A Center Medallion Clamshell Quilt & More

I was saying to my hubby just the other day, how I thought it strange that I had found quilts all through the spring, summer, and fall, but this winter hadn't found any. Well I spoke too soon because just a few days ago, he spotted one for me that I just fell in love with. Grant you it is modern, made entirely by machine, but was so lovely and such a good price I had to have it. Besides it has been really cold here lately and nothing could be better right now than another good quilt on the bed.

The best I can tell, pattern wise, is this is a take off of a center medallion clam-shell pattern, very beautifully done. If anyone knows the name of this exact pattern please leave a comment.

I just love the pastel colors chosen for this, as well as the fine floral embroidery. The white on white machine quilting sets it all off wonderfully. What amazed me was, that aside from three very tiny black dots, there was absolutely no damage done to this quilt at all. Can you believe it was only $30?!

The overall affect of this quilt is very stunning and these pictures simply do not do it justice. When my husband spotted it I was astounded, as I hadn't bothered to even look in that area of the store, even tho I had been hanging out in it for nearly two hours. Simply because every other time I had been in it I had never seen a thing I wanted. Go figure! ha ha ha

The quilt is bordered on three sides with this lovely 2 1/2" border and embroidery and the top has a matching small band of the same colored trim. The quilt is a super king size, which means on my queen size bed it drapes all the way to the floor. Perfect for those oh so cold nights we've been having.

 All I had to show for the hours I had spent in the store, when my hubby came in, was this Victorian looking cloth doll. At $2.99 I thought she had potential.

I like how she was made with her black pearled boots and two under petticoats.

She is just under 30" and the loveliest shade of pink peach, and I found it hard to believe anyone would want to part with her.

 I showed her to my twin sister and her only negative comment was maybe they gave her up because of her zombie blue eyes?! They do look a bit funny to me to now that I think about it. But I can soon solve that with a bit of embroidery.

From the back you can see all of her layers of skirt which comes off with a quick untying of the bow. I have since given the lovely lady a nice warm bath for I realized the skirt was pretty full of dust. A kitchen sink full of hot water, some lemon dish soap, a touch of vinegar in the water, and she has come out of the bath looking practically brand new. Right now she looks like an Elizabeth or a Persephone to me, or maybe even a Mary Hannah, we shall see.

http://simplyshabbyjlquilts.blogspot.com/2011/05/eleanor-peace-bailey-doll-revision.html?m=1
As luck would have it I did a Google search and this lady on her blog had posted a doll almost exactly like the one I purchased. If you go to her site you can read about it. This helped me to know that my doll is most likely a vintage 1980's Elinor Peace Bailey pattern doll called, "A Victorian Lady." I am thinking I too shall give her a bit of an upgrade, but maybe only the eyes, as I like the clothes on it. However it gives me all kinds of idea's for making new clothes for her too.

A few days before, I had been in the store and found these two tiny dolls. They were only a few dollars a piece and I thought I could do something with them too. The one on the right, I found out from searching, is just like the one above, and is from a series called, "Monster High." This is Creepateria Howleen Wolf. She won't look anything like this when I get through with her tho, hopefully.

 Among the other things I found that day was this lovely hand painted child's slate. I thought whoever did it did a fabulous job and knew it would just add the right touch to my decor.

Now who can resist Captain Abraham and the Whale?! The seagull, flag, and stars are just an added bonus. Given that more than one of my ancestors were ship builders and whalers on Long Island Sound in the 17th century, I thought this hand painted item perfect.

 I will admit I am a sucker for hand painted decor. This lovely piece with it pastel flowers, birdhouses, and picket fence, just drew me right in. It too shall find a home in my new shop or house.

This for .99 was a nifty little piece of china. It is for setting your teabags on, but I like it to hold the spoon I use to stir the soup on the stove. It is much easier to clean up than that sticky mess the spoon usually makes on the stove top.

 Just in time for the next cake, I found this lovely Mikasa glass cake platter. It was marked $10 but yellow tags were half off that day, so I got it for $5. It is just what my son was wanting to hold his cakes.

Another great find for the kitchen, was this lovely expanding casserole dish trivet, made of wrought iron. We have already put it to use, and it functions beautifully. Price $3.99, and so handy.

A few more winter clothes for myself rounded out the trip, none of which cost more than $6 each. Handy dandy finds, and such bargains.

If you remember, not long ago, I found a tile almost like this but it had Indian moccasins and a quilt on it. This I thought would go very nicely with it, so took it along. The artist for this one fortunately is still on the back. He is the well known artist, Dave Samuelson from Montana. He must have a good sense of humor because the name of this piece is called, Cock "N Bull.

 Some time ago I purchased this lovely bamboo patterned pottery lamp. I found this lovely shade the other day for less than five dollars and just knew it would work with this lamp. Now if I can just find two more shades, I will be set.

This lamp was a real steal. It had something a bit wonky with the switch, so the lady at the counter marked it down to $5. The thing is real wrought iron and solid as a rock. I was wondering what to do for a shade, when my son remembered we had this one from an old lamp still in storage. I think it looks great, so will probably chuck the old lamp. It is now working like a charm in the living room. If I need to fix the switch I will have my electrician husband rewire it. How's that for good delegating?!
ha ha ha