Patina White

from our house to your's + porch tree makes {4}

season's greetings everyone!  i wanted to share a few views from the outside of our home. i trekked out during a recent light snowfall to try & capture the twinkle of our outdoor decorating!  here is the snowy scenery {below}. if you missed my online weekly {corner of my world} tour this past summer...you can take a flashback to a greener landscape HERE.

highlighting my {4th} & final tree - you are greeted at our front door by yet another "charlie brown" tree. {below} it doesn't take much to make a statement w/ inexpensive ornaments collected to endure our sometimes harsh minnesota winters! i let the grand, crusty old urn take center stage! i don't think it's a secret what a fan i am of all things chippy white!

 

an organic NOEL coming your way...just a little play on texture...

 

every year i toy with the notion of planting some trees in our front yard...and since we still haven't...twiggy towers {below} wrapped in white lights make a good stand in.

 

hanging on the carriage doors to my studio is this giant wreath {below} that i embellished with a patinaWHITE staple - an authentic amish crafted barn star + a wooden sign i created. and of course...more white lights!

 

so from our house to your's...a joyful greeting...hoping this finds you enjoying the final countdown to christmas! thanks for popping by today to enjoy a little bit of our winter wonderland! 

tiny tree makes {3}!

season's greetings all! i am continuing on with another one of my decked out trees from our home. i have shown y'all the heavily adorned feather tree...my main floor charlie brown tree and residing in our basement gathering room is the little cutie seen below. (if you'd like to tour the room more in depth click HERE).

 

i named it our "family tree". my intention was to make ornaments featuring our family, but, alas...time has gotten away from me! something to look forward to creating next year though! for the time being what appears to be random letters resting in vintage candle clips actually spell out our last name! see below for a little closer view...

another accent highlighting our namesake is an old clock weight {below} suspended from our tiny vintage italian milkglass chandelier. when i found this lighted lovely it was minus it's center "drop". a quirky alternative to be sure! 

and not wanting to forget our beloved family member who is still with us in spirit is a photo of our first "child" - better know as sadie monster! she & lucy are like night and day! hopefully she is enjoying romping around the fields of doggie heaven! we miss you poo...

 

and absolutely nothing to do with my tiny tree or christmas in general - but fun nonetheless - is my window and it's unique "treatment". a shiny silver window well wasn't visually pleasing. i found a vintage window with a frosty texture. it is fabulous! allows the light thru but provides a buffer. 

well, it was about 8" shy of the top so another quick fix was needed. i found it in using a very reasonably priced honeycomb shade. ok, actually it's not a honeycomb shade - but a furnace filter that i removed the pakaging and cardboard from. i then gathered up the ends and tied them up with, what else, vintage sewing tapes! enough said! here's the end result!

and there you have it! i hope you have enjoyed taking a little peek today! and to close...i will let the ledge {shown below} of said window do the talking...

i truly appreciate your comments & simply stopping by! make it a HAPPY day!

do you know the birthday girl?

well...SHE is having a birthday! that's right folks...the little girl below is celebrating the big day today! do you recognize her?

                     

here are some hints if you're stumped...

SHE likes (loves) cake! angel food with buttercream frosting...oh heck...just give her the frosting & she'll be happy.

SHE has a wonderful husband, family & friends that SHE adores.

SHE is a bit of a tomboy - riding her harley + working with powertools. but SHE also has a girly side that loves jewelry & covets the color white + aqua...w/ a heavy dose of rust (there's that tomboy showing again)!

SHE lives where it is currently darn cold. and not the north pole...you're thinking of santa!

SHE loves to create, gather & reinvent fun goodies to share with her fabulous customers + is so very thankful for their excitement that makes it all possible!

SHE is excited to have not {1} BUT {2} meals out today...favorites of course...chicken quesadillas followed later by mango chicken salad - all in the good company of loved ones!

SHE is 29 today! give or take. alright...give more than take!

ok...you probaby have it figured out by now...so if you run into the "girl" shown above remember to have a heavily frosted cupcake waiting...SHE will be thrilled!

thanks everyone for stopping by & have a wonderful day...i know i will!

random bits of christmas cheer!

hey all you good boys & girls (naughty ones too)! today's post highlights a little bit of this & a little bit of that! just some random snapshots of things to bring some holiday cheer to your day!

here is a full on view of the living room...take note of the pillow "present" on my sofa! i tied up some rumpled jute webbing to make a bow! and don't you love the old european grainsac? this is my "winter" cover for my summer ticking bolster.

here i made a little gathering of simple elements to add some zing to my stair-post. it's fun to grab everyday items and create the unexpected! 

 

my dining room table it quite FULL! not really the best spot for playing pictionary man i realized after my little gathering at our home last week. and to think only one ornament was broken the whole evening...by me no less! us "wild wimen" really get into our games!

an old radiator belt rack holds ironstone pitchers + my boxwood star - it's earthy presence adds some color and texture! vintage flashcards urge you to WISH upon a star...

 

well not exactly full of holiday cheer - but since there was a rare moment of an organized kitchen i thought i would seize the opportunity to share! it is the hub of the home afterall!

 

below you'll find glass cake stands ready to be put to commission on christmas eve at our home...and a bowl full of apples are begging to be turned into a gooey pan of caramel apple crisp {click HERE for that one...yum!} and if the apple crisp doesn't make you feel better - a good "smile" always seems to do the trick!

so off we go for the day! spreading some christmas cheer in the form of decorating, baking + just being happy! it's the holidays...slow down & enjoy them!

happily yours!

merry christmas charlie brown!

alrighty then!  i said i would post pictures of my tannenbaum this week and since officially the week isn't over ... here goes!

i have a fondness for trees that most folks would rather see made into kindling than stand proud in their living room. every year i trek around pining (no pun intended) for the perfect blue spruce tree. and by perfect i mean long lanky branches begging to be draped in oodles of faded glories! 

i posted the "before" a few posts back & i will just get right to business...here is the "after" {below}

 

now don't laugh at my pumpkin "presents"! i have a hard time every year letting go of these fabulous hued honies...just ask my hubby who gives me the command at the first sign of decay! plus they fill a much needed void until i get around to wrapping gifts. which would mean i need to start shopping!

here is the foundation for it all {below}...an early victorian era urn. oooh boy do i love it's heavy white paint chippin' away in all the right places!

 

a spattering of some of the glorious old baubles strewn around it's branches. 

this list is my "must meet" criteria to join the ornie "family"...

#1. old. vintage. antique. however you like to say it - they gotta have a past!

#2. it's all about COLOR. must be *sorta blue & or *sorta aqua. also, *silver - but not shiny - i prefer mottlings + crazing in the finish.  the palest of *pale gold. oh, and *frosty white. sounds like a lot but i pass by many pretties!

#3. other acceptable fancies would be silver beaded garlands,  tarnished gold tinsel & ANYTHING with glass glitter. heavy on the patina please.

some of my favorite "family" members seen {below}

 

&

climbing to the top...my crowning glory this year {below} happens to be two glinty glass snowflakes tucked behind a big wendy addison glass glitter star - all highlighted with a sprig of silvery spikes. 

 

it took a little while to turn my tree from scant to marvelous, but i am so tickled with the results and stand in awe of it's grandness everyday. so...merry christmas charlie brown! good 'ol "chuck"...he had the same vision i do...beauty is in the eye of the beholder. and as long as there are lonely trees out there i am determined to hunt them down and make them my own! 

one final note for today...a little verse with alot of meaning!

Wouldn't life be worth the living 
Wouldn't dreams be coming true 
If we kept the Christmas spirit 
All the whole year through?

the stockings were hung....

...by the chimney, staircase & iron bed with care! i am pretty sure that's what they meant in the story but they just shortened it. afterall...who doesn't have {3} sets of stockings hanging up? i may sound a bit greedy waiting for santa to fill that many socks with goodies, but truly...i am happy with just {1} being filled. to the top. with lots of candy! ok, really i just love holiday decorating!

so, just what do my {3} sets of stockings look like? well...just keep on reading and i will show you! my spare bedroom is decked out with socks created from vintage chenille bedspreads shown {below}.

 

the one in the middle was fabricated by your's truly! i had the other two custom made by a most talented gal many many years ago. i tied them up with jute upholstery webbing & when i ran out of that i used a pinkish vintage sewing tape which you can see in the closer view {below}.

moving right along is my mantel with "decorative use only" vintage wooden sock forms. not entirely sure of their original purpose. maybe to stretch those wool socks out after a wet day in the snow?! i do know i like 'em. i never thought i would be so happy to find socks with holes in them!

and the following set of socks makes {3}. three sets for three people! well, two people + one four legged child. 

 

they are hung on my staircase so that i can check and see if santa has made an early visit to our home. somehow he always forgets my goodies on the first trip thru when he fills up bill & lucy's stockings. but when i mention to hubby to pass onto to santa that i have been a good girl...that usually works as things turn up at the last minute! 

again i had them custom made - by a very talented gal by the name of karen pfaller. i first saw karen's work in country living many moons ago to which i contacted her & requested some neutral socks to be made for our family. she lovingly created them from repurposed wool sweaters & i couldn't have been more tickled with them. thank you again karen!

ok santa! we are ready when you are! now - with a houseful of "wild wimen" fast approaching this evening i am off to the races to get in full on party mode! thanks for peeking today! 

may your day be merry & bright...and your stockings FULL!

warm fuzzies

hey all! today is all about WARMTH. since we seem to be lacking it in temperature i thought it would be nice to get some warm fuzzy feelings starting with the inside! 1st...i must wish my big sis, (one of my beloved two) nikki, a warm birthday. especially since she resides in nebraska where much of the winter weather action is happening!

i was the typical lil sis - following her around...wanting to be with her + her cool older friends...& maybe a little tattle-telling here & there. i do recall being bought off with my little ponies at one point! anywho - i wouldn't want to directly reveal her age...but i will give a hint. it rhymes with smorty! :)  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY sis...i love ya!

  

another thing that created a warm fuzzy feeling was a note sent to me from a customer. she & her daughter became fast patinaWHITE fans at the flea market this past summer. there were many sundays that they not only came in once...but often two or three times! this sweet mom & daughter duo remind me of the times my own mom & i were on the prowl for goods when we had a gift shop years ago. 

torri, the daughter, loves jewelry. she also has fondness of old treasures & recently discovered at an antique store some old wooden type face that she remarked to her mom "patina white would like these". isn't that great? i am tickled that i have had a part in inspiring a younger spirit in vintage goodies. and the fact that i am not beth...but patina white is hilarious! this is the photo of her recent finds and one of her patinaWHITE baubles!

you are right torri...i do like them...infact i LOVE them! thanks girls for your excitement and always kind words! you are a breath of fresh air and i love that you come to visit! 

now on the note of warm fuzzies...i believe there is a cup of cappuccino with my name on it so off to town i must run! hope you are blessed with some warm fuzzies too! they certainly help evoke a feeling of warmth! and i haven't forgotten to share more photos of holiday decorating...more of those to come very soon!

happy day!

crafty christmas...

hello my friends! in continuing with the spirit of the season i am again highlighting some more holiday accents in & around our home! i'd say it's been {4} years or so since i attended a gathering of created wares showcased by a talented family of gals in town. 

upon entering - i spied these fabulous re-creations...vintage thread spools accented by pretty lace & crystal prisms + this-n-thats {below}. i grabbed everyone of them! and would have grabbed some more!

 

oh the visionaries these girls are...they repurposed old curtain rings into collaged works of wonder...cute CUTE!

 

and if the above mentioned treats weren't enough...i couldn't pass on this little miss {below}. a heavenly gal created from sheet music!

 

here's another view of my twiggy display of prized finds. don't miss the wonderful glass ornies with their woven glass "thread" insides {below}

 

you will also spy in the {above} photo a peek at my "big" tree in all it's decorated glory! be sure to keep popping by this week as i can't wait to show you all my tannenbaum!

have a great day...go forth & create your own "crafty christmas"!

 

oh feather tree, oh feather tree...

how lovely are thy branches? happy ho ho ho everyone! my trees are nearly trimmed & i thought i would share my "feathered" friend of a tree today!

 

i have to be honest...i have had this antique german feathered number for almost 10 years & have not LOVED it quite as much as i do today! and that might be because i have never taken the time to properly outfit it! 

i added it to a tiny cast iron urn {below} & topped w/ a shredded paper base.

 

then proceeded to add a crazy amount of ornaments to it's very sparce branches w/ the mindset..."just {1} more"...until i was nearly depleted of my supply!

 

and finally topped it all off with a "wordy" ceramic snowflake {below} to which i couldn't agree with more!

 

tah-dah! a happy combination of textures + shapes come together to make a somewhat plain jane tree into a noteworthy showcase! please continue to check back for my other tree(s) to be shown! as of posting there are {2} more with a {3rd} in the thought process! which leads me into just one question...how many trees are too many?

hope you have a "tree"ific day!

 

it's the most wonderful time of the year!

happy holidays everyone! i am getting started on my decorating and wanted to give you a glimpse at the early stages!

after days spent trying to find the "perfectly imperfect" tree...i finally found exactly what i was looking for! a blue spruce with sprawling, untrimmed branches! you can imagine the looks i get when i explain to folks that i want a tree that hasn't been "groomed". (think charlie brown tree)...so here it sits in my garage with 14' high ceilings almost scraping the top. 

 

now, beings my living room ceilings are 9' high & i place the tree in a vintage urn...i better sharpen my ax!

the following has nothing to do with my decorating but she is one of my first collages and i just wanted to share! 

 

oh! the excitement of arriving home last night to discover my fresh shipment of boxwood had arrived! i feel a craft coming on in the form of some wreath creating today! and nestled in a bough of heavenly boxwood are the vintage shiny brights i happened on @ a thrift shop for...$.98 causing more excitement...

on the note of boxwood. it has been both a personal & patinaWHITE favorite for years! i made this wreath LAST year and it still looks fabulous hanging in my dining room. i keep it up for all seasons! stars to me are a must no matter what time of the year it is!

 

so there you have it...a little look at some holiday teasers! i will of course share more when i get caught up on trimming the tree and decking the halls! so enjoy this "wonderful time of the year"! and thanks for stopping by!

a merry and bright day to you all!