Karen you and I will have to go together!! I'm staying at home today!! It's a good thing vacation is soon over and I have to go back to work. I DON'T WANA GO!!! Luvs, It is metal and kinda rusty. Very heavy. It doesn't have a bottom. I actually bought it as a gift for someone...we won't say who!! It's on it's way to fed ex.. Magpie, the ts's are gettin high here as well and very few things worth having. I think alot of people are selling in yardsales or ebay rather than donate. Although the lady that cuts my hair got a Fritz and Floyd (sp?) Christmas platter for $3!!!! I am really tickled about the garland. It's decorated with some of my vintage ornie's.. all stuff from the stash. Just need one more tree for the other side of the mantel. Thanks for the comments everyone.

squirrel: Lucky for me we have a Lamps Plus store. I liked this one though was nervous about the scale as the shade was so much bigger than the surrounding ones in the store, but I told myself, squirrel photoshopped it in, it looked great, just get it.... and it does. Glad I did not take DH though as he would've nixed it for a smaller shade, but when he saw it in the room without the other lamps to compare, he thought it looked fine. However, the other table lamps of this style were huge so I am scouting around for a ginger jar (under $100) as I think I have enought bronzy stuff in there. I was hoping you'd play around--since now it will be more nails to put in. Flanking the entry table is another option for the sconces I had been considering as well. It looks nice there also, though the wall is not that large so it looks complete without it. I guess I am rather stumped what to do on either side of the fireplace. I was thinking of doing my botonical prints, but I feel the scale might not work so am thinking of using them elsewhere. I like the feel of a more vertical arrangement with two landscape directional (not necessarily a landscape) prints one on top of the other; at the same time I don't want to fall into the symmetry trap of doing the same things to either side. Balance, not symmetry is the effect I am looking for. Too much symmetry can be boring as it's expected. That is why I was thinking of doing the arrangement with the little mirror in between. For the sconces are you suggesting I put the candle in without the glass? I'd be afraid it'd fall out. I was thinking putting the candle in the glass, though not sure what size. It looks like what it is meant for since there are designs in the glass which you would see when a candle is lit inside. However, I'm not totally sure if it's meant for a candle and if so, what type/size. If you can photoshop some accessories on my mantle that would help--esp. the clock. My classic is boring.... Ha!Ha! I love the honest responses. So what do you think would work? I put a plant there, though it's small right now, it will grow. kim: I realized that after I looked at the pics. I can't quite tell if they look bronze or antique brass (which is so OUT). Perhaps because it was a thrift store find. I think I'll leave as is. decorpas: It looks more like the one I took on my hardwood floor. The other one (taken w/o a flash) where it is just a tad darker is what I was thinking of; yet I would not want to loose the gold accents. sarschlos_remodler: What type of clock do you see working there? If I have a vision in my mind, I'm pretty good looking for it.

Too big for a butter bell. I'd have bought that in a second, it's very nice. I have a bunch of that blue/brown pottery serving pieces, most from student sales at local pottery classes. I think most date to about 1980, plus minus 5 years.

The overall shape resembles the tagine pots, but the bottom is much deeper, and there are holes in the bottom. That didn't appear to be characteristic of the tagine pots in my Google search. Garlic keeper looks like a good bet, though the location of the ventilation holes is unlike any I found online, and it's huge compared to many. Thank you both for joining in the speculation. I grow garlic every year, so for the meantime, it will have a place of honor in the kitchen, full of my own harvest! Mary