Vintage Laundry Basket

Lately I have been on a mission to find a vintage clothes basket. They just don’t make clothes baskets like they used to. Old baskets are larger and sturdier. But when I began looking for vintage clothes baskets on Etsy and Ebay I discovered they were rather expensive.

The other week Adam and I were out for the day to visit a craft market. On our way to the market we saw several cars parked alongside the road in front of a lovely white farm house. A sign reading “Estate Sale” was enough to gain our attention. : ) It was the last day of the sale and there wasn’t a lot left, but there was a somewhat dirty clothes basket sitting on the floor of the garage. I was very excited! Then as I turned around I noticed some wooden clothes drying racks. This too was something I was hoping to purchase for my future home. I was able to purchase both items for only $11.

Then the following week when visiting a barn sale my mother and I found this adorable basket cart for $3. The wood appears to be the same as the drying rack. I was so very pleased! The LORD is so good to provide me with such a lovely set. I felt it was truly a gift from Him as He does know the desires of my heart.

Now I am envisioning how all three pieces will look so charming in an old-fashioned, country laundry room.

When I had my laundry room finds out to photograph I could not resist digging into my hope chest to pull out these dishtowels I embroidered when I was 15. I have always always loved chickens, and I had a lot of fun embroidering these dish towels.

The iron-on transfer set was entitled "Barnyard Romance". They chronicle the love story of two chickens. I imagine that the image above is the rooster proposing to the hen. : )

Here is a little article that an elderly pen pal sent to me several years ago.

Old Recipe

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Years ago a Kentucky grandmother gave the new bride the following recipe for washing clothes. It appears below just as it was written, and despite the spelling, has a bit of philosophy. This is an exact copy as written and found in an old scrap book (with spelling errors and all).

1.Bilt a fir in backyard to heat kettle of rain water. 2.Set tubs so smoke wont blow in eyes if wind is pert. 3.Shave one hole cake of lie soap in bilin water. 4.Sort things make 3 piles. 1 pile white, 1 pile colored, 1 pile work britches and rags. 5.To make startch, stir flour in cool water to smooth, then thin down with bilin water. 6.Take white things, rub dirty spots on board, scrub hard, and then bile. Rub colored don’t bile, just rinch and starch. 7. Take things out of kettle with broomstick handle, then rinch, and starch. 8.Hang old rags on fence. 9.Spread tea towels on the grass. 10. pore rinch water in the flower beds. 11. Scrub porch with hot soapy water. 12.Turn tubs upside down. 13.Go put on clean dress, smooth hair with hair combs. Brew cup of tea, sit and rock a spell and count your blessings.

***Paste this over our washer and dryer and next time when you think things are bleak, read it again and give thanks for your blessings!

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

The Joys of Autumn

After an especially hot summer I am welcoming the cool breezes of early autumn. September has a wonderful smell that makes me think of falling leaves and fresh crisp apples. The cool mornings and evenings have me reaching for my favorite shawl or sweater, and a knitting project! All summer was so hot the thought of handling wool did not appeal to me in the least, but now nothing could be more delightful than sitting on our chair swing in the side yard with a hot cup of tea and my knitting. I love to sit on our swing with my mother, sisters and new little nephew, chatting, watching the golden leaves flutter from the trees against a clear blue sky.

This weekend I hope to try a new apple pie recipe. Nothing tastes more autumnal than an apple pie. : ) Here is the recipe I plan to bake: Butter Crumble Apple Pie

This past weekend I tried a delicious new recipe for Pumpkin Lattes made in the crock pot. Absolutely wonderful! Here is that recipe: Crockpot Pumpkin Spice Lattes .

Another cozy project I have been working on is a patchwork quilt for my hope chest. With a little over 8 months until my wedding I am hoping to have it completed in time. I sew a couple squares a day with the goal of having the squares all assembled before winter, so that I can spend the winter month hand quilting. All of the fabrics used to sew the squares are scraps of fabric I have collected over the past 10 plus years. Each is a memory of a special sewing order for our family business or a dress I sewed for myself.

Beautiful days like we have enjoyed of late make me think of this hymn:

This Is My Father's World-

This is my Father's world,
and to my listening ears
all nature sings, and round me rings
the music of the spheres.
This is my Father's world:
I rest me in the thought
of rocks and trees, of skies and seas;
his hand the wonders wrought.

This is my Father's world,
the birds their carols raise,
the morning light, the lily white,
declare their maker's praise.
This is my Father's world:
he shines in all that's fair;
in the rustling grass I hear him pass;
he speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father's world.
O let me ne'er forget
that though the wrong seems oft so strong,
God is the ruler yet.
This is my Father's world:
why should my heart be sad?
The Lord is King; let the heavens ring!
God reigns; let the earth be glad!

By Maltbie D. Babcock

Scrubbies

Several years ago I began crocheting scrubbies. They have always been a big hit with my family. Crocheted from nylon netting (also know as crinoline the material petticoats are made from) scrubbies are perfect for all of your pans, even those with protective coatings. You can wash scrubbies in your washing machine with Clorox, they are very durable and nothing works as well on hard to clean pots and pans. Once you have given scrubbies a try I am sure you will be a fan too. : )

To begin you must cut your nylon netting into 2” wide strips. At first I found this the most challenging step; nylon netting has a way of slipping about. Somewhere along the way I began pinning my neatly folded material to the carpet. I would then mark every 2” with a black marker and cut.


Using a size 9/I crochet hook chain 4. Slip stitch to first chain to form a ring.

Round 1: Chain 2, 6 dc (double crochet) in ring. Sl st (slip stitch) to first chain.

Round 2: Chain 2, dc in same space, 2 dc in each dc of previous round. (I always add one extra dc, as I feel there is a space between where I began and where I am to end. There should be a total of 15 sts counting the first two chains as a dc.) Sl st to first chain.

Round 3: Chain 2, dc in same space, 2 dc in each dc of previous round.

Round 4: Chain 1, sc (single crochet) in each dc of previous round. Sl st to first chain.

Round 5: Chain 2, dc in each sc of previous round. Sl st to first chain.

Round 6: Chain 2, dc in every other dc of previous round.

Round 7: Chain 2, dc in every other dc of previous round.

You will now have a small opening in the back of your scrubbie. I simply slip stitch from one side of the opening into the other side 2-3 times. Cut material and draw material through the loop on your hook. Pull excess material into the inside of the scrubbie, I do this by pushing my hook through the front of the scrubbie and drawing the excess material through to the inside.

New Dresses

Here are some new items I have listed in my Etsy shop.

A few new Regency dresses.....

A colonial dress...

A rose print apron...

A lovely vintage copy of "Sense and Sensibility". plus more. : )

Vintage Embroidered Tablecloths

I thought that today I would share two of my special vintage finds. Above is a photo of a tablecloth I found at an antique shop last year. I love blue and white and I thought this would look so very pretty with tea and cookies displayed on it!

I love the hand embroidery, and admire all the work that someone put into it.

 I found this tablecloth recently at a weekly craft market, called the Windmill. I thought what a perfect keepsake from a really fun day, especially considering the lovely hand embroidered windmills.

Oh, this dutch theme is just so cute! The details are so pretty.

I am now inspired to make a hand embroidered tablecloth of my own. Once I get started I will post photos. : )

Zucchini Pancakes and Blueberries

One day last week we enjoyed a delightful meal comprised of foods from our garden! Cucumbers and tomatoes, early potatoes I dug up just to make sure all is well and zucchini pancakes. The LORD is so good. : )

Here is the recipe we use for zucchini pancakes. I found it last year on the Taste of Home website and it has become a real summer time favorite.

Zucchini Pancakes-

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1-1/2 cups shredded zucchini
• 1 egg, lightly beaten
• 2 tablespoons chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons butter
• Sour cream, optional

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the flour, Parmesan cheese, oregano, salt and pepper. Combine the zucchini, egg, onion and mayonnaise; stir into dry ingredients until well blended.

In a large skillet, melt butter. Drop zucchini mixture by cupfuls into skillet; press lightly to flatten. Fry until golden brown, about 2 minutes on each side. Drain on paper towels. Serve with sour cream if desired. Yield: 3 servings.

This morning we went to the Sugar Shack a beautiful blueberry farm. Picking blueberries is something I look forward to every year. The blueberries are very sweet this year due to all the sunshine we have had. We are hoping to return before the season is over. I must say blueberries are my favorite!

"You crown the year with your bounty, and your carts overflow with abundance." Psalm 65:11

Beauty for Ashes

This past week I finished reading “Beauty for Ashes” by Grace Livingston Hill. Reading this book was like taking a mini vacation to the beautiful country village of Afton, Maine; where neat white houses line the country lanes, the aroma of freshly baked bread mingles with the crisp fragrance of pine trees and where people are friendly and have old-fashioned values.

Now this story begins in a quite different setting. The tale opens with the lovely young heroine of the story, Gloria, skipping down the steps of her family’s palatial New York mansion to the sewing room where the seamstress is making the last alterations to the gowns meant to be part of her elaborate trousseau. It is at this time that she discovers the tragic news that her fiancé Stan has been murdered, but it is the circumstances surrounding his murder that makes the situation all the more unbearable.

After the funeral and formalities are over Gloria’s father decides to take her away for a while; to a place that is peaceful, and where newspapers will not want to snap her photo and exploit her grief. The refuge her father takes her to is his home town of Afton, Maine. Gloria is filled with delight upon seeing the large old white farm house where her father grew up. She is filled with wonder as her father speaks of the faith he was raised in and she develops a great interest to know of the deceased grandmother she never met but whose legacy seems to fill her father’s boyhood home.

During her stay in Afton Gloria is able to collect her thoughts, enjoy God’s glorious creation, and she also meets a new friend who challenges the way she views life.

Adventures ensue when Gloria’s father is called away on business and her sister Vanna comes to keep her company. Vanna has trials of her own to overcome and faith to discover. These two sisters discover the pleasure of simply living, the joy of salvation and the meaning of true love.

For all who love a love story with plenty of drama and Christ centered faith I am sure “Beauty for Ashes” is a book you will not want to pass by! : )

What books have you been enjoying this summer?