A Beautiful Day for a Barn House Sale!

Are you ready to be blown away?  The Barn House boys and friends put together an amazing show on Saturday and I could hardly wait to share the gorgeous displays with my dear blog friends!  Here we go...virtual shopping spree!

 

Denise of Pink Postcard was at the sale with her family.  It was such a pleasure to meet her in person!

Kittens!  They added to the whimsical ambiance of the sale!

This one was poised so perfectly on a vintage bed...

it just couldn't be real, could it?

It sure was!

My fellow vintage treasure-hunting enthusiast and dear friend Florence was shopping the sale as well...I knew I'd be seeing her!  She is also a very talented photographer and I'm embarrassed that my photo with her is out of focus!  I forgot to change the settings back to auto before I handed over my camera.

Look!  A chamber pot used to water the chickens!  I've been a little obsessed lately with chamber pots and how they are used in their second life.  Here is another way to use and display them that I hadn't thought of!

Here I am with some of my dearest and oldest friends.  Rebecca, Sarah and I have known each other since middle school and their mom, Rhea is just as sweet as she can be!  Rebecca was a bridesmaid in my wedding 10 years ago!  Seeing them at the show really made an already lovely day, extra special!

And there goes my hunky Sherpa toting my one and only purchase of the day!  I will share more photos of this darling little table and tell you more about it later in the week!

Thank you for your sweet visit!  I hope you had a fabulous, sunny weekend!  I know the folks here in the Pacific Northwest were beyond ready for the sunshine.  Shopping for treasures on the Barn House boys beautiful country farm was such a lovely way to enjoy the sunny day!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

Linking up to:

Tuesday's Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia

Celebrating a 10th Wedding Anniversary and Beatrix Potter's Birthday!

I feel a little funny writing about Beatrix Potter and my 10th wedding anniversary in the same post, but I had some Potter related items I've been waiting to share and it just so happens that her birthday falls on the same day as my anniversary!

A couple of weeks ago, I spotted these bunnies together in a sandwich bag amongst a lot of cheesy figurines on the shelf at the Goodwill. 

I don't usually go for little nick knacky things...but I do love bunnies and these looked like they may be something special!

Special, Indeed!

 They were Royal Albert Beatrix Potter figurines! 

I couldn't believe they were so carelessly thrown into a sandwich bag!  I inspected them closely, thinking for sure they'd be chipped!  Nope!  Perfect condition, and $3.99 for the pair!

Mrs. Rabbit Cooking.

This is Poorly Peter Rabbit...isn't he sweet?

I took my dear little bunnies directly to the register and kindly asked the cashier to remove them from the bag and wrap them separately, they were Royal Albert for goodness sake! 

They now have a special place in my curio amongst my teapots and cups! 

My dear friend Judy and her husband collect a pair of bird figurines for each year of their marriage.  Being that we share our anniversary with Ms. Potter's birthday, it seems appropriate that we should collect these figurines for each year of marriage...don't you agree?  My sweet husband wasn't so thrilled with this idea.  I only have these two...so I'm about 8 figurines behind!

This adorable tiered vintage table was at a yard sale last week for $5!  Of course I purchased it thinking it would be such fun to do up a display around it at the shop. 

Once I had it painted and distressed, I set it in the living room between our wing back chairs (temporarily of course).  Hmmm...well...who would have know...it's just what I needed for this room!  My sweet husband said, keep it...until you find something you like better!  He knows me too well!  We've only had about 10 different tables in that very spot...all of which made their way to the shop eventually.  But this time, I think we've found a keeper!  I love all of the ornate detail, which really popped once I'd distressed it!  Quite Frenchy, don't you think?

A couple of years ago I picked up this old, obviously handmade plaque featuring characters from Beatrix Potter stories at a pole barn sale.  I tried to sell it at the shop as I couldn't seem to justify keeping it at the time, but clearly I was attached and priced it higher than anyone wanted to pay.  It sat and sat...and I eventually brought it home, figuring it was meant to stay with me!  I have found a spot for it above my curio in the living room...the curio that houses my new little bunny figurines!

I have quite a collection of back issues of Victoria magazine that I am constantly flipping through for inspiration.  I do not have this issue, but found these pages tucked away in a Beatrix Potter book I purchased at a rummage sale!  I have since sold the book but held onto the article.  I loved that someone felt it was special enough to tuck away and save.  Obviously I am not the only one who adores Beatrix Potter and her work.

Have you seen the movie, Ms. Potter with Renee Zellweger and Ewan McGregor?  It's one of my all-time favorites!  If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend you do!  I will probably make my sweetie watch it with me this evening...after our anniversary date!

I'll leave you with a favorite photo from our wedding day...

Happy anniversary, Honey!  I love you!  The last 10 years have been absolutely wonderful...truly!  I am so blessed to have you in my life!

Guess where my sweet husband has agreed to take me this Saturday for a little anniversary weekend outing...

Barn House! 

It's sure to be a fabulous show!  Let me know if you plan to attend...it would be so fun to meet some blog buddies there!  And if you don't live close by...rest assured that I will be taking my camera and will share LOADS of photos next week!

Thank you so very much for your sweet visit today!  Have a lovely weekend!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

I'll be joining in these fun parties:

Vintage Inspiration Friday at Common Ground

Show and Tell Friday at My Romantic Home

Miss Mustard Seed's Furniture Feature Friday

Treasure Chest Friday at White Ironstone Cottage

Inspiration Friday at The Pickett Fence

Feathered Nest Friday at French Country Cottage

Home Sweet Home Friday at The Charm of Home



A Vintage Cupboard Full of Possibilities...White, Silver and a touch of Pink!

I love my Monday afternoon "treasure primping" time!  This is the time when I gather my newly painted furniture and recent estate sale finds and prepare them to be added to my space at the antique shop.  It's never easy for me to part with these treasures, but it helps to have some pretty photos to remember them by after they've gone on to be enjoyed in the home of another vintage decor enthusiast!

The possibilities are endless for this sweet little vintage cupboard.  I painted it heirloom white and gave it the shabby distressed treatment.  On a kitchen counter top it could house all sorts of cooking tools and utensils.  I could also see it hung on a wall above a crafting table, filled with pretty bottles of glitter and stacks of ribbon spools!

It's time to invest in a new bottle of silver polish.  I used the rest of mine to shine up this pretty WM Rogers vintage coffee pot.  It was completely black when I brought it home.  Amazing what a little polish and some elbow grease can do!  Do you have a favorite polish you use?

I am loving the combination of white and silver!  In fact, this vignette has inspired me to change up my kitchen corner cupboard display!  I am still working on it...but will share soon!

These delicate white teacups are not old but I thought they were so pretty, and knew I could use them in a white vignette.  They are from Poland and the pattern is Versailles.

The Ballerina rose doesn't hold up in flower arrangements as well as some of the others, but she sure is photogenic!  Love those yellow centers!

I also bundled a few vintage hymnals.  These are lovely for decorating with or to use in craft projects!

There were just a few blooms left on my Bonica rose bush after my pruning the week before last!  Most of my roses appear to be taking a little break...but I see lots of green buds and look forward to more blooms in the upcoming weeks!

Thank you for stopping by to visit and play "vintage vignette" with me!  And thank you for all of the gorgeous inspiration you share!  I hope you are having a wonderful week!  Looking forward to seeing what my lovely, creative blog buddies have been up to lately!

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

I will be joining in these fun parties:

White Wednesday at Faded Charm

Wow us Wednesday at Savvy Southern Style

Primp Your Stuff Wednesday

Share the Love Wednesday at Very Merry Vintage Style

Transformations and Treasures at Pink Postcard

Transformation Thursday at The Shabby Creek Cottage

Treasure Hunt Thursday at From My Front Porch to Yours

Painted Furniture Party at My Romantic Home



Vintage Berry Bowls and Berry Filled Scones

                                        

Do you have a set of berry bowls in your china cabinet?  I find them so charming.  It is seldom that they are used for berries at our house, but we do use them quite frequently.  They work so well for condiments, butter and jam.  And they are great for those of us who are working on eating smaller portions!  A friend of mine went on a shopping spree and collected a set of mismatched berry bowls for herself when she started a weight loss program.  I thought this was a great idea.  Starting a diet is never fun, but an excuse to shop for dishes is always a good thing!

My mother-in-law picked these gorgeous raspberries from her garden this week!

We have a few small blueberry bushes in our yard that are just starting to produce a hand full of delicious berries every few days!  Aren't these pink depression glass bowls sweet?

I love my German berry bowls.  I purchased them on EBay ages ago, at the beginning of my obsession with pink roses!

I just polished this serving spoon along with a lot of mismatched vintage flatware to deliver to the shop this week!  So fun!

I have several favorite scone recipes!  The one I used today is Grandma Johnson's Scones.  What I really wanted to share with you here is this great method for adding fresh or frozen berries to any scone recipe.

Pat your dough into 10" rounds (this recipe made 2).  Add whatever berries you like to the center of the round, leaving about a 2" perimeter.

With floured hands, carefully fold the perimeter up to fully enclose the berries in the dough.  (On a side note, I just found these lovely McCoy mixing bowls at a sale over the weekend!  They look so pretty in my kitchen, but I just can't justify keeping them!  They will be making their way to the shop this week!)

Using a sharp knife, cut the round into 8 triangles.  If you want your scones to be pretty, it's best to clean your knife in between slices.

Be sure to serve your Berry filled scone with whipped cream and more fresh berries!  Yummmm!!!

Don't forget a cup of tea!

I've shared it before, but in case you missed it...this is my favorite little tea set, picked up at an estate sale for $10!  It has no markings.  I took it to an appraisal day at the antique shop and learned that it was German, from the late 1800's and worth $200-$300!  It's probably my all-time favorite estate sale find.  Of course I didn't know just how beautiful it was until I brought it home and washed it!  And if it hadn't been so filthy at the estate sale, I'm sure someone else would have snagged it before I did!  Treasure hunting is so much fun!

I hope you had a lovely weekend!  Thank you so much for your sweet visit today!  I did a little painting over the weekend, a few things I thought I was preparing for the shop but as it turns out they look quite at home in our living room...so I think they're going to stay put for a while.  I'll share soon!  Can't wait to see what you've all been up to! 

Best Wishes and Blessings,

Amanda

Sharing with these fun parties:

Table Top Tuesday at A Stroll Thru Life

Tuesday's Treasures at My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia