Please join me...

...on Simply Primitives this evening. 

I hope you'll stop by to see my work, as well as that of the other talented artisans there.

Thanks for looking!

Scavenger Hunt~ # 3

It's that time again...

Life is changing dramatically for us this weekend. It's all very exciting and just the tiniest bit emotional. Everything here is in disarray, so I was lucky to squeak by with four out of seven items needed for the scavenger hunt. But I do believe I made it to round four. Whew!

As I cruised down Misi's list I thought, "no problem", until I came to a dead halt at item #5. And that's where you'll find me still.

List #3

#1 Stool with Hooked Top
#2 Old Tin Funnel
#3 Putz (or style like) Lamb/sheep
#4 Crow on a stick
#5 Wooden Cigar Mold
#6 Silhouette Box

#7- Bero’s Bonus- Pure Maple Syrup Sign or OLD Syrup Can

 A close up of my items.

Follow me to Misi's blog.

Until next time...

Coming Soon on Simply Primitives

Here's a sneak peek of things to come...

Watch for my update, April 1st, on Simply Primitives.

Scavenger Hunt~List #2

 

I am so relieved that I have what I need for Misi's scavenger hunt this week...no giggles or running from house to house for me. I'm afraid I was stricken with a case of the vapors over the past few days. Thankfully, it seems to have passed.  

Here's the list for week #2...

 

~A Child's Chair~

As a boy, Mr. Kattywhompus sat in these chairs during Sunday school. When the new church was built, we inherited two of the chairs from his childhood classroom. Later they were used by our three boys.

 ~Blue Willow China~

 ...which inspired me to make these wonderful lemon-blueberry scones. (Thanks Jenn!)

~Tin or Metal Tree~

A little wire tree dedicated to the birds and bees(wax).

Close up of the delightful ornaments I bought from Linda.

~Wooden Toy Boat~

I rescued this toy boat from the sell pile...sure glad it's not garage sale season yet.

~Corn Dryer~

A friend made this corn dryer for me using her homegrown popcorn.

~A Colonial Print (featuring a boy and a girl)~

Even though both children depicted are wearing dresses, there are a couple of subtle differences in their clothing that tells us that we are indeed looking at a boy and a girl. The young boy on the left wears a low-neck dress, with coat sleeves and a complete front opening to the hem. The girls dress has a higher neck (which is difficult to see here) and a closed front.

And for Bero...

~A Wooden Buggy Yoke~

Not nearly as nice as his...but a buggy yoke none-the-less.

Please stop by Misi's blog to share in the fun!

Until next time...

~Thrifty Thursday~

If you hang around here long enough you will come to realize that almost everything I own has had a previous owner. We don't have priceless antiques and almost everything is patched or remade from someone's castoffs. Nothing here is museum quality...and I'm good with that. I am a thrifty person by nature and go by the old adage, "use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without”. My old granny taught me well how to use up every bit of something, be it food or fabric. 

Like many of you, I frequent thrift shops and garage sales looking for buried treasure. I like the challenge of stretching a dollar or finding something at a rock bottom price. And since we are kindred spirits, I thought you might enjoy seeing a few of my finds from the last week. 

 ~When I came around the corner and saw this little cupboard in the shop I was immediately drawn to all the little drawers & knobs...then I saw the $15 price tag! It is missing one knob, and I might paint it (black?) , but I think I did pretty well for my money.~

The same shop always has a great selection of vintage glassware and jewelry. This week was no exception... 

  ~I found three pretty transferware plates in a springy green floral, a triple strand pearl necklace and a wonderful old tarnished cream & sugar-perfect for make-do pincushions...

...and this long strand of vintage glass beads in peaches and pinks...I have the perfect blouse to go with these.~

Some of you might remember my recent post about Picking. My overall best junkin' advice was to treat people the way you'd like to be treated. I tried my best to convince everyone that kindness matters...

There is a lovely older woman who tends one of the local church resales in my area...she is always especially gracious to me. Through conversation we have discovered that we both have an appreciation for many of the same things. She was an avid seamstress in her day and really knows her stuff. From time to time, I bring dolls and other projects into the shop to show her what I'm working on. I really just love talking with her. Last week when I was in the shop she said the words any die-hard, thrift store junkie loves to hear..."Come in the back. I have something special for you."

~As I unpacked everything she explained to me that she had brought this box from home...especially for me. The laces were freshly laundered and she had attached little notes telling who made each piece. She told me she wanted me to have these things.  Her generosity was truly overwhelming.~

~She had even rolled some of the lace into pretty little rosettes.~

And then there was this...

Someone had donated a beautiful quilt kit, enough fabric to make a queen size bed. Can you imagine? 

My generous friend said, "I thought of you when I saw it."

~Just look at all those adorable prints!~

So as you travel on your thrifty adventures this week, smile, and remember to practice the golden rule. Because kindness still matters.

Until next time...

~Tuesday Display Chain~ Baskets

Each Tuesday Misi, of Gable House Musings, chooses a theme and invites bloggers to play along with her "Tuesday Display Chain". This week we are showing off baskets of every kind. 

As a collector first of "country", and then primitives, I have accumulated my fair share of baskets. I've even woven a few myself. Baskets are wonderful and useful for so many things...these are a few of my favorites.

~I'll start by showing you a couple of baskets I made years ago. This one, perched on a pile of handwovens is one I am particularly proud of.~

~This Shaker Cheese Basket was the most difficult basket I've even woven. It's so hard to get the little holes even..still not sure I got it right.~

This is the workbasket that I keep next to my chair. It is a large handwoven piece, with an oak handle. I'm sure it's very old. It was passed from my Grandmother to my Mom, and then to me. I remember it, lightly spray painted gold (yikes!) and filled with pine cones at Christmas time when I was a child. Thankfully all the paint seems to have worn away with time. When I told Mom it might be valuable, she replied "No... not that old thing."

~The contents of this particular basket are ever changing. Here it is brimming with antique homespuns taken from a worn out quilt and a pair of sleeves from a 1800's plaid dress.~

~Another of my favorite baskets...it is both functional and beautiful. This was made to hang on the clothesline and hold pins. It was woven at the school for the blind in Chicago, at the turn of the century. I love using beautiful things in my everyday chores, don't you?~

~This little honeysuckle vine basket holds sewing goodies, including two bonnet shaped needle books...one old, one reproduction.~

~A basket of sewing needfuls, including a half-finished pair of socks knitted on old wire.~

~Speaking of sewing needfuls, this little prairie doll pincushion, totes her laundry and my extra pins, in a sweet miniature basket.~

   ~I bought this basket, woven from honeysuckle vine, as a young wife. When the rim started to come unraveled, I couldn't bear to part with it, so I wrapped it with a strip of antique calico. Now, it's ready for many more years of service.~ 

~Technically this isn't a basket...but all of my Easter goodies are still packed away so I thought this would give a touch of springtime to my otherwise dreary collection. I've always loved the colors and the basket weave pattern on this little gem.~ 

Until next time...

See the other Tuesday Display Chain participants at: http://1890gablehousemusings.blogspot.com/

~Early Work Mercantile Updated~

Things are hoppin' at Early Work Mercantile...hope you'll stop by! 

Bunnies are all *SOLD*~ Thank you kindly!

~Pay It Forward~

I have been seeing this all over blogland today and it really struck a chord with me. So many of you have been so kind and encouraging to me that it makes me want to do something nice for someone too. See how that works?

*Pay It Forward *
When something, usually good, happens to you, you turn around and do something good for someone else. Instead of paying something "back" you are paying it "forward" on to the next person.

Here's how it works....

The first five people who comment on this blog post will receive a handmade gift from me.

In return, you must FIRST write a blog post explaining Pay It Forward 2011. Then.... send out a handmade gift to the first 5 visitors who leave a comment on your post. Take your time...you don't need to send them all today or tomorrow. Any time in the next few months. No pressure. This is to be a joyful experience.

This is such a sweet way to connect with friends or meet new ones, by sharing things we create with our hearts.

"It's not the size of the gift that matters, but the spirit of paying it forward." 

Now, isn't that just lovely? (Thanks Misi!)

Until next time...

Spring Scavenger Hunt #1

Remember when you were twelve and went to your best friend's birthday party? How her mother served tacos and always thought of the best games? For me, the scavenger hunt was the highlight of the party...running from door to door in the twilight, giggling with friends, knocking on doors...the list in one hand, your bag of booty in the other. Thank you Misi, for making me feel twelve again. 

*Giggle, Giggle* 
Here's the list for week one...

1. Old Jar of Garden seeds

"I wait at the window, sowing the seeds that I keep in a jar by the door (along with my face)." Oops...channeling a little Eleanor Rigby there...

 Sometimes the packaging is almost as pretty as the blooms.~

  ~These old seed jars were a gift from Aunt Annie. They were used in her father's feed store to dispense garden seeds. The original 1952 labels remain intact.~

~Mr. Kattywhompus now uses them to store his heirloom bean seeds for the coming year.~

2. Faceless Rag/Cloth Doll

~I traced a wooden spoon to create a pattern for this little doll and outfitted her in the most basic of dresses. 
Sew Simple.~



~And here's a little mini-makeover for you. I found these faceless clothespin dolls on clearance in a local antique booth last week. My first though was, "Hey that's real calico". My second thought was,"Ugh, hot glue...really?" But the little dolls alone were worth the $4 I paid, so I brought this piece home and gave it a face-lift. Now it looks like this...~

 ~The changes I made were simple, but I think, made this piece so much nicer. I repainted the frame black, sanded it a bit, then gave it a coat of dark Bri-wax. I turned the quilt scrap upside down to show off the little patch of red. I moved the little dolls (which were literally hanging by a thread) ever so slightly and then put  everything back together more securely.~

3. Homespun Pillow Case – (adult bed size or larger)

~When Misi listed homespun pillow cases, I gasped...I didn't HAVE homespun pillow cases! So I promptly made a set. Why make your own pillow cases? Because you can choose your favorite homespun fabric, and add special touches like feather stitching along the edge.~

~We are not amused...
 ~Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a large angry cat to perch on a bed pillow that you have precariously balanced on the counter top?~

4. Pastry Roller

~An old ironstone rolling pin from my Great, Great, Grandmother, Lucinda Bebe Jacobs, rests alongside my everyday rolling pin and a stoneware pastry crimper. My Gram told me the rolling pin was already missing it's wooden handles when she used it as a girl. The little crimper was one of the first antiques I ever bought. I bought the noodle board at an auction thirty years ago for $3. No one knew what it was at the time...including me.~

5. Doll Bed

~Here is Miss Kattywhompus looking out of sorts. She awoke to find herself sleeping in the buttery like a common servant. For someone who sleeps in a bed made from old crates, she certainly puts on airs.~

6. A piece of old Ironstone Pottery/Dishware

~I found this pretty green Meakin ironstone at a local thrift shop just last week. My intention was to sell it...until I got it home and saw how charming it looked alongside the narcissus and daffodils. The color says "springtime", wouldn't you agree?~

  These three pieces comprise my entire collection of all white antique ironstone...but I'm working on it.

Please stop by Misi's blog to share in the fun! 

Until next time...
Rhonda

The Stage Is Set

Once again, Misi, at Gable House Musings has come up with a way to entertain us. 

I'm bursting with excitement over her Spring Scavenger Hunt!

Misi  has asked each participant to submit a photo of the area in their home where the found items will be photographed each week. This was easy for me because I have a little corner of the buttery where I take most of the photos for my Etsy shops.

Beginning Friday, March 11th you'll see this...

...laden with the items that Misi chooses each week.  

In order to stay in the running for her amazing prize, I'll have to find 4 out of six items on her list. I'm guessing it will get harder each week. Wish me luck!

Until next time...