Primitive Angel Psaltery

As you have probably already read in my blog, I love to poke around in all my favorite antique stores and thrift shops for treasures to paint on --- the more unusual, the better. When I found this psaltery, I knew I had a jewel!

A psaltery is an instrument in the harp family. It is mentioned several times in the Bible and can be pictured in old manuscripts and woven tapestries. This particular style is called a "plucked psaltery" and has 2 octaves.

I antiqued and distressed it before painting a prim angel on back. Her wings are cut from an old hymnal page and antiqued. A rusty bell and rusty star are hanging from homespun tied to the top. Also attached is a laser cut wood key. This was a really fun project to paint... now I have to get busy and see what else I can find!

Our garden is doing well despite the terrible heat. The squash are so tender and wonderful to cook with. Every Southern cook has their favorite recipe for a squash casserole. Here is mine!

Squash A’la bama

1 pound yellow squash
1/2 stick butter
1 egg
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons green bell pepper, finely chopped
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 sleeve Ritz crackers rolled into crumbs

Clean, slice and boil squash until tender. Drain squash well and mix with other ingredients. Bake in a buttered casserole dish at 350° for 30 minutes.

New Design...

I have been working on some new designs, hoping to make patterns for some of them. Here is one that I am pleased with. I painted the four seasons prim pears on an old sewing machine drawer. I just love painting on these vintage pieces! The stems for the pears are twisted rusty wire that I inserted in holes drilled by my Dremel (don't you just love power tools???!!!!). I filled it with an assortment of "stuff" that I thought might enhance the design. I think I might try this on a bigger scale soon.

Primitive Jar Recipe Holder

I haven't posted in a bit... the garden and painting for my Etsy shop are really keeping my busy! The okra, peppers, squash and eggplant are doing wonderfully. The tomatoes are struggling in this dreadful heat but I am coaxing them along with plenty of water and words of encouragement!!! Hopefully they will make it through the first of what will be many "heat spells" here in the South.

Here is a recipe holder I wanted to share with you. I covered an old Ball canning jar with homespun and then painted a prim pear with sheep on the front. The bent tines of an old vintage fork form the holder. To make it "perfectly prim", I added buttons and rusty wire. That piece of beautiful ecru lace is thanks to Marilyn's give-away that I won recently.

Hurray for the Red, White and Blue (and watermelon too!!!)

I couldn't wait to paint one of the sewing machine drawers I bought yesterday. I knew exactly what pattern I would use... one of my favorites from Terrye French with my own twist. I just love that big fluffy sheep with the watermelon slice balanced on its back. The pear, the crows, the quilt and the sunflowers are the essence of a prim American summer, aren't they? I lined the drawer with a piece of an antique quilt. The tin star is painted with the stars and stripes to mimic the flag. I cut the watermelon piece and painted and distressed it. The candlestick holder is a copy of a "courting" type. Your daddy would adjust the height of the candle according to the time your beau could stay... when it burned down it was time to say goodnight! Finally, I covered the center of a sunflower with lots and lots of buttons. This was so much fun to make!!! I am already thinking about what to paint on the second drawer!

A Little Thank-You Gift for Marilyn at Our Victorian Cottage

Marilyn at "Our Victorian Cottage" has got to be one of the sweetest people on the planet. She always writes the nicest things on her blog and her comments to other folks are just grand. I won her May give away and I wanted to find a special way to thank her. I have been reading about how dear her husband is to her and how they are working together to make their darling cottage even more magical than it already is. When I saw this precious old framed card at my favorite little antique store today, I knew it was just the ticket! I am sending it off to her tomorrow. I hope she can find a place to tuck it away in her charming home.

Kitchen Goodies...

I have found the most wonderful things to paint on lately! Dearest declares that we are going to have to build on an addition just to hold my "junk" --- I quickly remind him that it isn't junk at all and that I promise to reorganize my craft room to accommodate all my TREASURES!

Here are two little whimsies that I picked up recently. The first is vintage food grater that I repurposed to become a towel hanger. It was perfectly rusted so I left the surface unchanged and only added one of my saltbox designs. The other is a "short'ning and ice cream spoon" --- isn't that a disgusting combination??? I had never seen one before, but did a little research online and found out that you can find them if you are lucky. The shape was perfect for painting a little prim night scene. I had such a good time painting these pieces. So now, I have to get in that craft room and get serious about maximizing my space.

Last Weekend's Painting Project

Oh my goodness.... I am so glad this is not an every year project!!!! We stained the deck last weekend and by the time we were finished, we were pooped! If I could have played "Tom Sawyer", believe me I would have. I kept trying to make it look fun for the neighborhood kids, but they didn't buy it. Guess they have hear that good ole' Mark Twain story before... We keep talking about replacing the deck with that composite stuff so we will never have to worry with it again, but somehow we never get beyond the talking stage. Phew, were we ever hot and tired when it was over but it is done for another year. I think next time I see my dearest dragging out the buckets and brushes I will make a quick trip to Home Depot and pick up some brochures ---!

Oh, by the way, look closely and you can see my sweet girl Suki on the patio below!

Vintage Finds... new projects completed

I met Megan for lunch in Birmingham on Friday so I went early enough that I could visit my favorite shop, "What's On 2nd". Oh my, what a delight to go there. There are two floors in this vintage shop just filled with the most wonderful treasures. I bought several to bring home, two of which are pictured here.
The first is a vintage iron that weighs so much I wonder how anyone could possibly have the energy to do the family ironing with it! Goodness, our poor grandmothers must have fallen into bed every night, absolutely exhausted from using their "modern conveniences. I painted this one up in a prim style, and in keeping with its laundry day theme, I wrapped the handle in homespun and attached an old clothespin with rusty wire.

The second find is something I have wanted to paint on for ages. It is an "Old Pal" brand minnow bucket!!! My Uncle Hugh and I used to go fishing when I was a little girl in Oklahoma and he had a bucket just like this one. Oh, the memories of the wonderful time I spent with this kindest of men..... I used a favorite Terrye French design to paint up this piece. I tied an old piece of rope with wooden fish and bobbers attached to the handle. I think Uncle Hugh would like it!

My Sincere Thanks to Marilyn --- Our Victorian Cottage Give Away, May 2009

I felt like a child at Christmas when I found the package on my front porch from Marilyn at Our Victorian Cottage. You see, I had won her May Give Away and, never having won ANYTHING (hardly a game of tic tac toe even), I was beside myself! Well, I must say, Marilyn's give away absolutely went beyond anything I expected! Here are pictures I want to share with you of the treasure trove that box contained....


There is a wonderful book that I can't wait to study and glean some ideas from. Buttons, laces (oh the most BEAUTIFUL laces), ribbons, flowers of all sorts, and wonderful Victorian style stickers. There is a box of children's hankies --- they brought a tear to my eye because I used to carry that exact kind when I was a child (who used Kleenex then???).

I saved the best for last: I received the most beautiful hand embroidered pillowcases, edged with lace also handmade by Marilyn. The color scheme is so lovely. There is also the most stunning crocheted lace fan. I am going to frame it to hang with my collection of antique plates. Won't that be a lovely addition?






Finally, the card that was enclosed is a work of art! It was handmade by Marilyn's daughter and it is breathtaking!



I can't begin to thank Marilyn enough for all of these delightful gifts. She has been a blogging friend from the start of my adventure in "blogland". What a kindred spirit she is to me. My deepest appreciation goes out to this special, special lady whose talent amazes me!