In honor of our Irish roots....

Gearing up for the St.Patrick's day 

festivities...

our little day always consists

of the annual

Corned beef , cabbage, and potatoes....

wearing a bit of green ,orange

and 

if my son can still fit in his kilt this year he will wear that again! 
Although he may object this year...

For fun a little green milk and lucky charms...

(o.k. NOT Irish - but fun for the kiddo)

 a treasure hunt...

and 

one of my most favorite movies ever...

The Quiet Man

 I have some Irish in my hubby's side of the family 
and now

 so does my sister.

With a new married name of

 MacDonald

there is no dispute there!

I just thought I would share a few of her photos 

from their

Irish Honeymoon

 in honor of St.Patrick's day coming up...

 Love this shot she took of their rings - very fitting for the occasion.

This Panorama if of the Cliffs of Moher

sorry my side bar covers some of it....

This is probably my favorite one she took...

I just love the Celtic cross on the hill.

Hope you having a great weekend and are gearing up for

a little wearin' o' the green!

Happy Saturday Everyone!

Mixed Media Muffins......

I just knew those vintage 

clown

 cupcake toppers

would come in handy for something...

It pays to be crafty sometimes...

Especially when dealing with a picky eater....

Happy Thursday everyone!

We're off to see the Wizard....

I can't tell you

how many times I have actually

walked into a movie theatre

since Little Keeper was born ....

Maybe twice?

When my mom called and wanted to take

me to see the new

Oz 

The Great and Powerful

 

How could I say no?

When I was a kid

whenever we would go to visit my

great grandmother towards

Thanksgiving....

The Wizard of Oz usually came on t.v.
 at some point during our stay...

I have to say that it was a tradition 
to
 drop everything

and watch.

Mom or Grandma also made sure they would call down the

road to my Uncle's house 
and
 make sure to tell him it was on.

I'm not sure now if it was a joke

because he was a grown man...

or 
if he really loved it too!

 I am glad this is the telling of a different part of the Oz story.

I read Gregory Maguire's

Wicked - The Life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West

before it was turned into a musical

and really enjoyed it.

Although when I heard they were making it a musical

I was shocked because there is definitely some content

they would have to leave out!

I wanted to share this old photo

That is my Great Grandmothers house

with my grandma and her Aunt....

Doesn't she look just like Auntie Em?

Whenever I see this 
it makes me think of Oz.....

What are you up to this weekend?

My Bliss dollhouse.....

Yesterday

I introduced you to that

lovely Victorian Dollhouse made by R.Bliss

Today I would like to share

my own little house with you...

 Research has been difficult.

I have only seen two or three others like mine.

One is the Clarke Museum in Eureka ,CA.

part of the Elizabeth Anderson Collection.

Rufus Bliss was the founder of the 

R.Bliss manufacturing Co.,

in Pawtucket, R.I.

from 1832-1914.

The company was purchased after his death 

and continued to manufacture toys until the 1930's.

The company was a pioneer in the manufacturing of

lithographed paper wooden toys.

The earliest ads for the company appeared in the N.E. business

directory in 1871...

If you simply web search Bliss Dollhouses

you will pull up all sorts of images .

The thing I think that makes mine special

is how well it was taken care of.

There is the small torn piece of paper on the gable

but other than that 
it has minor wear compared to the other houses I have seen.

The one that sold on E-Bay yesterday was full of water damage

stains and torn paper and cracklure everywhere.

Lets take a small tour of the 

Flower House

 The front door opens under the tiny plaque

with the manufacturers name on it...

Notice some of the details are printed and then there are also two

decorative spindles hanging from the porch.

 Look at all the lovely little details on the trims,brickwork , and even curtains.

Here is the inside...

A real piece of lace for the downstairs open window,

 and tiny hinges for the door ...

Some nice close ups of the beautiful papers inside...

When I purchased this a few years ago

I just knew there was something special about it.

I had one doll house when I was a child...

 This was me

Christmas Morning I believe in 1982?

I still have the furniture

 but  the house is gone.

I'm not necessarily a dollhouse collector,

I just buy something if I like it!

In the past few years I have grown to love the metal Marx Style dollhouses

and farms after I purchased a small dairy barn for my son

at a flea market.

I have been waiting for the right dollhouse for myself  to come along.

Funny thing is...

a few months ago my mother in law let me look

through some of my husbands childhood photos

and there he is with his little Marx Farm! 

(he still makes that deer in the headlights face when you take his picture sometimes ;)

I have really enjoyed having my little Bliss Dollhouse on display

but as I mentioned I will be putting her up for auction.

Time to let someone else enjoy her.

I know several of you collect dollhouses...

Do you have any particular ones or brands you really love?

I'd really enjoy hearing about it!

If you know anyone looking for a Bliss ..

tell them to keep their eye out for mine on E-bay!

Happy Friday everyone!

Just had to share this!

I just had to share this

because it excited me beyond belief...

 This doll house made by the R.Bliss company

just sold on E-bay last night for...

drumroll please....

$2,000.00

For days it sat with 9 bids at $600

and then in the last hour it went in a frenzy

with 16 bidders chomping at the bit!

I have to say I was surprised

because it had quite a lot of paper damage

and the inside looked to have water damage  and quite a lot of staining on the first floor.

Why was I so excited?

A few years ago I was at a favorite antique shop

and spied a small dollhouse with lithographed paper

decorations.

It just spoke to me and I had to have it.

It was $45 and that was a lot to me but it just seemed so special.

It has been sitting in my living room cabinet for the last few years on display.

It is not as large as the one above

but it is excellent condition compared to the others I have been able

to find online.

The funny thing is Pinterest helped me find

out more about the little dollhouse.

Someone had pinned an exact picture of the one I own

and I followed the link to learn some bits and pieces about the

Bliss Dollhouse company.

I will share with you in my next post

 pictures of my little gem

and a tad of history about the company.

I hate to part with her

but

 I will have to put her up for auction.

The awful economy has put a freeze on the job 

Mr.Keeper was just hired for.

We don't know when or if he will start the job now.

Bills have to be paid and maybe this was why the little

gem came into my life for a brief time.

To enjoy and then pass on to someone else who appreciates it.

 

 Come back to see the darling townhome

and her fabulous interior!

Happy Thursday everyone!