Yes, Mr Cabinet Maker, it will work!!!!

When we remodeled the little farmhouse, the cabinet maker did not put a turntable in the awkward corner cabinet because "they take up too much room". So I was left with the following:



I had to put things in baskets to be able to get to them and the shelf was accessible only if I stood on my head.



I really needed to have a turntable in the cabinet so I called another cabinet maker. He wanted to take the shelf out to install the turntable. I wanted to know if the top shelf on the turntable would go on top of the shelf but he said no. He wanted to tear out the entire shelf.

Not to be deterred, I looked on homedepot.com and found the turntable with adjustable shelves! I ordered the kit and after much crawling around in the cabinet and sustaining many bruises, I got it installed.



The entire unit sits in front of the cabinet shelf and the shelf is usable!!!!



Things that are not used frequently sit on the shelf behind the turntable; the dog food sits beside it. The entire cabinet is so much more usable now.

The turntable was around $70; the estimate from the cabinet maker was $250. I think I saved a bit of money.

Visitors to the Little Farmhouse

I was working out in the carport and caught a glimpse of a streak of bright red. This cardinal was sitting in a tree in the front yard.





When we open the door in the morning, we never know who is going to be in the front yard. These little guys are frequent morning visitors. When they hear the door open, they seem to turn into statutes.



Oh, no. Looks like Mr Squirrel beat us here.



Mr Squirrel does not like the rabbits competing for the bird seed that has dropped on the ground.



Guess we will go back to the field.



Of course, stopping to pose on the way.

All of these photos were shot with my point and shoot. It seems that I never have the big camera close at hand when these opportunities present themselves.

Love life at the Little Farmhouse.

Homemade Vinyl Siding Cleaner

Having a house that is completely covered in white vinyl is a challenge to keep clean. The part of the vinyl covered by the front porch does not get washed in the rain, so was looking pretty dingy.
I found this recipe years ago but can't remember where I got it to attribute it to the author.
Vinyl Siding Cleaner

• 2/3 cup of Spic and Span
• 1/2 cup powdered Tide laundry detergent
• 1 quart liquid chlorine bleach
• 3 quarts hot water

Mix ingredients in a 2 gallon bucket and allow to stand for 4 to 5 hours. Pour into ordinary garden sprayer and apply to vinyl siding. Leave solution on siding for 5 minutes and rinse with hose. When you spray it on, you will see the dirt, film and mildew slide right off.

Pallet Wood Flag

Several months ago, I put up some pallet boards to add some texture to a troublesome wall behind our TV.

I sanded the boards lightly and stained them with walnut stain. I liked the look, but it was much too plain. (a bad cell phone photo)

   

 After seeing so many bloggers doing flags, I decided to try to paint the board and make a flag. I got out my acrylic paints and watered them down so they were just a wash. Some stars were stenciled on and I have a flag. (another bad cell phone photo)

I added my coffee filter wreath for a more layered look.

Since we have a very small house here at the Little Farmhouse, the TV is in our main living space. It is so hard to keep it from becoming the focal point in the room. I think the flag adds some color and draws the eye from the TV.

I am late to the party but wanted to link up to the patriotic projects at Funky Junk Interiors.

Estate Sale Goodness

Earlier this month, we went to an estate sale at a retirement community near us. We found some really great things.
One of my favorites is this beautiful handmade quilt.

I am really happy with the soft colors it added to the bedroom. I moved my mother's quilt to the chair and put the new quilt on the end of the bed. An antique lace tablecloth is draped on the chair.

 

 This fringed blanket was in the bag with the quilt. I added it to my basket of blank-blanks beside the couch.

  

Some antique kitchen utensils; the perforated one is a butter skimmer, a butter paddle, donut cutter, measuring cup and a teaspoon. I scoop up any old measuring utensils I come across.

We also found this Homan Silverplate pitcher. I just love the patina on this one.

As we were leaving, the lady at the sale gave me these two pottery bowls. Both of them are signed and hallmarked. I need to do some research on them.

We (the husband) also bought a collection of Tom Clark gnomes. The pieces range from the very small gnomes to large sculptures. We were told that there were 140 pieces in the collection, but when we got them inventoried, we found that we had 183 pieces. They had all been in storage for 15+ years and we had to go through all the boxes.

Nativity Set

Betsy Ross

I love this piece: Chief Hollow Horn Bear. I am going to keep this one and display him with this Lowell Ellsworth Smith print depicting an Indian Chief.

Doing all this research on the gnomes has proved addicting. I keep putting more and more pieces in my cabinet. I think I am getting into some Americana around here.

I will leave you with one final photo. I think this is my favorite piece of the entire collection. This is Lawrence. I love his face; he is so expressive. Lawrence sat with me as I was going through the boxes of gnomes. I think he felt sorry for me.

Psst, wanna buy a gnome?

Little Corner of Bedroom

I decided to frame the crocheted rag doll that my grandmother made. The doll's dress is made of material either from a flour sack or some sort of feed sack. Her pigtails did not survive my childhood.

I have had the unfinished shadowbox frame in storage for years. I spray painted it Heirloom White and lined it with burlap over some thin sheets of styrofoam packing material.

One thing lead to another and one corner of our bedroom was made-over.

I hung a photo of my great-aunt Minnie over a shelf filled with treasured family pieces.

My mother's first grade perfect attendance gift; a Czechoslovakian lustre ware vase circa 1927 or 1928.

The only surviving piece of an antique English bone china chocolate set. My Mother had the set displayed on her mantle. A picture over the mantle fell and broke all the other pieces.

 

A little lipstick holder that my Aunt Minnie gave me when I was a child.

 

Aunt Minnie's sitting hen dish where she kept her earrings.

 

The little pink chair was one that my Mother sat in to put on her shoes. She bought it from a friend who restored antiques. I have thought about painting it over the years and finally broke down and painted it Pineapple yellow. I hated the yellow and then painted it green. The green turned out too minty, so I decided to go with a pink oops paint I found at Home Depot. I thought the pink would pick up some of the colors in the quilt on the end of the bed and add a spot of color.

The quilt was made by Mother after she retired from nursing.

The seat upholstery and pillow are Mother's original choices which I may change at some point.

My layout "My Little Corner" was name Layout of the Day at Digital Scrapbook Place for June 2, 2012.
 

I am linking to

 

Memorial Day Table

My goodness, it has been awhile since I posted anything.

I created a very simple table for Memorial Day using the white Banana Republic plates I found at Goodwill in Charleston, SC. I folded my blue napkins to make the place mats.

The striped salad plates are clearance items from Home Goods. I loved the nautical motif on them.

 

I found the Pepsi crate on the Pottery Barn web site for $9.99. I filled it with my little milk bottles and vintage Pepsi bottle.

I hope everyone had a wonderful Memorial Day filled with good food and good times.

What a Difference 15 Years Makes

On Easter Sunday 2012, we decided to recreate a photo from Easter 1997.

The poor PawPaw is dwarfed by those boys now.