Basket Love

I think this time of year many people are very aware of baskets.   I've been thinking about Easter baskets and split white oak baskets these last few weeks.  Dad and I used to make baskets years ago.  One year, we did the craft time at Vacation Bible School at our church and we taught the older kids how to make baskets.  The kids really liked it.  I had a poster that I made as an introduction with references to baskets in the Bible--you know, like Moses, the loaves and fishes and the spies that were lowered over the wall in a basket.  That had to have been a big basket!!

Would you like to see some of

the baskets that we made?  

The two on the ends are egg baskets.  The first time I made

 one of those-well, it wasn't perfect. The one on the right with

the green and red -well, that was my second egg basket. 

I was pleased with that basket since it was more difficult
to make and I had mastered the technique.

Here are two different types of baskets.  The one on the left has a

square bottom and is square at the top.  The one on the left is a

rectangle on the bottom and an oval at the top.  The basket can also

be made so that it is square on the bottom and then round on the top.

Assistant to the photographer, Pumpkin.

Here is my daughter's Easter basket.

She uses the same basket every year. 

I bet you'd use the same basket every year if

your Granpa made your basket and signed it, too!

This is my favorite basket that Dad made.  It's

large and great for transporting casseroles, cobblers

and one of my party favorites, cheese straws!

It is super strong and has a very sturdy handle.

Dad made several of these big baskets for Mom, me

and as gifts to some of our friends.  I saw one

of his baskets still being used yesterday by a friend.

In  the spring of  2006, I lost my big basket. I couldn't

 even remember where I had used it last. I looked

for it everywhere.  I asked friends about it, too.  I was

 sure, since I couldn't find it in our house, that I must

have left it somewhere.  It really bothered me that I

 couldn't find my basket because Daddy had passed

away in November the previous year. 

 I knew I wouldn't be able to replace it. 

Then, one day, I was looking back through the pictures

I had taken at Easter and this is what I saw...

With a lot of hope, I asked my husband to pull the attic stairs

 down for me.  And there it was-- Daddy's basket in the attic

 and filled with plastic Easter eggs.  My sweet husband

 had put it in the attic with all the other Easter decorations! 

I was a super happy girl when I found my basket!

Here's my sweet Daddy with some of his baskets.

Do you have special Easter baskets or
other baskets that you enjoy in your home?
I'd love to hear your basket story!

Happy Easter!

 

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Uncle Wiggily China

I have this little set of vintage children's china that came from Dad's home in Nebraska. I can just imagine my aunt, Daddy and perhaps his brothers eating from this little china set.  It seems to be an actual set for children and not a "tea party" set. The internet states that the set is children's china from the 1920's and was produced by the Sebring Pottery Company. That time would have fit in with the ages of my family members. 

I decided to make a little display for Easter since the main character on the china is a rabbit.  The rabbit is named Uncle Wiggily Longears.  He was the subject of stories written for children starting in 1910 and published in the Newark News.  Howard R. Garis was the author of the stories that appeared daily (except Sunday) for 30 years. He also wrote 79 books with the same characters.

Here is a close up of the little pitcher.

Here is the cup and saucer.  I have two sets of these.  They are in perfect condition.

I have two little butter pat-sized plates and two larger plates and the one large bowl.

My friend found this beautifully illustrated Uncle Wiggily

book at an antique store and gave it to my daughter several years ago.

The last little detail is an old block that has a rabbit head on one side. 

I don't know where the other pieces are, but I love the

soft features of this friendly little rabbit. There would

have been at least two other blocks to make this

bunny complete --a middle part of the bunny and a block

with the legs and feet. There are pictures on all sides of the block--

some are middles and some are feet. You could interchange the

blocks to make funny characters or arrange them correctly.

 

Happy Easter--vintage style!

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Spring Trip to Franklin Tennessee

It's spring break week for us and since our daughter is out of school, we decided to take a little trip and decided to go to Franklin, Tennessee.  Franklin isn't very far away from us, so we had plenty of time to shop, eat, see the sites and rest.

I love all the fun decor items I see posted in Blog Land.  I enjoy looking, but find it hard to participate at times, since I have a traditional home and some of the things that are so fun right now or that I'm attracted to, aren't so traditional.

There were a number of fun antique and home shops that we got to visit while in Franklin.  Some were high end and very trendy with wonderful repurposed items.  Some stores had nice collections of shabby chic items.  Others just had junky stuff and a few others had country home style offerings.

Would you like to see some of the items I saw this week?

 I loved this display caddy.  It looks like a tool box

of some type.  Note to self, go check out Daddy's tool shed.

This store had a lot of signs and items that were wired to be light fixtures.

Cool idea for a folding carpenter's ruler.

I love containers. 

Containers made out of wire are always appealing.

I love all the light blue bottles seen here. 

I remember digging up bottles like this

with my Dad one time when I was a little girl.

My brother, I remember, later used them for target practice.

Bottles and kitchen scales.

Another tool caddy.

Olive baskets.



Old books, a globe and a type writer.

Wooden milk crates.

A nice collection of ironstone at this store.

Berry crates.  I really looked at these--I just knew I could do 

something with them when entertaining.

I just loved these milk bottles in their carrier. 

What would I do with those and why

 did I secretly want them?  I'm glad they

were already sold.

Large chippy candle sticks.

Well, I did get one of these items! 

I'll let you know later,
when I find it the perfect home.

Blogger Friend, Dawn, from Creative Cain Cabin recently visited Franklin, Tennessee, too.  You can read about her trip here: Front Porch , Plantation Homes , Tennessee Mini Vacation

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My Spring Mantel

I love our outdoor fireplace.  I decorated my mantel this weekend.  The weather was nice and we did some yard work while we had the opportunity.  

The pansies have been here all winter,

but they have really looked nice these last few days.

I got out a couple of decorations that were put up for the winter. 

My star is staring to rust and I'm trying to decide if I'll paint it.

Our azaleas and red bud tree are blooming.

I got new Kimberly Queen ferns last week. 

They are beautiful and make any space special.

I got the Gerber daisy last week, too.  I just couldn't resist!

Happy Spring!

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Something Old and Something New

I love plants. A few weeks ago I got two little Angel Vine plants and I decided last week to repot one of them with a topiary form.  I love topiaries.  Here's how my new plant is looking this week. 

We haven't had many sunny days in January or February, so I've been frustrated when trying to take better pictures.  But, since it's been so rainy and overcast, I've used my inside time to clean and tidy areas that are often over-looked on sunny days.  One area that has received a lot of attention is linen.  I have a lot of napkins that needed to be soaked, washed and sprinkled and ironed.  I did this for three days straight and was quite content with the job.  My mom was inspired by my accomplishments and she began to do some extra cleaning herself. 

Now on the day that I bought my little Angel Vine plants, I was in a store that always has the neatest and most current home decor.  I love all the new ideas I see there, but I have a very traditionally decorated home and many of the current trends wouldn't look right in my home.  I try to slip in new ideas in some of the details....like napkins, glassware, and small accessories.  The store had some lovely table runners.  I'd seen them there before and then I began to see them everywhere in blog land so I thought I would try that look at home.  I looked at several and I realized that I didn't know how long my table was, so I hesitated to make a purchase (I was shopping in another town), but I kept the table runner idea close by in my head.  

A few days later,  my mom called to tell me she was inspired and cleaning out a linen closet.  I decided to go over and see what she'd found.  It was worth the five-minute trip, as there were a number of items she was willing to let me have.  There were several treasures that needed attention, so it was back to soaking, washing and ironing again. 

Here is my new favorite (bad lighting and all). 

It is a table runner that I'm so proud to have on my kitchen table. 

 It is linen and the perfect color for my home.

There are five hand-tatted lace medallions on each end.  They are in perfect shape.

You can see the lovely details in this picture. 

 Each circle of lace is the exact same size as the next. 

My paternal grandmother made the lace and the table runner. 

Can you imagine making all that lace by hand? 

I had a friend show me how to tat one time and it isn't a very easy skill to acquire!

Can you imagine that I almost purchased a plain

 table runner just a week before I got this lovely piece?

What do you think of this new beauty?

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