Things I Like #4

Once again, in a post inspired by, or stolen from, Mistress Maddie, here are some things i like that are around the house.

In the kitchen…the bottom piece is was painted by my mother on a cabinet door. My mother  was a Tole painter—the folk art of decorative painting on tin and wooden utensils, objects and furniture—for many years and this is one of my favorite things she ever did, so it’s in the kitchen and I get to see it every day.

Side story: Carlos and I moved to Camden shortly before my mother passed away and the house we ended up buying wasn’t at all, really, what we wanted, but when looking at it with the realtor, a few weeks after my mom passed, when we opened the front door, I could see across the living room, into the kitchen, and I saw my mother sitting at a table, smoking a cigarette, drinking coffee and looking at the backyard. That’s when I knew it was the house for us, because my mother saw it, and felt at home there.

Now, that piece above my mom’s work we bought at a Christmas art show in town; it was the only thing that wasn’t Christmas in the whole building and, yeah, it fits our house; I get to look at it every day, too.

Carlos loves blue glass, so these pieces that he’s had for years and years, along with a one more, sit in the corner hutch in the kitchen. The glass egg was a gift from a friend, and the wee coffee cup, which stands on three legs on it saucer, was a gift from Carlos to me. I’d seen my fave TV character-slash-altar ego, Karen Walker drinking out of a three-legged coffee cup and Carlos scoured the internet until he found one, and then ordered it for me. Trouble was, it’s about an inch-and-a-half tall, more for an espresso shot than anything else, but it makes me smile.

In the other hutch on the kitchen are three cannisters I bought at an antique store for use at Christmas, with candies and cookies inside for guests. But I liked them so much they’re on display year-round.

Lastly, we found those two little cat paintings at an antique store intown, and one was Tuxedo and one was Consuelo; I searched for a MaxGoldberg, but, alas, no luck, so we just bought the two home. Ssssh, because Max hasn’t noticed them and we don’t want to hurt his feelings.

The bottom piece is a chalkboard and magnetized calendar that works for every year and date; you simply move a magnetized strip under the month, day and year and you can use it forever. We got that on a trip to Greenville. It fits perfectly in our Bella Cucina!

More to come.