This Friday

Treasures from last weekend's outing--

Sweetheart's "new" giant teacup. (Notice how small my regular teacup looks.)

A tag with button that reads, "This is a button from the coat my father was married in in 1828. Used by Louisa for a letter stamp. - M.J. Morris"

I also picked up some wonderful vintage buttons, lace trim, and a doily that perfectly matches one I have that was my Great-Grandmother's. We had a wonderful time.

One of the Company Girl's Small Things (click on the button above for more info) was to tidy up our bookshelves. This took some time over a few days as we have six sets of bookshelves in our home. Three are in our Family Room and the other three are scattered around the upstairs' rooms.

We like books. As we do not have a television, we read a lot. Four of the sets of shelves are antique barrister bookcases, one is a simple set my Dad built with his Dad when he was young, and the final set is the low set in this picture my Dad built few years ago.

Speaking of my Dad, he surprised us with a quick visit last night.

I wish he could have stayed longer. He and the boys played and played.

I took a few pictures of some of my favorite vintage books to share with you all.


Sweetheart really likes his tea.

March

I love March. I do. It's a special month to me, a bit of brightness as winter heads to spring. That it contains my birthday, I'm sure had nothing to do with it!

I love to change the decor around with the changing months and seasons. Am I the only one? Maybe it's the former schoolteacher in me. How I loved to change the classroom bulletin boards, decor and calendars! It always freshens things up to me. Now that I'm at home, I am able to do these little things with all sorts of treasures we have.

After the Christmas decorations are packed away, bits and pieces of pink and red add bright spots to our home for Valentines. With the passing of that, I find little bits of green adding touches of spring here and there. A bit of ivy, a shamrock coffeepot, vintage postcards all find their ways to new places to shine. It cheers up cleaning as well as I take an extra moment to find the perfect home for a little treasure.

Side Note: An early Birthday gift from Sweetheart. A 1915 edition of Little Women illustrated by Jessie Wilcox Smith, on of my favorite artists.

This makes my heart sing!

I just finished reading a copy from the library last week and this arrived yesterday.

Here's a peek inside at some of the illustrations.

I rarely buy things for specific holidays, preferring to just use what we have. Though I do find an occasionally new spool of ribbon can really add a lot in a simple way. Bits of fluff and fancy move all around the house all year long. I love finding natural treasures, too. Squash from the gardens, flowers, seed pods, nests, pine cones, and what-all are used in abundance.

Things move around even within a season as squash are used for dinner, seed pods are played with to the point of destruction, and sometimes just because I decide I don't like how I put something out the first time. I took a few picture a couple of days ago, and have since switched teapots around and added some bits of ribbon other places. This to me is one of the joys of homemaking.

Of course, so is finding gorgeous plates for five dollars while out with my Sweetheart! So lovely.

Here's closeup of the copy I bought of Pilgrim's Progress for Sweetheart a few years ago. As it was such a huge part of Little Women, I decided I should be reading it a bit each morning as the girls did throughout the story. I'd better get back to reading it!

What do you like to do to brighten your home?

Easter Card

I found this vintage Easter Postcard last year.

I love lilacs and thought the design with the cross and the cottage so lovely.

Aren't the colors wonderful?

It was in a little plastic sleeve, but I didn't take it out until several days later.

Imagine my happy suprise when I realized that there was more to it than first met the eye.

The cross opens up to reveal the Scripture from Exodus

and a small poem from a Charlotte Murray.

Pure loveliness, don't you think?

Why don't we make things like this anymore?

Happy Easter to one and all!

A Little Treasure

Sweetheart found this book for the boys. It is a book that contains copies of all the "Wide Awake" magazine issues from the prior year. Its copyright date is 1885. It is in excellent shape. I've enjoyed skimming through it and look forward to reading from it to the boys. Don't you just love the gold in the peacock feather design on the cover?

Go visit Kelli's for more fun Friday Show and Tells.