This wreath of herbs and berries was a gift from my friend April back in early December. She found it at a market in Trier and promised it would dry nicely. And so it has. I think it is even prettier today than when it was first made fresh.
Category Archives: The Prairie Home
Thrift Thursday
Found this pair of Myott Country Life Staffordshire dessert plates recently for a mere four dollars. They look very similar to my grandmother's Friendly Village pattern from Johnson Brothers although those are more wintry scenes.
Corners of my (vacation) home
I always enjoy seeing other people's homes and thought it would be especially fun to share some peeks inside the German home we rented over the holidays. Step inside why don't we? Follow me…
Like so many older German homes this one opened into a long hallway with stairs and doors leading into various rooms. I do so love the pressed, bubbled, and often amber colored glass of the interior doors here.
The kitchen was tiny but cozy. I found myself reading and sipping tea at that table in front of the radiator under the blue curtains whenever we were in the house.
That is the refrigerator where the double cabinetry is. Like many European homes, the appliance is faced with the same cabinet front as the rest of the kitchen. I love that too. Appliances are rarely beautiful even when exorbitantly expensive. Extending the cabinetry visually unifies the small space.
I am still thinking about this armoire. But I have sworn off white slipcovers. Not gonna happen with this crowd. They make a very nice picture however.
You know I've never met a piece of redwork I didn't like and this was no exception. Coincidentally – we had a very similar piece – same quote – hanging in our home growing up. Our area was settled by many German and Scandanavian immigrants and I suppose that is how it got there. I think ours was blue however.
The stairs – looking down – with the wonderful vintage ski posters. They wanted to go home with me but I explained it would be very wrong of me them so here they stay. Next to the very nice half little cabinet under the eaves. Sigh.
And the stairs, twisting and turning, going up.
Here is an exterior shot of the house visible from the window because if you look out there you can see it was FAR too chilly to stand outside lol.
There you have it. The simplicity and sturdiness. The iconic Bavarian touches. I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.
“I had rather be shut up in a very modest cottage with my books, my family and a few old friends, dining on simple bacon, and letting the world roll on as it liked, than to occupy the most splendid post, which any human power can give.”–Thomas Jefferson |
corners of my home – and a sale
Have I shown you my apothecary jars? Someone stop me if I have. I just know I am way behind in show and tell.
When I got the typewriter last fall I saw these brown jars sitting nearby. More and more rich earthy neutrals like these really draw me in. Still, it felt too extravagant to buy it all so I went home. Then I thought about them for some time. ; ) When I went back the next time they were still there so you know the rest of that story. They live here next to the vintage German globe my husband snagged at the flea market last year.
And yes, they are available as a print. Just click on the image above.
While you are shopping, take advantage of the framing offer. When you get to the checkout you have your choice of a dozen frame styles from contempory to beautiful carved woods. I am offering them at cost. You can also opt to have the prints mounts on matboard or foam board and lustre coated which I highly recommend. The finishes, also, are offered at base lab cost.
some linky love
I am very bad about getting things up here lately. Need to figure out that sidebar share widget. Meantime, some good resources lately:
An oldie but goodie – If you did not read Large Family Logistics' website a few years back you can still glean some of the best information here. I printed those when they first were published and have referred back to them again and again. Very helpful.
Beautiful hand painted calendar available free here. at the Creature Comforts blog. This could be great inspiration for homemade gift giving for Christmas. And yes, I am thinking about that in January. I figure it will take me all year to make and prepare gifts so ALL our crafting this year is done with that in mind.
If you take nothing else from this little link visit please consider this resolution from the blog's author:
One of the many resolutions I made for myself this new year is to spend more time creating art (not just looking at it online). I don't really consider myself to be an "artist" in the traditional sense of the word, but I do love it whenever I set the time aside to work on it (which is hardly ever I'm afraid – hence the resolution).
Looking online is great inspiration. Don't stop there though. Make something. : )
I am trying to get materials ordered for these peg people. Even if they don't turn out quite like Alice's. So pretty.
Applique onesies and infant shoes here. Couldn't be easier – at least the onesie part. And this sweet floral onesie actually looks like something you would want to have your baby wear. Would be really pretty with a tiny skirt in coordinating fabric too.
We can make this even easier. Follow Sally Shim's video tute here.
A thought. Trim does not need to be white. I love the use of a glossy black for trim, doors, and cabinets.
Aprons. This reminded me. I am very bad about wearing aprons. My shirts attest…
Totally out of the blue here. Had seen an article about how cleanliness and order make even the most modest home lovely. It is absolutely true. No matter what you are working with, everything can look good when very clean and decluttered. This mobile home tour shows just that.
And now I realized how long it has been since I caught up with Sally Shim's blog and am all distracted lol. We talked about a 365 project the other day. How is this for a quick album – go through last year's pictures and pick ONE image which represents a highlight from each month.
ok off to be productive. Mostly. : )
A Welcoming Home
"A welcoming home is a place of refuge, a place where people worn down by the noise and hostility of the outside world can find a safe resting place.
A welcoming home has a sense of order about it. Not stiff, stultifying order that goes to pieces over a speck of dust or that sacrifices relationships in the interest of cleanliness, but a comforting, confident sense that that people, not possessions, are in charge of the household, that emotions are expressed but never used as weapons, that life is proceeding with a purpose and according to an overall plan."
–The Spirit of Loveliness, Emilie Barnes
I am often asked for book recommendations. The truth is I don't own a plethora of home and family books, and not many new titles. I tend to read and reread many of the same older titles (which are often less glitzy, less edgey) and continue to find quiet inspiration. I am trying to jot down passages that speak to me.
Be encouraged. It can take many years to really assimilate these messages and to live the vision, depending on your personal background coming into marriage and motherhood. Many more than I had expected!
easy twirly skirt and tutorial
I mentioned a while back I had cut up a pair of men's corduroy pants for yardage to make the girls some things. The pants were cuffed so I cut the bottoms off below the knee, opened the inseams and used one opened leg for a skirt front and one for the back of a simple straight skirt for Tess. Its basically just a rectangle with a casing at the top.
For Abbie I made a pattern off a skirt she already had that fit well (size 2-3)and added a smidge all around for growth:
Cut two rectangles 9" high and 8"wide for the yoke. There are two rectangles of 8" high and 30" wide for the skirt bottom. (I use a half inch seam allowance when I sew and factored that in)
Run a long straight stitch across the tops of the skirt pieces taking care not to backstitch at the ends.
for each side (front and back) gather the skirt top by pulling one thread, fitting the width of the skirt piece to match the yoke piece.
Pin and sew yoke front to skirt front
Pin and sew yoke back to skirt back
sew together front and backs at the sides
turn under a 1" casing at the waist and stitch down leaving an opening for elastic.
Turn under hem at bottom and stitch.
Pull elastic through waist and sew together. Handsew opening shut.
Call it done. : )
Now the proper way to do this would be to sew the yoke front and back together, then sew the skirt front and back together. Then slip the yoke into the skirt right sides together,gather, pin, and sew. It just takes longer that way. You choose.
For more polished results consider adding more seam allowance to the sides and do them up in French seams. Its much much easier than it sounds. Simply sew the seams with the WRONG sides together using a very narrow seam allowance, then turn inside out and press. Sew the seams as usual with right sides together. Turn it right side out and press again. Now you have nice neat seams with no ragged edges. : )
like a shawl
Christmas Eve was a night of song that wrapped itself about you like a shawl.
But it warmed more than your body. It warmed your heart…
filled it, too, with a melody that would last forever.
– Bess Streeter Aldrich
Thrift Thursday
Why not?
A few fun finds of late…
Found this nativity stable just yesterday after writing about my old one. It looks very like the one my Gram had. It came sans figures and I am not sure what will go into it just yet. Will see how the Christmas markets pan out. It has a tiny light inside and a little pull cord on the back to switch it on and off. Was had for the equivalent of less than five dollars.
Little retro Santa tea light holder. Now sitting right here on my desk.
Finally – look who jumped in the car? A homeless gnome is a terrible thing. A trio of them is downright tragic. They have been relocated to my living room. Go ahead. Smile : D
More thrifted fun on Flickr.
Anyone else been junking lately?
curtains for the living room
The old window scarf we were using for the living room was ok… for some other house, I finally decided. It gave the room a decidedly Tuscan feel, which this house definitely does not have. We have more of a farmhouse/granny chic thing goin' on. No use fighting it. In my fabric stash I had just enough yardage from a Joann's sale from years gone by to make two panels. Ridiculously easy. Two rectangles hemmed. Or stitch witched if you dont sew.
I already had the faux iron rod. And let me tell you it's no picnic installing these in plaster walls. Hence the insightly metal support in the center since we dared not drill another hole. But I digress. For $7.99/set I picked up the clip rings which work exactly like a clothes pin. You simply slide them on the rod and clip the panels to them. Easy peasy, If you want a cleaner crisper look you can line the top of the panels with some fusible interfacing. Unlined, they have a shabby cottage feel since they drape a bit between the clips.
Starry Sky Journal 