Waiting for Spring

I am longing for springtime and the time when I can get in the garden and start digging. Meanwhile, it is still cold and wintry here. The chilly temperatures aren't keeping me from doing some spring painting however and I want to share a few pieces with you.

The first is a door crown that is a Terrye French Design. My dear friend, Diane, who lives in England is the new owner and I know it will look lovely in her home. We exchange notes about the comings and goings in our lives. Her writings of trips to Sweden and working in her cottage garden just sweep me away!


I have another friend, Linda, who is suffering through the long winter as I am. Living to the north, she is receiving more than her share of snow and frosty temperatures. We both talk of how spring is surely around the corner and how we are waiting impatiently for its arrival. She recently purchased this "springy" prim bread board. Don't you just love the black bunny and the little robin's nest with its blue eggs?

Wendy, who lives in Japan, is getting her share of snow too. I hope this prim sheep skillet will give her a glimpse of springtime. We have become fast friends through our convos on Etsy. What a dear she is!

Snow is in the forecast for today so my beloved pup, Suki, and I will stay inside my warm little studio. I tell her to be patient but she wants a warmer, sunnier day. Hugs go out to all of you from the both of us!!!

Harvest Moon Clock Box

This is a clock in name only.... I removed its non-working parts and replaced them with a new face painted as a Harvest Moon. I saved the hands from the old clock and attached them to Mr. Moon (aren't they pretty?). I love to rescue items and give them a new life. I always think about that old holiday cartoon about the island of misfit toys where they are all broken and unloved. Well, this clock box is feeling feisty with his twinkling eyes and rosy cheeks. The wood finial that I attached to the top is painted to resemble a pumpkin. This was a fun piece to construct and paint!

Let's Have a Parade!!!

I have been looking and looking at this tricycle that I bought months ago. Do you do that too? Sometimes I have to really think hard about what I want to do with a piece that comes my way, especially something as unique as this little vintage inspired jewel. The lightbulb went off yesterday as I thought about the Halloween Parades we used to have in elementary school. This was long before things got so complicated .... we children would walk home for lunch (remember when we could do that???) and change into our costumes. No premade outfits for us! We had homemade costumes that were ever so much better than the "prefab" Ernie and Cookie Monster you buy at K-Mart now. Then we would rush back to school for our parade that ended with a great party in each classroom. I decided that these gourds should have a parade, so I painted them up and perched them on the tricycle (after all, everyone knows a pumpkin needs some sort of transportation!!!). Hope these guys make you smile!

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.

The Frost is on the Pumpkin.....

It is beginning to look like Fall has arrived, or at least in my studio anyway!!! I love this season for its glorious colors --- all the crimsons, golds and bronzes just make everything glow. Here are some of my latest pieces:

The first is a kerosene can. I love the curly stemmed pumpkins and the little saltbox village. I would live in the red house, if I could, and give the sheep names like "Maggie" and "Estelle".Here is an old sewing machine drawer that I painted up with the most prim jack-o-pumpkins ever! I love their toothy smiles!!! The drawer is filled with frosted pumpkins, gourds, berries, leaves and cinnamon sticks.

Finally, this is an old vintage leather suit case I found while I was on vacation. Don't you just love those black crows that are flanking the banner? I used real antique shell buttons on the pennies down each side.

I have more ideas rolling around in my head and more items already primed and ready to paint. I wonder what it will be today? Hmmmmm, another sewing machine drawer or a coffee pot? I never know until one of them speaks to me and says, "Me, me!!!! Make something out of me!!!"

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!

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.

More Building Block Houses....

Oh, I just love making these little guys! I decided to go ahead and make a set for Christmas, Halloween and an Americana set for all the patriotic holidays! I continued using all sorts of ephemera to cover the sides and bottoms of the houses. A large variety of three dimension items such as rusty stars, an old brass key, buttons and typewriter keys were used for embellishment. I am going to make a set with a chicken/rooster/egg theme for my kitchen I do believe. My dearest put his foot down sometime back about halting the addition of any more feather fowl there but these will be small so maybe I can sneak them in!!!! :o)

Everything Old is New Again!

My vision problems have calmed down (I thank your for all your prayers and words of encouragement). I had a wonderful day painting on some "treasures" I found last week at my favorite little shop. Oh how I wish you could come a ramble through it with me.... it is an old yellow house just filled to the brim with all sorts of wonderful things. I spend hours there, just pouring over all the findings, thinking about what I could do with them. So, back to my painting.... I found a cake cover, a funnel and an old enamel lid. Here is what I came up with:

The lid is painted with a new Terrye French design. I just fell in love with her "Old Muslin Chicken" and had a great time painting her. The lid is now a towel holder but I think an old piece of lace or some old hankies would look just as nice.

The next whimsy is a funnel. I always think of my dear father-in-law who had a large cotton farm "back in the day" when I find pieces like this. He had all sorts of wonderful things in his barns and tool sheds. Oh, what were we thinking when we walked right past them and didn't even look their way??? I know he would have a good laugh about me painting on something as insignificant as a funnel.

Finally, I painted an old aluminum cake cover. Rarely do I find one without a few dents here and there, but this one was absolutely perfect! I love to paint on black backgrounds and this one was great fun to do. The wood knob is original to the piece and such a nice, warm wood tone, that I left it as it is.

Today I am meeting friends for lunch (I wish you all could come too!) and then going back on another treasure hunt at the yellow house. I have inquiries about painting an old watering can and another kerosene can, so those top the "must find" list. But..... who knows what other gems will be calling my name? Oh goodness, what fun!

What an inspiration!!!

Do you ever fall in love at first sight? Oh, I don't mean the "romantic" kind of love, although I do believe in that phenomenon having been a victim 30 years ago myself! I am referring to the kind that you feel when you see a little vase, a piece of silver plate or, for me, a precious antiQue doll trunk. I found this gem at an estate sale not long ago. The outside showed that it had been well loved by its previous owner but the inside is in almost perfect condition with the original paper and hanging rod still intact. I used one of my Terrye French patterns for inspiration and painted this "twilight" angel on front. I cut her wings from my collection of vintage sheet music and applied another piece on the back. All that was needed for finishing touches were the ribbons and lace tied to the handle along with a cast iron key.

Rosebud Baby Shoe Pin Cushion

I love baby shoes! I search high and low for them in all my favorite thrift stores and antique shops. The older, the better as far as I am concerned... I wonder what story each little pair could tell about the tiny feet that once wore them, about the little toes that wiggled in delight inside.

I found a tiny pair recently and knew exactly what I would paint on each one. Here is the first, a little rosebud nosegay painted on the side and lace painted on the toe. I covered a piece of pink toile with antique dresser scarf lace to give a nice layered look. On the opposite side I hand-lettered "Rosebud".

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.

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.