Saturday, January 29, 2011

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today I want to link up with the French Cupboard's Vintage and Handmade Valentine Party, so I'm sharing some of the things I've been working on for Valentine's Day.


Some LOVE banners and garlands . . . .







Vintage image Valentine tags . . .




A new heart sheet music wreath . . .


And this little sheet music bird we all loved so much during Christmas, 
now sitting on a nest for Valentine's Day ready to pass on an "I love you" message to a special Valentine . . .



All of the above items are available in my etsy shop. You can go there by clicking the etsy pic on my side bar. If you are interested in an item, just email me, and I can make a custom order for you.


Wishing you a special day with your Valentine!

XOXO

Thursday, January 27, 2011

A Peek at the Shop . . .

I shared a few days ago that I've been working on setting up a vintage shop in one of our guest rooms. I am done tweaking; so here's a peek at some of the vignettes. Any and all input would be appreciated. And, of course, almost everything is for sale and will be listed soon in my etsy store. 















Thanks for visiting today! Please leave a comment; I'd love to hear from you.

Have a great weekend!

~ Julie


Today I'm linking with: 
http://commonground-debrasvintagedesigns.blogspot.com/2011/01/vintage-inspiration-friday-22-morning.html
http://frenchcountrycottage.blogspot.com/2011/01/tarnished-silver-feathered-nest-friday.html  
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/2011/01/show-and-tell-friday_27.html 
http://froufroudecor.blogspot.com/2011/01/fabulous-friday-finds-party.html 
http://ljm-alacarte.blogspot.com/2011/01/junkin-finds-friday-13.html 

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Some new vintage treasures . . . . .

A few new vintage treasures Kevin and I found while antiquing this week. 





A sweet silverplate coffee pot . . .

 a nice tarnished silverplate bowl . . .

 and, love this vintage bird cage.



Thanks for visiting today.
Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Friday, January 21, 2011

Thank You . . . . .

Wow . . . . is it Friday already???

Last week, I received two treasures in the mail, both giveaway wins! Yeah! From Sabre at Heirloom Gypsy and Sharon at Corgis in My Garden.

A pretty bed bag made by Sharon at Corgis in My Garden. It's a handmade bag to hang on your bed to hold a few little necessities, like a pen and pad, eyeglasses, some tissue, a remote control, etc. Her sewing is beautifully done! She makes these and sells them at her etsy store.  What a great little idea and something useful. If you want to see more, check out her shop. She also has doll houses with miniatures, that are amazing, on her blog.




AND . . . 

A great little gift package from Sabre at Heirloom Gypsy . . . . . a sweet magazine, which also features her spoon tutorial! Congrats, Sabre, on being published! A pretty hankie with pink flowers, and a handmade tag and bookmark with a key. What a nice surprise! She specializes in selling things from the past at her online shop and at her etsy store. 






Thank you so much, Sabre and Sharon!!!

I have been busy setting up my vintage shop in our shabby chic guest room. I'll share some pics and vignettes soon, so I can get some advice from all of you professional vendors! 

Have a great weekend! Thanks for visiting here. I love hearing from you, and thank you to all who choose to follow. Every comment is a blessing and encouragement and doesn't go unnoticed, and I try to return the blessing by visiting your blog, as well.

~ Julie

Monday, January 17, 2011

A New Online Magazine . . . Whimsical Musings Magazine

Today is the launch party of a wonderful, new online artist magazine . . . Whimsicalmusingsmagazine ~ A weekly magazine blog for those who enjoy art, repurposing, and decorating.

Created by Cindy at Cindy Adkins Whimsical Musings, this new weekly online magazine will feature professional guest artists each Monday. There's a giveaway too, so make sure you visit and leave a comment.

Here's the link and the button if you would like to add it to your blog.






I've never considered myself a 'real' artist; I love crafting and interior design and do cake decorating, but I've come to realize we all have an artist inside of us. We're all creative in our own way.  Maybe it's the way you display your pillows, make your bed, put together an outfit, sew, knit or crochet. Meeting other artists is a great way to be inspired and challenged to use your creative side. Maybe there's something you're thinking about doing, making, cooking, baking. It's the way you do things; different than anyone else, that make you your own unique artist. Get in touch with your artistic side and set aside time to make something new, or better. Come and be inspired.

I am constantly inspired by others.

Have a great week!

~ Julie

Friday, January 14, 2011

Back to New England . . . Historical Deerfield, Massachusetts

I want to finish sharing about our trip to New England. Before the holidays we were in Connecticut. I only have two more stops to share, so please bear with me if this is really of no interest to you :).

We had not planned to visit Deerfield, Massachusetts, and we really didn't know anything about it, but, surprisingly, I had brought along my Martha Stewart magazine. [One of my favorite things to do while traveling . . . catching up on all of my magazines, to which my hub asks "Are you really going to read all of those magazines?" "Of course." lol. It is a running joke between us . . . and he loves the extra weight in our luggage :).] This issue just happened to have an article on Historical Deerfield. I discovered a several block treasure where Henry and Helen Flynt had purchased and preserved several homes from the late 1700's. What? . . .  I have to go there! Some of homes have been historically furnished and are open for tours, and some of them people live in. We entered the town of Deerfield into the GPS device and took a detour to Historical Deerfield.

Take a step back in time, to the 1700's . . . I've included some of the descriptions from their website.

Built in 1799, the Asa Stebbins House features Federal period architecture, wall treatments, and decorative arts.  It was the first brick house in Deerfield, and the interior of the house features neoclassical furnishings dating from 1790 to 1830.  Inspired by ancient Greek and Roman design, this style was popular in the years following the American Revolution. One of Deerfield’s wealthiest and most highly respected citizens, Stebbins’ selection of brick construction and linear neoclassical design was a stylish departure from earlier Deerfield houses with their wooden clapboards and bold pedimented doorways.  Of special note are French scenic wallpaper panels by Joseph Dufour depicting the voyages of Captain Cook, freehand wall painting that may have been executed by itinerant artist Jared Jessup in 1812, and several portraits by Erastus Salisbury Field of nearby Sunderland, Massachusetts.

Built ca. 1754 in Springfield, Massachusetts, the Dwight House was moved to Deerfield in 1950 when it was threatened with demolition. The museum’s founders, Henry and Helen Flynt, had the house dismantled and brought 35 miles north to Deerfield where it became one of only four houses along The Street that were not here originally. 


 This home was originally owned by a doctor who painted it this shade of blue. Built in 1747, the Wells-Thorn House presents period rooms depicting the lifestyle of Deerfield residents in a progression from the early days of 1725 all the way up to the high-style of the 1850s.  It is furnished to illustrate the development of the agricultural economy, domestic life, and refinement in the Connecticut Valley. The earliest rooms of the Wells-Thorn House show life in Deerfield during the frontier period.  Later period rooms in the house reflect the increased availability of consumer goods and the growing prosperity and sophistication of Deerfield’s residents.

Built circa 1750, the Frary House depicts the Colonial Revival home of Miss C. Alice Baker, as restored in the 1890s with New England antiques, Arts and Crafts needlework, ironware and basketry.  Baker was a teacher, collector, and antiquarian researcher, who restored the Frary House in 1892. Today Miss Baker’s home interprets the village’s active Arts and Crafts movement, her antiquarian pursuits, and her role in fostering the Colonial Revival in Deerfield.  Education, tourism, and the sale of arts and crafts served as an economic bridge to 20th-century Deerfield. Visitors came by rail, and later by trolley and automobile, to tour Memorial Hall Museum, shop for arts and crafts in the homes and studios of their makers, and enjoy the romance of a frontier village that had aged so gracefully. Tourists generated employment for members of the Deerfield Society of Blue and White Needlework, craftsmen in the Society of Deerfield Industries, and in the hotels, boarding houses, and tearooms that accommodated visitors searching for a tranquil past in an increasingly industrialized nation.

Built in 1754/7, the Sheldon House has an 1802 single-story ell or addition to the rear.  The house is interpreted to the period of 1780 to 1810, when the house was occupied by three generations of Sheldon family members.  The expansion of the house in 1802 was probably done with the expectation that several Sheldon children would marry and increase the household.  

Originally constructed in 1730, the Hinsdale and Anna Williams House was extensively renovated to its present appearance in 1816. Ebenezer Hinsdale Williams, a landowner and farmer, was born in Roxbury, Massachusetts, educated at Harvard College, and later moved to Deerfield. Williams, his wife Anna, and their two teenage children lived in a splendid Federal-style house until his death in 1838. French scenic wallpaper depicting Venetian scenes survives from the Williamses’ time, and other wallpapers have been reproduced from original evidence in the house. Furnishings listed in the probate inventory of Hinsdale Williams include a cooking stove, a washing machine, and 16 “flagg-bottomed” chairs.


Built in 1734, and renovated in 1945, the Allen House served as the residence of  Historic Deerfield’s founders Henry and Helen Flynt.  The interiors of the house have been left as they were when the Flynts lived here.




Hope you enjoyed a little tour of Deerfield. I couldn't take any pics inside the homes, but it was fun going back in time and hearing about the original people who lived there.

Thank you for all of your lovely and kind comments. I look forward to getting to know you in 2011!
I appreciate you taking the time to visit and leave a comment and/or follow.

Have a great week!

~ Julie

Saturday, January 8, 2011

What's for Dinner? . . . Chicken Pot Pie

Today I'm sharing one of our favorite winter recipes. It really warms you up on a cold winter day. It takes about 1 to 1-1/2 hours in food prep time, but it is worth it!

CHICKEN POT PIE

1-3 TBSP. Butter 
2 Stalks Celery, diced
2 Carrots, peeled and diced or sliced
1 Small Onion, diced
1/4 Cup Flour
1/2 tsp. Salt (optional)
1 Cup Chicken Broth
1 Cup Milk
1 Can Cream of Mushroom Soup, undiluted
4 Cups Cooked Chicken or Turkey, cubed

Melt butter (I cut back on butter wherever I can and use about 1 TBSP.), saute carrots, celery and onion until soft. [I start with the carrots since they take the longest to cook.]
Stir in flour and salt, if desired [I don't add any salt]
Gradually add milk and broth stirring constantly until thickened. 
Fold in soup and meat.
Spoon mixture into 9x13 inch pan and set aside.

Crust
1-1/2 Cups Flour
3/4 tsp. Baking Powder
1 tsp. Salt
3 TBSP. Butter or Margarine
1/2 Cup Milk
2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese

For crust, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Cut butter into mixture. 
Add milk and mix to form a soft dough. Roll into a 12x10 inch rectangle.
Sprinkle with cheese and roll up cinnamon roll style. 
Slice into 1/2 inch wheels and place on chicken or turkey mixture. 
Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes or until crust is lightly browned.


Enjoy!


You can check out more recipes and creative design ideas at
http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/2011/01/sat-nite-special-64-brings-you-creative.html

Tuesday, January 4, 2011

Vintage Winter White & Tarnished Silver

Thank you for all of the decorating inspirations!

When Debra at Common Ground said she redecorates her sideboard every month, I thought about my mantel . . . . . it has been the same for . . . . years    . . . . with the exception of holidays . . . 

So, today I 'm sharing our newly decorated mantel for winter.










 It has an 1880's print of The Lord's Prayer and Ten Commandments we purchased in New England, white milk glass  {available at my etsy shop}, enamelware, and a button covered ball (from Arbor House Lane), some vintage silver pieces and mercury glass ornaments. I also added a few natural elements ~ cedar cones tucked in some milk glass, mini pine cones, a ball covered with hydrangea blooms,  and a bouquet of green camellia leaves, incense cedar and rose hips, and a touch of red with a berry wreath.

I'm loving the natural elements with the white and silver. 
What's on your winter mantel?

Hope you're having a Happy New Year!


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