I love glass. I love it for the same reason birds love it, it’s shiny. Cleaning the glass around my house, including my windows, mirrors, and the glass on pictures is one of my chief (and some would think, strangest) decorating tips for the holidays. Glass makes the perfect palette for candlelight and twinkle lights to shimmer and shine which does a lot to make magic in any room. Like the trail Tinkerbelle leaves as she flies by. ♥
Receiving this dish in my early 20’s was probably the thing that alerted me to the possibilities with glass and started the obsession. It was a gift from my Aunt Maroline and Uncle Bob when I got married. When I first saw it, I didn’t know what it 
was or what I would DO with it; there were no bananas in it when I unwrapped it, so I wasn’t sure what its purpose was. I love things with a purpose, so when my aunt told me it was to hold bananas, I jumped for joy. It had a reason to exist! I could have it! The pure charm and whimsy of the thing took hold of my heart, and this banana dish has been on every kitchen table, island, or counter in every kitchen of my life. It is a mainstay. I would be bereft without it. We are never without bananas in our house. ♥
Inspiration is funny. You never know when it will hit or what form it will take. One summer afternoon, many years ago, we were sitting at the picnic table in the backyard belonging to a French man we know here on the island. He spread a white table cloth over the wood table, brought out beautiful cheeses on a board, and served us cold white wine in short, straight-sided thin glasses like these, while French cafe music drifted out the open French doors to his house.
I thought, oo, la, oui! How continental! How adorably foreign! How Charles Trenet! I must have this!
And so it began, the glass collection that will never end. Because
it was becoming obvious that to lead an original romantic life, on the model of the early Zelda Fitzgerald, where dreamy French music and entertaining would take place, I was going to need to gather the ingredients (props); these glasses looked like a good place to start.
We’ve collected ours mostly one at a time. We’ll see one on a shelf in an antique store, it will cost a dollar, and we will jump on it like it’s a trophy. Our eyes narrow and shift around the store, to see, does anyone else notice this wonderful thing is only a dollar? And they don’t, so we grab it and run. What is a dollar these days? A candy bar is a dollar.
Because we find them one at a time, our collection of these little glasses is very mix and match. We’ve found them in pink and green depression glass, etched with fruit and flowers, swirled, and hand-painted.
We have found them etched with the Lord’s Prayer.
We have found ones that we can’t believe have survived so long!
Some of them could definitely tell a story. We found this one from the first Queen Elizabeth in the little antique store on board the QEII. It was not a dollar. But it had our name written all over it. The Finding-Nemo seagull word formed on the lips, “mine” it said, irresistibly, as in take me I’m yours.
Over time, we realized that others, with slightly different shapes, make wonderful water glasses. I know some of you understand this love of pretty glasses, because a couple of weeks ago we put three sets of these little glasses, colored and etched, in the Vintage section of our website, and they were snapped right up! Sets are really hard to find but Joe and I got them out shopping as we were crossing the country! So happy you (whoever you are) got them! I will keep looking, when I’m out and about, for more.
We have found them in all colors . . . and have broadened our definition of “what is acceptable” to include different shapes. We had to, there was no choice; do you look at these yellow jewels and say, oh dear, no, the ridges just won’t do? No, you do not. You don’t even think it.
Setting the table can be like putting together a puzzle, a little of this a little of that. But, for better or worse, however it turns out will be very unlike anyone else’s, because, as you know, you can’t walk into a store and just get this stuff any time, it takes a long time to gather this, a person has to be choosy and get just what she loves. ♥
Glass obsession knows no end. It graduates from wine glasses, and gets its wings with serving bowls, candle sticks, and cake plates. It was probably thirty years of antiquing before I found this at a price I was willing to pay for it. I’m just not paying $200 for a cake stand, but I will pay $56. Yes, I will. Here it is, home at last! Holding my mom’s famous Coconut Circus Cake with pink sugar frosting. ♥
Pitchers and ice bowls call my name too.
Early morning light comes in through the windows and falls across the dining table, and this is what we get, free of charge.
Glass star bobeche and colored-glass vintage sugars and creamers are perfect for the holidays.
And here is my newest find. Something I almost never come across, do you recognize it? Yes! It’s a really beautiful cut-glass Banana Dish, about as perfect as it can be. But, you are saying, “She already has a banana dish . . . this isn’t fair!”
And I am saying, “I didn’t get it for me. I got it for you.” ♥
Yes, I did; this little jewel is going to one of you, and all you have to do to be entered for the random drawing is leave a comment and tell me (and everyone!) your favorite housekeeping tip. Or, like last time, you can just say hello! Or maybe a Jell-O recipe would be good. 🙂
In a couple of days, after everyone is all signed up, we’ll draw a name. More fun in this giant mutual admiration society of ours! Willard starts going out this morning…today and tomorrow. I’m off to work on my book! Talk to you later! Happy day to all! ♥
I am in my glorious senior years looking back now……I was a clear glass and crystal junkie too. Loved washing them up and keeping them sparkling clean and shiney by using ammonia in hot sudsy water and rinsing them well in luke warm water so as not to crack any real crystal. My prize was a clear crystal basket and I do still have that now. But it stays behind glass now. Years ago I would set the most beautiful tables like you do now. Lots of etched crystal wine goblets, finger bowls, pickle dishes, butter dishes, salt dishes, you name it. But oh it was so fun and glorious to share with others! You bring back so many wonderful memories by writing these things in your blog! It makes my day many days………..So happy to see I am not alone. Love your blog so much and have all of your books too. Have a blessed day Susan, have a blessed day! Keep us all smiling! We all need this today especially……..
Thank you Paulie! Love your memories; those beautiful tables are a step back in time aren’t they — love it!
My favorite housekeeping tip is to make my bed as soon as I wake up, provided, of course, that hubby is already up and about! It instantly spruces up our bedroom and prevents the temptation to jump back in bed, especially on cold autumn or winter mornings!
Thank you, Susan, for continuing to inspire the creativity in all of us!
Thank you back Christine!
I also love old things and am blessed because many of mine are from my family. You have inspired to get them out of the cabinets and use them around our home. I have all your books and enjoy reading them. I will be rereading Autumn this week. I am like the reader who always cleans my home before leaving. I LOVE to come home to a clean home.
I would love the banana dish. Never seen or heard of one before. I do have an old spoon holder and my two children in Berlin, Germany and Chicago both have spoon holders. I look forward to your blogs.
Spoon holders, they thought of everything didn’t they! Thanks Kathie!
When I was a girl (a LONG time ago!), My grandmother (or was it my mother?) had a dish shaped like your banana dish, in milk glass. I could never figure out what that funny-looking thing was used for!! Now I know.
The small glasses you showed, with what looks to be etched grape clusters – I have a water pitcher in the same design (inherited). Maybe we could make a deal!!! LOL.
Probably not! 🙂 Unless, of course, you are sick of having that old water pitcher around! LOL!
I have never seen or even heard of a banana holder before. But they are beautiful! I love glassware and crystal.
My housekeeping tip is something I tell myself all the time – “Don’t put it down, put it away.” I don’t always follow my own advice, but putting things away immediately after using them does help keep the place tidy.
Thanks Lorrie, good help!
Ooooh, now you’ll have us all on the look out for those banana dishes at antique shops! I’ve probably seen one (in 30 years ha!) but didn’t know what they are — they’re wonderful. I too love lots of glass — there’s no way to resist — although space is becoming a problem. And a cleaning tip? I used to use those clorox pens and run them along the grout lines of my kitchen countertops, then scrub with a toothbrush. Happily, I no longer have tile countertops, but it’s a great tip if anyone else has them!
Thank you Anna! Joe is laying down the law “Don’t tell them about _______ or we’ll never see another one again!” 🙂
Thank You Susan for your friendly, come knocking on my door,newsletter.Icing my cake with kindness.Here is a jello recipe my mother has made for quite some time.It is a Lady Byrd Johnson recipe. Lola Byrd’s Yogurt Ring 1 12 oz. carton cottage cheese,1 8 oz. carton plain yogurt,2 Tbsp. sour cream,1/2 cup sugar,1 pkg. lemon jello,1/2 tsp. grated orange rind,1 tsp. vanilla, Melt jello with 1/2 cup hot water and allow to cool until just slightly warm. Mix all ingredients together in blender until smooth. Pour in ring mold 10 1/2″ diameter and allow to set.Put on platter and fill with fresh fruit.Serves 4-6.Have a Happy fall.
Yum! Sounds good Shelly!
my BEST tip is to hire someone else to do it! and i mean it….they need the money, i need a clean house–it is the ultimate win-win!
OOOOhhhh! Clean sparkly glass…so pretty! Its hard to resist at sales, isn’t it? I think the best advice I was given was not to put a dirty dish in the sink. Although since I got married I’ve amended it to “wash the dirty dishes in the sink as soon as you see them”. Because it seems if I stay on top of that, the kitchen doesn’t get out of hand. I wish I was a better housekeeper, but I work full time. Do I get points for that?
Big time.
Love the banana dish – so beautiful! First time I have seen one. I can envision it on my counter! So love beautiful glass pieces. I so like getting up to a tidy living area so I take a few minutes each night before going to bed to put things in there place and tidy up the kitchen.
I do that too! Thank you Jayne!
ahhhhh….glassware is my weakness and being married 40-plus years, I have collected some great pieces. As well as my mom gifting me with pieces she found before she died. One rectangle pink shaped one with loops on the sides was from the estate of one of my college professors! I also have pieces from my husband’s grandmother she got out of cereal boxes? Beautiful pink glasses! I’m already a ‘goner’ when it comes to walking into an antique store! Love all things vintage glass. As far as household tips, love a wonderful spicy scent wafting through my house. I save orange peels and dry on the counter and put them in a pot on the cooktop with cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, allspice and even a cut up apple or two. Also for cleaning, a stiff toothbrush does wonders getting into little crevices in many places around the house. Around the faucets of sinks as well as in the crevices of wood pieces.
Great tips!
A quick, easy banana appetizer: Slice rounds of banana, spread with Nutella, sprinkle with toasted shredded (sweetened) coconut and top with a walnut half. For a little more decadence, use thinner slices of bananas and alternate layers with Nutella and Marshmallow Cream topped with dried cranberry or dried fruit of choice. The banana dish is great. I’ve never seen one before. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Loved what you said about glasses. I opened an antiques store last Nov. so I see everything and it is so hard not to take home all the stray glasses. I love the vintage Christmas glasses. Love your blog!!
Thanks Regina!
One of my girlfriends has just begun recycling and bondinging glass pieces together (whole — not broken!) into “garden art” and household “whimsicals” — Her business name? “Sparkle”! She just participated in her first arts and crafts fair and did wonderfully well :o). The sunlight filtering through her creations is so very beautiful. And … she’s having a ball! She’s a newly retired home ec teacher, and has been looking for something to amuse and delight — I think she’s found it!!
Nice to hear about her. . . tell her we say hi and wish her luck!
Hi Susan, my favorite housekeeping tip is to clean my mirrors with micro-fiber cloths. All you do is wet one, wipe the mirror with it and then use a dry one to dry it. They’re great for streak free mirrors and you don’t have to use any cleaners.
Would love to be the proud owner of that pretty banana dish. Thanks for your blog, it’s my favorite place to visit. I’m from Mass. but live in Florida now. Visiting your blog is like taking a little trip home. 🙂
I’m waving hello to New England for you, especially to the maple trees!
Love your blog, it regularly brightens otherwise dull days.
Would love the banana dish, my poor deprived bananas have been making do in a plain old mixing bowl.
Housekeeping Tip: dine out – the kitchen stays remarkably clean.
LOL, love it. Need to remind Joe of that one!
I’ve seen banana dishes before and always wondered their purpose! Pretty! My tip is for pet hair since so many of us have them. My dog’s hair gets under the fibers of whatever upholstered furniture he has rubbed up against(he’s a big lab.) The vacuum just doesn’t do the trick. What does work is putting on a big rubber kitchen glove and rubbing in one direction down the piece of upholstery. The rubber gives enough friction and pull to get the pet hairs released from the fibers. Yeah!
Wow! I had to scroll WWWWAAAAAAAAYYYY down to add a comment today Susan! I’ll be honest, when I saw the banana dish you’re giving away, I didn’t read the caption and thought to myself “why does she have a glass statue of a sharks jaw?”. Then, when I read what it really is I started to laugh!
My cleaning hint is an easy one…don’t take on more than you can do in a 15 minute increment! Oh, and it’s the little imperfections that make a house a home! I don’t sweat the small stuff! Have a great day! Sunny in Ohio today!
Sunny and cold here too . . .No sharks jaws in this house, yet!
I’ve never heard of a banana bowl but what a beautiful thing!
Who would think? Not me either, but what a nice discovery!
Pick me, pick me …. pleeease! I have never heard of banana dishes, and this one is madly beautiful. Susan, your blog just gets better and better. It is the best out there.
The sparkling glass is beautiful, a place where fairies would love to dance and swirl.
I wanted to ask you Susan, the name and maker of the fruit cannister above your sink in yesterday’s post. I looove it.
Happy Fall day today
Fondly,
Carla
Oh, it’s not a fruit canister, although it does look pretty big in that photo! It’s an old sugar jar and it doesn’t say anything on the bottom. Not much help!! Sorry!
O’ well. It sure is pretty~thanks for answering.
The beauty of yard-sale shopping!
Bananas! With three kids we ALWAYS have bananas. But alas, no beautiful dish for them. :0) My housekeeping tip is that I clean the smudges from the dog and kids off of the windows and glass doors everyday. It makes the whole room look clean when there are not such NOTICEABLE smears and smudges present. Love all of your beautiful glasses! Dawn
Thanks Dawn! Glass doors really do show the dog noses! 🙂
I always take the stickers off the bananas! I’m hoping to put them in their own dish soon.
Very good tip! 🙂
Fun fact #324 that I have learned from Susan Branch: They make beautiful glass containers for your bananas! Love this post because I love old glass items too. I collect Georgian Lovebirds green depression glass. It’s so fun to have something to search for when antiquing. It’s the thrill of the hunt! You asked for a housekeeping tip so here’s my motto: Clean up as you go in the kitchen and take a walk around the house before you go to bed, picking up lost items and returning them to their proper rooms. (Do it while the dogs are out in the yard for their night visit and you will be multitasking.) Love to have a beautiful glass container for my bananas.
Perfect Ann, thank you!
Love, love, LOVE glass, and have seen those banana dishes before, but never knew what they were! So thanks. ♥
As far as a housekeeping tip, I’m not the best one to post – my own motto being “a clean house is the sign of a life misspent”, haha. But when I absolutely MUST, music helps. Anything energetic.
Thanks, as always, for your wonderful blog, and for Willard, which I received this morning. 🙂
♥ Carolee
You’re welcome Carolee, thank you!
Susan….Looking at your blog everday gives me such a sweet respite in my day. Recently hubby and I are blessed to have our 6 year old granddaughter come to live with us. She’s a sweetheart and we are honored to have this “calling” in our latter days and raise the girly-girl we never had; such fun to have this little one to share my “vintage side”with. Housekeeping tip? Lots of wonderful, pretty and useful baskets all around to store her many treasures in at the end of the day. Thanks for sharing yourself with us……
I can tell you are loving this opportunity with your granddaughter. Wonderful! Congratulations!
Housekeeping tip: I NEVER leave dirty dishes in my sink overnight. It takes just a few minutes before I go to bed to wash a few cups or ice cream bowls before I go up to bed. When I come down in the morning to a sparkling clean kitchen it makes me smile! AND, there are no odors!
Blessings, Anita
PS did you find Patricia?
Yes, she wrote me, and her box is in the mail! Thanks Anita!
Lucky girl!
Susan-You are just so caring and giving to us! Coming to the blog has now become a daily habit and is as essential to me as my first cup of coffee in the morning!
This gorgeous piece reminds me of a fancy frilly, dressy, party dress! Just beautiful! I love my handed down glassware and bowls I have also, from my mom and Gram, they are treasures, even with chips and cracks!
The best housekeeping tip I can offer is to “whistle while you work” (or hum, dance, sing, play music)! A happy heart makes the work go faster! I have to add that as the accumulation of paperwork is my personal housekeeping nemesis, I sort, and throw away all junk mail on a daily basis, and put the ‘keepers’ in an assigned spot to avoid searching like a mad woman for something the following week, as I resemble a madwoman without searching like crazy as it is.
Thank you again for adding joy and fun to our day!
Thank you too Deborah . . . Love your tips!
OH how I love BANANAS! I have one everyday in this morning smoothie:
1/2 frozen banana
3 strawberries, (frozen or fresh)
1 cup nonfat milk
1 TBL. Honey
2 TBL. wheat germ
2 TBL. sliced almonds
1/2 cup cold water
WHIR, WHIR, WHIR in the blender. . . yum.
YUM!
Your glass collection is wonderful! My cupboards are bulging with Depression glass, cut crystal, milk glass, etc., … forty years of collecting. I use mine as often as possible because like the glassware, I’m not getting any younger … lol Your chairs are lovely. I once bought 4 red velvet chairs with hardwood round backs at an auction of items from the original “Queen Mary” luxury liner. I used them happily for years. What great fun. Received my Willard this morning and it just made my day to hear of your love of “Frank’s” music, the Dorseys, etc. Thanks Susan. I have no housekeeping tips … I just try to keep ahead of the dust bunnies.
Sometimes that’s all it takes! 🙂
My favorite housekeeping tip is to play some fun upbeat music to get me moving and enjoy my day. Boppin’ around while I clean house just makes me feel good. Another tip I would like to share is if you spill something on your carpet, furniture, or clothes use a baby wipe to clean it up. It is remarkably easy and doesn’t leave a stain. My best friend told me about this when my children were babies. To this day I still keep baby wipes around for cleaning up spills. (my children are older now, the youngest being 14). Just love the banana dish! I like to keep my bananas separate from the rest of fruit. It seems the bananas keep longer when I do that. I also love glass too! Especially etched drinking glasses. So pretty to look at and drink out of. Susan thanks for all you do and share with us. I love this blog and look forward to it during the week.
My dad says to separate a bunch of bananas from each other — you can still keep them together, but detach the stems from each other, and he says they will keep longer. He just told me this yesterday, so I’m going to try it! Thanks for being here Julie!
Housekeeping tip? Oh! That’s easy. It’ll still be there tomorrow so…. grab your shoes and go on a walk. Pick up the phone and call a girl friend. Run outside because you just heard a gaggle of geese and stare until they look like ants on a paper napkin. Putter. Diddle dawdle. But most importantly think of Scarlet O’Hara and remember her wise words, “Tomorrow is another day” (and it’ll all still be there waiting for you and that’s okay).
Reminds me of the quote “The imagination needs moodling; long, inefficient, happy idling, dawdling and puttering.” by Brenda Ueland Good tip Teresa!
Good morning, Susan…well, I guess it is about lunchtime at your lovely home… : )
I so enjoyed your Willard today…as always…it makes my day when I see your name in my “new e-mail”!
I too love antique glass and dishes…I have a few pieces that were my great-grandmothers’ and I LOVE them! I think my favorite is a two-piece Carnival glass fluted fruit compote. It is usually the centerpiece of our table, but right now it
has been replaced temporarily with a black wire Halloween tree. : )
Now, here’s one of my FAVORDIST jello recipes…hope you, Joe and your guests enjoy it as much as we do!
BEET SALAD
1 3 oz. pkg. strawberry jello
1 3 oz. pkg. raspberry jello
1 3 oz. pkg. cherry jello
3 cups boiling water
1 15 oz. can of crushed pineapple (I could only find 20 oz. cans, so used beet
can to measure…be sure to include some of the juice)
1 15 oz. can of shoestring beets (I couldn’t find shoestring beets, so I used a 15
oz. can of whole beets, reserved the juice, and grated beets in my Cuisinart)
1/2 C. sweet pickle juice (I use the juice from a jar of sweet baby or midget
pickles and then put about three pickles on the plate with a square of the
salad)
1/2 C. mayonnaise (I use light mayo…not Miracle Whip)
1/2 C. sour cream (I use light)
4 green onions…white and green parts…finely sliced or chopped
Dissolve jello in boiling water.
Add pineapple and beets including juice from both cans.
Add pickle juice.
Mix well and pour into 9×13 pan or dish. Chill until firm (I usually make this the
morning of…) I also LIGHTLY spritz the pan with PAM to ease removal of
squares…works like a charm! : )
Combine mayo and sour cream and spread on jello just before serving OR put in a
baggie, cut off a corner, and pipe the mayo combo onto each square AFTER
it is on a salad plate…this is what I usually do…then any leftover salad will not
turn the mayo pinkish… : )
Cut salad into squares…you can get 20-24 servings from the 9×13 pan.
Place each square on a lettuce leaf lined salad plate. Pipe on mayo/sour cream,
sprinkle top with sliced onions, and add the little pickles on the side.
This is a DELICIOUS salad (no one can figure out it has beets in it…well, almost
everyone!) and looks beautiful on a buffet and the table during the holidays
especially at Christmas! : ) ENJOY!
Susan, this is my Mom’s recipe from wa-a-ay back…thanks, Mom! : )
Have a great day…we get our first major snow storm tonight into tomorrow. It was 80 degrees yesterday….typical Colorado weather…we have had a lovely autumn…we are spoiled…time for the white stuff I guess…it is beautiful to look at while I am inside staying toasty warm with a cup of hot tea or chocolate…and your blog… : )
The blog as ghosts, they are stealing my comments, I read this yesterday, was thinking about your snow storm, commented and it went away, and now it’s back. But my comment is somewhere out there in space! I will try again. Happy snow day Sherrill!
Oh, Susan, you are becoming an addiction for me! I am suppose to be working on a skunk outfit for my newest grandbaby, and here I am looking for a new posting on your blog. I don’t think you will ever realize just how much you mean to people. It’s like looking at the world with a crystal clear lens that magnifys and makes everything shinny and new. Every time you showcase another loved “oldie” I have to get my stuff out or rearrange things and look at them again, with a little more wonder in my soul. I have two little grandaughters and one grandson who are old enough to have tea parties, and boy do they love them! I have fiesta cappicinos (no dictionary for sp) in different colors for all seasons, that they love. I just bought ‘pot de creme’s that are little French containers with a lid that you put a very rich pudding in, are they ever cute. Now I will have to use some of my shinny glassware so they can grow up loving it too!
Now for the recipe: Strawberry Creme
1 package strawberry jello
1 pint whipping cream
1/2 to 3/4 pound frozen strawberries
In a one quart pryex bowl microwave 2 cups water til boiling. Carefully stir in jello (it boils up) and stir until sugar is melted-a few minutes. Add frozen strawberries til its almost at the 4cup mark. Refigerate and watch carefully for it to thicken. Whip cream and pour thicken strawberry mixture in and mix till strawberries have broken up. Pour into a shinny glass bowl and make sure you get all the strawberry chunks evenly spreadout throughout mixture. Let set an hour or two and you have my kids favorite dish! Love to you all, Kate
I just love your tea parties! How adorable to make them for your grandchildren. Of course they love them, they are so in the magic world, it all makes perfect sense to them! And to us!!! 🙂
This site is slowly changing the way I view the future. I come from a family that doesnt have family hierlooms,hand me down pieces which have a story from my past, so I am starting my families hierlooms. I do collect little glass pieces which I do use or whats the point in collecting and am beginning a recipe box so my kids can enjoy the recipes in the future. I really enjoy your stories and try to pass on a little of what I learn. Marie
I keep trying to reply to you Marie, but the crazy blog gremlins are not letting me, this is my third try . . . if I can’t do it, your comment will appear alone, but that’s better than not at all! Loved it!
Oh Susan! your blog today took my breath away. I too, like so many of our “girlfriends” am a collector of all things vintage… especially dishes, linens, and glassware. My love affair started about 20 years ago when I married my sweetheart, and moved out of my mother & fathers home. I missed all of the “old dishes” and other useful tools that Mom had. So I quickly started my own collection. It started with dishes, baking pans, and utinsils that I found at “junk stores”, yard sales, and flea markets. Then the ante was “upped” when I inheirited a set of Heisey glass in the “Orchid” pattern that my husbands mother had received as a wedding gift when she married his Dad in the 50’s. Oh My! I never knew what I was in store for when I started my elegant glassware search! I was on ebay by 1997 in search of all of the “right pieces!”. and have slowly built a lovely collection…. couldnt we just go on and on about the treasures in our lives? …I belive I will go get all of my favorite pieces out of the china, clean them and arrange them in the center of the dinning table! My favorite household tip? Keep all of your favorite things out in plain view, and USE THEM every chance you get!!! No point in leaving things to your loved ones when you are gone, that you never even used. All the better to leave those special things to your favorite nieces, all 7 of them, if they have a story about the little chips & cracks in them… 🙂 right?
Love you Susan! Have a blessed day!
Amy Lynn
Absolutely right! So fun Amy Lynn!
If it’s breakable or dustable I love it! Love the dish and have a perfect place for it. I am always amazed at the variety of interests shared by so many of us. The world is indeed a small place.
Aren’t we lucky!
I’ve been looking for years for a glass spoon holder (it’s a heavy etched glass on a small pedestal) that looked like my grandmother’s. I love functional glassware! My household tip: Feed your guests well with good food and conversation and they won’t notice you didn’t dust!
I know what you’re talking about, I see them every so often, and speaking of functional, they are SO functional, I also use mine as a votive holder and as a vase, too.
Thank you for your Blog… it certainly makes my day! Love seeing all of your collections from aprons, tea towels, vases to pitchers! AND, all of your Peter Rabbit bits – many years ago I went from Columbus OH to Ft Montgomery NY with my mother-in-law and 3 year old son on the Ohio State Limited train…. I must have read the Peter Rabbit book to him 50 times. Just last year I made a quilt w/a Peter Rabbit panel for his granddaughter Chloe and also gave them the Peter Rabbit book. What goes around – comes around!
This cleaning tip is from my husband – put about a ‘squirt’ of Dawn dishwater liquid in a pale of water…. use a loose brush to apply on your windows.. then use a sqweegie (sp?) to wipe off – you get the shiniest windows! Try it!
Hope you have a squeekie clean day….
Cute, Mary Ann, thank you so much!
I never knew that there were glass bowls for bananas, I always plunk them in a wooden bowl…not as pretty!
Hmmm….household tip….I use coffee filters in between my pretty little plates to protect them from getting scratched.
Blessings!
~Nadine
Here is another comment that I know I answered … so if it’s showing up in a list, you’ll know that the gremlins have been at work again! Hope this one goes through! I don’t know if they are or not! But thank you Nadine, for being here!
A banana dish! How clever – never saw or heard of one, unless I have and didn’t realize what it was. We ALWAYS have bananas in the house resting on a cut crystal platter that we received for a wedding gift 55 years ago – but would LOVE to have a “real” banana dish! My housekeeping hint is to just try and keep up with it a little at a time – sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t – LOL!
I know how that goes!
OH, MY! Susan, this dish is just beautiful! Until today, I didn’t even know such a thing existed, but now I’m going to feel unfulfilled until I find one! This one looks very much like the Fostoria glassware my parents received as wedding gifts. My wonderful mother passed away on September 25th, and her Fostoria came to me. It is such a warm reminder of her dear, kind heart.
Thank you for the opportunity to win this lovely dish. I know that whomever is the lucky person to get it will give it a special place in his/her home.
I hope you feel unfulfilled in a “good” way 🙂 So very sorry to hear about your mom. Love the way you talk about her. xoxo
Okay, we may not be sisters of blood, but definitely sisters of heart and soul! I mean there is another reason to own another piece of vintage glass, a banana bowl! And one must have bananas everyday, they are good for you. So that means you must have something useful and pretty to hold the bananas to remind you to eat them everyday, right, right, works for me!
My favorite household tip, two things, first, lots of washcloths! I love those cheap packs of 12 you can buy at Target or Walmart. I use them dry and wet for everything. Because they are cheap they are usually rough so really grab at everything and scrub well without scratching. So no wasting paper towels, save a tree and a buck. And I will have a separate pack of those same washcloths that I will do some kind of quick decorative line across with my sewing machine that I use for my face and body for the same scrubbing factor, rough cloth, smooth skin!
Second tip, everything around me has two purposes, one useful (like the banana bowl) and two beauty (like the banana bowl). Then is is not only a joy to use but to look at, even when your cleaning it.
xoxo
I would also like to add the perfect thing for cleaning lovely vintage glass like banana bowls is just plain old Joy liquid! I don’t know what they put in that stuff but it makes everything from my glass to my floors shine!
They would love to hear you say that! I use it too!
‘Zakley, must be beautiful, must be useful.
I too love the banana dish (who wouldn’t?) but I most of all would want it for my sister in law who collects glass cake plates. What a terrific Christmas gift this would be indeed. Although I keep a tidy house, I admit to having a little hired help. It’s the gift that keeps on giving. But this past weekend was Fall cleaning and the worst job is cleaning the racks of your ovens. Never leave them in while the self cleaning cycle is on (big mistake!). Take them outside and spray them with heavy duty oven cleaner. The grime melts off and scrubbing is minimal.
Susan – Thanks for the calming affect you have on me. I have been an admirer since 1986 (yikes…25 years!). I especially love your baby fabrics for all the quilts I make. I am a former Bostonian and miss Martha’s Vineyard & Nantucket.
Nice to hear from you Jodi! Good oven tips too!
I have read your books and adored your art for many years. My youngest daughter is 16 and her baby book is the one you created. I adore it! (and her!!)
I will admit to never knowing what those glass dishes were for … I would’ve put napkins in them. 🙂 However, we always have bananas on our counter, too, and I think they would be most at home in this gorgeous glass dish, don’t you?
(I’m glad I have found your blog … it’s like finding a long-lost friend!)
Welcome Tammy, glad you’re here!
My housekeeping tip (well…tip?? haha) I always do the washing up once a day (I live alone so not much to wash up) and then let it dry overnight (except for glassware ) The next morning it is dry and ready to be put away 🙂
Hugs from Marian, a fan from the Netherlands (yes Europe 😉 )
Thanks Marian!
My best tip for getting a room or house clean when I don’t feel like it is this:
Set aside a forbidden treat or activity to be enjoyed at the completion of each task. Example: I can read 2 chapters of my book after I wash the dishes. I can have a chocolate break as soon as I’m done vacuming. I can flip through Southern Living after the dusting, and so forth.
Also, my formula for cleaning up a destroyed bedroom is:
#1 Take everything off the bed and put on the floor.
#2 Make the bed.
#3 Put everything thats on the floor or anywhere else it dosent belong on the bed.
#4 Vacume the floor.
#5 Put away everything that is on the bed in it’s proper place.
I don’t know why but that just works for me.
Love it, so organized!
I NEED a banana dish because we always have bananas and I have no where to put them and what a great idea! And so pretty. I’ve never seen such a thing! Been a BIG fan since 1988 (?) or so. Love the blog and web site.
Chris
p.s.
Artistic dishes and dinner wear always call my name. Shiney glass…must clean windows before winter!
Thank you Christine!
Hi Susan,
I love glassware, too…the shinier the better. Since I have hard water, I have to put Lemon Shine in my dishwasher to getthe glass to not have a film of it. I guess that is my household tip.
I eat a banana every day and the banana dish would look lovely on my counter.
On another note, I got introduced to you though my good friend, Gail Buss, who had her picture taken with you when she was visiting the Vineyard. Well, she has moved to Florida and I live in Maryland…but when I have a cup of tea picking out a cup from my collection…I think Gail and I are together enjoying that special cup of tea.
I did feel badly that she moved away, but through you, we always enjoy our conversation about your blog and Willard.
Thank you, Susan, for keeping two girls who live over 1000 miles away, very happy!
Ann Beirne
I have tried to reply to this, this will be my 3rd time, or otherwise, this is up there 3 times, but I don’t think so, let’s see if this time it goes through. Wonderful that we have computers so we can keep in touch with those nearest and dearest to our hearts, but far away!
Susan, How beautiful! I love all the sparklies – sure to lift anyone’s spirit!
I have THE most simple recipe with Jello I must make every Thanksgiving and Christmas – and boy howdy, it’s D-licious!
One can of Ocean Spray Cranberry Sauce – either jellied or whole (your preference)
One can of Dole Pineapple Tidbits with Juice
One large box of Raspberry Jello
Disolve the Jello with one cup of boiling water, add cranberry sauce and mix to incorporate. Add pineapple, stir and let set in fridge. Enjoy!
Wishing you all every abundance of this colorful season.
xoxo, Jeanette
Thank you Jeanette! Same to you!
For our wedding we got a Fenton pink glass something or other. I thought it was a footed soap dish but I’m not sure. We didn’t keep it, along with the orange antimacassar we parted with. I was not a “pink” person, couldn’t imagine needing a pink soap dish/whatever, but you can’t imagine how many times I’ve wished I held onto it. I wonder where it is now…Sad.
I know, one year we are a pink person and the next year we arent, and then we want our pink things back! You can find more!
The banana glass is fantastic! I’ve never seen one like that before.
My housekeeping tip… Marry a fantastic husband who is happy to help with the work. Working together makes the work go faster and so much more enjoyable!
You have the perfect household tip!
Wow! My eyes bugged out when I saw the beautiful banana bowl and THEN to find out you are giving it away! 🙂 I’d love to share a fun recipe that is really healthy too. Peel bananas and freeze until frozen. Then, put them through a heavy duty juicer with frozen blueberries (or other fruit…maybe frozen mango) and eat right away. Makes a great frozen treat like ice cream!
Sounds delicious!
Hi Susan!
Wow……now that is what a “top banana” must feel like, sitting there on its own special and beautiful crystal dish! How FUN!
Loved the photos of your glass collection…..I have a few very special pieces too. Mine are green glass pudding dishes, that have been handed down from my great-grandmother, to her mother ( my Grandma)…to my Mom and me. As a small child, I always felt so special when my Grandma would give us “our treat” in those green glass dishes. I use to stare at them sitting in her kitchen cabinet….so pretty……they hold so many memories…..using them feels like “dishing up a little love”, no matter what treats they may hold!
Also, want to say, I look forward everyday to see what type of wonderment you will write about…….. the simple treaures of life touch our hearts! The “girfriends club”…… is so lucky, because you bring a smile into our day!
It goes both ways Deb!
Dearest Susan,
Welcome home to New England! This post is so near & dear to my heart. I too collect shiny things 🙂 My collection of depression glass started with my aunt Lina’s candy dish, pink with a cherry blossom pattern. I have every color…some sets and some very unique single pieces. Of all the shiny glass in my home, I have never come across a banana dish! Was I oblivious to these treasures or just clueless as to its use? Either way…I’ll be on the lookout if I’m not lucky enough to win your offering.
As for a housekeeping tip…I’m a gardener, as you are, and I grow tansy and rue. These are great for keeping insects away. I make little linen bags from any damaged antique linens I have on hand, dry the tansy and rue along with lavender, marigold blossoms, rosemary and mint…peppermint or spearmint and stitch up some little sachets for closets and drawers. Add a little appliqué and you have an adorable little bundle! I look forward to reading your blog each day. Thank you so much for connecting!
Love your little sachets . . . perfect!
Oh,dear…..I didn’t get my Willard yet. I am anxiously waiting. Queen Envy is knocking at my windows! Go away, I say!
Wow Susan! Another give-away so soon…….O.K.! My house is not as clean and shiny as it could be. I’m working on it. I’m afraid I have a house full of collectibles and not much house, LOL. My china cupboards are jammed with old china and glassware. My kids think I should purge it, but they don’t see what I see. I’d rather give it away piece by piece to friends who love it too. So I do and that makes me very happy. I love filling a unique glass or cup with small goodies to give. So much fun! Sometimes I buy tea to put with a delicate tea cup.
Many of my friends collect mis-matched cups.
I’m keeping my fingers crossed for a new piece of glass to put out on my counter in front of the window to catch the sun! Ha, ha………..
Always room for one more!
I do so love your blog! I come to it every day hoping you have made a new entry so that I can escape for a few moments and enjoy! One of my favorite cleaning tips is more of a product endorsement. I love the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers. They work wonders getting scuff marks off and other stains that you usually have to scrub and scrub on.
Thank you Marva!! Have to try them!
The Banana Dish is gorgeous! Sorry, can’t think of a household tip. I did want to share with you that I bought your “Baby Love” book back in 2008 and put it in a box titled “Grandbaby Hope Box”. Our only son, Michael, got married to a wonderful girl, Jessica back in 2004. They had the “5-year” plan set to have a baby. Then 2008 came around and it wasn’t time yet. It is now 2011 and we were surprised with the news of becoming grandparents! I just can’t tell you how excited I was! I actually wore the pacifier/binky on a chain as a necklace the next day while I did my running around. The best part of this is that I took the Baby Love book out of the “wish box” and gave it to my son to take home to Jessica. She liked it so much I got a FaceTime phone call showing both of them holding up the book and thanking me for it. Thank you Susan for ALL the wonderful thing you make for us to treasure. We love you!!! Donna
I’m so happy for you!! That was a long wait, but here you go!!!
OMG! The banana dish is GORGEOUS! I have never seen one; want one! Also – learned a new word to go along with a beautiful item: BOBECHE. Had not heard the word and never seen one before. TU Miz Susan. My housekeeping hint: once per year, whether I need it or not, and usually before a special party – I hire a housekeeper to clean my house spic ‘n span clean, i.e., last weekend I hosted a 50th high school class reunion at my house. Such a wonderful occasion; so much fun. Perfect time to put this hint into action. TU, Susan, for your wonderful blog to let us express ourselves on topics of fun and interest.
Love it Linda, thank you so much!
Hi, Susan~
I adore glassware, too…whether it’s wine glasses or old, glass bottles that I’ve dug up in my garden. Nothing shows off colorful flowers, leaves, drink or food than sparkly glass.
I am so grateful to have inherited several precious pieces of my grandmother’s cut glass. My collection includes a precious little ruffle-edged plate that always held Grandma’s fudge @ Christmas as well as several small bowls, vases, a
divided candy dish and sugar bowl and creamer. I couldn’t bear to part with any of them so they take turns being put “on display” throughout the year. I actually love to rearrange the dishes in my glass sided china cabinet for each season!
I think the best housekeeping tip I could offer anyone is to look at your home with the same love you look at your husband and children with. I read a quote from someone recently ( I think it was Maya Angelou…but not sure) that said “If you look at something in your life that you don’t like and can’t change….find another way to look at it.” I found that once I stopped looking at housework like a burden and began to approach my daily tasks with tender, loving care (along with some great music, if possible) that I felt so much better!
Thank you, once again, for your wonderful blog…always inspirational and full of the joy of everyday stuff.
xoxoDebbie P
Great advice! That Maya Angelou is one sensible cookie!
I cherish the cut glass pieces that were handed down to me from my grandmothers collection. My tip would be to give your glass dishes a good scrubbing a couple of times a year with white vinegar…..makes them really sparkle!
People love vinegar these days!
I meant to ask before: Is that seasoned butter floating in seasoned olive oil in the small bowls on that beautiful table? What a great idea…….where’s the crusty bread? I’m hungry! If it isn’t, what is it? I’m still hungry.
It’s a little soft piece of goat cheese. mmmmm.
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh, even better. I can do that! I have both, just need the fresh crusty bread……Lucky me…..there’s a grocer with a bakery accross the street. I can taste it now…….Thanks!
I would die if there was a bakery across the street from me! I would have to have my smelling device removed! (Or I would love it!)
A glass of wine, goat cheese, olive oil, rosemary…..That’s all I need for dinner! Simple and soooooo easy.
good morning Susan, chilly and cold here in Oregon this morning. perfect for a nice warm fire again in the woodstove to break the chill in the house. i love your banana bish, is it a depression glass by any chance??? i love collecting depression glass and antique teacups, and tins. i also collect wicker baskets, have a kitchen full of them and they are used lovingly everyday, even have one basket for collecting the eggs from my chickens. i also love to collect vintage seed packets, they are so colorful and so pretty. i have some household tips: i keep vinegar(distilled) and water in a spray bottle on my counter, good for cleaning up spills and disinfecting counters, also since i have cats and one is a kitten who sometimes has a potty accident, vinegar is good for cleaning up the stain and getting rid of the odor and preventing the cat from using that spot as a potty spot. i also keep a ball of twine in a coffee tin, just make an “X” on the lid with a small sharp knife, feed the end of the twine through it and no more tangles or losing the twine when you are trying to cut some strings to tie things with. and if you are in a hurry and your leather shoes or clogs look scuffy and need a quick polish, try using a little furniture oil on them, just a little on the shoe and a soft cloth to rub it in and polish the shoe with and the shoe looks like new. my mom used to have a banana dish like that pink one, never knew what happened to it but it was so pretty on the counter in her kitchen. and a fabric softner sheet in a drawer keeps lingerie or whatever smelling nice and fresh, i even put one in the linen closet. have a wonderful day Susan, Happy Fall everyone!!! 🙂
You’re like Eloise! So many good tips!
My house cleaning tip…..I clean everything in the house from top to bottom with Murphy’s Oil soap. Been around forever….and it’s all natural. Some times I add essential oils (like Patchouli or cedar or pine) to the mop water. It’s heaven in a bucket!
Thanks Chris!
Good Morning Susan,
I too love the reflection my glass pieces leave to dance around my kitchen ;)) I have a wonderful lemon jello receipe that my mom makes in the summer….the cheese may be in question, but NO don’t look back – dive in
1 pkg (small) lemon jello
1 8oz can crushed pineapple w/juice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup grated mild cheddar cheese
1/2 cup whipped heavy cream
Desolve jello in 1-1/2 cups boiling water & let in set a little, add pineapple, nuts & cheese. Fold in the whipped cream and chill – it’s a lovely yellow and really GOOD
Have a wonderful day,
Love Lynn
Interesting, I trust you!
Oh I hope you check back. This looks so interesting. Do you whip the cream like sweet whipped cream with sugar? Or just whip it as is?
Hello Jeanie!!
Just whip it! As is 🙂
You’re gonna love it – use a “pretty bowl” 🙂
Crossing my fingers Susan!
What a beautiful dish. I have seen them before and never suspected they were for bananas. I always wondered what you would put in such an unsually shaped dish. I love sparkly glass.
My cleaning tip is a little drastic and I happened on it quite by accident – really, an accident. I broke my wrist many years ago. My husband was with me in the emergency room while the doctor was setting my wrist. The doctor looked at my husband and said “she can’t vacuum.” Evidently Dan took that to mean ever again. I’ve only vacuumed a hand full of times in our 44 years of marriage.
Linda
Brilliant! I broke my wrist a few years ago, nobody told me!
Hi Sue,
One of these times I’ll hear you calling my name….
I’m with you about glass. I don’t think anything looks prettier on a table. My mom gave me a little glass lamp that holds a 15 watt small bulb years ago. It looks like the old fashioned kind of lamp that was in my bedroom as a little girl with a glass shade and base except instead of milk glass this is all clear. It has been in a bathroom in every home I’ve lived in and is always “On” for the past 30+ years. I can’t tell you how many people say they have looked for one like it. It’s just one of those things. I am always on the lookout for them – although I do not get out and about like you and Joe do. How I would love that!
xxoo, Sue
Love the sound of that!
Here is a poem about housekeeping and raising children that I had to keep reminding myself of, when my children were small. I was always a clean-a-holic, and this kept me in line:
I hope that my child,
Looking back on today
Will remember a mother
Who had time to play;
Because children grow up
While you’re not looking,
There are years ahead
For cleaning and cooking.
So, quiet now cobwebs,
Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby,
And babies don’t keep.
Maybe it should be everyone’s mantra, whether they have children or not!
Life’s too short to worry about dust (except if it’s on vintage cut crystal!)
Yes, there are always exceptions to the rule! 🙂
my favorite housecleaning tip is to stay organized all the time is to use baskets to hide things in!!
Very tricky!
Having my umpteenith cup of coffee and now some cake-lost in Girlfriendland…where vintage sparkling glass banana “boats” and wooden recipe boxes woo and connect us to the past and present!! Love glass, love You(!), would love to get a ticket on that double-decker girlfriend bus to , was it England? Also would love to win any of the treasures you keep offering to spoil us with! Also have never seen a banana dish-(add to the hunt list). PS hide Christmas presents in suitcases-haven’t gotten caught yet!
xoxoxo mel inUT
Yes, England!
uh oh i forgot i do have a jell-o recipe for cakes. i usually do this one in the Summer but its just as good in Fall. bake one cake from your favorite cake mix, i usually do a yellow cake or a lemon cake and bake according to the directions, now while the cake is cooking take a package of lime jell-o or lemon if you like, whatever goes with your cake mix, like strawberry with white cake mix, orange or lime with yellow or lemon cake. pour in 1 cup of boiling hot water to dissolve the jell-o and then add 1/2 -1 cup cold water. when the cake comes out of the oven poke holes with a skewer all over the top of the cake and pour in the jell-o mixture. let cool in the refrigerator for a few hours and then frost. what comes out is a crazy cake with 2 different flavors, good for kid’s parties. enjoy!!!! 🙂
Oh I love all your glasses. One day when the kids are older I may break out the glasses again. I have a thing for vases. I have WAY to many. It’s a sickness really. LOL!
Okay my housekeeping tip is to use an old sock to clean blinds. Just slip it on your hand and clean away.
Have a lovely, rose colored glasses kind of day!
Kim
Perfect idea!
How cute is that! Ive never seen a banana dish before. So if I dont win I will start searching for one.
I dont have any housekeeping tricks other than hire a service! I hate cleaning and do it as little as possible. I live alone so its easy to go a month between vacumes! It just gets dusty again and I have better things to do like quilt. I do like clean window though, just finished the fall wash to make best use of the last of the sun.
I think Ill take note of all the good suggestions other commenters have made, maybe I can get better at being a huswif.
Quilting is better than housekeeping!
Hi Susan, I love the banana dish. My mom had a milk glass one and we never made the banana connection. I’ll have to tell her. I’ve always loved Gladys Taber as well. One of my favorite books she wrote is Especially Father. I love the way Gladys could make sitting on the porch, while snapping peas and watching the yellow school bus coming down the lane sound like a zen meditation. That’s when a realized the simple things really are the best. I’m not big on house cleaning, although I love a clean house. Very confusing. I’m always at odds with my self over this. But I do have a tip. Get a Jack Russell. My Jack was named Edith. She loved to eat and hang in the kitchen. She was our little kitchen hippy. We also called her hoverina, because she sucked all the crumbs off the kitchen floor. I hardly ever had to sweep. She’s gone now and I miss her greatly. Well that’s my tip, get a Jack Russell. They’ll do more then clean your floor they’ll fill your heart with love. P.S. I had a Samoyed who was my best friend for years, but she wasn’t big on sucking up stuff off the kitchen floor. I really think it’s a Jack thing. Love to all Pamela
That wins the award for the most different household tip!
Be still my heart!! My grandmother had a banana dish that was soooo similar to this. I used to think it was just the silliest thing in her house. When she passed away… it came to our house. Somehow over time it became one of those “iconic items” that we all remember. Somewhere along the way it got lost or broken…. noone seems to know. I have looked for one for years!! I am inspired to see that it is possible to find them if you look hard enough!!
OK… my house keeping tip…. I have a very full house with 4 boys. The trash goes out constantly!! On the weekend… in every trash can…. I put 5-7 empty trash liners in the bottom of the cans. Then I put the one that I am currently using in place. This means every time the trash goes out… a fresh liner is waiting in the bottom of the can.
Four boys! Yes you do!
I just love to use glass items all over my home and this year I got to share those items when our church had a Harvest Tea to benefit Habitat for Humanity’s Women’s Build.
Using cake stands to make three tier servers, or turning one upside down to make a a bowl full of autumn leaves glow!
Here is a little hint for those who like tea and are having problem finding just the “right” tea cozy (they have to be just so “you”, as we know) In the meantime I picked up an inexpensive appliance cover (as with a mixer, or in my case a can opener) and slip it over a tea pot that is on a decorative pot holder. Tea will stay warm for hours! So, until your tea cozy sings to you from somewhere, you can still have nice hot tea!
Thanks you Ginny!
Oh, I just LOVE all your glass items!!
Last Christmas I discovered a new used for all my crystal items (I don’t have a lot) like sugar bowels and creamers, even little crystal vases. I put them out on my sideboard, and put a red tealite in each one. I LOVED the way that looked!! Sparkling and Christmasy!!!
I have a set of 6 peachy pink depression glass glasses that were my grandma’s. I love them!
That sounds so pretty!
Deborah says:
Your comment is awaiting moderation.
October 25, 2011 at 1:02 pm
Susan-You are just so caring and giving to us! Coming to the blog has now become a daily habit and is as essential to me as my first cup of coffee in the morning!
This gorgeous piece reminds me of a fancy frilly, dressy, party dress! Just beautiful! I love my handed down glassware and bowls I have also, from my mom and Gram, they are treasures, even with chips and cracks!
The best housekeeping tip I can offer is to “whistle while you work” (or hum, dance, sing, play music)! A happy heart makes the work go faster! I have to add that as the accumulation of paperwork is my personal housekeeping nemesis, I sort, and throw away all junk mail on a daily basis, and put the ‘keepers’ in an assigned spot to avoid searching like a mad woman for something the following week, as I resemble a madwoman without searching like crazy as it is.
Thank you again for adding joy and fun to our day!
Susan- I am so with you on the love of glass. For years it was just clear glass (I would tell people my favorite color is ‘clear’ and they’d look at me like I was crazy) but now if I love it, it doesn’t matter the color. I love antique glasses too- all of our ‘bar ware’ has been picked up from various little places- I’ve found some of the best at thrift shops. I dream of someday collecting more antique glasses to be our ‘all the time’ glasses, but for now with two boys, Ikea glasses have to do.
The household tip I want to share is a daily for me at this time of year. Now that the heat comes on in the morning, it’s easy for me to get dried out and I’m prone to sinus infections. I don’t like humidifiers and their need for constant cleaning (and honestly, they remind me of all my childhood cases of croop- not a pleasant association) so I just put a full pot of water on the stove when I get up and let it simmer for a few hours to add moister. The fun part? I add different spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ect . . .) and soon the whole house smells good and homey. Especially good with orange peel, or peppermint oil if you have a headache. Just don’t forget about it- done that one a time or two- which is why I have an old pot for the purpose.
Good idea! Especially the part about not forgetting about it . . . have done that myself!
I put a couple of drops of peppermint essential oil in a spray bottle filled half with vinegar and half with water and use it to clean my hardwood dining room table and many other things. The smell is refreshing and wakes me up in the morning. Smells so much better than chemicals!
You’re all so good at making things smell nice!
Hi Susan ~ Here is my favorite housekeeping tip: Have company come over to visit! There is nothing like knowing people will be in my living room to inspire me to get out the duster and clean up 🙂
That’ll do it for me too!
My housekeeping tip is to have a good cleaning lady!! It makes a world of difference. I love your glass collection. My mom has many glasses like yours. Kathie L in Allentown
Thanks Kathie!
I did not know that, thank you for a new item to look for when out and about. I collect creamers, glass, china, ironstone, I just love little pitchers. I should say I love full size pitchers also but they take up to much room. So when I am out and I see a lonesome creamer that I love and it is not expensive I will bring it home. I don’t buy them if they come with a sugar bowl I grumble and leave them behind. My tip is this: When you bring one of those wonderful glass items home and they have a awful sticky sticker on them that you just cannot get the gummy residue off in your normal dish water, you can rub a little WD-40 on it and it washes off easily. I usually rub it around with my finger for a bit first to loosen the gunk up. This I learned from my hubs. Guess I will keep him.
Yes, those little tips help make life better! 🙂
Yes they do and I forgot to tell you that I ordered the Autumn Book and the new 2012 calendar. I was feeling left out and it is close to an hour to the nearest bookstore so my order is in. Cannot wait for the book and the calendar will look perfect on my kitchen wall. Thank you!
Yay! Not left out anymore!
I don’t know where my post went – it was there and now it isn’t – about 10:30 am PST or so? Anyway – I would LOVE to have the banana dish!!!
I don’t know either, I answer some of them, and my answers disappear, so I do it again, I wonder if there are 15 answers, but I don’t see them! Computers!
Housekeeping tip…enjoy your home with all your heart. Each and every chore you do is a labor of love that turns any house into a home. Even if it is just you, love what you do in your home so your home reflects that love right on back to you.
Good advice!
My mother’s housekeeping advice to me when I got married in 1967 was to always make sure to have enough money left over from the grocery money to have a maid and get my hair done once a week! Very important wouldn’t you agree? Amazing you have shared your love of glass this week . . . just last Thursday we emptied out storage unit and I have seven large dish pack boxes full of glass to unpack. The banana dish would be in some very lovely company. You’re so fun to be with, Susan. Thank you for your generous spirit and lovely heart.
That will be a fun job (when it’s over especially!)
Yes, and it will all have to be washed so it shines–just like you described!
It’s going to be gorgeous!
I keep a little grout scrubber in the shower to touch up the tile, etc, when I finish my ablutions! It’s so easy when everything is already nice and wet! (Does that sound strange?!)
It sets up a little bit of a picture . . . 🙂
I KNOW! The mind’s eye burns!
I, too, love beautiful pieces of glass. I have glass hummingbirds and dragonflies hanging from the ceiling of my bedroom. It’s very beautiful when the sun’s rays shine in. I also love to use beautiful glass bowls to hold loose assorted things. For instance, I can see beautiful seasonal fat quarters stacked in the banana dish! I so enjoy reading your blog every day – it comes during my work day and is a bright spot that I look forward to. Thank you for bringing joy into my life!
Jonnie
Thank you Jonnie!
I am searching for something to say, but the glass has me mesmerized! Beautiful collection and wonderful way to collect…much like the way my coffee cup collection started. I was a ‘lazy’ wife/mother in the sense that I spent much of the years being a wife, being, well…bitter. He promised me we’d go back to California if ‘we’ didn’t like it in Indiana. 15 years later and I still hated it, hated being told they’d (my inlaws) help me watch the kids and then find a reason not to or get someone else to run their motel so I could take my family out to a home in the country and really start living. I didn’t go back to school. I didn’t get a job. I didn’t take it upon myself to be a super-mom, amazing housewife, or Julia Child in the kitchen. So, now that 2 of my 3 daughters are out of house and into college, I am divorced and living a much better version of my life here in North Carolina, I am finally finding out who I really am and what I love…one piece at a time.
I see a happy ending on the horizon!
There’s only one rule in my house…don’t write in the dust!!!
I hate it when that happens!
I have an obsession with glass too….. love it! Have many pieces from my Nanna, Mom and MIL….. as well as others I have hunted down through the years…. vinegar & water… make them fresh and squeaky clean. 🙂
Thank you Margo!
I love the tip to clean from the top down in a room. Start with dusting the top shelves, finish by vacuuming floors, cleaning everything on the way down. Thanks!
I need to do that in my studio!
I have the hardest time with bananas because you can’t put them in your fruit bowl with the other fruit! They just always end up sitting on the counter, so a banana bowl would be great! My best household hint is to clean with things that you love- a polish that smells divine, a feather duster that is beautiful, and a great bucket to hold it all.
I always think that too, you have to have a bucket, why shouldn’t it be a red one!
Your blogs and Willards make me so happy – thank you for them! And I love reading all the comments, I think all of us would be great friends if we ever met. Housekeeping hint? I agree, get a good housekeeper. 🙂 Love love love the banana dish!! If I don’t win, I’m going to start searching for one. I wouldn’t have known what it was without you, my dear.
I always love the inspiration that gets me out on the search for something!
Oh, my goodness, Susan! That cut glass banana dish is glorious! And I’ve never seen or heard of a banana dish before. You are too good to us, Ms. Branch!
The most fun ‘specific-purpose’ item I have is a pair of sterling silver tongs that I bought at a flea market to use with our ice bucket. I told the vendor what I was looking for, and he said he didn’t have anything. Then I spied a small set of tongs in one of his cases, and asked to see them. “Oh, those aren’t for ice,” he said. “Those are for fried chicken.” What?! And sure enough, the tongs were shaped like chicken feet! Very cute. And still work fine for ice!
Oh I’ve seen those! Perfect!
I have seen those before but never knew they were for bananas. My friend and I love to go to antique stores and we both love old glass. I too have it in all shapes and sizes. Clear, colored, cut, hobnail and glasses, pitchers, bowls and cake plates, you know what I mean. You are right it never ends.
If you like bananas you have to try Paula Deens “Not Your Mama’s Banana Pudding”. Every one I have made it for loves it.
Thank you again for being so generous and sharing the treasures you find with us.
Michelle
Thank you Michelle!
Oh my goodness, I can’t believe I’ve never seen a banana dish before, and am now wondering how I can possibly live without one! My family loves bananas, but they conspire to never eat the last two or three, so they’ll turn black and Mama (me) will have to make banana bread! Problem with that is, in the summer months, there’s no baking! It is Texas after all, lol! But I just pop them in the freezer, peel and all, and they’re good to go when the oven can finally be turned on. Anyway, I would LOVE to win your dish and if I don’t, then the hunt begins 😉
Here’s a tip I just recently learned off Pinterest….to easily clean your gas burner covers, put them in a big plastic bag (that can be sealed airtight), add 1/2 cup ammonia, seal up and put them outside and let sit overnight. The next day, take them out and the cooked on crud wipes off like magic! Well, maybe not magic, but after years of spending HOURS cleaning them with brillo pads, powdered cleansers, etc. to barely having to scrub them, it feels like MAGIC to me, lol! I do believe my daughter and I danced a jig in the kitchen when we cleaned them the last time 🙂
that should’ve read gas STOVE TOP burner covers ( was too excited to tell you about it, lol)
It’s the little things in life!
We have this for Thanksgiving.
Lime Jello Salad
1 1/2 cup water
1-3 oz. lime jello (or: I use one small box of sugar-free jello)
1/4 cup sugar
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 small can crushed pineapple
1 cup small curd cottage cheese
1 pkg. cream cheese, optional
1/2 cup chopped pecans
8 oz. Cool Whip (fat free Cool Whip works fine)
Heat first 4 ingredients until dissolved. Cool to room temperature, then add pineapple, cottage cheese, cream cheese, and pecans. Refrigerate 15 min, then fold in Cool Whip. Refrigerate.
Thanks for the giveaway! It is beautiful!
Love some sort of Jello thing on the Thanksgiving table.
I love glass, too – inherited some from my Mom, who loved it also! (My favorite housekeeping tip is to turn lights low, bring out the scented candles and no one will notice if the house needs work! ) Seriously, I always keep supplies in most rooms to do a quick dusting or wipe down when I’m in that room. That way, most of the time, everything stays presentable even when unexpected guests pop in.
That’s a good idea!
Really? A banana bowl? For ME??! 🙂 Seriously, who knew that’s what they were for? I would have thought long stemmed flowers (for a very brief time) would lie there… or celery. LOL I wish I had a housekeeping tip, but that is definitely not my forte – I’ll be reading the comments on this blog post to see if I can glean something usefull myself. By the way, I totally share your love of old, precious glassware. We have a wonderful assortment of depression era dessert plates in every pattern and color that find their way to our table at every opportunity!
Thank you for sharing.
Thank you Sherryl!
Well, I have to admit that I am a hit or miss housekeeper. I love a clean house but never really get it all cleaned up at once without a puff of dog hair on the floor or dust blowing in through the window. I love the banana dish (never seen anything like it) and really love dishes and glasses passionately.
My best housekeeping trick or tip is to just do the 15 minute blitz each evening. I try to run around and do a 15 minute pickup/throwout/wipedown/clothes in the washer before I go to bed. You would be amazed at how much you can accomplish in just 15 minutes.
Isn’t that the truth! I use that trick on myself when I’m procrastinating . . say, “I’ll do just 15 min.”