Antique Dry Sink ~ ~ ~

I'd like to thank everyone who entered my give~away and left such kind comments. Mary from Wooly Bear Woolens was the lucky winner. I got the nicest email from her and I do hope she likes the punch needle bunny.

OK. On to the dry sink. I thought the dry sink would be perfect in the dining room and when I finished my latest hooked rug, it would be perfect hanging over it. Well, it will be a while before the rug is completed and I decided to use the dry sink as a sofa table. Here is what I had behind the sofa before. I didn't think to take a picture before moving it. It is a Canadian dough box made of poplar that is huge. I didn't have anyplace to put it except in the spare bedroom. I think it's way to big, but it will remain there for the time being. The footboard from a rope bed (with matching headboard) was bought years ago on eBay for only $10.00! I did have to drive over two and a half hours to pick it up, but it was well worth it. It is a 3/4 size that my DSO converted to a full size. That man can do just about anything ~ lucky me ;-)
Anyway, back to the dry sink. Because it is positioned about 4 foot from an outside wall, it was hard to get a good picture. So what did I do? I opened the window and took the picture from the outside looking in. Neighbors must have thought I was nuts, but since it was an icky day, they were probably all inside their houses.

Here she is. She's about 48" wide x 30" high x 17" deep. I absolutely LOVE her and she was such a bargain. She is square nailed and each of the doors is one single board 17 1/2" wide! They don't build furniture like that anymore. I would guess she was built around 1860-1870.

Now I'm sure the knobs are replacements and so it the latch, but I'm no purist and buy pieces that I like. If I were to buy the "perfect" antique, I'd be so afraid of dinging it. I use all my cupboards, and if they get a new scratch or ding, it just adds to the character.

The top of the cupboard looking into the living room.

This old repair is on the left door. I didn't notice it until I brought her home (the barn housing the antique shop was not that well lit), but I love it!

Thanks to all of you who asked if I had gotten it and requested pictures!

Here's a picture of my foster pug Eema that I just had to share. I love when she has just the tip of her tongue sticking out of her mouth. I think it's because she has so many missing teeth. Remember, she was a puppy mill momma for seven years and I'm sure she did not receive good care. Thankfully, she is now living the good life of an Ohio Pug Rescue pug. I've had her for almost six months and when she finds her forever home, I will cry and cry and cry some more. I know some of you are wondering how I could give her up. Fostering is very bittersweet. I foster knowing the pug will leave me, but I do it because I want them to find a forever home where they can live the remainder of their life being spoiled and loved. If I have a foster failure, my fostering days would be over and right now there are 16 pugs in Ohio waiting to get in to foster care with the rescue. Statewide we have 60-70 pugs already in foster care looking for their forever home. Please, if you are looking for a pet ~ dog, cat, horse, even a skunk, consider a rescue pet!

For those of you who asked, my granddog Selene is a Newfoundland.

Thank you so much for stopping by and please come again soon!

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

And the Winner is ~ ~ ~

I'd like to thank

each and every one

who entered my give~away!

The winner is.....

Mary at

Wooly Bear Woolens.

Congrats, Mary.

Please email your address

{lauren@centurytel.net)

and I'll get this in Monday's mail.

A big thank you to all

who read my blog

and leave me comments.

Please come again soon!

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Last Minute Easter Give~Away ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ GIVE~AWAY TIME ~ ~ ~

I finally finished this little punch needle bunny this morning. You know how I am with the finishing process. I got the punching done a couple of weeks ago, but.... The punched area of this little piece is about 6" x 5".

The rules are simple. Leave a comment on this post only or drop me an email at lauren@centurytel.net and put give~away in the subject line and I will enter you in the drawing. I will draw the winner Saturday evening at 6pm.

March is birthday month in my family. Here's my grandson Jake. He turned 5 yesterday.

With my mom even though she doesn't have a March birthday.

Additionally, my younger son Jason (Jake's dad), MUCH older brother Bill who turned 60 (not really that much older...lol!), my beloved Auntie Anne (who passed away 20 years ago) and my granddog Selene all have March birthdays. Here's Selene about a hundred pounds ago.

Oh, and me, too.

Thank you so much for stopping by. I really do appreciate everyone who reads my blog. A big thank you to all my followers and to those who leave me comments.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Friday's hookin' ~ ~ ~

~ ~ ~ WELCOME FRIENDS ~ ~ ~

Thank you so much for dropping by. I hope everyone has had a great weekend.

Friday was hooking day at the library. The weather here on Ohio's north coast was absolutely gorgeous, so I think some of the hookers decided to take advantage of the weather and not spend the day in the basement of the library!

In a previous post, I showed you Sylvia's rug about 80% done. She just now is working on the binding even though the hooking was done ages ago. (I hope she's not taking lessons from me!) I could not capture the true colors in the first picture, but the two close-ups are a much better representation. Did I mention this rug is HUGE?

Deanna's cockscomb rug is nearing completion. It will definitely make a statement hanging on the wall!

Carol only had the upper left corner of the rug to finish when she ran out of wool. I'm sure the next time I see her it will be totally completed. She is one hooking machine! This is an adaptation of a 1940's rug.

Lisa just started on another antique adaption. Her colors are so old and worn looking. Lisa always picks the most perfect colors.

Mitsuko is hooking yet another antique adaptation. This is the same design Carol hooked recently. Carol came up with a very clever name for the rug, but it escapes me :( Kaye is just getting started on her rug.

Karin is hooking these love birds for a wedding gift. The colors are MUCH better in person.

Finally, my rug. I've started hooking Magdalena's horses. I swear, I don't think anyone could hook any slower than I do! In several hours, the only thing I hooked was part of the outline. I guess if it weren't for all the laughing and all the eating, I would have gotten more hooked. Mitsuko made the most wonderful Japanese rice dish ~ no Uncle Ben's here. Karin brought home made banana bread, Deanna a yummy spring mix salad with dried cherries and cashews and Andrea some cookies. If I've forgotten anyone, I apologize, but I just remember the things I ate...lol!

Last, but certainly not least, here's Andrea knitting a pair of socks on what I thought were teeny tiny needles. You must check out her blog! She and her sister (aka Farmer Gal) are starting a new farm venture (That'll Do Farm) with alpaca, goats, sheep, chickens, etc and will offer knitting and hooking get togethers and who knows what else. (With Andrea's sense of adventure and humor, the sky's the limit!) For those of you wondering, I did get my dry sink and I LOVE it. I'll post pictures soon ~ I promise!

I hope your week starts off with a bang.

Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Bed and Breakfast ~ Zoar, Ohio

~WELCOME FRIENDS ~

{{If you are not an antique lover or enjoy viewing lots of photos, just skip this post.}}

Today I'd like to share with you the most wonderful bed and breakfast located in Zoar, Ohio, called the Cobbler Shop Bed and Breakfast. If you enjoy early antiques, you would LOVE this place. This is my second time staying there and I highly recommend it. Breakfast is wonderful too ~ no need for lunch after that feast.

This is building #22 in Zoar, Ohio. It is an early 19th century dwelling that was originally the village cobbler shop. It made all the shoes and boots for the community and could house as many as three families. It is listed on the National Registry as part of the historic district of Zoar Village. That's my friend Wink on the left, and Sandy, the owner, on the right.
Part of the garden looking from our bedroom window.
Garden statuary
Sandy has the most marvelous collection of wall boxes!




German kugels hanging in the dining room windows

Looking in to the kitchen ~ the cupboard at the far end is a Soap Hollow piece.
I love the way she has displayed the cookie cutters on an antique peel.
Take a gander at these dough bowls in original paint!
Stone fruit. It was because of Sandy I learned of stone fruit.
Staffordshire dogs. WOWZA!
Rockingham pottery on an early whale tail shelf (with many whale tails!).
Isn't this hooked angel sweet? It is hanging high over a doorway.
Early chalkware animals
Close ups

Stencilled stair risers

I hope you have enjoyed my tour of the Cobbler Shop B & B. Sandy also an antique shop adjacent to the B & B. If you're in the neighborhood, stop by and tell her Lauren said hi!

Pug hugs :)

Lauren

Wink and a Trip to Zoar ~ ~ ~

Oh, I am so lucky!  My friend Wink (aka Mary) and I go way back!  We met in 1972 in Madrid, Spain.  She was a graduate student, I was an undergrad.  We spent the summer studying and at the end of the quarter, we travelled through Spain and into France.  We visited the Eiffel Tower, but being poor college students, we could not afford the cost of going to the top.  Back in '72, "Europe on $5.00 a Day" was a very popular book.  We actually did it for much less, subsisting on tuna fish and bread.  To this day, I still don't like tuna fish from a can...lol! 

This little design (slightly modified) was a freebie from Blackbird Designs.  The ironic part is that Wink has redone a spare room and designated it the "Paris room".  I had no recollection of that, but the floss in this little cross stitch piece is the color of her bedspreads.  Kind of scary, no?  This was a fun little design to stitch.  I had forgotten how much I enjoyed counted cross stitch.  I simply turned back the raw edges and blind-stitched it.  It measures approximately 5 1/4" x 8" on 26 count linen, two over two.

About 25 years ago as a joke, I started her a salt and pepper collection.  Each time I see her and for her birthday and Christmas, she gets a new pair.  The criteria is that they be cheap and tacky.  These were cheap, but not as tacky as some that I have gotten her.  Generally the limit is $2 to $3, but one time I paid $6 or $7 for a pair of S & P's that were boobs.  She has gotten pairs of feet, outhouses, animals and many, many more.

As a special gift, she treated me to a night in Zoar, Ohio, at the most wonderful bed and breakfast, which I will share with you in my next post.

Zoar, Ohio, was founded by German religious dissenters in 1817.  The Separatists, or Zoarites, emigrated from Germany due to religious oppression from the Luthern Church.  They did not practice baptism or confirmation and did not celebrate religious holidays except the Sabbath.  It was a communal society.  It is now part of the Zoar Village State Memorial.

Most of the buildings in Zoar were not yet open for the season.  It was a dreary rainy day, but I managed to take a few pictures.

This is the Zoar Hotel.  I believe it is not currently being used.

This is the Number One House, built in 1835.

There are several log cabin dwellings in the historic area.  I believe this is the chandlery.

One of the many bed and breakfasts.

If you are ever in north eastern Ohio, a stop in Zoar is a must.  There are several antique shops in town, and in August, there is a very high end antique show.  The Zoar Store will open April 1 and will be selling quality made in America items.  It is very near Ohio's Amish country where many more antique shops, malls, and stores carrying Amish goods can be found.

Wink also gave me this wonderful With thy Needle and Thread punch needle pattern. 

I am so lucky and truly blessed to have had such a wonderful friendship for so many decades!

My next post will highlight the Cobbler Shop Bed and Breakfast.

OH!  I sold my Rigby wool cutter so I am hoping to buy the dry sink.  The antique shop won't be open until Thursday so I will call them then.  I hope it's still there ;-)

Thank you for stopping by.

Pug hugs :)

Lauren