Stairway to the Stars - vintage shelf

I have learned so much by researching this vintage crescent moon shelf.

Did you know it was a pattern designed by A. Neely Hall?
Did you know there was a song by Glenn Miller called, Stairway to the Stars?
Did you know that it was thought to be a wood shop project from the 1950s?
Did you know there are many different versions of this shelf and there was usually a wooden star as part of the pattern?

Well, I didn't know any of that. All I knew was that I remembered them from my childhood. We had one hanging on our living room wall. Ours did not have a star.

This is the only picture I could find with our crescent moon shelf hanging on the wall. 

Seems Mom used it to hang Christmas cards on one year. This is not me, but my niece posing in front of our mantle.

When I saw a dilapidated one on a pile of stuff to be taken to the dump in my neighbor's pull behind trailer, I knew I had to snatch it and try to restore it. With their permission, of course. I try not to take things from my neighbor's trash without their permission, though it may be tempting at times.

It has been sitting in my garage for a number of months, with nails sticking out and the landing unattached and a dangling stairway.

this is a cleaned-up version of it. It was quite dirty and cobwebby. The nails were loose on the staircase, the landing was unattached with nails sticking out everywhere.

I found a small can of stain in the garage and stained the plywood on both sides.

Isn't it pretty? It looks like new.

I love knick knack shelves. Especially vintage ones. 

I also love new ones. . . 

My son made this scroll-saw knick knack shelf for me. I just love it.

Do you remember the Stairway to the Stars knick knack shelves?

Posted by Janet Smart at Writing in the Blackberry Patch.

Fall is Here - Easy Place Mats

Fall is in the air.

The season brings with it 

the spiders, the cobwebs,

the grasshoppers, the pumpkins,

the crisp mornings and the

quick sunsets that creep up on us 

in the evening. 

Fall  is here and who am I

to try and stop it.

I welcome it with open arms!

I got in the sewing mood and made four quick and easy fall place mats.

 pick out some material 
I picked out a print and a solid

My beginning measurements were 16" x 12"
You can make them any size you want.

 I placed quilt batting underneath the top layer and sewed curly, squiggly lines all around.

They don't have to be quilted. If you want, you can leave out this part.

I pinned the right sides of the two pieces of material (printed one and gold one) together and sewed around the edges. Leave a space about 3 inches un-sewn, so you can turn the place mats. Turn, iron and sew all the way around the border about  1/4" away from the edge.

 Here is the finished product.

They will look so nice with my fall colored Fiestaware, don't you think?

I was just getting used to the fall decorations in the stores. 

I was just getting in the mood to put out my fall flowers, fall potholders and fall place mats.

We went to the store yesterday and they had their Christmas stuff out!

Boy, am I behind.

Posted by Janet F. Smart on Writing in the Blackberry Patch.

Summer Survivors

We have had quite a summer. We have survived a derecho, sweltering heat and a drought.

This sweet little sunflower survived and grew where a flower shouldn't grow and survive.
It sprouted all by itself between the sidewalk and the 4 x 4. It is a survivor!

A few weeks after the derecho, we had a  viscous lightning storm. The day after, we saw what the ear piercing lightning hit. Our beautiful sycamore tree was struck at the tip top and the force went down the entire tree and out the earth around it.  Since it happened, the tree has deteriorated more and more each day.

Will it survive to live another year? I really don't think so. I will miss it, I've watched it grow from a very small tree to the majestic one it is today.

If you go here, scroll down the page and you will see what our sycamore tree looked like a few winters ago with it's perfect shape. It also might make you feel a little cooler in this hot weather we're having.

Posted by Janet Smart at Writing in the Blackberry Patch.

Fruits of Our Labor

The gardening season is winding down. 

We have thus far canned 27 quarts of green beans, 6 jars of salsa, 11 jars of peppers
 

I have frozen 17 containers of spaghetti sauce

24 quarts of tomatoes (love, love, love fresh juicy tomatoes from the garden)

and, approximately 20 quarts of blueberries

I have also put blackberries in the freezer, and we have had oodles of squash and cucumbers. Our watermelon plants were a bust and I'm not sure if our pumpkin vines are going to survive or not. Our potatoes did great! Most of them are still in the ground. We leave them in the ground and dig them as needed.

I am going to make jelly out of some of the blueberries once things are a little less hectic around here. I love blueberry jelly!

I am not a big fan of peppers, but those canned peppers are delicious!

I know a lot of you out there 'put up' much more than I have, but we put back enough for our needs.

I made the salsa last night, now I'm off to the kitchen to 'put up' more tomatoes in the freezer.
I always try to freeze a lot of tomatoes. We use them in chili, soups and creamed tomatoes for breakfast.

What have you 'put up' this summer? Are you glad that autumn is around the corner?
 
P.S. A note to my writing friends who read this blog. Don't forget to go over to my writing blog, Creative Writing in the Blackberry Patch  to follow me there and read my writing posts.

 Posted by Janet F. Smart on Writing in the Blackberry Patch

Boxes Full of Color

We went on a trip today to Flatwoods, WV, to another Fiesta Tent Sale.
I came back with boxes full of color.

Here are some pieces I came back with.

I didn't need a lot. Well, really I didn't need anything. But I can't resist the huge discounts at the tent sales.

And they are so fun to go to. You always make friends in the checkout line. It is a very long line and you have a chance to talk to people and get to know them.

Everyone talks about how they use their Fiesta and what their favorite pieces and colors are.

I was still unable to get any spoon rests, but I did get a couple of jam jars, utility crocks and large prep bowls. I love my large marigold and turquoise bowls.  I like the red water pitcher, too. I think it will be very pretty at Christmas.

If you don't know much about fiestaware, you can go here to find out more.
I've also posted about it before. You can go here to see these posts.

I love the bright colors, they brighten my day!
If you get the chance, buy a piece or two and it will brighten your day, too.

Posted by Janet F. Smart on Writing in the Blackberry Patch.
©Janet F. Smart

Mushroom Yard Art

I've seen on the internet lately people making mushrooms out of cheap vases and crystal bowls.
Well, I got a few things at our local thrift store for a quarter each and made my own smaller versions.

I painted the tops white. I used a couple coats of acrylic paint, then spray painted on the top coat. Two of the 'tops' didn't have to be painted - the little enamelware cup and the glass custard bowl.

I glued them together. On line they say to use waterproof liquid silicone as a glue.

Here they are in my pitiful excuse of a flower garden in front of my porch. . .

and here are three more. . .

I know some of you may think  they are kind of silly. But I think they are cute!
My favorite is the larger one in the top picture with the top knot on it.

You can do whatever your mind can imagine. Check for items around your house or go to a yard sale or thrift store for items. Buy the clear crystal items or the white ones. You could even use colorful ones for a whimsical look! Go small or go large.

Now all I need are a few little blue Smurfs to stand along side them.

Posted by Janet F. Smart on Writing in the Blackberry Patch.
©Janet F. Smart

Beautiful Rose of Sharon

I am the rose of Sharon, and the lily of the valleys.

Song of Solomon 2:1

The Biblical reference almost certainly does not refer to what is commonly known today as a Rose of Sharon and what I have in my yard. . . but isn’t it a beautiful bush! When the blooms fall, it creates a halo of blossoms on the ground beneath.

 I walked outside this morning and counted. I have six bushes. They have purple and pink flowers. One of my bushes at the corner of my house is a combination of purple and white. Not on the same bush, but two bushes that grew side by side.

 
These plants are so easy to grow. I read somewhere where a person just stuck a branch into the dirt until it took root. The seed pods can be a blessing and a curse. If left to nature, these pods drop and reseed the bush. This is great if you are looking to plant new bushes and/or trees in different places.
But they can take over. The only place in my yard where they 'take over' is at the corner of my house where I have a large one. It is planted inside of  landscape timbers. Their seeds fall and grow. This does not happen to the ones out in my yard because the grass is always mowed around them.
You could take the pods off in early spring before they have a chance to drop and repopulate. But if you have a large plant, there will be many,  many seed pods to remove.


I walked in the back yard of my neighbors house yesterday, hunting down my walking partner. I found her at her flower garden. I didn't realize she had so many Rose of Sharon plants . . . all started by my over abundance of plants. One is a gorgeous white!

They are very easy to grow. They love the sun and a well drained soil. They are a late bloomer, so you can enjoy them when other plants and flowers have lost their early blooms.

The bees and butterflies love them! Who couldn't love them? They are so beautiful!

Do you have a Rose of Sharon plant? What colors? If you are ever by my way in the summer, I could give you a little sprout and you could watch it grow into a gorgeous plant.

Posted by Janet F. Smart at Writing in the Blackberry Patch.

©Janet F. Smart

 

Attack of the Killer Squash

It is that time of year again.

It is when your garden attacks you with many, many squash.

You fill your refrigerator (and extra refrigerator) with them, you give them away (or try to give them away) and you see how soon your family gets sick of eating them.

I have made at one time or another squash cakes, squash muffins, fried squash rings, sliced squash on the George Forman Grill, mix diced squash with your fried potatoes, dice, mix with flour or corn meal and fry them, squash bread, squash croquets, squash cubes/tomato and onions and last but not least the squash casserole!

The only thing about a lot of these recipes is that you make a low fat, good for you squash into a fattening, but delicious dish. The Forman Grill recipe is the easiest and least calorie one of the above. And, I love it fixed this way. I peel them and slice the squash longways into 6 pieces or so (depending on the thickness of your squash). I spray butter on them and sprinkle corn meal and seasoned salt on each one. I then cook at 350 degrees for five minutes on each side. Very good.

Here is my favorite casserole recipe:

DOWN HOME SQUASH CASSEROLE

2-4 yellow squash
1/2 onion, diced
can of cream of chicken soup
3/4 cup sour cream
salt and pepper to taste

Peel and cube squash. Cook squash and onion till tender. Drain water. Put squash and onion in casserole dish and add cream of chicken soup and sour cream and stir together.

Mix together:
1/2 cup self rising flour
1/2 cup corn meal mix
1 egg
2T melted butter
milk and water
 (in other words make a small batch of cornbread)

Mix together the cornbread ingredients and pour on top of squash mixture. Cook uncovered in 350 degree oven about 30-35 minutes. Put on broil and brown cornbread on top if you wish.

Now you have your vegetable and your bread for supper.

Go here for my squash cakes and squash/tomato/onion recipes.
Go here for my squash bread recipe.

 Have I left any squash idea out? Tell us your favorite squash recipe --- please!

Posted by Janet F. Smart on Writing in the Blackberry Patch
©Janet F. Smart

Getting Things Done

I haven't been posting much this summer. But, I have been busy.

We had a yard sale and I got rid of lots of stuff. The stuff that I didn't sell my sister filled up the back of their pickup truck with and took to their church for their yard sale. The truck bed, behind the front seat and the front seat was full.

Can you believe all the stuff we have that we don't need. I hate clutter, yet my house is filled with it.
I was very happy the first years of our marriage and we didn't have much at all. Compared to now, you might say back then we had an empty house. But we were perfectly content.

The garage is now empty enough that I can go in and straighten it out, get rid of more stuff and organize what is left. Who knows, maybe this winter we will be able to fit one car into our two car garage.

We took our swing off our front porch last year when we had new siding put on our house. I put it in the garage and hadn't put it back up. We have a glider on the porch, two vintage yellow metal chairs and an iron  piece of furniture. There was no room for the swing. I decided to take the iron bench off the porch and put it in front of the sliding glass doors where our drive way is. Now we have room to get the swing out of the garage and back on the porch. I am painting it today a barn red, it will  match the bricks on the front of our house. I found the almost full can of paint when I was cleaning out the garage.

It is amazing the things you find that you forgot you had, when you de-clutter!

Little by little we are getting things done.
Our garden is coming in good, the deer have enjoyed snacking on our green beans.
My berries are getting ripe. They have had a rough time of it this year. The storm that went through a few weeks ago damaged some of them and then the very high temps and drought are taking a toll on them.

I must admit the source of a lot of my clutter is yard sales. I still go to them, but not as much. I've also become more selective about the things I buy.  I have gotten very good things at yard sales before. The above swing was bought at a yard sale, a refrigerator (which is handier than an extra thumb), Fenton at a very small price and clothing.

I had a relapse a few weeks ago, though. I bought this antique milk can. Our next door neighbor had it in her yard sale. I didn't need it, but I wanted it. It is a little rusty on the outside, but the inside is very nice and clean. It was only $5.

Can any of you nice people out there give me ideas as to what to do with this milk can? I look forward to your creative ideas and suggestions.

posted by Janet F. Smart at Writing in  the Blackberry Patch.
©Janet F. Smart

Summer is a time for. . .

Summer is a time for yard sales, sizzling heat, storms and blackberries.

I just don't like to experience them all on the same day.

My neighbor and I picked the hottest day of the year to have a yard sale.

With temperatures soaring over 100 degrees, thank goodness for me and my yard sale visitors, I chose to put my stuff under the shade of our apple trees. I am glad to say I got rid of a few big items, such as our troy-bilt tiller, our son's truck tool box and my manual treadmill.

The evening after the yard sale we were visited by the worst storm of the year. Well, let's just say the worst wind storm we have had since building here in 1980.

We were lucky, we were left with electricity and our trees still in the ground, though missing a lot of limbs. Our yard and subdivision were littered with pieces of siding, uprooted trees, tree limbs, blown away bird houses and feeders and lots of stuff from who knows where.

My blackberry vines were damaged, but thank goodness, not destroyed.

 

  

I don't know about you, but I hope the rest of the summer is a little less uneventful!

Posted by Janet F. Smart on Writing in the Blackberry Patch.

Yard Sale Finds

It's been a while since I visited here with you.

I've been to a writer's conference, I've been writing and rewriting, I've been busy in our garden and I've been to a few yard sales.

I don't get as much as I used to, but sometimes I just can't resist picking up a few things.

Here are three items I've found lately:

This beautiful vintage ceramic cake/pie server. 

I almost missed this laying on the table, I was on my way to pay for a book I found.

It was only 50 cents! I love it. 

 I picked up three of these cloth calendars. Aren't they adorable with the little girls making a wish.

Remember the aprons I made with these calendars earlier this year. I thought these would be

real pretty for little girl aprons.

This vintage rooster cookie jar! 

I love cookie jars and I didn't have a rooster one. 

Looking at her from this direction, you would never know that the lid has been broken

and  glued back together and that a piece of his comb is missing. But then, I only paid

25 cents for it. So who cares that he is not perfect.

It's like people. It's whats on the inside that counts.

If you want to hear about the writing conference I attended last weekend, go over to my writing blog and read about it.

Posted by Janet Smart in Writing in the Blackberry Patch
©Janet Smart

National Doughnut Day

Wow, I hear it is National Doughnut Day!
I love doughnuts, though I haven't had any for a while. I think I gain a few pounds just looking at one.

National Doughnut Day was started by the Salvation Army in 1938 to commemorate the volunteers who passed out doughnuts to soldiers during World War I.

What's my favorite?

Krispy Kreme! I love Krispy Kreme doughnuts!
Glazed ones, the ones with chocolate spread on top, the lemon filled ones (I love these), the ones with the pudding squirted inside of them.
Yummy, yummy, yummy!

I hear that Krispy Kreme is giving a free doughnut to anyone that comes into their stores today. I wish there was one in our area.

I posted last year how to make 'whop doughnuts.'
Do you know what they are?
If not, I will refresh your memory.
You make them with Pillsbury refrigerated biscuits, that you 'whop' on the side of the counter to open.
That's why I call them 'whop doughnuts.'

Mom made these when we were kids.

You can top them with a cinnamon sugar mixture,  confectioners sugar or a glaze.

Mix one cup of confectioners sugar, 1 tsp vanilla and 3 T of milk to make the glaze.

Next, put oil in the skillet. You can use a small skillet, that way you don't have to use so much oil. The oil only needs to be an inch or less deep in the skillet.

Whop your can of biscuits to open it up and put them down on a flat surface. I flattened mine out a little with a rolling pin. Take the middle out of your biscuit cutter and punch out a hole in the middle of the biscuit. If you don't have one of these, you can use a bottle cap or anything else you have that is the size of a donut hole.

Put them in the hot oil. Be careful and be quick! They only take what seems like a few seconds to turn golden brown underneath. Quickly flip them over with a fork or tongs and let them turn golden brown on the other side. Take them out of the skillet.

Do this with the holes and the donuts.

Now comes the fun  part. Use your imagination and top them with whatever you have a taste for. You can dip them in the glaze or sprinkle both sides with a cinnamon/sugar mixture or confectioners sugar.

I must admit, I like the cinnamon/sugar and confectioners sugar topping the best.

What is your favorite doughnut?

Posted by Janet F.  Smart at Writing in the Blackberry Patch
©Janet F. Smart

Scenes From a Country Cemetery

There is a small country cemetery

close to my heart.

It holds the remains of my ancestors.

 A grave stone is out of place,  

shoved between the outstretched arms of an old tree 

and guarded by poison ivy.

The cemetery is hidden up on the hillside among the trees.

Many times, as a child, my feet climbed up the 

crooked and steep pathway that led to the grave sites.

A few days later, I would be  reminded of my

trip to the top of the hill 

when the red shiny bumps of poison ivy appeared

on my legs.

 I wonder who lies here beneath this small unmarked grave stone up against a large tree?

Could it have been Gr-grandma Emily's son, Alexander, who died before the census of 1900.

The census stated that Emily had 4 children, but only 3 were living.

Grandma used to cut flowers from her yard and 

bunch them together in bouquets.

She placed them on Grandpa's grave

and the graves of two of her children.

As the years passed by, Grandma was no longer

able to climb up on the hill. I continued to go with

Mom and Dad.

I now put flowers on Grandma's grave.

I visit and remember. 

I remember my great grandparents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins

who rest there in the serenity of the shaded hillside.

I remember a time gone by.

Posted by Janet F. Smart at Writing in the Blackberry Patch.
©Janet F. Smart