a daytrip to a favorite vintage sale & tea room...

One of my favorite things about the warmer weather months are flea markets & vintage sales.
On Saturday I went on a little day trip to Morris, Illinois

with 2 of my sisters, my 2 nieces, & my sisters' Mother-in-law, Jan.

{My sisters married brothers. Don't worry it's legal.} ;)

Morris is just the sweetest little town!

They have oodles of cool shops & boutiques, and the best little tea room.

The reason for this trip was the 3 French Hens Country Market.

Oh, what fun it was! :D

There were loads of vintage delights, crafts, fresh produce,
 & much more at this terrific outdoor market.
I didn't end up buying a thing, {apart from my lunch} but I sure did have a lovely time!



{Posing by a cute vintage bike with my niece Abbey & perusing vintage fashions.}

They had such cute vintage clothes for sale!



The market was located right next to this picturesque canal.



Beth & Abbey bought this cute little wicker umbrella basket thingy.

Kelsey {a former ballerina} can spot tulle from a mile away.

I so wanted to give this adorable dress a nice new home in my closet,

but, alas, it was out of my price range. *sniffle*

Letty Mae's is the sweet little tea shop I mentioned earlier.

I just love it there! Everything is so pretty & vintage.

It's down an alleyway that gives you the feeling of being in Paris - with no plane ticket required!

They were already full inside so we had to sit outside.

I'm so thankful we did! It was such a lovely day.  

A vintage *pink* washing machine being used as a planter. Adorbs!



They serve their beverages in these cute mason jars with paper straws!



Naturally, we all had to have our pictures taken drinking out of said straws.



No attention to detail is spared - note the hankies & doilies sewn onto the umbrellas.



 They serve such yummy {& pretty} food!

 I ordered their tasty chicken salad with strawberries in it!

This chilled strawberry soup is so delish.

 

After we'd eaten our fill we hit the shops downtown.

A good time was had by all!

 

~*~

Have you been to any flea markets or tea rooms lately?

 

{Photos by Beth, Jan, & me!}

 



my best friend's wedding shower...

 My bestest good friend, Taylor Ella, is getting married in less than two weeks!

*sniff*

 

I've known this girl since we were in 3rd grade.

{Though we didn't go to school together, we met at church.}

We didn't actually become friends until the following year.

We, along with two other girls our age, went to a Christian camp for a week.

We had both requested to be in the same cabin as the other two girls.

But, as the Lord would have it, the two of us ended up together in a cabin full of strangers.

Out of necessity we became friends.

Our friendship grew and flourished & the following summer we actually requested to be in the same cabin! Now I'm honored to call her my very best friend {that isn't my sister}.
She is the kind of friend you can text to ask to sing with you on Sunday at church...
the morning you're supposed to sing at church.
Or invite over to help "process" your chickens & ducks.
{Not many friends will do that dirty job.}
And, whenever she comes over to visit me & have coffee
she always brings me something delicious & hot out of the oven to eat.
Such a dear, sweet friend she is.
Now you know I'm not one for words, Taylor Ella.
{You are the wordy one. Sorry I always fell asleep while you were still talking at slumber parties. I guess I took the name literally. You know slumber party.} ;)
I speak with actions...and pictures...and food.

 

I was so thankful to have the great privileged of being part of the team that put on her shower at our church.

 

 

Speaking of food, here are some yummy Cranberry Orange Scones that I made for the shower.

 

 

More yummy scones made by her Aunt Jan.

And coffee!
 



 

 

Taylor likes "happy colors" so that's just what these flowers are. :D

 



We used these sweet vintage luncheonette sets for the tableware.

{We've got oodles of them!} 

 

Here it is filled with deliciousness.

She's a big fan of coffee. I may or may not be partly responsible for that...

We're big coffee drinkers in my family & whenever Tay would spend the night I'd talk her into trying some. {I know, I'm such a bad influence!} ;) The funny thing is that now she drinks far more coffee than me as I've switched to mostly tea.

 



 

A close up of the delicious coffee punch.
{Recipe Here}

 

 

She was blessed with lots of lovely gifts.

{Sammy Jo & I doing our best Vanna impersonation.}

 

 

{pretty flowers}

 



 

The shower crew & the lady of the hour.

{Lynette, (Aunt) Jan, Taylor Ella, Me, Sammy Jo, & Aimee}

Please pardon my tongue sticking out...I must have been talking. *eyeroll*

 

~*~

I'm so looking forward to your wedding day, my dear Taylor!

{Well, sort of. That reminds me I need to buy some waterproof mascara.}

Tanner is truly your perfect match. I'm so happy that the Lord brought you two together.

 

Marveling at the goodness of our God!

{Photos by Me except the ones I'm in. Those are by Augusta (sister o' the bride), Renee (momma o' the bride), and my Mom.}

 

what would Beatrix wear?

Hello there, my dear ones!
As I mentioned in my previous post we've been enjoying somewhat cooler Springtime weather lately. This sort of cool & rainy weather always makes me think of Beatrix Potter. I like to imagine that this is what the weather she experienced in her beloved Lake District was like.

My apparel is oft times inspired by the weather.
{And I don't just mean by what the mercury reads - though that is a big factor.}
Say it's the middle of Summer & the sort of day you could envision yourself at a county fair eating funnel cake, sipping a lemon shake-up, & admiring the livestock.
I'll go for the farmgirl goes to town look. {Think Jeanne Crain in State Fair}
Or if it's a crisp Autumnal day fit for an apple picking. A couple scenes from
Anne of Green Gables might ramble around in my head and spark an outfit idea.
Or if it's a bitterly cold day of Winter when the sun hides behind clouds & the wind whips relentlessly through the barren branches, I may wear an ensemble that heavily features wool
inspired by Helen from All Creatures Great & Small.

Well, good ol' Beatrix was the inspiration for this particular ensemble.
I thought to myself as I smiled out the window at the delightfully gloomy grey sky,
"What would Beatrix wear if she'd been born in this time?"
Here is my answer. :)

 

A feminine hairstyle, wooly goodness, & earthtones combine for a look that is unmistakably Beatrix.
~*~
Outfit details:

~*~ Dress: Thrifted ~*~

~*~ Sweater: Handmade by me ~*~

~*~ Tights: Wal-Mart ~*~

~*~ Shoes: Thrifted {Clarks} ~*~

~*~ Necklace & Earrings: LC Lauren Conrad from Kohls {No longer available} ~*~

~*~ Scarf {in hair}: Thrifted ~*~

 





I think Mr. McGregor would heartily approve of my little trowel earrings. I'm so fond of Kohls' Lauren Conrad jewelry. Well, lots of the clothing too, but the jewelry in particular. Her jewelry is always so delicate & lovely. It more often than not will be rather kitschy too! I have a necklace with an antique sewing machine charm, pink ladybug earrings, vintage camera earrings, & a little pink teacup on a necklace - just to name a few! Since I love to play in the dirt er garden I get quite a kick out of these little trowels dangling from my ears. ;)
 

These brown suede oxford booties were quite a find for just $3 at my favorite thrift store. Oddly enough they are not my size, {a size & a half too small} but they fit quite well & are very comfortable. Perhaps they are incorrectly sized & that's how such a nice pair of shoes found themselves at a thrift store. In any case I'm so grateful to have them. I think they lend themselves well to the 1930s look in addition to my Beatrix attire.

 



My brown wool cabled cardigan is so snuggly warm. It was my very first cable project - made around 5 years ago. It's made of Lion Brand Fisherman's Wool in Nature's Brown using this pattern. (I never made the sash that is supposed to go with it. I just wear it open.) It's a terribly useful sweater & I wear it quite a lot in the coldest weather. Having already acclimated to the warmer weather we had been having I was thankful to be able to pull out this old friend to chase the chills away.

 



While I had the camera out I simply couldn't resist taking pictures of the lilacs & the chickens.

You don't mind do you?
The chickens always hastily run up to the fence when they see me coming - they must assume I come bearing food. Unfortunately for them I only came bearing that shiny black doohickey that makes beeping sounds this time. That's Freckles the Speckled Sussex, Pepper the Barred Rock, & Oswald the Rooster {I think he's an Ameraucana, but I'm not sure.} You can just see Philippa the Ameraucana in the background & the ducks at a safe distance. They still don't quite trust me as they were a few weeks old by the time I got them from a friend.

 

I think one reason I really find a kindred spirit in Beatrix is because of her love for the country.
I recently watched the episode of The World of Peter Rabbit and Friends featuring The Tale of Johnny Town-mouse. The story is the classic tale of a town mouse & a country mouse experiencing each other's way of living & each much preferring their own.  One line {a direct quote from the book} at the end of that sweet little cartoon caught my attention.

 "One place suits one person, another place suits another person.
For my part I prefer to live in the country, like Timmy Willie."
~Beatrix Potter - The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse

To which I give a hearty "Hear, hear!"
Much like Beatrix, I wasn't raised in the country. I lived in a small town until I was 17. When we moved to the country I just felt it was home. {Though, I loved that little town & still do.} Perhaps it is because I have Farmer in my blood on my Mom's side that I love the country so...

~*~
 

Well, I'm planning this as an ongoing post series to feature other
"what would         wear?" outfits every so often.
More than likely featuring some of the aforementioned characters!

 

~*~

 

Does the weather inspire your attire?

 

Is there a person or character you're particularly inspired by?

Do you prefer the town or the country?

 

{Photos by me. Taken sheepishly with the timer.

 Hoping my family wasn't looking out the window & rolling their eyes.}

say hello to my little friends...

Here's another sure sign of Spring - little baby chicks!
 



 

Well, once again I didn't get any outfit pics taken this past week.

Kels & I had the best of intentions, but we got distracted...by garage sales...

So in lieu of a 1940s inspired thrifted outfit here are my newest feathered friends. :D

These six little cuties will lay lovely brown eggs in just a few months time!

I bought them Sunday at our local TSC while picking up the feed for my flock.

They had some little baby mallard ducklings as well, which were pretty hard to resist, but I did! ;) I can't remember the name of these lil chickies' breed, but I think the gal there said they are a cross between Rhone Island Reds & White Rocks. She said they'll be brownish - can't wait to see what they look like when they're grown. I need to start thinking of suitable names. Though I may have to wait until their personalities er chickenalities start to develop to give them appropriate names. :) I already have a Philippa, Lillie-white, Freckles, Pepper, Snowy, & Oswald {the rooster}.

That night our electricity went out! Eek! One essential of chick keeping is a heat lamp. When they don't have Momma Hen to keep them warm they need the constant source of warmth that a heat lamp provides. Thankfully we have a generator. Although it runs on gas & only had enough of that stuff to last until about 9:00 PM. I had brought them into the basement {from the outbuilding I had been keeping them in} so they'd be warmer. Praise the Lord the power came back on at about 11 so they only had to go about 2 hours sans heat lamp.

They're all warm & cheerful today!

~*~

Now for some random bits...

The newest blooming beauties around here a lilacs & wild bluebells.

I made this bouquet {a mix of bought & homegrown flowers} to take to church & now I get to enjoy it in my room. I wish I could attach the scent for you all to enjoy!

{Removing all allergens, of course, for those of you who suffer from them.}

{Lovely Lilacs}

 {Beautiful Bluebells}

 

Isn't this dish towel just the cutest? It's from Kohl's. They have some pretty cute home wares.

 

I got this yellow Lu-Ray Pastels platter recently at a garage sale for $1.50! Woo-hoo!

 I like to collect pastel dishes whenever I find them for a super deal. I have some Shenandoah & Moderntone pieces as well. {You can see some in the photo below!} It's so fun how they all mix & match since they were made in similar eras. The few Cath Kidston dishes I have go so well too. 

 

 

The past couple days we've had rather chillier weather than the weeks before.

A nice cuppa {tea} & something sweet to eat is just what the doctor ordered.

{Well, actually there's no need to mention this to the doctor...we'll keep this just between us.} ;)

You can find the recipe for these yummy lemon bars in this post.

 

~*~

 Here is what I've been working on lately!

 

{A recent custom embroidery order. All in mint green!}

I've just the sewing up to do on this knitted gift for my cousin's baby girl.

Isn't that color delicious? It's my very favorite to use for baby girl gifts - such a vintage baby pink. {It's Knit Picks' Flamingo.} This is one of the colors I've picked out for my Summery cotton version of "Your Victory Jumper".  If I ever finish the original one, that is! ;)

~*~

 

 Any suggestions for names for my new baby hens?

What's blooming in your neck of the woods?

What do you collect?

{Photos by this girl!}

april showers & flowers...

Well, Spring has officially sprung in my neck of the woods!

They {the woods} are just bursting with new life!

I always anxiously await the appearance of my favorite little woodland flower -

Dutchman's Britches {or Breeches actually but we always pronounced it the other way}.

They are related to Bleeding Hearts which I've always been fond of as well. Note how the middle stem is slightly more pink that the others & these blooms have the slightest pink tinge as well. Interesting, n'est-ce pas?

When I was a little girl I thought they were called London Bridges & figured these sweet flowers must be what that song was all about! ;)

Don't they just look like little fairies' drawers hung out to dry?

 

Here is a wee "forest" of May Apples 

like so many little umbrellas opening to shield small animals from Spring showers. 

Next month they will have a little fruit (hence their name) under their foliage.

The fruit is edible, though I never have tried. Maybe I will this year! I have a field guide on edible wild plants for my area, and they suggest making a jam or jelly from them.
It's worth a try!

 



 

I ventured deeper into the woods to get some more photos.

One must wear their wellies this time of the year! 



 

I believe these are called Bloodroot. 

They are named this because the liquid inside their stem is red at the root. I'll have you know I had to get a little to close for comfort to a spider to get that shot, so you had better enjoy it!

You're welcome. ;)

 

To my extreme delight, while I was deep in the forest, it started to rain ever so softly.

 



There was no way I could capture the pure enchantment of the sweet Springtime shower with photos alone. Thankfully my camera also has a video option! So here is my first attempt as a videographer. :)
 

 

 



 

If you look closely at the photo above you can see a bumblebee enjoying something sweet from a Dutchman's Breeches bloom. Bumblebees are such cute little fuzzy creatures. I had the hardest time getting a pic of the little stinker! As soon as I got close enough for a good shot she was off again buzzing near & far. Mostly far because I lost sight of her after this shot was taken.

 

~*~

 

These next photos were taken a day later around the yard.

That morning we were blessed with another lovely April shower that moved on as quickly & quietly as it had appeared and left a glorious sunshiny day. I was even able to hang out my wash!

That sort of weather always makes me think of the song Perfect Day

from The World of Peter Rabbit & Friends. I actually found a CD of that soundtrack on eBay. It came free with a VHS of The Tale of Peter Rabbit. I just love the music from those sweet cartoons so I was elated to find it. {For a great deal too which always makes me happy!}



 

 

Beautiful cherry blossoms against a blue sky.

This is an old cherry tree & the cherries are quite too high to reach.

They're very small too so they'd be quite a chore to pit with not much to show for you efforts.

The birdies put them to good use though! :)

The tree grows right by the chicken pen so whatever cherries happen to fall to the ground are immediately devoured by a frenzy of squawking foul.

It's more entertaining than most things on the telly I can assure you! ;)

 



 

These daffodils above were a birthday gift last year from my dear friend Taylor Ella.

She knows that daffs are my favorite Springtime bulb. They're just so sunshiny!

 

 

These little wild violets grow simply everywhere around our yard in the Spring.

 



 

These little cuties are now on my bedside table.

 

"So let us know, let us press on to know the LORD.

His going forth is as certain as the dawn;

And He will come to us like the rain,

Like the spring rain watering the earth."

Hosea 6:3

{NASB}

 

~*~

 

Also, I was featured on the Modest Fashion Network again - this time front and center!
You can read the post here.

Thank you MFN!

~*~

 

What's your favorite Springtime flower?

 

Do you enjoy a lovely April shower?

 

Have you seen those Beatrix Potter cartoons?

 



{Photos by Yours Truly}