Vintage Style Archives - The Weekend Country Girl

How Red Wing Dishes Made Me Famous

December 27, 2022 Karen

Hello friends! It has been a while since I posted because life got in the way but I am back.

I am not quite, but almost, but not really famous now. Let’s call it famous adjacent. Of course famous is an overstatement but it is probably as close as I will be and here is why:

If you have been with me very long you know that my buddy, The Social Planner (TSP), and I love to explore new places and shop in resale, thrift, antique stores. We took a quick trip to Crockett, Texas one Thursday. I love that we can just take off shopping now that we are retired.

The Social Planner and I in front of he new Crockett mural.

Crockett is awesome, visit if you get a chance. While we were shopping I saw these beautiful vintage Red Wing dishes and immediately thought of one of the people I follow on social media Sara @SimplySouthernCottage. They were mid century, pink, had flowers and butterflies, and were American made.

She is making a difference along with others in her community of Minden, Louisiana. (If you watched the most recent Hometown Takeover on HGTV Minden was one of the cites and she was one of those people working to make her town awesome.)

Sara (Simply Southern Cottage) has her own very inspirational story to tell and I hope you check her out of Facebook, Instagram, or her Blog. I love, love, love her sense of whimsy and how bold her color choices are. Annnywayyy back to my story. Sorry for the digression.

In the thrift store I took a picture of the dishes and thought I sent Sara a message with the photo of the dishes. The message didn’t go through until much later- like not until we were driving home. Sara contacted me later that day to ask if I knew the name of the store because she would like to see if they could be shipped. By then I had TOTALLY forgotten where I saw the dishes so I hustled over to The Social Planner’s house to ask for memory assistance. She couldn’t remember either. (Crockett has lots of cool shops to our defense and we saw lots of things we thought about buying.) Immediately she said let’s go back and get them for her. She even figured out how to rope in our husbands. It involved lunch and a brewery.

I contacted Sara, told her I would go buy them and drop them off in Minden on an upcoming trip to North Carolina. Sara was sweet about us going and told us not to worry if we couldn’t go back but we are always up for a challenge.

The Social Planner, our two husbands, and I headed back to Crockett and started searching for the correct shop. I thought it was one place, but it wasn’t the right one, TSP thought it was another but it wasn’t there either. I did learn something though. You can look at your iPhone photo properties ( just swipe up on your photo) to see the location the picture was taken. Using that after searching a good hour we found them! They were sitting in the exact spot just waiting for us to come back. I think I was a little too excited to find them because the price went up. We negotiated and still got a great deal on the dishes.

The husbands were fine with the shopping trip because they got to eat at an award winning bar b q restaurant and a brewery on the way home. We do love a road trip.

When we headed to North Carolina the weather was terrible and traffic was super slow. We arrived in Minden an hour later than planned so instead of a leisurely lunch at Geaux Fresh with Sara we met up, introduced ourselves, took photos, and handed off the dishes. Sara had food bank food delivery duty. She is that kind of person.

We did eat at Geaux Fresh which was one of the spots featured on HGTV and loved it. We shopped at Paris Design Company. It is a cool shop that sells items from local artists, drove by The Villas, then headed on our way. Sara is so busy I honestly thought that was the last I would hear from her.

Sara let me know a few weeks ago that she used the dishes in a photo shoot for Cottage and Bungalows Magazine and that they would be used in one of her Villas. She is renovating a set of 1930’s Spanish style apartments called The Villas that have been abandoned for more than 20 years. They look a-m-a-z-i-n-g. The colors, mix of patterns, and preservation of the historic charm are unique to her style. The Villas are being featured in Cottages and Bungalows and guess what? Sara told them the dishes story and let me know that they wrote a side note telling about a follower who brought her dishes in an upcoming magazine. I feel like an extra in a movie. Only my friends will know that I am her follower but it is still fun. Check out Cottages and Bungalows February/ March issue. It is out now.

Photo from Cottages and Bungalows magazine. The dishes are circled in the photo.

I am now a follower in Texas. Photo from Cottages and Bungalows Magazine, February/March 2023

Minden right off Interstate 20 not far from Shreveport. It is a great little town and her short term rentals, including The Villas soon are located at Minden Stays.

I will be signing autographs soon!

Christmas, Coldspring, Country living, Country Style, Decorating, Dining Table, painting, Texas

Using Dollar Tree Peel and Stick Tiles to Make Christmas Trees

December 10, 2022 Karen

I saw on Pinterest lots of examples of making trees out of wood and Dollar Tree faux tin tiles and thought I would give it a try.

I plan on my trees going on our deck table so they are sturdier than a lot I saw. The need to hold up with wind and rain. The triangles are cut out of leftover pieces of wood from our stash. I made sure they would fit the tile.

After the wood was cut, I traced the shapes off on the tiles and cut them out with scissors. Several sites talked about using hot glue but my things get stored in a super hot space. Hot glue doesn’t hold up so contact cement was the best choice.

Everything got a coat of Kilz Gripper Primer. It is made to stick to slick surfaces.

I used the same paint I used on my mural to paint the trees then dry brushed the high spots with black and white paint. Literally you dip just the tips into the paint then take off most of the paint before lightly dragging it across the surface.

I cut some small blocks for the tree trunks and Mr. Math cut the bases. He then screwed them on. If you are doing something like this for indoor E6000 glue would work fine. We always overdo.

I really like how they turned out.

It is really warm here now and we are spending a lot of time outside so we get to enjoy the trees.

I hope your weekend is great.

Blessings,

Karen

bathroom, Coldspring, guest house, Roadside Rescue, vintage style

A Bathroom Vanity From Scraps

February 12, 2022February 12, 2022 Karen

We are nearing the end of putting together the bathroom in the guest house! Hooray! At this point I think we have spent about $3,500 on everything that went into turning a covered porch area into a functioning bathroom. Concrete, framing, Sheetrock, electrical, plumbing, window, lighting, tile, pocket door, tub, tub refinishing, and toilet all added up. We have done most of the work ourselves, except the terrible Sheetrock job and exterior siding. I am ever so thankful for a hard working husband.

One thing we didn’t spend much money on was our bathroom vanity thanks to recycling things we already had and materials given to or collected by us. We literally only purchased paint, the water connects, and the drain pipe for this project.

In my mind I wanted a black vanity with a white top. On a trip to Hot Springs, Arkansas I saw an antique porcelain legged vanity that I loved in a restaurant bathroom. A quick look online convinced me that the option may be out of reach. I was disappointed but I had so many other things in the bathroom that I loved, an inexpensive vanity would have been fine.

With my heart set on something white and black to go with our floor meant we had to get creative. In our stash of treasures I spotted a white vanity top that my buddy The Social Planner had given me ( I have great friends) and a grooved wood cornice board from the front window of our house that would work for the skirt. I had lots of legs I thought would work, but it sort of felt like Goldie Locks and the Three Bears. They were either too damaged, too short, or the wrong style.

Deep into the stash Mr. Math spotted two newell posts that were perfect. I bought them a while back at a garage sale. I can’t even remember why I thought I needed them but they were inexpensive and oak. We already had a medicine cabinet in the guest house from the previous owner. The mirror is pretty aged and may need to be replaced eventually but I sort of think it is cool.

The posts in this picture I thought would be perfect but they were too thin and too short.

My husband cut the cornice to fit- and did an amazing job, cut the legs t length, attached the legs with giant screws and glue then even spackled the screw heads for me so I could prime then paint the vanity with a semi gloss cabinet and trim black paint. Mr Math attached leveling feet so that we could get the cabinet level.

Just as I was thinking about purchasing a faucet the hubs surprised me with yet another treasure that I honestly have no idea when or where it came from. He found a chrome faucet in the stash with porcelain handles! It was chrome but had was filthy. A good cleaning and tightening all the parts made it exactly what I needed to finish off the sink.

I really like how it is all coming together.

The mirror looks more distressed in photos than it does in person but we may be getting another mirror cut to fit down the road.

Next up we will be installing the faucet, shower ring and drain in the claw foot tub.

I. Can’t. Wait.

Thank you all for following us on our journey.

Blessings,

Karen

Coldspring, guest house, vintage style

Hanging up the Quilt

August 21, 2021August 21, 2021 Karen

Recently I shared the inspiration for the color scheme of the guest house was a fun quilt my great grandmother made. I just love those little houses. I always knew it would be hung on the north wall above the beds. I just didn’t have a plan for hanging it.

Thank goodness I have a problem solving hubby.

We laid out the quilt and decided to display 9 squares in a 3 x 3 pattern.

Mr. Math designed a quilt hanger using two sections of 1 x 6 painted boards and four bolts to basically hold the quilt in place by squeezing the folded quilt in place.

Slipping the folded quilt in was tricky but the idea worked!

Mr. Math cut off the bolts then we hung the quilt with some small brackets that held up the wood part without touching the quilt.

It looked good the first try but a little too low. I could just see it getting pulled down.

The second try was much better.

I am so glad to have a place for the quilt. The frames next to the quilt hold two framed prints of quilts that we bought in the early 90’s and a piece of tatting my grandmother made. Still working on getting something cohesive for the pillows on the beds when using them as daybeds.

It is so nice to have another project done.

Thanks for following along with us on our journey.

Blessings,

Karen

bathroom, Coldspring, vintage style

Why We Hired a Pro for the Tub

August 2, 2021August 3, 2021 Karen

If you know us, you know that we do as much work as we can on our projects unless we don’t have the strength or skills to do the work. We definitely did not not have the skill or experience to refinish our tub and sink so we hired it out. This post is not knocking someone who refinished their own tub or sink. If you were able to successfully do it I applaud you. I just know our limits. Together Mr. Math and I can do basic construction, plumbing, electrical, tile, and paint but haven’t had experience with bathtub refinishing.

We have hung on to the old farm sink since March of 2015. I paid a whole $2.00 for the sink and moved it with us here to Providence Acres. I loved it at first sight and would have been so disappointed if I messed it up trying to DIY refinish it.

It looked rough when we got it but the dark stain was just a moldy hard water spot.

The sink looked much better once I used CLR and toilet bowl cleaner to clear it up but it still wasn’t good enough to use as a kitchen sink.

Once it was cleaned there were rust stains and chips I hadn’t seen before.

The 5 1/2 foot long claw foot tub that we bought on Facebook marketplace for $200.00 was painted lime green on the base when we picked it up. I thought the porcelain looked to be in good shape but once the professional got started on it, I could see the pits and dings all over it.

A pro has access to the chemicals I don’t have and knows how to use them safely. Jesus came with exhaust fans, respirator mask, and a truck load of chemicals. I think his vehicle should have a hazmat warning sticker on it.

Muriatic acid, epoxy bonding agents, super thick oil based primer, and two part epoxy all smelled bad and took gloves and a mask along with a special fine mist sprayer, sander and porcelain bondo meant I would have never been able to have done this job as well as someone who does this for a living.

Jesus showed up at 11:00 with a helper and worked non stop until after 5:00 and then returned the following week to buff out some rough spots after the enamel had cured. We are just thrilled with how both turned out. So clean and shiny!

The finished project is beautiful.

I can’t wait to get the bathroom tiled, septic in and everything installed. We are getting closer.

Thank you for following along on our journey.

We love to hear from you.

Karen

Coldspring, family, Style, using bright colors

My Guest House Inspiration

July 30, 2021July 30, 2021 Karen

My great grandmother (Katie) was twenty when she had my grandmother (Helen), my grandmother was twenty when she had my mom, and my mom was twenty four when she had me. That means my grandmother was forty four when I was born and my great grandmother was sixty four. Sounds crazy to me but I had really young grandmothers. I am saying this as a sixty year old grandmother of a three and five year old.

Katie standing by her board and batten house in 1959, three years before I was born. She always worked outside in a bonnet. I love that the wood stove metal shovel is hanging in the background.

All that talk about my linage is because both my grandmother and great grandmother had a huge impact on me. My grandmother was a career woman, a worker bee who made her on destiny and was the bread winner for her family after my grandfather was injured on an oil rig because that was really her only option. My great grandmother lived alone for many years on the homestead of her husband’s family after my great grandfather passed away. It was 17 miles from a paved road. We would turn off the highway onto a gravel road and into the interior of Louisiana to a land grant that had been in the family since the late 1800’s. Katie was a great cook, had a quite strength, and was a hard worker.

There was no indoor bathroom or phone at Katie’s house when I was young. I think a bathroom was installed when I was in elementary school. There was an elevated cistern outside the kitchen that caught rain water so that the kitchen sink had running water. Of course there was no television. I can remember going to my great grandmother’s house when I was in elementary school with my grandmother for a week during the summer. Funny, but I don’t remember being hot. It had to be really hot there but it isn’t one of the things I remember. My grandmother didn’t learn to drive until she was 50 so heading out for a trip to Louisiana was an adventure for both of us. It was like going to pioneer camp or time traveling back 100 years. We would get up in the morning, Katie would make breakfast, milk the cow, find the eggs (free range chickens), throw leftovers to the hogs, and I can even remember churning butter in a glass butter churn. My great grandmother had a treadle sewing machine that had been converted to electric at some point that she sewed on. She loved quilting and during the week she would work on a quilt. She would either work on squares or use her stretcher to do the quilting depending on where she was in the process.

I loved being there. Even when I was so young I knew how special it was to get to spend time with those ladies. I have such happy memories of the homestead that I wanted to make my guest house feel like going to Katie’s house. I picked the colors from a quilt she made. I have no idea when Katie made the quilt, my guess is mid 1950’s because of the colors but my grandmother gave the quilt to me when I got married in 1982 and the quilt looked ancient then. The quilt colors are what I am using as the color scheme in the house.

The kitchen walls at Katie’s house had what I believe was bead board on them. I know it was slats. When I had v groove planks given to us I knew it would work for the kitchenette area. I loved it so much it became a whole wall.

Everything was functional inside and outside of Katie’s house but she managed to insert pretty things where she could. I believe that is why she loved to quilt. Bright colors and fabrics with a function.

I don’t remember a lot of purely decorative items in the house. I plan on not having a lot of purely decorative things in the space but want to have things that serve a purpose and are pretty at the same time. I plan on hanging up my grandmothers’ (both sides of the family) rolling pins. They are packed away right now but will be coming out soon. Glass and wood with many a biscuit and pie crust between them. I am getting an old map of our county framed to hang from before the lake was built. That just feels like something my grandparents would have hung up along with the feed store calendar and pictures of the family.

I was so fortunate that my daughter got to meet her great-great grandmother, Katie. I love this picture of them together.

I can’t wait to show you the progress that has been made. I also have a few funny stories to share.

Have a wonderful weekend.

We love to hear from you.

Blessings,

Karen

Christmas, Coldspring, Country living, Country Style, Dining Table

San Jacinto County Home Tour Part 1

December 9, 2014 Karen

I love our adopted county. It is tiny. Teeny tiny. In fact, it is the smallest county in the second largest state in the United States. I love the little town square. Next weekend is the Christmas parade. We don’t miss it each year. One year the football float caught on fire in the parade…true story.

One of the things I look forward to each year is the San Jacinto Women’s League home tour. This year was my favorite, favorite, favorite tour that I have ever been on. If I could have hand-picked the homes based on homes I look at longingly, five of them would have been on my list. My top two homes ever were on this list. I loved this home tour so much that I have divided it up into three parts. I hope you don’t hate me for it, but my weekend country home folks hit it out of the park this year.

At the end of our county road, in Point Blank, Texas there are two homes I have been nosy about for years. They are clearly old. Not old, like 1971 when the lake was built and homes sprung up around it, old. Old, old. These homes were clearly homes that were built a long time ago. When we arrived at the starting point this year, Paul Horton Methodist Church, the map made my heart sing because the two old homes were on the tour.

You have to love that each year we show up and get a hand-drawn map telling where the homes are for the year.

The starting point this year was Paul Horton United Methodist Church. An old church located very near our lake house. The Church faces away from the road because the road moved to the other side of the church years ago.

House 1 was the house on Boat Launch Road.

Woo Hoo!

When we started going up to the lake eight years ago, this house was empty, the grass was growing up around her, and the bushes were overgrown. Even in that state I could tell that she was a gem. I would have loved to have purchased her when she went on the market, but alas the time was not right for us. The house was purchased and work began on the home. I strained to see the work in progress every time we drove by. I was always thrilled when the gate was open because I could see work in progress.

I almost stopped at the house to knock on the door and introduce myself several times.

Over the past couple of years the house started to emerge. The weeds were gone, the roof was repaired, and the rotted wood was replaced and painted a beautiful white.

Here is my posse for the day on the porch of the boat launch house.

We wore our Christmas gear. The Social Planner wore a leopard print Santa hat and the rest of us were reindeer.

Isn’t she a beauty?

The inside was remodeled in the 50’s and some of the decisions were, well, questionable. A dentist lived there and opened his office on the property.

I was thrilled this original fireplace remained from when Mr. Robinson built this home for his plantation overseer/ accountant. Yep. this home was part of a huge plantation. It was built by an Alabama family 150 years ago when the property was all a part of a huge plantation along the trinity river. More on that later.

The furnishings are an eclectic mix of antique, vintage, and modern funk. This is a weekend home for a young Houston professional who is working on the home with his friends and parents.

See the vintage television they owner has? I think we had that tv when I was growing up. The beams are original.

See that brown trim around the top of the room? That was installed so that the owner can display his art work without damaging the plaster walls. what a great idea.

I really liked this oak table and chairs in this home. They were the perfect set in this home.

The grand piano by the windows is stunning. The original windows are beautiful.

The fireplace above is clearly an addition. Not my favorite, but the new owner is making the best of it. He is adding rustic touches.

Love the galvanized bucket with poinsettias inside.

House number 2 is a house that I have stared at every time I drive by it and wondered the history. The sign out front says The West Plantation. I have wondered about this grand old home since the first time I saw it.

It turns out that this home was built in 1854 by slaves for the Robinson family. Robert Todd Robinson bought the property, built the home then left his three sons to run the plantation. Sam Houston’s home on Snow Hill road was close by. Sam Houston visited the home often and rode on the Robinson’s boat down into Harrisburg (now called Houston) for business.

Mr. and Mrs. West have owned the home for 40 years. The home is a conglomeration of of additions, modernization, and original elements. Mr. West is a historian and he has created a museum out of his barn for the items found on the site. Only 40 acres of the original plantation remain but those 40 acres are stunning.

Mr. West was thrilled to share his home and his stories.

It was Christmas so the house was decorated but I was more interested in the history of the homes.

The house was really crowded because everyone wanted to see inside this iconic home.

If you ever get the chance to visit our little adopted county, the people of San Jacinto County will welcome you, too. it is a beautiful, hilly little county full of history, great people, and a great lake.

We are lucky folks.

Thanks for reading about my adopted home.

Karen

Decorating, home decorating, Silliness, Style

What Color Says About Me

August 28, 2013 Karen

Color Moods – The Impact of Paint

According to the link above, I believe I have color bipolarism.

I like a ton of colors. Reds, blues, and greens seem to pop up in my home no matter the other colors I choose. In some rooms I like soft colors, but there are spaces that just cry out for bright colors. Our Skittle inspired back porch Is an example. It really is an explosion of bright colors. I wouldn’t want it in my whole house but it makes me smile every time I walk out on the back porch to sit outside. I just added the bright green chair to the porch this week. It was a gift from the man who sold me the sewing cabinet. He said that the chair needed me. I agree.

This cushion is going to go on a bench made from a queen headboard. I want to get this done, but it keeps getting moved down the list. Too many rooms, too little time.

The three bedrooms in our house are very different. The master will always be more neutral. Hubby loves wood, and nature colors. I want this room to reflect his aesthetic as much as mine so this is the room of the house that will always be a calm retreat. The master bedroom in this house has burlap curtains, crystal lamps, vintage wood, fluffy pillows, and it is soon going to have a cushy bench at the end of the bed to put on shoes. A reading chair is also under construction. The chair is going to incorporate wood, paint and soft blue fabric. It has a great story and will give me joy in the bedroom where I will be able to read and study in this restful spot. According to the color mood folk we “nailed it” for sleep.

The dresser still needs to be decorated. I need help here.

Yes. We have a television in our bedroom.

I love the night stands. I so took them from the lake house for our master bedroom. I just love the soft weathered color.

The bedding is soft cotton.

The front guest room is a fun get away. The walls are spa like soft turquoise, the bedding is a mustard-y yellow paisley quilt, and the accents are greens, blues ,blue greens, and teals. My hope is that it is a vacation room for our guests.

Look at the chevron bench! I really went out of my comfort zone here and mixed colors, patterns, and textures. Scary stuff but I like it.

My $1.00 curio cabinet holds shell angels I have collected for years.

The yellow flowers are from Baby Boy and Sweet Amanda’s wedding. They are a great reminder of a wonderful day.

Empty frames can add bright touches to rooms. I use them when I don’t know what else to do. O.f.t.e.n.

The other guest room is a mix of soft greens, coral, black, soft grey, vintage silver, milk glass and white. There is a sense of history and a touch of whimsy. I enjoy this room. It makes me smile. I hope it says welcome to my guests.

My .50 frame turned into a fun piece for the room.

Coral legged tables with soft green walls.

The pillow brings all the colors together in my opinion.

Vintage frames, mirrors and resale finds along with new stuff live together in the room.

Our main spaces, the family room, the kitchen, and the breakfast area are a mix of neutrals with shots of color based on this amazing fabric that I am finding ways to incorporate into each of these connected space.

I love the breakfast room. It feels like a farmhouse kitchen with the old pie safe, the weathered items and the bright colors.

Fall is already creeping into my house. I am going with teals, creams. and orange this year.

The mantle is not done yet but it is coming together.

I found one piece that will be a focal point as soon as she is painted. Teal. I can’t wait for you to see her, but she is under minor construction. I had to photograph around her because I want you to be surprised. The armoire that will become the home technology and bill paying center (AKA all the ugly paper and electronics I do not want hanging out in the open!), is going to be painted my trademark oatmeal and revival mahogany. It is my weekend project this week. Pictures soon. Check back here in a week or so. I I had to paint something in the family room this color because I missed my credenza so much that i had to bring it back! What does color psychology say about a room that is brown, yellow, green, red, teal, orange, a touch of lavender, and turquoise?

I think I may have a problem!

Is there a support group out there?

The Psychology of Colors (carleel.wordpress.com)
The emotional influence of color. (transparentdesignblog.com)
Color Moods (zfurniturestore.wordpress.com)

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