Thursday, January 21, 2010

A Is For Always and Aluminum

Today  I  am joining  both  Alphabe-Thursday  and Vintage Thingies Thursday.


A is for Always!

When I married Mr. Garden, we vowed that our love was forever.  Twenty three years and two kids later, that promise still stands.  It has carried us through all the ups and downs life has chosen to toss our way.    I keep this little heart on a shelf by my kitchen pantry where I see it every day and am reminded that I am  a lucky girl.


A is also for Aluminum!

I recently started to collect vintage hammered aluminum pieces and I just love them!   I remember seeing these as a child when we would have church potluck dinners and teas.    I picked up the rose tray at a vintage Etsy shop.  And the little flower basket was found at a wonderful little antique store in Nebraska called Second Chance.




Come on over to Jenny Matlock's blog for the very first week of Alphabe-Thursday.



The Colorado Lady hosts Vintage Thingies Thursday.  Visit her blog to see all sorts of fun vintage items.




36 comments:

  1. This is such a fun meme! Congrats on 23 years, DH and I are about to celebrate 29. And I love the vintage aluminum, I remember that my mom and grandmothers had alot of this, I wish I knew where it was now! Kathy

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  2. The aluminum tray is lovely. I wonder if that detail was stamped by a machine or how it was done.

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  3. I think your shelf is very sweet. I love wood shelves. My dad made me a few of them. And the tray is gorgeous. I love it!

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  4. I just love your tray, the detail is "A" for amazing!!! I have noticed a lot of people are picking up these types of things at local thrift stores, I see them all the time in baskets headed to the checkout!! Cute post today....Have a great VTT!

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  5. I've only been married for a little over a year - I hope that in 22 years I'll remember how lucky I am, too! And I am in love with those trays. I wish I had more room to store all the things I want to collect because oh, boy...

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  6. I enjoyed your post today. I've missed you the last few days. Seeing your beautiful aluminum pieces brought back a lot of memories! My mother had a tray and also a casserole carrier with the same design.

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  7. sweet-Do you use these treasures or are they just for show?

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  8. Love the Aluminum tray. I just purchased one off the ShopGoodwill.com site. It has a bonus of having my favorite flowers as well. (Sunflowers)

    Love your site.

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  9. I also love aluminum and you have some lovely pieces! I have a tray I use almost everyday! It is wonderful that after 23 years you are still so happy!

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  10. That's so sweet, why you keep that heart up there on that shelf! My husband and I just celebrated 20 years!
    Your aluminum trays are so pretty, and have such great detail. I have one that was my Grandma's, and I don't know what to do with it, so it's just propped up against the backsplash in the kitchen. I really need to find a better use for it!
    Happy VTT!
    Carol

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  11. Want to answer a few of the questions -
    Yes, I do use the aluminum pieces. I just served Christmas cookies on that tray a few weeks ago.
    I believe most of the pieces were machine stamped. But a few of the most expensive ones were actually hammered out by hand.

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  12. Oh my goodness! Seeing your post made me almost cry! I have been collecting hammered aluminum pieces for twenty years, but due to my husband's recent job transfer, and our subsequent "down-sizing", I donated most of my collection to some local fund raising auctions and charities. Thanks for reminding me of some lovely aluminum hunting expeditions with my girlfriends!

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  13. Hello!
    Thankyou for stopping by my blog..I'm up early having a coffee before I go to work...going to have a proper look at your blogxx

    Bye for now!

    Sam x (Bath uk)

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  14. Congrats on your wedding anniversary! I think your blog is delightful, add me on! I think the aluminum trays are really pretty neat, maybe I should start a collection. Cindy

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  15. I love alphabets and alphabet games. I also love that old aluminum - you're so right about church dinners - every potluck party saw lots of these pieces.

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  16. love the blue tin! pretty.. that trays are great find! thanks for sharing.. happy VTT

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  17. I remember that, too! I think my mom had a big round one. It may be packed away in my basement. I really like both of your finds.
    Thanks for paying me a visit!
    Mary Lou

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  18. Love the hammered aluminum things -- yours are so pretty! Congrats on 23 years --

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  19. You're also a wise woman, to keep rememberances in front of you to see daily. We all have blessings but if they aren't in front of us, some of us get sloppy and forget.
    The heart box is a keeper!

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  20. wonderful sentiments and I like the silverware collection especially the flower basket

    thanks for your visit to my Alphabe-Thursday

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  21. Pretty things! I love the Always box, Mary E. is a favorite of mine.

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  22. I just had to come back after reading your comment on my post. Richmond BC - well then you know exactly the sort of landscape I meant. I was in the Fraser Valley and thought "if I scid off the road and roll over I'd better get out fast". Your story was close to home for me, as my comment was to you. That's blogland!

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  23. what pretty funky aluminum, i've never seen that before :D

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  24. Blessing to you on your wonderful years of marriage and I wish you fifty more at least.

    It is such fun to have collections...which I do...but now, having lost my forensic nursing job of 21 years in recent San Francisco budget cuts...and a loss in income of $90,000 a year, I am looking at major life changes and downsizing. No more buying anythign for me...and I am slowly selling many things except for a few treasures. At 65, I have to let go, I realize. If I had hammered aluminum, which I don't, it would be sent your way.

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  25. I love the heart and the aluminum! I am playing along in Jenny's Alpahbe too....I wanted to come by and say hi...come visit soon! melinda

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  26. What a nice start to your new collection of aluminum! But look out...collections can become quite addictive and you will soon have aluminum coming out of all your cupboards! LOL
    Judy

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  27. everything about this post is sweet...

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  28. I have a little aluminum basket that's similar to the one in your photo. Mine has a design around the edge of the basket that matches the design on the handle, and the entire surface of the basket is dimpled in sort of a fish-scale pattern. My mother let me play with it when I was a child, and it seemed old to me then, but I don't really know its age.

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  29. Congrats on the 23 years! I love the aluminum pieces!

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  30. Congrats on your 23 years together. Wish both of you another 23 or more years of happiness.

    Beautiful aluminum tray!

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  31. I have see that sort of aluminum but I did not know it was called hammered. So I have learned something new on your blog today! Thank you for coming by and visiting me! Have a good weekend.

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  32. My hubby and I just celebrated our 20th and we renewed our vows in the chapel where we were married. We were at morning prayer and had our blue jeans on, it was so sweet and then he gave me a new diamond wedding band. That is why I needed to find a way to clean my rings, so my old ones would look as good as my new one!

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  33. Here I am late to the first Alphabe-Thursday class. Please don't tell Mrs. Matlock.
    This is a nice post. I have the same MC box. And I just brought home a wonderful aluminum basket that belonged to my mother. My sister has had it and offered it to me on a recent visit. I'm thrilled to have it! You have some lovely pieces. You should share them for Silver Sunday @ Gypsy Fish Journal. In fact, the Gypsy shared her aluminum last week. Take a look.

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  34. Cool aluminum trays! I have quite an assortment of aluminum cups and serving pieces. Love 'em too.

    and how dern sweet is that "Always" heart? such a sweet sentiment too.

    Thanks for stopping by my VTT blog. The Coca-Cola drinking ladies at lunch who shop is probably the favorite of all my old ads that are framed!

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THANK YOU for your thoughtful comments. Replies to your questions will be posted here, so be sure to check back soon. Have a wonderful day! - Gayle, Garden Of Daisies