Vintage Saltbox Spoon

I found this old spoon in my favorite antique shop, hidden away from view behind boxes and books. I tell myself it was just waiting to be found by me. I decided one of my saltbox houses, painted in a watercolor style, would be the perfect thing to paint in the bowl area. The sheep seem quite content to graze on the hillside as the apples on the trees ripen. I wonder, as I look at the chipped and worn handle on this lovely old blue and white spoon, just how many jars of jars and veggies it helped can. I am so glad it found its way to me.

Spring Challenge - Part 2

I finished the last two projects for the Spring Celebration Challenge by Old Farmhouse Gathering on Etsy. I kept the theme going with this little baby shoe light, painted with a spring peep from a Terrye French design. I love to think about the little chubby feet that once wore this tiny shoe. I found a sweet vintage baby picture to put on a round hang tag. The candle light has been cut down to the desired length and has a flickering silicone bulb.


The final piece is a shadow box with a tea party them. The little cup and saucer came from a set I found at a tag sale. They were just the perfect size to tuck inside and sit on a paper doily. The little girl photo is a favorite of mine. I thought she needed a pink hairbow to wear to this fete. And what party would be complete without some posies? The pink forget-me-not nosegay is tied with a sheer pink ribbon. The frame is painted ivory and antiqued for and aged appearance. The heart on the frame reminds me of a locket a little miss might wear to a party.

Spring Challenge

Old Farmhouse Gathering on Etsy has issued two celebration challenges to be posted in the near future. One is for Spring and the other is for Easter. I love a challenge.... the chance to stretch my creative thinking is always a good way for me to "turn up the volume" as Ina Garten would say. I have completed two out of four projects that I have planned and I am pleased with the results so far. The first is a wonderful piece of vintage 1934 sheet music, "I believe in Miracles" that I have painted with an apple tree branch and a bird's nest. Just to guild the lily I added ephemera, wood buttons and and old key. After all, isn't the promise of Spring really a miracle?

The second piece is perhaps my favorite of all gourd pieces that I have created. This is a little peep all ready to celebrate the first day of spring. She has on a polka dot party hat and is carrying a little "chicken wire" basket filled with spring berries and eggs. She stands atop a bandbox that has been decoupaged with vintage sheet music and trimmed in robin's egg blue. Her wings and tail are cut from gourd pieces as is her beak. I love the quizzical look on her little tilted head. Is there anything sweeter than a little downey, yellow chick? Her papier mache cone party hat has a whimsical little medallion that says simply, "Bliss." Her momma has instructed her to stay inside the little picket fence until she is old enough to venture out on her own. I would say that is a wonderful idea! This little chick has been named KaDee for one my precious nieces.

Cottage Teapot Easter Tree

My husband says I will paint on anything if I can get it to hold still long enough.... I just smile and nod my head. I guess it's true. I have painted a ukulele, more chairs than I can count, and bushels of gourds. But I must say here and now that my favorite thing to paint on by far is a teapot! Tall and skinny, round as can be, dented or not, I love them all. This teapot has been in my stash for a long while and today it was calling my name. So I decided that it would be the perfect palette for a new cottage design. Here is the result.... a pink plaid background with a little cottage, flowers and picket fence. The eggs are gourds (yes, really!!!) painted and trimmed with ribbon and forget-me-nots. The birdhouse is decoupaged in pink polka dot paper on the sides and pink toile on the roof. I can't wait to show my dearest this one --- he will just smile and nod his head.

All hung up....

I smocked so many little dresses on bonnets when Megan was little. She was always decked out in some creation that had tiny flowers and bunnies, ladybugs and strawberries or just her monogram. I keep one on display always --- I can't bear to pack them away. I wanted a special way to display her little frocks. I cut a piece of wood to make this baby hanger and I love the way it turned out. I made two little hangers..... one to keep and one to put in my shop!


Here is another idea using a premade wood hanger... a whimsical way to display your lovely old doilies and handiwork. These are old family pieces made by my mother-in-law years and years ago. I think I will make another to put in the cottage kitchen --- perfect for a dishtowel collection I think!!!

My little bird friends......

The mockingbirds are once again preparing for a new family! They have begun to build a nest in my now bare crepe myrtle. Mr. Bird takes this construction very seriously and makes a great show of flapping wings and loud cries if anyone, including Suki my dog, gets near. I decided that this would be the perfect inspiration for a painted and decoupaged canvas. The bright blue egg and robin are the ideal heralds of what Shakespeare calls the "best season of all." Now, off to my little studio to see what else I can dabble with today.

Capturing Fairies

Do you remember as a child when you would take a jar your mother had given you and go exploring in the grass, seeing what you could find to trap and observe until it was released? I spent hours capturing various bugs, butterflies, worms and other "critters" and watching them through the glassy walls of my container. Having a wild imagination, I believed that one day I would find a fairy or other little nymph that I could keep for as long as I wanted, sitting her on a table and watching her for hours. Years passed and those illusive fairies remained hidden from my view until I can now capture them in bottles, jars, glass bubbles and shadowboxes. What fun to make up whimsical stories about them, to tuck moss and twigs here and there and even add a tiny nest with eggs. At last my quest has been completed!

Cottage Attachements

The buttercups have been blooming for almost two weeks and the tulips are getting ready to pop open. But the queen of all flowers, the rose, has been my favorite since childhood. These little "attachments" are meant to be the ultimate cottage organizers for a bulletin board and fridge. The small glass bubbles are thumbtacks. One clothespin has a magnetic strip attached to the back for holding lists and notes on the fridge and just in case there is more than one reminder to pay attention to, a large glass bubble magnet with lovely shepherdess will do the trick. The button clothespin can hold recipes, calling cards or photos.

I am a Jane Austen Kind of Girl

I love Jane Austen books and movies. Her writing and the Empire period keep me spellbound. If you want to know what character you resemble the most, take the quiz at :http://www.selectsmart.com/FREE/select.php?client=babyviolet . The outcome was no surprise in my case, although I must admit I really wanted to be Elizabeth in Pride and Prejudice. Anyway, take the quiz and and some fun with it.

Vintage Paperweights

I bought some wonderful ephemera from an Etsy artist recently. I have always been fascinated with paperweights so I decided to give it a go with snippets from my treasure trove of goodies. Almost everything I used is from vintage pieces although I did add buttons, stickers and words here and there. I love the way they turned out! See more in my shop at appletreecottage.etsy.com.

A Romantic Getaway

We are planning a weekend trip to a great bed and breakfast in Anniston, Alabama for Valentine's Day. The Victoria is an inn with sixty rooms, a fine-dining restaurant, a glass enclosed veranda and a Piano Lounge. Reflecting Queen Anne Victorian architecture, it remains unique with the woodwork, hardware, fireplaces and mantels, and the stained glass original to the property. A true antiquer's paradise!

Waiting for Springtiime

The past few days have been warm and I can only hope the groundhog was wrong. I am so ready for spring and for winter to be only a memory. I have been concentrating on bunnies and Easter whimsies in the studio. Two little gourd rabbits have been painted and are my current favorites. The first is named for my daughter, Megan and the second for my darling new great-niece, Emily Ann. Little girls just melt my heart!