Mr. McGregors Garden.

As long as I can remember I have loved the tale of 'Peter Rabbit.

 
 (I painted these little wooden characters years ago and they still hold a soft spot in my heart)
 
Miss Potter is one of my favorite movies and if you haven't seen it you are really missing out!


I am such a theme person.  Give this gal a theme and she's in her element.  lol!  So this year I chose, 'Mr. McGregors Garden' for my Spring/Easter mantle.
 
What a fun time I had!
 
We all know that Peter was a bit of a naughty rabbit and even after his mother warned him not to, he still snuck into Mr. McGregor's garden.
 
 
 
 
Well now, if you ask me old man McGregor was a bit to blame.  I mean just look at that big carrot saying, 'Welcome'!  What curious bunny could resist that?
 
Certainly not Peter!
 
 
(Yeah, I know that Peter was a brown bunny, but this is a Fairy Tale. . .use your imagination. he-he)
 
 
Knowing that there were crunchy carrots, juicy tomatoes, and luscious cabbage just beyond that rickety old gate was tempting enough.
 
 

 
Oh my when Peter was being chased by Mr. McGregor he wanted to jump into this watering can and hide.
But it was filled with a big fat cabbage and garden tools.
 
 
 
 
(this is one of my favorite vintage watering cans simply because I love the green chippy handle)
 
 
You might be asking yourself, "what do dishes have to do with Mr. Mcgregors garden?"
 
Remember that Peter's father met his demise in McGregors garden and ended up in a stew, or was it a pie?
Mrs. McGregor keeps her dishes handy, hoping to cook up Peter someday.
 
 



(plus, I just found these babies, a whole boxful of ironstone at a thrift and couldn't wait to use them!)
 
I don't know why Mr. Mcgregor is so stingy with his veggies.  He's got plenty of seeds to plant more.
 
 
 
 
 
 
this poor picket fence has lost it's top board.  I really need hubby to add a new one.  Out of old wood of course.
Most people would have tossed it in the trash, but I love it!
 
 
Bunny plate and faux sedum on the hearth.
 
 
 
(I made the Buggy Barn bunny quilt years ago)
 
I figured that this mantle décor is not too Easter looking and that it could carry me through all of March and April.
 
We'll see, he-he!
 
 
I hope that March brings warmer weather to those of you that have seen such a harsh winter.
 
And remember, stay out of Mr. Mcgregors garden!
You don't want to end up in a stew!!
 
hugs,
Jann
 
This post was featured at Vintage Inspiration Party and at  Share it One More Time
 Thanks ladies!
 
I will be sharing with these lovely parties:
 
 

Chocolate Chunk Raspberry Muffins.

Sometimes you feel like a chunk, sometimes you don't!  lol!

 

Yeah, I stole that line from an Almond Joy and Mounds commercial.  Just popped into my head when I typed in the title of my post so I had to roll with it.  he-he!

Many of you know that I am not a big chocolate lover.  When it comes to ice cream I prefer mine white, and I'll take caramel any day over chocolate.  But now and then just gotta have a little.

And chocolate mixed with fresh raspberries, oh yum!

Look at all that yummy goodness inside.  Yes, including the butter.  Oh my, my only weakness!  (Ha, ha, don't I wish that were true).



This recipe is one I got off of Pinterest.  The only thing I did different is that instead of chocolate chips.  I broke a large Hershey candy bar into chunks and stirred it into the batter.   Did that once with peanut butter cookies and found it to be quite tasty.

Oh, I also sprinkled with pink sugar because I didn't have any white.

I filled the cupcake tin to the top and got 12 large muffins.

Here's the link to the recipe.

http://sallysbakingaddiction.com/2013/06/11/jumbo-raspberry-chocolate-chip-muffins/

 

For more yummy goodness check out my Pinterest board.

https://www.pinterest.com/jmolson53/lovin-from-the-oven/




Enjoy!
 
Jann

This post was featured at Sunday at Home.  Thanks Alice!

I will be sharing with these lovely parties:
Thoughts from Alice for Sundays at Home

Share Your Cup Thursday #138

Hello my friends and welcome to Share Your Cup, (SYC for short).

The party where you share the things that make you happy.

If you're like me, a lot of little things make you happy, really doesn't take a whole lot!

Before we know It February will be over and Spring will be here.  I'm sure that those of you that have been buried in Winter are so looking forward to it!

Spring is my favorite season.  I love everything about it!

Now let's see what caught my eye from last weeks party.
 
SYC #137 Features:
 
Rita from Panoply shared two posts on her  jadite collection.  Both  her kitchenware and tableware are amazing!  I couldn't pick just one.
 
 
 
 
 
I adore this spring vignette of sheep and boxwood created by
 
Pennys Vintage Home
 
 
Emily from Adventures of a Busy Bee shared this pretty pink bike all dressed up for Spring!
 
 
 
 
Carol from Art and Sand has built the sweetest little garden house and filled it with so many treasures!
 
 
 
I love these industrial looking lights That Heidi's brother made for her greenhouse.   See more at  My Sweet Cottage.
 
 
 
The Life Jolie shared the recipe for this yummy chicken salad stuffed tomato.
 
 
 
 
Thanks so much for sharing and please grab my button if you were featured.
 
 
 
Don't forget to hop over to my 
fb page
  and see who has been featured there.

My apologies to the first people that linked up.  I hit the wrong size of thumbnail and when I made it larger it made their links blurry.  :(
 
Now let's party!
 
1.  I would love for you to be a follower of Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
2.  Link up a particular post and not your entire blog. Please limit your links to no more than three.
3.  Please have a back link to this post.  That way others will know where the party is. Only those with a back link will be featured.
4.  Please find time to visit at least two other participants.
It's a great way to find new friends!

After you link up I would love for you to come back and leave a comment.  They help to fill my cup!

 

Make a Towel Hook from Vintage Hardware

 

Hello my friends, today I am sharing another creative article

By Merri Cvetan

You might remember her other fun towel bar I shared a while ago.

Vintage towel bar

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I love old hardware and old architectural elements; bits and pieces from antique homes and buildings. I also love to dig through boxes of miscellaneous stuff at flea markets. You never know what gems you might find.

I don’t always know what I’ll do with something when I buy it, but I can’t pass up a jewel in the rough. So when a client who’s restoring a Victorian home asked for something unique for her guest bath, I knew just what to make: a towel hook using antique door hardware.

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I started with an old door backplate. The design is stamped in metal and dates from the late 19th century through the early 1900s. It had been painted and repainted over the years. Someone started removing the old paint and gave up. I left it as I found it. There is something charming about old, chippy paint! My box of tricks held lots of white porcelain door knobs. I decided to use the one with the most intact paint.

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Then I needed something to attach it to. I found an old wood plinth. A plinth block is found between the door casing and baseboard in Victorian homes. This piece is almost 12" high and painted green and white. Depending on the quality of the wood, it might have originally been stained. Over the years, someone chose to paint it. I love old paint too, and almost always leave it as I find it.

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On the back side, add a heavy duty picture hook so it can be hung on the wall. Since towels get used all the time, the screw will need an anchor or sinker so it won’t pull out of the wall. It’s a unique, one-of-a-kind conversation piece and looks great even without a towel. I know she’ll love it.

Interior designer and DIY crafter Merri Cvetan writes about her home projects and on home decor for Home Depot. Home Depot's own selection of towel hooks and other bathroom accessories can be viewed online.

I loved this towel hook by Merri because it’s something that I would gladly hang in my own home.

In fact, I have made a similar hook that holds an apron in my open kitchen/family room area.

Much more simplistic than Merri’s, but still fun!

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Like Merri I love finding little bits of odds and ends that can be made into something unusual.

How about you?

hugs,

Jann

Thrifted Treasures. . .

Hello my friends, You know how much I love finding treasures!

I've mentioned before that my eye Dr's office is right by a thrift shop.  Well, I had an appt. Monday so I had to stop!

I found a few things that were as cute as a bug. . .

 
 
I love enamelware and although these aren't old, they will be so fun for summer!
A bargain at $.50 cents each.
 
The pan is by Gooseberry Patch and I love that it has a couple of chips.
 
 
 
I also found another fun pin to add to my new collection.  I didn't realize how similar it was to the one that I already had, jjust a lighter pink. It's hard to tell, but the dark pink one has a lady bug on one of it's petals.  I found it a while ago at an estate sale.
 
 
 
Some of my finds were a little bit rustic. . .
 
Another enamel piece for $1, again not old; just made to look like it is; and an old butcher block for $2.
It was quite scratched and weathered, but after a good scrubbing I rubbed it with grapeseed oil.
 
*here's a tip I learned:  Don't soak butcher block!  lol!  I stuck this in the sink with water and bleach to sanitize it.  When I took it out one edge totally pulled away and it started to crack.  I tried to bend the edge back thinking I could wood glue it, but it snapped off.  I just pulled that entire piece off and it seems to be usuable.
 
 
Some of my finds were just sweet:
Like this, ( I think) vintage bird planter.
I paid a big whopping $.75 cents for it.

 
 
Some of it was a bit fancy. . .
 
5 Noritake china salad plates for $10.
 
 
A red transferware gravy boat for $5.
Not vintage, it had a Home Goods sticker on the bottom, but it's perfect to add to my collection!
 
 
 
A hand painted saucer for $1.  It matched my other recent find hand painted plates so well.
 
 
 
I found a few items that were just useful:
 
Some green sheet moss, a string of pearls, rustic fasteners, and a plaid lined basket. 
 
I love plaid for Winter.
 
The liner is removable and it's a very sturdy basket with handles.
 
 
 
Well, there's my recent finds.
But did I ever hit the jack pot yesterday.
 
I found something fabulous that was white, a little something blue,  and another red and white treasure!  swoon!!
 
Just a little tease. . .
 
I'll be sharing them soon!
 
hugs,
Jann 
 
I will be sharing with these fun parties:
 
 

Share Your Cup Thursday #137

Hello my friends and welcome to Share Your Cup, (SYC for short).  The party where you share the things that make you happy.

Although we are in dire need of snow, this record warm weather we are having sure does make me happy.  At the same time my heart goes out to those who are suffering terrible winter conditions!!
I'm sure they are wishing that they could send a little our way!

Before I share features from last weeks party I want to give a shout out to Diana from Adirondack Girl at Heart

You all know how much I love vintage and she is featuring me as Vintage Blog of the Week today.  Please hop over and visit.   I am thrilled!!

Now on to those features:

Jenise from DIY Fun Ideas shared some great tips on how to paint stripes on a wall.
 



Patti from Old Things New took an old flannel shirt and made darling roses for a towel.
 
 
 
Wilma from Shabby Royale created gorgeous hat boxes.
 
 
 
Linda from Beautiful Ideas shared her beautiful apple blossom dishes.
 


Alma from The Tablescaper shared her cabinet all decked out for Valentines.
 
 
 

 
The Life Jolie shared the recipe for her Grandma Hinz apple pancakes.
 
 
Thanks so much for sharing and please grab my button if you were featured.
 
 
Don't forget to hop over to my fb page and see who has been featured there.
 
Now let's party!
 
1.  I would love for you to be a follower of Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson
2.  Link up a particular post and not your entire blog. Please limit your links to no more than three.
3.  Please have a back link to this post.  That way others will know where the party is. Only those with a back link will be featured.
4.  Please find time to visit at least two other participants.
It's a great way to find new friends!

After you link up I would love for you to come back and leave a comment.  They help to fill my cup!


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