Vintage Garden Graduation Party

   Well, the time finally arrived for a party that I had been anticipating for months.  It was a graduation party for my seven Girl Scouts who are graduating from high school next week.  Since most girls leave the Scout program before graduation, I wanted to host a special party to mark their accomplishment.  Family and friends came to share the evening with the girls.

The party was in a Sunday School classroom at our church and I chose a vintage garden for the theme.  I guess about two months ago, I compiled a list of items that I had on hand that I thought I might use for the decorations.

Here are the results.  It was a busy day, and believe it or not, I set the tables up and once the tablecloths were on, I placed the items/decorations on the table.  There was no moving things around or stepping back with a questioning eye.  I placed them and was satisfied with the way the table looked (which was a blessing since I was super busy). 

What do you think?

 

 I made a banner that read, "THE WORLD IS YOURS"  and  pinned it to the table.  The letters were die cut from scrapbook paper.  The flag part was a pre-made cardboard shape with the pre-punched holes.  It was already covered with a canvas fabric.  I got the shapes in the dollar bins at Michael's (they were actually 2.00 a package).

I made the number tags with numerals I also got at Michael's.  I mounted them on card stock and hung them on a piece of twine and tied it to my vintage olive bucket.

 

I like the texture of this wooden finial with the

 burlap table runner and the moss rock.

 

I used some vintage suitcases that belonged

to my aunt and then added the star made

 from a wooden folding carpenter ruler.

 

I added my subway art sign.  Great advice

for young graduates entering the world.

 

I added mason jars with candles (clear and the new blue ones), plants from my porch and my vintage globe. 

 

 

My little chippy bird had a note for the girls --FLY.

 

I took my grape vine wreath and added the burlap

ribbon and the wings.  I told my girls that it

was time for them to leave the nest.

 

 

 

  

I used a vintage wash stand and enamel pans for the drinks.

 

Once the food was on the table, I was able

to take just a couple of quick pictures.

I love to use the two cream-colored planters

 for crackers when I entertain.

Menu:  chicken salad sandwiches, ham biscuits, nuts, brownies, pecan cheese spread with strawberry jam and crackers, pecan sandies and mini cheese cakes with  whipped cream along with blueberries and raspberries.  All the food was homemade using some of my favorite recipes.

My gift to each girl was a personalized scrapbook that I made using pictures that I had taken over the years at Scout meetings, camping and our year-end trips (Disney, Discovery Cove, Sea World, white water rafting, and The Grand Hotel).

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Antique Farm House--Where are You?

     You might have seen the tiny little post that I did last week on the Antique Farm House and their emails.  You can read the post here: Antique Farm House and the Prize-Winning Bull Picture.  Well, it's happened again.  And again.  I already have the items that they are selling on their web site!   It's like they've been in my home.  I wonder if they are still here and where they are hiding? So, I got yesterday's email on the The Bakery.  One of the items that was featured was a butter churn.

  Mine

     Well, I've got that already.  Here's the butter churn that came from my grandparent's home in Nebraska. 

Theirs

 

     I keep the churn in my laundry room on top of my freezer.  It has a little piece of tape on it the top with my grandmother's last name written on it in my aunt's handwriting.  

    Before I could post about the butter churn, I recieved today's email and the items featured included Farm House Basics.  There were various items and included in their offerings were vintage-style game boards....  GOT IT!

 

       Here's my vintage Chinese Checkers game board.  I remember playing Chinese Checkers on this board when I was a little girl.  We play Chinese Checkers on this board now with our daughter. 

    Here are the marbles we use for our game.  Most of them are the marbles I played with on the board when I was a little girl.

     I decided to show off the board along with my new vintage grain sack that I mentioned in this post. 

     I know it is coincidence that I have the same things that are being offered on this site, but, I'm beginning to wonder what else they will happen to sell that I already have....or, on the other hand, could they secretly be aware of the things I have in my home?  And if this is the case, then do they also know about the basket of laundry that needs to be folded....hummm....
     Whatever the case my be, if they decide to offer an enamel Cream City lunch pail (with the paper label still on it), I have that.  I also have several old sewing baskets, a shoe last, and if they decide to start selling Farm House furniture, I'm ready.  I have the three-door ice box and a pie safe with the original tin doors in the garage. 

                                 Now, I better go fold some laundry!

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I've Joined THE CLUB

     Are you a member of a club?  You might have been in some clubs when you were growing up. You know....Girl Scouts where you were 10 years old, the Math Club in junior high,  or the Newspaper Club in high School.  But are you in any clubs now?  As an adult, I belong to several clubs.  You know, the type.  Someone writes a letter of recommendation and then the memebership votes on you.  You do community service projects and volunteer at a school.
 
     Well, I decided I wanted to join a club.   But, it's not like any of the clubs I mentioned above.  It's a BLOGGER CLUB.   Yep! I just put myself up for membership and gave myself permission to join.  If you're a Blogger, you might already be a member of this club.  You don't have to wait to be invited to join.  You just join. Isn't that fun?!!  You decide and then join.  So that's what I decided to do, I joined THE CLUB.

     I decided to join this club.  The Demijohn Club.  I had seen three beautiful demijohns recently at a local antique store.  One was very large and very pretty, in good condition, but too big for me.  The other two were better sizes for my purpose and both were in great condition.  I'd visited the two smaller ones several times, and then the other morning, only one small and the larger demijohn were left.  I finally decided to join THE CLUB.  So, here's  my demijohn making it's first appearance in our home.
     This is the way our great room mantel looked after clearing out Christmas. I like the new addition to the mantel. What do you think?

 

Here is the demijohn in it's new home.

     I also joined another club a few weeks ago, but I haven't gotten to mention my membership until just now. Yes, I've joined another BLOGGER CLUB. It's the Vintage Grain Sack Club. I was in an antique/flea market in another town a few weeks ago and I found this vintage grain sack. I was SHOCKED. I mean, completely surprised. I'd seen lots of pictures of them on various blogs, but when I saw them in person, I wasn't really sure... I took a iphone picture and sent it to a blogger buddie and I even said, "I think it's a grain sack."    DUH.   I was so shocked to find a dozen of them here-- in Alabama! The prices were great $36 and I asked and received a discount at the register which made it $32. I think I did okay on my purchase. I like that this one has an initial sewn on it.

 

After Christmas coffee table with the runner my grandmother made.
 

Here is the grain sack on our coffee table. 

 

     I like being in these two clubs.  I'm not ready to paint my furniture or go neutral with my color scheme, but, I'm enjoying making updates that I appreciate and enjoy.  I'd recommend you to join either club.  I'll even write you a letter of recommendation.

 

Are you a memeber of a club?  I'd love to hear your story!

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Antique Farm House and the Prize-Winning Bull Picture

     I love to get the little emails from  Antique Farm House .  Do you get them?  It's like a little sale that is a fun to check out while you are doing your daily thing.

Well, today, they have a sale on Inspiring Obsessions.  Fun items and the first featured item today is a Prize Bull Framed Vintage Photo Print.   So fun.  Would you be tempted to order a prize bull photo?  Would you want one at your house? Do you think I would want one at my house?  My very traditional, not-so-always-perfect, Blogland home???

WELL.....NO! 

We all have reasons why we say "No." 

I think I have the best reason of all.....

 

I already have my own Prize Bull Framed Vintage Photo Print.

 

This is my brother, posing for the newspaper reporter with somone's prize-winning bull in 1960.  My Mom and Dad were in the cattle business in those days and my brother was at the event that they were judging.   They didn't know that this picture had been made of my brother until they opened the newspaper a week after the event and saw it on the front page!

 

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My Favorite Room

     I know a lot of bloggers share their favorite rooms in their homes.  I thought I would share my favorite room with you today. 

My favorite room in our home is our formal living room. I'm an old school gal, and I love our formal living room.  I love it for many reasons.  It has family pieces of furniture as well as new pieces.  It is always calm and quiet in this space.  It is ALWAYS clean.  But one of the other reasons that I love this room is that it turned out EXACTLY the way I had envisioned it in my mind.  You see, I had the room decorated in my mind BEFORE we broke ground for the house.  I had almost all the furniture for this room before we even began to build our home (family pieces).  And then, YES, I actually bought the sofa and two chairs to go there BEFORE we broke ground.  This may sound crazy to you, but it just worked out perfectly for us. 

I love to come in here and talk on the phone. 

The room is always waiting to greet company and make

 guests feel welcome to our home. 

 

I'm glad you're here for the tour!

Let's start the tour with the sofa table. 

 

I received this pair of matching cloisonne' jars for Christmas many years ago.



To the right of the sofa table is this chest.  It is new and I love it in this space. I bought the chest after we moved in.  I had admired the round mirror at a friend's home and when she prepared for a move and wanted to sell it, I was happy to make the purchase.  I selected the Blue Willow plates at an antique store.  They weren't very busy that day and the dealer had a good number of different sized pieces, so I just made arrangements on the floor using different sized plates.  These are the ones that I thought would look best in this spot with the mirror (they looked good on the floor, too).

 

Here is one of the two chairs that I purchased before we started building our home.

 

I love this picture above the fireplace.  The curved top of the frame makes this picture.  I've seen the same print in a square frame and it just didn't look quite so nice. 

 

An antique fireplace screen and tools that belonged to my great aunt finds their home in this room. 

 

 



The second of the two chairs along with one of two tables that I have in my home that belonged to my grandmother. 
 

This is the remaining vase from a pair that sat on the mantel of my aunt's home.  One day, a squirrel came down the chimney and ran around in the room and it caused the ruin of several family pieces before exiting.  The mate to this vase was lost that day (along with several other items).  I usually like squirrels......

Moving along to the next wall, you'll find this marble top table (a family piece) along with a portrait of my daughter when she was four. 

Here's another view of the table.  It has ornately carved legs.

 

I love this hand-painted pitcher.  It was in the same room with the squirrel, but escaped injury!

 

I couldn't resist this little antique chair that I bought years ago.  I wish it could tell me the story of its life.  It is English, I believe, and the stories are bound to be interesting.

And now the sofa (bought prior to building) and the coffee table (I refinished the coffee table-from my great aunt's home).

The view from the sofa.

 

The pillow I needle pointed goes perfectly here, I think.

 

Here's a view of the room. 

 We don't have any window treatments except for the plantation shutters that were painted white to match the trim in the room.  I thought I would make drapes, but decided I liked the windows the way they are with just the shutters.

 

Thank you for taking a tour of my favorite room!
I love all the neutrals that I see in Blogland and I do appreciate them, but this room was decorated (BB) before blogs. I wonder what it would look like if I was building and decorating our home today?  I don't think I could paint my family pieces with ASCP, so
I'm glad I love this room!

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