Tuesday Display Chain~ Patina~

Each Tuesday Misi, of Gable House Musings, chooses a theme and invites bloggers to play along with her Tuesday Display Chain. "This weeks theme is ~ Patina ~ old finishes or new surfaces... patinas that you just LOVE."

I am thrilled to be participating in the Display Chain again! It's always so much fun to peek into each others homes and share our treasures. It was a little tricky for me this week as we are still painting and rearranging rooms to make more space for my studio/sewing area. I can't really complain...I am truly blessed to have my own creative space. But it does make photo ops a little more difficult for the time being. Anyway, here goes:

My first real primitive antique, this old tool carrier was a gift from my Mother-in-love almost 30 years ago. I spotted it while we were shopping and it showed up under the Christmas tree for me that year. I love the big chunk cut from the end...and of course the great patina.

 

My Gram's old sewing box, atop an old blue bench in the living room. The perfect place to put your feet up and stitch. 

  In the same room, this craigslist find keeps my sewing needfuls close at hand. I think this is a new piece, made with old wood. Either way, it has a great old finish. I've aged the walls using a rolled rag technique...still trying to decide if I like it. I'm thinking it may be the wallpaper that needs to go. The old basket on the floor has a great green painted finish. Love it!

 Mr. Kattywhompus & have attended Indiana's Covered Bridge Festival every fall for over 30 years. We found this old pie safe in deplorable condition "a long time ago". After stripping away layers of (gross) old pain, reinforcing the interior shelves, and repairing the doors, it became one of our favorite pieces. The tin is original and the sweet punch needle heart is from Ronda Tedder at Simple Thyme Prims.

A stack of old wooden bowls atop the kitchen drysink.

 Pewter salt & pepper, a gift from my Mom.

This Old Hickory Ottoman is part of a set I found at a garage sale for $25. The sisters I bought it from thought it was ugly. My motto? The uglier the better! I love the finish on both the wood and the woven seats. 

 Early morning sunlight casts shadows on finishes both old and new. I like the way the red faux finish on the pewter cupboard compliments the "attic" finish on this old trunk. An elderly friend who knew I "liked junk" gave me the trunk many years ago, and the cupboard was a tag sale find, $50. I scurried out of a thrift store in Galesburg, Illinois with the lavender and gold coverlet for $7. It's big enough to fit a queen size bed and in perfect condition. I love the unusual colors, especially for springtime displays.

 Old spoons at rest in a newly painted spoon rack.

Lots of patina here. A great old firkin sits among old green and brown spatterware on the buttery shelves. See the little spice cabinet to the left? The one with the great distressed finish? In my enthusiasm for faux finishes, I painted over the original finish, complete with stencils. Yeah, don't do that. To redeem myself...I did  find the wonderful little yellowware bowl on top for 25 cents at a garage sale.

And speaking of patina...

Until next time...

Rhonda

 

Keep Manhattan, Just Give Me That Countryside!

Each Tuesday Misi at Gable House Musings issues a challenge to her readers...for this week's Tuesday Display Chain she left it up to each of us to pay tribute to any subject we choose.

I chose the theme, Farm Livin'. Now, I haven't always lived in the boonies...as a girl I lived on Main Street, just one block from the bustling metropolis that was Lowell, Indiana...population 2,270. It was as a young bride that I moved to the country...to a hundred year old farmstead, complete with a dilapidated barn and a chicken coop. Those first few years, out of fear that someone would call me a city girl, I learned to glaze windows, butcher chickens, grow a garden, can tomatoes and make jelly. I embraced country living with gusto...and still do.

Many years and quarts of  tomatoes later, we built a new house and moved from our little farmstead. We didn't go far, only a few miles up the road. And even though the new house has ample closet space and electric outlets in every room...I  sometimes miss my old yard with the apple trees and the chicken coop.

Just when Mr. Kattywhompus & I were beginning to think how nice it would be to have animals again, and that we should think about building a barn and putting up fence, something unexpected happened to remind us that animals, although wonderful, are hard work.

It was a lazy Sunday afternoon and we had company after church. We had just finished eating lunch and were enjoying tea on the back deck with our "city friends", Barb & Amy. Mr K. & I were sitting with our backs to the driveway when suddenly Amy's eyes grew huge and Barb mouthed the word, "Goats". When I turned to see what all the excitement was about, I saw this...

A veritable goat stampede...about two dozen in all...turning in at the drive, heading up the hill, and coming straight for us-fast! Just as we sprang out of our comfy chairs and got the door closed behind us, the goats began to congregate on the deck. It was soon apparent that our deck could not accommodate such a large number of goats. No problem, one by one they jumped over the railing and found their way to the side yard. At this time, I should point out that we don't have goats... and our closest neighbor is over a mile away.

After we gathered our wits about us, we realized that no one seemed to be looking for these goats...and that it was up to us to herd them back to whence they came. Mr. Kattywhompus found a length of rope in the garage to use as a lead. He explained to us that where one goat goes, the others will follow. How he knew this, I'm not sure...but it turns out he was right.

By this time, city girl Amy, has been bewitched by the lost goats and begs us to allow her to "walk" the  lead goat. What can we do, but allow it? After all, Amy is our guest. She is handed the rope and off she teeters in her high heels and church clothes, behind "her" goat. Four adults, three children and two dozen goats start down the road, hopefully heading for home.

All is going well until two young girls from the neighboring farm ride up on bicycles, shouting, arms waving...each with a tiny chihuahua dog tucked under her arm. The girls are from migrant families and neither of them speak English. We have no idea what the girls are saying, but the WAY they are saying it makes the goats run faster. I gotta hand it to city girl Amy, she never lets go of the rope. The girls with chihuahuas lead the way and we scramble to keep up with Amy. At this point we must look like some deranged version of The Bremen Town Musicians.

When we get the goats back to the neighboring farm, we find no one at home. Between hand gestures and my eighth grade Spanish, we surmise that the girls have accidentally let the goats out of their pen. The girls showed us where the goats belong...but we would no sooner get one goat in the pen, than another would jump over the fence. We finally realized that we were putting the goats in the horse pen. My Spanish was rustier than I thought.

Let's just say that through a series of unfortunate events, the horse got out...and while we were corralling the horse, a few pigs got loose, and then some sheep wandered. Eventually we (Mr. Kattywhompus) got all the animals inside the various pens.

Farmer Bailey had a nice day at the county fair...but was confused when he came home that evening to find his livestock rearranged. 

 

Mr. Kattywhompus is rethinking that barn. 

And city girls Amy & Barb sent us the nicest thank you note...said it was the best time they'd had in a long while. They can't wait to be invited back.

  Farm livin' is the life for me.

Until next time...

Rhonda

Many thanks to Julie King, for graciously allowing me to use photos from her blog. It was she who captured the comical images of the goats that you see here. You can visit Julie and her beautiful art here and here.

Tuesday Display Chain~ These Four Walls~

~These precious bunnies, from Cheryl at Patty Cake Primitives, are the newest addition to my Easter display~

~Tuesday Display Chain~

Each Tuesday Misi, of Gable House Musings selects a theme and invites bloggers to play along with her "Tuesday Display Chain". This week we are asked to show off our favorite walls.

This one was easy...I am blessed beyond measure to share my four walls with a man who adores me and three sons who make us look like better parents than we really are. Throw in three cats with big personalities and two comical dogs,  and we have enough to keep us entertained for a long while. Is it any wonder that home is my favorite place to be? 

"Home is any four walls that enclose the right person(s)." 

~Helen Rowland~

~The buttery is still one of my favorite places in our home...so many possibilities for decorating. Here it is decked out for spring.~ 

"I'm not famous but my kids think I'm a star
  I'm not rich but I've made a million memories so far
I may not be a model
But my man thinks I could be
I may not be from royalty
But in these four walls
I'm the queen"

~Sara Evans~ 

Just for fun, here's another peek at those adorable bunnies.

 Details like the painted eyes and the little needle felted whiskers add extra charm to these sweet little bunnies.  And I just love the way Cheryl used stain to add contour to them.

"Follow your bliss and the universe will open doors where there were only walls."  

~Joseph Campbell~

Until next time...

Rhonda

~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/

Tuesday Display Chain~ Life is Yummy ~

Each Tuesday Misi, of Gable House Musings, chooses a theme and invites bloggers to play along with her "Tuesday Display Chain". This week the theme is "Yummy", to be interpreted by  each participating blogger as they see fit. 

I confess, I have a bit of a sweet tooth...so of course when Misi said "yummy", my mind went right to dessert...

 ~Even my pies are a little "kattywhompus"~

As grandpa Ralph always said, "I only like two kinds of pie.

Hot...and cold."

But for a really yummy treat...you can't beat my favorite scone recipe. People beg me to make these...now they can beg you too.

 From the 1989 February issue of Country Living Magazine, 
I give you...

Chocolate Chip Scones

2 cups unsifted self rising, all-purpose flour (see note)

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup vegetable shortening

1/2 cup milk

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Grease baking sheet. In large bowl, combine flour and sugar. With pastry blender or two knives, cut in shortening until it resembles coarse crumbs.

2. In small bowl, combine milk, egg, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients, along with chocolate chips and mix with fork until mixture clings together and forms a soft dough.

3. Turn dough onto lightly floured surface and knead gently 5 or 6 times. With lightly floured rolling pin, roll dough into a 7 inch round. Cut into 4 wedges.

4. Place scones, 1 inch apart, on greased baking sheet. Pierce tops with tines of fork.

5. Bake scones 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.

Note: Or add 2 teaspoons baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon salt to 2 cups regular all-purpose flour.

Kattywhompus Tips: Knead gently, no more than needed to hold the dough together. Over handling will give you tough scones. Instead of rolling out the dough I pat it into a flat round with my hands and cut it into eight scones. Also, these burn easily. I watch them carefully and bake until lightly browned...golden brown on top means the bottoms are too dark for me. See the photo for "lightly browned".

And then there is my very favorite sweet thang. Mancake. ;)

~Yummy~

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

Until next time...

~Tuesday Display Chain~ Spring Florals

Each Tuesday Misi, of Gable House Musings, chooses a theme and invites bloggers to play along with her "Tuesday Display Chain". This week, at Old Lady Morgan's request, we are sharing how we accent our displays with Springtime florals, picks and vines.

Now admittedly, I have not done much in the way of Spring decorating. And typically, I go with dried or fresh flowers from the garden and roadside. But as luck would have it, I picked up a few silks and artificial things at the end of the season last year. So, here goes... 

 ~Aged cheesecloth and twine add a realistic touch to a bouquet of silk daffodils and white dogwood on the kitchen table. Daffodils are one of my favorite flowers. I was really quite taken with these...even the stems look real.~

 

~I've switched out a dark bonnet for a lighter one and added some "snowdrops" to the greens already in this wooden box. Instant Springtime!~

One of the things I found on clearance last year were these wonderful herb bundles. They look so real that I was amazed...the foliage is variegated and some leaves are even fuzzy-just like the real thing!

The faux herb bundles are fabulous for tucking in baskets, crocks or softening up a wood shelf or box.

~This little vine basket makes a perfect nest for my favorite spun cotton chicklet.~

~A pretty dogwood pick accents English Abbey transferware and a pair of dancing rabbits.~

~In the living room, silk forsythia and pussy willows surround gourd eggs nestle in a bed of natural flax.~

~A nest, a bowl and a chick, lend some color to a dark step-back cupboard.~

A hand carved jenny wren, makes it's home in an abandoned birds nest. The little ironstone pedestal bowl was a thrift store find. 

~Sometimes simple is still best. Creamy white tulips from Trader Joes, displayed in an old graniteware pitcher.

And for our hostess Misi...a little vintage foo foo. The old basket has faded silk and paper flowers woven around the rim, and I collect these old plush bunnies. I'm not sure why I find them so sweet and endearing. But that's a collection for another day.

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

Until next time...

~Tuesday Display Chain~ Bowls

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 "bowls". 

I am a collector of bowls...big bowls, little bowls...bowls made of pottery, pewter, wood, china, glass...I love them all.  These are a few of my favorites...

~This tiny yellowware bowl was a garage sale find...just .25 cents. Isn't that great? OK, so here's the not so great part...see the spice box it's sitting on? Also a garage sale find...it was $10 and had the original finish-including stenciled drawer fronts. I thought it was ugly, and not that old...so I gave it a prim finish. Can you say young and stupid? Saw one just like it (before condition) in an antique shop for $150. *sigh* OK, moving on...~

~More garage sale bowls. Are you sensing a theme? My entire house is decorated in early garage sale.~

~I found this set of nesting yellowware bowls at the thrift store, four of them for $20. The two largest ones are pictured here on my $1 corner thingy. I think it might actually be a plant stand, but it works for me.~

~Red hutch full of primitive goodness~

~You guessed it...garage sale. Hutch, $50. Loading it into a minivan by myself, priceless.~

~Rowe pottery bunny, and a piece from my Dad's baby dishes, surround a wooden bowl filled with gourd eggs.~

~A redware bowl from Turtlecreek Pottery, a favorite gift from my Mother in love.~

~Wooden bowls rest on a dry sink.~

~A HUGE yellowware bowl from my grandmother. It measures 14" in diameter and makes a fabulous punch bowl.~

~An old trencher takes center stage in the buttery. The woman I bought it from said it was hand carved by her great-grandfather. I know...how could she sell it?~

~Vintage Pyrex, colorful and fun. And no, this photo isn't staged. I bake outdoors all the time.~

 

Not my style, but still...one of the prettiest bowls I've seen. 

It seems to me that one can never have too many bowls.

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

Until next time...