A story of old vintage dishes and Friends...

Greetings...

How are you girls today?

I thought I would share something a little different with you today.. I hope that is ok.

When I was a wee girl we were a very poor family as I have told you before..

My grandmother who lived in St. Martins (where our cottage is) had a wonderful old china cupboard.  I think I may have told you once about how I would oh so quietly creep into the old dining room and press my small tipped up nose again the cupboard pane and look.. just look.. except once but that is another story...grin..

I have loved old dishes ever since...

Anyway... here are a few shelves of some that I have here at home...

Hope you will like to see them... 

Don't you love dishes with old roses on them?

I also like to put other little things among my dishes.. old cards..

 Old bisque dolls...

This one belonged to my friend, Julia.. 

Anything with violets on them...

A favorite gift from Terry..

an old cocoa set..

I received this set and the cocoa set above from a sweet old antique dealer who used to live in Sackville before she passed on..

Her name was Julia and I loved her...

Another little collection that has not cost me very much just by picking them up here and there over the years..

Julia got me started on this...

Hand blown glasses Terry found at a yard sale in St. Martins..

Tea trolley filled with a flee market tea set..

And a breakfast set from my Great Aunt Emily..

An occupied Japan miniature tea set from Julia and milk pitchers from a friend..

As you can see Julia has really been a part of my love for antiques..

I met her many years ago when I was doing vintage Victorian crafts and I was trying to buy old buttons and lace and such..

 After we DISCOVERED her we would take a day and go visit Julia and her husband.  They were in their seventies and had 3 old barns full of antiques and books.. 

She was always so glad to see us.. especially Terry.. smile..

Then she would tell me just to putter through the 3 barns and to take my time.. She had a few things for Terry to mend..smile..When I was finished I was to take the stash into the kitchen..

Let me take a moment and tell you about her kitchen.. It was the most wonderful kitchen I have ever been in.. It was filled with cupboards lined with open shelves stacked high with old dishes, crocks full of butcher knives, cast iron and copper hanging from racks on the walls,  baskets suspended from the rafters,plants galore and two old wing back chairs pulled up to the wood stove..She had a long harvest table surrounded with antique chairs and a old rocker by the window..  It was a huge room with a high ceiling lined with beams..There was always a lovely smell of roasting meat and a tea kettle rattled on the stove..

 I could have moved in.. smile.. 

Anyway.. 

She would go through whatever I had carted in from the barn and give me a price. 

My.. how we would laugh as I would try to beat her down.. She would look at me over her glasses and try to explain that she had to make a few cents you know..lol...

She loved Terry more than me but I didn't mind.. smile..He would say.. "oh, Faye".. I would laugh and say that I had to make a living, too.. grin.. 

After our business was over and the tea was gone she would take me through the rest of her beautiful home full of one-of-a-kind antiques and tell me that she did not do this for everybody you know.. She was only about five feet tall but had a such a masculine type voice... She was such a contrast of personality... Seeming to be so gruff but yet so kind..So sweet... 

 I am thankful that God blessed us so much by knowing her.. She taught me so much..

Not just about antiques but about tomato casserole,hospitality, cactus, ivory buttons and so much more..

On days like today when Spring is in the air and the wind is blowing in the trees I wish I could bend my head down so I could go through that old barn door and see the chair where she had been sitting sorting her china and silver and stacking her hundreds of books..I could smell the lovely scent of antiquity and rub my hand along a piece of timelessness...

I would clear a place somewhere and begin piling my stash and wonder if Julia had the tea on yet.. wistful smile..

Oh well.. We were so blessed to have many such visits with her and her husband before she left us..

I will always treasure these dear precious pieces that came from her hands...

I think that friends are a rare and priceless gift from God.  Sometimes they are our age or younger or older but they always have a heart that is kindred to ours.  They teach, appreciate, share and give us so much back in return.  I want to be thankful to the Lord  for them and treasure them as something precious that I have in my keeping..

May God bless each one of you today..

My friends..

So...

On that note, my dears I must go and try to accomplish some things on my list. 

Today is the last day to sign up for the little giveaway... I will let you all know the winner first thing in the morning.. ok?

Thanks for visiting and please leave a note.. smile..

God bless.. 

A Frugal Country Bedroom Fix-up..

Hello my dears...

Good Morning to you .. Just wanted to share my weekend project with you all..

I love our bedroom... Oh.. there are bigger and better but this one is ours and it is one of my favorite rooms here at home.

HOWEVER, it needs a little fixing up.. Kinda stuck in the the same rut for a few years so yesterday and today I am striving to give it a facelift.  A frugal one....lol...

Here is what it looks like before I started working on it yesterday.. I guess you could call it the BEFORE pic...

Remember I am not doing major reno... just a bit of tweaking...lol

I still love the paint and the border that Shonda (our daughter) did a while ago...She stamped on the border with 3 square sponges..And it only took her a couple of hours.. The DEAR girl...

The candle chandolier needs a little tweaking as does the old rocker.. 

And some new or different bed coverings..

 It is a water bed as I had mentioned before..Remember? 

Terry built a base for it so it quite high.. I love it.. But it requires king size bedding..

This is an old wardrobe that Terry redid for a quilt cupboard.. I love the country look but I think this needs another coat of antiquing and redone some to look more prim..

I am not sure what to do with it..

New drawer pulls and knobs...

Right?  We shall see...

A small corner wall that I love and  won't change..

It is a sweet reminder that I wake up to each day..

But some other wall changes are needed...

Then...

Perhaps change some chairs around..

I did not take any more pics of the dressers and such for now..

Anyway... this is what I am working on and you can check back on Monday or Tuesday to see how I make out... ok?

Hopefully, I  will complete my weekend project..

With that in mind I did a little surfing the web and found some inspiration the other day..

These pics are mostly country style... I love prim but there are some wonderful ideas here..

Most are from the Country Living Site

The old pieces here are beautiful..

I love old quilts and antiques...

I love the bookshelves which I need ... I picked an old one up at the thrift the other day... It is only small but I want to paint it and fill with books.. I have books everywhere..

Do you girls have a lot of books?

In this I loved the old planter at the foot of the bed..

My mother has one... maybe she is tired of it, eh?  lol...

No.. I don't  have room...

Nice, though...

Lots of pillows .....

The little stand.... the old trunk...

Another old stand, books, old white porcelain pieces. pics on a rack...

My friend Tammy's bedroom.. I love the bedding and the cushions..

I love her fireplace, too... Tammy is very  prim..

Also.. she is very talented and does most of the renos herself..

I am not that smart .. I NEED Terry for anything of major redo.

But this time I am just wanted to give it a bit of a facelift and am on my own.. smile.. 

Our bedrooms should be sweet and cozy and clean, of course.

Now I must confess that if there is any room in the house that needs constant attention it is OUR ROOM...

I was wondering why that was as I am dusting down the spider webs and picking up books and stuff..

Then it came to me... This is a room that I live in... I use it a lot..

Not only for sleeping but relaxing in.. 

Therefore, I need to give it more attention in the future.. So if I get it all spiffed up I will be more motivated.... smile...

I hope so anyway.. 

I wanted to thank all you sweet ones for commenting on my last posting.. I appreciated it.. And I called my Mom and read them all to her.. She really enjoyed that so thank you so much.

Also... I would like to welcome any new followers...

If you have a blog please let me know...

Don't forget to check in next week for the AFTER pics..lol..

Have a wonderful blessed weekend and don't forget to take your families to church tomorrow...

Blessed be the Name of the Lord...

Faye

Ps... I posted  a breakfast recipe on my other blog last nite.. Just in case you are interested...