new rustic

A Bit of This, A Bit of That

Check out this funny set of vintage measuring cups!   

I’ve never seen anything like these before.  I tested them against my own measuring cups and they came out way off.  I imagined cooks of yore, scooping out flour and sugar with whatever they had on hand.  Or those 19th century recipes that just list ingredients – the cooking equivalent of taking the ball and running with it.  That’s my favourite way to cook, so these may be the perfect measuring cups after all. 

There is also evidence in this picture that I finally conceded to a months-old obsession with a pair of small hunting dog prints.  I had to stretch as tall as I could to unhook them from the barn rafter – my belly bumping into a bookshelf full of breakables.  It was worth the contortionist act for a little bit of classic lodge style.

I had to get them because they remind me of our own clumsy hunting dog, Bucky.  Bucky the Black and Tan Coonhound cross doesn’t exactly hunt, but he has all of the instincts. He’s always staring off into the distance, brow furrowed, in deep concentration.  If he spots something, he’s off at breakneck speed, attempting to “tree” a chipmunk or a deer.  He has the entire property mapped out, and religiously checks all of his hotspots (i.e. the places he’s encountered animals before) every chance he gets.  If he saw a squirrel running the fence line during his window patrol three hours before, he’ll bolt down there as soon as the door opens – just in case.

My Weakness

Orphaned chairs. 

I can't resist.  I see one at the side of the road, I have to stop.  Driving through residential neighbourhoods on large item garbage day, my eyes dart wildly at every curb, checking and re-checking the trashpiles like a problem gambler at a bingo game.

Last time this happened, I scored a unique chair with a heart pattern drilled into the seat, and a wooden rocking chair - 100% free!

Those ones above were discovered on a bike ride, hidden in the woods where two tiny gravel roads meet.  They had ancient, hideous, crumbling woven seats - which I cut away to spare you.  They're a little wobbly right now, but they're high, barstool-like chairs that are brimming with potential.  Don't you agree? 

Keep an eye out for the big makeover! 

There was the most perfect black chair, with turned legs and a tooled leather seat, that I spotted at the Antique Barn last Saturday.  I passed it up, but I've been coveting it hard all week.  Don't you hate that?  **crossing my fingers that it's still there this weekend!**

How to Have a Happy Sunday

1.  Spot a humble hand-made sign that reads  "Yard Sale". 

2.  Drive by.  Does it look any good? 

3.  Wow!  It does! 

4.  Start to get excited. 

5.  Pull over.  Glimpse piles of furniture through the trees. 

6.  Enter a wonderland of antiques - scattered on a giant lawn, under tents, stacked high in garage.

7.  Ask husband, "Have I died and gone to heaven?"

As it turned out, this wasn't exactly a yard sale, but the clever marketing tactics of an antiques dealer.  I only came with eight dollars cash in my wallet, so it meant browsing only.  I spied a huge pinwheel quilt, time-worn and butter-soft, at least a generation or two old.  At a regular yard sale, I might have a chance.  But this was a dealer, and I'd never seen a hand-quilted vintage gem like that in antique shops for less that $75. 

It couldn't hurt to ask.

Me (gingerly):  How much are you asking for the quilt that's hanging over there? *smile*

Antique Lady:  Oh that one?  I'd say that one is...uh...eight dollars?

Me: !!!!!!!!!!

Exactly the amount I had in my wallet!  I tried to act nonchalant so she wouldn't change her mind, emptied out my wallet, hugged it tight and scurried back to the truck.  It was MY quilt!  It was meant for me!  The talented lady who created it must have been smiling down on me from heaven, counting up my change and making my wish come true. 

And I won't let her down!  You'd think it was my very own family heirloom, I'm so attached to it.   The picture above is not it, here is half of it on the clothesline:

The picture at the top of the post is actually another brilliantly lucky find - a handstitched quilt top constructed out of vintage fabrics - scrunched up on the thrift store shelf for three dollars!  This woman had a great eye for combining colours (don't you love the maroon and turquoise with the pink?):

I'm going to try and finish it myself as a practice exercise.  I've never quilted anything - so I'll try my best not to ruin it! 

I almost feel guilty, buying two incredible labours of love for a grand total of eleven dollars.  But they're in a good home now, ready for many years of quilt-ly duty. 

Crewel, Crewel Summer

I found this vintage crewel kit at the thrift shop this weekend.  A completed trifecta! 

Oh you haven't heard of my trifecta theory? *grin*  A trifecta occurs when you stumble upon something three times, from three different sources, in a short timespan.  A trifecta means pay attention - either the universe is pointing something out to you, or something is becoming a really hot trend.

I know, I know.  A 1975 crewel kit doesn't exactly scream "hot trend" - LOL. 

But nevertheless, crewel work popped into my consciousness a while ago, through here and here.  I thought, "Crewel is fabulous!"  That's number one. 

A week or so later I went into the fabric store for a browse, and found these curtains on sale:

 

Crewel!  Of course I snapped them up (I think I'll turn them into a birdcage cover).  That's number two.

Then the thrifty crewel kit.  Fully intact, waiting for a beginner like me.  That's number three!

Some folks call it serendipity.  Marketers might call it buzz.  I call it a trifecta! 

And although I'd always thought of crewel work as more of a "winter sport", I'm excited to start my new kit this summer.  I love it because it reminds me of the Hollow - the way the sun hits the birch trees and the leaning cedar rail fence. 

Trifectas - watch for your own!

Delightful Decoy

Found this decoy at a yard sale a few weekends ago, amateurly hand carved out of a chunky piece of wood.  When I spied it on the table, all of my radars went off:

Bird-themed?  Yes!

Cabin-themed?  Yes!

One-of-a-kind?  Yes!

Do I have a spot for it?  Yes!

Is it a bargain?  Yes!  Five dollars, although expensive for a yard sale, still a good deal.

At the sale, the little boy of the house was prodding his younger sister to either play with him, or come see a toy - I didn't quite catch it.  All of five years old, she told him sternly, "No!  There are  CUSTOMERS here!"

Too cute.