Summer Farm Still Life

I have been wanting to take some photos lately of some of the various scenes around the farm.....most of them are using various vintage pieces that interest me and set them with plants or flowers around the yard.

Some of them are falling apart......which is what happens when they are old pieces anyway and get abused by the elements for years......hope you enjoy a walk back in time.

I have a bucket full of these.....brass number tags that you would put on your cows to keep track of them for records.

One of my favorite things to do at my Grandma Kullmer's house was to feed the calves when they were little.....there would have been a big nipple coming out the front of this bucket, where the hole is and you would have the milk supplement all mixed in the bucket and hang it on the gate and try and make sure that your calf got his food and not the bully in the pen.....there was always that one that thought he should get ALL the food.

These metal wheels were before my time.....although I think we had a couple old implements when I was little that still had their metal wheels.  I have always loved them and saved everyone of them.

Metal wheels and barn doors.....can't have too many of those.  A couple years ago.....I went to a nearby ditch and the Silver Fox dug up some grass.   The kind that get huge in the fall and have these beautiful silver plumes on them.  One clump of that grass went here......framing a milk can and a big circle gear, I liked the look of.

We have a shed that lost it roof about 18 months ago......we started taking down the west wall of it last week.  This has been here on the NW corner of this building long before I was ever around.  I really think it was used to tie up horses......but who knows.  This was partly why I wanted to take these pictures.  This will be going away.....I am hoping to harvest some of the wood to line the cabin.

Chippy, peely, weathered and worn.....

I pretty much saved all the metal gates and have them several places.....the corner post.

These panel are the sides of a wooden wagon that dad used for years....it still has some paint left on it and we used it to cover up our propane tank in the back yard.  The yellow lilies are from my Grandma Kullmer.

Several years ago we had a direct lightning strike on the house.....that then hit the ground and went up two trees in our back yard.....a red maple and an English walnut.....they are deeply scarred from it.

The red maple puts out these huge pieces of what I would call fungus every year.

These things are humongous and funky.....they drop off going into winter and grow again in the spring.

More benches, pots, branches, barbed wire, doors and a chicken feeder for good measure.

Then we have a collection of other people's landscaping discards.....this place has odds and ends from family ripping out old stuff and it's found a new home here.

How about an old mower.....how would you like to mow the yard with that???  Not so much.  Kraft advertising sign for chicken feed with another chicken water and chicken crossing sign from my mother-in-law.....Florence Lesh......who had a chicken collection of sorts.

Flowering in the garden right now is my lavender which I moved from the kitchen garden and a rock garden type plant.  My Grandma Kullmer always had a garden spot that was mine and it had pretty rocks in it and rock garden type plants.....I have several varieties of those and they were all from her.  She always had Hen and Chicks too.....love them.

Here are some lilies just starting to come out around the old tiller.....these lilies happen to travel from Quad Cities and the Carruthers house on the cul-de-sac.  The yard was full of flowers and they didn't want the upkeep of all of that and ripped most of it out.....so I brought several clumps of them home and they have been happy here ever since.

Hope you are having a great summer!  And thanks for stopping by.....

Graduation Quilt 2017

Behind the scenes and other projects going, I have been working on Lizzie's graduation quilt for several months.  She told me she wanted a red and gold quilt to represent Iowa State University, but not Iowa State fabric.  So we deliver!

At least I knew that much while we were in Arizona this winter and was able to buy a bunch a fabric at SAS while we were there......at a crazy price of $2.99.  I might have brought home a lot, just sayin!  But I was so glad for what I found, I used ALL of it in her quilt.....didn't use it ALL up.....but it is all in there. Love getting the backing and borders for $2.99.....can't beat that!

I designed it in Electric Quilt after we got home from Arizona, with several variations and Poppo picked the one he liked best....it was a good choice.  I am sharing the file for your personal use only if you have EQ.  This pattern is NOT to be sold.  Lizzie's Graduation Quilt

We did a little video clip when I was doing the final machine quilting.....just for fun.

We gave the quilt to her on Memorial Day!  This is such a happy looking quilt and it is going to a happy girl too!

What can I say.....it is a string quilt.....made with tons of different fabrics.  Just my kind of thing.  I included lots of picture type fabrics.  Also included the satin designer strap from her prom dress, a cute clothing label I had cut out of one of my shirts that said "Living Doll", a seam binding type tape from Moda that wrapped a bundle of fabric......all the things that make a scrap quilt extra special.

We were fighting the wind to get a decent picture.....oh well, did our best!

Machine quilted with red thread for another layer of dimension over the top.  I can see music fabric, John Deere, fruit, frogs, hearts, school penmanship, suitcases.....what can you find?

I did a special photo label for her!

May this quilt wrap you in love from Poppo & Mommo!

I know the plans I have for you......Jeremiah 29:11

Tea Party & Quilts

I recently was asked to speak at a Ladies Tea Party at Grace Fellowship Church.  It was a joy to be asked and was so fun to see and hug many sweet gals that I have known for years.  Always fun to share my love of quilting, love of all things vintage and weave it around treasures of the heart and our spiritual treasure in Jesus!

Each table had a hostess and set her own table and service for her guests!  This happened to be my place setting.  The china was Jan's mothers, a beautiful Noritake pattern.

A place card at every place!

I didn't get around to every table......so here is a sampling.  They were all wonderful!

Loved the crochet tablecloth!

My kindred spirit, Jan!  We have been friends for decades.....I won't say how many, but we have a rich, diverse history.  And we just pick up where we leave off when we see each other, which isn't often enough.  My gift from her was this wonderful centerpiece.....minus the vase of flowers.  All these things she had especially picked out for me.....so sweet and special.  I have it all setting on my dining room table.....just as she had it here!  I will love you ALWAYS......my balcony friend!

These are some of the few quilts that I brought to share.  Those "ladders" came from my Grandpa Kullmer's garage when we were moving them out of the house on Chestnut St. in La Porte City.  They would have used them in their garden, for I am not sure what.  As soon as I saw them.....they had quilt display written all over them.  I have used them downstairs in "quilt world" ever since.

Loved the white tulip stem at every place.

Wonderful place mats with hat and gloves......just right for a tea party!

Oh, and the bunting with hankies to pick up your name tag.  Joyce greeted you as you arrived.  It was a pleasure to meet her! If you want to make a BUNTING for your next event check out this posting.

Sweet little pink roses were the theme here and what sweet little favor boxes for each guest!

Loved this with sequin covered Christmas ornaments arranged like a tree!  I love those ornaments.....have some of same ones on my Christmas tree and they fit right in with the pink roses! If you would like to see some of my Christmas decorations, check out this posting.

How colorful and beautiful!

Pink, white, delicate and sweet!

This floral china was gorgeous!  And the little favors had little butterflies in scenes that moved, so cute!

Love me some blue....all different place settings with yellow roses.  Perfect!

This is an old classic pottery pattern.....have always loved it.  So pretty and the centerpiece was wonderful too!

Thank you for including me in your special day.  The food was so cute and yummy, right down to the shortbread cookie dipped in chocolate that looked like a tea bag.  Complete with a string and tag!  Thank you ladies for ALL your work to make it a special time for everyone!

Kitchen Face-Lift Pt. 3......or not enough room in the corner for drawers

I love having my Easter decorations out.....after 2 weeks of rain and clouds at least inside my house feels cheerful and springy!  You can save this piece of clipart if you choose.  I would click on it and when it opens in a new window.  Right click on it and save it to your computer.

Back to the kitchen and what this posting is suppose to be about.  I know I got side tracked.....story of my brain. Partly why this has taken me so long to do, is I knew I took pictures of the things I wanted to post and every time I went to work on this.....I would look and look and look and could never find said pictures.  Grrrrrrrrr.........

So when I recently had a conversation with Jan and she asked me what happen to that.....I hung my head in epic fail position.....yea, I know, hasn't happened.  So I was off on Plan B, or C or lost count.

Here I thought I would make quick work of this and do a video instead of pictures.  Clearly didn't do that right because it spent most of the day processing the video.....need to evidently figure out how to make the file size smaller.  Here is the last of the kitchen update and I added in some of my Easter things at the end.  Enjoy!

Dad's Oak Civil War Chairs

A couple weeks ago we did a "throw together" meet at the local pizza joint for dad's birthday.  He turned 82 and he and my mom are doing great!  I had written this blog posting a long time ago and never posted it.....not sure why and then it got buried in the lists of postings and I forgot about it.  But celebrating his birthday seems like a good time to finish it and do the posting!  

Happy Birthday Dad!  You continue to amaze!

My dad, Jim Kullmer with his Uncle Ernie Weaver.
At that time, he was the last of the Weaver children born to Peter & Rose Weaver.  His mind was a steel trap and he was the source of endless stories and knowledge.  So thankful I videoed him that day.
June 2012

A while back my parents showed up at my door sporting one of these.....without the fabric seat.  And I go Ooooooo!!!!  What's the story of this?   It was all folded up and no fabric.  My dad makes the greatest stuff from his workshop and he came across a reproduction chair design from the civil war.  And he thought we might like it!  That was an understatement!!!!

I wanted to show how this chair folds up.....it does it in a funky way.  I am not sure how clear this picture makes it.......

Then dad says to me.....you would maybe rather have a pair of them instead of just one?  How fortuitous.....just what I was thinking.  So a couple weeks later, here he comes with another one.

Guess where the wood came from.....we live on the farm and use to raise pigs, a lot of them!  We had quite of bit of oak hog fencing on the outside of the barn.  Guess where this wood came from?  This wood used to keep the pigs in their pens and looked nothing like this.  Our family has hutches, desks and I don't know what all, including now these chairs from that wood.  Talk about re-purposing!!!!

I picked out the tapestry fabric for the seats and sewed those.  I tried to pick something that had that period look and would also look good in my house.  To say I love them, would be an understatement!

Civil War Officer's Chair Plans  just in case you want to make your own!

Here is a picture of General Grant sitting in one of these chairs.  I think they would have been used by high ranking soldiers.  Only someone that had a staff to haul their things around for them.

Another photo with General U.S. Grant......the chair back is a variation from mine.