the heart of the home...

Would you like to take a step inside my sister's kitchen & look around?

 

 

You'll love it here, it's one of the coziest places I know.

I love to sit and chat over a cup of tea or coffee by the big picture window that looks over her patio where the kids are playing, and her flower garden where bees are buzzing & butterflies are fluttering.

 

When a kitchen sink is as gorgeous as this it makes washing dishes a joy!

 {And how perfectly does this vintage tablecloth that's doing duty as a skirt apron match the cabinet?! I just can't get over it.}
 

 

 Some of those flowers usually find their way indoors, bringing their freshness & sunshine with them.

 

 

 Kitschy kitchen goodness is in every nook and cranny.

 

 

Of my three sisters, Beth & I probably have the most similar decorating style.

We both love anything cheerful, farmy, kitschy, & vintage.

Which can make garage sale-ing together a little tense.

Just kidding. We share pretty well. ^_^

 

 

In Beth's country kitchen there's always sure to be some fresh veggies about the place this time of year.

That's bound to be when your husband is a landscaper & expert gardener with about 4 or 5 vegetable patches.

{I've lost count how many actually...there seem to be more every year!}

 

 

Even her ceiling fan is cute for cryin' out loud!

We affectionately call it a fandelier.



 

I helped her paint her cabinets this beautiful shade of Annie Sloan chalk paint, Henrietta, a couple years back. The insides are painted with Antoinette & have Hello Kitty liner on the shelves. I neglected to take a piccy of that, but I'm sure you can picture it.

There's nothing like climbing around on the counter tops with the Beatles playing in the background whilst sipping endless cuppas with your sister.



 Speaking of cuppas...

here is the all important coffee counter.

*angelic choir music plays*

{I'm irritated with myself for accidentally cutting off the head of the cute crocheted chick-i-poo on top of her lil Keurig. Bah. Didn't realize I'd done it till I got these piccies on the 'puter. You can see it un-decapitated in the previous photo though!}

 

{A refrigerator isn't complete without some artwork!}

Even the fridge got a makeover!

She glued a pretty wood decal thingy on & then painted over it.

That chalk paint really does stick to anything.

I gave her this old metal garbage can & gave it a coat of Antoinette.

{Oscar the Grouch simply couldn't make his mortgage payments anymore & had to move to a smaller can. ^_~ You know, the economy & stuff.}

 

 

Everywhere you look there's something cute to make you smile...
this corner cabinet which belonged to our great grandma is a home to all sorts of cute tchotchkes...
vintage hanky bunting adorns the window...
and some adorable vintage wicker umbrellas hang jauntily from a hook.



 

Possibly one of my favorite things about Beth's kitchen is that she always has something yummy baked. {And she's always willing to cut you a slice} It was yummy zucchini bread this time with zukes from {one of} their garden{s}.  ;)

If you're interested in the recipe she said she uses Better Homes & Gardens' Recipe, but without the nuts cuz eww. ;P

I hope you've enjoyed your visit to Bethie's kitchen!

Much love,
Miss Michelle ^_^
{Photos by yours truly}

the ol' barter system...

A little while back my friend Gus told me there was a sweater pattern she had found that she absolutely adored and wondered if she could pay me to make it for her.

To me it seemed perfect timing because I was just thinking about asking her if she'd make a piece of art for me. She is a pastel artist & you can see her awesome work on her blog Joyous Touch Art Studio. She's done some pretty amazing cows that are just the cutest thing.

So, we agreed to employ the ol' barter method.

Exchanging skills with no money changing hands.

Win-win if you ask me.

 

So, to Pinterest we went to give her an idea of what sort of painting {er...pasteling?} I wanted.

I knew I wanted a cottage.

I started pinning oodles of old cottage paintings on our board

Cottage Art Inspiration.

I love old pastoral scenes too so I made sure to mention that.

I was so very pleased with what she came up with!

 

 

I named it "Michelle's Cottage Dream" ^_^ complete with chickens & sheep & sunflowers. And a little creek with a bridge! I didn't even know I wanted that, but of course now I do. ;)

She took all the elements I love from those old paintings & added to them her own personal flair & cheery style which I so love. The size she made it is so charming as well. So very much like an antique pastoral scene. I couldn't be more pleased with it!

 

Now as to that sweater...

 

 

I used the Levenwick pattern by Gudrun Johnston.

It was quite simple to follow & was knit mostly in the round. (Which was really nice because the finishing work is my least favorite part about knitting and there were very few seams to sew up!) I just love the style of this unique sweater & wouldn't mind making one for myself. Lol! I'll just add that to the list. ;P

 

 

I love the beautiful teal-ish green yarn she picked & the big red buttons! The pictures simply do not do the color justice.

 

Thinking back I think it may have been well over a year now since we first had this bright idea.

Wow, time flies.

All in all a very good trade me thinks. ^-^

 

{The 1st and 2nd photos were borrowed from Gus. Thanks girl!}

what would Beatrix wear?

Hello there, my dear ones!
As I mentioned in my previous post we've been enjoying somewhat cooler Springtime weather lately. This sort of cool & rainy weather always makes me think of Beatrix Potter. I like to imagine that this is what the weather she experienced in her beloved Lake District was like.

My apparel is oft times inspired by the weather.
{And I don't just mean by what the mercury reads - though that is a big factor.}
Say it's the middle of Summer & the sort of day you could envision yourself at a county fair eating funnel cake, sipping a lemon shake-up, & admiring the livestock.
I'll go for the farmgirl goes to town look. {Think Jeanne Crain in State Fair}
Or if it's a crisp Autumnal day fit for an apple picking. A couple scenes from
Anne of Green Gables might ramble around in my head and spark an outfit idea.
Or if it's a bitterly cold day of Winter when the sun hides behind clouds & the wind whips relentlessly through the barren branches, I may wear an ensemble that heavily features wool
inspired by Helen from All Creatures Great & Small.

Well, good ol' Beatrix was the inspiration for this particular ensemble.
I thought to myself as I smiled out the window at the delightfully gloomy grey sky,
"What would Beatrix wear if she'd been born in this time?"
Here is my answer. :)

 

A feminine hairstyle, wooly goodness, & earthtones combine for a look that is unmistakably Beatrix.
~*~
Outfit details:

~*~ Dress: Thrifted ~*~

~*~ Sweater: Handmade by me ~*~

~*~ Tights: Wal-Mart ~*~

~*~ Shoes: Thrifted {Clarks} ~*~

~*~ Necklace & Earrings: LC Lauren Conrad from Kohls {No longer available} ~*~

~*~ Scarf {in hair}: Thrifted ~*~

 





I think Mr. McGregor would heartily approve of my little trowel earrings. I'm so fond of Kohls' Lauren Conrad jewelry. Well, lots of the clothing too, but the jewelry in particular. Her jewelry is always so delicate & lovely. It more often than not will be rather kitschy too! I have a necklace with an antique sewing machine charm, pink ladybug earrings, vintage camera earrings, & a little pink teacup on a necklace - just to name a few! Since I love to play in the dirt er garden I get quite a kick out of these little trowels dangling from my ears. ;)
 

These brown suede oxford booties were quite a find for just $3 at my favorite thrift store. Oddly enough they are not my size, {a size & a half too small} but they fit quite well & are very comfortable. Perhaps they are incorrectly sized & that's how such a nice pair of shoes found themselves at a thrift store. In any case I'm so grateful to have them. I think they lend themselves well to the 1930s look in addition to my Beatrix attire.

 



My brown wool cabled cardigan is so snuggly warm. It was my very first cable project - made around 5 years ago. It's made of Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool in Nature's Brown using this pattern. (I never made the sash that is supposed to go with it. I just wear it open.) It's a terribly useful sweater & I wear it quite a lot in the coldest weather. Having already acclimated to the warmer weather we had been having I was thankful to be able to pull out this old friend to chase the chills away.

 



While I had the camera out I simply couldn't resist taking pictures of the lilacs & the chickens.

You don't mind do you?
The chickens always hastily run up to the fence when they see me coming - they must assume I come bearing food. Unfortunately for them I only came bearing that shiny black doohickey that makes beeping sounds this time. That's Freckles the Speckled Sussex, Pepper the Barred Rock, & Oswald the Rooster {I think he's an Ameraucana, but I'm not sure.} You can just see Philippa the Ameraucana in the background & the ducks at a safe distance. They still don't quite trust me as they were a few weeks old by the time I got them from a friend.

 

I think one reason I really find a kindred spirit in Beatrix is because of her love for the country.
I recently watched the episode of The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends featuring The Tale of Johnny Town-mouse. The story is the classic tale of a town mouse & a country mouse experiencing each other's way of living & each much preferring their own.  One line {a direct quote from the book} at the end of that sweet little cartoon caught my attention.

 "One place suits one person, another place suits another person.
For my part I prefer to live in the country, like Timmy Willie."
~Beatrix Potter - The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse

To which I give a hearty "Hear, hear!"
Much like Beatrix, I wasn't raised in the country. I lived in a small town until I was 17. When we moved to the country I just felt it was home. {Though, I loved that little town & still do.} Perhaps it is because I have Farmer in my blood on my Mom's side that I love the country so...

~*~
 

Well, I'm planning this as an ongoing post series to feature other
"what would         wear?" outfits every so often.
More than likely featuring some of the aforementioned characters!

 

~*~

 

Does the weather inspire your attire?

 

Is there a person or character you're particularly inspired by?

Do you prefer the town or the country?

 

{Photos by me. Taken sheepishly with the timer.

 Hoping my family wasn't looking out the window & rolling their eyes.}

say hello to my little friends...

Here's another sure sign of Spring - little baby chicks!
 



 

Well, once again I didn't get any outfit pics taken this past week.

Kels & I had the best of intentions, but we got distracted...by garage sales...

So in lieu of a 1940s inspired thrifted outfit here are my newest feathered friends. :D

These six little cuties will lay lovely brown eggs in just a few months time!

I bought them Sunday at our local TSC while picking up the feed for my flock.

They had some little baby mallard ducklings as well, which were pretty hard to resist, but I did! ;) I can't remember the name of these lil chickies' breed, but I think the gal there said they are a cross between Rhone Island Reds & White Rocks. She said they'll be brownish - can't wait to see what they look like when they're grown. I need to start thinking of suitable names. Though I may have to wait until their personalities er chickenalities start to develop to give them appropriate names. :) I already have a Philippa, Lillie-white, Freckles, Pepper, Snowy, & Oswald {the rooster}.

That night our electricity went out! Eek! One essential of chick keeping is a heat lamp. When they don't have Momma Hen to keep them warm they need the constant source of warmth that a heat lamp provides. Thankfully we have a generator. Although it runs on gas & only had enough of that stuff to last until about 9:00 PM. I had brought them into the basement {from the outbuilding I had been keeping them in} so they'd be warmer. Praise the Lord the power came back on at about 11 so they only had to go about 2 hours sans heat lamp.

They're all warm & cheerful today!

~*~

Now for some random bits...

The newest blooming beauties around here a lilacs & wild bluebells.

I made this bouquet {a mix of bought & homegrown flowers} to take to church & now I get to enjoy it in my room. I wish I could attach the scent for you all to enjoy!

{Removing all allergens, of course, for those of you who suffer from them.}

{Lovely Lilacs}

 {Beautiful Bluebells}

 

Isn't this dish towel just the cutest? It's from Kohl's. They have some pretty cute home wares.

 

I got this yellow Lu-Ray Pastels platter recently at a garage sale for $1.50! Woo-hoo!

 I like to collect pastel dishes whenever I find them for a super deal. I have some Shenandoah & Moderntone pieces as well. {You can see some in the photo below!} It's so fun how they all mix & match since they were made in similar eras. The few Cath Kidston dishes I have go so well too. 

 

 

The past couple days we've had rather chillier weather than the weeks before.

A nice cuppa {tea} & something sweet to eat is just what the doctor ordered.

{Well, actually there's no need to mention this to the doctor...we'll keep this just between us.} ;)

You can find the recipe for these yummy lemon bars in this post.

 

~*~

 Here is what I've been working on lately!

 

{A recent custom embroidery order. All in mint green!}

I've just the sewing up to do on this knitted gift for my cousin's baby girl.

Isn't that color delicious? It's my very favorite to use for baby girl gifts - such a vintage baby pink. {It's Knit Picks' Flamingo.} This is one of the colors I've picked out for my Summery cotton version of "Your Victory Jumper".  If I ever finish the original one, that is! ;)

~*~

 

 Any suggestions for names for my new baby hens?

What's blooming in your neck of the woods?

What do you collect?

{Photos by this girl!}

frosted windowpanes...

The frost this morning was breathtaking.

I just had to attempt to capture it.

 I just love moss.

It's so cute.



Nosy little birds. ;)

Now back to my knitting. :)

"I'm so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers..."

"It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn't it? 

Look at these maple branches. 

Don't they give you a thrill -- several thrills? I'm going to decorate my room with them." 

~Anne of Green Gables

***

The sunshine was so beautiful through the leaves this morning I had to try to capture the splendor.

Here are some of my favorites.

 

 These geraniums really should be replaced with mums, but they're putting on such a brave show I can't bear to put them away yet!

 The view from my window - better than any painting!

 

 Last night as I was working on this lace gown for my cousin's baby girl I thought how knitting lace is a good picture lesson of faith & obedience. While following the directions that may not seem to make sense at the time, you're really trusting the designer. An odd assortment of K2 Yo K2tog etc. may not make much sense at the time once you start to see the results you realize that the designer DID know what they were talking about. Just like when the Lord asks you to do something that doesn't seem to make sense in our finite minds. He knows the beginning from the end. You can trust the Creator.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight."
Proverbs 3:5+6

Enjoy this beautiful Autumnal weather!