Hollohaza Vintage Ducks Figurine

Check out this pair of quackers! It's a pair of adorable white ducks. The Hollohaza Vintage Ducks Figurine is quite sweet. You may think of these as two love birds or a couple of white geese. You can clearly see that these are a loving pair of birds! This would be a great gift for your love mate!

This porcelain figurines measures 4 inches by 3-3/4 inches at the widest.

Hollohaza Hungary Porcelain Marks:

Image of a Green Fir Tree
Hollohaza
Hungary
1831
18

10

The porcelain marks are stamped in green on the bottom side of the base of the porcelain figurine. The number 10 is written in red.

When reading the "1831," some have mistakenly interpreted it to be "4834" because of the style of the "1."

This collectible was manufactured in the 1960s and is no longer being made. It is rather an antique! If you are interested in purchasing my porcelain figurine, leave me a comment expressing your interest.

It is item H959F and sells for $16.95 at Klugex.com as Vintage Hollohaza Pair of Duck Figurine. I searched all of eBay to find this item and found a listing which called these Vintage Hollohaza Art Deco Geese.

If you like this figurine, you'll surely want to check out these other Hungarian porcelain collectibles:

• Hollohaza Deco Cat Figurine
• Hollohaza Hungarian Porcelain 1777 Kneeling
• Hollohaza Hungarian Porcelain 1831 Seamstress
• Zsolnay Hungary Eosin Cat Porcelain Figurine 

Recommended Resources:

• Hollohaza Hungary Catalog: Figurines and Statues
• The Cleveland Hungarian Heritage Museum Gift Shoppe
• Klugex Art Products - Hollohaza
• Hollohaza Hungary Website - Hollohazi.hu
• Hollahaza Porcelain Museum - seeuinhungary.com

PS Please do not steal my copyrighted images and written content. It is just not a cool thing to do. Get original and authentic ... photograph your own figurines!

Hollohaza Deco Cat Figurine

Want to see a cool cat? It is the Hollohaza Hungary Vintage Deco Cat Porcelain Figurine. I began collecting Hollohaza porcelain figurines over a decade ago. I've displayed several collectible porcelain figurines from my collection in this blog. Today, I am delighted to present this most popular item.

This cool cat figurine measures 3-1/2 inches by 2-5/8 inches at the widest. It's reportedly a creation of the 1960s. Wow, that rather makes it an antique too.

Hollohaza Hungary Porcelain Marks:

Image of a Green Fir Tree
Hollohaza
Hungary
1831
2

The porcelain marks are stamped in green on the bottom side of the base of the porcelain figurine. When reading the "1831," some have mistakenly interpreted it to be "4834" because of the style of the "1."

This item has been discontinued and the factory is not making anymore of these.  If you are interested in purchasing my porcelain figurine, leave me a comment expressing your interest.

You can find this adorable collectible at Klugex as Vintage Hollohaza Deco Cat Figurine, item H966D for $49.95. I've also found a few at eBay selling for $50.00 to $65.00.

Have you seen the other adorable cat figurine? It's Zsolnay Hungary Eosin Cat Porcelain Figurine. That cat is another deco cat, but in green and rather art nouveau. Check out the Cat Porcelain Figurines on Amazon!

If you like this figurine, you'll surely appreciate these Hungarian porcelain collectibles:

• Hollohaza Hungarian Porcelain 1777 Kneeling
• Hollohaza Hungarian Porcelain 1831 Seamstress

Recommended Resources:

• Hollohaza Hungary Catalog: Figurines and Statues
• The Cleveland Hungarian Heritage Museum Gift Shoppe
• Klugex Art Products - Hollohaza
• Hollohaza Hungary Website - Hollohazi.hu
• Hollahaza Porcelain Museum - seeuinhungary.com

PS Please do not steal my copyrighted images and written content. It is just not a cool thing to do. Get original and authentic ... photograph your own figurines!

Zsolnay Hungary Eosin Cat Porcelain Figurine

One of my favorite cat figurines from my porcelain collection is the Zsolnay Hungary Eosin Cat Porcelain Figurine. It is an art deco piece with the beautiful iridescent green eosin glaze.

What is so special about this cat figurine, other than the eosin process, are the cutouts. Take a closer look at the pictures and you can see from the side views the cutout details. The prominent colors are green with gold and a hint of blue iridescence. It measures 9-1/4 inches by 2-3/8 inches by 1-7/8 inches.

Zsolnay Porcelain Marks

Zsolnay
Hungary
Image of the Zsolnay Building
Jubileum
150

The porcelain marks are inside the base of the figurine. They are stamped in a goldish iridescent color. This is a pretty difficult picture to capture as the marks are viewable as you gently move the base back and forth to view. Look closely at the bottom center of the opening.

You can find this beautiful figurine for sale at Klugex.com as Zsolnay Eosin Deco Cat Figurine. It is item #ZS5066 and sells for $74.95. I found only one of these in the green eosin glaze being offered on eBay. That listing was for a bit more i.e. $97.95.

About Zsolnay Eosin

In 1853, the Zsolnay factory was established in Pécs, Hungary by by Miklós Zsolnay. The process of producing porcelain made of eosin was introduced forty years later, in 1893. The origin of the term eosin comes from the Greek eos which means flush of dawn. The first eosin pieces produced bore a red iridescence, with other colors to follow. Many art nouveau artists used the eosin process for their pieces.

Zsolnay Books:

• Zsolnay Ceramics: Collecting a Culture (Schiffer Book for Collectors) - Zsolnay ceramic art from Hungary, featuring over 400 color photographs, covers the three main periods of Zsolnay production.
• Hungarian Ceramics from the Zsolnay Manufactory, 1853-2001 - There are photographs of some 200 objects and designs as well as a selection of 50 archival photographs from throughout the manufactory's years of production.
• Zsolnay Art Pottery | The Gyugyi Collection - This hardcover book is both a catalog and a scholarly guide. A great gift for Art Nouveau and decorative art lovers.

Recommended Resources:

• Get a good overview of Zsolnay from Wikipedia.
• Zsolnay Porcelain website.
• Historical overview of Zsolnay from Klugex.

I've written about other Hungarian porcelain collectibles which are pretty special:

• Hollohaza Hungarian Porcelain 1777 Kneeling
• Hollohaza Hungarian Porcelain 1831 Seamstress

PS Please do not steal my copyrighted images and written content. It is just not a cool thing to do. Get original and authentic ... photograph your own figurines!

Hollohaza Hungarian Porcelain 1777 Woman

Another of my prized collectibles is a Hollohaza Hungarian porcelain figurine of a female kneeling. I previously wrote about my Hollohaza Hungarian Porcelain 1831 Seamstress. In my collection of Hollohaza, this is the largest piece. It was a gift from my now ex-husband. He saw what a large collection I had of Hungarian Hollohaza porcelain. He selected this majestic figurine as a birthday gift. I was pleasantly surprised.

In my opinion, he did a fine job of selecting such a beautiful collectible piece.

This incredible porcelain figurine is made in Hungary. It measures approximately 12 inches tall and 4-1/2 inches wide at the right knee. The base measures 4 inches by 3-1/2 inches. The figurine is in delicate white porcelain kneeling upon a pale yellow throw. She is captured in looking like she might be preparing for a bath or a dip in the pool. Her hair is a light brown and pulled back. She has painted eyebrows and lips.

Hollohaza Hungary Porcelain Marks:

Image of a winged bird within a wreath
1777
Hollohaza
Hungary
Handpainted

35

The porcelain marks are stamped in dark navy blue on the bottom side of the base of the porcelain figurine. I think the bird is like a regal firebird. The number 35 is written in black. On the other Hollohaza figurine, the words "kézzel festett" appear instead of "Handpainted."

Hollohaza collectibles date back many years. The 1777 signifies the year the glass works manufacturing was established. The Hollohaza Porcelain Manufactory Co., Ltd. is located in the same location. Learn a little more about the history of Hollohaza.

Close-Up View:

If you are interested in purchasing my porcelain figurine, leave me a comment expressing your interest.

P.S. You can find this item at Klugex.com! It is listed as Large Hungarian Kneeling Woman Figurine by Hollohaza, Item 838-2801. It is currently on sale for only $69.95. That is a real deal. I found several of this figurine on eBay listed at a variety of prices from around $100 to $165. You could expect to pay $200 for this beautiful figurine.

Recommended Resources:

• Hollohaza Hungary Catalog: Figurines and Statues
• The Cleveland Hungarian Heritage Museum Gift Shoppe
• Klugex Art Products - Hollohaza
• Hollohaza Hungary Website - Hollohazi.hu
• Hollahaza Porcelain Museum - seeuinhungary.com

PS Please do not steal my copyrighted images and written content. It is just not a cool thing to do. Get original and authentic ... photograph your own figurines!

Hollohaza Hungarian Porcelain 1831 Seamstress

One of my prized collectibles is a Hollohaza Hungarian porcelain figurine of a seamstress in a traditional folk costume. This female figurine is so special that it deems its own blog post!

This exquisite porcelain figurine is made in Hungary. It measures approximately 9 inches tall and 3-1/2 inches wide at its base. The seamstress is dressed in the prettiest folk costume that has an array of colors including black, blue, green, red, teal, white and yellow. She is captured in between her embroidery with her work that sits on her lap. There is an incredible amount of hand-painted detail.

Hollohaza Hungary Porcelain Marks:

Image of a Green Fir Tree
Hollohaza
Hungary
1831
11
kézzel festett

63

The porcelain marks are stamped in green on the bottom side of the base of the porcelain figurine. The number 63 is written in black.

When reading the "1831," some have mistakenly interpreted it to be "4834" because of the style of the "1." The words "kézzel festett" are Hungarian for hand-painted. This figurine is item #8065-2081 and sells for $129.95 at Klugex.com.

Close-Up View:

If you are interested in purchasing my porcelain figurine, leave me a comment expressing your interest.

P.S. You can find this Hollohaza Hungarian porcelain figurine on eBay and at Klugex.com. Searching on eBay, I actually found a few of this very item! The eBay listings were priced from $50 to $100 with up to $30 for shipping. I'm happy to see that so many people appreciate this type of collectible!

I have another female Hollohaza porcelain figurine that is kneeling. It is also quite special. Over the years, I have also collected several other Hollohaza porcelain figurines. Look for those porcelain collectibles in future blog posts!

What about Hollohaza? The town of Hollóháza is located in the Zemplén Hills, near Hungary's northeastern border with Slovakia. In 1831, the Hollóháza Porcelain Factory was established there.

Recommended Resources:

• Hollohaza Hungary Catalog: Figurines and Statues
• The Cleveland Hungarian Heritage Museum Gift Shoppe
• Klugex Art Products - Hollohaza
• Hollohaza Hungary Website - Hollohazi.hu
• Hollahaza Porcelain Museum - seeuinhungary.com

PS Please do not steal my copyrighted images and written content. It is just not a cool thing to do. Get original and authentic ... photograph your own figurines!

Stanley Furniture Coastal Living Cottage Collection

Allow me to introduce you to the perfect furniture for your beach cottage or summer house. It's the Coastal Living Cottage Collection from Stanley Furniture. I live in Jacksonville, Florida and own the bedroom set that epitomizes the furniture I always dreamed of having.

You might already know Stanley Furniture for its painted furniture. The Coastal Living Cottage Collection offers furniture in pretty colors from three different palettes inspired by coastal landscapes. "The sea, in all its many moods, plays a central role, as do the dunes, marsh grasses, shells, sun and boardwalks of America’s coasts." Stick with one color or select a mix of colors from one of the palettes like I did!

Coastal Living Cottage Collection
Summerhouse King-Size Bed in Sea Grass

Throughout the years, I never owned any painted furniture until I set my eyes on the Summerhouse bed from this collection. I knew I had to own it. Take a look at that bed as I saw it in the store.

It was actually the second time that I viewed the same Summerhouse bed at Avenues Home Furnishings. In the store, the bed was presented against a warm, red-orange backdrop. That rich color really sets off the pretty painted pastel color of the bed.

In the picture you get a glimpse of 3 more pieces of bedroom furniture from this collection. It wasn't my intention of also purchasing those pieces; however, after researching the Coastal Living Cottage Collection further online, I recognized the value.

Avenues Home Furnishings was going out of business and had reduced their prices to make this an attractive buy. As they were holding my bed for delivery, I simply added the 3 pieces to my order.

Coastal Living Cottage Collection by Stanley Furniture
Summerhouse King-Size Bed in Sand Dollar and Bed End Bench in Shell

Coastal Living Cottage Collection by Stanley Furniture
Getaway Dresser in Saltbox White and Piecrust Mirror in Saltbox White

When this bedroom furniture was finally delivered and set-up in my home, I went back again to Avenues Home Furnishings. Much to my delight, another piece from the Coastal Living Cottage Collection had come in. It was a beautiful chest of drawers in pastel yellow. Yep! I bought that piece too.

Coastal Living Cottage Collection by Stanley Furniture
Chest of Drawers in Saltbox White

Did you notice all the pretty colors? My bedroom set is definitely not a monitone of colors. I have 4 different pastel colors which blend perfectly.  I painted my master bedroom and bath with Sherwin-Williams SW6908 Fun Yellow. It is such a happy color that truly works with the Coastal Living Cottage Collection of painted furniture.

What's really fun about this type of beach cottage or summer house furniture? You can add other colorful pieces to the mix.

These three colorful pieces of furniture are also in my bedroom complementing the Coastal Living Cottage bedroom set. I sourced the teal dresser and green night stand at my local HomeGoods store. The green and yellow decorative dresser in the middle was found at another specialty furniture store that went out of business. I have two of those.

What is the perfect "matching" chair? I did have a little space left in the bedroom. I was shopping at Haverty's and saw a cottage chic, overstuffed white chair.

I found the lime green leaf pillow at HomeGoods - what a wonderful store! And, how about a hand for Target? You see the teal drapes and the lime green rug? Yep, Target. Oh, and at the right of the picture you get a glimpse of a special lamp that I also found at Target. It is a brushed silver base floor lamp with 5 different color, adjustable cone heads of lights. It's like that lamp was made to go with my particular bedroom set because of all the colors! I actually have two of them in my master bedroom.

How about bedding ideas? Check out the Green White and Black Floral Bedding that I've used in my master and guest bedrooms.

Well, I hope you enjoyed the show. And, I hope you got some ideas about how to decorate a beach cottage or summer house bedroom. Do you like a colorful bedroom like mine? I'd love to hear from you! Gosh, you only live once - why not enjoy it? Think a little outside the box with your decorating ideas. No point in being boring; you know?

Resources:

• Coastal Living Cottage Collection by Stanley Furniture - check out Stanley Furniture's website to see the full line of Coastal Living Cottage. It's not just bedrooms, you know?
• View the eCatalog for the Coastal Living Cottage Collection.
• Download the Coastal Living Cottage Collection 52 page brochure. This is a fabulous publication.
• Take a look at the Coastal Living Cottage Collection bedroom furniture.

UPDATE: You might not be able to find some of these colors in the Stanley Furniture Coastal Living Cottage Collection. I was looking online to find my bedroom set and discovered that there are different colors. I located some of this collection available through Wayfair. You can also find Stanley Furniture at Amazon.

I took a bit of time to research what is available online for the Stanley Furniture Coastal Living Cottage Collection. I can comfortably report that it is next to impossible for you to find a bedroom set like mine to buy; unless you buy it from me. I've put together a snapshot of the suggested retail pricing for a Stanley Furniture bedroom set like mine, including the king-size mattress set.

Stanley Furniture Coastal Living Cottage Collection
Suggested Retail Prices

That is one pricey bedroom set at over $11,000! If you are seriously interested in this personal collection, I might be willing to sell it if the price is right! Let me know by leaving me a comment.

Green White and Black Floral Bedding

I am more than a little amazed at how many beautiful selections of bedding you can find online. That's precisely where I found my bedding for my master and guest bedrooms. My pick was green white and black floral bedding with big, bold and beautiful flowers.

Green White and Black Floral Bedding in the Master

Green White and Black Floral Bedding in Master Bedroom

During the Summer of 2010, I was getting a divorce and leaving my ex our beautiful Thomasville bedroom set. I started looking for a replacement bedroom set and fell madly in love with the Coastal Living Cottage collection from Stanley Furniture that I found at a local specialty store. I was interested in the Sea Grass green Summerhouse four poster, king-size bed. The discounted price was still a bit steep at about $1,800; so, I opted to pass up buying the bed at that time.

Several months passed, the divorce was finalized. I spent 3 months visiting mom in Brooksville, Florida and returned in January 2011 to accept a new job in Jacksonville, Florida. I was living in an apartment, so I wasn't in the market for a new bed. In April, I put a contract on a house and knew that I would need some furniture to fill it. I wasn't set to close until June, so I had plenty of time to shop. In May, I dropped back by that specialty store and found the Stanley Summerhouse bed was still available and for a better price. I bought it!

Green White and Black Floral Bedding in Master Bedroom

Compare this photo with the very next photo. That is the very same Green White and Black Floral Duvet Cover! In this photo, the black and white flowers are more prominent. Simply by flipping the duvet cover, you can achieve a different look. Check it out below!

With a Sea Grass green bed, you have a variety of options for bedding. I opted for coastal chic bedding. I was spending a lot of my free-time hours searching the internet to find the perfect duvet cover. When I first spotted the bold green white and black floral duvet cover, I knew that was the one for me.

I had searched Amazon and eBay completely to look at every single bold floral duvet cover. I actually ended up sourcing my duvet covers through another website. I can't remember what bedding website; when I find that information, I will share it! Oh, I also found a pair of matching shams through that same website, but had to scour eBay to find a second set of matching shams!

Green White and Black Floral Bedding in Master Bedroom

In the cooler months, I've used the darker duvet cover as shown in the first picture. For the warmer months, I've switched out to a lighter duvet cover that is predominantly white with large black bold flowers and a light green bird. As you can see in the second picture, the duvet cover works very well with the pillow shams from the first bedding set.

Green White and Black Floral Bedding in Guest Bedroom

In my guest bedroom, I have a Vaughan of Virginia pickled oak bedroom set that I've had for at least 20 years. Although I have a queen-size bed, I've opted to use the king-size duvet covers which work in the Master. Again, I have carried my color scheme of green and white and black into the decor.

Green White and Black Floral Bedding in Guest Bedroom

The lime green floral and white duvet cover is of the same fabric as the second duvet cover. This green is a bit brighter than the other green; it works quite well with the bright green on the bedroom walls. I found the two lime green and white leaf pillows at Home Goods. Directly behind are two black pillow shams with white and yellow bold daisies and yellow piping. And, behind those I have a long, black body pillow.

I hope I have inspired you with my own home decor selections. Maybe you have found that you too love the Coastal Living Cottage collection from Stanley Furniture? I'll be talking about that gorgeous furniture in another blog post soon.

If you like my taste in bedding, you might like these delicious picks:

• Perry Ellis Asian Lily Collection Duvet Set
• Chezmoi Collection 7-Piece White, Grey and Black Lily with Leaf Applique Duvet Cover

Final Sunflowers of Summer

When I planted my sunflower garden from seed on March 2, 2013, I had no idea of what that journey would encompass. I actually prepared the back yard plot for the garden in late February. The months of February, March and April were busy growing months that I didn't write too many blog posts. But, come May and June, I was busy blogging several blogs posts about that sunflower garden.

I experienced five full months, from March through July, immersed in my sunflower garden. About the time in late July when my sunflower garden was winding down, I planted another garden of daisy bushes and Echinacea White Swan Coneflowers alongside it.

The biggest JOY I experienced with my sunflower garden were the beautiful sunflower blossoms that epitomized the very best that Mother Nature has to offer. I captured over one thousand photographs of the various sunflower blossoms - it doesn't get any better than that! I could very well see me in my retirement as a floral photojournalist. Wait, I think I am! Presenting the final photo gallery of sunflowers.

Message to Content Scrapers: Perhaps you might want to get original and authentic and grow your own sunflowers to photograph and share online rather than stealing my original work and my traffic to this authentic Google blog!!

Final Sunflowers of Summer

Here is a colorful photo mosaic of the pretty Autumn Beauty Sunflower Blossoms from my flower garden.

Pretty Autumn Beauty Multiple Sunflower Blossoms

A Pretty Duet of Autumn Beauty Sunflower Blossoms with Bee

Not to forget the colorful bees of Summer! Thank you Mother Nature for bees.

Pretty Autumn Beauty Sunflower Blossom and Bee

Putting the final focus on the YELLOW sunflower blossoms. I didn't have as many yellow sunflowers as the Autumn Beauty variety, but those I did have were still pretty impressive! Check out that green grasshopper sitting atop the sunflower blossom below.

A Pretty Duet of Yellow Sunflower Blossoms

A Pretty Trio of Yellow Sunflower Blossoms

Saving the Best for Last

Some of my "best" sunflower blossom pictures featured the sky as the backdrop. I especially loved this sunflower photo, photographed against the bright blue sky, because it didn't need any photoediting or tweaking - I just needed to size it. Take a look, tell me what you think!

An Impressive Singular Yellow Sunflower Blossom with Blue Sky Backdrop

In this picture, you can feel the finality. A singular yellow sunflower blossom seeks its spotlight alongside a cut stem of a former blossom.

And, taking the final bow of Summer, I offer up this last photo.

A Final Sunflower of Summer Bows its Head

I rather think that this creatively looks like an ostrich bending its head toward the earth.

Final Sunflower Heads of Summer

All those pretty sunflowers up above have now ended up down below. This is a tray of the final sunflower heads which were cut to be dried.

The Final Sunflower Heads of Summer for Harvesting Seeds

UPDATE: I have now harvested all the sunflower seeds from my flower garden for The Sunflower Project. I will be saving the seeds to share for next season's growing season. And, the sunflower garden has been leveled - cut to the ground.

Sunflower Garden Leveled - Cut to the Ground - The End!

P.S. Relive the sunflower journey from the beginning. Add a sunflower garden stake to your flower garden! See you next season!