Shake It Up, Baby, Now . . . .

The conservatory painting is done.

Ring the bells, sing Hallelujah!

And yes, I changed the color of the walls, from that too-white-white, to a soft color from
Sherwin-Williams called Biscuit.  It just jumped right off the wall of sample colors at the store,
landed in my open arms, and hollered, "Take me home, Mama!"

So I did.

And now, 4 coats later -- two of the wrong color, two of the right one -- and some holiday touchup,

the walls are a creamy soft shade that I can totally live with.

Pictures coming when we get the sunroom back into some semblance of order!

Meanwhile, since today I'm painting a bookcase for that room, I'm stealing a post from
a year and a half ago, about some salt shakers that used to belong to my Mom.


*******************************************************************

Despite having scads of dishes and other table-setting accoutrements (hey, I spelled that right!), I've never had much in the way of interesting salt and pepper shakers.    My mother, on the other hand, was the S & P Queen. 

(The little horridly tarnished sterling set is there to show sizes; it is 2-inches tall.)

I have a few of my Mom's favorites, and I am sharing them today, on
Three Or More Tuesday, hosted by Tam at The Gypsy's Corner.
Don't forget to click here to see more collectible and other Three Or More stories.

Plus I am participating in Second Time Around Tuesday, hosted by Diane at
A Picture Is Worth 1000 Words, as these shakers have been around the block more than twice!
Click here for more Second Timers!

**********************************************************************

Now these look a little the worse for wear, don't they?

They are pewter, in a classic style.  They have not fared well, living in the salt air of a waterside house.
One of them also seems to be listing to starboard . . .

I brought them home from the Southold beach house,
as clearly the atmosphere didn't agree with them.

I can probably clean them up but I can't straighten the Leaning Shaker of Pepper.
Off to the jeweler for these little lovelies.

(And which is for the pepper, the shaker with the bigger or the smaller holes?)

Next up . . . Martha and George!

I have no idea how old these two china shakers are, but I remember them from when I was a very small child,
and I am well over a hundred years old, so they are indeed vintage.

George is looking rather grim:

And Martha seems a tad suspicious of all the attention:

Wouldn't you love to see them on your breakfast tray?
First thing in the morning?

Wear a robe!  Martha shocks easily, and George can be a bit of a rogue.

And finally, for all the milk glass fans out there (you know who you are!), this set:

My mother loved milk glass.  It was all over her house. She put milk glass in her daughters' shared bedroom, when those daughters weren't even school age yet.  Even our bedside lamps were milk glass, and they are still at the Southold beach house, where they lit the nightstand in the cozy room my own daughters slept in when we visited:

My sister and I thought these lamps looked like little ladies holding onto big hats (look at the one on the right, see the arms reaching up?) and it's amazing they survived all these years with only one tiny chip in one of the shades.  I am pretty sure Peggy is responsible for that, not I. . . .

I am happy to have these little reminders of the lovely table my Mother set for family dinners -- even on weekdays.  There was always a centerpiece, even if it was just a squat, pillar candle on a pottery or -- yes, milk glass -- plate, and there was always a first course, even if it was just tomato juice in a pretty glass.


Happy Tuesday to all.    -- Cass