for the love of Pinterest

I am loving the new look....loving it!  They are inspiration collages!

blending old & new

I love vintage!
I also love fresh fabrics...often found on my bimonthly stop at T.J. Maxx.

I love how they go together...like peanut butter & jelly.

They bring out the best in each other.

Vintage finds lend warmth, fresh fabrics tone down the age just a bit.

Always a tad of a balance...I like to call "Fresh Vintage"!

     Sweet kittens also are a farmhouse style addition!

framed, I'm sure

In both our study & craft room,

are bulletin boards simply made with:

   1.  Vintage frame

   2.  Foam Core board (from craft store)

   3.  Fabric or wallpaper 

Easy to make: cut the foam core 

board to fit, cover with the fabric or

wallpaper & attach to the frame!

I always know what to do with 

those beautiful old frames I find!

everyone needs a craft room

Most recently I concluded that this was beyond just a want, it was a need. So, the guest room bed was whisked off to the hayloft (story later), tables brought in....and wa la, we have what the heart so sought. A place for collage, sewing, gathering sweet little things. A place to glue & glitter & dream. The floral wallpaper came with the house..........and sealed the deal when we first walked through. Lace at the two windows, all my Steiff in one spot, and charm galore. Drawers, trays, cigar boxes, locker baskets brimming. A view of the apple orchard. All it needs is a slipper chair....in a yellow gingham I think. Me, writing from my room just now.

Here comes Peter Cottontail...

So how did it happen that Easter is so early in April that it caught me by surprise? 
April 8th, really?
That is less than 3 weeks away! 
How ever will I get all my wonderful vintage Easter goodies out & up in time?

Decided this year I just may not....may need to pick & choose.

I definitely choose this little guy!

How about you -- are you a less or more decorator for Easter?

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....

Our Study - home tour continues...

This is the one room where Dave has really made his mark...

with his vintage fishing collection on full display-

and, gasp, even a fish mount or two or three.

This is our study on our second floor
...outfitted with a cozy chair,

a desk, and a wall of shelves.

The desk is a fabulous chippy door topping a table

with a piece of glass over it. 

The drawer unit on top was purchased at auction

and houses everything from tape to note cards.

Above the desk are baskets on a trellis --

This is where bills await (and wait)...

Also above the desk are two bulletin boards made

by covering foam-core with fabric & attaching to a frame.

Storage is found in containers

suitcases

boxes

little drawers

toy wagons

metal tins

and even a dresser or two.

The wool rug was found at auction and stored for many years

until it found the perfect use in this room.

It totally set the dark & cozy color scheme.

Shutters are installed as shelves along the ceiling.

Other details:

The monkey lamp...well, from Tracy Porter's auction...

featured in her books.  Love it.

Not old -- but fabulous!

Find out about Tracy by clicking HERE

Cozy, studious, organized...

that is our study!
It is what we aspire to!



Yes, I confess...

have to, wouldn't be right to not step up & say it...

so here goes...

I love T.J. Maxx.

There I said it.

Now, you must understand as much as I love antiquing,

I hate shopping.

But there is something about T.J. Maxx.

And I also believe there is something about

toning down too many vintage items with

just a bit of fresh.

My "fresh" generally comes from T.J. Maxx.

So -- just behold my latest:

Fabulous padded chairs in this fabric...

happened in just as the clerk was clicking a new sales sticker...

bingo, nabbed at $30 each!!

Honestly, other shoppers were applauding my good find as

I left the store.

Are you a T.J. Maxx or Marshalls kind of girl too?

P.S. don't get me even started on IKEA.

Wash Day - home tour continues...

Come on in & take a look around our

Laundry Room.

This was indeed one of the last rooms we redid --

up until then, we called it the "icky room"...

'cause it was, well, kind of icky.

In our green & blue & yellow color scheme -

we went off the map in this room --

with a big dose of deeper blue & a punch of red.

Gray calms it just a bit.

Now, I can't imagine this room was ever so rudely titled, "icky"...

I would now call it our "work horse",

likely one of the hardest working rooms in our house.

So, let's get down to business with a little tour---

you enter thru the kitchen.

 A quilt hangs in the doorway if need be to close this room off from view.

Or in my Kari world - to just look sweet.

The former Summer Kitchen -

this room has one of our three home entrances.

This one now goes out to our deck & back yard

(called a "door yard" on a farm)-

and clothesline.

Grill on the deck is conveniently located too.

When our house was built in 1857 -
every room was taxed - even closets...

so - this house has just one real closet - in the upstairs landing.

Since this room is a big contender for home storage --
we had to get creative.

We now hang coats, grouped by season,

on a coat rack salvaged from another home.

Below it stands an Amish bench.

Apple crates & a Chimney Cupboard store our everyday supplies:

cat litter, tools, string, glue...

This beauty was purchased at the Columbus Antique Mall

in Columbus, Wisconsin.

Our Washer & Dryer are angled around a green dresser Dave found

along the curb --- the green table to the right was also a roadside find.

This dresser stores all our gift supplies:

tissue, gift bags, gifts-in-waiting...

The table has a sweet tool caddy that

keeps the ribbon, scissors & gift tags organized.

This fun shelf was purchased in Waterloo, Wisconsin -

have to have fun stuff to look at while folding laundry. -

right?

This freestanding wall hides a sink...which is still on our

"to do" list.  For now, we keep our "grab & go" items here.

There is actually one small broom closet in our laundry room -

big enough for a mop bucket, mop...and of course

a broom on the door.

And here is where my collection awaits a trip to the antique mall -

this old bassinet corals it just right.

See this room works as a waiting station & tagging central

for my antique business too.

So -- what pulls it all together?

 -- a table in the center of course.

Might I add, one hard working table.

You might find this holding folded laundry,

set up for gift wrapping,

or

filled to the brim (above & below) with antiques.

The tablecloth provides a bit of

"don't look behind that curtain"

hide & seek magic for antique overflow.

And sweet stuff has to live in this room too.

I have come to absolutely adore

this Laundry Room.

Instead of cringing, as I did in 2006 when I first walked into this room

and wondered what we would ever do to fix it up...

it now makes me smile.

P.S. -- if you click on "Home Tour" under the labels

on the right you will find other rooms of

our 1857 home highlighted.

Addendum...
to see an update to this post click HERE