Found Treasure - Welsh Carved Love Spoon

Searching my local thrift store for a treasures, I came across this unique wooden spoon that is clearly hand carved. I pick it up for just 25 cents and made it mine. I intend to hang it in my kitchen as a symbol of luck carrying on a tradition passed on in my family by my grandmother and my mother. Hanging a spoon (or spoon and fork set) is supposed to bring luck in to a home's kitchen. I like the idea that this little treasure will help add some luck to my magical household. It is also a nice little country touch.

As I sat here looking at it, I wondered about who carved it. The initials B.M. and '03 are carved into the back of the spoon. I couldn't resist poking around on the internet about carved wooden spoons. Imagine my surprise when I discovered I had, in fact, found a Welsh Love Spoon.

Dating back to the 17th Century, Welsh Love Spoons were tokens of love from a man to woman. The man hand carved the spoon out of a single piece of wood. Complexity and symbols carved spoke of the feelings the man had toward the woman as well as the carver's skills. The spoon I found has a single large heart and a smaller heart above it (presumably where you could hang it or put a small leather thong through to hang it). One heart carved speaks of "true and steadfast love". There are many other symbols and meanings such as:

• Heart: True and steadfast Love                                   
• Celtic Cross: Blessing of union/Faith
• Horseshoe: Good Luck and Happiness               
• Lock: Security             
• Harp/Castle: Wales                                        
• Anchor: Settled Love and security or Stable loving relationship               
• Links: Lives linked together                                            
• Bells: Wedding /Anniversaries
• Key Hole: My house is yours/Living together      
• Circles: Eternity  
• Ship's Wheel: Guidance                                     
• Balls in Cage: The number of Children or years waiting to get married   

I am very pleased to think that someone may have made this for their sweetheart as a token of their love. I will hang this spoon in my kitchen and, I am sure for many years, I will contemplate the carver of this treasure. It just goes to show you that you never know what intriguing mystery you may find in your local thrift store.

Have you ever heard of a Welsh Love Spoon? Do you know of any once popular traditions that you carry on or still embrace? 

Easy Gift Idea for Men This Holiday Season - MicroTouch Switchblade™ - Manscaper's Dream!

This year I think I found a perfect gift for both my son and my boyfriend! Remember when I reviewed the MicroTouch One™ (if not, go check it out since it is awesome!)? Well, here is another great item to go along with that.  It is the MicroTouch Switchblade™. I received one in advance to give it a review to see if I like it before I ordered the rest. I, after all, don't want to give a gift that I am unsure of. I am definitely not disappointed.

First off, let me just tell you that this thing is versatile! It has a micro end for grooming tight areas such as noses and ears, then it has a larger trimmer on the other side for bigger areas. Whichever side is not in use is stored behind a protective piece that slides back and forth. MicroTouch Switchblade™ is comfortable in the hand and not too heavy. The precision trimmer (the smaller end) easily trims the nose, ears, eyebrows, neckline, and sideburns. The full size groomer tackles chest, back, arms, legs, and those "other" parts we like to groom.

It comes as a set that has four guards to use to adjust the amount of hair you remove. For example you can choose the best length for your sideburns versus the best length for the hair in your eyebrows, and completely remove hair on your ears. MicroTouch Switchblade™ is brilliant!

The blades are stainless steel and made in Germany, which makes me think they will last a long, long time. The blades trimmed without issue, like a knife through hot butter, the blades eradicated hair with ease. Did I mention the LED light? Yes, that's right, a little light helps in those dark crevices and areas where shadows cause missed hairs. Another great thing I noticed is that unlike traditional clippers, you don't have to take this one apart and oil its parts. It requires no fancy maintenance. The unit runs on 2 AAA size batteries. I have used it for over 2 weeks now without any reduction in power.

Let me recap what I liked about the MicroTouch Switchblade™ :

• Stainless Steel German engineered blades
• Four sizes of guards to help with consistent hair length 
• Micro precision end and a full size grooming end help you manscape from head to toe
• Built in light
• Gentle and easy to use. Lightweight too!
• Convenient size with built in slider to protect blades.
• 2 AAA batteries power the unit

This is one of the best Christmas, Yule, Hanukkah, or birthday gifts for a guy I have come across in a long time. Right now I see they are offering a special deal at the website, www.GetSwitchblad.com  which includes a grooming kit. At just $19.99 for this all-in-one head to toe groomer, this is a very economical and thoughtful gift for all the men on your shopping list. Save yourself the frustration of fighting others on Black Friday and order one online or, if you live for the challenge of shopping during the season or don't want to pay shipping, you can find the MicroTouch Switchblade™ at CVS, Walgreens, Bed, Bath & Beyond, and/or Walgreens.

Happy Holiday Shopping Season!


Karin Copperwood and Rancho No Dinero received one or more the products mentions above for fee for evaluation purposes, received compensation to write this post, and/or is an affiliate of one or more of the products reviewed on this site. Regardless, all opinions expressed are still 100% my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising. 

Flooring Bargain!!

www.HomeDepot.com

Since my plan from the beginning is to get a trailer that is 24' (pipe dream, I know), I figured out the floor space to be 8.5' x 24' = 204' minus the area covered by framing. So, to be safe, I just figure the square footage to be at 200 (not counting the lofts) when I have looked at flooring. I was budgeting about $500 for flooring and would peruse the big box DIY stores to see if they had any good sales while I was there buying whatever I needed for my latest project. The other day I was on the Home Depot website looking at hinges for a project to estimate costs before heading to the local store when I decided to take a virtual gander at flooring. I found a great bargain on flooring that I thought I would share.