Wildflowers

Mary, Mary, quite contrary,
How does your garden grow?
With silver bells, and cockle shells,
And pretty maids all in a row.

I love wildflowers!

Little bits of sunshine, to surprise you, around every corner.

Or in this case, around every tree.

These are all growing around our yard.

Can you call it a yard if it's only dirt and mud and trees?

Hints of Christmas in July

You know what makes me go weak-in-the-knees?

Christmas ornaments.

Vintage Christmas ornaments.

I know. You think that's a bit dramatic. But I'm writing on a blog and the drama is what it's all about. Right. When there isn't any, you make your own. ;)

I was surfing. (Never realized how much I liked that sport before.) ;) Anyway, I was surfing through blogs and came across this little. Ummm. Make that big because they think really big with their prices. So I came across a big site and they have vintage-style ornaments. Now I have to admit that I secretly covet the real thing when it comes to antiques but I have been known to "settle" a time or two...or maybe more. But where Christmas ornaments are involved, it truly hasn't mattered. I have a whole slew of vintage-style ornaments that I dearly love. This is all well...and pointless. Just thought I'd share that.

I'm actually staring a vintage Santa ornament in the face, as we speak. He's sitting here next to my computer, patiently waiting for me to wipe the years of dust off of him. I found him for a good price at a sale awhile back. (You can't beat free.) He's pretty worn and has definitely seen better days. All the more reason to like him. He would've ended up in the trash had I not rescued him. The soles of his boots have completely worn broken off from all of his travels. ;) But I think he'll look nice in a little bowl sitting on top of some ornaments come December.

And I scored a box of the real-deal mercury glass ornaments when I was junk-picking in Michigan, this spring. I love to put them in bowls around the house at Christmas time too.

Vintage Books

I love vintage books and particularly vintage children's books. And I always judge a book by it's cover - especially children's books. I buy them for the illustrations! I recently found these two at garage sales. Little Toot has a copyright of 1939. The Little Red Wagon is missing the page with the copyright. (The only missing page). I'd like to do a wallshelf somewhere in my house where the books face out to display all of them.

A couple of pages from the book.

Christmas Ornament

I really like this mittens ornament that I just found at a garage sale and wasn't surprised in the least after I had picked them up and noticed the brand!

Season's of Cannon Falls is my absolute favorite brand of holiday decor!! I get a kick out of it every time I'm shopping and come across vintage-style ornaments that I like because they're always this brand! You can't shop on their website but it does list the stores that sell their products.

A Whole New World

One of my favorite things is the internet. And you had no idea. ;)

For various reasons, I cannot seem to pull myself away from it. As if keeping up on a bunch of blogs of people I know weren't enough, I've now discovered a million more ways to keep myself occupied and gloriously entertained.

Craft blogs.

Etsy.

Ebay.

Every retail store under-the-sun that sells interesting and different home decor related items!

A gazillion points of inspiration.

And a ton of blogs of people who share the same interests (such as - the same magazines, a passion for junk and furniture refinishing. This one, I'm particularly excited about. I haven't known too many people who get as crazy about the same home decorating-style as I do. Ever noticed that glazed-over look in people's eyes? I get that a lot when I talk about the stuff I love). Lol. :)

It's amazing. And lovely. And oh-so-wonderfully-time consuming. I believe it's a whole new hobby (that phrase taken straight from Rebecca's blog because it's oh-so-true)!! It's also doing a fine job of assisting me with some good-old-fashioned procrastination. Moving day will come and I'll decide that it's a good time to start packing. ;)

I work better under pressure anyway.

Picture Practice

(Say that five times fast!)

Coffee and Country Home. Nuff said. :)

I was doing a little practicing and critiquing - and trying to show every angle of the gorgeous mug(s) that Christi gave me!

Top two pictures - I don't like the light (in the shape of the window, falling on the table/magazine) or the curve of the table or the wall in the background. Too much complication. I was going for a more simple background w/o the space to do it. :)

And the bottom picture - not happy with the lighting (again coming through the window). I would've been happier if it were more filtered and not so bright up near the top. Nor did I realize that I captured my fingers (in the coffee)! Lol. Ah well. I'm practicing... :) And it was still fun. I took a ton of shots.

I'm trying to practice with composition and I'd like to learn more about lighting and lenses...and cameras. :)

And, btw, the table so well-worn with love, is from Grandma & Grandpa Heinonen's house. Gordon made it. My mom and dad had it refinished years ago. Some may say it needs to be again but I say it's just about perfect! ;)

And, how many of you actually tried to say "picture practice" five times fast?

Quilts

I have a passion for quilts. I love quilts! And I especially love really, really old quilts. The ones that have been worn, loved and faded with age. I love them.

Well yesterday, out junkin', I stopped at a garage sale full of vintage stuff. I knew I was bound to find something, as I walked up and spotted four little old ladies sitting there knitting! But these ladies were smart. Their prices proved it. (I don't like when they're smart!) I'm too frugal. I like the sales when they're selling their stuff to get rid of it and the prices prove it.

I can wait.

I am a very patient person when it comes to my junk. If I see something - even something I really like, I will walk right past it without batting an eye if it's a smart price. I wait for the priced-to-walk-out-the-door price.

I've found many a-thing this way. Now, if you know me, you know I'm not a very patient person all the time, but with junk it's different. Patience pays off. I've got a story - in a minute. But first, yesterday's sale. I saw an old faded pale colored quilt covering some stuff in the garage. Stuff that presumably wasn't for sale. As I was checking out with my other treasures, I asked if it was for sale and got a "no". I was disappointed.

I had to ask! You never know unless you ask. I've gotten some of the best junk this way.

Now, my story about patience and how waiting pays off - I found my cream colored high chair this way. I had wanted a white wooden high chair since I was pregnant for Nikayda. I looked at every sale that had one. I walked right by them all - for a couple of years. (In the meantime, I settled for a "temporary" Graco highchair a neighbor had given me.)

Aapo was a baby when I finally found IT. It is my current high chair.

All of those other highchairs I'd seen were priced by smart people. They were anywhere from 20-30 bucks and higher. Depending on their age. They were all vintage. Some sturdy, many not. All were a dark brown stain. I didn't want dark brown stain. I knew I could paint them but I waited. And being a frugal person, I was not going to spend that much because I knew deep down inside I'd find something more inexpensive if I just waited. And I did.

And it cost me 7 bucks! Seven bucks! And I love it.

When I drove up the driveway of this particular sale, I saw a large pole-barn filled with junk. (Much of it real junk). But I dug around anyway. I didn't find much. I was on my way out when I spotted the highchair and made a beeline to it. After a full inspection and noticed the footrest was missing. Paint job was in mint condition. A new paint job. The chair was vintage. Didn't mind that it was new paint. (Less likely to have lead in it). So, I walked up to the lady by the cash.

Me(pointing to the chair): Do you have the footrest for that highchair?
Lady: Umm...no...I don't think we do...
Me: What do you want for it?
Lady: Um. Let me see. 10 dollars?
Me (I can't help myself. I was expecting her to say $20.): Are you serious?!

(I'm all excited ready to say "sold!"...)

Lady: Wait a sec. Let me just call my friend. It's her chair.
Me (a little confused but I wait.)

Phone conversation from *this* end.

Lady: I have a lady here who is interested in your highchair but it's missing the footrest. I told her 10 but I think it might be a little high... (At this point, I'm incredulous - she's going to come down?!) Ummm.... Okay.... Yeah, that's what I was thinking.

She gets off the phone, turns to me and says, "How about seven?"

So I got a highchair that I love, for seven dollars.

Patience pays off.

Favorite Things - Old

My Favorite Things - Old

These are some of the VINTAGE THINGS that I collect. (I may have one or more of these....but am still on the hunt - you can never have too many).

• Linens
• Skeleton keys (For you young 'uns, that means old keys and not keys to unlock an actual skeleton!)
• Glass bottles & jars
• Wooden boxes & bins
• Metal milk crates
• Glass milk bottles
• Metal milk carrier baskets (with the handles)
• Wooden benches & chairs
• Suitcases
• Sewing notions (includes, but not limited to: thread, buttons, ribbon, bias tape, rick-rack, material)
• Children's books and school books (circa 1930's - 1970's)
• Almost anything from the '50's that has that retro-blue color (from clocks to dishes to fans)
• Baby clothes
• Dishes
• Metal baskets from old refrigerators (the drawers)
• Clocks
• Mirrors
• Windows
• Glass door knobs
• Cameras
• Bowls
• Milk glass (especial the hobnail style. My husband thinks it's ugly. I bought a couple of milk glass pieces at a garage sale when I was pregnant for either Nikayda or Aapo and he thought it was 'just because I was pregnant' and that I wouldn't like it after I had the baby! He was wrong. LOL.) :)

(Remember: All of the above are vintage things that I like).

Favorite Things

A few of my favorite things...

I've decided, from time to time, I'm going to post some of my favorite things and write about them. Sometimes briefly and sometimes not...

Bath & Body Works is one of my favorite things. I'm on the mailing list and I get coupons all the time. They're usually for a free product with a 10 or 15 dollar purchase. A good deal because the product is worth anywhere from 5 to 10 bucks! Just go to www.bathandbodyworks.com to sign up. They also send printable coupons to your email. I love almost everything in the store but my favorite things are the Aromatherapy line of products and the Wallflowers. Select Wallflowers are $6.00 right now - until June 3. (Doesn't include all of the fragrances).

I used to buy the Antibacterial Handsoap until I learned that it's not good to use antibacterial all the time. (It kills too much of the good bacteria. And some studies have shown it's really not necessary to use it. But you hear something new everyday... Don't you?) I've always liked the Aromatherapy handsoap but now especially because it's not antibacterial. And it smells so good! And it's made with essential oils. (Another favorite discovery of mine - Essential Oils. One that I've learned about from my in-laws - Shirley and Suzy).

My favorite scents are the Lavendar and Vanilla and the Jasmine and Vanilla. I've always loved Lavendar. It often reminds me of visiting Mary & Pete's Farmington house as a little girl. (Kiilunen - my dad's sister). It used to smell like lavendar and I loved it!

I loved that house. The coziness of it and all of the great stuff that decorated the walls and shelves. I've gained so much inspiration from those walls! I always loved all of the neat toys they had too - another source of inspiration for me. Funny, because I bet my aunts don't realize how much they've inspired me to this day. Although my style is different from theirs, of all of my aunts, I've gained the most inspiration for decorating from Marilyn (Heinonen) and Mary (Kiilunen).

And you know I love to collect. Yes. Junk. But that includes many things! I'm not a knick-knack, statue-type person. I collect anything that catches my interest from vintage buttons to wire baskets to blue Ball Mason jars to vintage sewing notions and vintage windows. Just about anything old.

Often my collections are accidental ones. They merely come about when I find one thing that catches my interest and in my junk-hunting stumble upon another of the same thing. And pretty soon I've got a little collection going.

An example would be my Mrs. Stewart's Liquid Bluing jars. I found one at a junk store. Saw two more at an antique store. Found one at yet another and another...and I've got a collection! I've got 5 or 6. I just found another one at Rich's Antiques in Park Rapids. I'm thinking of lining them up on a window in my laundry room. I like them because of their round shape and blue color. [I love pale blue or pale green glass bottles & jars].

When decorating, I love to group things together for effect. Recently, I learned when you group things together it's best to group an odd number (of like objects) rather than an even. That was interesting (I'm sounding so nerdy here. LOL). I know most people could care less about decorating but it's a fun little hobby for me...maybe it's all part of the art-thing. My favorite "subject" in school was art. So I love being surrounded by fun things to look at. I guess to me it's inspiration.