birds in hats...of course

I found these bird cards at a sweet shop called Willow on Water

Street in Eau Claire.  The artist decided that if birds could create

such exquisite nests, then surely exquisite hats were not out of

the question.  I kind of love that thought.

little white holder

One of my favorite finds is this sweet white holder.

Paired with vintage Easter grass & bunny & chick cutters...

adorable!

Some sweet pot holders & dish towels round out the charm.

sweet little Christmas shelf

          One little wall shelf in the kitchen filled with holiday charm...

                                        Little snow guys.

                Vintage wrapped boxes & a bowl of ornaments.

                  Added to my collection of funnels & toy mixers.

charm is charm & sweet is sweet

I often think how it might be so much easier to not have all

my sweet holiday & seasonal collections...to not add & change

my home's feel multiple times a year.  I think that I should pick

a number ~~ say 10, and then only have that many items for 

each celebration.  

And then I look about, at all my dear, sweet, charmers

that join me at different times of the year...how I would 

miss them all.

So, instead I think about converting the space over our 

summer kitchen into storage for all my dear hearts.  This 

space was once a home for hired workers on this farm...

now it is insulated and empty and closed.  What if I added

open shelves and could "shop" my own vintage collection?

What if I didn't have to pack & put away.  What if all my 

littles simply lived in their own room at the top of the stairs,

waiting for their turn to rotate into the farm's other rooms?

Then my mom's floral teapot and adorable sugar & creamer 

would have their turn.  And ducks, frogs & bunnies galore 

would not have a number, just a continued space in this 

heart of mine.  I like that idea so much better....because, 

truly, in the land of Kari ~~ more is indeed more.  And sweet

is sweet....and charm is charm.

favorite things

Some of my very favorite vintage finds:

   Majolica creamers

   Sheep

   Pastoral pictures

   Clocks

   Mirrors

More favorites:

   Anything green!

   Rabbits

   Cloches

   Sketches

   Pottery

   Clock faces

And more:

   Ironstone

   Jars of goodies

   Whisk brooms with velvet tops

   Old lace

   Vintage holiday

What are your favorite things?

let's just call it what it is...

"Obsession!"

I adore Steiff ~ mohair fur & feather critters from Germany.

Now in their 70s, these adorables live in my upstair's craft room.

**do notice the fab wallpaper! love love love that too!  Was here 

when we found the farm!**

I love everything about these sweeties!  

I took a 360 degree tour of my craft space....check out my menagerie!

Will let the pictures speak for themselves ~~ obsession indeed!

charm

So often when I share what I collect or what I sell....I try to explain that these vintage finds pull at my heart strings....they are sweet, charming, precious. I collect & sell charm...wrapped up in Farmhouse Style. I deal in investments of the heart...just do. Nothing fancy or pretentious-just sweet little memories, pieces from the past. That's the best I can do to describe what makes my heart purr.... Charm it is!

more is more

The thing is, I adore my stuff....all my guys, all my collections. When I walk thru this big old farmhouse, they greet me at every turn with a "hey, there you are!".

My sewing room offers a true testament to the charm....just check out the sweetness on one little shelf. Makes me smile, just does...and that feels quite worthy in my little old rule book. Layers & layers of adorable!

So, which are you: "more is more" or "less is more"?

vintage perfume bottles

I love them....these sweet little bottles. I pretend that they came from Paris--arriving in a round suitcase on a large ship, used and saved as souvenirs of that holiday abroad. But more certainly they were purchased years ago at stores now extinct with exquisite counters that made you swoon....stores like Manchesters in downtown Madison.

Now I am not a girly girl...you will more likely find dirt under my nails then polish on them........but I just have this affinity & affection for these lovely pieces of the past. With little sweet details that make my heart skip a beat.

P.S. the collage behind is an original from Tracy Porter.

Come on March....

"In like a lion", I suspect.....snow, drizzle, wind, rain. 

But that means "out like a lamb" -- right?

Here comes March, just around the corner from February.

Filled with shamrocks & Good Luck.

most adorable dog & shamrock teapot

Bingo balls in a green compote

1908 beaded Good Luck horseshoe

Come on March, bring it on....we are ready.

Do you Pinterest?

O.K. 'tis just a bit addictive ....But oh so fun!

Have you found your way to the magic of these inspiration boards on Pinterest?

Honestly --- for me, so much better then tearing pages out of magazines.

Here are some of my most recent wonderful finds....
from my Celebrate board.

whipup.net

marthastewart.com

 

lindaalbrecht.typepad.com

 

Tonight I will work on three new boards:

Little Girl

Happy

Poetry

I have already begun work on these inspiration boards (and more):

Study in Sepia

Window to my heart

and even a little sneak peak...

Sipping Tea - Spring Barn Sale

Find me by clicking on: Pinterest - Meadowview Farm

It is well worth a peak....

"Hurrah, for the Holidays"

I have this little book from many holidays ago...1915.

It is all sweetness - loved & worn.

The words, the pictures...of a Christmas story for a child.

It is simple, quite charming -- a celebration of Christmas in the woods.

The Bunnikins Bunnies Christmas Tree

by Edith B. Davidson  - 1915

Soon after, Paddy Tippity-Flippitt, Ruddy and Chippy Gray-Squirrel, and Frisky Bushy-Tail arrived, and then the great fun of trimming the Christmas Tree began, the children having been told that they could do it all themselves.  They had strung yards and yards of the snowiest popcorn, which they festooned all over the tree, and on all the branches they hung little yellow and green gourds, which glowed like tiny oranges.  Mr. Gray-Squirrel had gilded a basketful of walnuts and acorns for the tree, while Jack and Billy Beaver had shown the children how to make the prettiest birch-bark cornucopias.  These had been filled with tiny frosted cakes and delicious candy animals, made by that nice little mouse, Mrs. Poppetty-Poppett.

I am so drawn to vintage toys, sweet pictures,

charming nods to childhood.

That reminder of waking with anticipation on Christmas morning

when our only worry was how we would ever stay in bed but a minute more.

"Hurrah! for this Merry Christmas Day;

Hurrah! for our Christmas Tree;

May every one have a glad New Year

And be as happy as we."

Then they went in for supper,

Mrs. Bunnikins-Bunny had trimmed the table with holly and little red candles,

and never were there seen so many good things to eat.

holiday charm

I love little sweet Christmas details tucked into little spaces in my home --- and I spend a good day unpacking all my favorites.  I have become a bit more discerning over the years -- and generally now just use vintage decorations (I have also down-sized to just 4 Rubbermade containers -- smile).  In recent years, I have become especially fond of tarnished silvers & golds and faded red -- and always my go-to color - green.  Tinsel garlands, spools of holiday thread, little papered boxes, sweet little cards, Christmas ribbon and millinery will always come home with me.

 Of course, fabrics that make me swoon are tucked here & there

not to mention sweet little nods to Santa.



Now...speaking of Santa -- let me take a moment to share a little story about "holiday charm" - or rather, lack of it (this is the "you'd better be nice" stuff).  Recently, I stopped in what I always consider a fun little antiquing town in Minnesota (names will not be added to protect the innocent).  I had driven a bit to get there, so the first stop was a multidealer mall with a restroom in the basement.  As I entered, I checked in with the two older ladies sitting behind the counter, "Hello....how are you two doing...now, your bathroom is in the basement - correct?".  One of the ladies lifted her painted-on eyebrow to reply (in a curt manner), "that is the employee bathroom.  But if you have used it before - go ahead."  O.K... but as I walked to the back of the building to access the stairs she yelled, "we like to have people buy something before they use the bathroom".  Hmmm -- so sometimes (not usually) I might let this go -- but come on, Santa Claus is coming to town.....so, once I came back up to first floor I went back up to the counter to ask what their mall discount policy is and identify that I am a dealer & tax exempt.  Then I stated quite clearly & concisely, "you know, a part of me would like to take my wallet and leave this mall right now -- as that was the rudest welcome.  I suspect that if I ever treated a customer like that at the mall I work at, I wouldn't work there anymore."  The lady apologized (sort of) and stated that so many people come in to just use the bathroom -- to which I responded that the 3 foot by 3 foot sign next the bathroom that states "restroom"  -- feels mighty public to me.  And, I followed up again that no one deserves a rude welcome in a place of business.  Later, as I checked out my almost $100 worth of purchases, she apologized again & again.  Fine, accepted --- but in the end, I would guess that she hadn't been reminded as of lately that rude is rude.   And, I suspect that she may not have had eyebrows left as she was sweating bullets when I left---which I felt kind of bad about, and kind of not -- see, I do believe that I will be the last rudely welcomed customer in a while........see, holiday charm shouldn't be relegated to shelves & table tops only.  As I left, I might have let out a tiny "ho, ho, ho" (thinking that I may indeed have earned me my own little lump of coal -- oh well.)

It's Halloween, it's Halloween - the moon is big & bright...

oh my...

  I do so love this celebration & this time of year.

Adding a dab of orange here & there,

or a pumpkin or a squirrel or a sweet scary guy brings fall & Halloween to our home.



The greens, yellows & browns of our living room, dining room & den were inspired by this time of year! 

And...to add to the festivity, Dave & I are celebrating 30 years of marriage today.

 A pumpkin in the pearls -- of course!

Kind of an analogy of life.

Enjoy today!

Color Collection: sparkle

silver, gold, tarnished tin, crystal, clear glass

These shiny, sparkly additions

add magic to a home.

Gilded frames

-- no need for even a picture - beauty is in the frame itself.

Candy jars filled with sparkle...

vintage garland & crystals.

A sweet vignette -- cake pedestals add sparkle here.

My "sparkle" collection includes:

Vintage beads, glass door knobs, clear glass compotes,

anything with vintage glass glitter.

Do you collect sparkle?