Sunday, November 6

Sunday Farm Photos: Vintage Corners of Our New Home

Vintage corners of our new home 1

More below. . .

Vintage corners of our new home 2

Vintage corners of our new home 3

Vintage corners of our new home 4














We aren't quite ready for the big picture yet (and may never be), but little by little our new home is coming together. Joe's brother, who is a professional painter, was here visiting from Ohio for the past week, helping us check a few more jobs off the final construction list. Among other things, we now have 17 beautiful white windowsills!

Meanwhile, eclectic vintage is our decorating theme: easygoing, comfortable, beautifully designed, fun to look at, well loved, useful. Prized posessions that have been tucked away for far too long have new homes alongside recently found treasures.

The cat rug, a gift 20 years ago, has been rolled up in a closet for the last 10 years; it now sits on the oak floor next to my side of the bed. The embroidered coffee pot tea towel has been in my collection for ages; the red cart it's hanging on was scored last month. I discovered vintage enamelware three or four years ago and am now enamored with it. I use it all over the place.

The Pyrex nesting bowls are part of a set that were my grandmother's. The red bakelite flatware and white Bauer flowerpot moved with me from California to Missouri (17 years ago today!), as did the Art Deco chair 16-year-old Molly Doodlebug is sitting on—all favorite finds from my years as an antiques dealer. The red-rimmed bowl was a $5 splurge because it made me so happy when I first saw it sitting in a display case—and still does.

The battered old cheerful yellow dresser, pretty table scarf, hand painted child's chair, and cool 50s lamp sit at the top of the stairs and were found during four different trips to my favorite junk mall over the past two years. Total cost: $43. The glow of the lamp is so cozy that we've been turning it on each evening.

Old glass jars are perfect for laundry soaps, and the $1.25 white Fire King mug I keep in the shower for rinsing my razor (next to the $1.50 Fire King 'soap bowl') is such an improvement over the old cottage cheese container I was using!

All of it makes me smile. The little things really can bring us so much joy each day.

What makes you smile when you look around your home?

Love vintage?
(click here to see all these posts on one long page)
2/18/10: A Nice Day

© FarmgirlFare.com, reused, upcycled, aging well, and a real classic—not to mention cute.

27 comments:

  1. It all looks lovely! Love the Pyrex and Bakelite- and what a beautiful view out your window!

    ReplyDelete
  2. EngineerChic11/06/2011 4:39 PM

    Beautiful! I'm so glad you are in your new place. I still daydream that someday you'll host farm "vacations" for blog readers with loads of money, and that when you do I will suddenly come into loads of money to spend on one :) But sharing pictures and stories of the farm & farm critters is very generous all on it's own.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Susan,
    What a fantastic little tour, and I must say, I swooned when I saw the cat rug....oh my....I am so happy for you that you have that treasure. All your things are those on my fave list, too. Beautiful things. So happy for you that these treasures can come out of hiding. Enjoy your new home. You and Joe have earned it.
    Marcia

    ReplyDelete
  4. OK it sorta hurts to see things I think of as "my good baking dish" labeled as vintage. But reality is - I AM vintage (over 60) - love your stuff and especially Molly Doodlebug - a classic.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I just went back to see your new pantry. You have the fire king with the red flowers. I still have some of these. During the summers while I was in college, my mom had me do the grocery shopping. A store that she seldom used had some kind of offer where you could get these ovenware pieces. That was 50 years ago. It was so neat to see how you are using these classics.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Oh, I love those vintage containers! Lovely photos!

    ReplyDelete
  7. I love your collections. The red and yellow handled cutlery particularly caught my eye and the cat rug! So glad it is finally seeing the light of day. Looks like Molly Doodlebug is enjoying the new set-up too. Feel free to show us more any time (and don't worry: No One is ever ready to show the whole picture!)

    ReplyDelete
  8. I love your pictures! The enamelware is beautiful. It is so nice to be able to enjoy all the things we have packed away.

    ReplyDelete
  9. oh my that was fun. i love your stuff!!!!

    my favorite things right now are my vintage paint by number geisha paintings. and my vintage hanging glass lamps.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Great to see you are settling in!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Susan, What fun to see your favorites! The cat rug is wonderful and I love the old dishes. I have old bowls from my grandmother that I use all the time and I smile every time I pull them out to make something. There's something about the continuity of women using special dishes to create food and happy memories for their families that I hope will always last. Sharon from Maine

    ReplyDelete
  12. Gorgeous!Gorgeous!Georgeous!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love it when you share this part of your life. I know all too well about the things hidden away because there was no place for them at the time. Now that my life has been distilled down to four rooms and a bath, all the things I've loved and cherished have come out of the closet and fill my corners and walls with love and nostalgia. My friend, who decorates with great femininity which I love, always says when she comes that my apartment is so 'homey'. I take that as a great compliment. Thanks Christy.

    ReplyDelete
  14. My husband and I hope to live in the country some day in the future. We now live in a very small town of 150 people surrounded by corn fields, so it is close to country living for us. Seeing your pics and hearing your stories keeps me in that mind frame! Thanks for sharing your life with us:)

    ReplyDelete
  15. These small glimpses make me want to move right in! I am so thrilled that YOU'VE gotten to move it; yeah for family with practical gifts!

    ReplyDelete
  16. I enjoyed your pictures. Some of the items took me back to the home I was raised in. It is good to hear that you are getting settled in your new home.

    ReplyDelete
  17. I luv antiques and vintage things.

    Beautiful.

    ReplyDelete
  18. I love the red rimmed bowl and your "updated" soap dish! I have a four-piece set of those Pyrex bowls in yellow, green, red and blue that I bought 25-30 years ago at an antique store in Bakersfield, CA and I LOVE them!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow. You have nice pieces. I especially like the enamelware. And really especially like the green and black! Thanks for giving us a peek into your home.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Really love your cat rug! How nice that you are finally using it, and in a special place, by your bedside. And, of course, the cat is lovely, too!

    ReplyDelete
  21. I love the embroidery, almost a lost art.

    ReplyDelete
  22. You and I like a lot of the same vintage things! I love all the items you photographed.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Congratulations on your 17th anniversary in MO! Perhaps someday you could let your faithful readers in on how you and Joe met - in CA? In MO? Curious minds want to know! And love your stuff - I've never seen a pink enamel saucepan, fabulous! And Molly...SO sweet.

    ReplyDelete
  24. I may only see parts of your new home, but as far as I can see, it has the makings a lovely home. Best wishes!

    ReplyDelete
  25. Hi Everybody,
    Belated thanks for all the fun and enthusiastic comments. We are loving life out of The Shack! :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. Oh gosh, your enamel collection is beautiful!

    I am a huge fan of Pyrex. I just cannot stop picking up pieces. I have a pretty open shelf that most of my pieces fit on, and they just make me so happy. I think of them as the dishware equivalent of Pez candy. Bright, cute and they stack!

    I also really love vintage sheets - usually floral patterned. Sheets from the 60's and 70's just have a softness that I will take over the highest quality Egyptian cotton.

    ReplyDelete

December 2015 update: Hi! For some reason I can't figure out, Blogger hasn't been letting me leave comments on my own blog (!) for the last several months, so I've been unable to respond to your comments and questions. My apologies for any inconvenience! You're always welcome to email me: farmgirlfare AT gmail DOT com.

Hi! Thanks for visiting Farmgirl Fare and taking the time to write. While I'm not always able to reply to every comment, I receive and enjoy reading them all.

Your feedback is greatly appreciated, and I especially love hearing about your experiences with my recipes. Comments on older posts are always welcome!

Please note that I moderate comments, so if I'm away from the computer it may be a while before yours appears.

I try my best to answer all questions, though sometimes it takes me a few days. And sometimes, I'm sorry to say, they fall through the cracks, and for that I sincerely apologize.

I look forward to hearing from you and hope you enjoy your e-visits to our farm!