For the Love of Books....Our Library

Dearest Readers,

It had been our desire to have a home library for a long time, so it was our delight to be able to design and build our very own Library.  This delightful room is actually a sitting area off of the Master Bedroom, a cozy spot for a good book and a cup of tea.....

The best part of the room has to be, well....the books!  All of us that dwell here at Honey Hill Farm are avid readers. We have collected the classics as well as some new favorites.....

We have library "check-out" cards so that those nearest and dearest may borrow a volume or two.  We only ask that they be returned...they are part of the family after all! 

From "Little House on the Prairie" to biographies of the great leaders of our time...Winston Churchill....Abraham Lincoln.....our little library has something for everyone.....

It is entirely too easy for one to while away an afternoon tucked away in this little haven.....

It is a lovely place indeed. 

I hope you have time in your day to enjoy a good book!

Yours kindredly,

Shan

The Tour Continues.....

Dearest Readers,

I thought it would be most pleasant to invite you to tour my dear Honey Hill Farm once again.  So won't you step into our Back Parlour......

This lovely room was an addition to our "old girl" about six years ago.  Dearest, the Darlings and I did all the work ourselves.  The bead-board covers everything, from ceiling to the baseboards.  It took me 1 month to stain it all!  We used one part Early American and one part Cherry to achieve the color that we wanted. 

We lovingly call this room "The Coop" as it is fashioned after our favorite feathered friends!  This old incubator  was the inspiration for it all.  Dearest's Aunt Lettie sold eggs and butter to keep the farm during the Great Depression, so you can imagine our surprise to find this darling treasure in the fruit cellar when we moved in!  A few twinkle lights, some excelsior and fluffy chicks make this the focal point of our decorations.

Dearest added darling touches like this little corner with a built-in shelf.  It holds a charming display of....what else....chickens!

As you head down to the fruit cellar, you can catch a glimpse of a few of our favorite things.  This ledge was designed by Dearest to hold my Christmas Village come winter!  He is too clever!!!

Of course, you know I have tried to "Victorianize" this side of the room.  But that pesky TV just doesn't look quite right, LOL!  Oh well, I have been blessed with a darling husband who lets me decorate to my heart's desire in the rest of the house....so I guess he has to have a spot that is just his!

The old Victrola sits on top of the very butter churn Aunt Lettie used to make her butter.  We have old records that were left here and enjoy playing them.  How fun it is to  look at the faces of the children who hear them!

This cozy room is a delightful place to enjoy a cup of tea.

Come this winter our Soapstone Woodstove will be blazing brightly. 

I hope you have enjoyed your tour of the Back Parlour.  It is always my delight to show you the corners of my home and have you in for company!

Now I must say goodbye and start my Crockpot Lasagna for our supper.....

Yours kindredly,

Shan 

School Days Slate.....

Dearest Readers,

I just adore changing my entryway display each month or season.  With Graduation season upon us here at Honey Hill Farm, I decorated with my "School Days" theme.  I thought I would share a simple little School Days Slate idea with you today.

Start with a slate that you purchase at the hobby store.  Stain or paint the wooden edge, let it dry. I painted the "slate" on my chalkboard with black acrylic paint because I wanted to paint the words "School Days" in white acrylic and I felt it would make for a smoother surface for the painting.  

Next use a paper punch to make a teeny, tiny stencil. I used a Martha Stewart paper punch on very heavy cardstock.  Use a Q-tip for a stencil brush and stencil around the edge.  While you are letting things dry, find a font that you like and experiment with the size on paper.  When you are satisfied, and your slate is dry you can trace the letters on with either pattern transfer paper or Chaco paper (I use this for all of my hand painting transfers. It is found at the hobby store with all of the acrylic/oil paints.)

Now just paint the letters with white acrylic paint. Tip:  water down your acrylic paint just a little, this will make it easier to paint the letters. Take a deep breath and "write" just like you would if you had a pencil.  When the paint starts to fade, just dip your brush in the paint and start where you left off.  Don't try to go over the places you have already painted.....it looks more like chalk this way.  

Let everything dry, then use a spray sealer and give it a quick coat.  Next, wipe a bit of burnt umber oil paint or antique glaze on the whole slate to make it look old, wiping away the excess.  After you let this dry, add another coat of sealer and you have a very old looking slate for very little money. 

I am going to put out my "Seaside Season" decorations this week, so I will share a photo or two! As always, I thank you for stopping by and visiting with me here at our lovely little farm!

Yours in Kindred Spirit,

Shan

A Room is Finished.....Finally

Dearest Readers,

Well, I have finally finished the middle bedroom.... Here is a photo of the room as it looked before:

As you can see, it is pretty plain with cream walls.  This was the final room that needed a Victorian update.  I chose to paint the walls two shades of turquoise with gold stenciling....

I separated the two colors with gold braid trim....this is a very economical way to add elegance to a room.  I didn't change anything else in the room, but it feels entirely different.  One almost feels as if they are stepping back in time.

It feels so cozy and warm in here now. 

Well, that is just a peek into our dear Honey Hill Farm! I enjoy the challege of decorating on a budget....gosh, anyone could just go and buy what they need, but that takes all of the fun out of it....smile!

Thank you for stopping by to say hello, I will try and post more often.

Yours truly,

Shan

A Tour of Honey Hill Farm.....The Entryway

The entryway here at Honey Hill Farm.  The curtains on each side of the door keep out drafts!

Dearest Readers,

I am sorry to have been "away" for so long, but I have been under the weather with a very nasty bug!  I finally have a little oomph in my step and decided I would update my blog.

Many of you have asked for a tour of my dear old house......so won't you step inside and make yourself at home.........

The home was built by my husband's Great-Grandfather and has been in the family ever since.  Each generation has had a family member live here at Honey Hill Farm. We are the fourth and our children are the fifth generation to live in this home.  The home was started around 1895 and finished about 1900.  It is made with triple brick walls that are about 2 feet thick.  All of the windows are original (except 2 panes) and have wonderful wavy glass. 

Here we are in the entryway where you can see our lovely leaded glass door.  It is not original....we believe the original front door was moved to the back of the house in the 30's.  The door that was on the front of the house when we moved here was very 1930's in style, yet the back door was very ornate and much more Victorian.  We replaced the front door with a much sturdier custom made door and moved the old front door up to the master bathroom when we added onto the house.  You might be interested to know that we stopped stripping wallpaper here in the entryway when we reached the 13th layer!  We just shellaced it, textured it, and called it a month day!!!

Now, we are looking up the stairwell, I am not sure if you can tell but we had to add a few things to our dear old house.  When we first looked at the house there was no central heat, no outlets upstairs - just a bulb in the middle of the ceiling and only a few outlets on the main level. No one in the family wanted to live here...I am sure a few of them thought we were just a little crazy for wanting to fix up the place.  Oh,and the only water coming into the house was from the creek. Tadpoles are our friends......

Well....we worked on the house for a year before moving in, adding heat, new plumbing and new wiring. Unfortunately, we moved in just as our well was being drilled and it was a dry hole!  We had to wait until there was enough money to drill again - only six months without running water (and 2 babies)!  And... the kitchen was in the living room along one wall.  Ahhhh.....the good old days....smile. 

Here is a photo of the cute little alcove that is part of the entryway I hope you have enjoyed this part of the tour Dearest Reader!  And I hope you will join me for the continuing tour of my dear Honey Hill Farm in future posts.

Yours kindredly,

Shan

A Beautiful Morning.......

Dearest Readers,

Our dining room looked so pretty early this morning, as sunshine spilled in through the lace curtains.  I sipped on a delicious cup of cinnamon coffee as I made my list of "to do's" for the day....

I must go to our local craft store and purchase more gold stencil paint for the middle bedroom.  I promise to share photos of the transformation of this room from plain to very Victorian! 

I also will decorate my entryway for our much anticipated Double Graduation Party!  We have two of the Darlings graduating in early May, one from college and one from high school.  I always have a theme for my entryway for each month or season.  Normally, I would be putting out my "Spring" decorations, but I thought it would be better to go ahead and put out the "School Days" decorations so that I have one less thing to do before the party.  I have slates, chalk, books, ribbon-clad "diplomas", Victorian graduation prints and more! 

Last on my list, will be making Banana Bread, as I have a few rather sad looking bananas that mustn't go to waste.  All in all, a wonderfully gentle day!

Yours kindredly,

Shan

The dining room at Honey Hill Farm.  This picture was taken from the parlour side of the room looking towards the kitchen. 

A Case of Love.........

Dearest Readers,

Years ago during a Christmas shopping trip for the Darlings, Dearest and I walked into a Victorian shop filled to the brim with interesting and unusual gifts.  I simply could not stop looking at a "quilt  case" that was on display.  I could imagine all the fun I might have changing vignettes for each season or month.  After oohing and ahhing for a few moments, we went on our way to finish our shopping.  I never gave it another thought...well, maybe a little.

Lo and behold, Dearest went back to that store and on Christmas morning he carried the beautiful case into our parlour!  You can imagine the tears rolling down my cheeks! 

Here we are years later and that "quilt case" still has pride of place in our front parlour.  I have changed the display to my Spring Finery Vignette, thinking of my Dearest as I gently placed each item in place.  A kindhearted man with a terrible "Case of Love".

 I am blessed, truly blessed!

Yours kindredly,

Shan

Cozy at Home........

Dearest Readers,

It feels so good to be home, nice and warm, snuggled in our dear old home.  We are expected to have 10 inches of snow by tomorrow morning!  Dearest and the Darlings made sure that both wood boxes were full so that we will stay warm.  My old 1949 cookstove runs on propane and we have plenty.  The kerosene lamps have been filled with oil and there is plenty of food in the pantry and fruit cellar. 

Proverbs 31:21

"When it snows, she has no fear for her household; for all of them are clothed in scarlet"

Now we just have to wait for the snow.........

The picture above is a cozy corner of our family library, it is a wonderful place to curl up with a good book!

A Closer Look......

Dearest Readers,

I have had a few requests to show a close-up picture ofthe opposite side of my pantry.  I did include a more distant view in the post below. 

The Hoosier belonged to Dearest's Great Aunt who lived in our home until her passing at age 96.  She always kept the Hoosier tucked into this snug little pantry.  It is amazingly useful and holds all of my baking needs, from flour to spices.

The "stained-glass" window is actually just cling film, made especially for windows, from the hardware store.  Please forgive the plastic window dovering that you can see, but old houses are drafty and this helps us keep the cold at bay. I can't wait to remove it this spring.

I also had a few questions about my pantry:

Where have I acquired all of my jars? I have bought them at the hardware store, Target and was lucky enough to have a kind older lady give me all of her canning jars a few years ago - she was just going to throw them away....oh dear!

How do you label your jars?  I have some very cute and very victorian post-it labels that I found at Michael's in the $1.00 bin.  They are so handy and I can take them off when I wash the jars or if I change the contents.

Where do you store all of your canned goods?  I keep all packaged foods that cannot be stored in jars in either the lower part of the Hoosier or in my stock pantry in the fruit cellar. 

I enjoy sharing with you my Dear Friends, so please leave me questions anytime and I will try and answer them.  I am no expert, but I will do my best!

I so hope that you have a pleasant and gentle day,

Shan

A little more peeking.....

Dearest Readers,

As promised, I will give you the continuing tour of my home......here is a picture of the "business end" of my dear little kitchen.  My sink is such a cutie; even though it doesn't show in the picture, the sink is speckled blue - like granite ware.  Dearest was shopping at the hardware store a long time ago and found this sink on the clearance isle.  What a sweet surprise!

The back-splash is actually the same type of embossed wallpaper as the ceiling (only smaller in scale).  This is a terrific paper to use - it hides imperfections in old walls and holds up wonderfully once it is painted with semi-gloss paint.  I bought the roll on sale for $1.50 and I used it as a back-splash and behind my stove - so much cheaper than tile!

Of course, a very important part of any kitchen is a stove and my dear old 1949 O'Keefe and Merritt fits the bill!  When our conventional stove gave out a few years ago, I decided that my next stove would have character and an old-fashioned feel.  We scoured catalogs and found some very delightful, but very expensive "old" cookstoves.  The only problem was that I wanted 2 ovens and 6 burners - either I couldn't find a model that had those options, or the model that had those options was out of my price range.  Finally, I saw an ad in our local paper about a gentleman that restored and sold old stoves.  Even though this model is not turn-of-the-century, I couldn't resist its charms or the price!  It was a match made in heaven.

The "icebox" is just our old (22 years) refrigerator that my Dearest covered with beadboard and hardware.  One cannot have a modern looking appliance spoiling everything, now can they? The little black "box" on the top of the icebox is a pie warmer.  I have a small light in it so that it looks like it is glowing but it didn't show up too well in the photo.

And finally, you can see all the way back around to my china cabinet.  I have this along one wall to hold all of my everyday dishes.  We don't have many cabinets so this works very well. 

If you will recall, I posted a picture of my pantry earlier, well, here is the opposite side of that cozy little room.  I house my baking center right there in my Hoosier.  I can pull out the metal top, sift flour right from the flour bin and mix my baking ingredients right there. It is fun to use antiques for everyday living.  My mixer is hidden by a lovely old dish towel in case you were concerned about that lump in the photo - LOL.

And so dear friends, that is a peek into the kitchen here at Honey Hill Farm.  Not too big, not too small, just right - at least for me.  I am so blessed to have this home in which to serve my family and others.

Have a blessed day,

Shan

A peek into my kitchen....

Dearest Readers,

I would like to share a few photographs of my kitchen here at Honey Hill Farm. The photo above is of a little shelf that sits over my stove.  I have been collecting old tins of canned foods for a long time.........these are a few of my favorites.

Now you can see my ceiling and the lovely light fixture that my Dad made for me many years ago.  You might notice the "tin" on the ceiling!  Ah, dear reader, that is just embossed wallpaper that I purchased on sale for $6.00.  I cut it into squares to make it easier to hang, then I painted it a plain grey and went back over it with a silver glaze.  This project cost less than $20.00!

The light fixture did not originally have all of those prisms, it was very simple.  When I decided to make my house Victorian, I was on a very limited budget, sooooo off to Home Depot to the lighting department!!  I hung the prisms off of a very stiff "ribbon" that I picked up at Wal-Mart for 97cents a roll. 

The little curtain that you can see next to my cabinets hides the microwave.  It is on a swing rod and you can just swing it open and then you have access to the microwave. 

Of course, no Victorian kitchen would be complete without a few well placed accessories and what better place than the top of the cabinets!  Here you will find tins, granite ware, and little candles making themselves at home.

This little table is so handy to have here in my dear kitchen.  My Dearest added extra "feet" to the bottom of the legs to make it an ideal height for rolling out dough and chopping vegetables.  The top was covered with fabric and then a clear tablecloth.  The grinder came from the local hardware store  - my turn-of-the-century food processor!

I am pleased with this small, but functional kitchen.  It has the same footprint as it did 100 years ago, and it is just pleasant place to be each and every day.

Tomorrow I will share a few more pictures, but for now I will say goodbye dearest friends.  I hope you have a gentle and quiet evening.

Blessings,

Shan