Monday, June 18 2018 - Memories of a Farmhouse

My first memories existed in a two-story clapboard farmhouse with a tin roof.

We didn't have cows. I think we had chickens. No pigs except for the hog farm run by my uncle who had something to do with the Piggly Wiggly. I knew about the hog farm because I went there years later. This is after we had left the two-story clapboard farmhouse with a the tin roof.

My uncle (not the one who owned the hog farm, but another one who must have agreed to feed them for him) would pull up in this smelly old truck with rotting tomatoes in the back. We were told we could pick the good tomatoes out and the rest were headed to the hog farm. We ran inside and grabbed our garbage bags. Free tomatoes! Then, we climbed into the back of the open pick-up being very careful not to get the squishy tomatoes on our clothes.

You think the truck was smelly? The hog farm was much worse but it was interesting to see one for the first time. We had to be very careful not to fall into the styes but how cute it was to see them run over to the troughs and slurp up those smelly tomatoes. Now I know why I hate flies so much.

Our two-story clapboard house was actually owned by my great-grandmother and great-grandfather who was no longer with us. My grandmother stayed there and that's where after I was born lived there until I was seven.

It's miraculous but even at that young age, memories are clear and vivid.

I remember sitting at what must have been a bar...don't remember it being a table and the train would blow in rattling everything on the walls. The kids next door who would visit their grandmother would come by and we'd put pennies on the tracks hoping the train would flatten them. They became our lucky pennies.

Were they the good ol' days? If not, then why are designers designing homes with the farmhouse theme? Because it was a simple life - hard yet simple. No computers. No cell phones. No color TV. Some had black and white if you were rich enough.

Would I want to go back? Hell yeah.

Sunday, May 13 - Farmhouse Finds, Antique & Goodwill Deals

Had a great day yesterday! It was at least in the upper 80s probably higher and it felt so good. Did most of my scoring at Goodwill (hit two of them).

This first one I couldn't pass up. I need to get a candle for it, but this was only $3 and goes so well with my farmhouse theme:

Also at Goodwill, two 10 in. Pfaltzgraff brown folk art bowls for $2 each. Not sure whether to use it for everyday use or keep it back. It has some age by the condition of the back. Looking it up in google right now. The thing is most of the ones I'm finding don't have the circles inside the sides of them. Omg found one on Etsy just now. Vintage item from the 80s. Might be a pasta bowl. Etsy is selling them for $30 each.

Okay, found a cute little shelf I'm going to redo. I'm always on the lookout for shelves. This one cost $4 and came from an antique store somewhere in Delaware - sorry didn't make note of the name of the store.

This is a spinning wheel maybe? Goodwill find for $4. The thing is...I hated the greenery - looked cheap and very fake. Took all that off (see second picture) and whoa really looks pretty bare. Don't know if I should find real-looking greenery to put back on it or just refinish it and use it as is. Looks like it's missing something though. It's 23 1/2 (height) x 17 inches (length). I'm not sure if it's vintage...don't some research on it now but will have to get back with you on that.

Love my new pip berry weeping willow! I've seen these in stores and can't remember the prices but Amazon is selling them for about $15. I need to rearrange the branches a bit...think it went through a bit of handling in the bin at Goodwill but so glad I found it. It's about 14 inches and I got it for $3. The one on Amazon has a wooden base where this has a miniature washtub base with handles so that might up the price a bit.

New chicken...errr...rooster? I'm starting to get a little more picky when buying my chickens and roosters and only choose those that are different. This is very different from what I have. No markings on bottom. 5 inches and I think I paid about $10 for it at an antique store...I usually don't spend that much but again it was different.

I break my rule on buying chickens that are different when it comes to the miniature ones because I don't have many of these and I need them to put on shelves. Antique store find. No markings on bottom. 3 inches and cost a whole buck.

Last but not least, Charlotte! Terra cotta I think.7 inch by 4 inch. Goodwill find for $3. Succulent hasn't been placed in it permanently yet - trying to cut some of the stem off but a Hobby Lobby buy for $7.99 (ugh).

I want to also include a picture of something I found at Dollar General the other day for $3. Flowers I already had on hand.

I hope everyone is having a Happy Mother's Day! Until next time...

Saturday/ 4-14-2018 - Yard-Sale-ing! #farmhouse #farmhousefinds #yardsale

I made off like a bandit today. There's so much to post that I'm going to do it in this one post so bear with me, it's long. Two of my girlfriends and I went to Chincoteague's Annual Yard Sale at the Community Center. No sooner had I walked in, there were bargains galore!

This first item is a washboard and is my first! The letters were a little faded, but once I ran water over it, I could make out Columbus Washboard Factory and it measures 18x8 1/2.  One eBay it looks like it is selling for $50. The vendor was selling it for $10 but let me have it for $5.

I thought this was a major score, too. I collect white pitchers. The vendor wanted $10 but gave it to me for $5 (she was ready to unload, lol so I made out great! This one stands at 6 1/2 in. tall. According to eBay, it's a vintage white Arabia Pitcher. Bummer - the one they have there is only $12.99.  The ones that had pictures on them were more, way more. But I still love it. I don't know if theirs was stamped, but there was a stamp on this one which is just under the pitcher below.

Bargain of the day! These were going 2 for $1.00 and he said oh hell you can have all of them for $5. So I got all of them thinking I could make things with them. Nine have handles.

Major score on these I think. Both tins were $1.00 each.

After we left the community center, we had heard of a huge yard sale on the street by the grocery store so we headed over there and was I glad I did. This below is my first I don't even know what these are called (wooden toolbox?). It measures 9x9 and I don't know what in the heck I'm going to do with it at this point but it's in the living room now on a shelf. Maybe I'll add greenery to it not sure. The cost? $3. I might decoupage it.

Major score. Wire pitcher you hang on a wall. 25 cents. Gonna clean her up and hang it until I figure whether I want to paint it or not. Major dust bunnies so if you can see past that, it's a steal.

This little gem of a pitcher that has a cute rose under the handle which makes it different was only $1. No markings.

Chickens! While I didn't find any ceramic chickens or cows, I did find this beautiful 13x7 inch Farmhouse tray. You will never believe how much this was - ONE BUCK!!! Don't know where it's going but right now I have it on my computer desk because it's so cute!

Now this is a weird little item but looking at it I was thinking hm...spice jars? Measures 19 inches and it cost $1.

Couldn't pass this one up - 21 1/2 inches and $2.

Now, I like wooden trays better than plastic or whatever it's made of but for $1 I couldn't walk away. Possibly some craft project in the future.  Okay it's lacquerware and hasn't been out of the box.

Love love love this. It's only 6 1/2 x 7 1/2 but I could use a smaller item to go on one of my display walls with other Farmhouse stuff. It was $3 which I don't know if it was a great deal but I'm sure it was a good deal. Made in Mexico and some other scribbling on the back.

Wood base candle holder. One buck.

Chicken! Love love love this. 16x12 inches, cost $3. I can put mail in it until I get my coffee bar setup set up, then I can put sugar packets or something like that in it. Update: Just noticed a tag on the back that said Hobby Lobby $24.99.

This I'm a little confused about but for $2, I knew it was going home with me. It opens up and you can put things in there, just what not sure. Curious as to why it says SALT on the front. I think it's vintage but I don't know a whole lot about it. It's solid wood and heavy so dunno.

Last but not least, I love this little wishing well! It's 11 inches and cost $3. I can tell it's old because of the well part but not sure if it's vintage.

Well there you have it. Did I die and go to heaven or what?

Sunday, March 18 2018 - Farmhouse Decorating! #farmhouse #farmhousefinds #hobby lobby #kirkland's

Good Sunday morning!

It's still cold on the island. Barometer reading 40 on the deck at 10:52 in the morning. Where is spring? Actually, I've been loving winter because I've been inside doing a little redoing. I'd like to show you my work in progress. It's one of the accent walls in the living room:

I got the Farmhouse sign at Hobby Lobby for about $15 I think and the two baskets at the same place for about the same each. The two shelf thingees and the chickens, etc., on the shelves all came from Dollar Genera. The shelves were $6 each and the chickens and pig were about a dollar. I believe the two what they call 'planters' in the middle was about $1.50. Now...the picture in the middle...here's a better pic:

There, that's a little better. This came from Kirkland's for about $39. The roof of the barn is basically 3D...really neat to look at in person.

Like I said, it's a work in progress. I'm going to eventually turn all the walls into accent walls with the farmhouse theme. Looking forward to getting more farmhouse items.

Yesterday, I slipped in Hobby Lobby. I knew I was on a limited budget and wanted to buy the whole store so it was frustrating! I did come away with these two items:

Cow picture! I think I paid about $15 for this at Hobby Lobby and I also got this:

This was about $10 I think. My whole purchase was about $25 so I did good!

I've got this last one on another accent wall all by its lonesome but plan on adding more things to the wall as I go along. The hunt is part of the fun!

Hope you have a nice Sunday!

January 25 2018 - I've Been Bit by the Farmouse Bug #farmhouse #hobbylobby

Well, I've been bit by the farmhouse bug. I don't want to confuse you - I still live by the ocean on an island as a matter of fact, but my island kitchen is about to be turned into a farmhouse kitchen. Have you been to a Hobby Lobby? Omg if you haven't and you like decorating with the farmhouse theme, you have got to go. I don't even know how I got started, but if I back up, here's what happened.

Christmas. I decorate for Christmas but this year something came over me. Like I was really into it and the more I decorated, I could see a theme about to be born. I've been living on the island maybe ten years and all this time I thought it was appropriate to decorate with beachy stuff. Every time I would go to the Outer Banks of NC, I would pick up a really neat shell for my curio cabinet or signs to put on the walls of my office. Well my office is slowly becoming a junk room since I moved downstairs in the corner of my living room with all my work stuff and I wanted to make the living room a feel good room. After the holidays, I thought I would change up and make sure I decorated for all the seasons. I'm talking pictures on the wall, stuff in my curio cabinet, knick knacks, that sort of thing.

Well...I bought this rocking horse to set by the Christmas tree and the more it sat, the more determined I was going to make it a permanent fixture in my living room. It was a wooden rocking horse that looked so cute and I couldn't bare to take it out when I took down the Christmas tree. When the tree came down, I moved the rocking horse over to in front of the mantle.

Then QVC had a sale going on for this cutest heater. It was shaped like a lantern and had the candle up top and the heater below it and it stood almost 3 feet. I got it in white and boy did it add some zing to the living room.

And then...I found out about this farmhouse theme of decorating. Because I wanted it to be my own style since I had to live with it and in it, I thought I'd go with the farmhouse modern style. In other words, only certain antiques would be allowed in and it would be mainly farmhouse stuff I'd bring in for now. I'll see how that goes.

I wondered if people would think I was crazy. Here I lived in a townhouse by the beach and I was about to turn my kitchen for starters into a farmhouse kitchen.

So, off to Hobby Lobby I went to begin my search for just the right things to fill it. Here's what I found:

 This is my pride and joy. I'm in a hotel right now so this is the bathroom but I'm going to put it in just the right spot in my kitchen when I get home.

Even the cashier noted how cute this was and wasn't even aware that was in there. I'm going to find a good spot for this.

Now this I didn't get at Hobby Lobby but can't wait to go back in there and see what they do have, but this came from a little antique shop in Laurel, Delaware. I think the shop was called In the Attic or something like that. Btw, I only paid $3 for this.

So now I see a theme being born. Chickens and cows without making the kitchen gawdy. I'll be picking up more of these tin boxes but only those with cows or chickens on it and grouping them together on my shelves by the sink.

It's starting to come together. When I find homes for all these guys, I'll take a picture. Tomorrow I'm going back to Hobby Lobby...I spotted a clock that would look perfect in there...just hope no one grabs it before I get there!