Antique Window #2

Window #2...

An old green window with one pane missing.  The other two panes have many coats of paint on them.  Nice and dinged up!  Perfect...

I happened to have some wooden letters in a box in the craft room that spelled the word LOVE, so I painted them red...I have painted so many things red with this can of paint, that Kade asked me if red was my favorite color.  I guess it is!  I cut pieces of twine and thin cotton lace and hung the letters on little nails I put in along the top of the window.

Looks perfect hanging over a dresser in our bedroom.

View some cute hairstyles over at farmersdozen.com

Antique Window #1

Shabby Farmer - Antique Church Window

I LOVE old, antique windows!  All shapes and sizes.  I thought I would do several posts showing how I have used windows in decorating.   This would qualify as the largest antique window, and the heaviest we have!         

Shabby Farmer - Antique Church Window

We found 2 large antique church windows at the Caldwell auction.  One was placed on the side of the garage, facing the street.  The other window sort of fell a part.  So I used the pieces in a variety of places.

Shabby Farmer - Antique Church Window, Top Half

This was the top half of the window.  The other side of it is white.  I have a thin rubber slip under it so it won't slide. 

Shabby Farmer - Antique Church Window in Entry Way

The window sits an antique dresser in the front entry, providing an interesting backdrop.

Shabby Farmer - Antique Church Window Outside

You can see in this picture of the window that there is a top half and a bottom half as well as an outer casing.


Shabby Farmer - Antique Church Window Casing

This is the outer casing, placed next to the front door around a screen door, and an old bench with other antique items nearby.

Shabby Farmer - Antique Church Window Bottom

The bottom half of the window is by the front door to the left.  All the glass fell out and it is quite flimsy, but still looks interesting.  These two antique church windows provided an interesting backdrop in several places.

More posts on window decorating ideas to come. 

Visit farmersdozen.com to see our trip to Washington, ALMOST.

Decorating With an Antique Toolbox

I just love this tool box.  I will show you a closer look of what kind of "tools" I put inside.

These are some old, antique books and at the right is an old, antique eyeglass case, which holds a pair of glasses that we found in Germany!  Look at this treasure!

You can see the tattered case, in the background.  The arms of the glasses are made with flimsy wire.  Don't you wonder what the story is behind this little pair of glasses?

Another view of these delicately created glasses.

In the basket shown, is a collection of antique, handmade laces, along with an adorable picture of my Grandma Nielson as a child.  I love the picture!  It is my favorite picture.  It has been placed in an antique frame.  The plates in the background are from Rick's parents home and were made in Germany. 

This little corner has a light green canning jar, and some old, antique books from Germany in it.  The collection on the wire draped across the drawer, are military, awards and buttons.

The postcards are old, antique postcards Kaitlin and Joslin bought for me while in Germany.

This is a very old, antique Kodak camera. 

There is a little tea cup and saucer hiding in this drawer, given to me from my grandmother Nielson, who collected them.  The drawers are all lined with antique laces.

A view of the whole tool box, placed on a butcher block we bought at an auction in McCall, Idaho, from Shorelodge! 

Hanging above the display is one of my favorite quilts.

View farmersdozen.com to see a cute youtube video!

Antique Window Picture Frame

Shabby Farmer - Antique Window Photo Display

I had this cute photo of the family taken by Randi Davies mounted on foam board.  I wasn't sure what to do with it, since it was mounted on foam board.  At first I placed it as is on an easel.  Then I got a great idea.

Shabby Farmer - Family Photo mounted on foam board

First take a picture mounted on foam board.

Shabby Farmer - Antique Window

Then find a cute little antique window, never can have too many antique windows!  Love them!  This one is without glass!  

Shabby Farmer - Antique Doily

Find a cute antique doily.  

Shabby Farmer - Tall Easel

Grab a spare easel, love tall ones!

Shabby Farmer - Antique Window Photo Display

Put it all together and you have a cute display. 

Shabby Farmer - Antique Window Photo Display

Add some dried flowers and an enamelware pot.  Cute!

Tick, Tock, Goes the Antique Clock

Shabbyfarmer.com - Family Picture with Antique Watch

Sometimes I am doing something, when all of the sudden an idea just pops in my head.  I was on the computer and happened to look up at this picture and thought "I know of an antique watch just sitting in a pile, and some lace....".

Shabbyfarmer.com - Antique Watch

I immediately left what I was doing and got the antique watch.

Shabbyfarmer.com - Antique Key

I also noticed this antique key type thing in the same pile.  I got some lace...

Shabbyfarmer.com - Antique Watch

I threaded the lace through the antique watch and some beaded lace through the antique key like item....

Shabbyfarmer.com - Family Picture with Antique Watch

Took them and put them on this picture display I already had out.  It is a picture of the family on a foam board, which is sitting on an easel.

Shabbyfarmer.com - Family Picture with Antique Watch

The picture and easel are on an old box which has in it an antique shoe repair kit.  I turned out fun don't you think?  A much better spot than in a random pile to be gone through some day.

Count Your Many Blessing Dresses

Farmer's Dozen - Blessing Dresses
  You have a great piece of antique wood and you don't know what to do with it?  I have the perfect idea!

On a road trip we happened to come across and old abandoned, torn down shack which had some great pieces of wood on it.  The piece we ended up with was about 5 feet long and about 1 1/2 feet wide, probably about 1 1/2 inches thick.  It has several old (antique) square head nails in it.  Perfect fit for a wall in our living room.  To hang the board, Rick made a heavy duty hanger on the back, since it is extremely heavy.

Farmer's Dozen - Antique Wooden Board

We, (meaning Rick), took some antique knobs we found in a store in Seattle named Earthwise Architectural Salvage (This store is a must visit, if you are ever in Seattle!)  We had nine kids at the time and randomly placed the 9 knobs (a knob for each child), so they weren't all placed directly in a row. 

Farmer's Dozen - Antique Knob

In the picture below it is showing the raw edge and, if you look closely, one of the antique square head nails.

Farmer's Dozen - Antique Square Head Nail

I took several branches, shipped to me from Washington, by my sister in law Carol, I am pretty sure my brother in law Duncan prepared them though, as they were perfectly cut in the same length and little branches neatly cut off to a nub.  I took twine and wrapped it around a few times and made a sort of hanger out of them.

Farmer's Dozen - Hanger

Then I placed each of the children's blessing dresses on the hangers and hung them in birth order.

Farmer's Dozen - Blessing Dresses

The first dress was from Brazil, my mother in law (Norma) bought it for me.  My instructions to her were, I wanted cotton, nothing shiny, short and plain.  This fit the requirements perfectly.  The 2nd dress (left to right) was an antique dress we bought the day after the baby was born!  We drove to Seattle, with my hospital bracelet still on, and found this dress at an antique store that is now out of business.  On the way home, Rick was pulled over for speeding but didn't get a ticket with the brand new baby and all!  The blessing was the following day!  (I might have been crazy).  The next 3 dresses were the triplets.  I made them from tablecloths I got at an antique warehouse sale which I had gone to while pregnant with the triplets.  I brought a chair to the sale and often sat down, as I was very pregnant.  I made the dresses after the triplets were born!  They were born in July and I think blessed the beginning of September.  They are identical dresses.  The next dress, #6, was purchased at that same antique warehouse sale.  Dress #7, my sister in law Carol found in Snohomish, WA, at a cute little store.  Then came the first boy, my good friend Karen made this little outfit for the baby, it had a cute little matching hat with it.  The next dress is probably my favorite.  We had moved from Washington to a tiny town in Idaho, so my sister in law Carol, found this antique dress and without me seeing it, she bought it and mailed it to me.  It is so fragile the back ripped when I was buttoning it.  The last outfit I ordered on the Internet.

Farmer's Dozen - Blessing Dresses First and Last

Notice how my tastes changed from the first dress to the last dress...short to long :)

Farmer's Dozen - Blessing Dresses Displayed

Why store these cute little outfits away in a box when they can become part of the decor?  The sign above them reads: "HOME is where your story begins".  I have had these outfits hanging in this spot for over 10 years and they still look great....