Farmhouse Style to be Replaced with Chinoiserie??

I read recently that the farmhouse style we all love is to be replaced soon with chinoiserie.  What??!!

Actually, replaced may be the wrong term.  I'd like to change it to "married!"  

What if farmhouse style married with chinoiserie?  Sound crazy?

Total side note:  Maybe it's the fall weather.  I think this is a great time of year to get married.  My husband and I were married in October and it was the perfect fall day.

Actually, farmhouse and chinoiserie make a great couple.  I've been trying to "fix the two up" for years and hopefully others are warming up to the idea.

Did you notice the upholstery on my kitchen chairs? Or the bamboo frames on the farmhouse paintings above?  How about the non-white walls?

How about oriental porcelains in blue and white?  Or geometric patterns?

What about cotton blooms and chinoiserie pumpkins?!  

So what do you think?  Farmhouse marries Chinoiserie.  Too crazy??

Thanks for stopping by!

Angie

This Blog Journey We're On Together

I guess you've noticed the new header and the new NAME!  I'm so excited to finally make the change.  I've debated and hem-hawed about it for a long time.  Well.  No time like the present, right?  

A Collection of Tartan Throws - Perfect for Fall Outdoors

Do you say plaid or tartan?  I use both but I tend to say tartan more because it makes me feel closer to my Scottish roots, if ya ken whit ah mean?

"Plaid" actually comes from the Gaelic word for blanket. That's why the feileadh-mhor (Gaelic for "large wrap") is sometimes also called the belted plaid because it is a blanket that has been gathered and belted around your waist.  Tartan is a woolen cloth woven in one of several patterns, especially of a design associated with a particular Scottish clan.

So, there's a little history for you.  If you're talking about blankets or throws, it would be called a plaid.  If you're talking about the pattern, it's tartan.  Nowadays, I don't think it really matters.  All I know is I love tartan patterns and colors.  I tend to hone in on tartan throws at thrift stores, antique stores, and yard sales and I've got quite a collection now.

Since I'll be hosting Thanksgiving this year, I thought I would pull out my tartan throws for a good freshening up.  We do several outdoor activities at Thanksgiving and these will be great to have on hand if the weather is chilly.

Don't you love hanging laundry on the line?

This is my clothes pin bag.  It's an old bank bag that I found at a thrift store.  

I loved the graphics and the muslin fabric.

Do you have a favorite collection?

Thanks for stopping by and God bless!

Angie

I'm linking here:
THE STYLE SISTERS
JENNIFER RIZZO
HOME STORIES A TO Z
FROM MY FRONT PORCH TO YOURS

COMMON GROUND

HAVE A DAILY CUP OF MRS. OLSON
COASTAL CHARM'S NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAY

FRIDAYS UNFOLDED

FEATHERED NEST FRIDAY

ONE MORE TIME EVENTS

TWIRL AND TAKE A BOW 
SAVVY SOUTHERN STYLE

STONEGABLE
UNDER THE TABLE AND DREAMING

A DELIGHTSOME LIFE
ART IS BEAUTY

CLEVER CHICKS BLOG HOP DIY SHOWOFF IT'S OVERFLOWING

THREE MANGO SEEDS

ELIZABETH JOAN DESIGNS

WEEKEND CRAFTS

PRETTY PINTASTIC PARTY
THOUGHTS FROM ALICE
HYMNS AND VERSES
MISS MUSTARD SEED
CONFESSIONS OF A PLATE ADDICT

Rustic Caramel Apples for Fall with 2 Simple Ingredients

Fall means back to school, bake sales, pumpkins, state fairs, and, my favorite, caramel apples.  I made these rustic caramel apples with 2 basic ingredients...apples and sweetened condensed milk.  Of course, you can add chopped peanuts for a nice sweet and salty treat.

Did you know you can make caramel with just a can of sweetened condensed milk?  There are several methods.  I chose to do the double boiler method which is slow and does require your attention.  You can also use the crock pot method by placing the unopened can in a crockpot with water and cooking overnight.

Pour the entire 14 oz. can of sweetened condensed milk in a bowl and place over a pot of water on medium low heat.  It will take about 2 hours and requires you to stir occasionally.  Also, don't forget to check the water level in the pot.  Trust me, it boils down faster than you think.

If you're not happy with the consistency after the 2 hours, you can continue on the stove or you can heat it in the microwave for no longer than 30 seconds at a time, stirring between times.  Watch it during those 30 seconds as it could still boil over.  I go by taste so I was happy with the flavor after the 2 hours.

Mmmm!  Ready to dip some apples!  

I had just purchased a bushel of Gala apples and their crisp, tart flavor are perfect for dipping.

Chopped peanuts make caramel apples even better!

For a rustic look, use freshly cut branches from a fruit, maple, or oak tree.  I made sure to cut fresh, healthy branches, then rinsed them, and zapped them in the microwave for 30 seconds...just to be sure to kill any tiny critters.  The sticks will get very hot so handle carefully.

The caramel looks pretty light in the photo but it really is a caramel color and it's delicious!

If you try these, I recommend putting them on parchment paper and not wax paper.  Caramel will stick to wax paper and you'll be picking off bits of it instead of enjoying your caramel apple ;)

Here's one for you to Pin!  I really appreciate it!

Thanks for stopping by and God bless!

Angie

I'm linking here:

THE STYLE SISTERS

JENNIFER RIZZO

HOME STORIES A TO Z

FROM MY FRONT PORCH TO YOURS

COMMON GROUND

HAVE A DAILY CUP OF MRS. OLSON

COASTAL CHARM'S NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAY

FRIDAYS UNFOLDED

FEATHERED NEST FRIDAY

ONE MORE TIME EVENTS

TWIRL AND TAKE A BOW 
SAVVY SOUTHERN STYLE

STONEGABLE

UNDER THE TABLE AND DREAMING

A DELIGHTSOME LIFE
ART IS BEAUTY

CLEVER CHICKS BLOG HOP DIY SHOWOFF IT'S OVERFLOWING

THREE MANGO SEEDS

ELIZABETH JOAN DESIGNS

WEEKEND CRAFTS

PRETTY PINTASTIC PARTY
THOUGHTS FROM ALICE
HYMNS AND VERSES

Time for Another Reality Check

Who came up with this "Reality Check" thing any way?  Oh yeah...me.



Oh goodness.  This one is gonna hurt.




Ok.  I'll do it quick...like pulling off a bandaid.



Ready?  Set?

Wait!!   Really, these are bad!  I'm not sure I wanna...


Oh, good grief!  Here goes:

I've been really busy blogging and making so many other things pretty that I haven't given any attention to my front flower beds!  Look!!  See??!

What?  You don't think they're that bad?  

Ok, I was going easy on you.  Here.

Nutsedge!  Grrr!  It looks like a lawn in my flower bed.

And these vines and huge pokeweed and whatever that other stuff is.

And THESE are the holly bushes that ate the front of my house!

I used the telephoto lens for these pics.  It makes me feel better...like I'm looking at this jungle in the far, far distance.  Not outside my front door.

I should have kept up with the weeding but I've been busy and we've had a pretty wet summer here and these things grew like....um, weeds.  And, we have snakes!

No, I'm not making up excuses.  Why do you ask?

Ok, maybe those are excuses but there's NO excuse for this!

(Cue the dramatic horror movie music)

I know!  It's bad!  Bad bad!  I'm glad fall is just around the corner.  You know, the time of year when everything is supposed to die...anyway.  And the worst part, (sobbing) I went through the Master Gardener program!  

They will probably be knocking on my door any minute demanding that I hand over my certificate!

However, all is not lost.  Sweet hubby hit some of these areas with weed control this past week.  Out here where we live, in the boonies, it isn't just typical yard weeds.  It's field weeds like wild blackberries (which I'm thankful for), poison ivy (which I'm not thankful for), nutsedge (again, not thankful), and other very hardy nuisances.  And, did I mention we have snakes!  For real!  And, not just the good kind either we've had several rattlesnakes.  (Again, not thankful.)

I'm sorry poor Mr. Hanging Basket That Contained Some Flower I Can't Even Identify Now!  

(You'll notice I didn't watermark these photos.  Yep, shame not to put my name on these beauties.  I know I'll be missing all sorts of fame when they go viral on Pinterest...hahaha...not)

Ok, so reality check...I've got some weeding and planting and pruning to do!  Thankfully our house sits about 400 feet from the road so passersby can't really see how bad it is.  And, thankfully, the whole yard isn't that bad.  

Here's what I see most of the time from my house...the backyard and pond.
(That's the field where I did this tablescape post.)

And, the fig tree in the backyard is doing nicely.

The Rose of Sharon that I transplanted is also blooming beautifully, too.

Sadly, the front yard is kind of "out of sight, out of mind" because I rarely go out front.  We spend most of our outdoor time in the backyard.  I guess now, it'll be spent weeding the flowerbeds with my mud boots and extra long gardening gloves on because...did I mention we have snakes?!

I'll be out front if you need me.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless!

Angie

Ok, so here's one kinda, sorta pinnable photo for ya, if you feel you want to do the Pinterest thing :)

The farm pond near sunset

Gathering Daffodils at the Old Farm

This morning my daughter and I walked down to the old farm next door to gather daffodils.  Like a lot of old farms around here, daffodils were planted as borders for walkways, fence lines, and flower beds.  Even though the tenants have been long gone, these tireless harbingers continue to their work, announcing the approach of spring.  

Lovely yellow and green!  What a welcoming sight after a long, colorless winter.  

The farm is "next door" which in the country means about a 5 minute walk down the road.  Of course, taking a walk down the road also means all three dogs MUST go with us.  Try and leave them in the house while you go for a walk and they'll try to guilt you with their pathetic howls.  It's really quite funny and quite loud!

Cooper, the Schneagle (part Beagle and part Schnauzer), being the adolescent that he is, always has to be first at everything...first out the door, first in the door, first to eat...and today first to get to the farm house.  Here he is patiently waiting for the rest of us to catch up.  Such a goofball.  He definitely keeps us entertained.

Here's a sneak peak at the daffodils.  I'll post more about the daffodils and shamrocks tomorrow!

Thanks for stopping by and God bless!
Angie


I'm linking here:

JENNIFER RIZZO

FROM MY FRONT PORCH TO YOURS

COMMON GROUND

HAVE A DAILY CUP OF MRS. OLSON

COASTAL CHARM'S NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAY

FRIDAYS UNFOLDED

FEATHERED NEST FRIDAY

ONE MORE TIME EVENTS

TWIRL AND TAKE A BOW

SAVVY SOUTHERN STYLE

STONEGABLE 

UNDER THE TABLE AND DREAMING

ART IS BEAUTY

MY UNCOMMON SLICE OF SUBURBIA