BEST DOG BOOKENDS

Do want! I adore these two good boys 🐾🐾 holding up the old books. via

Frog Mug

Yet another find from last weekend's estate sale. I have always wanted a frog mug since seeing my first one at a neighbor's house around 1976.

I am a very patient person, aren't I? My patience paid off and I got three frogs instead of a single one in the bottom like my neighbor had and two handles instead of one as well! I posted these photos on my Instagram yesterday so this will be a repeat for some but not all of you.

Early American Decor

via

I love the style of the curved stairs with the natural wood treads and handrail and the paint color on the rest. This looks like a homey cottage and I would love to see the rest.

Folk Art Cat - Winter Show @ The Armory in NYC

"We generally cast our affections with dogs in the pet department, but there’s something pretty lovable about this c. 1840 watercolor gray-and-white cat. Poor mouse …"

I think this cat looks exactly like a dog. 😊

Offered by: David A. Schorsch and Eileen M. Smiles American Antiques booth at Winter Show.
Click on link to see many more photos of the wonderful antiques and folk art being offered at this annual event. Article from The Magazine Antiques.

Scrimshaw Double Heart Mourning Pendant

Scrimshaw double heart mourning pendant, 1807

“Beauty and youth in vain to these you trust

For youth and beauty shall be laid in dust.“

This quote is so true. Growing old gracefully rather than trying to turn back the clock is quite a challenge at times. 

Birthday Card Request + The Death of Brown Furniture

Here I am again after a few days off wearing my Realtor Hat and working harder than you can even imagine. I am a member of NEXTDOOR, a neighborhood app where members can post and share. I am amazed at the questions, mostly looking for recommendations on home repair, good hair cutters, and child care workers. I especially love the photos of free things they are giving away!

The post below touched my heart:

I have my birthday card to this veteran who is turning 100 all filled out and ready to mail. I enclosed a dollar bill too, just like my grandmother always put in my birthday cards, ho matter what my age.

I typed out his address below if you want to send him a card as well. I love Hendersonville and my family always vacationed there. Doesn't Sunnybrook sound like a nice place?

Let's all help this 100 year old Veteran get 100 birthday cards!!!

Mr. Art England

Sunnybrook Assisted Living

Apartment 211

306 Spring Street

Hendersonville NC 28739

Now on another note. You know how much I love antiques and most of you do as well. This article that appeared in YANKEE MAGAZINE will break your heart. THE DEATH OF BROWN FURNITURE 

For those of us who still love old things with rich histories, it is a buyer's market. For those of the antique collecting community who paid premium prices for their possessions, it is very depressing. I rarely miss an episode of The Antiques Roadshow on PBS where they freely speak of the depressed market for fine antique furniture. I can't help but think the trend for "staging" homes that are for sale is partly responsible too. Having home sellers replace their possessions with rented furniture to go with gray walls with white trim might be sending another message. Maybe the buyers think they can't keep what they have but need all new furniture in order to move. I could go on and on but will get off my soapbox now. I am turning this platform over to you now!

Garage Sale Find: A Cow Creamer

It doesn't take much to make me happy as you can see. It was an absolute delight this morning to pour my soy milk into my coffee from a cow's mouth instead of a carton. Why would anyone want to get rid of it? I have no idea, but I'm happy they did. Photographed on my hunt board in my kitchen. Click to enlarge.

Best dollar I've spent in a long, long time!🐄

Gorgeous Planter with Spring Bulbs

I never think of planting spring bulbs in a container until it's too late. This old cememt planter is gorgeous and I love the weathered patina. These bulbs look right at home and I love the contrast between old and new. via

Click here for an important message from the children's book author, Roald Dahl, on the death of his daughter, Olivia, when she had measles at the age of seven. 

Unboxing My Surprise Gift from A Blog Follower

An antique English Ironstone soap dish and two mystery boxes tied with bunny ribbon.

A natural bristle nail brush and a bar of Crabtree & Evelyn Gardeners Soap. It is infused with rosemary, sage and time and has fine pumice to gently clean my gardening hands.

The verse on my card is sweet. "It is often difficult to tell if a hedgehog is ticklish. If you try, you're more likely to find him pricklish."

I rearranged the cleaning supplies I leave in plain view on the counter behind my double farm sink and now I am ready for spring garden cleanup too. I always wear gloves when I work outside but I also manage to get my hands very dirty when I take them off for fine work. I already had the Gardeners Hand Scrub and my old nail brush was too embarrassing to leave out. I am fanatical about clean nails and I adore this new brush. Thank you, Katherine for such thoughtful gifts in appreciation of my blog. I am also impressed that you were able to find my address at the office. Some of the associates at my meeting yesterday wanted me to open the gifts right away but I decided to wait and open them for you and my other faithful blog followers and friends after I got home. Today's post was fun to prepare and present. xo

Quilted Valentines

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

I love these quilted hearts made from an old red and white patchwork quilt. The blanket stitching around the edges is perfect. via
See all my previous posts about Valentine's Day here.

19th Century Handmade Southern Crafts: High Museum Atlanta Exhibit

Unknown African-American Maker: A North Carolina Quilted Bedcover, ca. 1875–1900, cotton top, linen back, and cotton stuffing. High Museum of Art, Atlanta; on view through August 4, 2019

HAND TO HAND: SOUTHERN CRAFT OF THE 19TH CENTURY 

Stoneware water cooler attributed to Thomas Chandler, Phoenix Factory, South Carolina, c. 1840. This photo is from an article in The Magazine Antiques about the High Museum exhibition. See more items and read the article here. 

I thought these wonderful images would be a good contribution to African-American History Month.

Blue and White Bathroom to Love

I especially love the charming ticking slipcover on the chair holding the towels. I love the short pleated skirt. Everything else is pretty nice too, especially the beautiful tub. via

I post each of my daily posts on Pinterest.

My most popular pins from my blog are re-pinned by others here.

Kate Greenaway Tile 1881

Earthenware tile, transfer-printed and hand-coloured. Designed (1881) by Kate Greenaway. Made by T. & R. Boote. Image and text information courtesy V&A. via This is lovely, isn't it?

© Victoria and Albert Museum, London 2017. All Rights Reserved

Beautiful Sun Porch with Chintz Chair

When it gets too chilly to sit outside, come in and sit in the sunroom. I hope this lovely chair in beautiful chintz is facing a fireplace. Image from House & Home Magazine. 

I am way ahead of the chilly season at my cottage. I have already put my deck furniture in the barn. I washed my front windows on the outside yesterday and I am not going to put the screens back in until spring. The rooms are so much brighter without them. 

Thank you all once again for all your positive comments. It's good to know how many of you are tuning in daily and that matters to me and I shall continue trying to find something interesting or beautiful to bring you as often as I can.

xo 

Gallery Wall of Silhouettes

I love a good gallery wall and this one, going up the stairs, is especially nice because of the antique silhouettes. via

Vintage Kitchen Items to Love

Who remembers the endless kitchen towel? This is so much better than a roll of paper towels for wiping your hands. Is it coming back? Let's hope so. I love this table beside the stove instead of a kitchen counter with a marble or granite top. It matches the windowsill too. I love all the vintage things on it; cutting boards, wooden spoons, ball jars with zinc tops and an old porcelain bread box.

Above: To be filed under why didn’t we think of that: beechwood plate rack modeled after hymnal racks in churches. They can also be used for displaying books and other objects. They look amazing mounted in long rows. Both images and resources found here.

Open Shelves in a Hudson NY House

Antique white stoneware on open shelves and topiaries on antique mounts, I'm in love!

“Just to have everything laid out in front of you has been wonderful and we really use everything on a daily basis,” the owner says.

The dining table, chairs, chandelier, and stools are all antique finds from the owners' travels. “We used old architectural pieces to define the spaces,” she says. Read more about this Historical Home in Hudson, New York and tour the other antique-filled rooms here.

Backsplash and Oven Hood

The tile work behind the Wolf cooktop is simple and beautiful and I love the woodwork around the range hood. It looks like a fireplace wall with mantel and elaborate ceiling moldings. The open cupboards on either side are perfect. via

Handmade Pitcher for Watering Plants

I went to an antiques show last week to benefit a local firehouse.

The firemen's wives had their own booth full of donated goods with inexpensive prices. The lady that sold this to me said she knew the lady that made it and the big funky spout was for watering plants. The leaf design is on the reverse too. I have plants in every window up in the attic and the blue and white was perfect with my curtains, so I bought it for $5.00 and love it. It's ever so much nicer than the plastic squeeze bottle I had been using. Smile.

Attic Bedroom Under the Eaves

I have never seen a doorway like this, have you? It is much more interesting than a dormer would have been. Eaves, toleware, and toile. Nice! I like it. image: Cozy Cottage Bedrooms Better Homes and Gardens