The Hunt for Treasures of Years Gone by

     My husband and I are about as far apart on the spectrum as you can possibly be when it comes to certain things, but it's those other more important things that keep us together and contented most of the time.  Our love of family and our sense of -home- , the land and beauty of nature are on the latter list.  Treasure hunting through antiques stores and old barns and outdoor markets is up there too.

      Along the shoreline not far from our farm and seaside cottage are quite a few treasure troves - two of which we visited yesterday.

    First we browsed the Essex Old Saybrook Antiques Village -

   We didn't find the small black table he was looking for to go in his office, but I did score these Bunnykin bowls -  Vintage 1936, small bowls that were part of a children's mursery dining series by Royal Doulton, England.  I'm a firm believer in using the good china, using the antiques that make their way into This Old House.   One day, when we are hopefully graced with grandchildren,  I'll use these bowls to serve up ice cream or oatmeal or baby food  when they visit.

    I love to search for information on the pieces that catch our eye.   According to Wikipedia - Introduced in 1934, Bunnykins tableware depicted Mr. and Mrs. Bunnykins and other rabbits dressed in human clothing, in colorful rural and small-town English scenes, transfer-printed on white china. The earliest pieces, signed "Barbara Vernon" (Sister Mary Barbara Bailey), are quite rare and highly prized. Bunnykins china was used by  Princess Elizabeth and  Princess Margaret and thus became a popular present given as christening and birthday gifts in middle-class English homes. The chinaware line originated with artwork by Sister Mary Barbara Bailey, the daughter of Cuthbert Bailey, general manager of Doulton during the 1930's.  Unbeknownst to the public, Mary was not a professional illustrator, but a nun in the Augustinian Canonesses of the Lateran. 

     Since we hadn't found what we actually went out for - we drove down the road to the Old Saybrook Antiques Center.

   This antiques center carries some of the very finest pieces, some dating back to the early 1700's.  It's clear the dealers who sell their wares here know the value of what they find - and carefully preserve it.   The details in the woodcarved chairs and desks are amazing - a toddler's 1800's highchair below...

     The photograph below by well known photographer J.A. Beal depicts a scene in 1870's New York City...  If not for the price tag, I would have loved to bring it home.

     This mirror is just stunning in it's detail... 1900's - Gold gilt

pardon the ugg's slip-ons... comfort first :-)

     The bowl below was large and well worn - still in beautiful,  functional condition.  It is described as an Early American lathe turned pine kitchen bowl with original forged iron hanger - circa 1800.

     

   
     This horse caught my eye -  an 1850-1860 era horse that has acquired a leg wound.

If you're a long time reader here you might remember my rocking horse restoration project.   The price tag on the one above means  if I bought it I wouldn't bastardize it with a renovation -  but the one I found a few years ago had already been messed with quite a bit and was a real bargain, so I gave him a facelift.

 The find...

    My finished project....

       I'm not sure how old my horse is.... but he's very similar to the one we saw yesterday - so quite possible he is  an 1800's horse.  I didn't repaint the base, as it looked original.

A few more treasures I would have loved to take home if I won the lottery...

   After browsing this market we still didn't find the piece we were looking for.... but...  I did find an 1800's original pencil sketch of a farm house that reminds me of  Gracie - what I call This Old House because I also call our home Saving Grace, Gracie for short -   with trees and fields and a person with chickens and a dog in the front yard and a horse in the field on the left.  The price was fair and they accepted our offer,  my birthday is around the corner, sort of anyway.... So... I picked up another treasure and we call it the early birthday present. 

 I placed it above the mantel in the keeping room because it reminds me so much of This Old House -  They are about the same age, don't you know.   And although we aren't convinced it belongs in quite that spot - scale and all that - I love it too much to put it anywhere that it won't be seen often.  I imagine A. S. Bailey sitting in a field in front of the house, perhaps under a shade tree - sketching the scene in front of him/her? ..... admiring the shiny coat of the horse grazing in the field, the man tending his flock of chickens, with beloved dog by his side... the charming house in the background - the attention paid to the roof shingles, the fencing...  the chimney at the peak.   Simpler times.... 

  Speaking of which - it's time to go do the not so simple chore of feeding the horses and chickens and tucking them in for the night -  Thank you for tagging along- 

Till soon - 

The Christmas House

      If you've been visiting my blog for a while, you know about Stella - our little cottage on the cove.  We learned about that vintage coastal community through a dear friend who lives just down the road from us here at This Old House.  She and her husband raised their kids during summer months in their cottage near Stella -  It maintains the same rustic 1930's seasonal cottage charm as ours, partly because of her loving touches just about everywhere, and her husband's beautiful artwork to compliment it. So, we are neighbors both here and down at the shore.

      I need to tell you just a little about "Mrs. F" without giving away her personal information. She is a real dynamo! Having already lived most of her 90th decade, she continues to maintain two households with a little help from her children and grands,  still volunteers for several organizations, still creates, gardens and bakes for family, friends, and the causes she supports.  I have several perennial plants in my cottage gardens now that come from her garden, they will always remind me of her, and my gratitude to her for having helped us find a cottage of our own.

    I stopped in a few days ago to see the bird carvings her son had created, and was just blown away by the Christmas decor she had absolutely everywhere in her charming home.   An observation I've made regarding "Mrs. F" and a few other people I've been lucky to know who have lived well into their 90's...  despite heartbreaking events like illness or  the passing of a spouse,  they all share something vital - and that is to live fully with purpose, intention, keeping up with family and friends, nurturing their creativity and being active in causes they believe in throughout all of their days. 

    Browsing all the decorations and artwork and treasures around her home, the warmth of the place and the person  and the people she holds dear surrounds you.  I told "Mrs. F" her home reminded me of a Christmas House... and she said that is exactly what her grandchildren call it.

     The ornaments on her tree are vintage, some she made out of copper,  some given to her by students during her teaching career.

The sitting room above has beautiful furniture pieces 

made by members of her family. 

This bathroom has so much spunk... "Mr. and Mrs. F." papered it with old

New Yorker Magazine Covers... I absolutely love it.

Below is the only work in acrylics her husband 

ever produced -  He preferred to work in oils.

Of his many beautiful works, this is one of my favorites, and hers. 

A blacksmith's shop.. with the forge's glow spilling out into the evening snow

   A collection of Steiff toys from her husband's childhood live in her office/study... 

The story of how steiff toys came to be is a worthy read - 

you'll find it HERE. 

    So many treasures of the heart in this old farm house down the lane... Thank you, my dear friend "Mrs. F" , for sharing it with us here on my blog.

   There's one more thing I'd like to share -  Mrs. F's recipe for Swedish cookies. I was gifted with a lovely box full of cookies she made for the holidays, and these  particular cookies are absolutely divine buttery sugary perfection. 

Grandma Mabel's Swedish Cookies

1 lb. Butter

1 cup sugar

4 cups flour

1 egg yolk

dash of salt

1 shot of Brandy

Combine ingredients - Work with hands until a paste dough is formed. Chill for 20 minutes, Roll  out dough on floured surface, nice and thin. Cut shapes, brush with egg wash so that decorations like colored sugar, etc. stick to the cookie.  Bake at 350 Degrees, 12 min or until just golden.    

Woodstock, VT 2018

   We just spent a few glorious days in Woodstock, Vermont, staying at the Woodstock Inn.  This is our fourth visit and much of the same staff were in attendance. You know a place treats it's employees well when they stay on year after year.  

   We also spent some time just up the road at the Billings Farm and Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller National Park, touring the original estate mansion.  (the main large home you'll see in the photos below).  We stopped briefly at The Vermont Country Store- do you get the catalog?  So fun to browse the old fashioned clothes, soaps, candies, flannels, pj's, blankets, dishwear, natural remedies of days gone by (that still work!) 

  I'll let the pictures do the talking. 

Vermont Country Store, Rockingham, VT

   

Jenne Farm, Reading, VT - the most photographed farm in the country - google it! 

The Woodstock Inn

Town of Woodstock

The Billings Farm

Marsh-Billings-Rockefeller Mansion Tour  and Grounds

 Ladybird Johnson slept in this room when visiting, having been a friend of the Billings-Rockefellers at the time. 

The pool house, with greenhouses behind it. 

   It was a wonderful, peaceful, easy-going kind of weekend.  We consumed ridiculous amounts of really good food, (good thing we did a lot of walking)  some good hearty laughter and some drink, enjoyed fantastic fall weather and good company, mom and our son and future DIL having joined us.   It's a beautiful thing.  

 I hope all is well in your part of the world -  thank you for stopping by. 🍂🍁