Vintage Liquor Bottles

I have a feeling I would have gotten along just swimmingly with my husband's grandpa. He was a collector of wonderful old things just like me. How lucky that he gave some of the things he collected to Cody. These vintage liquor bottles are so much fun!

This dapper gentleman is dressed in a tuxedo with tails, wears a top hat and carries a walking stick. So fancy! He used to hold I.W. Harper whiskey.

This is a George Dickel whiskey bottle that has a leather holding apparatus. The bottle itself is brown glass. It is very old and very neat!

Another George Dickel whiskey bottle that is shaped like a golf club. It has a grip and a golf ball on the top. I am sure that drinking this would really improve your game!

This Jim Beam whiskey bottle has a lovely picture of the Redwood Empire Trees in California. It is such a fun shaped bottle that is really a work of art!

This football player is probably one of Cody's favorites because he loves football and his favorite number is 7! The top of his helmet comes off so that the liquor can be poured out.

This Smirnoff bottle is huge-over 2 feet tall. How many drinks could you make with such a large bottle of vodka?!

A three foot bottle of Chianti would taste great with some nice fava beans, at least Hanibal Lecter would think so!

The last bottle has its own stand and spicket for dispensing the alcohol. I am not sure what kind of liquor is in it, but the label is all in Italian.

I think these bottles are so unique and special. The fact that they belonged to my husband's grandfather and now him make them even better. He definitely knew that someone would love and cherish these bottles someday, I get to be one of the lucky someone's!

Linking with:
Knick of Time: Tuesday Vintage Link Party

Ivy & Elephants:What's it Wednesday
Coloradolady: Vintage Thingie Thursday

Common Ground: Vintage Inspiration

Homemade Laundry Detergent

Do you ever see something so many times in so many different places that you eventually have to try it for yourself? Homemade laundry detergent seems to be all the rage these days so I thought I would give it a try. I have seen this done on many blogs and all over Pinterest. The recipe is simple and costs about $12 to make. I found all the ingredients all in the same spot at Wal-Mart. I bought a 1 gallon cracker jar to put it in. Here is the recipe that I used:

*6 cups of Borax
*4 cups of Washing Soda
*4 cups of Baking Soda
*4 cups of Fels-Naptha (almost 2 bars)
Measure the first 3 ingredients into a bowl. You might want to use a bowl that has a pour spout. Grate the Fels-Naptha with a cheese grater. If you have a Kitchen-Aid with a grating attachment-use it! Other wise do it by hand like I did! Then mix it all together with a wooden spoon and pour it into an air tight container. Doesn't it look like cheddar cheese?

It has a very nice clean smell to it. From what I have read, it is safe to use in High Efficiency washers. But don't take my word for it!

To use, add 2 tablespoons to your load of laundry, just like you would a regular powdered laundry detergent. I tied a pretty bow on my jar and used a silver tablespoon to measure it out. The recipe said "almost 2 bars"...so I used almost 2 bars and the left over square inch of bar I saved. The label of the soap says that it is a great stain remover. I put it on a little pink plate so that I could use it as a stain remover when needed.

Normally when I have stains to treat, I use Murphy's Oil Soap. No kidding! Just put a little on the stain and use your fingers to really rub it into the stain. Let it sit overnight and then launder as usual. It is an amazing stain remover! But since I didn't have any, I used the Fels-Naptha to treat my stains. I just got it wet and rubbed it on the stain and washed it with my new laundry detergent. Here is a before and after so you can see how it worked. Not bad!

There are so many other homemade cleaners out there, I am definitely going to try my hand at making more. I have found recipes for homemade soap scum remover, dishwashing detergent, toilet bowl cleaner, everything you can imagine! So far I really like my new laundry detergent and plan to keep using it. I hope you give it a try too!

Linking with:

Coastal Charm: Nifty Thrifty Tuesday

Dotty Swap

Getting something in the mail that is not a bill is so much fun. One way to ensure that you get fun stuff in the mail is to join a swap or two. I love participating in swaps because not only do I get to make fun things to give to others, I also get great things in return! I recently joined the Dotty Swap at Cutie Pie Cottage. My swap partner was Roselle from Seaside Rose Creations. Here are the goodies I sent to her.

I made a pretty pink polka dot box using a heart shaped chocolate box. There is a frosty pink rose in the middle, 2 sparkly charms and a pink oval that says love. There is a sweet pink ruffly ribbon around the box, lace and pink pearls on the top. I filled it with 3 clothespins decorated in polka dot ribbon and an ornament that has an "R" and pink polka dot ribbon.

I also made a card with red cupcake liners. The back of the card has red paper with tiny white polka dots. Here is the box filled with the goodies. I also sent her a cute little box of conversation hearts!

I have long admired Roselle's beautiful rose creations and I was so excited to receive my package from her. Here is everything that she sent me all laid out.

In one little bag, there was a pretty white paper rose, a ribbon rose and this gold "inspire" medallion. It was tucked inside with 3 pages out of a vintage French book.

Another little bag contained 3 tiny little clothes pins with polka dots...great minds think alike wouldn't you say?!

This pretty tag was on the front of the bag. I love the Paris love notes and the colors!

And now I can say that I am the proud owner of one of Roselle's beautiful, hand painted creations! I just love this little vintage salt shaker that she painted pink and added a sweet little rose bud to. I love everything that she sent me and I hope she enjoys what I sent her as well!

Thank you to Cutie Pie Cottage for putting this fun Dotty Swap together. They are always so much fun! Thank you to Roselle for my wonderful new treasures! I can't wait to do another swap soon...if you haven't tried one yet, I highly recommend it!

Linking to:

Ruby Jean: Sew-Crafty Tuesday

It's a Very Cherry World: Rednesday

Faded Charm: White Wednesday

The Vintage Farmhouse: Creative Things Thursday

How Sweet the Sound: Pink Saturday

Conversation Hearts

My favorite part of Valentine's Day isn't roses and chocolates-it's Conversation Hearts! I have always loved the sweet little bites of sugary goodness, but now I love all the creative things people have made with them too! They are pretty cheap to buy and 12 of them are only 60 calories! So grab 12 hearts (my favorite flavor is the yellow) and take a look at some fun things you can do with Conversation Hearts.

***

And here is a little history on the Conversation Heart-I have a history minor so I just love to learn about such things and I hope you find it interesting too! These candies really are a vintage treat!

***

"Oliver R. Chase invented a machine in 1847 to cut lozenges from wafer candy, similar to Necco Wafers, and started a candy factory. Daniel Chase, Oliver's brother, began printing sayings on the candy in 1866. He designed a machine that was able to press on the candy similar to a stamp. The candy was often used for weddings since the candies had witty saying such as: "Married in pink, he will take a drink", "Married in White, you have chosen right", and "Married in Satin, Love will not be lasting".The heart-shaped conversation candies to be called Sweethearts got their start in 1901. Other styles were formerly produced such as lozenges, postcards, horseshoes, watches, and baseballs. As of 2010, the classic pastel candy formula is being abandoned. Sweethearts will be softer candies with vivid colors and all new flavors. Line extensions carrying the Sweethearts brand include chocolates and sugar-free hearts.In the 1990s, Necco vice-president, Walter Marshall, wanted to update some of the sayings and retire others, including "Call me", "Email me", and "Fax me". The romantic expressions continue to be revised for young Americans. Necco receives hundreds of suggestions a year on new sayings. Necco produces the hearts from late February through mid January of the following year. Approximately 100,000 pounds of hearts are made per day, which sells out in about six weeks." The new flavors were not favored by people so they went back to the old flavors in October 2011.

{all images found on Pinterest}

What a fun and easy idea this is. Glue a few hearts randomly on a white (or any color) candle and place it in a dish full of more hearts. Simple yet very festive!

Love this idea! A cute little Conversation Heart vignette with topiaries and a frame covered in the candy. Who wouldn't love this?I have seen so many of these wreaths and I think I might just have to give it a try myself. I would add a fun bow to really pretty it up!Now for even more fun, make some Conversation Heart flavored vodka. What a fun drink to have on Valentine's Day! Click here for the how-to.

Apparently you can even make your own Conversation Hearts. I am sure the flavors just wouldn't be the same as the real thing but it would be fun to write your own messages on them. Here is the how-to on making your own!

When I was in the 5th grade, I had a "boyfriend" named David. When he wasn't my boyfriend, I flirted like crazy with him. But as soon as he was my boyfriend, I got really shy. For Valentine's Day that year, I got the big Conversation Hearts to give to my class. I picked out the ones that said not so nice things to give to David. Needless to say, he wasn't my boyfriend for very long!

***

I have been hearing so many rumors about Google Friend Connect going away and I am scared to lose all of my followers. So, please be sure to follow me via the Linky Followers tab on the top right hand side of my page.

***

Wishing you all a very Happy Valentine's Day!

{all images found on Pinterest}

Linking up with:

Common Ground: Vintage Valentine Party
How Sweet the Sound: Valentine Pink Saturday