Broken Window

It started with a crack in the glass. Never a good thing when you are talking about plate glass.

I called the window company, and when the guy came, he said, "I could press on it to make it finish it's run, but I'm afraid it will be too much weight on the break since the break is down low".

I agreed, and we we settled on taping the crack while he ordered new glass.

That was last Thursday. On Saturday afternoon, I heard a sound like someone had hit the glass. But there was no one around it. The sound was the glass cracking as it finished its run.

Yikes.

I called George, and he hurried into town. Naturally, we couldn't get hold of anyone at the glass company, because these things always happen on a weekend.

So, while I carefully got everything out of the window that had been on display, he made a lumberyard run, and we built a plywood covering.

The plan was to attach the framework to that white part just below the ceiling. He started to drill into it, and.....

Nothing. Nada. Nope.

It must be a metal beam underneath that white paint.

So, plan B.

We leaned bracing up against it, using concrete blocks as anchors.

Not ideal, but it worked.

Doesn't the front of the shop look lovely?

Yeah, not so much.

But it is what it is. So far, the glass is holding, and we hope it will continue to do so until the new glass arrives.

In the meantime....  

Let's just say new glass ain't cheap. 

I'm having a sale to raise some money to help pay for this unexpected expense.

Sigh.

It's always something.

For the record, we don't think anyone broke the window, we are pretty certain it's a stress crack.

Fireworks and Holidays

Goodness gracious - where does time go? 

I had plans for WV Day posts, and that slid right past me.

At least I got some new barnwood signs made, I just didn't get them posted.

Then all at once it was the 4th of July. 

Happy Independence Day America!!!

George & I enjoyed 3 nights of fireworks. Three! 

The first night was in our hometown of Moundsville, WV.

We sat in the back of our pick up truck, and watched as the skies lit up over the fairgrounds. 

Not a great photo I know, but take my word for it, they were beautiful. 

The next night, we went to Oglebay Park outside of Wheeling, WV.

Huge crowds. HUGE! We were worried we wouldn't find a place to park, but finally did. Love Oglebay! See their website here. Better yet, visit for yourself if you are in the area. Our favorite times are during their Christmas light show, in the fall during Oglebayfest, and the 4th of July fireworks, which they always hold on the 3rd. We also like to attend the Music Under the Stars event, when the Wheeling Symphony plays - and it ends with... you guessed it - fireworks. Yay! 

Those 2 nights of fireworks were great, but then came the actual Independence Day, and the best ones yet: the fireworks at Heritage Port in Wheeling, WV.

Oh my.

They were SPECTACULAR.

HUGE!!! Note the Oglebay photo above - it's cropped down to fit. Now note this one from Wheeling. No need to crop, it filled the whole frame! Over, and over, and over again. 

LOUD!!! Feel it in your chest loud. 

Beyond cool.

The Wheeling Symphony was also playing before the fireworks, but we didn't walk up far enough to see them. We saw a good spot on the lawn when we first got there, and went ahead and grabbed it. We could hear the symphony, so we were happy. And our spot turned out to be a great one. Yay!

Just before dark, the sky itself celebrated the day.

Check out the red, white and blue that Mother Nature provided! 

Plus 3 nights of perfect fireworks weather.

Comfortable evenings, slight breezes, clear skies.

Three nights to remember always.

God bless America. 

How to Peel Farm Fresh Hard Boiled Eggs

I just posted a tip for peeling our farm fresh eggs when you hardboil them on our Facebook page, and thought I'd share it here as well.

It's really quite easy, once you know the trick. Someone told my husband this tip, and I would give them credit, if only I remembered who it was. Whoever you are - thank you!!!

Bring your water to a boil BEFORE putting the eggs in. Once the pan of water is boiling, gently lower the eggs into it one at a time, using a slotted spoon. Once all the eggs are in the water, put the lid back on, then bring the water back to a boil if it has stopped. Turn off the heat, and let them sit on the warm burner for 15 minutes or so. Pour off the water, replace it with cold, and let sit for a few minutes until the eggs are cool enough to handle.

That's it! The key is having the water boiling first. 

No idea why it works, but I'm so glad it does!

A couple days ago, I boiled 14 eggs. 12 peeled perfectly, 2 stuck just a little. These were fresh eggs. REALLY FRESH. From the hen to the water within a few hours. Yep. FARM FRESH! 

I know there are other tips out there that may work just as well. But I have no desire to add salt, or vinegar, or anything else to the water when all I need to do is bring it to a boil first. 

We sell our eggs in our shop, so if you are local, keep us in mind when you go egg shopping.

Our girls eat grass, and bugs, and worms, as nature intended.
Their grain is non GMO. 

And their eggs? They are delicious!!!

Country Life = Easter Blessings

I do believe Spring is finally here to stay! 

Our favorite little guy is excited to be outside again.

He loves to "Hap."

You know...... Help. Said in a sweet little 2 year old voice.

He thought he was pretty big stuff calling in the cows.

And gettting the flower gardens ready.

I tried giving him a child sized hoe.

No dice.

He wants to use what we use.

"Tool." he says. Our big ones, not his little ones.

I've had a very productive Easter weekend. The flower beds are now mostly clean, and I've been helping George get poles set for a new barn we are building. We had great weather for most of it, though Easter Sunday did end with storms. 

We were blessed to spend Sunday morning with our church family, hearing a powerful lesson about the risen Christ, and the hope that gives us.

One of my favorite signs I've made for the shop lately is this yellow one that says hope and is finished off with a flower cut from an old beat up quilt.

After church services, we had lunch with friends. An Easter buffet, chock full of delicious food. 

Our friends said they were going to go home and take a nap.

What did George and I do? We went home and chased cows. 

Three of the new calves decided the grass was greener on the other side of the fence while we were gone. We pulled onto our lane, and saw them, happily grazing in the hayfield.

Fortunately, it wasn't too much trouble getting them back where they belonged.

It's become a joke around here. When our son and daughter-in-law are away, one or another of the livestock will get out. Happens every time. 

Life on the farm.

Tricycles for the Garden

Last summer, George went to an estate auction, and brought back a couple old rusty tricycles. I was excited about that, because tricycles (and bicycles) have always sold pretty quickly for us. Usually as a garden touch.

Although one time, a young man bought one of our old school bicycles and added some sort of motor. When he told me his plans for it I thought he was dreaming. But he brought me a picture of it a couple weeks later, and it was really cool.

I digress.
Back to the tricycles.

One went on a table top. Why a table top? Because if I put it on the floor, it's too tempting for little ones who want to ride it. We have no room for that unfortunately.

The other went in the display window. I really need to take the time to refinish the floor in there. A couple years ago, we had some pine trees cut from sawmill slabs on display. They drew moisture, and left the whitish spots you can see under the bike. I suppose fixing it is going to mean sanding the floor down completely, then putting new varnish on. 

That's going to be number 4,624 on my project list.

Again, I digress.

Back to the tricycles.

I figured they would sell quickly, but for whatever reason, they didn't.

Time went on.

I worked one into a gingerbread display.

More time went on.

Christmas display.

Really?

They drew lots of interest, but it was usually along this line:

"So and so would love this, I'll tell them to come look at them."

But apparently "so and so" never came.

Just about everyone who looked at them remarked at the reasonable price.

But they still remained.

In late winter, I put them in the clearance corner. STILL no takers.

I was beginning to wonder if they had a hex on them.

I was about to just take them off the floor for a few months when Pinterest gave me an idea.

Photo via Pinterest, and a blog you can see by clicking here. The blog post has several beautiful photos.

That hot pink is a little too hot for my taste, but I loved the concept. I have seen several 

bicycles painted in this manner, but it hadn't occured to me to give the tricycles the same treatment.

So, I looked through my spray paint stash, and settled on white and a more muted pink.

I love how the white one turned out. As for the pink, maybe it's a little TOO muted. 

Hmmm...

Once I got them back to the shop, I added a little red basket to the white one. I have a little sage green basket in the same style that could be added to the pink one. 

So...... we'll see if they sell now. Here's hoping!

By the way, this seems a good time to tell one of my favorite stories:

Several years ago, we were at an outdoor auction, full of antiques. The crowd was large with lots of buyers. But there was one guy there who was trying his best to sweep the auction. It became increasingly difficult to buy anything, because he was running the bids up so high. 

Two tricycles came up for bid. The guy was eying them eagerly. But so was a little boy, up on his daddy's shoulders. 

The bidding for choice on the 2 tricycles started. The little boy had his daddy's bid card, and was holding it up high. The guy bid against the boy a couple times, but finally stopped. Maybe he felt the pressure from the crowd who was watching, waiting, silently rooting for the boy to get the winning bid. He put down his card, and the little boy kept his high up in the air. 

Going once, going twice, SOLD! 

Daddy set the little boy down on the ground, and he ran to the tricycle of his choice with a big grin on his face. The crowd parted, and he rode off down the driveway on his new bike. I don't think George and I were the only two in the crowd with happy tears in our eyes. 

Sweet, sweet memory. 

A Tisket, A Tasket

Baskets are great in and of themselves.
But sometimes its fun to take them up a notch.

A touch of ribbon and a flower or two give them a whole new look.

The red and white shaker style box also got an upgrade, with a quilted flower and tag.

I just glued the flower to the top, then tied the tag to the button in the middle of the flower. A box as sweet for looking at as it is for storage. 

The heart in the basket is made from an old chenille bedspread, and is also wearing a tag.

Lousy picture I know. Why? It's in the display window, and I was taking the photo through the glass. I should have taken them out of the window for the picture, but my energy level and my thought process level the day I took the photos were not in sync.

The basket on the left is embellished with a burlap ribbon and flower. The one on the right is sporting a burlap ribbon and heart cut from an old quilt.

The wine bottle basket also got dressed up with a burlap ribbon and flower. Burlap dresses up anything these days. There's a certain irony to humble burlap dressing something up, isn't there? 

This is a BIG basket. Close to laundry basket size. 

Pretty cool.

A tisket, a tasket, a dressed up wicker basket! 

Tutorial - Upcycling a Mirror

My first attempt at a tutorial.
I kept forgetting to take pictures.
Ahem....

Well, let's begin.

I had an oval mirror with a missing piece of frame.

Did I think to take a picture of the whole mirror?
No, I was doing good to remember to take one of the missing piece.

I decided to try hiding the broken frame with some flowers.
Hot glue sticks amazingly well to a mirror.

I glued some leaves down first, then added a piece of ribbon.
And then a flower. But I forgot to take a picture.

Then I stood back and looked at it. 

And decided it needed flowers in the opposite corner to make it looked balanced.

So, I repeated what I had already done on the opposite corner.

And after I did that, I discovered the mirror was showing a bit between the backing and frame right where I had added the flowers. 

That's ok, the leaves hide it.

For the most part.... if you don't look too closely.

The finished mirror!

And everything in it's reflection.

The missing frame piece is hidden behind the flower on the bottom.

I could see this hanging in a girly girls room, or a cottage themed or Victorian home. 

Next time I do a tutorial, I'll try to remember to take more pics.

But look what I did remember to do.....

Take a selfie!

Ha! 

Man Cave... Stage One

We have a new display in the shop. It has several pieces perfect for the man cave, or a home decorated with the rustic/woodsy/lodge theme.

Can you guess what the Old Treasures and Man Cave signs are painted on?

Concrete trowels!

Speaking of tools, how about a couple shovels?
Note the all wood handles.
And check out that cool old wooden clamp.

Around here, many guys (and gals) are into fishing & hunting.

So that seemed an appropriate beginning for adding more guy stuff.

This plywood cabinet came straight out of a guys woodshop. It had been in my dads workshop, holding a variety of wood making tools.

The green metal box underneath is an old ammo box. I tried selling it plain for a while, and since it hadn't sold yet, I dressed it up a bit with some burlap ribbon and rusty stars.

I dressed up a couple metal skillets too.








































They made for some fun Fish Fry signage.

All together now.... "Awwww".

I will be adding more stuff for the guys, this is just the beginning.

But don't worry girls, I certainly haven't forgotten about you!

I'm also adding lots of wedding/love decor.
But that's a post for another day.

Embellished Signs

Sure, you can make a sign with a paint brush and paint.
But why stop there?

Lately, I've been adding some embellishments.
Rusty stars are a good place to start.
And even a rusty chicken.

 I like to tie on a scrap of fabric, then add a rusty star on top.

Burlap flowers are always a good choice.
But why stop there?
Lace and barbwire?
Sure!

I painted Antiques & Old Stuff on a saw blade, then nailed it to a piece of barnwood.
The old friend sign is a piece of baseboard, perhaps from an old farmhouse.
It already had the white chippy paint on it when I bought it.
A couple scraps of fabric gave it the finishing touch.

Or, how about a flower made from a cutter quilt?
There's no end to the ideas of what can be added to a sign.

Time for a treasure hunt through the junk craft stash!

By the way - I'm having problems writing posts and adding pictures. When I add photos, it messes up the spacing. Sometimes it throws the written part all out of whack, adding large spaces to the post at times. Eventually, I can get it to look right on my laptop, but it ends up creating large spaces when I look at it on my phone. Hmmm.......