Trash to Treasure Pegboard Makeover

I had picked up this circa 1980's colonial gift shop, pine high gloss pegboard at a yard sale and decided to give it a prim makeover. I painted it black and sanded it to give it that worn and prim feel.  The photo of the completed paint job doesn't show all the detail (wear) I added, but it looks nice in my bedroom now! I need to find a prim dress to hang from one of the pegs now..lol
Now:

DH's Early Birthday Gift to Me!

I had gone out yesterday to a local prim gift shop to browse around and came back with a few treats which included a couple of battery operated candles.  I put one in a candlestick I had and began to wander around the house decided where I should put the other one.  DH says, "I think I have the perfect place for the other one, be right back", and he went down into the cellar.  He said, " I was going to give this to you for your Birthday but, since you need somewhere to put that candle you can have it early", and produced this AWESOME circa 1820 antique tin punched lantern. I love it and him!  And, as you can see, the candle looks great in it.:)

Simple Prim Eggs (Dollar Tree Find)

I made this coffee table display for Easter using mostly Dollar Tree finds.  I am all about saving money when possible and these eggs came out cute I think!  The Easter grass and Spanish moss are also from the dollar tree. The treenware bowl is an antique.  The egg holder and chicks came from a local prim gift shop.  The eggs are kids sidewalk chalk found in the easter basket filler section of dollar tree and were of course $ 1.00.  I dinged them up with my finger nail first (butter knife would work too)  then dipped them in black coffee.  I then rolled them in wet coffee grinds and cinnamon-rubbed the grinds and cinnamon in a bit so it got into the dings and let them air dry. Perfectly prim I think!

Starting My Indoor Herb Garden

I paid $15.00 for this stand at a local used furniture store.  I think it makes a nice display for my herb garden.  I plan to paint it and prim it up a bit when the time allows.  The containers are all vintage salvation army finds.

Old Boxes Make Great Holders for Everyday Items

I love old boxes and am always on the lookout for them.  The make great holders for your everyday items and give that primitive feeling.  This old biscuit box with original labeling, was purchased at a yard sale for 10.00 and makes a great place to store magazines and newspapers in the living room.  A knife box next to my kitchen sink holds the family's vitamins and medications. A small wooden measure is a candy dish on my counter. Cheese boxes can be used as planters, or seed starters.   Here is a picture of my biscuit box magazine holder. A crock with faux lavender and forsythia flank the side. The vintage wooden bird was found in my garage and brought inside.  I love the weathered feel of it. The game board rounds it out to be a great primitive gathering in a small space next to the television.

Primitive Style Kitchen Decorating

One of the best places I feel to get your primitive decorating style going is in your kitchen.  The kitchen is a gathering place for family and friends and that warm and cozy primitive feel is just right for this spot There are so many ways to decorative your kitchen in a primitive style, even if your home is not an 18th century former tavern. :-)  My kitchen was done over in the 1970's by the previous owner.  I was so lucky to find this house, because she loved primitive style and had added hand hewn beams, the beautiful dark cabinetry and the stone tile counters.  While there are some "70's" things I don't care for such as the flooring, ( red brick linoleum) it is livable and can be replaced in time. The wallpaper is another thing, although it has started to grow on me I think.  The table is an antique golden oak farmhouse table made at the turn of the century. I have added a folded vintage tablecloth as a sort of runner to the middle of the table and placed an old knife box filled with vintage (rubber) veggies. I thought they were rather realistic looking.  I am not usually a fan of rubber fruits or veggies but these are prim looking I thought.  I also have a pressed glass spooner filled with old wooden utensils. I thought that sort of was shabby chic but that is the thing with prim decorating, you can mix and match, use what is available and repurpose all those vintage and antique goodies to create your own visions of prim decor.  In the background is a vintage 1970's deacons bench that was going to be thrown out, that I repainted in a great mustard color and added quilted pillows. The corners or the kitchen are filled with old stoneware pottery and assorted things.  I will show a better picture soon of those areas.. So grab that old rusty tin bucket you see at the dump, or that pressed glass vase you found at a yard sale and use your imagination!

This Weeks Project- "Make Do" Curtains

So I was tired of having the neighbors headlights in my bay window every night and needed some curtains that I could draw closed in the evenings.  Bay window treatments are more difficult to deal with, especially when you have a crooked house. lol  and windows that should be replaced.  So, I came up with these.  I purchased the tiers for 5.00 a pair at a closeout sale online. That was a great deal! I couldn't even purchase the fabric to make them for that price. I made the push pins holding the twine out of vintage buttons that I had found in my basement when we moved in.  I hot glued 2 or 3 of them together using different sizes and colors, and glued them to the stem of a clear push pin. I added the clothespins to hold the curtains back in the daylight hours. I thought they came out pretty cute! The curtains are strung on simple garden twine that you can pick up at any hardware store.  Do you like them?

In like a Lion, out like a Lamb? March Musings

Where are you Spring? I guess I shouldn't complain the gray, dreary, rain we are having is much easier to handle than the huge amount of snow we had this winter. It sure has been a long one.  I am so looking forward to warmer times, being able to get my garden started, yard sales, outdoor fairs, antique shopping and opening the windows to let the fresh air in! Last month the yard looked like this.  I am now starting to see a few signs of spring.  My tulip bulbs, daffodils, hyacinths are poking their heads through the muddy earth and there are patches of greenish grass showing!