Candlesticks & A Sneak Peek

I have had some trouble accessorizing the two built-ins that flank the fireplace in the den: they're wider and deeper than the built-ins in the Little Rock, so I can't just re-create the look from the old house.  

I keep working and re-working different books & fun pieces to try to make them full but not junky.

Books are nice to frame the accessories...

and I've started using some of my favorite creamers & sugars as bookends...

... but still having trouble finding vertically-oriented objects.

Until $18 bought these candlesticks at Marshall's...

I like that they add height to the shelf, but do not take up too much visual space.  Very nice.

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We've been working on building a homemade farmhouse table (see about it here & here), and it's finally shaping up! Here's a little peek at how the white washing process turned out...

Stay tuned for the last steps on putting this baby together!

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A Little Spot for a Little Something

I think it was popular in the 1980's to have as many rooms and hallways as possible, even if that made the spaces seem small.  It's a working hypothesis supported by some evidence in the current Amber Bottle House.

These rooms and hallways seem logical when standing on one side of the wall, then odd when you round the corner.  For instance, there is a strange, empty wall in the kitchen adjacent to the dining room entryway.  The other side of the empty wall is- you guessed it- a hallway.

Regardless of its purpose,  it looks a little sad: roughly 2.5-feet across of nothing-ness that one could easily just walk by without noticing.

I have been eyeing this basket lid for a couple weeks...

At $12, I'm not sure why I hesitated, but I did.  The second time I saw it at the antique store, I knew it belonged on the awkward wall.

It fills the space nicely, and it's not a typical art piece...

(See what I mean about it being a sort of awkward wall? Easy to forget it's there on the way to the dining room.)

Little spots like this are perfect opportunities to display something with character.

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Something Every Southern Girl Needs

Of course the list would include a wrap-around porch, a hydrangea bush or two, a pie safe, a good dog, etc, etc.

And maybe a couple of these things...

So what are they, you ask?

When you hear this word, you inevitable think of the south. Or maybe your grandmother. Maybe both.

Biscuits.

Yup, these are antique biscuit-cutters.

Once the biscuit dough was rolled out flat, you would use one of these to cut out perfectly round biscuits.

Just talking about it makes me hungry.

I was attracted to them initially because of the nice carving, and I thought they were salvaged finials.  Then I read the little sales tags: antique biscuit cutters. Sold!

Right now they are pretty-ing up the mudroom shelf...

And to say I'm obsessed with them might be an understatement.  

Just goes to show that anything can be a treasure.

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Snow Lately

The snow lately definitely put a damper on outdoor activities and slowed life in the south to a stop.  (We do not have many-if any at all- salt trucks.  And no one knows how to drive in snow.)  The pharmacy opened a little later than usual one day when it was especially treacherous, so we took the opportunity to take some pictures of the house and let the dogs frolic in the 6-8" of fluffy snow.

That's a lot of snow!

And people somehow still doubt God's presence in our lives.

Go get her, Cookie!

If you need a good laugh...

I hope everyone trapped in the polar vortex was able to spend a little extra time enjoying home & family.

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Cream & Sugar

Aside from my obsession with buffets/sideboards...

... I have a thing for cream & sugar holders. (Creamers & sugars? Creams & sugarers? I don't know.)

They're just so cute! I can't resist.  They're also typically pretty inexpensive.

This sweet, little pair is from Home Goods. About $10 for the set.

This one is an actual antique...

Such perfect details!

$7.50 from the Knitting Mill.

This is another set from HG...

... not old, but only $8-10 for the pair. Definitely worth it.

This pair from my ironstone dining set started the obsession...

... and is sadly still in a box waiting for the dining room to be set up.

This is probably a little large to be a creamer, but cute nonetheless...

Seriously? Look at that sweet little carved flower.

I love the details on these tiny pieces.  The creamers can serve as vases or pencil-organizers in an office.  The sugar bowls could be nice for small crafting things like buttons or beads... or simply for looking cute on a shelf.

Maybe I'm just trying to rationalize an obsession.

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