Vintage Mismatched China

Stacks and stacks of beautiful vintage mismatched china!

I just love vintage china!  I especially love mismatched china, even more charming!

In the next couple of days I will be putting together mismatched china sets to list in my Etsy shop!

And more!

Vintage mismatched china is a fun way to create a unique and lovely tablescape!  They are also perfect for a vintage wedding!

Layer different patterns together!

 Perfect for tea parties, bridal showers, and garden parties too!

Keep watching! I will soon be listing some of these plates pictured! http://www.jenscloset.etsy.com and http://www.thechinagirl.etsy.com

Have a great weekend!
Jen

Milk Glass

Gorgeous Fenton Milk Glass Hobnail Collection

I just received my final boxes of beautiful vintage Fenton milk glass hobnail, including some very rare pieces!

Very rare Boxtle in front!

 The Fenton "Boxtle" is one of my favorites! So unique!

 I just love milk glass! So simple, classic, yet elegant!

This collection all started from a lovely lady, named Marybeth, who contacted me through my Etsy shop "MyMilkGlassShop".

She told me about her Mom, Cathy's, large Fenton milk glass collection, and she was ready to downsize.

Since that encounter, I have met with John (Cathy's son), at the Promenade in Westlake (where I meet all of my local customers). I always joked that it seemed like an illegal drug exchange!  Well, milk glass is my drug of choice!

I am not sure how many times we've met to get the beautiful Fenton pieces, but Cathy did number every box, and the lost box was numbered 40!

Cathy was wonderful at listing everything in each box

 You could tell that Cathy new her Fenton (and she loved it)!  She gave me fair prices on everything, so that I could still make a profit.  I am grateful to Cathy and her family!  I have already found appreciative homes for some of Cathy's collection, and will continue listing on of these lovelies, and think of her!

Jen

Grandson Oliver!

Best news!! My sweet Grandson Oliver was born December 9th!! He is already 5 weeks old, and as cute as can be!

Oliver and family (my daughter, Lindsey, son-in-law Thomas, and doggies Maddie and Cosmo) live in Columbus, so we have been traveling there (from Cleveland) as often as we can!  We missed out today because Bob has a cold.  He is so sweet, and I cannot wait to do lots of fun things with him!!

More pictures to come!!

Jen 

I'm Outa Contro!!

Glittery Trees!

Just give a girl some glue, bottle trees, and glitter, and watch out!

Jenny's Crappy Craft!

 Just buy inexpensive green Christmas trees at the craft store, colorful glitter, and some modge podge (or any glue really)!  I then soaked the trees in bleach, let them air dry, used a paint brush to spread the modge podge on, and went crazy with pretty glitter (I used Martha Stewart glitter).

Just add vintage!

 So fun!! Now I'm going to try to embellish some with tiny bows, pearls, birds, and more!!

Happy Crafting!
Jen

It's Time For Another Segment of "Jenny's Crappy Craft"!

It's been awhile since I created a crappy craft, but here it is, and I think it's kind of cute!

Sweet little bird house

 So I bought this cute little wooden bird house at Pat Catan's and painted it with acrylic paint, sprinkled glitter, and glued some flowers and a little birdie on it!

I love this idea!

And this one isn't really a craft, but I bought this cute ruffled board at Pat
Catan's (it's for cakes), and thought it would be pretty as a charger!

Wilton ruffle board

 It's called a "ruffle board" from Wilton.

It's definitely time for a tea party!

 So there you go!! Jenny's crappy crafty!!

Recipe for Yvette/Potato Leek Soup

My sister-in-law (aka little sis), Yvette, saw my picture of the beginning steps of my potato leek soup on instagram and wanted the recipe.  I don't have a picture posted here, but you can see it if you follow me on instagram, at "jenscloset", of course!

Most of my soup recipes basically start the same way; I  saute the vegetables in oil oil, butter, or coconut oil.  These days I am cutting way back on butter, so here's how I made this soup:

Chop up whatever potatoes you have in pretty small pieces (they cook quicker).  I used two leeks for this, and I cut them lengthwise and then cut them into about quarter inch pieces, and soak them in a bowl of whatever to get any grit out of them.  Then drain them.

Saute the potatoes, leeks, onions, and celery in a bit of coconut oil and oil  for 10 or so minutes.  I then added one clove of garlic, salt, and pepper, and saute another 5 minutes or so on a lower temp, so as not to burn the garlic.  

To thicken the soup I add a tablespoon of flour, and stir on low for a minute.  Then add 1-2 cans of chicken broth (you can use vegetable broth to keep it vegan).  At this time I add some sprigs of thyme, hot pepper flakes (just a pinch unless you want it really spicy), a 1/4 tsp of italian seasoning, and since I use low sodium chicken broth, I add more salt.  Always taste as you're going along to "tweak" the recipe.

You can either use a blender or one of those hand blenders, and blend about 1/2 of the soup to make it more creamy.  Don't do this step until the potatoes have softened (you don't want them to the point of mushy though!).

It's too early in the morning, so I may have missed something! I'll check back later to see!

I always make a lot of soup, and freeze containers for my Dad and also for my Mother-in-Law, Grace!

Happy soup making!
Jen

I'm pretty happy with these "vegan meatballs" I just made!  Not bad for my first attempt!! I wish Katherine was here to try them!

Here's what I did:

Sauteed onion, yellow pepper, and orange pepper in a tiny bit of coconut oil.  I added finely chopped tempeh, and cooked a little longer.  I also added cooked lentils. In the meantime I made my "fake egg" with some chia seeds and water, let it soak a bit, and you have a texture similar to eggs!!

Add the "fake egg" to your other cooked items, mix well, so you can roll them without them falling apart.  I did mash the mixture up a bit with a pastry blender. 

Roll them in a tiny bit of plain bread crumbs.  I baked mine in a 350 degree oven for about 10 or so minutes. They would also be good fried.

Add your favorite sauce, and you have a wonderful meal!

Some things that I would change next time are:

1. not add the peppers
2. mash the mixture more
3. add a tiny bit more of the "fake egg" mixture.
4. be sure to season with salt, pepper, maybe some italian seasoning.

All in all, not bad for a first try!!

Jen

Soup's On!

I love making soup!  I made this vegan vegetarian soup in anticipation of my daughter, Katherine, finally coming home for a day!!

served in a vintage bowl, of course!

 Easy and fun to make!  I start with about a tablespoon of coconut oil and olive oil, add my cut up veggies (except the squash and zucchini I add after about 10 minutes), saute until somewhat soft, but I like a bit of crunch to my veggie soup.  I then add about 2 cups or so of veggie broth, some water, and whatever beans you like (for protein); I added black beans and navy beans.  Cook for a bit longer, add seasonings that you like.  I added salt, pepper, pepper flakes, garlic salt, and italian seasoning.  

Then add maybe a 1/2 cup or so of pasta, and cook another 8 minutes or so.  At this point I sample a small bowl of the soup to see what it still needs.  Oh, almost forgot, I added a can of diced tomatoes too, and because of the tartness from them, I did add a tablespoon or so of sugar.  

Serve in your favorite vintage bowl (I sell them if you need some)!  Add a hint of milk glass (yes, I sell milk glass too!) and you have the perfect pretty and healthy lunch or dinner!

Enjoy!!
Jen

What's in "Jenscloset"!?

Lacy Westmoreland Milk Glass Bowl

Well, summer is almost over, sad to say!  It's my favorite season!  No coats, sleeveless, sandals!

We had our usual fun vacation in Cocoa Beach, Florida.  Me, Bob, Katherine, Mark, and Katherine's boyfriend Jon.  Long walks on the beach with Katherine, that was the highlight for me!

Bob and I had a quick overnight trip to Savannah on our way back to Ohio from Florida.  Love that place!

I've also been very busy buying and selling in my three vintage Etsy shops.  So I'll show off a few items.  Be sure to check out my shops if you get a chance.  Why not start shopping for Christmas early.

Oh, speaking of that!! I'm going to be a first time Grandma!! Due date (my daughter Lindsey and her cute hubby Thomas) is December 14th, and they're expecting a boy!! I can't wait!

Gorgeous Royal White and Gold Dinner Plates

 

These vintage blue birds remind me of my Mom!

Enjoy what's left of summer!  I will admit, the changing of the leaves on the trees is beautiful in Autumn!

Jen

Instagram

My latest obsession is Instagram!!  Feel free to follow me!  Instagram name "Jenscloset", of course!  I have fun mixing it up with stuff I'm doing, my Etsy shop items, food I'm making, and more!