A real vintage bottle collection

For years I've heard stories about 
my great aunt's bottle collection . . . 
about her digging up bottles at the local dump
and soaking them in tubs of bleach water.

I was grateful to have the opportunity to see her
collection this summer while helping with the farm sale.


We opened the door to this little farm shed,
which was more like a little girl's play house or cottage,
to find these beautiful walls of bottles.

This is how my great aunt stored 
her collection . . . 
each bottle carefully cleaned and 
placed on shelves built for their storage . . 
on all four walls . . .

I have never seen so many bottles in one place.

Shelf after shelf of loveliness.

 This milk glass bottle collection was above the door.
You had to step inside and turn around to see them.

 Beautiful colored bottles in the window.

I was in awe at the beauty of it all,

and left it untouched . . . just the way she left it.

Enjoy your weekend!

~ Julie

Linking today with:

http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/2011/09/potpourri-party-5.html
http://www.stuff-and-nonsense.net/2011/09/fridays-unfolded-35.html 
http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/09/vintage-inspiration-friday-57-fall.html 
http://www.atthepicketfence.com/2011/09/welcome-to-inspiration-friday-no-34.html 

Lavender . . . and how to make a wreath

Enjoying the last 

cuttings of lavender . . .

 Love the smell of

fresh cut lavender.
 

I have been wanting to make a lavender wreath,

and why not do a tutorial? 

Once you know how to make a wreath,

you can make a wreath for any season,

with flowers, evergreens, etc.

What you need:

~ flowers, evergreen branches, etc.

~ green 24 gauge wire

~ a metal wreath frame (I used the flat style for this one)

How to make a wreath:

1) Secure the wire to the wreath frame
 

2) Add a small clump of lavender {or whatever you're using to make your wreath} Keep stems less than 6" long

3) Lay it on the frame and wrap the wire twice around the stems close to the flowering part and pull tight
 

4) Add your next clump on top of the first clump, covering the stems and wrap around twice with wire and pull tight.
 

5) Continue this process around the wreath until you reach the beginning.
 

6) To finish the wreath, tuck your last stems under the flowers of the first clump and wrap stems twice with the wire and pull tight
7) Secure the wire to the back of the wreath frame, cut your wire, and tuck the end inside
 

VOILA!

Enjoy! 

~ Julie 



THANK YOU TO REMODELAHOLIC
FOR DOING A FEATURE ON OUR
MASTER BATHROOM MAKEOVER.

You can check out the link here if you want to see it:

http://www.remodelaholic.com/2011/09/elegant-vintage-master-bathroom.html

Remodelaholic is an informative blog with lots of 
different features and ideas, from decorating to recipes.

Vintage treasures at my great aunt's farm

This week I'm going to share some pics

of treasures from my great aunt's farm in Oregon.
 

 A pic of these old galvanized tubs the

way they have been stored for years,

 hung on a barn wall.
 

 Some treasures we pulled out of the barn.
 

 And . . . 

some of the treasures we took to Junk Fest.

The Captain even found a lederhosen

le·der·ho·sen  pl.n. Leather shorts, with H-shaped suspenders,
traditionally worn by men and boys in the Alpine region such as Bavaria.
 

 An old chix feeder probably built by my great uncle.

Thanks for visiting today.

On my next post I will be sharing 

pics of my great aunt's vintage bottle

collection in her bottle cottage.

Have a great week!

~ Julie

Linking today with:

http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/09/vintage-inspiration-friday-56-more-from.html

Do you have a sheltering tree?

  

Today I'm sharing

a devotional I read last week

by Charles Swindoll at

Crosswalk.com 
{my morning stop if I'm not

involved in a Kay Arthur Bible study}.

Crosswalk.com is a great Bible resource.

If you're a busy mom and can't sit down for

a Bible study, they have a selection of 

quick devotions to help you start your day

with God.

Sheltering Tree

by Charles R. Swindoll

Read 2 Samuel 15:1–18
The poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge once described friendship as "a sheltering tree." What a beautiful description of that special relationship. As I read those words, I think of my friends as great, leafy trees, who spread themselves over me, providing shade from the sun, whose presence is a stand against the blast of winter's lonely winds. A great, sheltering tree; that's a friend.

David was leaving the great city of Zion—the city named after him, the City of David. As he came to the edge, at the last house, he stopped and looked back over that golden metropolis he had watched God build over the past years. His heart must have been broken as he stood there looking back, his mind flooded with memories. All around him the people of his household scurried past, leading beasts of burden piled high with belongings, running for their lives.

He was at the last house, and he needed a tree to lean on. Somebody who would say, "David, I'm here with you. I don't have all the answers, but, man, I can assure you of this, my heart goes out to you." When the chips are down and there's nobody to affirm you and you run out of armor and you have no reputation to cling to, and all the lights are going out, and the crowd is following another voice, it's amazing how God sends a sheltering tree.

All of us need at least one person with whom we can be open and honest; all of us need at least one person who offers us the shelter of support and encouragement and, yes, even hard truths and confrontation. Sheltering trees, all!

Thankfully, David had a grove of such trees. As a result he made it through the toughest and loneliest hours of his life.

Do you? If so, it is a good time to call them up and thank them for their shelter. If not, it's a good time to get a shovel and plant a few. You'll need every one.

Just ask David.

Have a great weekend!

~ Julie 

Remembering summer . . .

Sharing some blooms from summer . . .

 

Hope you've had a
great summer~

~ Julie

Linking with some of my favorite parties:

http://fishtailcottage.blogspot.com/2011/09/cottage-flora-thursdays-36.htmlhttp://fishtailcottage.blogspot.com/2011/09/cottage-flora-thursdays-36.html
http://twenty-eight-0-five.blogspot.com/2011/09/potpourri-party-3-giveaway.html 
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/2011/09/show-and-tell-friday_15.html 

Check out this old book . . .

This dictionary is probably

the biggest book I have ever seen.

We found it at an antique store

on the way back from the beach.

 5" thick

 copyright 1958

 beautiful vintage color illustrations

 and black and white

 I remember this :)

 and maps

I love old books, 

especially dictionaries.

Since the cover is already torn,

I don't mind ripping out the pages. 

So, if you need any images for 

your collage or art projects,

just send me an email.

I will be listing these dictionary pages 

in my etsy paperie shop.

Have you found any good 

old books lately?

Would love to see them.

Have a great weekend!

~ Julie

Sharing today with one of my favorite parties:

Vintage Inspiration Friday 
Time Travel Thursday @ Brambleberry Cottage