Sunday, March 24, 2013

Shades of Spring


Order by noon PST on Monday, April 25 for guaranteed delivery before Easter. 
 
BUY TWO, get ONE FREE  . . . select 2 of your favorite earrings from my ANTIQUITIES COLLECTION, and you can pick a third and I'll send them to you on me. 
Offer ends on Friday, March 29. 

Saturday, March 23, 2013

A day off . . . sort of!

When you live in an area where most of the weekends are cloudy, rainy and cold, one must tackle the long list of "things to do".  So that's what we did.  Last weekend, my sweet hubs donned his coveralls and painted the upstairs hallway.  We live in a 1928 farmhouse and the upper floor of our home is clapboard.  So in the hallway, we've always kept it white.  BORING . . . after 23 years, this girl that loves color settled on a new color, Edgecomb Gray from Benjamin Moore.  It's the lightest version of paint on my chip that includes the dark gray that we have in our familyroom.  Love it, love it. 

Anywho, years ago when I was in my "red" state, I painted a pretty white shelf a beautiful cherry red.  It was gorgeous then, but seemingly a little dated now.  As I've gotten older, I'm finding that I love soothing colors.  A friend of mine who owns a darling store in Kirkland, WA called Haley's Cottage sells a paint from Annie Sloan.  It's called Chalk Paint.  I had used it before and thought, what the heck, it's gotta cover this deep red.  So I took Wednesday off from work :) and began the task of painting out this shelf.  It has some decorative bits to it; a couple of little medallians and a decorative rope moulding on each side.  I painted those pieces along with the face of the drawer front in Old White.  Then the rest of the cabinet/shelf got a coat of Paris Gray.  OMGosh . . . it just needed a bit of touch up, but didn't even need a second coat.  I was done with most of the painting by noon.  To give the decorative bits a bit of zing, I rubbed in some of the dark wax into the crevices and then wiped that off with a soft cloth.  OH, one thing I missed, I rubbed down the entire cabinet/shelf with the opaque soft wax first.  Gives it a bit of shine and dimension. 

I am now in love with my hallway.  A new lamp, a small side table, and gorgeous rug and I seriously want to put up a cot and live there.  I will post photos of the hallway after my hubs finishes up some detail work today. 

But just so you can see how lovely the cabinet/shelf turned out, here's a collage of the before and after shot of the piece.  How fun!


Now on to the next project . . .

Friday, March 15, 2013

My Irish Roots . . .

Growing up Catholic, a big deal was always made on your birthday, but you always had an extra special day . . . your Feast Day.  For me, my feast day is St. Patrick's Day.  Not only was that a special day for me, it was a special day for my entire family. 


My Grandfather, Owen Patrick Kelly of County Armagh, was the leader of the American Irish Fife and Drum Band in Rockaway, New York.  Every other year he took his band to Ireland to perform at different venues around the country.  The trip was capped off by the band marching in the annual St. Patrick's Day Parade in Dublin.  I was so honoroed and proud to accompany Pop and Nanny to Ireland in 1976 along with my cousins, MaryAnne and Jane Marie.  It was such an amazing trip.  It was this year that my Grandfather was awarded as the Grand Marshall of the parade.  So that was how my grandparents spent their St. Patrick's Day . . . marching alongside their band.  To this day I'm overwhelmed by some of the stories and the complete respect these kids (now adults) have for my grandparents.  Makes me so proud.



My Grandmother's family hails from County Clare. If you've ever been to Ireland, Clare is on the West Side of the Country. Her family is from the Bunratty area, yes of Bunratty Castle fame. My Nanny's ancestors lived in the Castle and surrounding Estate homes back in the 1600-1700's.  



She was the sweetest Nanny ever.  I spent the Summer with my grandparents when I was 15.  She wasn't a fancy cook, but I just remember the amazing things she did make.  Rice Pudding with Sealtest Vanilla Bean Ice Cream, Ham and potatoes, and of course Irish Soda Bread.  I helped her make it a few times; she got me hooked on afternoon tea with a huge dollop of heavy whipping cream floating on top, and a huge piece of Irish Soda Bread.  Such fond memories . . . I inherited her love of roses, the beach, and Belleek Irish china. 

So I'm going to share with you my version of Nanny's Irish Soda Bread.  It's best served warm with some good Irish Butter (Kerrygold), a little jam, and a steaming cup of hot tea with a dollop of whipping cream.




Nanny's Irish Soda Bread

4 c. all purpose flour
4 T. sugar
1 t. baking soda
1 1/2 t. kosher salt
4 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2" dice
1 3/4 c. cold buttermilk, shaken
1 extra large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 c. dried currants
1/2 c. golden raisins

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Line a sheet pan with parchment paper

Combine the flour, sugar, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is mixed into the flour.

With a fork, lightly beat the buttermilk and egg in a measuring cup.  With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the buttermilk mixture to the flour mixture.  Combine the currants and raisins with 1 T. flour and mix into the dough.  It will be very wet.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and knead it a few times into a round loaf.  Place the loaf on the prepared sheet pan and lightly cut an x into the top of the bread with a serrated knife.  Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.  When you tap the loaf, it will have a hollow sound.

Cool on a baking rack.  Serve warm or at room temperature. 

Enjoy . . . 

So, I hope that your St. Patty's Day is marked with a toast to all those who have gone before you (it's tradition to put a half pint of beer near a loved ones photo), and a cheer for luck throughout the year.  Sla'inte . . .  



Thursday, March 14, 2013

LUCKY You!

It's my favorite holiday of the whole year . . . it's also my Feast Day.  When I was a little girl, that was almost as good as a birthday!  What fun memories.  So I thought I would pass along a bit of Irish Luck in the form of a coupon.  Use coupon code LUCKY20 at checkout.  It's only good for the weekend - ends Sunday night when the partying is over.

 
Have a wonderful weekend.  Sla'inte. 
LUCKY YOU! 

This girl loves Vintage

When the calendar turned over to a new year, I knew it was time for me to make a change too.  Nothing drastic, just a little tweak here and there.  What I realized was that my website had so many categories; it began to look a little jumbled up.  So I evaluated what was there.  Two distinct looks . . . Vintage and antique vs. Contemporary and modern. 

While I love both categories, I have to say that my heart really lives and loves Vintage.  I get excited when I find a little treasure; like a pair of cast off clip-on earrings from the 50's-60's.  This makes my heart beat a little faster with the anticipation of what I will do with it. 

So, in February, I launched that Vintage part of my line . . . ANTIQUITIES!  I've been really happy with the response I've had for the new pieces.  And I'm excited by ALL the beauties that will be coming to life in the next few weeks. 

I will obviously continue to expand the LaMer line.  I have lots of you who love that look too, and I wouldn't want to discriminate :)

For now though, I leave you with a lovely collage of all things v.i.n.t.a.g.e!  Find your favorite here:  http://tippystockton.com/category_30/AN.tiq.UI.ties.htm

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Celebrity Sighting . . .


I woke up this morning to a note from one of my sweet retail customers.   Jackie owns a darling shop up in Anacortes, WA, a quaint seaside town which is the ferry landing site for the boats heading to and from British Columbia, and the San Juan Islands here in WA.  It truly is a beautiful, picturesque little village.  Anywho, she wrote that a certain fresh water pearl necklace from my line sold yesterday to someone that my generation grew up with.  Hmmmmm, who could it be?  It was none other than . . . Linda Evans from Dynasty fame. 


If you're younger than 30, you probably have no idea who this woman is, but for those of you in my generation, we watched every Wednesday evening as Krystle Carrington, wife to Mr. Blake Carrington tried to stay out of the way of the conniving Alexis (played by Joan Collins).   Okay, so am I ringing any bells for anyone???
I couldn't be any more proud or excited that someone of note is sporting the Bella Necklace.  What can I say, it's a gorgeous piece.  Who wouldn't love Baroque fresh water pearls on oxidized sterling silver, and a couple of Vintage glass hearts.   
If you'd like to own your very own Bella Necklace, I still have 3 left.  Here's the link:

I might just have to go pour myself a glass of champagne and look around in the TV Guide to see if I can find any old reruns of Dynasty.  And perhaps one day, I will spot Linda around town with a piece of Tippy Stockton around her neck. 
Totally made my Sunday! 

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

OH, how I love Thee . . .

Spring . . . 

I do love Spring . . . really I do.  It just seems like it takes its own sweet time getting here though.  And I'm not the most patient person.  But Spring has come to the Tippy Stockton Studios, that's for sure.  

Here's a few of my favorite things . . .


One of my favorite necklaces . . . ever.  The locket slides away to reveal the Lord's Prayer embossed right into the metal.  Amazing. 


I think this little beauty would make a lovely gift for a special Mom.  Imprinted on the front of the pendant is the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother to us all.  Sweet vintage pink rondelles and baroque pearls make up the necklace. 


The Collette . . . very sweet and romantic.  In a lovely celadon color as shown here, it also comes in gray, and a wonderful latte color.


The Rue de Eiffel Bracelet is really lovely too.  Featuring a cast Eiffel Tower charm, this lovely bracelet features gorgeous sky blue agate and some vintage Rosary chain.


The Le Ciel Bleu Necklace is another favorite.  Dangling from a rhinestone pendant is a lovely cast charm featuring angels in heaven.  Another beautiful consideration for Mother's Day.


One of my favorites . . . the Fatima Necklace.  Made of Amazonite rounds and shell, this lovely necklace is the perfect color of blue - aqua, my favorite. 


And then here's the whole kit and kaboodle of them.  I love how they all look together.  Find these and other delights 24/7 at http://tippystockton.com/category/new.htm
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