A Surprising Little Treasure

One of my favorite items to collect and sell is antique and vintage silver. Just about every piece I find is tarnished. My friend Denise of My Vintage Gardens got me hooked on tarnished silver, so I never hesitate to pick up a piece that only a few years ago I would have passed up as dingy and worn.

While Denise still prefers a tarnished piece, I’ve really enjoyed seeing what lies beneath the patina that has accumulated over time. I occasionally find unfortunate scratches or silver loss, but sometimes I find a well-hidden monogram or design. That is always a thrill!

I love to research the pattern names and design dates. That information makes a piece even more interesting. And a pattern name certainly helps to get a piece to an owner who is looking for extras to go with grandma’s silver set!

In a recent hunt to identify a serving fork, I found a surprising little treasure ~ the advertisements that were placed over a hundred years ago for this gorgeous Astoria pattern by R. Wallace! Imagine a bride in 1899 looking over catalogs to choose her silver pattern just like brides do today. The ads with their beautifully detailed designs and information are a treasure themselves! What they do for our imaginations is a little gift for any collector!

Antique R Wallace Astoria Cold Meat Serving Fork

For tips on how to get your silver from shabby to shiny, visit the How To Easily Clean Your Silver page at The Pink Rose Cottage. 

Five years ago...

Five years ago today life changed.

Five years ago today my daughter lived.

Five years ago today my was daughter diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes.

For us, today is a day to celebrate and be grateful for our second change. We don’t celebrate with balloons and firecrackers. A simple bouquet of purple flowers and a big hug will mark the day that changed all of us forever in so many ways.

I still struggle with God’s plan with all this. Certainly there must be a purpose? I will never know for sure. But somehow I feel that His plan or at least part of His plan was for me to help educate about Type 1 diabetes, even in a small way. So if you’ve been a follower of this blog for a long time you know this is where I post the symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes. If you’re a new follower, be assured that I will be posting this again on our next anniversary. Please read them over. I hope you never have to use the knowledge. But you'll have the information in case God chooses this path for someone you love.



Type 1 Diabetes is an autoimmune disease. Left untreated, this is a very serious, life threatening disease. Most people are admitted to the hospital at diagnosis with Diabetic Ketoacidosis (DKA) which can lead to coma and then death. So please never brush off these symptoms. A person does not have to have all of them.

Symptoms of Type 1 Diabetes:

Increased thirst and frequent urination
Extreme hunger
Weight loss
Fatigue
Blurred vision
Sweet smelling breath

This time next year my daughter will be in the midst of a new life, away from home being a normal college student. She will always have T1 Diabetes and all its challenges, but she will have a fabulous life. Truly a reason to celebrate!

National Hot Tea Month

Tapestry Rose by Paragon

January is National Hot Tea Month. What better time to enjoy a steaming cup of tea, but in the cold dark days of winter!

Whether your tea choice is traditional, herbal, or green, drinking it from a gorgeous teacup feels like pure luxury!

While you’re enjoying your tea, take time to remember the famous words of Eleanor Roosevelt, “A woman is like a tea bag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water.” How true!

These beautiful teacups can be found in the Tea Time category of The Pink Rose Cottage.

Aynsley

Royal Albert Flower of the Month Series ~ October Cosmos

 

Queen Anne China

A New Year....A New Blog!

I seldom make New Year’s resolutions, but this year, I’ve decided the new year will bring a few small changes to The Pink Rose Cottage. My first change, as you can see, is the design of this blog! With the help of Melissa Bolton, of DesignHerBrands, the blog is much more organized, easier to read, and has a touch of cosmetic improvements.

The links to the left will lead you to The Pink Rose Cottage and all the places associated with it.

 * The first link is to The Pink Rose Cottage shop’s home page. The very first category in the list “Browse All” takes you to all the items currently available. They are organized by the most recently listed items, so one click gives you a quick peek at what’s new!

 * The Newsletter link will take you to a subscription form for The Pink Rose Cottage emails and notifications. You’ll receive information on the ever popular Monday Markdowns, newly listed items, and more.

 * The Monday Markdown link is a quick click to sales exclusively held on Monday.

 * The RSS button will allow you to sign-up for email notifications of new posts to this blog. Please make sure to check your email for notification confirmation.

 * And of course there are Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest buttons as well.  (I’m new to Pinterest, so please bear with me as I learn the ins and outs of it. It seems wonderfully addictive!)

Please consider signing up for both The Pink Rose Cottage Newsletter and the blog’s new post notifications. You won’t want to miss what I have in store for you in 2012!  Here’s one little hint: A new Teacup Tuesday’s Giveaway will be back this spring!

Please visit The Pink Rose Cottage and The Pink Rose Cottage blog often!

Love, happiness, and health to you in 2012

~Holly

Starting 2012 with a BANG!

 The first Monday Markdowns of 2012 is HUGE!
Over 70 items reduced!
A sale not to be missed.
So hurry, it's today only!