Hopalong Hollow....

Hopalong Hollow, where the Blueberries grow sweet, and the moss feels soft beneath your feet.

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Cozy corners Inside an old house, despite the winter chill.

        I often complain that we live in the coldest house in Tennessee. It's not well insulated and our heat comes from gas cast iron stoves placed in two rooms. But despite our frigid rooms I try to keep things cozy with my decor. You could call my style Early American, English Country or just plain primitive, but it is the style I have always loved. I collect things;
 I like  hooked rugs and Samplers, old and new,
Some of these were stitched by me, some are "very old", "somewhat old" and "not at all old".
I just collect the ones I fall in love with. That's what collecting is all about, right?
I like spinning wheels. I found this walking wheel at a church sale just a mile or so from Shaker Village in KY. and was thrilled to see one, nearly identical inside the weaving house of the Shaker Museum. James bought me 2 wheels from Lithuania, they were delivered in  pieces all marked to be put back together. They even included some flax and a yarn winder. I SWEAR, they must be at least 200 years old, but they don't spin very well, actually, I don't either.

Are you as crazy for 19th century teapots as I am? 
You can always find beautiful Britainia-ware, silver-plate, pewter and enamelware teapots at antique shops and online auctions. They come in hundreds of shapes and sizes. These tea pots are in a cozy corner cupboard, looking neat and tidy.
 Pewter is always the most expensive, but the Britainia- ware is very affordable and really, the most interesting in design.  You can pay  less than $10 for a nice teapot or as much as $300. This fabulous coffee pot is pewter and enamelware, love those blackberries!
Tea sets can be placed in any room, just mix and match. You never have to actually use them, they just sit there looking lovely.
 The wonderful pot on the end is from 1830's made by Dixon and Son's.
If the birds aren't singing outside in the meadow, at least we can have little and big wooden birds...INSIDE THE HOUSE.
They don't make a peep, but are nice to look at  during the bleak mid winter.
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I stenciled the entire wall in this room and all the way up the stairs. It's easy to stencil; it is historically accurate for an old home and you can find just about any stencil pattern to fit your taste. And best of all, it is much less expensive than wallpaper.
   The winter mantle is decorated with branches and birds nest and acorns and some evergreen,
with a hornet's nest added for good measure. I will keep this out till Spring arrives.
You can see that the silvering on the mirror is disappearing due to the age of the mantle, but I really like that. If your decor is crisp and white, you may not appreciate the rustic look of "Country decorating". It is not right for everyone . I love country French, but it just doesn't work in my house... can you imagine me trying to keep everything white  and pristine after spending a day in the barn??! .. or digging in the garden? Not to mention our 3 house cats. I have a deep affection for the look of old, warm pine and primitive, early furniture. The more battered the finish and patina, the better. A good example is this dry sink.

 So named because they were actually used as sinks using an attached pump. This one actually did have a pump, but I put it in my garden. A zinc lining was usually present in this reservoir. Or a tin bucket was simply placed inside to wash dishes and such.
These beautiful hand made and hand painted "band boxes" are special treasures.
They were made in the 1980's by artisan Bess Leaf.

The wonderful wooden bowl was given to me from my mother, who got it from her best friend, who got it from her great gramma. Sometimes it is filled with fruit or nuts. Today it is filled with Potpourri.


Pie safes were a very common item in Early America and fresh baked goods were placed inside to keep the flies away. Mine is filled with books, not pies. The tiny spinning wheel atop was likely a flax wheel.  It works better than any wheel in the house. It may have been for a child or a sales-man's sample. I am really not sure. I bet my cousins from the Corgyncombe Courant Blog would know. Or maybe you, Linnie?


The punched tin doors, were for circulation, sometimes screen was used instead of tin.
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Another wonderful thing to cozy up the corners are textiles such as antique woven coverlets and olde baskets. The crockery is called Salt- glazed stoneware.  I love all the folk-art designs applied to the pieces.

I hang the woven coverlets over the sides of cupboards. Sometimes. if you are lucky, you may find a dated coverlet.
 
 The date is woven into the corner on this coverlet, 1849.
 Shall we go up the stairs?


And into my very favorite room in the house...
My 1910 bathroom..
where there are lots of cozy corners.
.(  you may remember when we re-did the bathroom in a post entitled "Transforming Ugly")
 These hat pins, antique purses and beads hang from a dress form I purchased when a department store closed it's doors for good.

This corner is also filled with vintage photos and beauty aids.

Look at this wonderful  bodice from Victorian times.
 The lovely collar is a velvet-like fabric, just fabulous to the touch.
Cost was a mere $20, including it's dress form at our local antique shop...  the waist is oh-so-tiny.

Can you guess what these little heads were used for?
Hat stands of course ! The hairstyles indicate they are from the 1920's and 30's,
.
sweet faces!


I  like living with old things in our funny old house. Maybe because I love history, and it is my way of touching and holding in my hands reminders of a past day and age. For our home, they add interest AND make for cozy corners.
Okay, my house and collections tour is over for now. Since we cannot tour the gardens in the winter, I thought we would just walk through the house. I hope you enjoyed it, I have a lot more pictures to use till Spring pops its little green spikes up through the earth.
I love to see home tours on blogs. I hope some of you will guide us through the cozy corners in your abode as well.

41 comments:

  1. Oh thank you, thank you, THANK YOU, for the tour! I have always wanted to wander around your lovely home... What a treat this was.. I was just going to say how I love the worn mirror and then you mentioned it.. 1849... How wonderful that the date was woven into the coverlet.. I love it, and the hat stands!
    Thank you Jeri, looking forward to another tour!
    fondly,
    Penny

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  2. Your home is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. It looks like it came right out of Early American Life Magazine.

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  3. I am so happy you came over for a visit and that they made you smile. Thank you so much Jeri for your encouraging words.. You made my day.
    So you did go take a peek at the catalog... Yes, that set is very expensive!

    You know, Osage Bluff Quilter hit the nail on the head... Your home does look like it came right out of Early American Life Magazine... I love it!

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    1. Hey girls, thank you both, since Early American Life is my favorite Magazine.

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  4. hello,

    thank you for sharing these wonderful glimpses of your home and awesome collections. I also love old things, handmade things, things of quality and attention. so rare are these in this plastic fast paced world.

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  5. Dear, dear Jeri!

    I LOVE YOUR HOME! There are not too many homes here in the Twin Cities that I have been in that have this FANTASTIC CHARACTER...they are lovely, no doubt. But where I can get a dose of this early American style is out in Stillwater, Minnesota, only 30 miles east of us. The entire Main St. is nothing but antique stores, then in the surrounding hill community, there are magnificent early American homes. We have been on some tours of these places, and of course have gone into the many bed and breakfasts inns there too....WOW. To see the old furniture and KNOW that Scandinavian immigrants once lived in these spaces is so enchanting....and I love every corner of your home. Maybe in the spring I will do a tour of my home again, but from a different angle. Thank you for inviting us in....hey, I have a request...how about a tour of the BARN and every nook and cranny of where the animals live? HAVE FUN!

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    1. Anita, I AM going to do a barn tour. I had actually planned it all out, till it snowed and snowed and snowed. The critters spent all that time in the barn, and now I need to muck it out. YUCK!
      Definitely want to see your beautiful home again.

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  6. Dear Jeri - I so loved your tour...your home is lovely. Those teapots and especially the coffee pot with the blackberries is gorgeous. Everything is inviting.
    What gorgeous way to decorate your mantle...who would have ever thought of using and old hornet's nest. Great idea friend and now could I please have a cup of tea with you! I am sure it would be the best ever. Have a lovely day.

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    1. I would enjoy having you here for tea; I think we would use a lovely silver plate tea set from the 1890's. I once saw the same identical teapot in a Sherlock Holmes episode... I nudged hubby, " HEY I HAVE THAT SAME POT!".

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  7. I love your home! I could feel the warmth of it from your collections and style. Especially love that old mirror and the birds and hornet's nest. I have one waiting to be used too.
    This tour was like looking at a beautiful magazine-only better!

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  8. Dear Jeri ~ I love your place and would feel right at home. Your collections are all wonderful!

    Thank you for these wonderful glimpses into your lovely old home. I would love to see your kitchen, since the kitchen is one of my favorite rooms.

    These photos have inspired me.

    Have a great week ~ FlowerLady

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    1. Rainy,I will do my kitchen, AFTER we pull it back together again. it is under reconstruction.. my cabinets are just falling apart!

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  9. your home is just as lovely as you are! Love the wooden birds. Have a great week

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  10. Thank you for sharing your lovely home.Always fun to see how people display their treasures.I love your art as well, I am usually a lurker.

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    1. Dustbunny, So glad you stopped in and said hello!

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  11. Your home is certainly a reflection of your soft and gentle personality. I love the warmth and the memories cared for. It is truly home-y and welcoming. Thank you for sharing your home with me. Oma Linda

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  12. Love the tour! What a fun idea to share house tours while we embrace this short hibernation season! I might just do it! :)))

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    1. I'd love to see your house, don't you also live in an old one?

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  13. Just can't take my eyes off that hat stand.. Had to come back... I love the one on the bottom left.. She is just beautiful!

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  14. Hi Jeri! Where do I begin? Your home is so charming! I love all styles of homes and if I were wealthy I would have many different styles. One would be old English cottage style and that is what your treasure box reminds me of. Your walls are a vision of perfection in my eyes, the sofa fabric and style are perfect, the spinning wheels amazing, the samplers outstanding... I could go on and on. I collect porcelain teapots so I know what an obsession it can be. I adore the look of old pewter, your pots are wonderful. The hatstands and the mannequins... the quilts folded & draped... who would think to do that? You have an incredible English country taste Jeri! Thank you so much for the wonderful tour of your home.

    Blessings, Edie Marie

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  15. Oh my gosh, I love your house, Jeri! thanks for the wonderful tour :)

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  16. Thanks for the close ups of the hat stand ladies, Jeri... They are so sweet.
    You know, I was looking at the antique purses, and I think the little black one on the top left looks a lot like the one my grandma had.

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  17. Love it all--especially the stenciling. Home tours are so wonderful while we are counting the days till springtime arrives. These cold days make me appreciate my cozy home too. I think it's my favorite time to twink and fluff (since I can't be in my garden)!

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    1. Roxie, I do my best house cleaning in the winter, also because I can't be in the garden.

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  18. I love looking at all your treasures Jeri. So many wonderful things to make me smile. I also smile knowing I can look at them and enjoy them without having to dust them! ;) You will be featured on my blog this Friday. I shall also leave you a kind review on Amazon.
    xx

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    1. You are a sweet heart Shell, Thank you in advance!

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  19. Dearest Jeri,
    What a wonderful time I had walking through your most lovely cozy home!!
    "Thanks for having us over"!!
    Everywhere is something delightful and interesting, and displayed with such charm! The stenciling is as lovely as can be and my oh my the samplers and the teapots and spinning wheels!! (I think the little on must be a child's) The coverlet and band boxes and even the paper wasp nest are perfect!!
    That red chair is a beaut and I sure like those curtains!! I LOVE it all!! I could go on and on! You and James are surely Blessed!
    Keep cozy Spring is around the corner!
    Many Blessings and Joy, Linnie

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  20. One of my favorite books series was Anne of Green Gables, and I remember watching the movies as well. So many of the items you have remind me of that movie and the book series! :) I love your collections!

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  21. Hi Jeri,
    I am so happy your enjoyed the Theater and puppets.. I guess he does look more like a unicorn than a horse... Shall I give him a horn?
    Thank you so much for your kind and most encouraging words.
    fondly,
    Penny

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  22. Jeri I have just found this wonderful blog. I feel as though I found a secret door in a big old Oak tree in the corner of my yard. Stunning, beautiful, a wonderful escape . Thank you !!!!
    Maxine

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  23. Maxine, You will find dozens and dozens of secret doors in the Hollow. We are so glad you've found us!

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  24. Dear Cousin Jeri,

    It's hard to tell what size your wheel is but I wouldn't be surprised if it was a wheel that was used by an adult. Here is a link to a lady that has an old small wheel that she thinks is from Eastern Europe:

    http://theknitknack.wordpress.com/2012/02/24/not-childs-play-its-a-flax-wheel/

    I can't tell what the condition of the flyer is on your wheel. It would be so fantastic if you could spin some wool on this wheel! You could spin on it like the Miller's daughter in Rumpelstiltskin! I know you could do it! I've never met a flax wheel that I couldn't spin some wool on, too! Does the flyer (the horseshoe shaped piece) have metal hooks? The flyer in the link doesn't have any hooks.

    Love your collections, you do have many cozy corners! 'Tis a Starr tradition to have many collections of interest!

    Your cousins,
    Diane and daughter Sarah, and the Dolls and Tillie Tinkham the seamstress mouse at Corgyncombe

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    1. Diane and Sarah, yes the little hooks are intact. The wheel is 10 1/2 " in diameter. I went to the link you provided, it is exactly like mine, including the Paint job! Thanks for the information, I thought you would know.

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  25. So beautifully cozy, dear Jeri! Your home is one Tasha Tudor would feel quite comfortable in, I would imagine! :) I would cuddle up with a good read, hot tea, and purring kitty cat, and be perfectly content until Spring!
    Carefully curated, and lovingly tended-to...of course,here is the inspiration for your exquisite books....you have created a most warm and splendid home....
    Thank you so much for so generously sharing your home with us....
    Hugs and blessings,
    - Irina

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    1. Irina, I think Tasha would feel at home here too, AND in my barn!

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  26. Oh my, Jeri... L O V E !!!! Spinning wheels, stenciling, samplers, teapots, bird's nests, hornet's nests, historical collections, vignettes, ... so much of nature and beauty and function and skill... I think we are secret blood sisters. It fills my soul to see that you live surrounded with this and appreciate it everyday.
    I truly love spinning...so soothing while at the same time creating by hand a very usable pliable substance to create something else with.
    And I remember you telling me about your Britannia teapot just like an old one I use everyday. my lid is becoming a bit wonky now but still makes wonderful tea.
    Back in my house that burned down in the '90's I had stenciled all the walls in my youngest daughter's bedroom. What a satisfying project that was... loved it everyday I saw it.. I can still see it now but I have no record of it as all my pictures were destroyed too. but I see it clear as day.
    I could go on with all the things I relate to in your life but it would fill the page.
    I feel so much at home in your home... Thank you so much for sharing all the things you do.. You are a special woman!!!

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    1. Gwen, I do love living with beauty, collections and history, which is why I love the wonderful things you have done in your house and your property. I wish I was a better spinner, I just haven't time to practice. But when I do, that whir of the wheel is just comforting. Stenciling is so perfect in place of wallpaper, and it is satisfying seeing a flat wall come to life with design. Yes, we are soul sisters, that is for certain.

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  27. How wonderful to visit again...virtual tours take us back...I can smell the potpourri and feel the warmth of your home.
    My "me time" has been very limited, and I am excited that I will be regaining a "life" as little one will enter nursery school next week. It has been quite a year, adjusting to a toddler who has just turned 3...potty training, etc.... Oh MY!
    All will be well, though, and we look forward to all good things in this new year.
    Love and hugs to you, my kindred,
    Christie

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    1. Hi Christie! I'm still here. I can't seem to leave Jeri's blog! lol Thank you for "introducing" her to me :) I'm loving all about you, Jeri!

      Love,
      Denise of Ingleside

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