Life is What Happens...

...When you're busy making plans!  

After the big dig many things started happening.  I have always enjoyed discovering new information about the house--historic and otherwise.  Each little treasure we uncover is special to me--old bottles, nails, horseshoes, whatever.  I have recently discovered that I am not the only one who enjoys this kind of "junk". Through my posts on Instagram I have met many others who collect all kinds of things including old rusty and forgotten cast-offs from another time.  Not only have I enjoyed the camaraderie, it has re-opened a creative part of me that I have not indulged in a long time.  In my quest to document and share these old items I have started doing "collage" photography using my finds and other ephemera in vignettes to showcase them.  These are some of the images I have been working on.

We believe the cast-iron horseshoe and W plate was from an old Warrior horse-drawn mower.  We dug up other parts of the mower including the best part--an easy to identify seat! The Royal Hoof Grower metal lid was used to cover one of the many holes in the walls of the barn.

The metal seagull was one of the many items found in the barn in an array of old tools and various "doodads"!

This old cast-iron water pump was most likely used by the Hurd family shown in this 1880 photograph.

THE BIG DIG

After two years of full-immersion renovations on the house, we decided to take a break from chaos in our living area and start working on the barn.  This had been on my wish list since we bought the property.  My dream was to convert our 170-year old Greek Revival barn into an artist studio.

                                                                                                 

The first thing we wanted to do was build a proper staircase to replace the ladder that we had been using to get to the second floor.  The barn is 28-feet tall with two floors so that seemed like a logical first step--haha.  Shortly after the work began we realized that one side of the barn would need some foundation work. This would require pouring a new concrete pad and stem wall to give more support for the additional weight of new walls and flooring. When we found out that Massachusetts code required a hole that was a minimum of 42-inches deep (to be below the frostline) we thought that was a bit extreme. When has the frostline gone that deep in the last 200 years?  Well, it ended up being a blessing in disguise!

                                                                                                                                 Let's start from the beginning.....

A year after we bought the house, we put in a water line that ran along the front of the barn.  When we dug the trench for the line we found all kinds of interesting things.  In addition to bottles and horseshoes, we found an old cast-iron water pump AND.....an old White Brand sewing machine that dated from 1860 to 1880!  It was an amazing discovery that felt very personal.  You see, for the past 20 years I have earned my living with a sewing machine!  This was the ultimate sign that this place was meant for me! 

Back to present day.....

When this most recent round of digging began I watched from the house as I didn't want to hover over the workers.  I knew there might be discoveries since this new dig was not far from where my beloved sewing machine was found.  Shortly after they began digging I noticed (while spying) that they were pulling items from the hole and setting them aside.  I couldn't really see what the items were, but my curiosity was peaked when one guy pulled an old cast-iron tractor seat from the hole!  I hastily made my way out to see what else had been discovered.  The following are photos of some of the items found...Needless to say, we delayed pouring the concrete so that we can keep digging!

To be continued.....                            

Waiting for Spring

Six more weeks of winter does not stop me from dreaming of spring and thinking about all the things I would like to do in the yard.  So many changes have already taken place over the last four years.  The fence was the first thing we did and it immediately changed the look of the yard.  It makes a perfect backdrop for all kinds of plants and flowers so we add more layers each year.

We have done a lot but there is still so much more we would like to do!  If I had my wish I would spend all my time in the yard......So many trees to prune, flowers to plant, and birds to watch.  Hurry up spring--I want to play!

First Snow of 2017

The first substantial snow we have had this winter came too late for Christmas but sure is pretty! Better late than never...no need to overdo it though, Mother Nature.  We don't want a repeat of two years ago!

Meanwhile, I will take lots of pictures and sit in front of the fireplace as much as possible.

In the Spirit of the Season!

Outside, inside, almost every room has a bit of Christmas spirit on display.  Instead of using a few items to decorate this year, I opened up all the boxes that had been stored away to see what there was.  Some of the treasures had not seen the light of day for a long time.  It feels nice to reminisce about how some of these items came into my life.  Nothing like it to get you in celebratory mood!

Wishing everyone the best kind of Christmas this year--surrounded by people you love and things that make you happy!

Vintage toys as decor....

For years I worked as a children's wear designer and used vintage toys and other items for show displays.  Before long I became a BIT obsessed with these items so these collections spilled into my private life.  There are quite a few "whimsical" doodads scattered throughout the house but I confine most of the old games and wood toys to our family room where we also keep our modern collection of family fun items--board games, puzzles, lawn games, etc. etc.

With light colored walls and tile in the kitchen, I have collected a variety of old rusty metal items--some less rusty than others--that I enjoy displaying to add dimension and texture to the room and make the overall feel less contemporary.  The dark colors play nicely with the soapstone counter tops too!

I was pretty happy when I found two of these great old fish molds--one would not have been nearly as interesting.  The trick was how to mount them without putting any holes in the fish.  Let's just say I am pretty handy with 16-gauge wire!

I am also quite fond of pinecones--anything organic with texture frankly--these are perfect for fall decor and the bit of sparkle lets me know Christmas is not far away without going full holiday just yet...soon though, very soon!