Prim – Page 2 – Asbery's Echoes

More Black

Looking at this picture, I think it needs some distressing and some staining. That will have to wait though – too much going on, at this week. No fun crafty projects for awhile.

I think I shouldn’t be allowed to have black paint. I’m not sure why I bought this cupboard due to the color. It’s green. Not a color that I decorate with. But I do like the cupboard. It’s solid and very well made and I love the make do handle. Due to the color though I had stored it away and had not used it for a few years. Then recently I brought it out but was just not happy with it because of the color. Then I thought, why not paint it black! And I love it. It fits in with my black bench in the dining room. But now I have to decide whether to leave it like this or to distress and stain it. I’ll live with it for awhile before deciding. In the meantime, I wonder what else I can paint black??!!

Black

I’ve been busy painting the past few days. It’s so hot outside – we’ve been under an excessive heat warning – so I decided it would be a good time to pain my kitchen cupboards. Joe has been gone too so that gives me more “free” time to work on bigger projects. And, I decided to go with black. I know the trend right now is a light and airy farmhouse look and I think it’s beautiful but I’ve never been one to fit in with the norm or to follow the trends. I went from light colors to black! And I love it! And even better, when Joe got home he said he was really surprised but he likes it too! I don’t have nice cupboards and they’ve been painted a few times but the black really sharpens them up and this time I went all out and painted the insides of the doors too. That made a huge difference. Before the insides showed all the different colors they’ve been painted and didn’t look nice at all. Next is different countertops and flooring and trim and backsplash around the stove and a new refrigerator. But who knows how long it will be before we get around to that. No sense in getting into a hurry – the kitchen isn’t going anywhere right??!!

Please ignore the clutter – I hadn’t picked up after painting and the paint is still wet!

Then, spur of the moment, I decided to bring this bench back into the house. I saw one on another blog and loved the way she had draped a blanket over the back. Joe’s dad made us this bench years ago and I had it stored out in the garage because I’m not a fan of the heart cutout in the back of the bench. I had racked my brain trying to think of something to cover the heart and never once thought to drape something over the back of it. I brought it in today, cleaned it up and painted it black. It still needs another coat in areas and some touch up but I couldn’t wait to see how it was going to look in the dining room! Then I dug this old quilt out of the bedroom closet (I didn’t even remember having this quilt. No idea where it came from. I was actually looking for my doll quilts made by my grandmas but I didn’t find those in my search). I love the way it covers up the heart and I’m loving that I brought the bench back in the house. Albert loved doing woodworking projects when he was younger and I’m blessed to have this and a hutch that he made. Treasures for sure.

Not So Colorful Decorating

A splash of colorful flowers – a mix of wildflowers and garden flowers with a splash of blue in the old quilt square on the table.

As I visit different blogs, check out different decorating groups on Facebook, peruse Pinterest and scroll through Instagram I am amazed at all the beautiful colors that people use to decorate with. I’m especially drawn to vintage and cottage style decorating and colors. And yet, as much as I am drawn to them and love looking at them, I look around my home and that is not what I see. I don’t have bright cheery colors. I don’t have a lot of fun vintage shades of aqua that I am so drawn too. I live mostly with primitive colors. Everywhere I look. And I feel the most comfortable with this. It fascinates me how color plays such a part in our lives. It would be a boring world if we didn’t have color and it would be a boring world if we all liked the same colors. I’m thankful I can appreciate all the different colors and decorating styles out there but give me the primitive browns, burgundies, blues (got to have blues!) and golds with a splash of a little brightness here and there and I feel comfortable and at home! There’s nothing better than a piece of old wood that is weathered and worn from time and use – that to me is one of the most beautiful colors in the world!

Old books, old bowls, old bowl and pitcher on an old Hoosier cabinet. The old wooden box on the wall holding my antique sheep – a favorite corner of the dining room!

An old shelf I just painted black. It still needs to be sanded down to show wear and then a coat of stain. I’m thinking I need to paint the little blue frame on the bottom shelf. Or give it a coat of wax to dull it down!

Old ironstone on a chippy old shelf in the kitchen. The grater on the left was a gift from Eric one year for Christmas. He knows me well! The spice cabinet on the right was a Goodwill find I painted, sanded and stained then added the material under the glass. The tea towel was a gift from Abby!

Old frames are a favorite of mine. And if they aren’t old – a can of paint and some stain will help to make them look that way!

Peace Be Upon Us. A favorite stitched sampler I stitched years ago framed in an old frame found at a favorite antique store in town that has now closed its doors.

Old, chippy and blue. My favorite combination!

Even my stitcheries have to be coffee stained and left wrinkled to look right to me! Add a touch of Sweet Annie to smell good and add that drab touch of perfectness! The frame on the left holds the lyrics of a song called Fading Echoes written by my Great Grandma Houseal. A treasure for sure.

A splash of color in the kitchen. But of course it’s sitting on a doily I stitched and stained for that beautiful prim goodness. These faux lemons smell wonderful! I do have a splash of color here and there!

Peonies and T-Ball

It’s always nice to get back into our routine after a long weekend. Although holiday weekends are lots and lots of fun, there’s something to be said for the regular day to day routine of living.

My peony bush has finally bloomed and it is beautiful! I’ve never seen so many blooms on this bush. I have four other bushes I planted last year. They came up this year but are small and aren’t blooming. I hope they do better next year. Five bushes blooming would be so pretty!

Waiting patiently for his first time at bat.

Drew had his first t-ball game. It was held in Parnell. The game was to start at 5:30 but after some kind of mix up they ended up not playing until 6:30. At least they didn’t just send us home. We were willing to wait an hour and get the game in and not have to come back some other time. They don’t keep score, everyone gets to bat and everyone goes out on the field. It was pretty comical to watch and the boys all had fun. We stopped in North English on the way home for ice cream. Next game is Friday in Williamsburg. We just might have to stop in North English again on our way home – they have great ice cream!

He had no idea what he was doing behind the plate. He never got off his knees! He said it was fun though!

Crazy Chicken Lady

A little chicken creamer holding cinnamon sticks – belonged to my Grandma Houseal.

Now that we have chickens – I’ve been collecting chicken stuff! Apparently my Grandma Houseal must have liked chickens too. I know I have a set of chicken and rooster figurines put away somewhere too that belonged to Great Grandma Houseal. I think I’ll bring them back out. My kitchen is small so that’s probably all I’ll find room for. Unless I decid to stitch the another pinkeep!

I’ve had these displayed for a long long time. They also belonged to Grandma Houseal. Love the cute little chickens on the lids.

And I fell in love with this valance. Black chickens with a burgundy one thrown in here and there – perfect!

And I just had to stitch up this cute little pinkeep. Now to find a place for it! Aren’t the little chicks just darling??!!

Painting the Day Away

I looked out the window around 8:00 last night and saw this beautiful sky. I braved the cold and wind to run out and snap a picture and it was gone by the time I got back in the house. It’s the simple things that bring joy.

We had another cold, wet, windy day today. A perfect day to stay inside and paint. I managed to get the living room all painted. It took all day and went a lot slower than the dining room. Of course having a six year old in the house today didn’t help! Now I need to get the living room put back together. I ran out of time for that. I’d like to keep on painting but I think I’d better spend tomorrow making sure I have everything ready for graduation and make my grocery list. Then maybe Wednesday I can get back to it.

This is a before picture of the living room. I’m keeping the border. I know wallpaper is out of style but I like this border and I’m not ready to take it down yet. I obviously don’t decorate according to what is in style anyway – nothing in this picture was bought in a big box store or a mall! The pictures were stitched by me and most everything else came from a thrift store, flea market, antique store or online.

And the after picture. I’m really liking it. It’s actually much darker than the picture shows. It makes the room feel cozy and warm. The rest of the walls are a shade called Heartland. A medium shade of tan maybe? Not sure how to describe it but not much different than before. Which made it a little difficult to paint – it was hard sometimes to see where I’d been and where I was going. It’s the same shade as the dining room to tie things together. Funny how a fresh coat of paint makes everything look and feel better – even if it’s there’s not much change in color.

Suitcases

My new bowl – this is not a good picture. The bowl is white and blue. I’m not sure what to display in it yet. I stuck this pinkeep in it for now!

My favorite antique store is closing. Suitcases is located in an old two story house in town that I always enjoy visiting. It’s run by the mother of one of my old classmates and she’s getting to the point where she just can’t keep at it anymore. It’s always a joy to visit. There’s always a group of women (and sometimes a man or two!) visiting Barb for coffee and the best times are when she is unloading boxes. I could sit and listen to them all day talk about the antiques Barb is setting out and reminiscing about them. The memories of old – things that before long will be long forgotten. I also enjoy visiting with Barb’s daughter Missy. She’s a sweet person and we visit about this and that.

I hadn’t stopped in for quite some time. If I don’t visit – I don’t spend money but when I saw they were having a closing out sale I knew I’d better stop in. They are hoping to be done by the end of May and with the What Cheer Flea Market coming the first weekend in May I knew I’d better stop by. The flea market draws people from far and wide and they stop in the local antique stores on their way to What Cheer. Some of the vendors will even buy things to sell at the flea market. That’s another fun place to visit – the What Cheer Flea Market. It is amazing!

My haul from today:

One small frame to be filled with a something stitched. I’ll have to dig into my stash of finishes. I will swap the old cross stitch picture into the other frame that’s hiding behind it. The one it’s in needs some TLC. Two small ironstone creamers. A nice blue bowl – I love the design on the rim. A small blue and white bowl. (It’s hard for me to pass up anything blue!) A beautiful smaller wooden bowl with a favorite prim shade of blue bottom and my favorite – two old rag rugs. They are much brighter in the picture than they really are. They will be perfect on each side of our bed. How nice in the winter not to step onto the cold floor. And not pictured – an old copy of the book Black Beauty. I’m slowly starting to collect old books and this is one that I loved to read when I was a little girl.

I hate to see this store closing. I hate that Barb is getting to the point that she can’t keep it going. There’s just something about an antique store that draws me in and makes me feel at home and this one especially. It’s a special place and will be missed.

The weather here has not been very nice. Today it’s chilly, windy, and rainy. It doesn’t look like things are going to be improving any time sson either. Drew checked last night and Miss Mindy has moved her kittens. I’m hoping she’s found a dryer, warmer spot. The spot up by the house was pretty exposed to the weather. Not good for those little ones. We’ll have to keep an eye on mama and see where she’s spending all of her time if we want to find them again.

Well, I think I’ll run to town to buy paint. I haven’t painted the walls in this old house for quite a few years and it’s definitely time for an update. I’ve joined a couple of Facebook groups that showcase prim and country style homes and have been getting a lot of inspiration. It’s fun to see how others decorate. There are some beautiful homes out there. Mine doesn’t come close to comparing but that’s okay. It’s my home and I’m content.

I Choose Joy

Its been slow going on this one – a lot of frogging for some reason. But it hasn’t upset me in the least – I just remind myself to choose joy and enjoy the process!

I fell in love with this pattern as soon as I saw it. It’s by Lori Rippey. She designs the most beautiful prim patterns. This one has really been a joy to stitch! It definitely is a choice and I’ve learned through the years that no matter what, you can choose joy and your life will always be better for it!

Besides the obvious things that bring me joy, God and family being right up there at the top, these are a few of the things that are bringing me joy right now:

The Bleeding Hearts are blooming. A spring favorite that brings me joy.

A worn out Pierre – five whole days of having Drew home is hard on a cat!

A new prim finish. There is something about the feel of pulling that needle through cloth that brings joy. And horses and flowers and old prim frames. Pure joy.

The newest book in the Bellingwood Series – just waiting for me to open it up and jump in! Do I read it now or wait three months for the next installment? I love having more than one to read so I can visit Bellingwood longer!

My turquoise and red dish cloth and hot pad. I find joy in using the things that I’ve made. These are headed out to the camper!

Candles and some splashes of blue – for some reason burning candles right now brings me joy and the color blue has always brought me joy!

My wonderful husband surprised me yesterday afternoon – he asked if I was ready for the camper to come home. Oh joy! Of course I was ready. I’m always ready for the camper to come home! So off to Pella we went on a road trip to get the camper. There probably wont be any camping in our future until after graduation but at least I can start getting this baby ready. Our second home!

And now I’m off to take care of the chickens. Another thing that’s bringing joy to my life right now!

Easter Decorations

The older I get the less I decorate for the holidays. I might be just a tad bit lazy. It’s fun to decorate but not so fun putting everything away again. I do have a few things scattered around the house for Easter this year. My bunnies, my dad’s childhood decorations, and some of my cross stitch pin keeps. After taking the pictures I see that I have more scattered around then I thought I did!

After making the Spring pinkeep I decided to make one for the little boys for their Easter baskets. I love the little chicks fluttering around under the wheelbarrow!

Spring Was Here Today!

We had a beautiful spring day here today! The sun was shining, the birds were chirping and the temperature was in the low 60’s. Normally I consider that the perfect temperature, not too hot, not too cold, but I didn’t spend much time outside. For some reason, I have been so cold the last few days. Chilled to the bone cold. I did open up a couple of windows this afternoon to let some fresh air in but if I’m not up and busy, I have to sit under a blanket and I’m still cold. I hope I’m not coming down with anything. We had a nice surprise at supper again tonight. Aaron showed up unannounced. He didn’t stay long but it was nice to have all three boys at the supper table! Tomorrow it’s supposed to get up to 73 and sunshine. We have a soccer game in the morning and then I plan to spend the rest of the day outside working on flower beds. Even if I am cold! I want to enjoy the day as it’s supposed to cool down again and rain most of next week. Since April showers bring May flowers we should have lots and lots of flowers next month!