Love this island!  Who's with me?

(Photo credit unknown--if you know, please let me know.  I will update post to reflect it.)

Be a difference maker!

A Happy Customer

Anyone who loves antiques understands the thrill of the hunt
for a special treasure...and that feeling when you find it.

An Etsy customer of mine, Susan, experienced just that.  She had been searching for a register grate to complete a stair renovation project she had been working on.  The stairs had been covered in 1973 shag carpeting.  She had refinished the stairs and needed a grate for under the stairs to allow light and air to flow through into the basement stairwell to their family room.

She purchased this Victorian-era cast iron grate from my shop.  It had old chipped paint, as well as rust.

After more than 3 hours spent with a putty knife and sandpaper, she had scraped away the layers of history--black, green, white, baby blue, brown and yellow paint. Here is an after pic, once the paint was removed.  

She then used old-fashioned stove blacking and buffed it to a sheen.  

And here it is installed in its new home.  Doesn't it look beautiful?

 

"It makes me happy every time I pass by it." --Susan

I love finding old treasures and connecting them with new owners.  It makes me happy to know the pieces will continue to be used and loved rather than end up in a landfill.

And I love it when a buyer shares their "after" story with me!  Thanks Susan!

I was in on the launch team for Max Lucado's new book, How Happiness Happens. My copy arrived today, along with his book, Grace, free with pre-order of new book. The first five chapters were available to the launch team and let me say, Max did not disappoint with this book! Can't wait to read the rest of it!

@maxlucado #howhappinesshappens 

Spring Sale at the Barn

The spring sale I participate in at My Dad's Farm is coming soon.  Here are a couple of pics of some of the goodies I delivered to the Barn last weekend.

If you have never been to the sale, you are missing out!  It runs the first two weekends in May.  If you are local to the area, you won't be disappointed.

Craft Room Organizer from Upcycled Denim

I created this organizer from upcycled denim for my granddaughter's craft space.

  It has lots of pockets for storing scissors, glue, markers or other supplies. 

Here's how I made it: 

I upcycled a denim dress for the backing fabric.  I decided on the final size and cut two pieces from the skirt part of dress.  I placed them right sides together, machine stitched together, leaving room to turn it right side out. 

I then blind-stitched the opening. I ironed it so the edge was flat and straight. Then I machine stitched around the perimeter about 1/2" from the edge to give a finished look. 

I folded the top edge down on the back side to create a rod pocket, then glued it down with good old white school glue.  I used clip clothespins to hold it together until it dried. I purchased a dowel rod and cut to length. You can either tie a cord on either end to hang it, or you could use cup hooks on the wall and rest the ends in them. 

I had a stack of jean pockets in my stash that I had salvaged from old worn jeans.  I cut around each pocket, trimming close to the edge.  This kept the leg part of the jean on the back of pocket.  I arranged the pockets on the backing piece, layered some on top of each other.  I then applied glue to back of each one, pressing them in place.  I added some buttons for accents, gluing these in place.  I also created a flower from lace and added that also.

I think it turned out really cute! My granddaughter loved it.

I also used denim pieces from the legs of the old jeans to cover tin cans of various sizes.  Trimmed these out with old lace and other trim.  Glued the three together for a cute pencil holder for her craft desk.

So what do you think?

As the year ends...

A very Merry Christmas to you and yours!

And a Happy New Year too!

 

 

Fall Barn Sale

I delivered a stash of goodies to the semi-annual barn sale yesterday.

Here is just a sampling of my wares:

Handwoven rugs

Wooden wares and wreaths

Antiques and vintage

Vintage kitchenware

Handmade Signs

If you are in the area, be sure to check out this sale.

The old barn is packed to the rafters!

November 3-5

November 10-12

My Dad's Farm

History Snapshot--School Days in Dayton, PA

Just browsing through some old photos of my hometown and found these of my alma mater.  Re-read some of the history and thought I'd share it for you history buffs.  It has an interesting story for Small Town USA.

This school was built in 1867 as a Soldiers' Orphans Home for children of deceased Civil War veterans in the county.  With raised capital of $15,000, it was built on 35 acres in Dayton, Armstrong County, PA.  It consisted of three buildings--one for classrooms and the other two were dormitories for boys and girls.  In 1873, two of the buildings burned but were immediately rebuilt.  In 1878, a fourth building was added and was called the shoe shop.  (This building was moved to the northeast corner of the campus in 1926 and is what we all know as the Industrial Arts shop and Ag rooms.)


Pupils were only allowed to remain in the Orphans' school until age 16.  So the number of students had gradually been decreasing.  In 1888, fire again destroyed two of the buildings. The few remaining orphans were distributed among other schools in various parts of the union.  The remaining two buildings, the girls dormitory and the shoe shop, became part of the Dayton Normal Institute and later on part of the Dayton High School. 
 
The Dayton Normal Institute was founded and chartered in 1905.  The large brick building known as Old Main was constructed at that time.  In 1917, the community decided to change the Normal School to a public-supported high school.  It was difficult at that time to continue an efficient enrollment due to the nearness of Clarion Normal and Indiana Normal which were state supported.  The trustees of the Normal School decided to transfer all the school property and their interests to Dayton Borough for high school purposes.

The first year of high school operation was 1917-18.  Three students were in the graduating class that year!  After two years of operation as a high school, it was changed to a vocational high school.  Dayton Vocational High School was one of the few original schools of PA to come under the Smith Hughes Act which provided for the promotion of vocational education in the states.  This provided a financial benefit to participating schools.  Many students outside the local school area attended this school for the Vocational Ag or Home Ec programs.

In 1927, the auditorium/gymnasium was built on the site where the old shoe shop stood, at a cost of $21,000.  The Home Ec Dept. continued in the old girls' dormitory.  In the spring of 1932, the morning after graduation, this building burned and was a complete loss.  That same year the present brick Home Ec building was built at a cost of $10,000.  When first built, it was one of the most up-to-date home economics buildings in the state.  In July 1946, the school was discontinued as a vocational school.  

On July 11, 1946, articles of agreement were completed between Dayton Borough and Wayne Twp. for a joint school district.  Wayne Twp. purchased an equity in the buildings based on original capital outlay, thus becoming a partner in the ownership of the buildings.  The Twp. also assumed its share of the responsibility of operating the joint school district, Dayton Wayne Joint Schools.  Ten elementary schools in the twp were closed by the end of 1946 (seven had closed prior to 1946), leaving only the Belknap and Calhoun schools open.  The other students were transported to Dayton.

In 1948, Boggs Twp joined the district (having previously sent their students to Kittanning H. S.).  The school district was renamed the Dayton Joint School District.  In 1950, the eastern half of Redbank also joined the district.

The info above was excerpted from History of Dayton District.  You can read some additional info online at the following links:

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~paorph/dayton/daytonschool-1876.htm

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~paorph/dayton/report-1880.htm

Bird's Eye View

So I thought we may have a fox living in our woods--saw something cutting across the top fence row of our pasture and into the woods.  Too far for me to get a clear look though.

We set up the trail cam to cover the area between the pasture and woods.  Checked it this morning to see what may have traveled that way in the past week.  No fox.  And very surprised it did not capture any deer as they usually are all around our house.

Did get one cool pic though.

Where did Spring go???

 Spring has sprung!

Wish someone would tell Old Man Winter!

 

 

“It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it,

you want—oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly

makes your heart ache, you want it so!”
― Mark Twain

Sweet Summertime Dreams

A reminder of summertime that still seems rather far off.

The sunshine outside today seemed to hint at the warmer days that are sure to come.

“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.” 

 
― John Steinbeck (Travels with Charley: In Search of America)

 

Valentine Surprise

These beauties arrived on my doorstep today.

Thank you Sweetie!

 

Love you!

xoxoxo

 

 

“Love doesn’t make the world go round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile.”

~Franklin P. Jones~

 

 



Booth Update

Just a few recent pics from my booth at

119 Antique Trading Post.

 

If you're local, stop in and check it out.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

So You Say You Like Graniteware?

Me too!  I am always drawn to these old pieces--so colorful, yet utilitarian and practical in their day.  I can't help but snatch them up whenever I see a good buy.  I always tell myself they are for the shop, but sometimes they manage to hang around for awhile!

 

Last month Michelle Galler, who writes for the Rappahannock News in VA, contacted me.  She found my graniteware online and wanted permission to use photos in an upcoming column.  I jumped on the chance--an easy (and free) way to get my shop name out there.  I gathered various shop items, as well as pieces from my collection, and sent some pics.

 

The column was published in September--here's a link:

The Unpaved Roadshow

 

I don't know if you would call it vanity or not, but it's kind of cool to see your name in the credits.

 

 

   

New Booth in a Brand New Antique Mall!

I have a new booth in a brand new antique mall that opened last month--119 Antique Trading Post!

I've been wanting to share some pics of my space before this, but there was always something else that needed done.  And...I kept forgetting to take pics each time I was there.  But finally, here's a look.

It has changed weekly as items have sold and new items have been added.  The wire dress form in the above pic sold a couple of days ago.  That was such a neat find.  The new owner is going to use it to display the vintage jewelry she refabs.  I was hoping there was a creative soul out there who would see the potential in that neat vintage piece.

The flower wreaths are made from old book pages.

Both of the display shelves were made by a local Amish craftsman for my bricks and mortar shop years ago.  They break down, so they are easy to store when not needed.  I've even used them at shows.  I decided to frame the outside edge of my booth with them for now...they hold a lot of smalls and provide hanging space too.  They help me utilize vertical space as well as creating an interior area in my booth for more goodies...

 

The chest of drawers and secretary have both sold (yay!!) so I had to revamp the back wall this past week.  I have a few crates stacked to the left of the dresser--crates are always great to use for display--very versatile.

I made my "raggedy" swag from some vintage floral dresses and old sheets.  I am not much of a "pastel" person, however, I wanted something to add a touch of spring/summer to the wall.  I like the way it turned out.  

If you see something you just can't live without, stop by the store to purchase.  If you're not in the vicinity, contact me (info in sidebar) and we can discuss shipping!  :)

 I add new inventory on at least a weekly basis.  And along with the other 50± vendors, I'm sure you will find some special treasures just calling your name.

The new mall is:

119 Antique Trading Post

12665 Rt 119 Hwy N

Rochester Mills, PA  

 Tell Chrissy that Bev sent you!

No. Matter. What.

Today, during my caregiver shift with my m-i-l (with AD), we were watching Gaither Homecoming dvds.  Lynda Randle sang a song that I heard years ago at a concert at our church at a time that I really needed to hear it.  It spoke to my heart then and every time I hear it, it is a reminder of God's faithfulness.  It reminds me that God is the great "I am".

No. matter. what.

God on the Mountain

(click on title to listen to the song)

Life is easy when you're up on the mountain

And you've got peace of mind like you've never known.

But then things change and you're down in the valley.

Don't lose faith for you're never alone.

For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley.

When things go wrong, He'll make it right.

And the God of the good times is still God in the bad times.

The God of the day is still God in the night.

You talk of faith when you're up on the mountain.

Oh but the talk comes easy when life's at its best.

But it's down in the valley of trials and temptation

That's when faith is really put to the test.

For the God on the mountain is still God in the valley.

When things go wrong, He'll make it right.

And the God of the good times is still God in the bad times.

The God of the day is still God in the night.

__________________________
  
How do songs minister to your heart?  Any special ones?  Please share.

A Thief in the Night

We have had a very snowy winter and my feathered friends have been daily visiting my feeders.  However, there have been days where I thought they must have voracious appetites as the seed disappeared rather quickly.

 

Occasionally, I see a squirrel shimmy up the skinny pole of the shepherd's hook and help himself to some seed.  And he can really do a number on it if I don't spy him soon enough and chase him away.

This morning, though, just as day was breaking, I happened to be going out to the kitchen for a coffee refill and saw this just outside the dining nook window.  

Caught ya!

Now these guys are back looking for breakfast...

I'll have to go fill the feeders again so they have something to fill their bellies.  They're going to need some sustenance to help them stay warm through the coming snowstorm.  

 The forecast has another 4-7 inches on the way!  Gotta keep telling myself...

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.

--Proverb