Bigger Than A Breadbox

Found this caned bench for the foot of my bed to put pillows on.  It was at the antique mall where I have a booth.  I have to quit finding stuff there or I'll not make any money.  It had a red polka dot fabric on it and I hoped the caning under the seat was in good condition, but it wasn't.

I went to a fabric store.  Haven't been to one in decades so I was shocked at how much there was to choose from.  Overwhelmed.  After searching through thousands of bolts, I found this map fabric and the fabric I used on my new caned chairs.  Don't have a clue why the map fabric spoke to me.  I cut the fabric wrong and barely had enough to staple around the bottom.

By the way, I found an old majoilica plate at the mall for $10.00.  I couldn't turn that down.

It will sit here until I bring all the chintz and majolica to the city.  I want to stick with my new mantra, nothing bigger than a breadbox.  I really do.

Antique Heaven

Many of you remember how not long ago, I visited my good friend Maggie's Mom. I had wanted to see her collection of antiques for some time and when it came, I ran out of space on my camera. Sue sent me a few pics, which I have tried to scan (for the first time) to show you some of the beautiful things I didn't get. Her collection of majolica is exquisite.

This big oil painting was my favorite of the antique collections. It is large and so beautiful. When Sue purchased it, she put it in the trunk of her car and when she arrived home, it had a large tear in it. She had it repaired and it is Divine.

One of her many samplers; of course I love the dog in it. I found out from Sue that if the sampler is unfinished, it means the girl that made it didn't make it (sad, but true). I will go to see these collections again and I promise next time I won't run out of memory.

Wall Shelf

What is this? I know my friend Josephine will know. I bought it several years ago at the Tulsa Flea Market from an English lady. She said she got it out of an English kitchen. It has bent hooks on it and I wonder if it is for hanging game upon though it seems too pretty a piece for that. Or, possibly it was for teacups and tankards. I collect old wooden buckets and did hang a few and also old horse creamers. One still has the label from Woolworth's for 25 cents (wish that I could have purchased it for that). The whatever it is used to have a finial on top so I replaced it with a piece of majolica. That and a wee child's chair. There is also a little railroad lantern with clear and red lights that I got from my friend Maggie. I just love this wall piece; it's one of my favorites.

Collecting Stuff

I began collecting chintz many years ago. It wasn't cheap when I started. Nevertheless, I loved it, so I was willing to spend what I could afford. I'm told that when it first came out, it could be found at Woolsworths and in cartons of laundry soap. Very cheap in its time. It comes in many patterns and colors and well as varieties of flowers. I have some with black backgrounds, deep blue backgrounds and russet colored backgrounds. I think I am partial to the pastel backgrounds with my favorite piece being a Shelley cup and saucer. The saucer is the palest pink as is the outside of the cup. The inside of the cup is a stunning full floral pattern. It is visible in the second pic; the cup behind the little ram on the bridge and the saucer on the shelf above it. I think they show up if you click on the pic. The mint green pottery at the bottom of the cabinet is a California pottery (Weilware) that my mother had when I was young. After she died, my father used it and broke it, so I found pieces on ebay and started my own collection. I only use it for special holidays, etc. When I started collecting chintz, I looked at majolica, but thought it very ugly. Then I started seeing it in a different light and thought it rather endearing. It has usually been much more expensive than chintz, thus I have fewer pieces, but I keep looking anyway. I saw a pitcher once with a rooster protecting a hen and her chicks from a hawk flying overhead which I have seen many times on my farm. I think it was only $175. so I didn't get it which I now regret. I must also mention Japanese chintz which is very affordable and I am not above collecting it when I see a piece I like. I'm not a real girly girl; I don't like to put on makeup and usually just pull my hair on top of my head in a clip rather than spend the time styling it (I'd die if I had to spend the time on my hair and makeup that my sister does). I also don't wear much jewelry, which is funny because I make it. Nonetheless, I think my chintz collection is the closest to the feminine I'll get. Besides, the animals at my Peaceable Hill Farm don't care how I look anyway, except oddly, they notice the difference when I have a hat on.