I have always been fascinated by old things, things that were made before modern manufacturing, before computers and electricity.  I marvel at the ingenuity and problem-solving abilities of their creators.  I initially bought this inkwell because…well, I just love art supplies, ink wells, beautiful dip pens, and the like, and I had missed out on a similar one a couple of years ago.  But now that I’ve played around with it and have done a bit of research, I love it even more.  I’d like to introduce you to the clever design of an antique French pump inkwell… It’s another item I purchased from the Dreamy Whites’ birthday sale a few weeks ago.  I initially thought it was an ironstone inkwell and, as I mentioned, I had pondered purchasing a similar one a couple of years ago, but I missed out on it.  When I saw it listed in Maria’s

Hey, everyone!  I enjoyed a few days off but really started to miss sharing here on the blog towards the end of the week.  I got so much done, though, and it was focused, unhurried, productive, fruitful…just what I needed it to be.  Towards the end of the week, I was feeling a bit fried and antsy to get out of the house, so I went to my favorite local consignment store (it’s Kismet for those who are local or passing through Rochester, MN.) I originally went in because I spotted a pair of chairs on their Facebook page.  I thought they would look nice flanking the hutch in the living room.  They were still available, so I went to the consignment store the next morning and they were even better in person.  They were both sturdy, in excellent condition, and it looked like the hand-tied caning had been redone

I hope you had a great weekend!  Mine ended up being unusually busy as we’re getting the house put back together after all of the projects, working on finishing other projects, getting ready for back-to-school, and trying to get back into some sort of a routine.  As soon as the stay-at-home orders hit back in March, I was completely knocked off my usual routines and it has been a struggle to get them back.  I’m working on it, though…getting there.  I was really hoping to paint because I’ve been missing the easel and my palette, but I just ran out of time.  Let’s talk about some antique finds today… The Friday before my parents went back home to PA, my mom and I decided to hit a local antique store to see if we could find any of the items on my list.  We were lucky to trip across an

A couple of weeks ago, I gave in to the itch to get out of the house strictly for fun and, while the floors were being refinished, I went to a few antique stores with my friend, Cheri.  We drove separate cars, wore masks, and doused ourselves in hand sanitizer, and took every precaution we could short of staying home.  I didn’t find any of the larger items on my list for all of the room projects that are in the works, but I did end up with a pretty nice antique haul. I bought the glass jelly jars for $12.  They are so sweet and the perfect size for a little fruit salad or for whisking up a single egg. I found a roll of heavy cotton twine that I thought would be fun to crochet with.  It’s a good weight for dishcloths… This is such a fun find…