String Can

I really like this string can.

I have a 'thing' for silhouettes.

And it nicely holds a ball of crochet cotton.

Someday I hope to have a lovely array of old sewing stuff nicely displayed in my sewing cocrner.

Canvas Painting

I love old canvas paintings like this.

Especialy this one, as it is a painting of my grandpa, my mom's dad, painted by a friend of his when he was young. Before he married grandma and had three lovely daughters.

Marble Collection

This is my small marble collection.

They are resting on a glass flower frog.

I have two.

In the past they were both full.

Seems I've lost a few marbles over the years.

Plants Stand Where I, in the Past, Would Sit

Wicker chairs that have passed their prime make wonderful plant stands!

The two chairs in the front yard are flea market finds that have seen better days. THGGM put them in the front yard, but I feared someone would attempt to sit in them, and find them no longer worthy of that!



The child's wicker rocker was used by THGGM when he was a little boy.

It also makes a great plant stand, until Baby Boy is old enough to rock in it, anyway.

In My Own Little Corner, In My Own Little Room

This is one of my favorite pictures.

It hangs above my sewing table.

So what that I have never yet sown anything at my sewing table.

I will.

Someday.

I think.

It's a nice dream, anyway.

And it gives me a place to keep all of the stuff I intend to sew with someday.

"The Open Window"

This picture hangs between the two windows in our bedroom.

It also came from THGGM's grandmother.

We received a lot of stuff from her, as the phrase was...

"Give it to Judy, she likes that junk!"

I am not complaining!

I DO like it.

I didn't at first, but it has grown on me.

I want to know what she is thinking.

Decorating in Pumpkin and Wood

This is us in the fall of 1978.

Now that the color of our clothing matches the color of our bedroom, I feel happy about displaying this picture again.

I miss those boots! Not the itchy wool pants.

I do remember that the picture was taken on October 1st, THGGM's 20th birthday.

It was 80 degrees.

We were SO hot!

Thingies

I enjoy collecting small plaques like these three.

I have them in Dutch themes, with verses, with quotes, and then these.

For awhile I was finding them all over.

They are becoming harder to find.

I'd search for them on ebay, but I don't know what they are called!




1930's Plaque Thingies?

Hmmm.

Blue Hearts

I found these cobalt blue hearts while antique shopping.

Someday, they will hang somewhere on my back porch window.

I'm looking forward to Someday...

When IS that again?

For Extra Pep

About thirty years ago, THGGM's grandmother gave me this Orphan Annie Ovaltine 'shaker'.

I have had the hardest time liking it, due to it's extreme contrast of color.

Where DOES one put something that is aqua and orange?

I've gotten over my fear of weird color combinations (somewhat) and it sits in a place of honor in my primary color kitchen.

Again, I LOVE the picture.

And, we have a family story involving those two words 'Orphan Annie' which can make THGGM totally dissolve in fits of laughter. I didn't find it funny at all, so it isn't a 'you had to be there' sort of story, because I WAS there, and I still didn't find it funny. But it sure does make HIM laugh.

What would a family be without those kind of stories???

What it reminds me of, is my favorite Orphan Annie quote:

"Beneath the surface of today lies yesterday."

Baking Powder Tins

I'm crazy about old graphics.

I especially love this one, found on an old Watkins tin at the antique store this weekend.

It sits well next to my Royal Baking Powder tin.

That one came from a friend who saw it and thought of me! It belonged to her husband's grandmother, she rescued it just as it was about to be thrown away.

Remember, You Can Never Have too Many Dutch Kids

This little Dutch girl I found at a thrift store.

She was glued to a slice of wood with the bark still attached, some sort of souvenir.

She stood next to a tiny thermometer.

I freed her.

She seems happy now, standing atop a Droste tin.

Antique Shopping Success!

THGGM, Oldest Son and I went antique shopping this weekend.

I found this WONDERFUL enamel ware pot with a glass top at an incredible bargain price.

It seems very much at home here.

Front Porch Sittin'

Found at the flea market early this morning.

An old wicker chair!

It needs a tiny bit of TLC, but is very sturdy.

I love the pink paint it sports!

Now...where to put it...

Tiny Splashes of Color

THGGM and I took a drive to our favorite plant place this morning.

We picked up quite a few things at great prices.

I'm always looking for something to put in this great bucket-type-thingy.

So, this is what's sitting on the table on the front porch.

At least until we get new boards for the seats on our picnic table in the backyard. Then, it will sit on that.

I used to start my plants from seeds. I've grown.

Pretty Little Footstool

THGGM found this great footstool at the flea market this morning.

I'm looking for the perfect place to put it.

Also, I'm happy to report that it has passed the 'sniff' test.

Somethings do not. We get rid of those, quickly!

Bean Pot and Towel, Ahhh...

I got this cool bean pot from my sister for my birthday!

I love it!

I have sister's who know just exactly what I like.

The towel for the back drop is the wonderful bath sheet I got from my other sister.

I love it!

My Backyard

It's a gorgeous June day here.

Perfect for quilt washing.

I don't believe that there is anything that smells better than lined dried bedding.

Well, except for sweaty baby heads.
There is always the problem of birds when one hangs their bedding under trees.

Oh well.

Into each life some...

...bird poop must fall.

Or, something like that anyway.
This is to prove that I truly cannot get things to grow in my backyard.

These are painfully poky pesky thistles.

Back when I didn't know what it was, I let one grow to over six feet tall. Apparently, as it grew it sent out shoots all over my backyard.

They are everywhere.

Yet, even this horribly annoying plant is having problems in my backyard.

If you look closely, you will see that it is FULL of ants.

This year it looks like even my weeds won't be flowering.

More Shadows

I have always been intrigued by shadows.

This week I have been enjoying the longer hours of light.

My favorite shadows have always been those made by light shining through lace curtains.

Strangely enough, I don't have any lace curtains anywhere anymore, but light through old wripply glass looks pretty good to me also!

Wooden Tray, Hurray!

THGGM found this wooden tray in the cutest ever antique store in Sutton's Bay.

I LOVED this shop!

A very friendly woman who owns the shop also lives upstairs. What a life.
Sutton's Bay right outside your door.
This was the most expensive thing we bought while we were gone.

It cost $15.oo.

Today I've been working on arranging things in it. It sits on my coffee table.

I'm starting to pick up the glass dome-ish things whenever I see them. I found two at the thrift store last night. Everything looks better under glass. Even my $1.oo tea cup.

It also shows off my "MaryJane's Farm" book, which was graciously sent to me by a friend! I love how the colors work together.

I will probably change this a million times. And, I am sure it will eventually hold our usual array of pens, nail clippers and mail. But, for now, I'm pleased. VERY pleased!

Four Blue Bowls

I found these four small blue bowls in a little celtic shop in Frankfort on Saturday.

My plan was to set them on the shelves with the other cobalt glass, but they seem too small for that.

Hmm. What to do.

It will be fun trying to find just the right spot for them!

Potty Seats

These are my other three potty seats.

The light blue one in the center is only on the porch to have its picture taken.

It lives in the bathroom.

That one is my favorite, because it has a Westie face on it, and I miss my dear old Niki.

Just so you know, I cannot drink coffee out of those BIG cups that are all around lately. They just look too much like a potty seat to me.

Front Porch Living

This is where THGGM loves to spend his free time.

Blue Windmills and Colored Pencils

Two little cups with windmills, purchased at Wilson's Antiques in Traverse City.

I have two similar ones that I use to hold my Prisma colored pencils.

My new colored pencils appear at home in these.

Don't they look charming?

I love the monochromatic simplicity of the cups!

You Know You Are Incurably Weird When...

...you go on a vacation and come home not with native artifacts, but with an abundance of dish rags!

Yes.

But, if that isn't weird enough, you roll 'em up and then display them in an enamel ware potty seat.

I have four enamel ware potty seats.

Even I think that is weird.

Cobalt Blue Dutch Couple

I found this adorable Dutch couple at a thrift store today!

I think they are SO cute.

THGGM and I drove to a thrift store on the other side of town, braving awful traffic. Usually we hit this one about twice a year, and leave disappointed.

I'm happy that we went there today!

Somewhere, I have suction cups. When I find them, these will hang from the window on the back porch, with the other cobalt and Dutch stuff.

Aren't they fantastic?

Picnic Basket

I looked inside my picnic basket today, and it is empty!

Really. Picnic baskets like these can still be found in thirft stores for very cheap, and at antique malls for not so cheap.

I find them to be the best storage baskets around.

I'm thinking I might use it to store paper plates and napkins and plastic table wear.

Although I fear if I do that, I will forget it's there and buy more.

This white cabinet in the kitchen THGGM found at a thrift store. It was a dark 'antique' green. He painted it white, which was a great improvement. It only cost $30.00 and provides us with some much needed storage.

Our Favorite Word - CLEARANCE!

THGGM found this wallpaper at a flea market. If I remember correctly it was two dollars a roll.

Later that day, we found the 'window treatments' on sale at Younkers - napkins, on clearance for a dollar a piece.

Then, we decided not to wallpaper the kitchen, so stored away all of those wonderful finds.

And, forgot about them.

Then, one day we went out to look for paint or wallpaper for the kitchen. Suddenly we remembered that we had already had a plan.

Hadn't we bought stuff already? Where did we put it?

Yes. We had. It was on the back porch in the dryer that hadn't worked for a year.

It made for a very affordable kitchen and back porch re-do!

Old/New Pitcher

I've given the new/old pitcher a place of honor in the kitchen window.

It holds the iced tea spoons wonderfully.

I'm tempted to look for more.

Favorite Corner

A favorite corner of my kitchen.

I like the "Days of the Week" towels.

The towels and plates were my birthday present from THGGM last year.

He remembered that I had admired them while at Cracker Barrel.

Green, Red and Blue Aprons

These are my other three rescued aprons.

I think I might have to try my hand at making this kind, before I move on to the pattern variety.

I'm sort of sorry now that I let all the other ones go.

I hope they have found good homes with a crazy lady who will take lots of pictures of them!

At least, I saved them from the trash.