Birdcage Deja Vu....

(click any photos to enlarge)

This birdcage sits on top of the TV armoire in our living room. It may look familiar to you....


...because I showed you photos of it last year...


... when I found it (along with these two vintage frames) while junktiquing in New Hampshire.

The cage is flanked by the reproduction Staffordshire dogs that I got for Amanda last year...

They seem quite happy to be protecting it (although from what, I don't know!)

(mid 1950's... Nana lifting up my sister so she could see Pete the parakeet in his cage)

If you've ever read some of my older posts, you know I love vintage children's books... So you can imagine how excited I was when I happened across this copyright 1954 "Parakeet Peter" book (with the 29 cent price stamped on the front cover!)

It's just perfect! (This is exactly how my mom, sister, and I would hold our Pete's while teaching them to talk)...

We had a ladder and bell just like the ones pictured here...

And a few posts ago, I showed you a photo of my Nana's Pete with his bowl of water sitting in front of his cage, just like in this picture... Deja vu indeed!

Yup... We even had a mirror for our Pete...

Such sweet memories this book brought back!!!

Donna

My baby.....

...is twenty years old today!

(click any photos to enlarge)

"May blessings fall upon you wherever life's journey takes you."


Where did the years go, between this photo....


...and this one? It just doesn't seem possible that all those years have already flown by....


Wasn't your first birthday just yesterday???


And wasn't it just yesterday that you were running to me for comfort when you were afraid?

You only missed being a St. Patty's baby by 5+ hours! But you'll always be our "Wee Falorey Man" (the song you sang regularly, much to the delight of all your Irish relatives!!)

You always loved to make people laugh. Nana would call you her "little comedian"...

... to which you'd reply, "I am not a comidgion." But you soooooo are a comidgion!!!

You're also a true Pisces, my little water baby...

You loved our trips to the Cape....

... and made some acquaintances that you'll never forget!!

Here you are in March of 1994 with the love of your life, your handsome Spotty (a wee lad of 7 months when this photo was taken)... He was your boy then...

... and he's your boy now... Just look at you two, all grown up....

I am so looking forward to this weekend when you'll be home from college to celebrate your birthday!!! Save room for all of your favorites - a corned beef and cabbage dinner with carrot 'birthday' cake for dessert!! Till then...

Happy Birthday, honey!!!!!!!!!!!

Love, Mumsy

Our Galway Girl...

Happy St. Patrick's Day to you, Mom!

You were taken from us too soon... But we know how blessed we were to have had you, our very own Galway Girl, in our lives for so many years... I know you're wearing green today, and you can be sure that I am, too! (You taught me well!!!) I miss you and love you always...



Donna

Shabby Cottage Giveaway - Bunny, Birds, and Blooms!

Happy Pink Saturday! I cannot believe it's been almost a year since I started blogging, and I've really enjoyed getting to know so many of you!


My very first post, on March 16, 2008, featured this crackled vase of faux pink roses that sits on my dining room table...

Therefore, it only seemed fitting that my first anniversary giveaway include lots of PINK roses! (That, plus the fact that I'm soooo anxious for spring, and I thought many of you might feel the same way!!!) So I went shopping as though I were picking things out for myself; I hope you like my choices! All of these items were purchased from one of my favorite places, The Christmas Tree Shop... As anyone here in the northeast knows, CTS is not an expensive store, but you can always find some pretty cool stuff there! So let me show you what I picked out, just for YOU!!!
(click any photo to enlarge)

There you have it - everything you see on top of the pie safe (except for the lamp - that's mine!!)


You all know how much I love birds and, from your comments, I know a lot of you love them, too! So when I spotted this love bird topiary, I KNEW it had to be part of my giveaway!


Ever since I got them home they've been so excited, chirping back and forth to each other, wondering who the winner will be and where they will be going to live!


And you also know that one of my very favorite colors is robin's egg blue, so when I spotted this fringed pillow with lush pink roses I grabbed it for the giveaway! (It reminds me of a vintage barkcloth material)...



This shabby little garden bunny hopped over to me and asked if he could be part of the giveaway, too... I hope you all like heavily distressed pieces because he's missing quite a bit of his chippy paint...

... especially on his left side... But I told him that I thought you would all love him, just as he is! He asked if he could pose with the two little planter boxes that the winner will get... Again, robin's egg blue and pink roses... It was a done deal as soon as I saw them!

And lastly, this little floral quilted tote with braided handles. These were being sold as lunch bags (they have a soft insulated/plastic interior and a velcro close tab)... I actually bought one of these last year to tote around Delilah, my little Garmin GPS unit... Very handy!!

So there you have it! I hope you like all the goodies I chose for you... It's such a small way to say Thank You to each and every one of you who visit my blog, both old friends and new. Just leave a comment on this blog post and you will be entered into the giveaway. I'm going to keep it open until midnight EST on March 31st... I'll post the winner on April 1st or 2nd.

And if you mention this giveaway on your blog, please mention that in your comment so I can enter your name twice... And if you don't have a blog, please be sure to leave an e-mail address so I can contact you if you win!

Now please visit Beverly at How Sweet the Sound to see her Pink Saturday post! While there, you'll also find a list of all the other pink-loving bloggers who are participating in today's PINK SATURDAY!


Donna

Can you stand another bird cage??

I know I'm really milking these bird cage posts, but to be perfectly honest, I don't lead a very exciting life; therefore, I'm often at a loss as to what to blog about! (If you follow the widget links below each post, you can see all my previous bird cage posts!!)

(click any photos to enlarge)

So I'm going to take advantage of my bird cage collection and string it along a bit more...


I found this beautiful vintage cage and stand while visiting western Massachusetts last year... Here's a picture of it in the shop, right before I carted it out to the van!


And here's the plastic Pete who lives in this chippy white birdcage, which now stands in a corner of our living room.



The very nice thing about plastic Pete's (as has been mentioned in previous comments) is that they aren't the least bit messy! Can you imagine what this scrapbook paper (that I lined the bottom of the cage with) would look like if that was a real parakeet up on that perch?

The base is also old and chippy... perfect for a shabby cottage look...

I sometimes decorate this cage for the holidays. This is what it looked like during October with a little white bird nesting on a big pink floral pumpkin!

And at Christmastime, it became a vintage barn for the glittery sugarplum reindeer that I painted...

And here's yet another blast from the past... My little sister and I posing with Nana's Pete (again, with his cage door open)... This is a rare photo from our old albums. Purchasing color film and having it developed was much more expensive back in the 50's, so this is one of just a handful of color photos that I have from that era, the majority being black & white...

Check back tomorrow for my one year anniversary giveaway post!

Donna

Mini Bird Cage... #4

This is something of a make-shift corner in our dining area, with all kinds of things sitting on top of each other!! (See all the rainbows from my window prisms?)


(click any photos to enlarge)
I've had this mini bird cage for so long that I don't even remember where I bought it! It sits on top of a little mirrored cabinet which, in turn, sits on top of our little jelly cupboard.


I thought these parakeets were life-sized when I ordered them on-line a year or two ago. When I got them I was disappointed because they were so teensy weensy. But then I realized they were the perfect size for this little cage...


So little green Pete sits on the right hand side of the cage...



...while little blue Pete sits on the left...

And here's my beautiful Nana posing with her handsome Pete back in the 1950's. She absolutely loved her parakeet(s). In many of the photos I have of her with a bird, the cage door is wide open so her Pete could come out if he wanted. In the photo above, you can see that the cage door is open and she has put a little bowl of water in front of Pete's cage for him to bathe in. The writing on the back of several photos tell how Pete loved to bathe in these little water filled bowls that Nana put out for him...

I have a table very similar to the one pictured above that belonged to my mom. Some day I'll post about it. But just the other night I saw tables almost identical to this one at Target, except they were black and my Nana's was green.

By the way, I'm going to try to post my 'one-year blog anniversary' giveaway items on Saturday, so be sure to check back then, especially if you like birdies!!!

Donna

TIDE vintage styled T-shirts...

Have you seen these vintage styled TIDE T-shirts? They are really nice!!! And the big plus is that when you purchase one of these t-shirts (buy 2 or more and get free standard shipping!) you are contributing to Tide's "Loads of Hope" program, which got its start during the Hurricane Katrina disaster... (Just click on the colored words above to order a t-shirt or to read about the Loads of Hope program)


I'm happy to spread the word about this program. I also happen to be a huge Tide fan... It's the only detergent I use... I love trying out all their different varieties and fragrances (these are the two I have on hand right now)...

... and last year I posted about how heavenly some thrift store linens smelled after washing them in Tide's Vanilla & Lavender... I really do love all of the Tide detergents!

Now I'm going to go check out those t-shirts!! I can't decide if I like the blue, red, green, or yellow best!! If I wear the red one out in the garden this summer, maybe I'll attract more hummingbirds!!!

Now after all this talk about Tide, I think I'll go put in a load of laundry!!!

Donna

Comment Update: I absolutely love the scent of the Tide's that I use, but you're right, many people don't like scents or fragrances in their detergents. Here's a link to Tide Free if anyone is interested in checking out their non-scented detergent!

Bird Cage Love #3... Chippy Cottage Green!

Continuing with my bird cage collection....

(click any photos to enlarge)

Last week you met Pete, who lives in this little footed cage on our kitchen counter.

And yesterday I showed you this white wire bird cage that is currently housing my philodendron plant...

Today I'd like to share a favorite old bird cage that makes its home next to one of the family room windows (all the better for the birds to see out!)...

I purchased this vintage bird cage from eBay years ago. I absolutely flipped for the chippy, cottage green color. It was also the perfect size for this old black bird cage stand...

I love the domed top, the deep base, and the scrollwork on the front.

And this is sweet Pete, a beautiful blue-green celluloid parakeet who spends his days swinging back and forth...

... while his friend, Miss Canary, spends her days eating! They are the best of friends and share the cage together... (just look at those perfectly chippy cottage green bars!!!!)

The scrollwork on the cage shows up better in these night-time photos...

I don't know if I'll ever get another live bird. I haven't had one since I was a teenager. But if I were to get one, I think I'd have to purchase a larger cage than what we used in the 50's... Looking at some of my old photographs, the cages seem so small. With all my talking about wanting a parakeet lately, the girls suggested we transform the windowseat area of our family room into a big cage and get a couple of parakeets! Wouldn't Spotty and Tiger love that!

Did you know that you can adopt birds from Petfinder.com? I think that's so great because if what I've read is true regarding most pet store birds (bird smuggling and bird breeding - think puppy mills, but for birds), I'm afraid it's not a very pleasant existence for these beautiful little creatures. I've added a link to Petfinder on my sidebar (just click on the parakeet photo), where every possible species of birds can be adopted. As a matter of fact, through the Petfinder website, you can rescue/adopt a wide variety of animals, from cats and dogs to birds, lizards, and farm animals... It's definitely a website worth checking out if you are looking for a non-human companion!!!

And I couldn't end this post without sharing another old famly photo of Pete... (Note: All our parakeets were named Pete)... Here, my sister and Pete are enjoying a warm summer day out in the yard. (I wonder if my sister was trying to capture a playmate for Pete??)

More cages to come in future posts...

Donna