VINTAGE STYLE TINY HOUSE

Are any of you into Tiny Houses? They're just so darn cute! There are three shows about tiny houses that I've been watching, with Tiny House Nation being my favorite. I don't know if I could live in one; they say the average tiny house is 300 - 500 square feet - yikes! I think I'd have to have a larger one, say, 800 - 1,000 square feet, with a basement. Here's a cute one I like:

Most of the ones you see are decorated very neatly and modern, but I'm a vintage gal! I was excited to find this one with a great interior! I'm not fond of the outside style, though.

It looks warm and cozy. I could live here!

TIME FOR A LITTLE SOMETHING

I didn't join in any Valentine swaps this year - I have so many from previous years! I love pulling out seasonal swap items, it's so much fun! Here's a pretty illustration from an early Vogue magazine that I colored in. Please feel free to use it.

Went thrifting with Mister yesterday (Saturday). I picked up this charming coffee mug for my Becky.

I was delighted to find these English teacups with cottage design. A nice addition to my collection!

We're ready (or not!) for another foot or two of snow over the next 36 hours, to add to the three feet we already have. I'm not complaining, though. It's annoying, but I'm so grateful that my area doesn't get plagued with tornadoes, earthquakes, hurricanes, and the like. The earth will start shifting its' position next month and Spring will be on its way!

A REAL PUTZ VILLAGE

We all have seen and love the putz-style cardboard/glitter houses and villages . . .

I found a picture of a REAL village that's somewhere in Norway!

 Wouldn't you just love to visit here? I thought so - me, too!


 (Norway photo from Interesting & Creative Designs on Facebook.)

THRIFT SHOP FIND

I went to a different thrift shop yesterday and picked up a few good finds. I am so pleased with this beautiful cedar (jewelry?) box that has a wonderful cottage scene on it, especially since it was only $3.00!

What pretty detailing and dove joints!

 Will have to put a piece of felt or pretty paper on the bottom!

 "Blue skies, smiling at me - nothing but blue skies, do I see"!

And a smiling sunflower, too!

REDNESDAY

I have a shelf above my computer that I painted white with red trim. Some of my "collectibles" are stored there ~

Mister picked up a computer desk some months ago and this little glass jar w/lid was in one of the drawers - so cute! It's just shy of 2" tall.
What? Do you think I wouldn't buy a Jessie Pez? LOL! The mushroom guy is a Steinbach; and the ceramic cottage is a measuring spoon holder sans spoons.
The oriental cat teapot wears my name bracelet that Jade and I made last year. The old red rabbit was purchased for 25 cents at a yard sale on Saturday. I've never seen a red rabbit, and . . . if you look close, there are yellow cherries painted on its' chest!! You know he was just waiting for me to buy him!

VICTORIAN SUMMERHOUSES

Do you like any of these: arbors, summerhouses, gazebos, or pavilions? I have a book called The Classic Garden by Graham Rose, that has a chapter on Arbors and Retreats, and I'm enjoying it immensely! These structures are so dreamy! I scanned a few pages of illustrations for you, so you can dream with me!


Here's some of what the book says about "Inside the Victorian Summerhouse":

"Normally, reading was an activity confined to the library, study or drawing-room. Taking tea was a ceremony that usually took place in the parlor. Therefore in the belle epoque [this time period], merely reading a book or taking tea in a summerhouse had something akin to heresy about it and it induced an exciting sense of mischief. This was amplified because the weather in those northern regions where summerhouses were most frequently built was only rarely kind enough to make using them a pleasure.

"But even when the decision to use the summerhouse had been taken, the ripple of anticipation of a more relaxed feast in the garden was mitigated by the fact that a large element of ceremony still had to be preserved. Flawless, well-starched linen would cover the table. Genteel cutlery and crockery would be used and a maid in a pinafore and cap would ensure suitably deferential service.

(photo from sissymaids.groupsite.com)

"To stage such a tea party, a summerhouse had, in many ways, to be designed to resemble a parlor. It had to be large enough to seat up to eight people in some comfort. So that they could all enjoy the garden view, it had to have large windows on most of its sides. In very hot weather it had to be suitably ventilated, which meant that the windows had to be capable of being opened to create a through draft. Adjustable roof-ventilation was often provided to allow rising heat to escape. Under adverse conditions on windy days the summerhouse had to be suitably snug. Apart from the main table and chairs, there also had to be shelf space for such paraphernalia as kettles heated by spirit lamps to provide hot water to replenish the tea pots. By modern standards, tea in the Victorian summerhouse was hardly a spontaneous affair."

Phew! That sounds like a lot of work to me! Give me my Diet Pepsi and a sandwich any day! But, it would have been wonderful if you had the servants to do everything for you. Which is your favorite of these illustrations? I think mine is the Gothic Summerhouse - love those windows!

REDNESDAY

I give up! I think I'll change the name of Rednesday to "SnowDay"! For the third week in a row, we're having a major snow storm on a Wednesday; well, this week it's a two-day storm on Tuesday and Wednesday. What did we ever do before computers!

Methinks this guy won't even bother to come out of his burrow this year!

I'm all cozied up to my virtual fireplace (which is my Africam live cams, where it's a toasty 86F/30C right now!), ready to show you my reds ~

Mister got me this cute little Chinese teapot a few weeks back at the thrift shop. It's glowing with red spots (not pink, mind you!).


He picked up this very dirt-embedded crazed pitcher last year. I don't think I've shown it yet. No markings, but it reminds me of some Homer Laughlin ones I've seen. The container to the right is the shape of one of those refrigerator dishes, and it holds my oatmeal and Cream of Wheat packets.

Lots of red here ~ coleus and sweet potato vine cuttings that I've been too lazy to pot up. Also a few plants that I'm trying to have hang on until Spring (if it ever gets here!). This is the side of my pantry shelves that's about 3 feet/1 meter from the South-facing back door.

Last photo ~ two metal sifters. The one on the left, a Bromwell, has a red knob. The smaller one on the right Mister picked up at a thrift store - they were going to throw it out! So he got it free! I love the shabby paint and the advertising.

A LITTLE HOUSE . . . OR TWO OR THREE!

This is one of my all-time favorite quotes - it's from a Mary Engelbreit illustration. I love it because it reminds me of my little garden shed.

But, today, it describes these three little hinged tin houses that I picked up at a sewing store a few years back. They're so small - 2-1/2" x 2" (6 x 5 cm)! I bought them for Pre-Teen when she was in her teeny tiny toy stage - she used these for her little flocked bears.
Now I'll take you on a tour of each little house. If you click on the photo you will see an enlarged view.

This first one, with the red roof, is called "Turn-of-the-Century Continental Doll's House". On the sides there is a mailbox, and a birdhouse.

This one is the "1930's Suburban Tudor Doll's House". I love the little girl watering flowers by the back door. I find it interesting that the back and front doors are different colors. The side views are the same with topiary trees.

Last we have the "20th Century American Doll's House". Wouldn't it be nice to have a conservatory attached to your house? Again, the side views are the same.

I'll now leave you alone with your dream house fantasies!

VTT - (EYE) CANDY ANYONE?

Okay, folks! I'm so excited and couldn't wait for today to show off my prize possession that I acquired Tuesday! I was at a local thrift store that I go to frequently. Puttered around . . . got the red box that I showed yesterday; found five of those old clear Pyrex custard cups; three square-ish solid color small plates in blue, orange, and yellow (in the dishwasher so will photo some other time); and some ribbon and lace pieces.

Then - I was poking through a deep drawer of an old dresser that's stuffed with scarfs and such when all of a sudden I noticed that some of the scarfs were in a cardboard box. I pulled the drawer out further and the box cover was standing up against the back of the drawer.

I took it out to look at the top of it, and it's all I could do to keep from screaming! Look at this!!!

I couldn't believe my eyes - it almost took my breath away! I LOVE cottages, especially these pointy-roof Victorian kind! It's got a RED roof, a picket fence, and a little cottage garden, along with red birds, and bright yellow clouds! This is soooo beautiful - one of those once-in-a-lifetime finds!

It's huge! It's 15" (37.5cm) wide by 7-1/2" (19cm) tall. The cover picture is in almost perfect condition - there's a dark stain on the left side of the house. The cover side rim is torn a bit, but who cares?

When I took all my loot to the cashier she was apologetic saying that, because it's a vintage item, it would cost me $4.00. I can live with that! She was apologetic because things there are priced ridiculously low - most everything is 25 - 50 cents or a dollar.

Here it is sitting happily in its new home - right above my computer where I can feast my eyes on it all the time! And, now, I can live "happily ever after", too!
(The plant in the little bottle is a Creeping Wire Vine, in case anyone's curious!)

I found this on the web a while ago and (of course) can't remember where I downloaded it from, but I think this could be categorized as "vintage"!
Now, everyone go back to Suzanne's (ColoradoLady) to see everyone else's wondrous vintage goodies! And, thanks for stopping by!

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