MUSICA!❤️ Well, first off, I promised you a photo of the wool coat I bought in England ~ the one I wrote about a couple of blogs ago … And I finally managed to remember to do it. And, btw, while out and about on the Internet, I happened upon a website in the English Lake District that sells them (just in cases you want one too! The label says, “handmade.”). It’s a wonderful store Joe and I visited when we were there called Stewardson’s of Hawkshead .
Welcome over from the new Willard if that’s where you’ve come from (he’s just starting to go out today ~ takes 3 days for him to get to every email box, so if you’re signed up, he 
should be there soon!), and if not, welcome anyway! As lots of you know, Joe and I are on the train right now, in our “room with a view,” actually in the beautiful Berkshires as I write, heading down the tracks for Chicago, then on to LA ~ and right now, out our window, is the most gorgeous sunset between the leafless tress and across snow fields! It’s kind of a miracle, to be on a moving train and writing you at the same time! I’ve been sending photos and videos of our views over to Twitter … hope you’ve been able to see them (you can click on the link and take a look if you like, you don’t have to join Twitter in order to see the pictures).
Yesterday, before we left (which was just this morning), I needed to do some ironing for the trip. I’m sure many of us remember our mothers starching clothes before they ironed them ~ rolling them up while damp, putting them in plastic bags and keeping them in the fridge until they were ready to iron. Seems so old-fashioned to us now! My mom did it, there were always bundles of ironing in our fridge, she ironed all my little sister’s puffed-sleeved dresses with starch, and taught me to do it too. And my dad’s shirts ~ we were all very crisp around our house. And it wasn’t spray starch, it was the real thing. Liquid starch, the kind she used, is hard to find, at least where we live . . . our supermarket doesn’t sell it anymore, I had to go to Amazon to get it. Mostly, these days, it’s used for crafts, but I have this linen jacket I was bringing along that is no good without good old-fashioned starch, spray starch just doesn’t do it. In fact, I have a lot of things I use real starch on. There’s actually a really good reason to do it! I’ll show you! (Jack, as you can see, was there for the whole thing! But he was more interested in . . .
. . . what was going on outside our kitchen window, than what was going on inside . . .)
So, just in case it’s been a long time, or maybe never, since you starched something, and just in cases you’d like to try it . . . here’s how. It’s really easy. First off, you can read on the bottle how much starch to mix with how much water to make the fabric as stiff as you’d like it to be.
I wanted my jacket to be slightly stiffer than medium, so I mixed 4 c. water with 2 c. starch in a very large bowl. My summer potato salad bowl if you want to know.
I swirled it around with my hand to mix it . . .
Then I put my clean linen jacket into the liquid and got it soaking wet.
I took it out and rung it out as best I could … then I noticed all that left over starch and thought, what else do I have? Then I remembered I’d just washed a dresser scarf from the bathroom and thought, perfect timing!
I like dresser scarves to be really quite stiff, so I added a bit more starch.
And in it went.
Then they both went out to the pantry to partly dry on the clothes rack. Soaking wet is not good for ironing, you want them damp. So while that was happening . . .
I wrapped birthday presents for my mom, we’re heading to California to celebrate her 87th birthday (on the 27th)! 🎁 She loves it when I wrap her things in my own paper, so I ordered some from Spoonflower, (the people I do the fabric for … they make all the fabric patterns into wrapping paper too!) which I’d never done before, I was interested to see the quality. And was happy because it’s the thick stuff! Very nice.🎈My mom will love it!
And then, for a couple of good reasons, I made a cake ~ An Orange Marmalade Cake, because Jack’s other Mother was coming from California to stay with him while we’re away . . . and we were making dinner for her . . . and also, because every time Lowely makes something delicious, she always brings me half.
And I wanted to do the same for her before we went away.
Which I did. She only lives two doors down, so I walked it over, and got a goodbye hug. The next time I’m doing a blog and NOT on the train, I’ll give you the recipe! It was delicious!
So then it was time to iron. And what is the first thing I have to do? I have to get Jack’s hair off the ironing board, unless I want to iron it into my clothes. The ironing board doubles as his perch at the pantry window to watch the world go by. So I got out my packing tape, laid a big long strip down, and moved it along until all his little hairs were stuck to it!
And now, I’m ironing. And it’s coming out beautifully.
Voila! When you starch something, it stays fresh looking so much longer. You can wear it and re-wear it and it doesn’t look wilted.
And that, in a nutshell, is why I love starched things. They last forever.
Here’s my dresser scarf, back on the table in the bathroom. Note shadow under table.
Old linens are one of my passions, loves, downfalls. The beautiful cloth, the delicate embroidery and the cotton lace ~ irresistable! Smoothing an old damask tablecloth onto my dining table is one of the simple joys of life. Lighting a candle on that table, where it almost reflects in the sheen of the cloth, is another.
Here is an example of starch and what it does. I haven’t ironed these in over 6 months. No one really uses them, because a terry hand towel is right there, so they are really more decorative than anything, but they look as nice today as they did when I hung them up 5 years 6 months ago.😜
These are the bathroom curtains in that same room, made from an old lace tablecloth, the last of the ones I brought from California when I moved into my first little house on the island. Starched and perky, I won’t have to do it again for a long time. You could never do this with spray starch. Not even with the one that says, “Heavy.”
And here are a few more linen things, just so you get the picture, which I’m sure you do by now! I should be a door-to-door liquid starch salesperson!
One more tip, and that is, you may have starched something a while back, like this linen jacket. But maybe it was crushed in the closet and got kind of wrinkled again. No problem…
As long as it’s clean, you don’t have to rewash and starch, you just spray on a little water, and iron, and it all that good starchiness comes right back.
And there they are, ready to go into plastic bags and into the hanging bag … yes, they will need a touch up when we get there, but it won’t be much! So there you go, adventures in ironing from the Heart of the Home! Pure
Okay, enough about ironing, how about some maple syrup? I LOVED your comments in the last post, like I always do, thank you so much.💞 And yes, we did stuff poor Vanna into our duffel bag, she’s here, fluffed out, head to toe in pink cashmere with a leopard faux fur collar (she knows how to be comfy), complaining because she broke a nail and there’s “no manicurist on board.” It’s okay, we’ll fly her outta here when we get to Chicago. Her and her “little pink zipper bag”👛 which we have had to find for her about six times now. She’s a princess. Not fit for train travel. We knew we would need her for the drawing for our Vermont Valentine Giveaway . . . and so, with no further adieu … Vanna? Come here darling… (oh, the look on her face😱) ~ here we go . . . the WINNER of this delicious Vermont syrup (I know because we got a bottle of this too!) is . . . . PAMELA TASKER!!!!! Congratulations Pamela! You will love this! Be sure to heat it up before you pour it on everything! Look for an email from me in your box . . . I’ll need your mailing address so I can send it to you.
And now, so it doesn’t have to end . . . there’s more . . .
Hello. Remember I showed you these cups I was designing a while back? That’s the one I designed on the left, my glued and pasted paper cup without a bottom. And on the right, that’s the sample they sent! Pretty darn wonderful if I do say so myself! So I did more!
This one is called
and it has Ms. Lambikins on it, amongst other recognizable doodads from my flora and fauna art repertoire. Plenty to read early in the morning when the brain requires quiet time.
And this one is called
for us, the normal ones.💞
Last but not least, we have “Little Things,” because 
All three are being made right now, of fine bone china, in the potteries, in England. Yes, real, bonafide English cups. ❤️ Each holds a truly magnificent 16 oz (if filled to the very top). I’m so excited. You who have hung out around this blog for a while, know how much I have wanted to do this. Finally, the time has come. They will likely be here in May, in time 
for Mother’s Day, if all goes as planned. And if you leave your name in the comment section of this blog,😁 you will be entered in a drawing to win one of these. There will be 3 winners, and the moment they come in, those winners will be the very first on our mailing list! And yes, just in cases you don’t win, they are available now for preorder. Which means, if we haven’t ordered enough, we should know fairly soon, and can get more into the works right away. After a decent amount of time, each of the designs are going to be retired, and replaced by new ones (I have so many fun ideas!) And the only place on earth where they will be available, at least for the foreseeable future, will be here in our web store. I hope you like them.💖
The last time I was in California, Joe and I were driving across country … I picked these two roses, one from my Grandma’s garden, and one from my moms. They sat on the dashboard of the Fine Romance Van the entire way. And when I got home, I took this photo of them. As beautiful as they were when they were first cut. In two days I will be in my mother’s arms. 💞 The dearest person, who was in labor with me for so long (72 hours) that a tiny piece of her soul broke off, and went into me. And that is the way it has always been and will always be. I feel so lucky. Thank you all for being here. Have a wonderful day! WILLARD’S on the way! I’ll be back soon!
I shall order the starch today! I could not find it at the grocery store either!
I LOVE YOUR COAT!
I am so excited about the mugs! My mama (also 87) needs one and I need 6😊!
Thanks, dear Sue! ❤
I am in love with these mugs! If I don’t win one here, I will order from your store. Thanks for the chance to win!
I love old linens too. Maybe sometime you can give us a peek at all of yours. The mugs are beautiful! Hope your Mom has a Happy Birthday! Mine is tomorrow on the 25th. Great month to be born in.
Here’s a PEEK at my Vintage Linens . . . Happy Birthday Arnette!
Their beautiful! I collect them too and hit the antique stores as often as I can. Thanks for the link.
Cozy up in your little space! What fun to be seeing the change of seasons and hopeful for Spring flowers and sunny, warm days soon. I was so thrilled to see your post this morning and am inspired to find a place for a clothes line somewhere in our new house. I LOVE to iron and get things tidy and when my family was young, I had white muslin curtains everywhere and would treat them to fresh air and old fashioned starch once a year. You’ve inspired me to do some starching once again. I love, LOVE the new mugs — the hardest part is making a decision about which one; probably the LOVE mug! Enjoy your travels; can’t wait for WILLARD in my in box! Hopefully, about tea time this afternoon. Xoxo
Linens are one of my weaknesses as well (or maybe it’s a strength). I like to think so. The cups are so beautiful. Thanks for the opportunity to win one. Safe travels to you and Joe. Enjoy your time with your mom. It can only be described as precious!
Love the cups! Save travels. Happy Birthday to your mom.
So glad to see there is someone else in the world who uses starch. And thank you for mentioning Amazon as a source. I can’t find it in my local stores either. Have a fantastic visit with your mother. May she have a happy, happy birthday. And safe traveling to you and Joe.
Thank you Clydene, it’s been lovely so far!
Such a beautiful tribute to your mother, so glad you are able to celebrate her birthday with her!
The starch tutorial was fabulous and I will be out searching my local stores or Amazon for some, thank you!!
I also love your beautifully designed cups and can imagine how good my coffee or herbal tea would be in one! We know everything tastes better in a beautiful cup!!
Hope you have a wonderful day and safe travels… Mrs.Clark
Thank you Mrs. Clark. With love from Mrs. Hall! xoxo
Oh my, love the mugs. Have to have at least one. Hope I win one.
Me too Nancy!
OMG! I just love your mugs! I truly can’t wait to own all 3. They look so beautiful and they are so “you!” Thank you for making them 🙂
I’m as excited as you are. My own mugs, finally! xoxo
Ironing is my favorite chore. Unfortunately, I don’t have much to iron anymore since it’s retirement city here. I’ve only used the liquid starch once or twice in the past many yrs, I pretty much stick with the spray just because it’s easier.
My daughter hates ironing so when I fly up to visit them and the grands, she usually has a mountain of ironing saved for me, haha. I like it.
She’s lucky to have you!
Hi Susan,
This will be brief( I have a foster kitty who has decided that she needs to be in my lap right now)!! Hope you have a great trip. LOVE the coat. The mugs are adorable. Your cat hair covered friend,
Terri Major
Have a wonderful day Terri!
Wonderful, wonderful cups! It would be fun and delightful to “win” one, but an entire set is in my future anyway……I will put myself on the preorder list. I have used the same cup for my morning coffee for ten years or more, given to me by a quilt-club friend for Christmas and it has a little patchwork square painted on it with the remarks “A day hemmed in prayer seldom unravels”. But your new design will also be part of my daily routine – fingers crossed!
Beautiful sentiment I must say. xoxo
I’m so glad you’ll be with your mum soon! Now I am off to call my own mummy!
I know just how you feel!
Add my name to the ‘I would love a SB mug from England 🙂 …Hug your Mom from all your SB Girlfriends (she will have the stuffins hugged out of her for sure)
So much sweetness, Susan! Sweetest of all is your lovely mom. Please give her big birthday hugs from all of us! ♥ Your new wool coat is gorgeous. Just perfect for an artist! Soon you will be knitting warm scarves in all of these rich colors.
I’ve never starched anything! Can you believe it? So, now you have inspired me to try it with all of the white, lace curtains that I bought in Germany (while trying to speak German!). Beautiful + useful = perfect souvenirs, laced with happy memories, that I enjoy day after day!
It’s so exciting that your tea cups are becoming another dream-come-true! The possibilities are limitless as your collection grows. Perhaps an Autumn tea cup, too, one day? The fairy tale continues… 🙂
Enjoy your relaxing travel days. I’ll be smiling at 12:50, just knowing that you are in Chicago. You always find something fun to do during your brief layover. Safe travels and warmest hugs!
Dawn (in Illinois)
♡♡
P.S. Awaiting the arrival of Willard, with great anticipation!
This brought back memories of my mother and grandmother starching clothing and linens. Not sure I would want to do it however 🙂
Love the cups – great designs and made in England! Looking forward to drinking my coffee and tee in one of them.
Safe travels and have a wonderful time in California.
You SO make my day! Thank you for your blog, your Willard, and all your wonderful books and products! You’re a “luv-lee” soul! LOVE the mugs! And made in ENGLAND! Whoo-hoo!! Safe travels to you, and happy birthday to your mama!
I love the new tea cups!
What a luv-lee way to start my day—breakfast and a new blog posting! Thank you so much for the starch tutorial! I will be putting this into use soon on some of my vintage linens. Also, the cups!!! I must have one of each. So excited to have them! Thank you so much.
Your blog is one of the happy place in internet. I am happy every time I visit 🙂
…one of the happy places…
Dear Susan…a lovely, touching tribute to your mom!
This is good to know about the difference in using liquid starch and spray starch. I have a linen jacket that I’ve put off laundering because I did not want to lose the stiffness. As for your ironing board and cat hair, I have a tip for YOU! I cover mine with a piece of fabric cut in the shape of the board. Wouldn’t your fabric make a lovely cover for yours and anyone who needs to cover theirs.
And lastly, I have spent a week on Martha’s Vineyard because of you and now I must put a cross-country train ride on my list now along with a trans-atlantic crossing. 💕
P.S. I meant to mention that I LOVE the cups! And also, can’t wait to get that recipe! It’s just as well, though, that you’re waiting to post the recipe because I’m trying to lose 10 pounds right now.
I have a new secret for that…. hummus, carrots and celery, and maybe 3 oz of salmon or chicken and a few leaves of lettuce a day. Lemon hummus is delicious!
Good morning Susan! So much good starch info here! Do the linen jackets wrinkle less easily after being starched?? I always look like I have been tossing and turning all night in them! Also, when I clicked on pre-order, I was sent to the kitchen prints page. So happy they will be English bone china! I lost my own mom when I was just 21 (65 now!) So please give your sweet mother an extra hug from me!
It’s a different kind of wrinkle, more like a cultured wrinkle than a wrinkly one. 21, too young. I will do it for you Kathy.
Beautiful jacket. Yummy cake. Darling cat. Every time I read your blog, I take a trip down Memory Lane. I remember damp clothes rolled up in the refrigerator! And I remember my mother (now 88 years old) starching and ironing our tablecloths, napkins, and bed linens. Nothing compares to the scent and the feel of freshly laundered, starched, and ironed bed sheets.
So glad your mother will be in your arms again soon. That’s where she belongs.
I would steal her and take her home with me if she would let me.
I feel the same way about my own mom. She and I are cut from the same cloth. We’ll just have to get our hugs and kisses in with them when we can.
Oh Susan, your mugs are gorgeous!! Can’t wait to get one. Your coat is adorable too. Thanks for all the starch/ironing tips. I haven’t starched anything in years, but now I need to go buy a bottle of that miracle stuff, lol! Perfect MUSICA too, loved it. I have been watching all your video’s on twitter, love going on the twain with you & Joe. Oh, and your wrapping paper, divine, need that too, oh my….Have a lovely time with your Mom. Can’t wait for my Willard and that yummy looking marmalade cake recipe! whoot whoot, you do spoil us so. xoxoxoxoxo P.S. Congrats Pamela!
And vice versa on the spoiling, Sharon! That goes both ways!
I remember my Mom starching and ironing clothes the same as you describe. Memories of plastic bags full of dampened clothes is something I haven’t thought about in years. There is also a wonderful smell to starch clothes being ironed.
Love your wool coat from the Lake District!! Oh my, that area of England is beautiful and full of contented sheep on green fields separated by handmade rock walls that have been there for generations.
And your new mugs?? They are just darling!! Oh my, what a fantastic new addition to your offerings!!!
Have a wonderful trip out to California and I hope your Mom is doing well. She will love having her first born with her on her birthday too! Such a blessing to be able to celebrate with her. Please tell her one of your GF sends a big birthday Hug to her from Florida!
I’ll do it Winnie!
Susan these words of yours spoke to me…”that a tiny piece of her soul broke off, and went into me.” O’ my so true…..I have 5 children and now 2 grandchildren and some days my soul is so tattered with worry and some days so full of love for them all – it must be true…. this really happens. Enjoy your time with your Mother. I love – love – love – the mugs!!!
“Tattered with worry” ~ I totally understand. That’s what happens when you love people, little pieces of your heart go bouncing off in all directions.
I’m inspired to get my pretty linens out and starch them! My Mom used a coke bottle with a topper to spritz the water while ironing. I can still see her doing that in the kitchen
Mine too. I even have a Ne-Hi bottle with a cork now!
Susan, Yes, I too Have my Mother’s original Coke Bottle with the cork in it. MY first paying job was to iron the tiny clothes of my neighbors 3 little babies. I learned at a very early age how to iron. Starched everything and made sure I had it all done before they mildew. We had no room in our little refrigerator with 7 children. I still starch and iron all my linens. I really do enjoy it. Many hugs to your mother for her birthday……and then another 1000 baby kisses to her also. I so miss my mother. Enjoy your time here in California. Love, Susan P.
Have to add that I still have my mom’s coca-cola bottle with the sprinkler-stopper, too! How fun to think that several of us have the same thing! She taught me how to iron, using that bottle; it’s one of my best keepsakes!! (Gosh, if it wound up at a thrift store, a younger gal might not even understand what it is!)
In the late 50s/the whole 60s (except for a brief foray into the Stretch & Sew patterns in the later 60s [for the ‘new’ knits/stretch fabrics…I’m just recalling this; like around 1967] which were clothes you made that mostly did NOT need ironing or shouldn’t be ironed), we just otherwise ironed EVERYthing; it was all linens and cottons back then. One of the first things I learned how to iron was a pillowslip; then my mom’s aprons. (A whole different era, wasn’t it.) We girl-students weren’t allowed to wear long pants until senior year of high school so, in the earlier years, all of the school clothes had to be ironed…blouses, skirts, our dresses; also, the boys’ shirts (this was public school but the boys had restrictions, too; not allowed to wear tee-shirts or sweatshirts then); Dad’s shirts (always a buttoned-down shirt for him, even to mow the lawn, sometimes with a cardigan…although in the more-recent retirement years, he did ditch the lace-up Florsheims for track-style shoes…and the pressed slacks, for JEANS; never thought I’d see the day…). Yes, the delicate cotton fabrics which were our baby/toddler dresses…all had to be ironed. And of course I had to know how to iron my dolls’ clothes!
Ironing is meditative; I sorta miss it in the modern world. We used to take more time for things, but we also had no choice unless we wanted to walk around in messy, wrinkled/rumpled clothing. I can’t remember the last time I ironed.
I am a bona fide mug addict. My father will say “You can only drink from one at a time!” but I like to match my mug with my mood with my drink, and therefore need a plethora of options. Enjoy your trip!!
Me, too, me, too, me, too!
LOVE, LOVE THE MUGS!! Can’t wait to see them and drink my morning tea in! Hug your Mom often and long and wish her a Happy Birthday! Safe travels…to you and Joe.
Your cups are wonderful.. full of fun and color… just like you. Congratulations! You always make me feel happy. 🙂
First of all let me wish your Mom a VERY Happy Birthday! I know both of you are very excited to see each other…Enjoy!! Secondly, I am praying for a safe journey for both you and Joe and of course for all of the lovely twitter girlfriends who have squeezed themselves in on another cab on the train…:o)
WOW!! Those mugs are lovely. I have always dreamed of owning some of your artwork on china. I have preordered a set of three and cannot wait. Looking forward to some of your tea in my first cup!! THANK YOU!!
I also love to starch my linen jackets. They keep so fresh for so long. IT’s just great! I only wish I had some of those linens. You have quite the collection. I have a few and am always on the lookout for more!
The roses you have of your Mother’s and Grandmother’s brought tears to my eyes. I wish I had a rose from my Mother’s garden. She had some lovely ones. I did grab several of her other plants when she passed and we were selling her home. One of them happens to bloom right around Mother’s day and such a sweet gift of remembrance. I take the flowers with me on every move! One way to keep her and her love of gardening close to my heart!
Congrats on the winner of the syrup. I am sure it will be delish!!
Another reason to love digital cameras. I will have those roses FOREVER. And videos of my mom, and photos of my grandma.
Sweet memoties to cherish forever!
The coat is sooooooo you! Don’t you just love linen! It feels so lovely on too. Have a wonderful trip. My husband and I traveled by train to New Orleans and it was so much fun. We had the opportunity to meet so many lovely people in the dining car. Even parents of a girl my husband works with (small world indeed). xoxoxoxo
I do love linen, but it’s harder to find all the time, the good thick stuff, especially. Train travel is wonderful. I say, watching the world go by outside my window just now! Almost to Chicago!
Love your beautiful linens. My mom was just like yours with the ironing in the plastic bag in the refrigerator. I also enjoy starching/pressing my antique linens…it brings back many memories and I just love the smell. Cannot wait to receive all my mugs. They are sooo cute. Happy Mother’s Day to meee!! Have a wonderful visit with your Mom. I am also a February birthday girl (the 7th) and will be thinking of her on the 27th. Looking forward to more amazing photos from you.
Happy Birthday DeLynn! Thank you!
What wonderful mugs you have created!
I so enjoyed seeing your bathroom and the wallpaper on the walls. I don’t think you have, but have you done a post on all of your wallpapers in your house?
Have a great trip across this beautiful country.
No I haven’t done that yet, I should!
Hello Susan,
what a lovely surprise, this post! Not expected, but MUCH appreciated! Have a lovely trip, Happy Birthday to your dear Mom, and thank you for this lovely give away!
Safe travels
Nicoline
xoxo
I have some things that need a good old-fashioned starching. You’ve inspired me! Plus, I just spent my birthday money and bought all 3 of your new cups! Eeks!!!!! Can’t wait to get them! May will be the perfect month to enjoy such beautiful confections!
Happy Birthday Kimberly!!!🎈 xoxoxo
Thankee!
Good Morning.
SAfe travels to California.
Your blog is wonderful. You always make me smile.
I love the mugs and have ordered 3.
I hope you have a great time in CA.
Kindly,
Pam
Yes, please put me on your list for the mugs!! I LOVE them!
Linda Thomas
[email protected]
I don’t like the new mugs, I LOVE them! Can’t wait to have a few and gift a few! Wonderful idea!!
You scared me there for a minute, Ellen! 😃 xoxoxo
I’m not much of a crier any more but the end of this post brought tears to my eyes, Susan. I’m so so happy that you’ll soon be back in your Mother’s arms, so while you’re hugging give an extra squeeze for those of us who will have to wait for heaven to have that precious experience again.
I’m enjoying the train ride, seeing those darling mugs, and watching you iron with starch! Now I’m off to pre-order and wait for my Willard. XO
I will do it. And there are tears in my eyes now Patty. After losing my dad . . . well, you know.💕
I love starched linens too! So pretty and crisp. Have a safe and FUN trip and please enjoy your visit with your Mom.
And thank you for the chance to win one of these GORGOUS cups! Love them!!!
Good morning Susan & your starch post was great. Brought back memories of my mom starching lace curtains & pulling them on stretcher rods to shape & dry (now I’m showing my age 😊). That was a long, long time ago but they hung beautifully & looked fresh. So exciting..new mugs..& china..what a treat to have one to start the day. Enjoy your train ride & mother..I miss mine each day.
Curtain stretchers! I had totally forgotten. I remember them being set up in the yard on a sunny day!
I found a set of those stretcher rods out in our barn when we bought this house 20 years ago. I kept them, just in case I ever want to use them, but, so far, that hasn’t happened. Still, you never know!
I will take turns using your beautiful mugs and my Emma B.’s How lucky am I!
Hi, Susan, you warm my heart with all your thoughts, pics and love for life! Enjoy your trip and time with your mom. Would love to have a mug! Xx
..good morning !!.. isn’t riding the rails fun ?!..’hope you and Joe have a most enjoyable journey ( and thanks again for taking us all along..) !..I’m so happy you get to spend your Mom’s birthday with her…everytime I think of her I remember the picture you shared of her as a little girl..the original fairytale girl.. what a treasured photo , I am sure !!..enjoy your journey and, oh, congratulations on your mugs !! ( altho I still like wheelthrown better 😉 ..lol…)..with love, as always…
..hey, Susan..I see that my comment hasn’t been posted yet..after all, maybe please don’t post..only a potter would get it..I am so happy for you with your new mugs !! ..they are well crafted and I always have loved your artwork !!!..sincerely..
If I remember when I get there. . . I have 373 comments waiting for me now! I’ll try!
These are absolutely adorable Susan! I love them all, but especially the one with the lamb on it!
I’m crying at your last comment- how I miss my Mom. How glad I am that you, my friend, still have yours.
I know. I’ll hug her for all of us. xoxo
Door-to-door liquid starch salesman, LOL. It is a treat to start the day reading your blog & getting a chuckle to boot. Have a great trip and keep sending pictures along the way, love to see where you are. BTW love the new mugs.
Such a fun post, Susan! Good news for you, sad news for me, I went to pre-order your “The Little Things Mug” and it’s sold out. 🙁 I really hope to get one from the next batch. Safe travels and enjoy all your wonderful family time… I know you will. ♥ ♥ ♥
No way. Try again, there must be something wrong. Willard hasn’t even started going out yet!!!
..I did read on Friends of susan branch facebook that your adorable mugs have sold out ! 🙁
It was a mistake, try again Mary! xoxo
You were right!!! I tried again and, third time’s a charm!!! I can’t wait until it’s in stock and shipped to me so I can see it in my hands. ♥
Yay Marie!
Thanks for all the info on using real starch. I have been collecting old linens for years now and will surely try this method when I’m ready to use them, especially after seeing how glorious yours look all fresh and bright.
I am so very happy to hear that you will be sharing your Mother’s birthday with her. A special time indeed. Wrapping your mom’s gifts in your own paper is brilliant. Spoonflower is a truly wonderful company and I’m glad you mention them here so all your friends will know they too can have Spoonflower recreate their art on fabric, paper, more. And we can also buy your designs through them as fabric or paper, yes???
Your china cups are a dream come true, literally. And I would dearly love to have one here in my Wisconsin farm kitchen.
I do hope you have a marvelous time in CA. Cross country on a train seems the very best way to get there and allows you to broadcast blessings on our vulnerable and precious land all along the way.
Love Spoonflower and the genius people who started it. I did a blog about them sometime back, I suppose you can google it…and yes, they even make the designs into wallpaper!! I love our room with a view, America by train, the only way to fly! xoxoxo Vulnerable and precious, is so true, and God’s gift. I have to say, I’ve been on the side of those Native Americans trying to stop the pipeline the whole time. We have enough of that. They say it’s 1000’s of jobs, but I did research and it’s not. And the oil they want to transport isn’t even for us. I wish they (Native Americans) could win (for a change) and then we all would.💞
Thanks for taking the time to share your starch experiences. It’s perfect timing, as we’re planning a bit of traveling this spring. I love linen, and can see how this could be very helpful. Your mugs are gorgeous. Nice and big, as I like them, and a cheerful way to start the day.
Good morning dear Susan! I love old linens too, that and dishes are my weakness. Your cups are beautiful, I am so happy for you. I loved what you said about being in your mother’s arms soon, precious. Have a wonderful time with your sweet momma! xoxo
Good morning Susan, Just what I need, another beautiful cup. I should belong to CA (cups anonymous). So happy for you that you still have your mother. Enjoy your train ride, where mystery lurks around every bend.
Hi Susan: Loved your tutorial on “starching”–my Mom always did the same
thing (put the wet and starched linens in a plastic bag and into the frig).
I used to love to iron the pillow cases–I too, love to iron! Your 3 mugs/teacups
are wonderful–love to have one for sure. Will preorder asap.
Safe travels on the ‘twain’–I still have relatives in California–as a child
we would make the trip from Michigan to L.A., Santa Monica, every other
summer. So much fun. Give a big hug from me–I so miss my Mom, and Dad
but they send angel messages every once in a while to me here on earth.
Love the photos you are twittering back.
Connie Castle
Love the mugs!
Have a wonderful trip across this great country!
Love the cups, oh-so pretty! I also loved reading the sweet thoughts about your mom. I just finished (I know…so far behind the rest of the world!) reading Isle of Dreams and I read over and over page 259-260 about moms and home…thank you! I often get the question, “Do you work?” Well, yes…but no paycheck or raise, and yet I couldn’t be happier trying to create our own little corner of Mayberry…a safe & cozy place to rest from the worries outside. Thanks so much for providing heartfelt inspirations for creating our “Mayberry!”
Most important job there is in the world. Never could say it enough. My mother was everything to us and I’m sure your kids feel the same way.
Loved this blog & the road trip to Vermont……it’s in my dreams! Just wanted to let you know I came across a web site you might enjoy. It’s called Vintage Belle Broken China. There is jewelry made of pieces china depicting Beatrix Potter characters which I think you will love. And speaking of love, you have made it so hard to pick just one of your beautiful mugs, they are all so charming! I think I’m going to get in trouble!!
I should break some up and send to that website for jewelry making!
I was very attentive during the starch lesson…I have always used spray starch but will search for the liquid now. How very clever of you to create the lovely mugs. Did they paint the handles like you did? Hope to see soon<3
Yes they did!!!
yes, please enter me in the cup drawing!! they are wonderful just as everything you create is :-)))
have wonderful trip!
So many memories of dresser scarves and rolled up laundry in the refrigerator!
The mugs are delightful and will make lovely gifts. Would love to win one as a gift to myself! Safe travels and lovely memories to you!
Hi Susan! My Mom did the same thing with her ironing as well! I am the oldest of four girls. She taught me how to iron when I was very young. My little sister is nine years younger than me so I practiced on all her little Health tex outfits and then I graduated to her Sweet little Polly Flinders dresses and blouses! My mom Made the ironing board go as low as it could to accommodate my height. She would put on an old MGM musical (Singing in the Rain) or a record album. I learned to Love Harry Belafonte while ironing and Herb Alpert and the Tiawanna Brass. She even had an album Called the Stripper that we listened to! So much fun. Makes me happy and misty at the same time to remember it. I lost my Mom way to young. She was only 65 and then my Dad two years ago. I miss them so much it washes over me in huge waves. Sorry to get maudlin. You go give your mom the biggest hug ever and enjoy every minute with her.
I love, Love , Love those mugs! I will definitely sign up for probably all Three!
Have a safe and fun trip! Lots of Love from Mary in Up State NY.
P.S. Did you happen to see me Flapping my Kitchen towel at you when you passed through the Train Station???
LOL, I thought I felt the breeze. Not maudlin at all Mary, my dad washes over me the same way. It’s what we do. xoxoxo
My starch memory: Then eight-year old Kevin (who will have his first child as soon as the darned overdue baby boy decides he’s ready to pop out…pins and needles!) saw his dad ironing his shirts and using spray starch. He was fascinated and in his lousy little boy grammar said, “I’ve gotta get me some of that stuff.” Well, now he wears shirts and ties. No starching the diapers, though.
You are the master of fine instructions and I love the pretty linens on your dresser and towel rack. So fresh and lovely! (And Jack, of course, and the cake!)
Congratulations on the mugs! They’re adorable! And safe travels to LA!
I didn’t realize that anyone ever starched anything these days but I love it. I remember the coke bottle with the stopper with holes in it that my mom would sprinkle the clothes with. Wrapped in a plastic bag and brought out to iron – it smelled heavenly to me. I love that smell of fresh laundry. Glad to know you can still buy real starch. The mugs are adorable.
Hi Susan,
The mugs are just the cutest things I have ever seen. I tried to pre-order them but I can’t put them in my cart. What do I do?
Have a fabulous trip to California. Everything is so green from all the amazing rain we have received this winter. Hooray! No more drought.
-Kathleen
Try again, there was a glitch earlier, and if it doesn’t work, let me know and we’ll go to Plan B.
Yes, it worked. Thanks so much, Susan. Can’t wait to have my morning coffee in that adorable mug every morning.
Cherish every moment with your mother! Enjoy that lovely train ride as well!
Smooches to the productive woman on land, at sea and on the perfect winter sleigh! My goodness, you are SO amazing. Your heartfelt posts are beyond happiness and they sprinkle smiles to brighten-up everyone’s day.
First of all, congratulations on fulfilling another of your dreams. Your cups are darling.
Linens…yes, the glorious beauty and joy from using old linens is infectious. There is an addiction downside, however…after a while storage space runs out!!! Boo-hoo. 😂 I haven’t had a linen-washing and ironing day in a LONG time. Need to get out the lavender spray and iron some white treasures. I never use starch on my old linens if they are being stashed away…draws bugs.
Your energy is boundless. Your love is deep. You are the shadow in your own sunshine!! (Love THAT sentence…if I do say so myself! 😋) You accomplish SO MUCH in each day. Jeeze, Louise and Good golly, Miss Molly!!! Congratulations on being raised by such a loving/teaching/fun mom. She certainly gave you the foundation to become the Susan Branch that is cherished by so many. Congratulate your mom on her birthday. Thank her from me for giving us you. We appreciate her 72 hours of labor on “our” behalf.
I believe in progress, but sometimes I wish society could go back to the values and activities that our younger selves took for granted while biking around the block…WITH playing cards clothes-pinned to the spikes on my wheels…while playing jacks on cold cement sidewalks…while placing doilies on summer grass with carefully cut out paper dolls and wardrobes playing house with me…while swooning over Elvis with his crooked smile and Paul McC driving me crazy in love!! I don’t like the path that society is on, but like that you remind us through your blogs and books,,,,,,our homes are our lifelines to contentment.
I wonder if Beatrix and other women of that timeframe are looking down at us and dancing with joy that they lived their lives when they did. They would poo-poo their current envious fans and, like you, state that they are normal like everyone…just did/doing their/your “thing”. Well, Susan, you and those women that are so much of your fiber are not normal. You and they are exceptional! See you at Apple Farm. 💗💗💗
You have to tell me FayE … very important so I can give you the correct kind of hug!
Good Morning, Susan and Joe, traveling through time, heading west to your mother’s arms. What a wonderful thought! You are just the best. How long will you stay? I love it when you travel…you share with us all the places you go, things you see, food you eat, people (and dogs) you meet.
Thank you for a new post AND a new Willard….can’t wait. Since I changed email addresses, I get to anticipate his arrival longer…ha! From ironing, which I still do….being of a certain age that will not allow me to wear wrinkled clothing out of the house. A new recipe to look forward to having….looks delicious. ANOTHER give away….love your new mugs….thank you for making them. I think I’ll order all three since it’s also my birthday month…your mother and I share the same day….and send one to Nicoline for her birthday. To more train travel. Have a wonderful visit in California and tell you mom, “Happiest of Birthdays.” Love, Rachel
Did you see the shadows of the Valentine’s Hearts in the Willard, Rachel? Those are your hearts. Just thought you would like to know, and hear the words you so deserve, THANK YOU! 💞 Happy Birthday to YOUuuuuu! 🎵
Susan, I haven’t received my Willard yet….a-n-t-i-c-i-p-a-t-i-o-n!! But, I did see the hearts, I think, reflected in the kitchen window…the one you photographed when it was still dark and snowing. I called Don over, after I enlarged the photo, for confirmation…ha! You are most welcome….you do so very much for us, I enjoy doing a little for you….and Joe.
I baked my birthday cake today….Walnut Spice Apricot Cake, from Tea Time magazine. It will be shared with the ladies in the Hobby Lobby card group on Monday. Are you making your mom a cake? Hope you have a wonderful visit. Rachel
Oh yes, I wrote you in another comment to tell you to watch for them! I’m so happy you saw them, they are still there, just so appropriate in our house! Let me know if the Willard doesn’t get to you by tomorrow morning! Happy Birthday, you truly light up the lives of everyone around you.💞 I’ll never forget the red white and blue cookies in Austin! We’re still on the train this morning, we get off around 7am if we’re on time. Then off to my mother’s! Was thinking how much she would love a Milk Cake! XOXOXO
Ohhh, I can just smell the starch while you were ironing! Enjoy your twavel from the twain, Susan…especially enjoy every minute spent with your Mom. All of our snow here in northern Michigan melted last week while we were enjoying a February thaw. Today we woke up to a winter wonderland again~whiteout snow…beautiful flakes that look like powdered sugar on the trees~that heavy wet stuff. I’m glad I have Willard to look forward to and your tweets from the 🚂 train. Safe travels, Susan and Joe
Your mugs turned out beautifully! I’ve been checking your site 2 or 3 times a day looking for your mugs (how did I miss out on the ‘little things’ mug?).
You didn’t. It’s there, but shows no inventory in the web back end. Kellee will fix it when she comes in. sorry!
As always, I enjoy the things you share on your blog! I love the new mugs you have designed. Happy and safe travels.
Hi Susan,
Safe travels to you and Joe. Sending your mom happy birthday wishes and hugs! My mom was in labor for 3 days with me too (she does remind me of this every so often). Thanks to our moms for that!! :0)
Your new mugs are beautiful and I love that they are bone china from England…makes them even more special. I can’t wait to order one (or two or three) and enjoy a cup of tea with your orange marmalade cake…yum!
Blessings to you.
Cheers,
Mari
Love your mugs. They are so cute. Lovely tribute to your mother. Happy Birthday to your mom. I wish my mom was still with me, she would love your blog and joy of old linens. Safe trip.
Thank you so much for the starch information! Can’t wait to try it – I love starched things. My grandmother’s linens.
And the cups!! Woo Hoo! When you first told us about these, I was hoping they would be manufactured here, or in England!! And you did!! YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are kindred spirits!
Yes we are!!!
On Friday afternoons I call my best friend Susan to talk, ‘What are you doing?’ She said ‘I am getting ready to iron.’ So I said ‘Stop, put the iron down, this is an ironing intervention😂’ I iron as little as possible, she irons her jeans.😳 So I will pass this blog post on to her. The mugs are so cute. The little things is my favorite. Have a great trip. Hope you have nice weather in California.☀️👙🏖
Intervention! 😃 You are a good friend! xoxo
Dear Susan, You are so lucky to have your mother’s hugs, they are the best. You’re coming just as all that nasty rain left. You’re going to be surprised at how green everything is. Enjoy!
Can. not. wait!!!
Hope you have a lovely trip. I love the tweets from the twain even tho I don’t comment. I am hoping you have some lovely weather, we’ve had so much rain it’s wonderful and scary at the same time, so much flooding.
Can’t wait for a mug.. so very Susan. It will be like having coffee with you in the morning. xopamkitty
Been watching your weather Pam. Cheering and fearing. I hope it stops now. It’s perfect, so stop. Thanks for being here!
I don’t know where to start…so much of what you’ve written about on this last blog has touched my heart…I feel tears of remembrance just wanting to come down….spray starch, frozen clothes in bags in the freezer, mama’s roses…whoops; here they come (tears) , syrup, china mugs, (mama made ceramics for many years) our first date we scratched into the bottom of the soft greenware is 1969; so you see we’ve been there done that…and then mama died when she was 58 and I was only 29…oh no; more tears. Also February being our birthday month, we’ve got 6 family members to celebrate. We had a party last week for all of them, ranging in age from 5 to 65! My hubby is 65 tomorrow! We live in western Ks, and it is very windy today….remember to wave and toot when you pull out of train station in Garden City. Bye for now and love ya!
Lovely family togetherness, thank you for that Marilyn, very enjoyable for me to hear. xoxo You were way too young to lose your mother, but you have made a beautiful family for yourself so you know she did something really right ~ her legacy is in your story. xoxo
I have some vintage linens from the Norwegian side of my family, I believe a great aunt or something actually made them. I’ve been storing them until I have the time to properly clean them. I look forward to having them out in the sunshine!
The mugs are so beautiful!! Maybe you can design one that has “Joy” written all over it just for me. 😀
Dear Susan,
I love old linens too but never starched them. Thank you for the lesson. The mugs are precious. I think Nature is my favorite. Would love to win one, but if I don’t, I plan to buy all three!
I hope you and Joe have a great time in California and Happy Birthday to your mom. You’re very fortunate to still have her in your life. I was only 22 when I lost my mom and miss her all the time, especially after I had my daughter.
Anyway, again, enjoy your time in California.
Ellen
Loved the HOW TO IRON & STARCH the old-fashioned way !
Makes me want to go out and buy lots of LACE & LINEN ……
THANKS ! Your new MUGS are simply ADORABLE ! LOVE THEM !
I will have to buy one for my MOM for Mothers Day! She would love it !!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge and your beautiful life !!!
Kris
Have a wonderful and safe trip Susan. I love the new mugs and would be soooo happy to win one.
These tea cups are absolutely beautiful, and I would love to drink my ginger-turmeric tea from one of them! If I don’t win, I will certainly buy them!
All three cups are beautiful! Impossible to choose just one. 🙂 Have a wonderful time, making great memories with your mom. <3
I laughed to read that you have to remove Jacks hair from your ironing board!! I have a lovely Papillon, Indie, and every time I go to iron there are clumps of hair on the board….glad to know I’m not the only one with pet hair on an ironing board. Thanks for the starch tip too, seems to work so much better than the spray stuff. Many happy returns of the day for your Mom too 🙂 !
I enjoyed seeing all your vintage linens. And I love the mugs! Crossing my fingers that Vanna will pick my name. 🙂
Hey Susan,
It’s Julie Child, your long-time fan from Sacramento. I just SOLD OUT your event at the Apple Farm!! Seriously – I just went online for tickets and it said ONLY 3 LEFT so I bought them all. Can’t believe I almost missed it! Have never missed a NorCAL event.
And, love those mugs, want them all! Enjoy your train ride across our beautiful America!
I have my ironing board out for sewing and my kitty thinks it is his too! So all my quilts have cat fur on them, but in our family we say they are “cat approved.” The mugs are beautiful, it would be so fun to drink my morning coffee in one!
Cat hair is in every watercolor I do! Just part of the territory!
I am so excited that I will be seeing you on March 18th in SLO!! It is really a dream come true that I never expected!
I feel like you have opened up a whole new crisply pressed world to me today with this article about starch. I am a die-hard canned starch fan and I had no idea that the real stuff in a jug could do this for me. I cannot wait to find some and give it a whirl.
I would love a mug. In fact it is on my wish list!
And thank you for the link to the gift wrap. I cannot wait to try that out too!
And the best of birthday wishes to your mama. I love the tiny piece of her soul that broke off and became you. I feel the same about my sweet mama.
Oh good Beth, then I will see you there, with bells on!
Beautiful mugs, my dear! After posting this, I’m heading to your “store” to pre-order mine! Have a wonderful birthday reunion with your mom…know how much you are loved. xo
What a surprise!! With cleaning, ironing, packing, cooking you still found time to write a new blog, get a Willard out and read and answer our comments and questions. I’m still not convinced there is only one of you. You are a terrific time manager.
Love the starch memories. In addition to the regular household stuff, we had all the alter cloths and communion things to wash, starch and iron, as my mother was on the alter guild for many years. That’s how I learned to iron. Thanks for the tips on liquid starch. I wear only cotton or linen, but don’t use anything on them, as I hate to breathe the mist from the spray stuff. Now I’ll redo my dresser cloth with the real deal and try it on my lovely linen blouses!
We’re all having so much fun on this trip, Miss Susan!! Waving to my Illinois in-laws!!!
Debbie in Tampa….for now
You are going to love it Debbie!
Mug! Yay! Can’t wait to start every morning with you.
Susan, My precious Mama, Grandmother and Grandma all live in my heart now. I am sooooo thrilled for you to be able to have and hold your mother! Enjoy every minute of her happy birthday! I still love to iron although haven’t thought of my Daddy’s shirts in the refrigerator in a long time. I learned to iron on them and when they dried a little too much, we sprinkled them down with the Pepsi bottle. Thanks for the linen tips, I stopped wearing it but didn’t even realize there was a better idea than spray. Your blog posts always make my day happier! Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for the trip down memory lane. I learned to iron on ironing day (Tuesday) with my Grandma. I got to do pillow slips and my grand-pa’s handkerchiefs. I too collect linens and also restore needlework. I am so thankful for the domestic skills I learned from the dearest women in my life. THE CUPS!!! Fantastic! Well done Susan! Enjoy the travel, I am planning a trip from Grand Rapids to Waco, Texas next Fall BY TRAIN. Lots of time to stitch and read and enjoy the world going by.
Lindy in Holland MI
So glad spring is coming to you as well! Sunny and 70 in central PA today – love it! Your mugs are lovely!
I remember the plastic bags of clothes in the frig. I was privileged to iron pillow cases in those days. Your starch recipe comes at a perfect time. I found a box of my baby dresses from the 50s and I have a 10 month old granddaughter to model them! I will be dusting off the ironing board! The cups, the cups, the cups. THEY ARE GORGEOUS! So glad you found the perfect manufacturer to recreate your dream! I am not sure how I can choose just one. Happy twails on the twain!
Good! Twails! good one!
I have missed Willard and all your news! Thanks!
Those mugs are the cutest of the cute!!! Happy Birthday to your cute Mom, and safe travels!! xoxo
oh, my goodness!! what a wonderful, lovely surprise visit! thank you!! oh! thank you!! I think I can “one-up” all the ironing stories….my mom, (meaning I also learned to do it…) when she and my dad married in 1938, actually…wait for it…ironed my dad’s boxer-shorts!!!! HOPEFULLY, with NO STARCH…hehe…can you imagine???? always fun to hear about….thankfully, I learned on handkerchiefs…. now, can anyone match, or even come close to this one?? mmm. I totally agree with you, Susan….pipelines….water-safety….jobs…(yet, another LIE…it will be an insignificant #) . my heart cries for the Native-Americans. they have much to lose…and, sadly, are historically on the losing end of things, yeah? can you simply IMAGINE a world where safe-drinking-water loses out to $$$$ profit. wow. well, safe travels to you. have a wonderful visit with your dearest Mom!!!!! those of us who have lost ours….we are with you all in our hearts!! all love. xoxoxoxo ps: yes, I totally recall those blasted curtain “stretchers”….wow…..ouch….WHO invented them?? xoxo there were also “pants-stretchers”…used with my grandpa’s “over-hauls”…if you know what they are. wonderful memories, for sure!!!!! ALMOST takes my sad mind off our sad-state-of-country!! xoxoxoxo
I am so truly sick of money. Who thought that up in the first place is what I want to know. We should have stuck with shells and sea glass, or really, barter was lovely way to do things. I’ll wash your windows if you give me some of your chicken eggs! Anyway, my grandma ironed my dad’s boxer shorts when my parents first got married. So, the insanity is universal apparently! Love you Chris!