Musings

Saturday, July 16, 2011

Another weekend drive

I had plenty of "to do's" that I should have been busy doing today,

but the pull of a country drive got the best of me and off I went.

I've always wanted to stop in at Old Tyme Antique's, we've passed by it so many times as we've zipped along on hwy 61, so this time I made it my destination. The owner was gracious to let me take her photo, even though she was dressed for 100 degree heat, we had a nice chat and she was willing to barter with the prices...that's always a plus. This yellow Coca Cola crate came home with me and it's going to look great with my Burlington, Vermont Pepsi-Cola crate. The antique Jenny bed is priced at 120.00, I think that's reasonable. The stuffed hillybilly fella is even for sale...kind of creepy looking, but could be fun. And if I was in the market for a blue quilt, this $50.00 antique quilt would be coming home too. Times have been hard for their business and they do not have a web site, so I'm posting their information here, just in case something caught your eye. :)

Early Tymes Antiques
(636) 356-4322
1800 E Outer Highway 61
Moscow Mills, MO 63362

A U-turn was in order to get some pictures of this sunflower field.

Isn't this home a beauty? The front lawn is perfect for a game of croquet.

Some country folk can be a bit standoffish.

Thanks for exploring with me!

Follow me. :)

Linky Parties:

Thursday, July 14, 2011

Summer in Snaphots

On the urging of my Savannah friend Cherry--she knows how I love to snap pictures--I'm joining Amber and friends at The Starfish Blog on Wednesday's for Summer in snapshots 2011 ~ Come join the fun and capture summer with us.

Wednesday

Wednesday we caught this little guy while doing yard work. Love his camouflage.

Thursday

Thursday I spent time with my niece Leigh and her twin's, Lexie and Nate. Are they not adorable?

Friday

Friday, hubby and I met friends at Wine Country Gardens.

Saturday

Saturday, Completed my "haint" blue porch ceiling project.

Sunday

Sunday was a day at the ballpark with my childhood friend Tina, her daughter Caitlin and her niece Mandy. I loved this "Cardinal" feathered hat one of the fans had on, and of course I just love Pujol's and then there was Mandy's zebra pedicure.

The Card's won, but most importantly I had a great visit with my girlfriend who is a breast cancer survivor. I am so thankful that she is a survivor, love you so much Tina!

Monday

Monday captured my hubby playing with James Dean. I rescued James Dean through a local stray rescue group, he was posted on petfinder.com and gave him to my hubby for his birthday last November. The best present ever--can't you tell?

Tuesday

Tuesday, I completed my Ugly Green Concrete project. I found the pineapple at an antique store and just had to have it since I kind of have a pineapple thing going. Now I have a set of three, my address plaque, a welcome flag and a much improved concrete pineapple by the front door.

Well, this week has been fun. Hopefully I completed my posting

in time to add to the Summer in Snapshots!

I made it! But accidentally titled my post week 3 and it should be 4. :)

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

My Ugly Green Concrete Pineapple Find

Pineapple's in architecture or decoration symbolize friendship and hospitality. You will find the pineapple the centerpiece of Christmas greenery in Colonial Williamsburg.

Colonial Williamsburg Christmas Decoration

Or this over-the-top bit of architecture in Scotland.

IV Earl of Dunmore just had to have one. In 1761, he built this home addition as a garden retreat and hothouse and today it is one of the most famous buildings in Scotland.

Photographer: John Watson

I recently scored a large concrete pineapple at an antique shop,

it was priced at $25.00 and I got it down to $20.00. It wasn't very pretty,

but all it needed was a makeover.

A trip to the Habitat for Humanity Restore for some paint was in order. I picked up some Valspar paint samples for $1.00 each. One in a pale creamy yellow and another in tan.

For the top of the pineapple I used some green we had on hand, I then painted the body

of the pineapple with the light yellow, painted the pedestal with Annie Sloan's graphite

and finally cross-hatched the body and painted the base with the tan paint. Some of the

original green paint is still showing...that's okay.

Hmm, not too bad, but not a very good match for the real deal on the left.

My final step will bring me closer, by "antiquing" the piece with Annie Sloan's Dark Wax

Here is the final result, the dark wax works magic and the bits of the original green that

show add additional depth to the piece. If you look real close you will that my address

sign has a pineapple as does my garden flag. I like this set of three

The total cost for this project $22.00 dollars, I purchased the pineapple for $20.00 and

2 Valspar samples for $1.00 each. The Annie Sloan Dark Wax, green paint and

paint brushes I already had and didn't use that much.

I love the end result, what do you think?

Linky Parties:
Today's Thrifty Treasures Every Monday @ Southern Hospitality
Second Time Around Tuesday @ A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

Making the World Cuter

My entry into Inspire Me Monday, sponsored by Appliances Online and their best Washer Dryers.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

July flowers and a garden visitor

This is my inaugural linky party. I saw all the fun that Ms. Cherry was having at Tootsie Time: Fertilizer Friday and had to join in!

My black eyed Susan's are in bloom and these beautiful rust and deep yellow day-lily's. This day-lily is another sweet reminder of family, they came from my mother-in-law's garden. She was the best mother-in-law a girl could wish for.

We have a few tree frogs calling our garden home this year.

The bottom left is my first double day-lily and I am in love. My neighbor's mom gave it to me, does anyone know the name of this day-lily?

Linky Parties:

Haint Blue

My objective this summer was to give our front porch some charm, we have a circa 1997 built vinyl clad home. Boring. Our front porch has a concrete slab. Again, boring. My wish list includes installing a brick veneer floor, but Lowes discontinued theirs and our budget won't allow for the real thing. Time to faux! Stencil that is. I digress, this post isn't about the porch floor but the porch ceiling, and before I go and create a fabulous faux brick floor I need to paint the ceiling a nice country blue first so as to keep that faux brick pristine.

In searching for just the right color of blue I discovered the specific name for porch ceiling blue is Haint blue--but the color itself is not so specific as the blues vary from light blues, to aquas, to teals.

What's behind the name Haint? Haint is a huant, and the practice of painting the porch ceiling blue came from the African-American slaves, they not only painted the porch ceiling haint blue, but the perimeter of their homes, window trims, doors and door trims to prevent evil spirits--not the friendly Casper kind, but the bone-chilling scary harmful kind--from entering their homes. The blue represented water and "haints" or "haunts" could not pass through the water. Others say the blues resembled the sky and the "haints' or "haunts" would fly away. Throughout the South, the remnants of slave quarters and old abandoned homes wear the original faded blues of this folk tradition.

The paint they used was milk paint--a mix of buttermilk, lime and blue dye (from the indigo plant)--mixed in pits on site. Since the mix would vary by site, the blue color would also vary. This original recipe for paint repelled insects, the lime kept them at bay. I'm thinking this needs to be marketed. Don't you?