Carole’s Country Store Blog

I think it’s really important that we remember our American history and I have included a link that helps explain to children what this holiday is all about. I remember when I was a young mother, stuff our neighborhood always had a parade for the children, every 4th of July. My son, Billy, always got so excited in anticipation of the parade. He and his childhood friends, would get together and decorate their bikes with red and white crepe paper and American flags. He enjoyed his little bike ride through the neighborhood so much and all the parents loved watching as their children and friends rode by. Do they still do that? I hope so. Now that I think about it, I remember doing that too, when I was a little girl! Loved opening those red, white and blue, rolls of crepe paper! So, enjoy your holiday! Be safe, and don’t forget to visit me again. I’ll be waiting to hear from you! DON’T FORGET TO CLICK ON ALL THE HIGHLIGHTED WORDS!

This water color of Lady Liberty is called Our Country Is Free. It was adapted from a 19th century Currier & Ives lithograph, reproduced done in water color on paper, painted in 1870.

Good morning everyone. Before I get ready to go to a friend’s house this morning, pharm to take some photos of her beautiful antiques for my DVD, I wanted to share with you a few of my collections.

What is it about old children’s shoes that I love so much? It must have something to do with being a mother, don’t you think?They are so sweet to me. I wonder, who wore them and where did they walk. What stories could they tell?
I also love to collect strawberry pincushions and stone fruit.

Later today I’ll share more with you, but I have to get ready to go soon. I would love to hear what collections you have. By the way, some of these photos are available on my website as prints and note cards. Gotta run! Have a wonderful day, and please leave me a comment, I would love to hear from you, you know I always do. By for now.

Hello friends. Yesterday I took a drive through the countryside, viagra looking for things to buy for my store It was a gorgeous day in Chester County, Pa., and I was ready to shop! On my first stop, I found the best little stool. I love the color, really very yummy, don’t you think? It’s hard to find nice old painted stools these days, so when I saw it I just had to have it for the store. I also found a set of old metal measures in three different sizes, perfect in a cupboard, on a shelf, or filled with geraniums for your porch or patio. After paying for my finds, I drove to Gap, Pa. Along the way, I noticed up ahead, a yard sale! Excitement!! The house was a wonderful old farmhouse, but oh, did it need tender loving care. There were lots of things to look at, but most didn’t interest me,until I spotted this early handmade scrapper, perfect to use as a cheese board, and these wonderful little tins.

I was all set to pay, when I noticed three rag balls in a box next to the table. I love old rag balls. Got them too. I have a collection of them displayed in an old wooden bowl on my table on my sunporch. They also look great in an old basket. If you are trying to give your house that wonderful country feel, these are the kinds of things that will help you achieve that “look”. After several more stops, and with no luck, I decided it was time to head on home. I was driving in a very hilling area, and as I came around the bend, on the other side of the road, I saw an Amish buggy being pulled by a VERY tired horse, but no one was in the buggy! As I pass it, I see a young Amish boy BEHIND the buggy, in his BARE FEET, straw hat, and knickers, pushing the buggy up the hill!!! I felt so sorry for him AND his horse, but what could I do? There were about six cars behind him wanting to pass, but it was a very dangerous road, because of all the twists and turns. I was so glad I was heading the other way! I would have loved to have taken a picture, but that was impossible. So, that was my day. Everything I bought will be for sale in a couple of days on my website, just as soon as I can get my webmaster husband to put them in for me. Please come by. Who knows, I might have found just the right thing for you. Until our next visit, take good care.

I know this is my second post today, viagra but I have a question. I am wondering if all of you that visit my blog, also visit my website and store. If you do, and I hope you do!, can you tell me if there are any kinds of items you would like to see. I am thinking of opening a store called The Cottage, where I would sell items for those of you that love that cottage look. I saw these shoes yesterday and was tempted to purchase them, but, although, I thought they were beautiful, they aren’t “my thing”, you know I love the primitives, but I want to have items for everyone’s taste. What do you think? I would love to hear from you.

I am also showing a lovely wallpaper covered chest and a bridebox. The bridebox is unusual because it was smaller. So enjoy, and as always, I thank you for your visit. Happy day.

Good morning everyone! It’a another gorgeous day here in Wilmington, clinic DE, site but it’s going to be a hot one! I want to tell you about my antiquing yesterday. It was 6:30 in the morning, viagra and I decided to take a quick trip through Chester Country, looking for treasures for my country store . I grabbed some orange juice and a breakfast bar, and off I went. It was a beautiful summer morning and along the way I passed some beautiful barns.

This stone one has always been one of my favorites, but I love the red one because of it’s wonderful hex signs. If you love barns, I have a few beautiful photos available on my website.

After an hour of driving through the most beautiful countryside, I got to my destination. I couldn’t wait to get started! I went to many places in my search for something special. It seems to get harder and harder to find primitives, but I did find something that I thought was really neat. This is a reproduction Shaker textile hanger.

I met the man that makes these and he told me that he made them out of shelves from an old cupboard. It looks very old, with old grungy paint. Carved on the front, it says, The Work of Sarah. He told me he is not sure if he is going to make more of them, but I hope he does, they are just perfect for hanging your old textiles. I wish that I had bought this hanger. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to hang a homespun dress, and put it on a pag rack!?

The textile hanger will be for sale in my country store this week, so if you like it, it’s there waiting for you. I have to say that I have a weakness for textiles and bonnets. I took these photos yesterday. Dont’ forget to check out my other photos on my website. There are lots of beautiful pictures there, available in note cards and prints. Once again I thank you for stopping by. Until our next visit, take good care.

Good morning. I am getting ready to go to Honey Brook again this morning, ambulance but before I go I wanted to post something for you on my blog. Ok, go ahead, call me crazy, but I love my laundry room. Soon I am probably going to paint it a different color, I’ll still keep it a light color, but it’s needs painting and I think it would be fun to try something different. I wanted to share some of my old scrubbing boards and clothespins with you. Imagine a husband making these for his wife. Aren’t these just wonderful? Each one if different and to me they are little works of art.

Can you imagine what it must have been like to have to wash EVERY PIECE OF LAUNDRY BY HAND and then wring them out and carrying outside to dry!

It’s getting late, better go now. Maybe I’ll find more treasures for my country store along the way. You know I’ll take my camera!!! Don’t forget to visit again soon. Take care.
Happy day!

Yesterday, store on the way home from working on my mother’s house, I thought about what I would write about in my blog today. Nothing much has been going on. Then I thought about inviting you to my home for a little visit. I love my home, and I love to decorate and garden. Bill and I have lived here for the past 25 years. I guess you could say, it’s our “homestead”. We never tire of it, or the work that is involved, to keep it looking beautiful. It was built in 1950 and has the look of an old Federal home. I am told that the tiles in front of the fireplace are well over 125 years old, and were shipped here from England. When we moved here, the grounds were pretty sparse, with the exception of a large pear tree and quite a few old hemlocks. Bill planted an enormous amount of trees and bushes, and a hedge across the front of the property. When we look back, we wonder how did he ever do it!
So, come on inside, and make yourself at home, while I make us some coffee.

I love Schooner redware and use my early 19th c. corner cupboard to display it. I love this old cupboard because of it’s simplicity and the “make do” , oh, darn, what would you call it, umm, you know when you stand a plate up against a shelf, and there is an indentation that holds the plate, well, instead of indentations, there are little twigs nailed on each shelf, to hold plates. I love that! I also collect pewter and love to display it on my mantel. Bill and I purchased this 18th c. desk from a dealer in Adamstown, Pa. several years ago. We fell in love with it and it is still one of my favorite pieces. As you can see, I love dark paint colors. They make me feel warm and cozy and makes me feel like I am in an old house. I like that.

When I was in my twenties, I loved old samplers, and I still do. I wanted to make some for my home. In those years, from 1975, until about 1985, I made about 25 of them, all antique reproductions. Now when I look at them, I can’t believe all those little stitches, and I didn’t wear glasses to do it!! My favorite is this one, originally made in Wilmington, De. in the late 1700′s. I think it’s the combination of emroidery and crewelwork that makes it so special to me.

If you have been reading my blog, you know that I paint murals influenced by the American painter Rufus Porter. I painted my dining room in an 18th style, in rich colonial colors. My table and chairs are made by cabinet maker Elfred Wheeler. The chairs are chippendale. The large cupboard is a Lancaster Country piece dated at around 1830. I love it!

I hope you enjoyed your visit today. Will you come again and we can take a walk around the yard, and if it’s really a nice day, we could walk over the Bellevue State Park. I’ll be happy to have you! Happy day!!

This morning I visited another blog and found this lovely picture. The artist was giving it as a gift to her blog friends for their support and gave permission to use it. I thought I would pass it on to all of you that took the time to visit and leave such lovely and heartfelt comments about Melissa. I will certainly tell her all about each and every one of you. She loves the computer, ask maybe she can leave a message on my blog one of these days. Hmm, I think she would like that.

Thirty nine years ago today, purchase June 4th, order is the day I gave birth to my daughter, unhealthy Melissa. She was our second child, our first, a boy, we named William. We all loved her so much, but we also shared heartache and worry, for our daughter was born with a syndrome. I was young, and I was scared of the unknown. Like all parents, I wanted the best for my child. It was hard watching friends have their “normal” children, and many times I wondered, “why me”? I soon learned what a “gift” I had been given and although there were difficult times, I have learned so much from her. Melissa is the is kindest, gentlest, and most non-judgemental person I know. She has never uttered a bad word about anyone. She doesn’t care how much money you have, what kind of a car you drive. She doesn’t care if you are pretty or what kind of a house you live in. I can’t imagine what my life would be without her. I know I MUST be a better person for having had her. She has had wonderful teachers over the years that have taught her to read and write, something I never expected she would be able to do. All of her life, my worst nightmare was, what will happen to her when we are gone? Then we found out about ARC group homes, and for the past 6 years, Melissa has been living in a beautiful new home, in a nice new neighborhood, with 3 other young ladies, Margaret, who can’t read, so Missy reads her the paper each day, Janie and Theresa. and a wonderful caring staff (employed by the Bancroft Corp. and started by Margaret Bancroft in the 19th century). Since then she has grown by leaps and bounds and to me she is such a beautiful person, inside and out. Remembering something Missy once said to me, while giving me the biggest hug, “I LOVE YOU MORE THAN CHRISTMAS”. She is the best daughter in the world! HAPPY 39TH BIRTHDAY, Melissa– I love you too, more than Christmas!

It seems there has been a rumor going around that Gregg Schooner is not doing shows anymore. Well, site here he is with me at a show yesterday at Ludwig’s Corner. I love his redware and have a fairly large collection in my living room cupboard, cialis so I am happy to report that he is alive and well and still making his pottery, malady with his wife, Mary, at his home in Ohio. Not only does he make the most wonderful and very collectable redware, but he is just the nicest person to talk to. Great to talk to you Gregg!

Another very talented artist that was at the show that day, was Kolene Spicher I have for quite a while now admired her work. Although I do not own a piece of her art yet, I hope to one day. Her 19th century watercolor reproduction paintings and prints are charming. Kolene, like Gregg, is a very friendly person and easy to talk to. Nice talking with you, Kolene!
After the show, we went back to my friend Louise’s house, to have some lunch. What a fun time we had. It’s always fun getting together with girlfriends, isn’t it. We are always talking about decorating and giving one another ideas. It’s wonderful to have friends that share the same interests, don’t you think? We are not only interested in decorating, but we are PASSIONATE ABOUT IT!! I should have taken more photos of Louise’s house, but we all were just to busy cabitzing. I did take this one though. It was taken looking out of her breakfast room. Her barn is just wonderful, and with that stone wall, well, need I say more? What a property, it’s just gorgeous. She has only lived there for 3 months. She’s a lucky girl!