Grandma's Vintage Kitchen

When I was a little girl, I loved to go visit my grandma and grandpa. They had all the things that my family didn't.... a chicken house, the best garden ever, and a huge kitchen where the most wonderful things to eat were created. There were things in that kitchen that I loved. Old kettles and pots, long handled spoons and balls of twine. I guess that is why I am fascinated with any vintage kitchen piece I can find to paint on.

This matchbox holder is a reminder of the one dear Grandma had hanging on the wall by her stove. One strike of a match and the king of the kitchen was fired up and ready to get to work.

Grandma also had a scale, similar to this one. She canned everything she could, always saying, "Won't this taste good this winter?" She used recipes that called for "5 pounds of apples" or, "3 pounds of Kentucky Wonder green beans." How I wish I could go back in time, drag that chair out from under the table and stand in it watching while Grandma worked her magic in that wonderful kitchen of my childhood.

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!

Old Spoons

I am still rummaging around in my little shop, going through my stash of collected treasures. This old silverplate spoon was at the bottom of a basket and though I passed it up a time or two, I kept going back to it. Finally I decided to do something with it. Painting on it would have been o.k., but I wanted to do something a little different. So, here it is.... a hanging pin cushion. A little piece of antique lace here, a scattering of forget-me-knots there and it is finished. I am thinking it might need a little hang tag. I will mull that over a day or two and see what happens.

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.