your home, your story

doing dishes

I have always followed this individual path...sometimes parallel to the road, sometimes right through the field.  So, when we were married almost 40 years ago, we wanted to invest in a set of china, but knew ours would be anything but typical. We purchased our dishes, one plate at a time and use them as our everyday dishes.  How fitting that we chose Noritake, "Country Diary of an Edwardian Lady", with country sketches and prose to match by Edith Holden.

I also have this thing for vintage blue bird dishes, somewhat rare to find.  So imagine my surprise when I stumbled upon the third creamer to the right for a couple bucks at a thrift sale this past week. 

Birds 🐦 and country charm on china.  Bliss. 

ink wells & itty bitty chicks

🐥 

fa la la la Dala...

❤️Dala horses

       Representing the wonder of Swedish craftsmanship. ❤️

in bowls & on plates

                French measuring tapes

                Stars & Numbers

kitchen critters

     Wooly albino deer next to spice drawers - of course!

  

      A little pasture of cows - makes sense to me!

                    A fox with an acorn - why not?

Some of my little kitchen friends that always make me smile!  

let there be rabbits

And they begin to hop on home, with thoughts of spring in the

weeks ahead.  March is all about bunny ears!

        Just a few of my German candy containers.

vintage Halloween

       Beloved by many collectors - including me!

There is something magical about Halloween - and

I quite enjoy unpacking & setting out all my goodies...

kind of like when we would sort thru all our candies 

after trick or treating!

I still have 4 plastic Halloween candy containers from childhood.

We used to set these along the picture window in our home in Monona.

Now they live on a window sill at our farm.  The wonderful box of 

Halloween invitations were gifted to me from dear Sarah Dill.  Found at

a garage sale - now a part of my collection....truly adore them!

About 5 years ago, we were given permission to enter an old farmhouse 

that was vacant, but still full of possessions.  The owners allowed us to take

what we would like before the weather & animals got to everything.  Strewn

across an upstair's bedroom were vintage Halloween napkins...somehow 

undamaged despite the rain & raccoons that had gotten in.  I gathered them

and am glad to add some to my collection and have many move on to 

other collections (several still available in my case at the Hixton Antique Mall).

          Vintage Halloween - charmingly perfect!

trend setter that I am...

When I'm not busy leaping workday obstacles with a single bound or tending to a small hobby farm or refilling my antique business stock or readying a hayloft for a barn sale....I am most definitely setting trends (you are welcome to insert "not" here). So paint surprise on my face when I see almost my identical trunk in the recent pages of Pottery Barn. Now we all know that using a trunk as a coffee or side table is not a new decorating standard.....but a GREEN trunk.....I am most certain I am the inspiration behind that (again you are welcome to insert "not" here).

However, for your judgement, see the evidence below:

Photo 1 ~ Pottery Barn's $500ish version
Photo 2 ~ $35 flea market find in living room
Photo 3 ~ $25 auction find on porch
Photo 4 ~ again we return to green trunk in living room in closing argument

Hmmm...trend setter?

I do adore enamelware pitchers

These utilitarian pitchers are on my "must have" list.

They hold pansies in the spring.

They take water out to bird baths in the summer.

In the fall they may pour birdseed into our feeders.

Evergreens find their way to them in the winter.

One blue with a group of white.

Ready for work on the top of the Jelly Cupboard in our kitchen.

Are you an Enamelware Aficionado?

stack up

On my "I adore list" are vintage boxes.

Created with such detail...

from the outside covering to the inside lining

-- each with the sweetest clasp & hinges you might ever cross paths with.

This stack includes checkered, striped, and floral.

Precious floral boxes.

 

And here are my faded red velvet boxes...adorable!

These lay in wait for Valentine's Day.

When I find one, it comes home with me.

What is on your "must adopt" list?

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.

silver & gold

I am part of the "Rudolph generation"...growing up

nestled around the black & white t.v. with my sisters,

while Burl Ives shared,

"silver & gold, silver & gold - how can you measure it's worth?"

My answer now is "tarnished, please".

And in bowls, on trays, in jars....

old forgotten ornaments, vintage silver garland decorate my living room.

anchored with chippy white wood & Ironstone...

and little deer all in a row...

Oh, no -- feel another Burl Ives song coming on about the most famous reindeer of all.

What are your go-to colors for the holidays?

special holiday sale

For your shopping pleasure (and as a thanks),

I am offering a 20% off sale in my booth AND case

at the Hixton Antique Mall

from December 10-31, 2011.

For the scoop on Hixton, click HERE

Enjoy!

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.)

ribbon

~I covet vintage ribbon ~

So, once upon a time - at an auction -

when I not only found the sweet wire basket above....

BUT all the vintage ribbon in the cast off pile,

I swooped in & gathered.

You will go home with me, I told each little strand I found.

Each little ribbon would be honored.

Each little ribbon had been picked to decorate a package from the past.

And then saved - to be used again.

No dumpster would do for these sweet memories.

A place on a little Meadowview Farm alter would be their destiny.

ribbon, vintage ribbon, makes me smile it does indeed

loved, lovely, cherished still

What reminds you of Christmas past?



call me organized...

And so it is...as I stand and admit it -

yes, I am one of those Type A folks -

who sets their own bar way too high,

creates systems within systems...

and,

yes, get ready ---

even has an organized little bowl of flower frogs.

Now I once had someone wonder if I had the ultimate-
all my spices organized in alphabetical order --
but alas, I am more of a grouper when I organize,
an aesthetic grouper might I add...
so my spices are not in alphabetical order,
but are in the most delightful red spatteware pan you might ever behold.

Call me organized--

but, come now --
who ever can miss that life is not complete without
a batch of chickens (& a duck or two), just waiting in
their organized little box?

Would that be getting your ducks in a row?

Are you organized -- come on,

stand & share...

Consider yourself invited...

Every now & again I feel the need to reboot & refresh my booth at the Hixton Schoolhouse Antique Mall in Hixton, Wisconsin.  Now, this is not when I bring a basket or so to add -- this is an all out, down & dirty, move it all about, shake, rattle & roll -- shift the room redo.  So -- that was me Friday night -- I arrived at 5:15 as the mall closed with "I mean business" on my mind -- within 20 minutes, the first furniture was getting pushed and shoved about my booth....at 10:00 I called it a day -- arriving back the next morning a bit after 7:00 to finish it up before the mall's doors opened.  And -- I did it without breaking a single item (my usual number of casualties is 3).  So -- if you haven't been over in a bit --- stop on by.  Meadowview Farm (dealer "SPY") has two car fulls and a full trailer of vintage goodies added!

The mall is located on Elder Street in Hixton --

and is open10-5 every day. 

It is right off I94 between Black River Falls & Eau Claire.

I might guess it to be perhaps the second largest multi-dealer mall in Wisconsin -

with 90 vendors.

There are 3 other antique stores in Hixton -- so it is a day trip!

Now -- if I could only get inspired to clean my house today...

hmmm - couch looks mighty inviting.

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!