Strawberries in the Kitchen

Well, I packed up all of the red, white, and blue! Most of the kitchen as already summery but I changed around the table and shelves area where I keep tea, mugs and such. Here's a peek: 

I decided to take out our Strawberry china (Wedgwood) to enjoy for a while and I love it so much I had to stop and pick up some flowers! 

I adore Victoria Magazine and I'm often marking pages that inspire me so this photo shoot with my strawberry china feels like a page out of the magazine. 

I had to have this Emma Bridgewater mug -- it's perfect! 

Scott had a work meeting last week and it was near the Harney and Sons store... oh this Berry Cobbler tea! 

 

Summer Kitchen Tour

Gingham blue and pops of red strawberries make it a vintage, fourth of July, festive, summer kitchen. 

I love these old vintage tea towels that I cut and sewed for the little curtains. 

The baskets have been up all year and give it a homey, country look... and of course the sink skirt I still just love a sink skirt. 

That blue plate I found for a steal at a thrift store along with the Burleigh Asia Pheasants that were first made in England in 1862!  (link here) I dreaming of the matching teapot... 

Basket on the wall with a Susan Branch coookbook: Summer! 

I always adore a small lamp in the kitchen for a bit of cozy (even in the summer). I found this one at a tiny church thrift store. I was at first thinking of the autumn with it's navy but decided to give it a try for the summer and love it so much! 

The strawberry creamer and dish were a Laura Ashely find and lot's of milk glass tiny creamers. 

You'll have to click (here) to see the General Store up close! 

 These strawberry dishes make me so happy in the summer. Sometimes I'd see them on a shelf in the winter and keep thinking, it's coming! Summer is coming! 

Blue and white gingham and vintage strawberry dishes... such a joy to me! 

You can click (here) to see a few reels and some posts that are fun to look at with our summer kitchen. 

A Cozy Winter Kitchen

Oh goodness - snow in these pictures and right now it's sunny and March warm but I wanted here to put these photos here and not forget. 

I say, "set the stage for a happy home life." This cozy kitchen with all of the holiday down is simple but invites us to talk, share a meal, a snack, a cup of tea. It's the place where we meet after school in the evenings. It's simply home. 

I chose a neutral 'theme' for January and February - a simple backdrop for adding on to (pinks around Valentines Day). Right now I am typing in a spring kitchen with lots of greens and yellows. 

Here's a little peek in: 

 

Home Right Now

I've been working on our home since Christmas came down. It's taking me quite a while to figure out how I want to decorate. There are a few things I know are my core that I come back to again and again: 

1. I like my kitchen to be whimsical, fun, cherry, vintage, festive for any holiday. 

So in my kitchen I have been playing with a lot of ironstone lately that I've been finding in antique shops and thrifting. Here is a peek at a few places in our kitchen. I do have to explain why the photos are so grainy. I took them when the sun was almost gone and I didn't like the way it all looked with our lights on, so I cranked up the ISO and so they are really grainy - but you get the idea. 

Scott built me this little shelf when I asked him (in like 30 minutes, painted and all, for scraps of wood we had around) 

I love it so much! 

Right now I've got the tea kettle right next to it which slides out easy peasy with that crochet doily underneath it. I got it at Susan Branches website a few years ago. 

The pitcher were all found thrifting, as were the green glass dessert dishes. I love the ironstone heart dishes too! And that platter so pretty. But my favorite by far is that new little ironstone creamer with the blue flower on it! Love it so much! 

Here is another little corner in our kitchen:

This little stool so cute for little vignettes! More ironstone and a few books. That little winter banner is the only "winter" decoration I have up this year. I just wanted plain this year. 

The little pie is actually a candle! I love that it sits in a little tin pan. 

It's hard to pick my favorite in this little vignette. Perhaps that ironstone pink vase - squealed when I found it for $1! And it's perfect for the next holiday coming. Tiny bits of pink are starting to make their way into our home. But really it's a tie between that pink vase and the ironstone stack of plates. It's oh so hard to tell in the picture but they have such a pretty edge to them, not just round. I love them so much (I say that a lot!) 

I will take better pictures when I change this up soon! 

As I was saying... 

1. I like our kitchen to be whimsical, fun, cherry, vintage, festive for any holiday. 

2. I like our family room and living room to be traditional. 

I'm still working on those two rooms but will take pictures when they are done!

Hope you're having a lovely January. It's almost February! Wow!! 

 

Our Memories Past ~ Christmas Kitchen

My inspiration for decorating our kitchen came from this book... in July. I came across this vintage book and fell in love with the illustrations inside. Opening the book and peeking into the messy, love-filled days of a mama and her two little girls (one with dark hair, one with light) brought me right back. The illustrations were just like what I wanted to and created for my darling little daughters all of those years I was home. There are pictures of cooking in the kitchen, lots of things on the counters. In the book there is bath time after playing outside. There are snuggles in bed with books, and everything in between. I found a treasure of a book this summer and it lit something in my heart. So grateful, oh so very grateful for thirteen years home.  And what a perfect start to thinking about our own memories I want create this Christmas season for my family this year. So from this book, our Memories past Christmas Kitchen ... join me inside ❣

And look at this beautiful (I want to live in it) scene Scott bought me last year. I love it oh so much. The vintage, snowy town matched just what I wanted to create from the book, and the colors are just perfect. 

I added some snowmen to match the cover. I 'sprinkled' them throughout the room. 

Here is a peek into my Christmas Baking Center and laundry room. I love how it all turned out -- a bit of whimsy, charm, and oh so Christmassy. 

Love this vintage Christmas cake dish more than anything. All of the old things are the best. 

This is my pie cooling window - perfect little window shelf for cooling pies but when there isn't a pie right outta the oven, it's the perfect seat for a Christmas cake! 

I do love how this turned out - full, almost messy, just like the story book that was my inspiration. 

A look from the kitchen into the laundry room that is all decorated for a country Christmas look. 

Christmas Tea Table - This year I removed all of our 'regular' mugs and filled it with my collection of vintage Christmas mugs. A few Christmas tea cups too. 

The peek from our dining room. 

Vintage Santa mug and a flickering candle in an antique old fashioned oil lamp. 

Ironstone mugs and a crystal dish for red hots... perfect for a nibble or decorating gingerbread cookies! 

I love my ironstone creamers all lined up ready for warming syrup (even on a early school morning)  

Next to it Christmas creamers - lovely lovely 

This little corner is new this year, a few Christmas cookbooks with two great big ironstone cookie jars (currently filled with gingerbread cookies. Love it so much next to this natural looking Christmas tree. 

Always Gooseberry Patch, the best cookbooks ever. (the oldest ones are the best) 

Cozy little corner... 

Always the first place I begin decorating -- always the place I think about all year long -- what will I do in the kitchen?? When I figure that out, the rest of our home just simply 'comes together'.  

I believe in setting the stage for a Happy Home Life. And this is ours... 

Merry, cozy, Christmas!