a gypsy caravan

june happiness

(The porch wants painting, I know. I'm hoping that's on the agenda for this summer.)

This time last spring, we planted 48 strawberry seedlings that were no taller than my thumb. We were told by the friendly older Amish man who sold them to us that we should pinch off the blossoms that first season so that the plants would put more energy into their leaves. This would make for a bumper crop next season (now). We did what we were told.  That man surely knew what he was talking about because our strawberry bed is filled to the brim with berries. Annie wakes every morning and takes her wooden berry basket out for an early picking. We've been having berries for breakfast for the last week and we couldn't be happier. I think after the shell peas are done this season, I am going to plant another bed of strawberries for twice the fun next year. 

We have a friend who redesigns kitchens and he gave us a Sub Zero upright freezer (that someone no longer wanted because it was the wrong color for their new kitchen) for the cost of one homemade pie. Can you imagine? Me neither. We are now the proud owners of a new freezer which is already filling up with produce and other goodies. 

The aforementioned shell peas are growing like gangbusters. The girls have been picking them every day but most are going into their mouths rather than into the freezer. I did manage to put away a quart sized bag before they ate them all. The other night we sat on the porch, rocked and shelled peas together.

I found a treasure at the antique show at our fairgrounds last weekend. Have you ever heard of a Mammy rocker? It is a two or three person rocking chair with a little gate behind which you can lay your baby/toddler and rock them to sleep. They were popular in the Civil War era and I have wanted one since I first became a mother.  The gate is removable if two bigger people want to rock instead of rocking a baby. I outfitted it behind the gate with a little pillow and a woolen blanket for Mae to lay comfortably. 

When I found it at the antique show and saw how little they wanted for it, I welled up with tears which seems silly, I know. But the thought of being able to rock Mae to sleep on the porch on warm summer nights while singing her some lullabies really choked me up. I hope she has fond memories of that green Mammy rocker and her Mama shelling peas while she rocked off to sleep. 

 

antiquing and thrifting

There are several nice outdoor antique shows in and around our town during the summer.  People set up tables in the park and sell their wares.  The kids and I had such fun looking around for things for the house.  Because this house is a bit bigger than our last, we have some nooks to fill. 

The girls looked for quite some time at the costume jewelry. 

There were many tables of linens. 

I thought I'd show you some of the things that came home with us.  First, know that I am borderline obsessed with old luggage and, most especially, train cases. So I was pretty thrilled when I found these for a few dollars each. 

and I was excited about this one too...

Vintage hat box

Wooden berry picking basket

two fabulous old cameras

I also found two suitacases for the girls room in which to store doll clothing as well as Barbies and All of Their Gear. When stacked, the suitcases look nice and also make the contents portable for visits to friend's houses or rainy day doll adventures on the front porch.

I also picked up some old bottles at a yard sale across the street last weekend. The home owner owned a restaurant in town and had been building an outside eating area on the place when he discovered all of the bottles buried on the site.  Many are from local dairies or other businesses.  I thought they looked pretty in the window. Reminded me of beach glass. :)

Thanks for visiting me. I hope you have a wonderful week ahead! 

 

redwork love

One thing that was an adjustment for me when we moved to the country two years ago was the lack of thrift stores.  I was used to living in an inner ring suburb that had many thrift shops. I love to go wandering around a Goodwill to find vintage linens, handknit baby sweaters and other treasures.  The positive flip side of moving to the country is that there are a whole lot of antique shops.  We have two or three on our town's square and there is a fabulous one in the neighboring village. 

I purchased an antique Jenny Lind toddler bed for Tess there the other day. It is very sturdy and cost less than one of the plastic race car/princess types that can be found at Walmart. One thing that I've had no trouble finding at any of the local shops is redwork. I am so fond of redwork and I think it looks cheery any time of year. I found a vintage redwork crib-sized quilt a couple of days after I bought the bed. The shop owner said it was made in the 1930s but it could've been made a few years ago.  It is in wonderful condition and is not threadbare or stained in any way.  I am pretty excited about the pair! 

Here's a closeup of some of the quilt squares.

Here are a couple of vintage redwork, cross-stitched table runners that I've picked up over the years. I can hear my mother's voice in my head telling me that I should have ironed these before posting photos. :)

One wonderful book of redwork patterns is called Redwork from the Workbasket. It is a compilation of patterns from the crafting magazine The Workbasket, which boasts a sixty year history. I am working on a pattern for a pillow that reads "Sweet Dreams".  I'll post photos as I progress.  :) There are so many nice pattern books and many, many free patterns to be found online for people interested in redwork or embroidery in general. 

Do you do redwork embroidery? What are some of your favorite sources for patterns? 

Thank you for visiting today!

utter bliss

Clearly the best vintage treasure I have ever stumbled across.  Ever.  This is the very model and year Royal typewriter that my mother had when I was a child.  It was vintage then, produced in the early 1940's, pre-World War II. 

I found one today in a shop across town.  For TEN smackers. Yeah HUH! I am simply euphoric.  This typewriter is the reason I loved writing stories as a child, the reason I wrote poetry throughout my adolescence, the reason I will now have a smile on my face for several months...

 

 

Vintage Embroidered Pillow Cases

I have been continuing to purge our closets, keeping only the items that we really need or love.  I came across this set of embroidered pillowcases that were made by my paternal great grandmother.  I have many vintage linens that I've picked up at thrift stores but these are special to me since they were made by family.  The edges are crocheted with white cotton.  I think they are so cheery.

Peonies in a Milk Glass Vase

I am so happy that my peonies are blooming.  Last week, I thrifted the milk glass vase and antique hand-knit doily.  It always makes me smile when I find something for only a few cents that makes my home look more lovely.