The Perfect Piece for the Corner in the Dining Room

We live in an almost 100 year old Craftsman style home.  Sometimes its hard to find just the right piece for a little corner. 

 A couple of monthes ago I was out shopping and picking for our big show

 Remnants of the Past 

that is coming up in a couple of weeks.   We discovered this little table that was missing half of the top and 1 leg.  It aslo looked like it needed some TLC in the repainting department.  My handy husband, said "no problem, I'll just put a leg on, and fix the top and repaint it in our favorite paint 

Annie Sloan ChalkPaint®."

  I was thinking, hmm, do we need another project?

Well, once we got it home, I took another look at it.  I said, 

"I want this one."

I don't keep much for myself, but this one fits perfectly in my little corner.

  We never repainted, 

or put on a new leg,

or put the missing half of the top back on.

  I love it just the way it is.

And here it is in the corner of my dining room.

It gets used as a place to draw, a favorite homework place and sometimes extra seating when we have dinner guest.

The perfect piece.

Terry (one of the bricoleurs)

A Beautiful Sunny Morning in Penryn

I could not resist taking a few pics on the way to the store today.  It is mid January here in Northern Ca. and we have had some very cold weather in the last few weeks.

This little bloom was waving at me as I walked down the sidewalk to the car.  A reminder that the cold will not last forever.

Mmm... Smells so good!

A little bit of verbena coming through the fallen leaves.

Bare branches reflecting off of the street after the night rain.

The sun was so bright I got a sun spot right in the middle of this photo.

(Old granite P.O.-1878 across the street from our house.)

The remains of the granite foundation of the original school house in Penryn.

The historical Palm trees that our town is known for.  These were used to line the  driveways leading to the estates in the area.

This small building just up the road from us, was the office for the Griffith Quarry that was in operation over one hundred years ago.  

The sun was so pretty reflecting off of the 110 year old High Hand fruit sheds where our store is.

And finally our store nestled against the back wall of these primitive sheds.

It's no wonder that I love antiques and vintage, living in this beautiful place.  I was raised in this historical town and I am blessed to be able to raise my children in the same town.

My Jr. Bricoleurs are growing up so fast!

(On our last family trip down to the Central Coast.)

Visit The Vintage Bricoleur

3750 Taylor Road

Loomis Ca. 95650

Inside the High Hand  fruit sheds.

Terry(one of the bricoleurs)

Apple Days...

My parents have an apple orchard. 

 Growing up every summer we made apple juice, applesauce, apple crisp,

 apple pies, apples pies and apple pies.

My dad's favorite kind of pie is, you guessed it

Apple.

We got quite good at making an apple pie.   Sometimes they needed more sugar, or needed to be cooked a little longer.  Everyone seemed o.k. with sampling our efforts,

Eight people can wipe out a pie in one evening, and since there were plenty of apples, we got to make another one the next day!

So...

To carry on tradition, (and to help use up all those apples!) every summer, my children and I make juice, applesauce, and pies also.

Vintage basket, pottery bowls, antique linen and a farm table.

I love to use all of these.

We add sugar and spice to a big bowl of apples and bag them up and freeze them.

We had a good time working together.

But...

as one of my sisters said

"that looks too pretty to be an apple day,"

I will show you what really went on. ;)

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We set up camp in the kitchen.  It was a little cooler and there were no flies.

We have three of these peelers.  The make the job go a lot faster.

Mixing in the sugar and spice and a little flour too.

(you also have to cut all the bad spots out.)

My helpers.

I'll leave you with a pretty picture or two. 

 And don't feel bad for the kids, they like to do this.

We did have fun with our photos shoot. :)

Apple Days

 

I am sharing this at Feathered Nest Friday.

Thank you Courtney for hosting.

 

Terry (one of the bricoleurs)

The Coffee Table

I recieved such kind comments about the posts I did on my home

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

I decided to share a little bit more. One of the reasons I like to share pics of my home is to give inspiration of how to decorate using vintage items.  We sell similar things in our store.

~The Vintage Bricoleur~

So here is the coffee table.

It is simply an old wood box/trunk. 

 Place it in front of your sofa or a couple of chairs and you have a

coffee table.

Place some items on top that you love, and you are done!

Pretty shells and an old sea float were gathered to sit in my vintage locker basket.

A few of my favorite decorating books also rest here, easy to pick up and browse through for great inspiration.

~Patina Style~

~French Atmospheres~

~Vintage by Nina~

(not pictured, available in our store)

Summer decorating wouldn't be complete without some beautiful hydrangeas.

I love the hardware on this primitive piece.

And the patina of the wood.  Some would say that it is not perfect.

I love it that way.

Another peek of the hardware.

Perfect for my living room.

What do you use for a coffee table?

I am linking this post to Feathered Nest Friday.

Terry (one of the bricoleurs)

Sharing A Bit of my Home ~ Part 3

Ok, time for the Dining Room.

This room is the first room I saw, the first time I walked into this house 11 years ago. 

I think it is one of my favorites.

You have to understand that when most people looked at this house they said

"The only tool you need for that place is a bulldozer."

It was pretty rough.  But I saw something else.

 We worked on the house for 2 solid months before we moved in.  And when we moved in, it was into this room.  We had been living in a fifth wheel, so to us, this seemed HUGE!  (We had completed the kitchen, dining room, living room and 1 bathroom.)  That's right, we set up Camp in this dining room for a month or two while we worked on a bedroom.

When I walked in that first day, this is what I saw.  (In my mind),  I could see it.  This room has built-in cabinets!  And look a plate rail!  And board and batten!  I had a vision.

I love to display my blue &white plates on the rail.  This table had been abandoned in another room of the house.  Now, with a painted white skirt and pedestal and a natural top, it is living a new life again.

I love the board and batten. 

More plates along with a couple of footed, tarnished silverplate trays surround the room.

This long primitive bench is a favorite place to sit when people gather at our house.

Two of my favorites.

A painted icecream bucket holds my Jade plant nicely.

It sits on a sweet burlap and lace cloth made by my sister.

This chippy white mirror reflects my collection of ironstone, jade, and cobalt dishes.

The fun thing about this built-in cabinet is that it is accessible from this side, the dining room, and around the corner to the right, in the kitchen.

That is the story of the 97 year old dining room.

Maybe some day I will share some before/after pics of the whole remodeling process.

I hope you have enjoyed the little Bits of My Home.

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Don't forget that tomorrow we will be selling at Alameda.  Find us in our regular space, P-7&8.

The store will also be OPEN.

The Vintage Bricoleur

3750 Taylor Road Loomis, Ca 95650

Inside the High Hand fruit sheds.

Tuesday- Sunday

10 - 5.

Come by and say Hello!

Terry (one of the bricoleurs)