Autumn Has Come to my September Kitchen

It seems that almost every decorative item in my September kitchen was made by my oldest daughter…she carved and painted the pumpkin with a crocheted rose that hangs by the window…

…she painted the beautiful door crown….

.  she painted the plates and pitcher on the large shelf…

…in fact, she painted and distressed the shelf itself.

Also on the shelf is a miniature house and figures that the two youngest grandchildren always loved. They liked peeking in the window and seeing Grandma and Grandpa peeling apples.

My favorite of all is a piece that is up all year round in the kitchen.  My daughter painted an old dresser drawer depression green and used it to house a tiny 1930s era kitchen with vintage Tootsie Toy stove, sink, refrigerator and table.  She added so many details which I love such as a clock, a calendar, light fixture  and sink skirt.  There’s a tiny dishcloth on the sink, a grease jar on the stovetop and canisters on the shelf.  I use the bottom section of the drawer to store some 6 inch quilts.  I smile whenever I look at this little kitchen.

Now, I’m ready for bright blue skies, changing leaves, and cooler weather outside with a lot of baking inside in my September kitchen.

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Amish Children Garden Banner – Canvas Duck Fabric

A while back, I made my first garden banner featuring a harness horse.  So far, it has held up well through a very hot, sunny summer and a few torrential rains.  I wanted to make another banner for “back to school” and chose a favorite design by Helan Barrick from my decorative painting days.  I call this a banner rather than a flag because it is quite stiff and becomes even more so when exposed to the weather.

I used canvas duck fabric (not outdoor canvas which is treated) which was sewn to make a double thickness 12×18 inch banner with sleeve and primed it with two coats of Gesso front and back.  Then I drew the design on the front and painted it with acrylics.

For the back, which I can see clearly from my front window, I painted a design of an Amish-style quilt block.

Both sides were finished with two coats of Minwax Clear Satin Polycrylic to make it weather-proof.

I like seeing the banner in my front yard – my dog Rusty is looking out the door, probably admiring the quilt block on the back!

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Recycling Old Lace Curtains

When we moved into this house 11 years ago, the previous owners had left behind three lace panel curtains.  They were too pretty to get rid of but I really had no use for them and they have been hanging in a closet since 2001.  Yesterday, I finally decided to do something with the panels and made new curtains for my kitchen windows.  I needed bottom panels and valance for the window over my sink and three valances for the bay window area.

I was able to make use of the pretty bottom edging on the panels for the window over the sink ….

…and cut all the valances sideways to be able to use the pretty side edging for the bottoms.

I took down venetian blinds to make the kitchen brighter and more open.  Although I’ll be replacing the lace curtains with heavier ones in the fall, I don’t think the blinds are ever going back up.

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Pause and Remember – 4/13/2012

Success with an African violet – a rarity for me

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Pause and Remember – 3/30/2012

On Friday, I pause and remember a single, wordless moment from the past week – inspired by The Warden’s Log.

The view from my back yard

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Pause and Remember – 3/23/2012

On Friday, I pause and remember a single, wordless moment from the past week – inspired by The Warden’s Log.

View from my front window

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A Bit of the Irish in my March Kitchen

I have a lot of green in my kitchen any time because I collect Jadeite and Depression Green items.  Some things I bring out especially for St. Patrick’s Day.

Some pieces were bought on a trip to Ireland …

Many items were gifts….

Most of the pieces are handmade ….

I even have special potholders for the occasion…

I have a very thin line of Irish in my ancestry, but I raised four very Irish children, so St. Patrick’s Day is a major holiday in this house.

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My January Kitchen Goes Dutch

As soon as the Christmas decorations are packed and stored, it’s time to bring out my Dutch collectibles.  I enjoy having these cheery, colorful, happy pieces arranged around my January kitchen.  They span many years and come from many different sources.  Most were gifts from my oldest daughter – some were brought home from her trip to Holland  such as the wooden windmill mold ….

… some pieces were bought in antique stores….

…some were bought years ago in a shop that specialized in gifts from Holland….

Some items are displayed just because I like them – a windmill that held crocus bulbs 30 years ago …

…old toy dishes….

…and one of my earliest quilting projects…

Some items never leave the kitchen, such as my daughter’s hand-embroidered piece…

…a vintage clock and spoon collection

…a granite ware covered cake dish…

….and my set of vintage spice jars, which I use daily.

I enjoy my Dutch collection through the month of January – and now it’s almost time to pack it away and get out my Valentine stuff!

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A Good Way to Keep Herbs

One of my Mother’s Day gifts this year was a cute little 7-part bud vase which is perfect for displaying small flowers and buds.  When my herb garden started producing, I thought it might be nice to have an assortment of fresh herbs on hand and that maybe I’d be more inclined to use them daily if they were available right on my kitchen counter.  The bud vase was perfect for this use.  In the picture, I have basil, lemon thyme, rosemary, peppermint, chives, sage and apple mint and I can replace any I use as I’m passing by the garden.

These cute vases (approximately 6″ tall)  are reasonably priced on QVC, Item #H00007.

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Cleaning White Resin Patio Furniture

This is my 8th year to use 5 chairs and a table which are of white resin.  Year by year, they had gotten more and more discolored and mottled.  I tried steel wool, various cleaners and cleansers but nothing helped without a tremendous amount of scrubbing time.  I was about ready to throw out these terrible looking chairs but they were still sturdy and I wanted white which didn’t seem to be available in the stores this summer.

Then, I heard somewhere that you could use a brush to paint undiluted laundry bleach on the surface and it would clean up like magic.  I didn’t have a brush but I had a long narrow sponge and poured bleach into a small bowl where I could dip the sponge and slather it onto the chair.  I wore rubber gloves and worked on an outside concrete patio in the open air. 

The results were amazing.  As soon as I made the first swipe, I could see the crud starting to fade away.  For more stubborn stains or hard to reach places, I used an SOS pad.  Then I hosed everything off to a rewarding finish!

Please note that this worked well on white resin furniture – I don’t know what it would do to other colors or other surfaces.  Be sure to wear protective gloves, to work outside and to work on a floor surface that won’t be damaged by drips.  I also wore old clothes which had a lot of patches of bleached surface when I was finished.  It’s good to have a hose nearby for thorough rinsing, too.

I cleaned 5 chairs and a small umbrella table in about an hour.  I’m very happy to be able to use my furniture for another season or two.

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