How 'Green' Can I Be?.

I saw this galvanized sink

in a post on Millie's Blog,

'The Laurel Hedge' last night.

I really, really like the look. I have always been drawn to industrial touches.

In addition, the sink made me think of

a time when I was a wee little kid

still living in Texas at my grandmother's house.

She had a washtub or a rotating washing machine

Out in the shed in the backyard.

The thing I remember is being fascinated by 

' THE WRINGER'.

Those 2 rubber rolls that you put the fabric into.

You would then crank the handle and the fabric would come out the other side completely squeezed out.

So wrung out that it was amazing to me.

Sort of like magic to a little kid.

But I remember the warning.......

don't get your fingers caught in the wringer.

OUCH....

hence the saying;

'He's been through the wringer!'

I think I did something just like this .....

1907 - 1920 

www.sciencemuseum.org.uk

Doesn't she just look glamorous with her modern machine ?

The Wringer

You can buy a new wringer here.

And strap it onto your fabulous new tub.

Here are some alternatives to the shiny silver sinks.

I think these are so adorable. There are a 'bazzillion' designs.
Check it out.

Are you ready to go green again?

Things were uncomplicated.

I wondered when I would see this in movies.

How did they ever do this????

It looked to me that they were clothes lines on pulleys.

What do you think?

Were they?

I think a cute new tub hooked up like the first image, 

with a brand new wringer would be great for hand washed items.

...But the whole load?

How far are you willing to go to be 'green.'

All I can handle is a bit of hand wash.

Many of the images in the post were from people's sites who want to live 'off the grid.'

The term off-the-grid (OTG) or off-grid 

refers to living in a self-sufficient manner without reliance on one or more public utilities.

(From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

I am perfectly happy 

living 'on the grid.'

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her BLOG.....

Interior Design, Palm Beach, Boca Raton,Ft.Lauderdale,Design Service, Window Treatments, TurnKey Interior Design Service,Paint selection, Floor-Plans,Online Interior Design,
Design Center of The Americas, D.C.O.T.A.,Clothes Wringers, galvanized tubs

My Greatest Accomplishment To Date!!

22 years ago today she came along......

My Daughter.

Andi.

*4 years old and she was IMMA.

Andi looked like this everyday at preschool.

I made those crazy head bands for her.

She had them in every color.

They were soft and strechy - no head aches.

This fold up tent was set up in front of the TV.

Her hang out.

Her favorite program was PeeWee Herman.

Andi's Joey Girl.

And of course she could do a mean 'time step.'

NOT!!

Andi's first trip to NYC with Mommy.

Ogunquit Maine....

collecting starfish for the plane ride home.

whew!!!! did they ever stink on the plane!!!

But she was happy.

So I was happy.

We went every summer.

In this shot she is about 13.

Andi, selling lemonade on Marginal Way in Ogunquit Maine.

Here she is with her cousins.

Andi became an accomplished rider.

I was soooo proud.

Here she is on my Hershey.

Here she is on her horse 'Mon Dauphin'

Prince.

She turned out to be a hot shot jumper.

Andi grazing Hershey after a show (with sweaty HAT HAIR).

Do we look happy AND PROUD?

You Bet!

Here Andi is at a horsie affair at ( Trumps )Mara Lago in Palm Beach.

This kid can shop!!

In High School

OMG

It wasn't all fun......

this is Andi's room  in high school.

These shots are for BLACK MAIL at a later date.

I hope she has daughters.

And when she rides them about cleaning their rooms...

Yep, you guessed it.

Granny will come to the rescue.

I will show them these pictures,

and Andi will not have a leg to stand on.

Life's a bitch. hahahahah

Andi goes to camp.

But not as a camper,

 but a counselor.

A card I made and sent to her at camp.

These are all her favorite stuffed critters.

The kids love her. Frankly how could they not?

She is fabulous in every way.

The apple doesn't fall too terribly far from the tree. hahahaha

She is a good sport and from the looks of it,

will do anything for a laugh.

Andi is going back for her 3rd year as camp counselor this summer.

And after camp she will join the Peace Corp.

She just is graduating college.

University of Miami, with a major in History and a minor in French.

I think she may end up in Haiti (in the Peace Corp).

This is Andi today.

Andi wore this pot on her head all the time when she was a toddler.

hmmmmmm....

I have never done anything in my life

that has made me more proud.

We may not get along perfectly,

but it is how she fits into the world around her

that is most important to me.

And I KNOW she will do fine.

She is good, kind, and caring.

And beautiful.

This is a winning combination.

What is your greatest accomplishment ?

I love you Tweetie Bird!!! 
Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her BLOG.....
Interior Design, Palm Beach, Boca Raton,Ft.Lauderdale,Design Service, Window Treatments, TurnKey Interior Design Service,Paint selection, Floor-Plans,Online Interior Design,
Design Center of The Americas, D.C.O.T.A., My greatest accomplishment

The ' Real ' AWARD ... And It's Criteria

I have decided to bestow on ME an award.

But this is an award is for those who are brave enough

to expose just enough to

reach, touch, and possibly help someone else

to see something differently.

And besides....emotions,

and our feelings and reactions, now that is interesting.

It is what we crave, a sense of intimacy

with our friends out in the 'blogosphere'  far and near.

My blog is primarily about design.

I am an interior designer for over 30 years.

I have spent my life doing what I love.

It is the ONLY thing that I do almost perfectly.

( I wouldn't dare say that I am a perfect, 

a mistake proof designer, 

but I am as close as you will get )

I have worked long and hard on not trying to be perfect.

*At least not in my personal life....and 

I think I have mastered 

not being perfect perfectly.

Ha Ha Ha 

But in design, mistakes are costly.

And I design with integrity,

I do not stuff stuff in a home to build my bill.

And if it is the wrong piece or just doesn't work....

you won't be penalized for my mistake.

- besides, now you know my name - 

and WHO WE ARE is really all we have in this world.

So, I toss and turn,

and go ever and over everything like a maniac

before an order on anything that is a 'special order' is placed.

Now that you know this about me 

you will see 

why I need my blog

and the SPECIAL PEOPLE who read and comment on it.

This blog has been a place for me to be REAL.

My mom tells me I should promote myself.....

I have, my work is linked to this blog at the top the page.

But this blog is so much more than self promotion to me.

I have made friends,

(or maybe very close acquaintances, but it ' works ' for me)

and they know who they are.

I care.

And I know they care.

It has been my experience that bloggers are quality individuals.

This blogging thing takes ' true grit.'

grit: If someone has grit, 

they have the determination and courage 

to continue doing something even though it is very difficult.

'Some' really put themselves out there.

Taking risks.

And for the risks we take,

the reactions ( no matter what they are )

we receive through our 'comments'

are the reward for our efforts.

These 'comments' are part of the entire post.

And

if we have been true...

the comments help us to see things differently as well.

I the title of my blog is and always has been;

Renee Finberg ' TELLS ALL' in her Adventures in Design

My daily life is designing, I am design-

and everything that happens to me 

during the course of my days 

are my Adventures.

So, I blow off steam, and

' change the names to protect the innocent.'

And when I am feeling rejected 

or I am feeling lost...

I find my way back onto a steady course

by ' telling on myself ' and processing the situation

that is disturbing me here with you.

I have heard it said....

" you are only as sick as your secrets. ''

I really don't have any.

I raised my daughter with this one liner;

" If you are wondering if you should or should not do something.....

would you mind if this action were printed on the front page of the newspaper ?"

But now, there are blogs right? hahahahah

Anyway enough chatter.

I am giving this award to only 3 blogs.

There were so many more blogs I wanted to include, 

but I've got this '3' thing stuck in my head

Why 3 ?

It is the designer in me, I guess.

And these 3 blogs can only give this award to 3 blogs.

And so on, and so on.

The only requirement is authenticity.

Use these awards wisely.

 And do a post on the award telling why you wish to pass it on.

Please link the award on your sidebar to this post.

*Then the meaning of this award will not get watered down or changed 

These 3 woman, through their postings and comments,

 have touch me in ways that I am quite sure they do not know.

And they are authentic. 

Millie @ The Laurel Hedge 

Willow @ Life At Willow Manor

Debbie @ Dumwit Telher

And believe me, when I see this award on a blog, 

I will STOP, READ, and LISTEN to the message, 

and the messenger.

Maybe others will too.

*here is an award with a white ground

The award at the top of this post is on a black ground.

Use which ever looks best on your blog.

 

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her BLOG.....
Interior Design, Palm Beach, Boca Raton,Ft.Lauderdale,Design Service, Window Treatments, TurnKey Interior Design Service,Paint selection, 
Floor-Plans,Online Interior Design, The 'Real ' AWARD,
Design Center of The Americas, D.C.O.T.A.,The 'REAL' Award, Authenticity

I always wanted to know more......

So here is some info for you and me.

"1708 When the white gold was born

In 1708, Johann Friedrich Böttger and his team discovered the secret of the porcelain production, arcanum. Since that time Dresden is known as the cradle of the white gold, which brought wealth and glory for Saxony."

"1872 The foundation of the „Saxon porcelain manufactory of Carl Thieme zu Potschappel-Dresden“

In the 19th century, there were many porcelain painters in Saxony who did their job at home and brought many new impulses to the traditional porcelain art. They creatively decorated white porcelain bought somewhere else. One of them, Carl Thieme, decided to manufacture his own white pieces. For this reason, he founded the today’s Saxon Porcelain Manufactory in Potschappel in the year 1872. On September 17th 1872 he began with the production of decorative porcelain and man-made porcelain. A broken wall bracket was registered as very first model."

"1888 The death of Carl Thieme

One of Thiemes best employees was Karl August Kuntzsch, a talented flower modeller and later his son-in-law and business partner. He founded the big tradition of opulent flower covering which is still very characteristic for Dresden Porcelain. After the death of Thieme he proved himself as a far-sighted entrepreneur who continued the business successfully and introduced Dresden Porcelain to the international markets.

Around 1900 the triumphal course around the world

Kuntzsch travelled to the United States, organised the export throughout Europe and won international awards and medals for example at the international industrial exhibition in Brussels 1897, at the World exposition in Paris in 1900, and various art exhibitions. He made the Dresden Porcelain world-famous."

"1901/02 Registered Trademark

There were different trademarks for Dresden Porcelain in the past. Since 1901, the blue "SP Dresden" (for Saxonian Porcelain Factory Dresden) is a protected trademark guaranteeing the authenticity of Dresden Porcelain."

"Famous Exhibitions

The company often took part in industry, art, and world expositions. Numerous gold medals from Antwerp, Chicago, Paris, or Dresden document not only the high quality of the finished goods but also the significant artistic skills of the modelers, sculptors, and painters. Outlet stores were opened in the European capitals of Berlin, Stockholm, London, and Paris.

1914-1971 Difficult times for the Saxon Porcelain Manufactory

In the first world war, these stores needed to be closed for a time. To replace the missing workers, women were trained and a continuous training program was started. Once Karl August Kuntzsch died in 1920, his two sons took over direction of the company. The industrial town of Potschappel was joined together with other towns in the Plauen area to found the new city of Freital. 

Although Kuntzsch's brothers rebuilt the foreign market, the work force of the factory was reduced to not even one hundred in 1929 due to the impending economic crisis. Reduced working hours became the norm. Enamel plates and key fobs were even produced just to keep the painters employed. When the British court ordered a multi-figured coronation set, crockery, vases, and lamps in 1936, the foreign contacts paid for themselves once again.

Starting in 1936, no gold was allowed to be used on the edges of cups, bowls, boxes, or vases. An inconspicuous gold-brown color was used as a substitute. Luckily, the factory remained untroubled by the Second World War.

After 1945, Emil Alfred Kuntzsch slowly started up production again. Since he didn't want to hand the family business over the the state, he was charged with criminal economic activities under false pretenses and, in 1950, lost control of the factory. The factory was held in trust but slowly transformed into a public work by 1971.

1972-1990 The lost brand

In 1972 the manufactory was transformed completly into a public work. The factory was focused exclusively on exporting their goods at low prices to obtain foreign currencies. This brought a number of orders to the factory. In order to double production capacity, three modern kilns were imported between 1978 and 1980, and up to 1990, between 160 to 180 workers were employed. At the same time, however, the building fell into disrepair.

Reprivatization

After reunification, the factory faced a problem it had never faced before. The company, whose products sold without a problem last year, was now facing foreclosure. As a result, many employees were laid off so that the workforce was reduced by 75%.

For the reprivitization, the factory allowed a French banking consortium to act as a trust. After they went bankrupt, they were bought out by a West German group of companies.

Optimism

After this, two former employees again attempted to protect the company and its 33 employees from closure by putting it back on the market with new concepts. 

Since then, the quality of the finished goods in the painting and sculpting workshop has steadily improved. Form, decor, and techniques have been further developed and, in 1998, the training of specialized staff began again.

Since then, the quality of the finished goods in the painting and sculpting workshop has steadily improved. Form, decor, and techniques have been further developed and, in 1998, the training of specialized staff began again."

I think all the pieces featured in this post 

are stunning and best of all...

CLASSICS.

Now prepare yourself....when you go to the site and look around....

it is more like pieces at granny's place.

I don't really know where these gorgeous pieces are hidden, and I love them!

NOT SO MUCH the granny stuff.

Do you like this Dresden Porcelain?

Did you know 

the info about the white gold ?

To Shop go here.  or just go to the site if you want to know more.
It is a great site.
Other credits are from A.D.

And if you are reading this and it is 

Saturday or Sunday....think of me. 

Please send me good thoughts, for I will be in 

'Retail Hell'.

Renee Finberg 'TELLS ALL' in her BLOG.....

Interior Design, Palm Beach, Boca Raton,Ft.Lauderdale,Design Service, Window Treatments, TurnKey Interior Design Service,Paint selection, Floor-Plans,Online Interior Design,
Design Center of The Americas, D.C.O.T.A., Dresden Porcelain, white gold