Vintage Milk Bucket

Hey my friends!

How are you?  Me…I am great!

Getting ready to start school up within the next week or so.  For those of you who don’t already know, we homeschool, and we love it!

You all know that I love flea marketing and have really found some cool things this summer at the Nashville flea. 

I have shown you several things already, but also wanted to show you a great old DeLaval milk can that I found. 

I knew I loved this old bucket as soon as I saw it.

It seemed that a lot of people liked my  bucket that day because everywhere I walked with it, people stopped me to tell me a story about using one similar to milk with when they were a child.

That’s just one more reason that I love vintage pieces.

I have had the old wooden dairy crate for a couple of years.  I love these two pieces together.

Hey, do you see the burlap pillow there on the bistro chair? 

The pillow was a birthday gift from a sweet friend of mine.  My friend’s sister-in-law made it for me.  As a matter of fact, she has made me several beautiful pillows now and I love them all.  She is a very talented lady and her name is Kim.

The cool thing is that Kim has just opened up an etsy shop and is filling it with a variety of pillows and other things.

Why am I telling you all of this?

Because…later on this week or weekend, I will be hosting a giveaway for Kim.  She has graciously offered a gift certificate to be used in her new shop.  I am not going to send you to her shop yet because she is still trying to get a few more things made for it so you will have more choices. 

When I host the giveaway, I will show you the pillows she has made for our home and show you where I have used them.

This is such fun!!!

Okay…enough for now.   I hope you all have a great week and I will see you in a few days.

I hope you will come back for another visit very soon.

Blessings all.

Linking up at Cedar Hill Ranch and Faded Charm and Sunny Simple Life

Warming Things Up

Hey friends! 

I sure hope this finds you all doing well and that life is good.

I have been playing around with some more of my summer flea market finds and have been shuffling things up a bit.  You know how fun it is to move things from here to there and there to here.

I found this large milkcan at the Canton, Texas, flea market this past spring.  It has been on the floor until recently when I decided  it needed to move on up a little and be seen better.

Because this farm table is so big, I knew I could also move some of my bigger baskets up here and they would make a grander statement than just sitting on the floor.

The green box here on the bottom shelf is extremely heavy and not really sure what it was used for.  It makes great storage for our board games and cards.

The old cotton basket was a gift from my mom several years ago.  Love it and how big it is.

I love the warmth that this basket and the other one of top of the table brings to this side of the room.

I know fall is still a ways away, but I am ready to bring in some warm colors.

The wooden tote is a favorite piece of mine.  I love it holding the old German beer bottles.  Can you see the three rusty pieces in the back of the tote?  Those are old bells with nothing inside to ring.  They are just the dome shape part of the bell.  I love the rustiness and the shape.

Yep, Herley still stands proudly in his grassy pasture on my table.  That painting will forever be one of my best scores ever from Goodwill.

The tall doors on the back of the table are a light green with some brown showing through.  My plan is to do some more sanding on them and try to bring some more of the brown out since they pretty much fade into the wall color.

As you can tell, this is a great table and so much fun to play around with.  It is so easy to move things around and change things up. I  love that it was a handmade gift given to me from our Louisiana friends on their first trip to Tennessee last year.  Mr. Buckets of Burlap is a wonderful carpenter, and I am still so happy to be a recipient of his talents.

Okay, so you can see that I am bringing some more natural woods back into our home.  I think the warm colors look so beautiful with the whites.  I have a couple of inspiration homes that I have been really stalking lately.  Take a look at the already very popular Faded Charm and Frog Goes to Market.  These ladies know how to make a home beautiful.  I love both of their styles and all of their great vintage pieces. 

Well, my friends, I will say so long for now.  Thank you so much for stopping by for a visit.  Come back again. 

God bless you each one.

Linking up over at:  Common Ground, Vintage Inspiration Friday

The Charm of Home 

French Country Cottage 

The Empty Guest Room

Our sweet friends left to go back to Louisiana today.  Our families met a little over a year ago, yet it seems like we have been together forever.  We actually feel like they are our family.  Sisters…brothers…nieces…nephews. 

 

We had a blast!

 

We went canoeing and kayaking.  We went shopping.  We  watched movies that made us laugh until we almost cried.  We ate and ate more.  We made homemade ice cream.  We watched our girls make up dances.  We dreamed.  We planned. 

 

It was wonderful having them here.

 

Their family of five filled our rooms, our home, and our hearts this week.

 

We hated to see them go, but we will see them again soon.  We make plans at each visit for our next visit.

 

The guest bedroom where they slept is all cleaned out.  Their luggage is gone.  I wish it was filled with all there stuff again.

 

This is where they slept…

 

 

Very simple and understated, but I hope comfortable.

 

This was their roommate during their visit…

 

 

This pretty lady is my newest friend,  Lola.  (found at TJ Maxx)

 

 

Isn’t she lovely standing in front of that gorgeous chippy pink door?

 

 

Yes, I fell in love pretty much instantly and knew this pink could be used in our guest room.

 

I stashed a neat little lone gray shutter in the corner here for a little added interest.  I also filled an empty spot on the wall with a coffee filter wreath that I made.  (easy)

 

 

I found some tan and white ticking at Goodwill recently and made a very simple pillow cover for the bed. 

 

Fresh flowers were a must to have the room ready for our friends…

 

 

Take a close look at the beautiful bowl that is holding the flowers…

 

 

Look at the beautiful scrolled edging and all the details along the rim..

 

 

Are you wondering why I am making such a big deal about this bowl?

 

Let me tell you why…

 

I mentioned earlier that we took our friends out on the river kayaking.  While we were in the water, I happened to look down and saw something that I thought looked like a white enamel bowl.  I brought it up out of the dirty water, washed it off a bit and discovered that I had found a beautiful ironstone wash bowl.  You heard me right…this bowl is marked Ironstone on the bottom, is heavy, and is beautiful. 

 

Can you believe I found an ironstone bowl on the bottom of the river that we were floating?  What a pleasant surprise!

 

Becky said only I would go picking in the river, but I know she would have too if she had of been in the spot I was in. 

 

Wasn’t that a great find!

 

 

Are you wondering like me why an ironstone bowl was in the water?  So strange…

 

Let me just end this by saying that I am so thankful to God for our friends from Louisiana.  I am also so thankful for my sweet friends that have been my friends for many many years.    And, I am thankful for each of you who stop by and visit me so often.

 

I love spending time with all of you!

 

God bless you all!

Canvas Tool Bag

Hi everyone!

I hope today has been a wonderful day for you.   If it hasn’t, I hope tomorrow will be better.  I, for one, have a lot of friends with hurting hearts right now.  Boy, it’s hard when there’s nothing you can do.   I can sure pray!!

I have been eager to show you a cool bag I found recently.  (yes, at the flea market)

Isn’t that the coolest tool bag? 

Can you believe I have something that dirty and grungy looking hanging in my living room?

Sure you can. 

My aunt made the little basket years ago.  It holds old black and white family photos.

Okay, I just think things were made so much prettier and cooler way back then.  Don’t you agree?

I tell my sweet husband all the time that he’s lucky that I like old stuff so well.  The older he gets…the more I will love him. 

***

Company coming into town this week so I will be out of commission for a few days. 

Take care, my friends.

Linking up at Coastal Charm, Cedar Hill Ranch

Adding a Little Color

Hey my friends!

Let me just first say that I praise the Lord today for rain!  It has rained all day long and we needed it so badly.  Rain glorious rain!!

Lots of words today, friends.  Hope you don’t mind.

Now, onto my color addition.

You know I have talked to you quite a bit  about my quest to figure out how to handle all the oak in my kitchen.  Well, this is what I have decided to do…

EMBRACE IT!!  Love it!!  Make it work!!

I have a pretty big kitchen and one side has all of the oak..oak cabinets, oak island, oak drawers. 

The other side of the kitchen has my table and chairs, a white rusty set of locker like cabinets, and a set of chippy white shelves.    And, big windows. 

I have been trying so hard to fill my kitchen with white, white and more white and I do love the white, but I also had to incorporate some darker pieces into the side of the kitchen with the table.  I needed to spread the oak around a little to make sure it looked balanced. 

Does any of that make sense at all?

I also wanted to add a little bit of color to my kitchen because it just seemed like it needed it.   I needed it.

I  also needed to add a little personality to my kitchen.

  I truly want to make sure that our home reflects us.  I want to make sure that I don’t  assume someone else’s home as mine.  Again..do I make sense?

Does it sound mean to say that I don’t want our home to look like everyone else’s?  I think you get what I am saying. 

Forgive me for rambling.  I am not usually this wordy.

Okay, I was telling you about adding oak to the other side of the kitchen.

This is what it looked like before. I did like it but it needed a little something….

This is after adding some darker and more colorful things…

Dexin was evidently an excellent source of energy for all members of the family.  So this gorgeous can says.

Love this little wood and metal piece.  I found it at the flea market with plastic grapes all over it.  I looked beyond the artificial fruit and saw a gem.

I found the old pictures at Goodwill.    Love that old farmhouse in the bottom picture.  And, I really love the color that those pictures brought to this spot.  That’s the personality that I was telling you that I wanted.

I have also decided that I love copper.  I think it brings another great pop of color to my kitchen and also helps make the oak cabinets work.

I found this beautiful pitcher and bowl at the flea market along with another few pieces that I hung up here…

I have been fortunate to establish a pretty quick collection of cool copper pieces.  A few I found at the flea market, a couple from Goodwill and a couple were sweet gifts.  I love the way they look hanging from my new mother’s day light from Lowes. 

Again, bringing the copper to the middle of the room over my island helps balance out the oak.  At least that’s my opinion.

Back real quick to the kitchen table…

This is one of the befores…

Changed out the light fixture as well as the other things I already showed you.

Oh so much better…

Even the cool TJ Maxx apron hanging on the green wooden hook suits me so well right now.

Are you absolutely dying that this post was so long? 

I am so sorry, but there was just a lot that I had been wanting to say.

So, now you have seen the before and after of some areas in my kitchen.  You have heard why I am sprinkling  some color and oak throughout.  I told you that I am embracing the oak cabinets.   I am making it work, and I am happy.

Thanks for visiting tonight.  Promise that my next post will be shorter.

God bless!

Linking up at French Country Cottage, Jennifer Rizzo, At the Picket Fence

Shades of White

Hello to you all!

I hope you are doing great, enjoying your summer, and feeling loved beyond measure!  That’s the kind of love God has for you…

I have shown you several flea market finds in my last couple of posts and have yet another to show you today.  (hope you’re not bored)

My latest find was actually something that peaked my interest when I saw it on Anne Lowry’s facebook page.  Check out her facebook page and her beautiful blog.  Be prepared for beautiful photography, a beautiful farmhouse, and a sweet and fun spirit.

Now for what I found…

I have a great collection of beautiful white dishes that I have gathered for a few years now, and love that I now have a better way of displaying some of my plates and platters.

I love every bit of crazing…every little chip…every bit of use that caused these dishes to look this way.

I love all of the different shades of white. 

Not really sure where or how this little rack was used, but I love the way I am able to use it.    Thanks, Anne, for the idea.

Still quite a bit going around our home as we prepare for guests from Louisiana.  You know how it is.  You always want to freshen, clean, and organize when people are coming to stay for a few days.  I love that kind of work because it doesn’t seem like work. 

We are also still harvesting lots from our garden and are so thankful for well water that we use for the garden and chickens.  My heart goes out to the farmers who are struggling this year with their crops and struggling to feed their livestock.

Things to do, so off I go.  Hope you have a wonderful rest of your week.

God bless!

Sharing over at the beautiful Faded Charm

Flea Market Finds For the Dining Room

Hey friends!

 

I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July.

 

We spent the evening with family… eating, talking, laughing, and watching a few fireworks.  It seems like I am doing a lot more eating than I should be doing, but gosh, I love good country food.  Have I told you how much I love dessert?  My mom fixed the most incredible banana pudding for our get together.  You know the kind that  is baked in the oven with mounds of meringue on top.  OH MY, it was scrumptious.

 

Ok, my mind needs to get off food and onto some more of my flea market finds from this summer.

 

I told you that on my last flea market trip, I found some really awesome things.    I am starting a neat collection of copper and will show you that soon.

 

Today, I want to show you a couple of cool pieces I found that I am using on my dining room buffet.

 

 

This great old fireplace bucket has a beautiful patina and looks beautiful filled with dried hydrangeas.  It also had the cool coal shovel with it.

 

 

Found this beautiful old scale in great condition.  The glass is still intact and it has the weight on the back.  Love the little bit of rust there at the bottom and love that the words are still easily seen. 

 

I have placed my pretty white tobacco can on one side and a great ironstone mug filled with vintage utensils on the other.

 

 

 

There are still several more fun things I want to show you that I have found.  Keep checking back and see what else has made its way into our home.

 

I know you totally get it when I say how much I love all this “old stuff”.  I have been treasure hunting for quite awhile now and love the nostalgia behind it all.  The only thing I wish was different was that I wish I  knew the stories behind each and every vintage piece that I have.

 

I also want to say thanks for following along with me.  Thanks for your visits and for the time you spend here.  You are welcome in my home and I am grateful for each one of you.

 

God bless you all!

New Black Wardrobe

Hey all!!!

 

I finally got some things done and was able to take some pictures of some new treasures I have found this summer so far.

 

The flea market and yardsales have been good to me and my house.

 

I had a good friend call me early one morning to tell me about an awesome yardsale she had been to.  I hesitated for a brief moment because I had zuchinni bread in the oven and pjs still on.  So glad I left the bread with my daughter in charge and threw on my clothes, because I found some great stuff.

 

I bought some really neat things including a great old black wardrobe that went straight into my bedroom.

 

 

My youngest daughter’s exact words about this piece were, “well, it’s big and it’s black”.  Not sure, but I think that meant she didn’t love it like I did.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I found this great old iron planter at the flea market a couple of weeks ago.  I knew immediately that it needed to hold old linens and sachets.  It’s so much prettier in person.  I sure wish I could photograph things as well as I would like to.

 

 

 

Yes, the good ole television again.  At least it blends in with the big black wardrobe.

 

Will look forward to showing you some more of the things I have found. 

 

Also want to share a deal I have tried to make with myself.  If I bring something new in, I try to get rid of something.  I really don’t have a house full of everything.

 

Hope you all have had a great day and have blessed rest of your week.