Jadeite: My Newest Obsession!

Hi, my name is Kristin and I am a new jadeite-aholic.

I first discovered the beautiful green glass dishes a few years ago and have always kept my eyes open for them while perusing antique shops. I never found any and my desire for them grew and grew until recently when it became a full fledged mission!

For the last year I have gone to estate sale after estate sale and even stopped at random garage sales hoping to score, but I have always came up empty handed! I have found some other cool stuff along the way though, like a very large vintage blue mason jar for only $1.50! It makes a perfect vase!

I did see a jadeite butter dish at an antique shop once for $150 and I thought, "If that's considered a good price for this stuff, I'm out!" As much as I wanted it (obviously) there was no way I could reckon paying that kind of money, no matter if I could afford it or not! Okay, maybe if i was a millionaire I would have bought it.

Turns out, I had to go all the way to Florida to get my first official piece of jadeite!

I always go into antique stores with such high hopes and Oliver's Twist in Mount Dora, Florida was no different. Almost immediately I spotted two Jane Ray pattern cup and saucers. One appeared to be etched pretty badly, which doesn't come out, so I passed on that one for sure. But the other was in good condition and had a ten dollar price tag on each the cup and the saucer. I really wanted it, but thought long and hard. Twenty dollars for a cup and saucer just seemed too much for me.

We walked all over the rest of the town (which is very cute and I highly recommend stopping there if you are in central Florida anytime soon!) and I could not get those dishes out of my head. Aside from the overpriced butter dish they were the first pieces I had come across in the wild and at twenty dollars, they were still something I could purchase. Of course, I was also in vacation mode where calories and money have less meaning than in regular everyday situations and I decided to go back and get that teacup and saucer. It would be my special remembrance of that trip.

When I took it to the counter to pay the lady told me it was only ten dollars for the whole thing! Cup and saucer together! I almost went back and grabbed the etched one too just because, but I stopped myself. That's how you go overboard on collecting and waste your hard earned money! I walked out of that shop on such a high! Finally, I was a proud owner of real 1950's Fire King Jadeite!

As usual, once you buy something you just keep seeing it everywhere. On that same trip I went to one of my favorite stores, World Market, and found a sizable collection of reproduction jadeite for sale! It definitely lacks of the quality of the older stuff, but it still looks good! I walked out with a cakestand - truly the one piece that I wanted all along - with the understanding that it was going to be my birthday present. Best birthday present EVER!!!

I have since stumbled upon a local jadeite jackpot (I'm not going to tell you where because I want it all to myself!) They had maybe about thirty or so pieces of dishes: plates, bowls, and an Alice pattern teacup and saucer. Among them were also one single restaurantware plate that I have been dying for, but it wasn't in the greatest shape. And it cost $15, which may be a decent price for a jadeite restaurantware plate, but I'm poor and I have a hard time paying $15 for one plate! So I have to be picky about my finds. I did buy a cute little berry bowl and will definitely be back for more!

I think that's one of the keys to collecting. Wait for the good stuff! Don't spend a lot of money on some half messed up piece just because it's available. And only buy what you love and/or could use.

After we take down all the Christmas decorations, I will be able to set up all my new goodies! I can't wait to play around with everything! It almost makes me want to start taking down my Christmas decor already, but not quite. That will probably happen in another week or two.

Until then, all I want to do is go to every antique store in town and hunt down some more jadeite! I'm also becoming slightly obsessed with stalking ebay (like twenty years late.) My dream is to one day have my antique china cabinet filled with that gorgeous glowing green glass and use it as my everyday dinnerware! But for now, I'm just happy I finally found my three little pieces!

My first official piece of jadeite! I will treasure it always!

Jadeite jackpot at the World Market. It may be fake, but it still looks gorgeous! I got the larger cakestand! Happy Birthday to me!

I want it all!!!

My Wolf and Dessauer Ornament

Wolf and Dessauer is as synonymous with Christmas in Fort Wayne as Marshall Fields is with Chicago.

The upscale department store was the place to shop in downtown Fort Wayne for decades and many people have fond memories of it. Most of those memories revolve around Christmastime when Wolf and Dessauer would transform into a scene straight out of A Christmas Story with magical animatronic displays in their windows and a gigantic lighted Santa and a midcentury modern Merry Christmas Wreath on the sides of their building.

The Santa display has quite a history in our town and people still come from far and wide to see it. It's not Christmas in Fort Wayne until Santa is lit! A few weeks before Thanksgiving he starts to go up and you can feel the magic in the air that Christmas is near!

W&D, as they are known, first displayed their massive five ton lighted Santa in 1940 and he appeared at Christmastime for almost twenty years. Somehow, when W&D moved, Santa got lost in the hustle and bustle, and it wasn't until 1979 that he was found in bad shape in an abandoned warehouse! Can you imagine?

By the Christmas of 1980, Santa was restored and put on the side of one of Fort Wayne's tallest buildings, where he has remained ever since! The W&D wreath went on another building, and I may actually like the wreath better than Santa, because you know how I like wreaths. But, Santa brings me much more fond childhood memories of driving by him on our way to school. Plus, you know, it's SANTA!

About ten years ago, Santa's 25,000 lightbulbs went from the old incandescent kind to LED and someone had the great idea to turn the old bulbs into ornaments! 

I first discovered that these ornaments were on the loose in Fort Wayne a few years ago and I knew I had to get my hands on one! I love Fort Wayne history, and to own such an iconic piece of it was just too much! I really had no idea how or where to find one of the ornaments and I have been scouring the internet for one of Santa's bulbs for years to no avail.

Finally, one day last week I happened to read in the Journal-Gazette that the Fort Wayne Museum of Art was selling them in their gift shop! I could not wait to get out of work and hightail it over there. I had only seen the red ornaments before so I assumed that they would be red. When I got there I was informed that they only had white and orange bulbs left. 

Now, I'll admit, I was a little disappointed. I wanted red! I love anything red and it's just such a perfect Christmasy color! I thought about it and decided that a white bulb would really pop on my green Christmas tree, even more so than a red one. Plus, a white lightbulb could have come from Santa's beard or even one of the reindeer! So I got white. And I love it!

I am so happy that I finally have one of these ornaments! It's truly become one of my cherished items already. Now a piece of Fort Wayne history will live on forever on my Christmas tree!

Here's the old Wolf and Dessauer Santa being put up with a crane on Main St. in downtown Fort Wayne a few weeks before Thanksgiving this year.

Santa in all his glory! His whip and sleigh blink and "move," that's why in this shot it looks burned out.

Off to deliver presents to all the good children in Fort Wayne!

This is the W&D wreath, which now hangs on Wayne Street. I'd love to have this at my house!

My long-awaited ornament!

Here is a picture from the ornament box of Santa hanging on the Wolf and Dessauer building.

Now hanging proudly on my Christmas tree!

Can you find it?!?

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

My Christmas Wreaths

I cannot believe that Christmas is just around the corner already! 

And I have totally been slacking on the blog! I usually post pretty much daily on my Instagram though, so if you are missing me you can check it out. It's sweethome.indiana!

Today, I am going to post all the Christmas Wreaths that I made! I actually sold most of them at my craft shows, so I am very happy about that! The few that I have left are hanging up on various doors at my house. I have one on my front door, one on the inside of my front door, and one on the inside of my backdoor! If I had a fireplace, I'd definitely have one hanging above it too!

In my home, wreaths are a necessity on my front door! It's a great and easy way to spruce up your entry way and welcome guests to your home!

I like to make unique wreaths, ones that you wouldn't normally see. Wreaths that stand out, and that people will cherish as part of their seasonal decor every year! I love all my wreaths and selling them is bittersweet because I would love to keep them all for myself! But, at the same time it makes me happy that someone else wants them as well!

You can check out my facebook page and if you are in the neighborhood you can purchase one of my wreaths or keep up with my shows! I am hoping to do a couple of craft shows in the Spring with some happy Spring and Summer wreaths!


Here are all my Christmas Wreaths, in all their glory:

Poinsettia's are probably my favorite flower! I loved this wreath and since someone already purchased it, I will have to make another one for myself!

This wreath screams vintage to me! I love everything vintage so this was one of my faves!

Santa!

Inspired by a Martha Stewart wreath, this Jingle Bell Wreath surprisingly took me several tries to get right! I had to find the right gauge of wire (I ended up using a hanger!) and of course, the perfect bow!

This is my husband's favorite wreath! We kept it and he added lights to it. It's hanging on our front door!

My brother and sister-in-law bought this wreath from me! It's classic with it's Christmasy red and green color scheme, but also modern with the green berries!

This deco mesh Poinsettia Wreath is ginormous! It does not fit on a front door with a storm door on it! I love it though! It would be perfect above a fireplace! It's currently hanging on the inside of my front door and it looks awesome!

I seriously just discovered buffalo check plaid and I love it!!! Pair it with burlap and holly and you have the perfect farmhouse Christmas wreath!

A glamorous poinsettia wreath!

Classic hydrangea. I made a very, very large one of these for above my sister-in-law's parent's fireplace. I can take orders!

I told you I loved poinsettias!

This was one of my most popular wreaths! I had to make several of them!

Everyone have a Merry Christmas!

More Fall Wreaths!

Thanksgiving is almost here, which signals the end of Fall and the beginning of the Christmas season in most people's books!

I thought I'd share the rest of my Fall wreaths before it's too late! I did so well at my first craft show that I decided to enter another one a few weeks later! They are actually a lot of fun! I am planning on doing some more shows in the Spring and again next Fall as well! Now I just need to work on restocking my inventory!

It makes me really happy and proud when someone buys one of my wreaths! I hope they cherish them for a long time as part of their seasonal décor and love them as much as I do!

If you missed my post last month about my first set of Fall Wreaths, you can see it here!

Follow my Facebook page (sweethomeindiana1) for more updates!

Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner

A few weeks ago my husband and I went to the historic Embassy Theater to see the travelling Broadway production of Dirty Dancing. It had us reminiscing about our trip we took a few years back to The Mountain Lake Lodge, which was the setting for the classic film starring Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey.

We stopped by The Mountain Lake Lodge as a side trip on our way to Gatlinburg on a rainy Fall afternoon. I had stumbled across all these pictures on Pinterest of "The Lodge" and I knew I just had to go one day! Not only do I love anything having to do with movies, but it looked so beautiful there as well!

Nestled in the mountains of Pembroke, Virginia, The Mountain Lake Lodge sits atop a vast lawn sprinkled with rustic cabins, a gazebo, and even a disappearing lake! The property still looks much like it did in the film, Dirty Dancing (with the exception of the lake - you can see why here.) Visitors can even rent out the cabin where Baby's family stayed or eat in the same dining room where Baby first caught a glimpse of the rebel Johnny Castle.

While walking the grounds and visiting the little museum, we learned a lot of behind the scenes facts about the filming of Dirty Dancing. The movie was filmed in October of 1986 and the filmmakers actually had to spray paint the leaves of the trees in order to make it look like summertime! And did you know that Dirty Dancing was actually filmed in two separate locations? Most of the movie was filmed in Virginia, with The Mountain Lake Lodge serving as Kellerman's Resort, but many other pivotal scenes (including the dance at the end and the famous "Nobody puts Baby in a corner" line) were filmed in Lake Lure, North Carolina. After visiting The Mountain Lake Lodge we were psyched to go to Lake Lure and continue our little Dirty Dancing movie tour. We actually did go there on another trip south and I'll have to write about that adventure someday too!

We weren't able to stay at The Mountain Lake Lodge due to the timing of our trip, but I would love to go back and spend the night. The Lodge actually hosts Dirty Dancing Weekends with all sorts of themed activities! If you are in the area, even just passing through like we were, I highly recommend stopping by the Mountain Lake Lodge. Even though we were only there a few hours, it was still an amazing place to visit and walking around the beautifully manicured grounds really makes you feel like you are in Dirty Dancing yourself. Even if you're not a fan of the movie, it's still worth the stop! I can't wait to go back and "have the time of my life!"

The beautiful mountains of Virginia, home to The Mountain Lake Lodge.

I love driving through the mountains! It's pretty flat here in northern Indiana.

When you first arrive at Kellerman's, I mean The Mountain Lake Lodge, you pull right up front to unload your suitcases, just like they did in Dirty Dancing!

It doesn't take much to imagine that you are right there in the movie!

Here's Baby's cabin!

And the gazebo where you can take dancing lessons from Penny. She used to be a Rockette, you know.

The poor little lake. Hopefully someday it will refill itself again. This whole area was once covered in water!

One of the beautiful walking paths at The Mountain Lake Lodge. I really think Fall is the best time to go anywhere!

The dining room in The Lodge, now a restaurant called Harvest.

Although it was a gloomy day, the view from the porch was still gorgeous.

"Have the time of your life!"

Don't forget to follow me on Instagram (sweethome.indiana) and Pinterest for more!

DIY Rustic Fall Floral Arrangement

Last year around Thanksgiving I made an awesome faux floral arrangement for the centerpiece of my Fall table. It was so beautiful and easy to make that I had been dying to make another one this year. I also wanted to make something to put on my little table at my craft shows to dress it up a bit.

This year's arrangement is a little less formal and not necessarily for my dining room table. It's more rustic Fall farmhouse style with it's yellow and red Fall flowers, orange hydrangeas, and cotton stems, and of course, it's mason jar vase!

I went to Hobby Lobby and got several different Autumn picks. If you're unfamiliar with what a pick is, it's the little flowers, pumpkins, and Fall accoutrements that have a stem or something to stick in a wreath or floral arrangement. I also got a single Ball mason jar there to put them in.

When I got home, I arranged the flowers the way that I liked them best and tied them off with a rubber band. That way, they would stay in place and not flop all over the jar. Then, I simply put them in the mason jar! That's it! Easy!

Use as many picks as you need to fill the jar and whatever kinds you like! I was going for a Fall mix and I really liked the tall berries sticking out of the flowers. It added more height. I also really liked the fact that there were some leaves in with the flowers to give it some interest. And of course, you can't go wrong with a cotton stem! 

I arranged the flowers how I liked them best.

And then I rubberbanded them together at the base of the flowers to hold them in place.

Simply put them in the jar and you're finished! A perfect Fall floral arrangement for anywhere you need a pop of Fall color!