A February self-portrait and other thoughts ...

Self-Portrait Winter 2011

Yes, this is me or at least how I feel during this very cold, very long and very snowy winter.  Each week a new blizzard bullies us and keeps our kids home from school.  The sky mocks us with glorious sunshine and glistening snow piles but once it lures us out of our home - the ice and freezing cold reach deep into our pockets and steal whatever warmth we have hidden.  I want it to end ... but wait, there's more to come and February has only just begun!

My house and backyard this morning

We shovelled, although you can't tell can you?  This is my deck and backyard.  It is very quiet here except for the sound of icicles snapping and plummeting into the snow. 

My house and backyard in my dreams

This is a picture from my dreams ... or maybe it's an actual picture of my backyard in Spring time.  It is usually filled with the sounds of birds singing, kids laughing and the trickling of our water fountain.  I long for this picture to re-appear.

Brimfield Antique Show this Spring

When a relentless winter has held you captive in your home for so long, you begin to dream about sunny climates, vacations that don't entail skiing or snowshoeing and other fun things to do in Spring.  The Brimfield Antique Show signals the real start of Spring for me.  This year it will be held May 10-15th. 

But that seems an eternity away ...

Cambridge Antique Market

I recommend that you bundle up, strap on your snowshoes and get yourself to the Cambridge Antique Market at 201 Msgr. O'Brien Highway in Cambridge, MA.  If you enjoy the thrill of the hunt at Brimfield and want to get a head start on your treasure hunting then the 5 floors of vintage and antique goodies will definitely delight you and help to get you out of your snow rut. Grab a friend and a little bit of cash and have a fun two hours or so hunting down something fabulous for your snow covered home.  I'll share with you some of my finds all for under $100 ...

Vintage Brass Tray with bamboo details

I was looking for a sweet tray for our bar area and came across this beautiful vintage brass tray for $19!  It was covered by years of tarnish but had a beautiful shape and design to it.  

My Brass Tray

I gently cleaned and polished the tray and found it to be so beautiful - now I use it for display as well as for my bar.  Great find and a great deal too!

Vintage Bench

Hidden under a pile of junk, I found the perfect little antique bench.  It needed some sanding and some polishing and now fits perfectly into a little nook near the front door.  A little perch for handbags and packages ...

Tapestry with nail head trim tops my found bench

Hand Painted Pochoir Prints by Davis Gray

These prints may have been my best find of the day.  They are now hanging in my son's "man-cave" or as we mother's affectionately call it, "the playroom".  I actually stumbled upon these on the top floor of the market.  It was my last walk through and I saw them in a crate on a chair.  Through the layers of dust you could see that they were hand painted or so I thought.  No matter, the scenes were dear to me ... 4 paintings of the American Revolution including the battle at the North Bridge. 

It turns out that these prints are very collectable.  They are hand-painted pochoir prints by Davis Gray (aka: E.B. Walden 1929-1995).  Pochoir means "stencil"  - these are actually lithographs that have been hand painted by watercolor artists.  The originals were created by Davis Gray and he then created lithographs  which were then given to one of his talented artists to watercolor.   These hand painted pochoir prints are no longer being produced and have become extremely collectable over the years.  You can buy laser prints of these very desirable scenes  at Grays Watercolors.  Let me give you a closer look at my find ...

Pochoir print of Battle at North Bridge

Pochoir print of Boston Massacre

Pochoir print of Battle of Bunker Hill

Pochoir print of Lexington Battle Green

I just thought these were great.  The subject matter was so exciting to me and that is really where the value is - as long as it is something that speaks to you - you really can't go wrong.  The fact that I paid only $14 for each of them, meant I really didn't go wrong at all!

Frozen bird statue in my backyard

So, to all you snow birds that are looking for an adventure close to home and more importantly away from home ... do some treasure hunting.  You just might find something magical.

...the whited air Hides hills and woods,

the river and the heaven,

 and veils the farmhouse at the garden's end.

The sled and traveller stopped, the courier's feet Delayed,

all friends shut out, 

the housemates sit Around the radiant fireplace ...

Ralph Waldo Emerson

self-portrait after the next blizzard

see you soon,

Ellen~