A Little Friday Love for My Antique Secretary Desk

Look what Dad got me for Christmas!


I don't have an office in this house, and I needed a workspace that would also prevent little hands from getting to my computer. This secretary was the perfect solution!

Across the top of it I placed a clock (not antique or vintage, but we have had it for over ten years), my pantry box, a great Victorian paper weight with a pic of my little ones and my sweet chalkware girl.


The paper weight was a gift from my Mom and Dad during the last Christmas we spent with my Mom before she passed. Dad put the photo of the kids in the paper weight--it was actually a photo from our Christmas card that year. I think about how little Ella was, and how I lost my Mom just two months later. It makes me a little sad when I look at it, but I like to be thinking of my Mom, sad or not.


I especially like the drawer pulls on this desk:


And of course all of the little compartments on the inside:


So when you think of me blogging, picture me here:


How have you incorporated your love for antiques or vintage into your daily workspace?

A Little Friday Love for My Vintage Rolling Pin

Is that weird that I adore my rolling pin so much that I want to dedicate this week's "A Little Friday Love" post to it?


Bah. Who cares. How could I not adore it? Just look at how gorgeous it is! That aged blue detail on the handles is my favorite part.


The wood is so warm, so homey, so inviting . . . it says "Welcome to my kitchen. Have a seat. Have a slice of pie."


Or in today's case, have some homemade noodles that I just lovingly made from scratch and rolled out with my favorite kitchen tool.


Old-fashioned Chicken and Noodles, anyone?


E-mail me if you'd like the recipe. It was a great meal for one of the first cool Fall days this year!

This post is part of a few linky parties. Please visit them--you will fill your head with so much inspiration that you'll be crafting or baking or decorating or re-purposing for YEARS! (Plus, some of them are my newest friends--so if you like me, you're bound to like them, too!)

And a little note, I won't be back until Monday--we are readying for our yard sale--so I'm going to be knee deep in boxes for three days! (And hopefully knee deep in cash at the end!)

A Little Friday Love for My Vintage Stuffed Toys

I have a few old stuffed toys that I think are really sweet. Actually, I don;t have them, my daughter Ella who is 2 years old does. (Gifts from Grandpa).


The newest one is this cute curly-headed doll holding a flower. She reminds me of some stuffed cats that my Mom made when I was little--I think the fabric was pre-printed with the cats, and all Mom had to do was cut out the back and the front and sew them together. This doll looks like that. I can't guess the age--maybe 40s? The best part about her is how vibrant her colors are.


When Ella was just a baby she received this stuffed chicken--poor chick had kept her comb and beak on for 50+ years, only to lose them within a week of being handled by a drooly baby. Oh well--such is life, right? I love the hand embroidery on this chick.


Here is my favorite--the little sheep. His expression is so neat--like he's on the sly. I also appreciate the method for his wool--it looks intricate and complicated. It seems as though he was well-loved in his time. Maybe that expression is saying "I'm real, you know." Like in the Velveteen Rabbit, my favorite children's book by Marjorie Williams.


I guess they make a sort of motley crew together, here on my most-favorite vintage blue step stool. Keep a look out for an upcoming "A Little Love Friday" post about my vintage stools!


Happy Friday!

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A Little Friday Love for My Antique Bench

One of my most prized possessions is my antique bench.


Just ask my husband. We have moved out West and back in the 12 years that I have owned it, and it was lovingly wrapped with layer upon layer of bubble wrap and moving blankets, swaddled like a newborn each trip.


The bench was a present from my parents. What a gift! I look at it every day and I think of them. I think of the day I walked into the shop and it was sitting there, adorned with white ribbons and vintage silk roses, waiting for me.


How old is it? I don;t really know. Deacon's bench? Parson's bench? Just a bench? I don't know. It is one of those things that I should have asked my Mom while I still could. Where did she get it? Not sure. I will need to ask my Dad when I talk to him this weekend. Then I will post back about what he says. My guess? They found it at a flea market or an estate sale. I am sure it came out of a sweet New England farm house.


I love the little details. The patina. The craftsmanship.


The antique hardware.


I have it filled with pillows made from beautiful carpet or quilt or homespun remnants.


It is simply beautiful and it brings me such pleasure.


Won't you come and sit enjoy a cup of coffee and some conversation with me?

What is your most prized vintage or antique piece?

This post is a part of:

A Little Friday Love for My Vintage Girl

Isn't she beautiful? I saw her on my Mom's Ebay auction about five years ago and had to have her.


We don't know anything about her, other than that she is cast in plaster, is handpainted and is about 10 inches tall.


There are no markings on the bottom. What do you think she was for? Decoration on a dressing table? She is too small to really display a necklace.

No matter! I love her and think she is perfectly sweet. Some things are better left a mystery!

Oh, and 97 FOLLOWERS??? Are you KIDDING ME? My little blog has that many new friends? Wonderful! Welcome!

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