Summers Last Hurrah

Hi everyone, I hope you all have had a great summer!  It has been a hot one for sure and my gardens have sure felt it.  The perennials are winding down before the Autumn chill sets in and I can't wait for cooler temps!  I thought I would share a few pictures that I took this morning around the yard.

These are my front gardens. They are two years old and I am hoping next year they will fill in even better. We had quite the problem with Japanese beetles this year eating everything in sight.  We got a few new pieces of yard junque this summer.  Those are frogs sitting under the cement umbrella. I couldn't resist when I saw the set at a local antique shop.

The old rusty stove grate on the front stairs holds herbs.  Hubby has a tiller addiction and we now have 4 in various places around the yard plus birdhouses!

This is a view of the side of the house below. Woops the old red sled is still out in August!  I guess it will stay through the Winter now :)

Below is the side of the garage and outhouse ( shed now). This is where I use my nautical junque. The old rusty funnel on the side of the garage did have a plant in it but the hot sun did it in.

Keep cool and enjoy every day!
Nadine

Happy Memorial Day and Some Nice Finds Today

I hope everyone has a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!  It is a hot day today here in Massachusetts with the  temps going into the mid 80's and humid.  This morning hubby and I started out early to hit an herb and plant sale at the Reverend Keith House in the neighboring town.  It is always a nice little sale to benefit the historical society.  The house where they have it was built in the 1600's. It is a saltbox farm.  The house is open to the public during the sale and they have a tea and sandwich room too.  I got a few herbs and perennials at the sale. We had planned to just go to the grocery after that but instead we hit two nice sales.  I can't believe we have had such good luck so far this season at the sales.  The first one I got a gathering basket, the old copper watering can and the two cloth dolls at.  I forgot to get the basket into the picture.  The second sale we hit the jackpot with the two large baskets.  They are early and in good condition and filthy! The one with the cover has a tag on it put on by the owner. It was so old that it broke in my hand when I touched it.  It says Hannah Bates in old handwritten script.  Each basket was 10 dollars which I feel was a great price.  I also got the covered chicken dish, blue enamelware pot, the old washboard and hubby got a really nice old bottle for his collection. As we were walking away I spotted the noodle board and had to get that too. It is an old one!  We spent a total of 40 dollars for the two sales and I think we did good!
    Tomorrow is a family barbecue at my sisters to celebrate our birthdays.  My birthday is on Monday and hers is on Wednesday.  I hope whatever you do this weekend you enjoy it!

Below is a picture of the Reverend Keith house where we went to the plant sale.

  

Farm Fresh Finds Today

Hi everyone, I know I have been missing a while but between lousy rainy weather and general business I haven't had a lot to post about. Today is a lovely day here in Massachusetts with sunny skies and temps promising to be in the 70's so hubby and I decided to head out to the local sales.  We only went to one to fill our antique hunting desire today!  It was at a farmhouse and the older man was taking things out of the barn as we drove up. I got this wonderful early child's sleigh in old pumpkin paint complete with cobwebs and remainder of the straw stuffing which would have been under the original leather seat. Price was a whopping 8 dollars!  I am going to clean it up later and I am sure the paint will be amazing.  I also got the bakers table. I have no idea where I will put it but for 30 dollars I could not pass this beauty up. I am thinking I will give the base and legs a whitewash of paint and leave the scrubbed top as is. I love it!  I also bought the little doll crib on super cute wheels and will paint it another color and put some potted plants in it.  It reminded me a bit of a goat cart and for 3 dollars who could go wrong?  A plant shelf/stand in blue paint and a couple of enamelware and tin pieces rounded out the purchases.  As the dealers pulled up they were giving me the evil eye as I walked away with my finds! Kitty loves the sleigh too :)

Trash to Treasure Butt'ry Shelf

Hi everyone, It is a lovely day here in Massachusetts!  Our temps are hovering in the high 60's and things are beginning to look a lot like Spring around here.  Last week hubby and I were going the back roads to the grocery store and it was trash day in the neighboring town.  STOPPPPPPPP!  ( that's me)  I see something on the side of the road. There it was an old, dirty, very chippy white shelf just laying there with other trash. So he threw it in the back of the Jeep and off we went.  Hubby said I should paint it and distress it in another color, but yesterday I asked him to bring it in and see if it would fit where I wanted to put it we decided we liked the old cruddy chippy white for our farmhouse prim kitchen. I cleaned it down and filled it with kitchen needfuls and I love it!  Don'tcha love freebies?

Kitchen Laundry Vignette

Hi everyone!  I thought I would share my new kitchen laundry vignette with you.  I bought the stand and tub to use for an outdoor planter this summer, but until then I decided to put it in my kitchen with a few vintage laundry items I had. The stand the tub is on is old, but the tub is not. I added the antique National Washboard board, two old wooden laundry sticks, and a blue and white enamelware pan. The sign above it for Kirkman's Borax Soap is part of an old box, and the tin item hanging beside it is a soap holder/agitator.  I told my kids if the electric bill does not improve "meet your new laundry appliance" they were not amused!  I did hang the laundry out yesterday, but it is still chilly here.
Hugs,
Nadine

Primitive Pantry Jar Labels

Hi, I hope you are all doing well and anticipating Spring weather!  I am sharing a couple of new prim pantry labels I made. Just click on them to make full size and download to your computer and print.  Not to much else going on here. Little by little I am replacing some winter decor with a few Spring touches. Hubby is working in the bathroom prepping for painting and a whole new look.  I will share some pictures of that when it is a bit more attractive ( which isn't NOW) lol Blessings and enjoy!

Happy Valentines Day!  I hope you have a great day full of love!

Hubby and I are going out to dinner at one of our favorite places in Plymouth that has great seafood. 

Hugs,

Nadine

Prim Pantry Labels

I hope you all are well and enjoying your weekend!  It is a gloomy day here, snowed a bit, but it didn't stick to the ground. I am so ready for Spring!  I was fooling around in my Paint Shop Pro program which I haven't done for a few years and decided to use some of my graphics I had to make some prim pantry labels.  I figured I would share them with you. You can put these on jars, cans, boxes, what have you. If you would like to download them, just click on the label which will bring it to full size hopefully and then right click and save to your computer to print out. I print them out on brown craft paper or even a brown paper bag. Enjoy!
Nadine

What Is It? any ideas?

Hi everyone, I need some opinions on this item.  My mother in law acquired this item probably in the 70's ( not sure where) but hubby remembers her throwing a quilt over it.  It is narrow on the top though and not really a quilt rack I don't think.  I think it is a handmade walker for an elderly person as the middle piece is very smooth as if worn by hands holding it for a long time. The bottom of the legs are rounded and smooth too. It is barely wide enough though for two hands to hold, but it is too tall for a baby walker.  I am not sure what to do with it or how to display it, but it is unique and I like it. Any ideas on what it is and how you would use it in your homes?  It has been in the attic for a long time and it's a shame because it's a neat piece of hand made folk art I feel.

Nadine

Rainy Day Prim Reads

Happy Friday!  Today was rather a gloomy day.  The temps were in the 50's, but the rain was coming down in buckets.  It was the perfect day for laying on the couch with a few of my favorite prim reads.  I know most of you are probably familiar with these magazines! From left to right- " A Primitive Place, Mercantile Gatherings, A Simple Life and Passion for Primitives.  I love them all for different reasons. All are filled with great room ideas and plenty of prim eye candy, plus great stories!  I just started my subscription to " A Simple Life" and I love it so much that I am trying to acquire all the back issues.  I have had some luck on Ebay and only need 3 more to have them all!  

   Passion for Primitives is a great coffee table book and is filled to the brim with gorgeous pictures.  I am taking my time going through the book because I don't want it to end! I know some of you have noticed my wallpaper that is in the kitchen. I gripe about it all the time and how we are going to paint in here soon. I know my mother in law loved it when she put it up back in the uh...errrr.....70's?  Can you believe it?  It still actually looks good if you like wallpaper.  But I digress...  In the Passion for primitives book, there is a picture of a beautiful prim bedroom with the same wallpaper.  It looks blueish in the picture and my camera lighting, but it is the same paper.  I suddenly am liking it a bit better, ( hey it's good enough for a beautiful book)  but yeah- it's going bye bye and soon! So, if by any chance you have not had the opportunity to enjoy these magazines and book, I recommend them highly! Have a great weekend!

Nadine

my kitchen below:

Hello on a Chilly Sunday Morning!

There is a pot of chili simmering on the stove, the coffee is on and snow has finally made its appearance in our neck of the woods.  We got about 8 inches total from 2 separate snowfalls the past few days. It does look pretty out my back window for sure!
    I don't do a lot of Valentines Day decorating, but I did add a few prim hearts to the trencher on the kitchen table. Today is computer/sewing room closet cleaning day.  I have put off doing this for many months and it is BAD.  One thing about living in an older home is the closets, or lack of them. This one is narrow and deep, with 3 shelves at the very back. I am not even sure what is on those shelves because they are behind everything else.  Maybe there could be treasures! ( I doubt it)  The floor of the closet is covered and deep with candle making supplies, craft material, and heaven only knows what else, so that is the project today. I want to make a batch of candles this week.  Have a great Sunday!
Nadine

Some Winter Decorating

Hi everyone,  I have been doing a bit of tweaking of displays this week.  After the holidays the house just seemed so blah.  I wanted to go with some simple prim displays for the rest of the winter months. This is what I did on the kitchen bay window. I filled the old dough box with an old trencher, wooden rolling pins and paddles and filled it with some stoneware crocks and a stoneware milk pan.  I added some berries and assorted drieds to one of the crocks and put a few paddles in there amongst them.  I kept my shorebird out, ( he always stays on the window because I adore him). A few crocheted snowflakes on the windows round it out.  The weather has been about the same...no real snow just rain today and a lot of mud.  The animals have been in and out and the floor needs a good mopping, all I see is muddy paw prints,  but that will have to wait till tomorrow. 

One of the biggest culprits!

What a Difference a Year Makes!

This was the backyard last year at this time! We had over a foot of snow on the ground and icy temperatures.  This year we have had not more than a stray flurry since a weird storm in October and it is already January.  The temperatures have been for the most part in the 40's and 50's.  I keep thinking we are in for a biggie soon, but it just doesn't seem to be in our future ( for the next week anyway).  I guess I should be grateful, but I do love seeing the snow on the ground. I love sitting at the kitchen table and looking out across the river and seeing the Canadian geese with a snowy backdrop.  I love the bright red of the cardinals against the pure white getting their seeds from the feeders.  Hubby and I are thinking about taking a ride out to a an antique/prim shop we have never been to before this weekend.  It's about an hour drive, but since the weather is so favorable, I figure we might as well do it while we can.  I hope you have a great weekend!
Hugs,
Nadine