Wednesday, May 30, 2012

The Denim Shirt Pillow


I seem to be thinking denim this week--
maybe because it's such a part of "farm fashion" and farm style. . .

Years ago, I got this idea when I needed blue denim pillows. I had just washed and dried shirts for my nephews and thought how cute it would be to cover the pillows with them. At first, I planned to cut the shirts up but hated to do that to perfectly good shirts. So, I came up with another plan--one I'll explain a little later.

My favorites remain the plain and simple ones, with little decoration--maybe a button cover or pin. Yet, at times, I wanted a little more and began to decorate the pillows to reflect my whim. . .

Shabby Chic. . .


Western Cowgirl. . .
(I lived in Texas for a time. . .)

Bow ties or regular men's ties. . .

Whatever your decor, these pillows will fit right in. In fact, any shirt or blouse could be used. Try plaids for the fall or a silky blouse for spring. The possibilities are endless. 

Gather supplies together. Denim shirts (children's shirts work the best), old pillows, safety pins. That's all you'll need for the basic pillow.
Decide how you'd like to decorate them and gather those items together, too.



Don't cut the shirts to fit the pillow. . .

 Stuff the shirt with the pillow. . .

 Button it up. . .

Safely pin under the back collar. . .

Fold bottom of shirt up. . .

and safety pin. . .

Now, pull the sleeves to the back. . .safety pin them. . .

 That's all there is to it. . .now you're ready to decorate. . .

Don't you love how simple this is?
Of course, if you're making one for a gift, you'll probably want to cut the shirt to fit 
and stitch it up the way your home ec teacher taught you.
But, for a quick change, try it the easy way. . .
It'll take you 30 minutes tops. . .

Rooted In Thyme

Monday, May 28, 2012

Bunches Of Overalls


I was on a mission last week for overalls--
one I thought would turn out to be Mission Impossible.
Was I ever surprised. . .




Mens, boys, girls, womens--vintage and "broken in", cute and stylish. 
I'll have a few of them up for sale soon--at Our Old Country Store.
If you need a certain size, email me.
I might have it. . .











Saturday, May 26, 2012

The Great Hwy 25 Yard Sale Treasure Hunt

  
Day 2

I just have a few minutes before we head out again for the Missouri 100 mile yard sale on Highway 25, but I wanted to share some of our finds from Friday.  Day 1 was just as successful, but I committed the almost unforgivable  "sin" of failing  to recharge the batteries in my camera. So sorry. But, I'm sure you'll get the idea of all the treasures available along the route from this one day.

We began our treasure hunt in Kennett, bright and early, heading north. . .
Only 30 minutes later and covering 2 miles, the truck was already filling up. . .


In Malden, we spent a lot of time with Jerry. Such a nice local vendor. . .
Vintage garden chairs, primitive tables, iron beds, galvanized buckets--we continued to load the truck. . .


We only traveled half of the 100 mile route Friday, ending our day in Bernie. There were so many yard sales in that little town that we just did not have the time or energy to go on.


Don't want to bore you with a lot of photos of the actual yard sales. You all know what one looks like. . .
I do want to share some photos I took this morning as we unpacked part of the truck--just a few of the finds. . .

 Vintage garden furniture, a child's iron bed, baskets, birdhouses, table and sink, lattice. . .
 Poor little Dutch girl needs a paint job, but for $1, I couldn't pass her up. . .


Tins, a pick sack, cotton carders, vintage kitchen items. . .just a few we found. . .

My personal favorites--vintage clothing. . .

Bake-lite jewelry. . .great red shoes. . .1940s style dress. . .

 Handbags and hats. . .



Quilts, vintage patterns. . .

Vintage ties for John. . .


Barrels, galvanized tins, a barrel wood stove. . .

Money spent?
Are you ready for this?
$155 for both Thursday and Friday. . .
What FUN. . .

You still have time. . .
Some sales will continue through Monday. . .


 Hook up the ole buggy and head that way. . .
The Bootheel of Missouri is brimming with treasures this weekend. . .



Thursday, May 24, 2012

Consider the Lilies. . .

"Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;
 they toil not, neither do they spin; And, yet, I say unto you,
That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these."

We had terrible storms Sunday night. Off and on for almost an hour, we were plummeted with hail, high winds, and torrential rain. When it was over, we were without electricity, the porch roof was sagging in the middle, part of the fence was broken, our yard was littered with limbs and debris, the garden and flower beds were leveled.  Being a farmer's daughter and having experienced these types of storms more than once, I knew we'd have some replanting to do with the crops, as well as with the garden and flowers. Time--a few days--would tell.


My lilies seemed to have taken the worst of it. The leaves were flattened on the ground, bruised and broken. The blooms that were about to open before the storm were gone.

So, you can imagine my surprise when I walked out this morning and was greeted with beautiful lilies everywhere I looked. . . Red ones, orange ones, yellow ones. Nothing could have raised my spirits any higher.


I love lilies. I always have. Now I admire them even more. Yes, they'd been bruised and broken, but they didn't give up. They rose above their pitiful looking foliage and were shining bright in the sun.


I stood there and thought for a few moments how life can be compared to these beautiful flowers in front of me. 
Storms of life come and storms go. Some last a long time. Others only a little while.
We have a choice to rise up out of them and shine bright in the sun, 
or we can lay on the ground and whither away. 

I don't know about you,
but I choose to be a LILY. . .




Don't forget the 100 mile yard sale this weekend on Highway 25 between Kennett and Jackson, Missouri. . . It begins today (Thursday) and ends Saturday. . .The weather will be great--so, no excuses. . .See ya there. . .

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

Barn Watching


"you just gotta love
a little old barn
touched by time
with it's own charm.
the weathered wood
shines bright in the sun. .
Proud and still standing...
(it's life isn't done).....
Think of the tales
that could be told
If barns could talk
of memories they hold. . ."
            from: Old Barns and Pictures
                     by Connetta Jean


I love sitting on the porch and seeing the old barn stand so tall and proud. It's seen many years of hard work and labor. It has housed mules, horses, cattle, tractors, farm equipment, seed, hay, grain, owls, cats, pigeons, doves, cars, trucks, boats--the list is endless. It's withstood tornadoes, floods, fires, and storms.

Magers Barn, blt ca 1930, Widner-Magers Farm Historic District, Dell, AR

It has watched all it's fellow barns--one by one--fall to the ground or be razed for the wood. I like to think of our barn as a wise old gentleman, who has withstood the sands of time and has come out the wiser for it.












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