Beautiful Reproduction Tins, Boxes, and Labels on Ebay

For a solid week now, our entire family has been battling the flu. It sure hasn't been pretty. I felt relatively ok yesterday and had my hands full taking care of the family. Oddly enough, I wasn't exhausted come bedtime. So I decided to spend some time perusing Ebay for inspiration and special finds.

One Ebay store that I discovered that I just have to share with you is called
Andy and Me Country Treasures. Oh my! They have so many sweet things that if I could only choose one thing to buy, I couldn't do it. This is the place to go if your looking for those beautiful old-fashioned cans (tins) and boxes. Their items are all new, but are reproductions of those artful pieces of long ago. They also carry items like reproduction vintage metal signs and other country accessories (some are a bit too country for me). There are items for the laundry room and bath like soap, starch, and detergent boxes, kitchen things like food cans, spice tins, cereal boxes, etc., and other items like old-time tonic bottles and medicine tins. Too many to name! Like all Ebay stores, their items are organized into categories so that you can quickly find what you are looking for. These are the kinds of things that I'd love to openly display for that true vintage and old-fashioned look:) Let me know if you find anything there you just love! Oh, and check out these colorful herb nesting boxes! They are small, but they'd sure look sweet displayed in the kitchen somewhere.

I haven't bought anything from Andy and Me (yet!) but I did buy a Classic Vintage Labels CD. There are over 900 different labels that can be printed out and used however I like, so I'm looking forward to having fun with that!



You can find either new blank tins or just take the label off a food can in your pantry and with a little spray adhesive, add a pretty vintage label...How nifty is that?! Also, you can buy some bars of white ivory soap (or make your own by grating and melting unscented ivory and adding your own essential oils) and print out a vintage soap label to wrap around it and display...buy clear bottles, blank paper mache craft boxes, plates - anything, really, and add these beautiful labels for a whole new look. If this sounds fun to you, then just do a search on Ebay for vintage labels cd, victorian cd, food crate labels or vintage labels.


Hmmm...I think I'll go have some soup now:)

Make Your Own Word Stones

Ohhh, I *so* want to do this! This warm weather we've been having has been making me think of spring and flowers and landscaping...But that aside, I was Googling "custom word magnets" to see if I could find a company that could print up some cottage-like words for my fridge. I discovered that I could just as easily do it on my computer using an ink jet printer and magnetic paper. The paper is kind of pricey - $10 for 3 sheets, but that's really a lot of words and probably cheaper than you could pay someone to do it!

So while doing that search, I came across the Magnetic Poetry site. They sell kits that allow you to make your own Word Stones. That just tickles me pink! The kit comes with reusable forms and letters, a trowel and little bucket, and enough concrete mix and stain to make one stone. You can buy more mix at your local hardware store and make as many stones as you like! They have four different kits available, but check out the Make Your Own Word Stones Kit. To get an idea of how easy it would be to create these sweet little custom stones, read or download the step-by-step instructions. The kit is 19.95...not too bad!

Welcome "Cottages and Bungalows" Readers!

I just wanted to take a moment to send a warm welcome to guests who made their way here via the "Renovation Blogs" article in the new Cottages & Bungalows magazine. I didn't realize that my blog was one of several being featured until I discovered the magazine for the first time at Lowes a couple of months ago. A very happy surprise for me, to be sure!

So 'Welcome' and thanks so much for stopping in! Oh, and let me know what you think of the new magazine!

Two Ceiling Beams Up, One to Go

Over the weekend, Hubs and I installed two of the three box beams for our dining and kitchen area. We installed the ones for our dining room - the last one for the kitchen will have to wait until the end of the month or January as we'll be busy with other things for the next couple of weekends. Overall I'm pretty happy with they way they turned out. In a couple of places, there is about an 1/8 of an inch gap between the beam and the ceiling due to our old uneven ceilings. It bothers me more than it bothers hubs. I'm thinking that caulking between the beams and a plank ceiling just wouldn't be right...would seem weird to do so because I'd think caulk would end up in the grooves of the planks. Do any of you more seasoned do-it-yourselfers have any suggestions? Click on the photo above for an enlarged version to see the area that I'm talking about.

The three beams will need to be puttied to better hide the seams and small nailholes (we had to splice our planks together to get the length we needed) and then I'll prime and paint them the same color as our ceiling.

We haven't installed any overhead lighting yet so we're working (and eating!) by the light of floodlight type lighting. FUN! That's why the pictures here look kind of funky.

In the middle of the two beams we've already installed, we'll be putting this light above the dining table.



I've been under the weather this week with my usual weather related aches and pains. Last week, we had temps in the 30's - this week near the 70's....ARGH! I've gotten so behind on usual housework and everything is such a disaster. Not to mention the fact that this place needs a major organizational overhall once again. Every closet and drawer is so cluttered and messy right now. Ick. I so long to be that person who is neat and tidy always, but I've always struggled in this area. How can someone who is so knitpicky with details be so utterly disorganized? *sigh* I can do an ok job at keeping visible areas tidy (not the kids rooms, mind you, but the living room and kitchen), but goodness, don't open any doors or drawers - and don't peek inside my purse!

I found a book that looks interesting...it's called Organizing for the Creative Person: Right-Brain Styles for Conquering Clutter, Mastering Time, and Reaching Your Goals . So I feel a little better, lol, because I'm not the only one. Oh, I also found a humorous statement in a commentary about this book and according to it..."Creative people, who frequently are right-brain dominant, perceive and organize their world differently from left-brain dominant people. In other words, you're not necessarily *dis*organized, but you are *differently* organized."

Yep, that's me ...I'm "differently organized" alright. :)

Watkins Pretty Herbs / Spice Tins

I'll admit, usually when I need dried herbs and spices, I'll find them somewhere for 2 / $1 . Long ago, I use to buy them at a health food store, scooping out how much I wanted into a plastic bag and then transferring them to glass containers at home. That was a very long time ago and is a habit I'd like to get back into one of these days. As of late, I've been sighing over all the plastic spice and herb containers that have been cluttering up our cabinet. How much prettier and simple it could be if I used little labeled glass containers and these sweet little spice tins fromWatkins.Watkins products have been around for 137 years and one thing, besides their quality, that I love about them are their old-fashioned containers and labels. Take a browse around their site and see what I mean. Between you and me, you can get the organic spices you see pictured cheaper at Wal-Mart for a little over $3.50 each. I picked one up the other day - there are 16 colorful tins in all. I think I'll collect them! Hubs and other passers-by in the spice aisle at Wal-mart must have thought I was nuts, lol, as I was holding the garlic powder tin and saying, "How PRETTY! I just love it! So adorable!" I'm sure they were all like, "It's garlic powder, lady...put it in your cart and move on already!"

Cottage Style / Farmhouse Style Furniture Resource

I can't tell you how many emails I've gotten in the past from readers who wanted more information about where I got my kitchen furniture . Up until recently (today!) I didn't know of a website to direct folks to. But now I'm SO excited to share with you a new website with everything you need to know about the furniture and the vendor - and lots of photos! Please visit Fuzzot Furniture, and besides the photos, be sure to check out their "about" page. You can contact them via email as well.

From their site:

"The furniture you see here is just an example of the character and the ways of the “good ol’ days”, hard work, done up right the first time. That’s right…..all through word of mouth. We tear it, de-nail and prep the wood, and turn it into fine furniture. Steadily trying to reclaim old architectural and house parts (80-140 years old) or as Fuzzot himself might say “Trash for Cash” or good old road finds that will send parts of our history from one century to the next ."

These folks can make just about anything...tables, islands, bookshelves, entertainment units, hutches, corner cabinets, headboards...the list goes on. I'm thinking about having them build me a pantry for the kitchen. Anyway, check them out!

Too Much Beadboard in a Cottage? + Coffee Table Photos

First let me say that I'm not yet finished with the coffee table. You know how these projects go with me...they get completed, but not very snappy-like, hehe. I did bring the table into the house to paint a couple of days ago but realized it needs a little caulking first. That meant I had to first bring the caulk from the garage to the house to thaw:) I'm planning on caulking it (I should say, having hubs caulk it) tomorrow night.

I put the table in the living room where it will go and I just love it! It's just what I wanted, an overscale table to anchor the room. We also brought in a chair from the office to put in front of the window and I think it really completes the arrangement. Some might say, "Too big, too much, too crowded!" but I'm going for cozy and intimate and warm. The kids are loving having the table to play games on (an under!), I have a little extra space to put books and arrangements, and hubs just likes having a place to put stuff:) What I would really like are a couple of round, tall-ish end tables for either side of the couch. Right now, on one end, I've just turned a long end table sideways and at an angle. As for the coffee table, it will be painted a white and then lightly glazed with an antiquing glaze.

As usual, I have another question for visitors. I'm toying with the idea of also putting beadboard in the living room. As you may know, I will be adding it to the kitchen/dining room (it's all one space), the back wall of the living room, and down the hallway. It will also be going in the bathroom. It will be 48 inches high. I'm hoping to also have a picture ledge as opposed to standard trim.

Above is a photo of a small piece of the beadboard up next to fireplace, along with a sample of our floor and a mock up baseboard. Imagine this around the entire perimeter of the living room. The first photo of the living room (above) is the view from when you walk in the front door. The next photo is from a few feet over standing directly behind the loveseat...


And then over a few more feet towards the kitchen and dining room...This shot was taken while standing at the threshold of the kitchen/dining area:


Here is a vertical shot from the same position so that you can get an idea of the height of the room. Beadboard less than 48 inches tall, I think, would just look silly.


Ok, I found an old photo that might give a better indication of the height. If it weren't so cold in the office right now, I'd be tempted to dig deeper...but anyway, imagine if you can 48 in high beadboard...


And another old photo showing the back wall (a few feet behind the loveseat) and the hallway, which will be getting beadboard (nevermind the unhinged closet door and tile...all of that is coming out to make way for a built in):



Ok, standing at that threshold, you turn around and see the kitchen and dining area that will also have the beadboard.


So, what I know for sure: beadboard in the kitchen, dining area, living room back wall, down the hallway, and in the bathroom. My question is, should the entire living room have beadboard, too?

I know I've had a lot of questions as of late, but we have several projects lined up for the rest of the winter and into the spring and I need my ducks in a row...In other words, I need all the help I can get! Thank you so much!