vintage kitchen towels

What is it about vintage kitchen towels?

They make me smile.

They don't have to match; they don't even have to be clean. Mine get a bit grubby from little hands around here...

"use the towel after you wash your hands, please."

I guess that's what makes them so special.

Great Grandma's Vintage Floursack Towels

Awhile ago my mom sent me my Great Grandma's apron. I just received her vintage floursack towels in the mail from my little sister!

I think this one's my favorite, since I'm partial to green and red.

I love the rick rack on this one!

Aren't they fun?

Advent Garland and Other Goodies

My new favorite is this Advent garland from Cost Plus. I found it while shopping with dear friends of mine who visited this weekend.

Is it too soon for a Christmas post? :)

Any ideas for what to put inside each little stocking, mitten and hat?

Another treat from Cost Plus...a canister of yummy Gingerbread Cocoa Mix.

We found these at the Dollar Store!

Saying Goodbye to Summer

Although I'm excited to welcome the fall, part of me would like to hold onto these last few days of summer. I love sending my barefoot children outside after dinner with ice cream cones in hand. There's something comforting in hearing my children laugh and run about while I weed my garden in the cool of the evening.

We picked these yummy peaches this morning. I'd like to make a pie this afternoon, but the day is quickly slipping away from me.

I picked these two items up in a little shop near the orchard for only a few dollars.

Enjoy your last few days of summer!

All Done!

A couple of weeks ago I posted a picture of this old cabinet that I found in my basement.

My husband worked very hard to restore it for me. I was thrilled when he found this red Formica table with metal trim on Craigslist. He just attached it to the cabinet as the counter top, and I think it turned out great!

Now there's a great spot for my favorite "boys" to hang out while I work in the kitchen.

Oh, and if you read my blog regularly, you might remember this post I wrote on attending a home school co-op last month. I won't go into all the details, but it just so happens that I was able to start a co-op of my very own, right here in my home! We met this morning for the first time and had 18 children and 6 moms join us (and possibly 4 more next week)!

My New Tray

Look what I got in the mail yesterday! A friend of mine sent me this adorable tray to display in my kitchen. She found it at a yard sale! Isn't it great to have friends who know you so well? She must have known that I would have snatched it up if I were there with her.

Apple Picking

Have I mentioned yet that I love the colors green an red together?

Off they go into the orchard to pick yummy apples for me. Apple sauce, apple crisp, apple pie, cooked apples, baked apples...I can hardly wait!

A Work in Progress

When we moved into our house last year, I found this old cabinet in the basement. I thought it would be fun to fix it up and use it in my kitchen. Not having lived in snow country before, I dragged in outside in mid-November and began stripping the paint. Needless to stay, it snowed the next week. In fact, it was the worst winter this area had seen in over 50 years. We had snow until April, so I had to put my little project on hold.

We're not quite finished with it yet, but here's a picture of what we've done so far. The cabinet will divide our kitchen area from the dining area. I'll place barstools on the other side of it.

I love the linoleum that the previous owners used for shelf liners.

And this will be the finishing touch. My husband found this on Craigslist. This red Formica table with metal trim will be used as the counter top! I'm so excited I can hardly stand it!!!

Early Risers

If you're a mother of young children, most likely you're an early riser. I used to like to get up before my children, but since we've moved to a house with creaky hardwood floors, it's nearly impossible to move about freely in the morning without waking up any of the little ones. I've tried a few times, but each time I do, I wake somebody up and spend my entire quiet time keeping him or her in the bedroom. Now I wake up when my children do, but I feel like I rush to get breakfast on the table. I enjoy being in my kitchen and I love to make special meals for my family, but when I rush through this time, I know it sets a negative tone in our home for the whole morning.

This past week over at The Homespun Heart, Monica posted instructions to create a great recipe book and I made one specifically for breakfast recipes. Waking up before my family, providing a nice breakfast for them and even planning the night before have been on my mind a lot lately. What a blessing it was to read her post based on Proverbs 31:15: "She gets up while it is still dark; she provides food for her family and portions for her servant girls." It's just what I needed!

Click here to see her instructions and to download her cute recipe cards.

A Coffee Bar

Welcome to one of my favorite spots in my kitchen--the coffee bar!

I found an old dresser and laid some cute oil cloth across the top to prevent water and coffee from damaging the wood (I always spill).

The top drawer of the dresser holds my coffee and tea. The other drawers hold my linens. It's been a great addition to my kitchen...fun and functional!

Easy-to-Make Kitchen Chalkboard

I saw this idea in a magazine and decided that I would search for an old window and make a chalkboard for my kitchen. I found several old windows in antique stores that would work nicely for this project, but they were a bit pricey. Who would have thought?

My husband and I found this window at a Habitat for Humanity store and we paid only $5 for it! A little sandpaper and paint did the trick.

Green and Red

My husband, my four children and I moved into a new (to us) home last fall. After many months of searching for a way to decorate the kitchen, I think I've found it! I have fallen in love with all things vintage. I've so enjoyed scouring antique stores in search of treasures for this kitchen of mine.


It began with an interest in finding things to hang on my green kitchen walls. "Red would go well with this shade of green," I thought. I didn't know what effect this would have on me...this love of the vintage style. It takes me back to years past, imaging, perhaps, what my Grandma might have made for dinner on a hot summer evening.


Here's a sampling of just a few of the things I've found and enjoy displaying in my kitchen.