

on the rusty tools were the perfect touch to soften 

each of these simple place settings.





Each of the ironstone shallow bowls featured a darling

floral pincushion made from vintage quilt squares.

Lucky I snapped the photo when I did because

a buyer was ready to scoop these up to purchase.





Stems of carnations added both height and more color.

How simple to just pop a few stems in a vintage milk bottle.





A soft pillow in the wooden chair offered up a

bit of comfort as well as loads of charm 

with its vintage seed packet motif.




Between the pillow and this vintage seed package display nearby,

it's no wonder that my mind drifted to thoughts 

of one of my favorite summer bloomers

as I looked back on this garden themed table.





Each summer zinnias have offered a burst of 

bright color to many summer gardens.





In my garden I have mixed zinnias among Dusty Miller,

 a silvery lace-like plant that grows here year round.

Both frost and drought tolerant, with a soft furry texture, 

I like the nice compliment to the bright colors.





Zinnias make excellent cut flowers

 with their vibrant blooms and strong stems.





Cut a bouquet of zinnias, pop them into a favorite container,

 and straightaway you have a burst of summer 

 color to enjoy in your home.





According to the LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS,

 Zinnias are symbolic of "thoughts of an absent friend."

 I like that thought!



Though I'll be absent as a party participant this year,

  I look forward to all the fun that awaits.

 Vanessa's ~ A Fanciful Twist 

MAD TEA PARTY ~ JULY 23, 2016

Previous Mad Tea Parties @ Hyacinths for the Soul 

 HERE AND HERE


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Saturday, July 9, 2016

July 2016



Here it is July 9th, and I'm just now posting about July.

I'll blame it on the Lazy Days of Summer!


July 2016



Photo ~ Pondside 

July 1st  ~  Canada Day

 In honor of all my blogging friends 

 who live in Canada I wish you a belated 

 Happy Canada Day!

 Canada became a self-governing country July 1, 1867.

 As with Independence Day here in the US, 

 the Canadian celebration is one of pride to celebrate 

 Canada's heritage and nationalism.





July 4th  ~  US Independence Day


Known simply as the Fourth of July, 

this US holiday is a highlight of summer here in

 the US when we commemorate the birth of our country.

Neighborhood parades, picnics, cookouts, and fireworks

are traditionally held to celebrate the day.




Teddy Bear's Picnic @ Normandy Life

July 10 ~  Teddy Bears' Picnic Day

"If you go down in the woods today,

 your're sure of a big surprise . . ."

Yes, this is the day the teddy bears gather for 

"marvellous things to eat and wonderful games to play."

Grab your favorite teddy bear and celebrate 

with a picnic of your own.

Quotes from the lyrics of Teddy Bear's Picnic, Jimmy Kennedy 1932




Bastille Day ~ July 14th ~ La Fête Nationale

 (Celebrated Saturday July 9th in Austin this year .)

This French holiday commemorates the anniversary 

of the storming of the Bastille on this date in 1789.

Like the 4th of July here in the US,

Bastille Day is a time to celebrate independence; 

the storming of the Bastille represents the 

beginning of the French Revolution.

Click here to view a previous post of Austin's celebration.




"Make new friends and keep the old, 
one is silver the other gold."


International Friendship Day

July 30, 2016


To all my cherished friends that I've met

here in the Land of Blog, you are treasures.

I appreciate your visits, your comments, and your personal emails.

Each of you are an inspiration who enrich my life with your

  creativity, inspiration, and dear friendship.

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Sunday, July 3, 2016

The Go To Guy For the Fourth of July


Who do you think of first 

for the 4th of July?




For me that would be

 Uncle Sam and his Lady Friend.




Uncle Sam as a patriotic figure

 dates back to the War of 1812.




A man by the name of Samuel Wilson 

from Troy, NY, contracted with

the government to provide beef to 

the troops during the war.





The barrels were stamped US, for country of origin,

but folks jokingly began to say the initials stood for

 Samuel Wilson, the meat purveyor. 




Soon the term "Uncle Sam" became

linked with national pride and the US government.



The symbolic character, when illustrated,

was generally featured with a goatee

and wore red striped pants, blue jacket, and a top hat.





As with collecting other holiday pieces,

I found that my collection grew as I came across

interesting pieces that had been hand carved from wood

or sculpted in paper maché or as a cloth doll.




Most basically remain true to the original tall, lean, and lanky

 cartoon character of political cartoonist, Thomas Nast.

I have come to appreciate the different personalities given each 

figure by the artist who created these patriotic guys.





As is often the case with collections, I didn't start out

to collect Uncle Sam figures, but somewhere along the way

they captured my interest and and one led to another.




Like this guy, faded and rather small,

and signed and dated 1940.

 I found him at an estate sale along

 with a companion piece of a carved army officer.

 How I wish I knew the story of the individual who 

 carved this wonderful piece of folk art. 




Normally my "guys" are at home

on a set of shelves in a guest bathroom,

but during the summer months they can be found

sitting about in vignettes in our home.





This summer I filled my Nantucket baskets with flowers

and gathered a few of the figures on a wicker tray.





They make a festive centerpiece 

on the dining room table.

I shared a complete post on my collection of Americana

 in July of 2011.  You can read more about each of the figures

 as well as other Americana I collect here.




My collection is not historically valuable, but simply 

pieces that appeal to me, picked up through the years.

If interested in starting a collection of your own

you might find this book of interest.

THE FOREMOST GUIDE TO UNCLE SAM COLLECTABLES, by Gerald Czulewicz, Sr. Available here at Amazon.





Wishing each of you a Happy 4th of July!




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