Does this depress you?

It comes in different colors, designs, shapes and sizes and is referred to as "depression glass, but finding one of these colorful pieces of glass, always brings me joy.

I was recently included in a treasury of green depression glass. My inclusion was a green glass bowl. Being from Ohio, this glass is very plentiful and many discard it, but the fact that is was made in U.S.A., and was pressed glass was enough to catch my eye.

Depression glass was manufactured during the Great Depression between the 1920's and 1940's in the midwest, and often given away as promotional pieces; included in oats, laundry soaps, given at movie theaters and gas stations. The manufacturing process of pressing the glass into molds allowed it to be made very inexpensively.



Depression glass was made in several colors; from amber, pink, green, blue, green and clear, and others as well. Most people recognize the pink as it seems to be the most sought after, but in fact, each color was made from the same molds during the same time period. White or milk glass is a form of depression glass as it was also created by using molds.

Take a look at some of the various depression glass items I currently offer and remember the first time you saw a piece of this glass. See, it isn't depressing at all.




I hope you enjoyed this look at the past, and I want to remind you that the end of my Etsy 20% off sale is fast approaching. Click on the round Etsy button at the top of my blog and visit my finds of days gone by and handmade objects. This sale ends January 31, 2011; so don't delay.

January White Sale

It is mid January and time to clean house.  Through the end of January I will be offering a 20% discount on all merchandise in my Etsy store, KPDreams.  That includes all merchandise from antique tintypes, vintage milk glass, pyrex and handmade, hand painted signs.  Nothing has been spared....so shop away.  Here is a peek at some of my special items..









Enter the words, "Januarywhitesale" at checkout to get your 20%. Happy shopping!

New twist on an old comfort food

In most of the country it is snowing and chilly outside. This is the time of year you fire up the stove for some comfort food to take the chill away. You don't want to spend a lot of time, and if you didn't make it to the market before the big storm hit, you need to use pantry items. I have the perfect dish. This frugal and quick recipe was all the rage in the late 60's and early 70's, fueled by the casserole craze and the prices and availability of canned tuna.

I enjoy a good tuna noodle casserole but have found it dry and bland at times. I set out to enhance the texture and taste. Here are my adjustments and ingredients.

1 bag of wide egg noodles, boiled and drained. Be sure to add oil to water.
2 cans tuna packed in water (preferably not albacore, too dry)
1 can cream of mushroom soup
2 tbsp of mayonaise (not salad dressing)
1/4 cup of sour cream.
1/4 cup of milk
1 cup peas, either frozen or canned (optional)
1/4 cup of bread crumbs (crushed corn flakes can be used as well)
2 tbsp of butter cubed
1/4 tsp Mrs Dash (regular)
Salt & pepper to taste.
Loaf of crusty bread.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine cooked noodles, mushroom soup, mayonaise, sour cream, milk, and seasonings in a large bowl. Mix thoroughly. Add peas if desired, and remix. Now without draining the tuna, add to the bowl and stir lightly trying not to break up all the tuna. Over mixing mashes the tuna into small pieces which brings nothing to the table as far as taste.

Now select a lovely 1 1/2 quart baking dish from your cupboard. Remember this casserole will be served on the table from this dish, so make it something warm and inviting. Presentation is everything. Grease the casserole dish well and add the contents of the bowl. Combine butter cubes with bread crumbs or cereal crumbs at this time and sprinkle across the top. Place in a preheated oven for 30 minutes until bubbly. Remove and let stand for 10 minutes and you are ready to serve. A loaf of crusty bread is an excellent complement for this dish.

Here are a few options for casseroles.



I hope you enjoy and stay warm.

The new year, a time to get organized

This morning I was alerted to a treasury that one of my fellow etsians had created and used one of my items. I quickly looked, as I love these features, and found it was my vintage silverware tray that had been handmade out of several old dairy boxes. I believe they were butter as the words butter can be seen, as well as the word Fairmont.

This brought me to think, why not repurpose several of my items into something to reorganize. Perhaps an old cheese box, by a sink to hold soap dispensers or scratch pads.

Or a lovely depression era green vase to hold pencils, make up or scissors?

Just before Christmas I sold a lovely piece of vasemate and was told it was to be used as a soap dish in a bathroom.. What a fresh approach to decorating.

I hope you look at objects you have around the house or perhaps on your favorite Etsy store and find an old object for a new purpose.

Have a great day and happy shopping.

A Time for Change

Some people do it in the spring, some in the summer, but I find cleaning and organizing my home and life feels better in the late fall and winter.  Perhaps it is because of my busy season in the fall and I feel I have neglected my home, business, family and friends, or perhaps it is the fact I am trapped inside and have little else to distract me.  Regardless, the process has begun.

Business has been challenging this year. The last few years has brought concern, but this seemed to be the cresting of the battle.  My crafter friends and associates all sing the same song of how their sales are down,  and in most cases, there is one thing to blame, the economy.  So it is time to review the process, the product and the business' direction. If you are like me, I love the creating process of this life, so I am going to scrutinize everything to continue to do what I love.  Change my show schedule, change the product and mostly change the way I market my line of products.

This brings me to my 'change.'   Effective immediately I am directing my online business to my Etsy store.   Etsy does  a great job of marketing, and networking and has provided me with a excellent venue to sell.  This will allow me to concentrate on one site that is bringing the most traffic.  I can add more new products, from my handmade items to my line of vintage.

I thank you for your support over the years, and hope you will continue to visit my shop.  www.kpdreams.com which will take you to my Etsy store and my e-mail address will remain the same;  karen@kpdreams.com.

Karen

Tis the Season

Well, the snow is falling and it is beginning to look alot like Christmas.  I have been busy these past few weeks attending craft shows, fulfilling my Etsy orders and spending time with family.

Spent Thanksgiving at my son's house.  A full house of family and friends and it made for a very enjoyable day.  The food was very good and of course there was plenty to go around.  Spent the day and then went off to set up for the Hara arena craft show in Dayton.

This past weekend I helped a friend in Huntington, WV.  It wasn't the show we had hoped for, but everyone seemed to have a good time.  The Lions club puts this on as a way of raising money for their many charitable causes.  I believe they were successful in their venture.

I have been working on a few one of a kind projects and thought I would share some of those.  The first is a snowman painted on an old vintage ironing board.   This board was unassembled and I painted a lovely face, attached a hat brim and some festive trim and made sure his orange nose was fitting for his size.  The snowman sold very quickly at my show in Muncie.

This old vintage Samsonite suitcase was just sitting there waiting for me to paint on it.  I couldn't resist the star with the berry vines and on the other side, I painted a sheep with two stars on either side.  The entire suitcase was painted black to give that old look.

I am currently working on list a lot of new items on Etsy.  Etsy has been real good to me this holiday season, and all year for that matter.  It continues to be a great venue to showcase my work.  As well, I am heading to Rockbridge, Ohio to stock my booth at the Appalachian Art and Craft mall.  As I said before, tis the season for friends, family and of course shopping.

Well, I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and that all your wishes come true.  I am sure mine will, being with family is all a girl could want.  Merry Christmas!

A sign for the time....relaxing

This Indian summer weather is a nice surprise.  With the warm weather it is allowing me a last chance to finish some overlooked painting projects.   One of my favorites is  my signs.  From Welcome to our Deck, Come sit on our porch, or Scrooge lives here; each one is done in a choice of colors, white, red and black. 

I enjoy painting these signs on treated fence boards and giving them that old worn look.  To further enhance the look, each sign is stained in a warm oak color.   Hangers are added for displaying.

These signs have been a real hit with my shows in Ohio and I look forward to introducing them in Florida with my new garden line.