Free Image Tuesday, Commission Piece, Wild Kingdom and Thrift Finds....

This is my new treasure and I am so very in love with the baby in her mother's arms. This is a full case ambrotype from the mid 1800's. It closes, latches and has the most wonderful detail on the outside of the case. Use the images, but please let me see if you do!! I hope the free images are useful to you.

This piece was commissioned for a new grandboy:) I removed the glass for photo taking purposes.

Check it! I'm a wild life photographer! I have never tried to take any pictures with my macro setting outside and we have this wonderful blooming bush and every evening it is covered with scores of butterflies and bees. The boys could watch it for hours. I love how you can see the pollen grains on the butterfly's tongue. It doesn't take much to make me happy:)

I got these yesterday at Helping Hands. The plates remind me of my grandmother's china service and were a dollar a piece. The brush is old, silver and made with horsehair. I payed 7 dollars, but had to have it:)

Ok, the silverware was in bins marked 10 cents a piece. So, thinking I would get some for assemblage pieces I started looking. All of the knives are stainless, but I did find some old silver plate ones also. Once I got to the spoons I hit the jackpot. All those spoons are almost 100 years old. (I have two more in the car) They are WM Rodgers & Son from 1915. I looked them up on Replacements, Ltd. and the cost to replace each is 17.99. The pattern is called International Hampden (silverplate, 1915) SWEEEETT!!!! I LOVE finding stuff like that! I get such a thrift high:) I think someone needs to fire the silverware sorting person at Helping Hands. Or not:)

Then I found these totally AWESOME 9.5 inch letters in the electronic section. See, it pays to look in every nook and corner. They are iron and so heavy I had to lug them up front to keep until I was done. Best part? 1 dollar a piece. Yes, I was a happy woman yesterday:)