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I don’t believe I ever properly showed off this peanut scale I purchased in the fall from one of my “pickers.” As soon as I saw the picture of it, I knew it would be mine. Oh yes, it would be mine. I have no idea why I have a soft spot in my heart for scales, but I do.
From the moment I spotted a hutch full of white Ironstone in a magazine, I knew that’s what I wanted to collect and I have hunted it down for the past ten years. I don’t look for the high end stuff, though. I look for the bargains. Pieces that are chipped, crazed, stained, missing tops, missing bottoms…whatever. I don’t mind. Of course, if a fabulous piece falls in my lap, I don’t turn my nose at it. Here’s a look at some of the collection I’ve amassed… If loving Ironstone is an illness, may I never recover! What do you collect? (If you’d like to know more about Ironstone, you can check out my post, Ironstone 101.)
Excuse the pun. Those who “know” me, know that I have a soft spot for typewriters. I usually go for the really old Underwoods and Coronas, but while I was at the furniture shop last week, this little guy caught my eye. The color is so pretty, isn’t it? I haven’t restocked my space at Lucketts since Christmas (Thanks Karen!), so I’m starting to make a pile of new things to take in a couple of weeks. This is going on the pile. The winner of the $100 Antique Farmhouse giveaway is Jen (crazicrafter), which is so funny because she proclaimed in her comment that she has no luck. Well, your “luck” has turned. Congratulations!
I went out last week to a used furniture store and, much like a kid in a candy shop, I didn’t leave empty handed. Here’s my favorite find… …and a sneak peek at another one… They both need some work, but I think I can manage. I’m back in the saddle again.
I finally read through all of the comments from the announcement post about my upcoming book. Wow…thanks so much. Getting started is a little overwhelming and all of that encouragement gave me a huge boost. I had my first photo shoot for the book yesterday and it was also encouraging to me. As I started staging and snapping photos, I knew it would all come together and ideas and inspiration have been popping up everywhere from casual conversations to a stroll around Lucketts. I’m obviously going to keep the photos for the book under wraps, so everything is fresh and new when the book is released, but here is a picture of one of the bouquets I put together. I added the dried lavender to the fresh arrangement after some feedback from my editor and I love how it looks. I’m going to trying tucking dried lavender in all fresh
I received so many questions about the coverlet on my guest bed that I thought I would write a post about it. This spread is very special to me, because my great-grandmother made it by hand for my grandparents. It was on this bed (which belonged to another great-grandmother) in my grandparents house for years. I remember picking at the detail of the “flowers” when I was a child and sleeping under it when I visited them when I was in college. When this bed and coverlet ended up in the attic, I knew I needed to “save” them and now they are happily paired together again in my guest room. I don’t know the name of the pattern, but I have seen ones like mine in antique stores, so I know it’s not incredibly uncommon. I don’t know how long it took to make one of
Thanks so much for all of the feedback on my horse. I’ve decided I’m going to keep him. You’re all a bad influence. You know that? Or maybe a good influence. I know I’m going to be glad I kept him. Maybe we’ll have a “name that horse” contest to win ornaments from my Christmas line or something like that. While shopping on Friday, I found something else I knew I was going to keep….this hutch. I bought it for an HGTV.com article I’m working on and figured I would sell it when I was done. I found the perfect place in my house for it, though, so it’s a keeper. I love it when that happens! I’ve always wanted a chippy, old hutch to house some ironstone and linens in and this is perfect. I’m still debating over whether I want to paint the interior or not…hmmm… I’m looking forward to
You know those things that you see in magazines and spot in antique stores and pine after and always keep in the back of your mind? Well, one of those things for me has been an antique rocking horse. I’ve seen a few in magazine homes, perched on an elegant buffet or the top of a French armoire. A child’s toy turned art. I’ve had my eye on one in an antique store for months. I always dismissed it, thinking it was just too expensive. Yesterday, while shopping for things for the open house, my gaze landed on the familiar horse that I have loved and dismissed at least a dozen times. It was the same price and the tag read “firm”, so I doubted it would be reduced any time soon. Or ever. Today, though, it didn’t seem that expensive. On a whim, I asked one of the women behind the counter
I’m Marian, a painter, writer, and lover of all things creative. From art and antiques to home projects and everyday life, I share my journey in hopes of inspiring you to embrace your own creativity and make beauty in the spaces you live.
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