Wednesday, June 25, 2014

egg cups and prosperity hens


 Our neighborhood is pretty much cleaned up from that bad storm we had this
past weekend. That was the longest we've ever gone without electricity - 23 
hours - and definitely not something I'd like to repeat. We have a private well
that provides our water so we couldn't even shower or flush the toilets.
I'm just thankful that our house wasn't damaged and that we remained safe.
That's really all that counts.

Back on my post of June 16th where Brian and I spent the day in Evanston,
I wrote about finding a couple of egg cups in my favorite shop, Secret Treasures.
I only showed them in the display case in the store, so I thought I'd show you
a close-up of each one. I love the details of the chicks and musical notes on this
cup that's made in Japan...I also really like the scalloped edges.


 This one got to me simply because it's an owl (and it's made in England). 
The store clerk that was wrapping this up for me asked if I bought it because I 
loved owls or egg cups and I told him, "both". He said his mom has "owl everything" 
 at their house...figurines, dishes, cups, towels. I told him that was even too
much owl stuff for me! Reminds me of the goose craze back in the late 80's
and early 90's. Aack, never again!


 This cup was a recent find at Goodwill - another one made in Japan. I really like 
the teal color inside. And it was only 49 cents.



 Have you ever heard of or seen prosperity hens? I hadn't until I saw them hanging
in a friend's house next to her kitchen door.


They're made in Northern India and they're recognized as a symbol of prosperity.
They're made using scraps of bright fabric, colorful glass beads, silver embellishments,
and hand-formed bronze bells. It's a tradition to place them near doorways to 
"invite good fortune into the home". I simply like them for their color and detail.



It was hard to get a good shot of the entire strand...but here they are hung by my
back kitchen door. 


Happy Hump Day, everyone! 



21 comments:

  1. The owl egg cup is darling.

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  2. Ooooohhhh I love the prosperity hens . . . and learning the meaning!
    I am happy you are back with electricity and that you didn't receive any damage from the storm.
    I think we are getting the rain amounts you are . . . YIKES!

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    1. Sorry you're being deluged with rain now, too. It has been rainy almost every day here for over two weeks now.

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  3. The egg cups and the hens are a great finds. Love those hens.
    We have a well as well. It's a pain not being able to flush or have water. When we loose power it is a week, no kidding. It is terrible. It has happened three times for us. Once from an ice storm in frigid temps, once in the fall....not so bad, once in around the 4th of July.....that one was terrible....just two years ago.
    Wish these storms would settle down.
    Have a great holiday next week.

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    1. No power for a week?! I can't imagine. You would think in this day and age, that power could be restored in at least 24-48 hours.

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  4. The hens are so cool. I didn't realize how small they were or how long in length the whole thing was til the last picture! Totally worth your trip! ")

    Jane

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  5. I love your string of hens, they are lovely and I hope that they bring lots of good things to your home - not least of all no more power cuts!! Glad that you are getting back to normal life again, I hope that you didn't lose too much from the fridge and freezer. I remember that goose thing, they were everywhere for a while weren't they. I wonder what happened to them all, they will turn up again in a few years and be collected by new people as retro items I expect! Although not by you or me by the sounds of it! xx

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    1. Everything in the freezer was fine...only lost a few things in the fridge such as the cheeses. We were very lucky! You are right, what happened to all that goose stuff...I never even see it in thrift shops! Oh heck no, I definitely won't be collecting goose items. ;-)

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  6. Your egg cups are wonderful, Melanie!! They are so unique, whimsical, with such pretty colors. Love them!
    And, btw, I LOVE the vignette you created with your desk organizer. Perfect!!! The old Bibles, beautiful dried roses, plates in the drawer, yellow theme with your cute egg cup...LOVE it ALL!!!!
    Mary Alice

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    1. Thank you so much, Mary Alice! That's one reason I loved that little egg cup...with the yellow and green, I knew it'd fit in somewhere in my office.

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  7. I have a string of hens on my front door. :) We have double front doors and while they can both open, we only use one side for everyday. I keep the hens on the inner doorknob of the seldom-used side. Your egg cups are all really pretty. Funny, I was thinking only yesterday about the goose craze. Everyone had them all over their kitchens. My mom had a stained-glass piece in the dining room that her friend made, it was a goose from the neck up, wearing a big blue bow on its neck!

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    1. So cool to know another person with prosperity hens! Too funny about that stained glass piece with a goose head...wonder what she ever did with it? Aren't you glad she didn't pass it down to you? ;-)

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  8. I had never heard of those hens, no...but both them and the egg cups are so pretty! :)

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  9. I really like the prosperity hens all hanging out together.
    They are just too cute, now I want a string of them LOL
    I was raised in Mt Vernon Il so i am familiar with the towns you mentioned

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    1. You can order the hens online...I got mine from dailyom.com. I have friends who live in Mt Vernon!

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