A Love Potion Fit for Charlene Darling

Meet the #marryinfahrions otherwise known as Son #1 and his fiancé on my blog. They are set to be married later this month on a beautiful farm in rural Alabama.

We live in Georgia and though she is from AL, her parents moved to Washington State just before she graduated from high school. With the parents of the bride flying in and since I was already planning for the rehearsal dinner, it just makes sense for me to plan the decor for the reception as well.

My plan is to top the tables with an eclectic mix of jars, humble decorative glass pieces, some ceramics, and a few metallic pieces. I will use some vintage linens I have collected from family as toppers, add in some blue gingham and fill the vessels with candles and simple flowers.

Sounds good but I needed a lot more pieces than I already owned so I have been picking them up at estate sales. I also plan to use Mason jars but I do not want them to dominate the table-scapes. I've managed to amass quite the collection of pretty things. Isn't this blue cream and sugar adorable!

My cutting table is covered with all the sparklies right now so I can't finish up my practice princess quilt. It still needs to be squared and bound before I can hand it off to the local Ronald McDonald House. 

Now that I have the quilt off the Grace frame I think my pantograph work looks a bit better. It should get another visual boost after I wash it so I am pretty content with it.

I quilted the front with a soft pink cotton Mettler thread I had in my stash.

In the bobbin I used some Superior Bottom Line thread that was gifted to me with my Juki. It is very quiet on the back but I have a thing for cotton. Once I use the giant spool up I doubt I will ever purchase it again.

UPDATE: This quilt is now finished and ready to donate!

Now, back to the wedding decor...

I went to another sale on Friday and found two things that I had on my list for decorations.

One: blue gingham. I figured I'd have to purchase some at one of the big box stores but I found about six yards for $3! That was an unexpected surprise! 

Two: small bottles to tuck sprigs in. Finding these would be a long shot but I got lucky and hit a small jackpot. I found seven and I am pretty sure they are vintage.

Two are Edison Battery Oil bottles. Two look like little milk bottles and share the same markings on the bottom but one is a pop top and the other a twist off. One shows age and is tinted green. One is a slightly decorative cheap cologne bottle with age and a recognizable mark on the bottom. But the last is my favorite.

It reads:
Hoyt Co., Inc. Perfumers, Lowell New York, Memphis

After a little research it seems that this ten cent cologne was considered some kind of lucky hoodoo charm and love potion in some parts of the south.  It made me wonder if Charlene Darling knew about the Hoyt magic? Probably not or she would have had better luck courtin' Andy. 

Seriously, I love the Andy Griffith Darling episodes but I am not the least bit superstitious. It's just such a colorful and fun back story that I had to share.

Thanks for visiting!