NEW ITEM!!! Adjustable Rag Rug Loom

John has done it again. . .He is always busy trying to improve his RAG RUG LOOMS. . .but I have to take a little credit for this one. . .for you see. . .I CHALLENGED him to make me a LARGER LOOM that could be adjusted to whatever size I needed. . .That was a few weeks ago. . .but I can't complain. . .We've been busy. . .

Then this morning, the kitchen door opened and here he came. . .with the NEW LOOM in his hand. . .

I simply LOVE it. . .I can make RAG RUGS as big as 31" X 47" and smaller ones at whatever size I need. . .I have no idea how many combinations are possible. . .but I can tell you. . .'It's a BUNCH'. . .John gave up counting at 40. . .

If I want a size other than the sizes using the drilled sidebar holes and eyelet screws. . .all I have to do is drill another hole and/or move the eyelet. . .So CLEVER. . .

The individual sized looms (Large, 2n1, Mini) still give you the option to make several rugs at one time, but this is an option that certainly lets you make many more sizes than the sets. It all depends on your needs. The PLUS is. . .you have a CHOICE!!!

Want MORE INFORMATION? . . .Wish to ORDER?. . .Go to: 

OUR OLD COUNTRY STORE 
and read all about it. . .

I'm working on this Rag Rug with colors of purple, lavender, light blue, pink, and pale yellow in a NEW PATTERN that I'm making up as I go. . .Once I get it worked out, I'll be sure to share it with you. . .

This will be a really FUN one to weave. . .while. . .

I'm totally LOVING this LOOM. . .

HAPPY MONDAY!!!!

A Welcoming Denim Blue Farmhouse Entry

When John's away. . .that's when I play. . .and I certainly did!

I awoke this morning with the full intention of removing everything not wanted out of the breezeway and giving it a thorough cleaning. . .John would be working with the roofers at the shotgun houses. . .I had a whole day without interruptions to clear out and clean up. . .

I was making a little headway when I took a couple of minutes in the kitchen to stir my soup that was simmering on the stove. . .then headed out the back door. . .And that's when it hit me. . .'That primitive cabinet that's been sitting in the backdoor entry for YEARS is DENIM BLUE!!!! 

Does that ever happen to you? You see something so often that you don't actually see it anymore?

Since I'm planning a BLACK TIE AND DENIM JEANS style for the house. . .I thought the entry needed a new look. . . You guessed it. . .Clear out, clean up was put on hold. . .Maybe tomorrow. . .

John will be so surprised when he walks in. . .or. . .will he notice at all? . .He may be so tired from his long day's work that he won't. . .Hmmmm. . .Let's see how long it takes. . .

 

Farmhouse Breezeway Porch

SOURCE: Southern Living Magazine on Pinterest

Our new BLACK TIE AND BLUE JEANS porch?

I WISH. . .

But. . .the wish for a non-cluttered, useful breezeway porch 

WILL come true in the next couple of months. . .

Isn't this a mess? . .Our back enclosed porch (breezeway) seems to be where we put the cast-offs. . .the projects we're working on. . .the household extras. . .Not very welcoming, is it?

Most visitors come through the breezeway to the back door. . .At times it's plum embarrassing. . .and I'm in the mood to change all that. . .

The incentive is a new stainless steel grill that was given to us by a friend. . .We plan to build a deck out the side door of the breezeway and put the grill there. . .which means. . .we need to be able to get to that door!!! 

We Southerners love our porches. . .There's no denying that. . .so I'm making my plans that will give us the opportunity to enjoy our breezeway as something other than a storage room. . .I found lots of inspiration at Pinterest. . .but can't decide on the plan. . .Obviously, I'll have to work with the furniture that must remain. . .and to make it workable for our needs. . .I'd like to continue with the palette I've chosen for the house. . .at BLACK TIE AND BLUE JEANS: THE PLAN. . .so I've picked a few ideas that I thought might work from my PINTEREST BREEZEWAY PORCH BOARD . . .See what you think. . .If you want to 'vote' for one. . .please do. . .

These are my top two. . .but things could change, you know. . .

Yet. . .I love the 'coolness' of a Blue Jeans palette, too. . .

SOURCE: Southern Living Magazine on Pinterest

SOURCE: Southern Living Magazine on Pinterest

Maybe just touches of 'Blue Jeans' with the Black Tie?

SOURCE: Southern Living Magazine on Pinterest

SOURCE: Southern Living Magazine on Pinterest

And then there are the accessories. . .and which details to choose. . .

Yes. . .we're adding more work on ourselves when we have the entire house indoors to freshen up and remodel. . .but I was thinking that with Summer coming along and  the promise of more outdoor grilling, the breezeway porch should be the first to get a face lift. . .so that we have some kind of haven. . .a place to relax and enjoy as the work indoors (and outdoors) continues. . .It will be worth the extra effort. . .because. . .like I said. . .

We SOUTHERNERS do love our PORCHES. . .

 

An Almost Square Rag Rug Completed

Bet you thought I had quit weaving RAG RUGS, didn't you? I almost had. . .not because I don't LOVE it. . .I do. . .but because LIFE kept taking up all my down time. . .So when I learned that John would be busy with a project and the LOOM business was 'on vacation' for a week. . .I began WEAVING. . .How I have missed it !!!

I have had an 'ALMOST SQUARE RUG' started for ages, so that was where I began. . .I used this one for WORKSHOPS on RUG MAKING. . .Wanted to start another one in brighter colors next. . .It didn't take long to finish.

If you have John's LARGE and 2n1 LOOMS, you can make this square, too, by interchanging the vertical and horizontal arms. . .CLICK HERE to read more. . .

I've got the 'BUG' now. . .The 'WEAVING BUG'. . .John's back to his LOOM MAKING and LIFE has already started happening again but I figure if I set my looms up close-by. . .I can weave a ROW OR TWO every now and then. . .It's a stress reducer for me. . .I can get lost in ANOTHER WORLD. . .

 FOR A FEW MINUTES MAYBE?

 CHECK OUT JOHN'S LOOMS AT: 

OUR OLD COUNTRY STORE

. . .from my farmhouse to yours. . .

Lightening Up The Farmhouse Kitchen, or. . .'So Long, Winter!'

It may have been 29 degrees outside this week but inside I've been looking forward to SPRING. . .It will officially be here in a few days, so. . .I took out the 'heaviness' of Winter. . .added some SOFT SPRING COLORS. . .brought out the UPHOLSTERED CHAIRS to soften up the room. . .and took a 'LESS IS MORE' approach to accessories.

Now it's so OPEN and ROOM-Y that it doesn't matter what's going on outside. . .because. . .
inside it's CHEERY and filled with the anticipation of the 'SUNSHINE-Y DAYS' ahead . . .

Soon I'll be changing all again. . .SLIPCOVERS for the chairs. . .WHITEWASH on everything. . .
touches of BLACK TIE and BLUE JEANS. . .but it's a beginning. . .
and I couldn't be happier to be able to say. . .

"SO LONG,  WINTER. . .see you again in nine months. . . "

 

Black Tie and Blue Jeans: The Plan

I found it !!!! My Newest Farmhouse Style Label. . .

BLACK TIE AND BLUE JEANS !!!!!!!

My definition: RELAXED ELEGANCE. . .Light, bright and free flowing rooms using total opposites. . .Modern and Traditional. . .Sophisticated and Inviting. . .Elegant and Relaxed. . .Polished and Informal. . .

OR. . .to put it another way. . .(and I love this). . .

It's a GAP T-SHIRT WITH A FORMAL ARMANI SKIRT

(I read that somewhere.....)

If truth be told, I've been a Black Tie and Blue Jeans kind of gal most of my life. . .but never had such an amazing description of it. . .I'm comfortable in evening dresses as well as overalls. . . in heels or clogs. . .fancy hats or ball caps. . .and my fashion sense does seem to spill over into our Farmhouse Decor. . .This may not be a revelation to you. . .but it sure has been for me. . . I thought I was just 'different'. . .until I ran across a Traditional Home magazine and read about a kindred spirit with what they called Black Tie and Blue Jeans decor in her home. . .That set me thinking. . .

SOURCE

NATURE'S TEXTURES, RUSTIC ELEMENTS WITH SIMPLE STYLE, BLUE JEAN GRAYS AND WHITES

Now I have a PLAN, a NAME for it, and a DIRECTION to go. . .I've also fallen back into old habits. . .I do love Pinterest. . .for inspiration. . .but when it comes down to making a decor plan, I'm 'Old School'. . .Give me a super-sized artist tablet, a bundle of favorite magazines, scissors, tape, glue stick and I'm happy. . .

SOURCE

My goal is airy and open simplicity of contemporary style mixed with the elements of a traditional farmhouse home. . .and I have some ideas of how to do that. . .new ideas that come from my BLACK TIE AND BLUE JEANS heart. . .

SOURCE

WHITEWASH AND MILK PAINT

There will be a lot of tweaking going on the rest of this year. . .but I'm excited about it. . .I can view the finished product in my mind's eye. . .and it will be fun to see it come about. . .So. . .Hold on tight. . .We're off on another 'ADVENTURE'. . .

NATURALS AND 'BLACK TIE', BLUE JEAN GRAYS AND WHITE

In the meantime. . .look over my plans and see what you think. . .

SOURCE

AN ADDITIONAL NOTE: It seems months to me since my last post. . .Right after I published it, we lost the phone line and the DSL internet service. . .Took almost a week to get that back. . .Then my computer stopped working. . .and the cell phone 'fried' from four viruses. . .Then when we thought we could relax a little, we had tornadic winds hit us one morning before sun-up. . .I dreaded to see the damage once it was daylight. . .It turned out that we only lost the shingles on one roof of the third shotgun house, which is scheduled to be re-roofed anyway. . .and some minor damaged to the rafters of the big barn. . .and smaller items blown everywhere. . .It took a while to secure all. . .I think we're back to normal. . .but who knows?. . .It's 'life as usual' for us. . .so I'm sure there's more on the horizon. . .We take it all in stride. . .and maybe it's the inspiration for me to make what I can control in life a little more simple and not as complicated. . .instead of too much clutter and chaos. . .It's not only the decor I'm striving to simplify, it's a personal thing, too. . .If I've learned anything in my lifetime, I've come to see that if you really live life as it is intended, there will be change and a sense of evolving. . .This year should be fun and bring on more changes. . .as I tweak our FARMHOUSE HOME. . .and our 'here at the farm' life. . .

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