New Baskets

I've been busy weaving in between all the basketball games!  I'd like to share what I finished up today (we are home from school due to icy road conditions and snow.  Unfortunately today will have to be made up at the end of the year as we've gone through all our calamity days.  It's never fun to make up at the end of the year.) 

This first little basket just might be my favorite - well at least for today - I have a problem that they are all my favorites!  I love how the personalities of egg/rib baskets develop.  I always have a plan for the rim and handle, but the basket always tells me what it has in mind.  

I've been experimenting with color this week.  I'm calling this one a Shaker gathering basket.  It is stained blue and over stained with black walnut dye.  Love the color. 

 

Another egg basket - little larger than the first one I posted.  Handles are 6 3/4"

These next 2 are Shaker Cat Head baskets.  The Shakers made these baskets on molds so that each one turned out exactly the same.  I don't have molds, so the "ears" are formed by me. 

This is why they are called Cat Head baskets - holding it upside down can you see the cats' head?  His two pointy ears and his round face become apparent now....

If you are interested in any of these baskets, they will all be listed on my selling blog, 1803 Ohio Farm Baskets throughout the week.  Just click on the link to the right. 

Have a great week.  ~Ann

Trashy Swap Arrived Today!

I signed up with Char at The Pickled Pepper Patch for the "Trashy Swap" she arranged.  My partner was Tammy from A Primitive Place and my oh my did she out do herself. 

Everything on the top of this dresser came from Tammy today.  WOW is all I can say.  When I opened the box the wonderful smells of sweet annie and spices wafted up and filled my kitchen with anticipation of good things to come. 

Tammy made these wonderful rabbit salt dough "cookies" - they smell so good and it was hard not to take a bite!  I added them to my wood bowl that holds dried black walnuts and a blackened beeswax candle.  I like to change out things in this bowl for the seasons and holidays.  What a great spring addition and they look great with the walnuts.

This little makedo was created from a candlestick found at GW and an antique blue coverlet that made the little bunny.  He has a little egg backpack that is filled with sweetannie.  How cute is this? It fits perfectly in my grain sifter. Disclaimer - I'm using this backwards!  Tammy made it for me to turn the other way around, but I like all the bunny showing.

The bowl with bunnies and the makedo share the same area in between the kitchen and dinning room.  They are the perfect prim addition to this area. 

Tammy found this wooden bowl at GW.  It used to have a foot on the bottom, but she sanded it off, painted it black and distressed it.  A hole drilled in the edge allows this to hang.  I am using it to cover the unused phone jack in the kitchen.  Perfect!

On the far right of my countertop shelf you'll see a cute little sheep.  Tammy made this herself using plaster.  Thinking about pantry cakes  she turned the sheep into a spice covered cake wrapped in cheesecloth.  It's perfect and I LOVE sheep.  Someday I'm going to have a couple of real live sheep with black legs and black faces. 

Tammy made both the middle jar and the jar on the right using labels she had with jars that have some character.  Both are covered with gingham in a dark red that matches my kitchen perfectly. 

Yep - there's more - don't go away!  Both the fabric covered boxes and the aged clothespins were in the box!  Tammy says "she's never covered a box before"  Let me tell you she did an A+ job.  They are perfectly distressed and prim - just the way I like things.  Thought these would look good in our downstairs bathroom. 

Above the boxes hangs this shelf and if you look carefully you'll see 2 little strawberries that Tammy made me.  Am I a lucky "Trashy Swapper" or what?

On the wall in the same bathroom I hung this little ditty bag that she made.  It has candles that she found at GW, grubbied up and stuffed into the bag along with lots of sweet annie.  The tie is a blue homespun. 

Here's the second black bowl that Tammy included and she sent me the bowl filler too!  She made more salt dough ornaments - 3 chickens and 1 rooster along with a great smelling potpourri.  YUM!  

Okay, I must be the luckiest swap partner EVER!  Thank you so much Tammy, you were so kind and thoughtful and generous.  Everyone is going to rush over to Char and request you for the next swap! 

 

These last 2 pictures I'm adding are of my downstairs bathroom.  I decided while I was playing with all my great new goodies,  I'd make a new curtain.  I'm becoming more and more prim all the time.  The plainer and simpler something is the more I like it.  So the above curtain had to go. 

Here's what replaced it....

A simple osnaburg curtain.  I'm going to figure out a tie back for it, gotta think about that one.  I want something VERY simple - if you have any thoughts, please let me know. All the edges are torn and I made a simple casing on the top for the tension rod to go through.  I'd thought about twine to hang it from, but for the moment the rod works for me.  

Have a great weekend.  ~Ann 

Valentine Cookies

My all time favorite roll out cookies -

2 C sugar
1 C white Crisco
2 eggs
1 C Milk & 1T white vinegar or 1 C buttermilk
2 t baking soda
2 t baking powder
5-6 C flour
1 t salt
4 t almond extract

Beat sugar and Crisco, add eggs and soured milk.  Mix well then add baking soda, baking powder, salt and extract.  Add 1 cup of flour at a time, mixing well.  Chill for 1-2 hours.  Roll out to 1/4" thick, cut with favorite cookie cutter.  Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes.  Do not let the edges brown, you want them to be soft to the touch.

Frosting - 1/2 stick butter melted, 4 cups powdered sugar, 1/8 t almond extract and drizzle of milk until desired consistency.

When I used to make these BK (before kids)  I would put them in the freezer and we'd enjoy them for weeks.  Now not a one makes it to the freezer!

Happy Valentines Day.

My Monday Blues

My Monday Blues for this week is one of my most prized possessions.  My great grandmother's wedding dress was blue!  Being married in the late 1800's didn't always mean a white dress.  She must have liked the color blue because this isn't the only thing I have of hers that was blue.  I'm not going to tell you what one of them is, I'll save that to share another Blue Monday. 

The dress fits our DD almost perfectly.  She's a size 0/1 so that tells you how small my Great Grandmother was when she married.  DD would only model if I promised not to show her face!  "I don't have on any makeup and my hair's in a pony tail". 

Close up of the bodice,  the inserts are mesh with embroidery on them. 

Close up of the neck insert...

and the insert above the waist line.  The waist is pleated horizontally.   

The sleeves are also edged in the embroidered mesh and accented with hanging beads. The beads are also an accent on the sides of the bodice, they are stitched on in graduated lengths. 

Side view of bodice

The bottom front of the dress has two rows of buttons, in between each row is a pleat.  A very subtle added interest. 

One of the most special things about our DD posing in this dress is the fact that she is named for this maternal ancestor.  Carrie was married in this dress on January 23, 1884.  Our DD is named Carrie in honor of her Great-Great Grandmother Carrie. 

Growing up I used to go into my Mother's closet and admire this dress.  I always dreamed of being married in it as well.  That didn't happen, a more modern  white dress was chosen, as you saw a few posts back. 

Poor DD Carrie was complaining about not being able to breath in this dress, I told her to look on the bright side, I didn't lace her into a corset before I "made" her put on the dress! 

Have a great week.  ~Ann

Prim Market Baskets

I've been working on some new basket designs and have posted them both on my 1803 Ohio Farm Baskets blog.  Click on the link to the right to see these baskets. 

Have a great weekend.  We had 2 basketball games tonight, 3 tomorrow night and 3 Saturday.   Whew! I must say I am looking forward to the end of basketball season.  ~Ann 

More Monday Blues

Two weeks ago, I was spurred on by Char to post pictures of blue items around my home.  I featured some of my crocks last time.  This time I'm going to share some of my blue painted items.  The first two items were made by our DS#1 for 4H projects.  The first item I know you've seen before, but it's been a while so it's worth posting again. 

The project book said flower box, but I thought it would be better on the counter with a portion of my masher collection in it. 

His second year in woodworking, the project book had them making something that he designed himself.  We brainstormed and came up with this matchstick holder.  Good thing DH can draw out plans!  It hangs in the small area between the kitchen cupboards and our sliding glass doors.    You will notice that neither of these items are roughed up or stained,  we didn't think the 4H judges would appreciate a prim look!  I love both these items. 

This shelf has been my header picture before and if you've been my follower for awhile now, you've seen this before too.  But again, it's a blue piece in my home. 

.  The last item that I have to show on this Blue Monday is the staircase from the basement family room to the kitchen.  When we bought this house the lower level was unfinished.  The stairs were scary with 2 little ones and a baby - we locked the kitchen door so no one could fall down the stairs - there weren't any banisters or hand rails, just open sides.  DH reconstructed the entire stairway, to my specifications of course!  The treads are stained and the risers are painted blue. 

Now I just wish that our stairs going to the 2nd floor were as good looking - a project for another year. 

All 4 of these projects were painted with Olde Century Paints - Navy.  I will warn you that I don't think it's a very dark navy, but the color has grown on me since we've used it so much around the house.  As I've mentioned before, I LOVE Olde Century paints, they are pricey but for items that you are making to treasure forever it's worth the extra $$. 

Have a great week.  ~Ann