Progress

   Made a little progress on my rug...

                                                                            ...every little bit helps.

                                                           Enjoy the day,
                                                               Robyn

Little things

I like the little things that make a house a home....the details....the icing on the cake. The photos and kids art on the fridge, family portraits and sentimental items scattered here and there, a special wreath on the door that hints of what's to follow once that door is opened...details tell our story.

These are photos of the master bath "details".

.

...pewter sheep head cabinet door pull

...tin painted candle sconce

...scroll top on mirror

These are the small things that make me happy when I glance into this room. This is not a bath "suite" that a family of four could live in and barely cross paths...this is a small, functional room...one with great details, if I do say so myself.

The details around here this morning are hardly appealing...box of tissues, jar of Vicks Vapor Rub, and copious amounts of orange juice.

Fill me in on your "details"...I'll be here on the couch all day.

Enjoy the day,

Robyn

American folk art in New Orleans

  

Last year I went to New Orleans with my family. It was my first trip to this great Southern city and there was a lot to see...and eat!  One of my favorite places was a small gallery in The French Quarter...the Hemmerling Gallery of Southern Art. The sign above hangs outside  and can be seen from down the street...when I spied it, I couldn't get there fast enough. The gallery is filled with wonderful paintings from many different folk artists. It's a fun place, full of bright colors and talent.

 Bill Hemmerling was an untrained folk artist who painted what he loved. His paintings of "Sweet Olive" stole my heart.

                        Meet "Sweet Olive"...one of Bill's favorite subjects...

                            Lots of RED in this wonderful place...and green too!

                     So if you ever find yourself in New Orleans, go here..

for one of these,

                                                   listen to a little of this...

maybe even do a bit of this..

 ...stop by to say hello to Mr. Jackson

                                

...do a little window shopping...

...and before you go home...stop in here to say hello to Sweet Olive...you'll be glad you did!

I'd like to thank Lauren over at Rugs and Pugs for mentioning me on her blog...I didn't see a pug painting in this great gallery...but I did see this little guy...also by Bill...what a great work...see the chairs made of buttons? Thanks so much, Lauren:)

 Enjoy the day,

Robyn

Hooking

                                          My House Sampler   Lori Brechlin

I have been working on this rug for a very long time. I don't know why I can't get it finished....probably because I put it down for long periods of time and do other things...you think? I like the colors...the pattern...I just can't get it done. Resolution...I will not hook anything new until this rug is finished.

I personalized the bottom space with our family name and the date we moved into our home. I'll be making time to pull some loops today...wish me luck.

                                                       Enjoy the day,
                                                           Robyn

Old Tombstones

I have a thing for old cemeteries. Whenever I visit an historic town I search out church "graveyards".

Recently, we were in Charleston, South Carolina and I snapped these pictures in a very old churchyard.

I have seen many tombstones with angels on them, especially in New England, but these, with what appear to be portraits, really caught my eye. They were grouped together in one area...the oldest part of the cemetery. The stones were in bad condition, so it was difficult to read them so I could not tell if they were related.

I'm guessing these stones were carved using a portrait of the deceased. To me, they are works of folk art and are so beautiful.

Perhaps it was comforting to those who came to visit these souls, to see the likeness of their family member or friend right there in front of them as they paid their respects.

If anyone knows more about this type of tombstone, I'd love to hear from you.

                                                       Happy New Year!
                                                              Robyn                

Since posting these photos I was able to find out that these tombstones are, indeed, called portrait stones. However, they are not true likenesses of the deceased...more like a representation. Carvers used "portraits"...often carving the same signature face over and over...the same one for men, woman and child...only changing details to suit the individual being depicted. So, although they are called portraits, they were not meant to be a true likeness of the deceased.
This info was found in the essay, Early American Gravestones, by Jesse Lie Farber

I love tobacco...the color, that is.

One of the first things my husband did for me when we moved into this house was to put small shelves above the doorways on the sun porch. It gave me a lot of space for "stuff". These two shelves are changed fairly often..this is how they look now. The header above is a shot of them too.

Can you tell by the pictures what colors are dominant in this room? Black and tobacco are so good together! Anyone else like this combo?

And of course a few pieces of pewter are always a good idea.

...early flax thread, quince slices in a jar...

The "stuff" we gather to display together is often an odd group...but when the colors play well together..it can work.

                                                    Enjoy the day,
                                                        Robyn

Days Eleven...and Twelve

I'll be finishing the Twelve Days of Christmas Tour today. Hope you have enjoyed the pics and will come back to visit soon.

This is how our home will look tomorrow night. Every year the Boy Scouts sell luminary bags as a fund raiser and just about everyone on our street buys them. The scouts provide the bags, sand and votives. After dark we fill the white paper bags with sand and a votive candle...then place them along the sidewalk. When the candles are lit the whole street glows...and it really is something to see! They will burn for twelve hours and sometimes they are still going in the morning...one year all twenty four of our bags were still glowing on Christmas morning!

            And no...in all the years we have been doing this...I've never seen a bag burn!

Wishing all of you and yours Happy Holidays!

God bless us...every one!

                                               Enjoy these special days,
                                                           Robyn