Piddlin’ Decor – Page 2

Piddlin’ Wish List | Antique Rugs

‘pressed while snackin’ on Trader Joe’s multi-grain pretzel nuggets + cookie butter

Hello there! It’s been a little while! Our second baby girl arrived in late October + oh, what a morning it was. We’ve been savoring her mellow soul, serene eyes + warm snuggles for the past few weeks in her journey from newborn to infant.

These days there is a bit of a changed motive for me when it comes to piddlin’. After two babies, a recent out-of-state move + the start of a new year, I have been keen to thin out the absurd number of “things” we have amassed as a family in the past few years–despite my best efforts to “tidy” a la Marie Kondo. It has even become terribly difficult to continue to accept gifts of any kind because we as a family just don’t “need” anything! We are blessed beyond measure.

On that note, I give you a post -perhaps the first of many- that is an excerpt of a recurring daydream of mine. It is a vision of a home that is simple, warm + seasoned with love, a place free of judgement + chock full of the most intentional kind of hospitality.

Over time, I have come to deeply appreciate the artisanship of beautifully woven rugs, each from far away + long ago. I have only begun to scratch the surface on the heritage of these incredible works of art, but look forward to perusing many a library book on the subject, soon! Here are a few Persian or Turkish woven wonders that have caught my eye during recent early morning musings. See more antique + antique inspired rugs on my “piddlin’ wish list” via Pinterest.

May your Winter Saturday be full of warmth!

| keep piddlin’!

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Piddlin’ Decor | Gameday Mug

We start our Saturdays in The South with ESPN College Gameday, a strong cup of coffee + the occassional Bojangles biscuit!

Having a mug with team mascot/logos gets bonus points:

Here’s a toast to your season-may it be better than The Gamecocks’ has been so far + if not, may your coffee be strong + your Saturdays be busy!

| keep piddlin’!

Piddlin’ Decor | Boat Oars

‘pressed while singing “Row row row your boat…” (tongue in cheek)

These are one of my all-time-favorites-buy-whenever-you-see-them kind of piddlin’ finds!

Boat oars or paddles are classic antiques to have around the home + porch…below are a few glimpses of the two we have at our nest (an unmatched pair-which adds to the charm in my opinion) as well as a few fun ideas from around the web!

I have always sat these oars together for some added texture + interest in an otherwise boring corner of my home, but I always dream about how I may end up using these in a myriad of other ways! lf baby no. 2 is a boy, I can very easily see them in his room from day one to hold curtains, as I have always wanted to use them for this type of DIY:

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…on second thought, these would certainly be handy in case we find ourselves navigating through “Waterworld” this weekend! I kid–! Though, we will be hunkering down for a good old fashioned hurricane party this weekend.

This is a culture my husband + I have grown up with for the past three decades so we are highly accustomed to protocols and precautions of being in a hurricane’s path. This is not to say we are in some way exempt from the dangers and warnings, rather we have been a part of making decisions like these for sometime and know what sort of safety hazards + damage timeline we are preparing to see. We have family in town–also staying–if things go from bad to worse and we need reinforcements, so don’t anyone worry about us for a second.

So for now, happy decorating!

| keep piddlin’
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Piddlin’ Decor | Gameday Chalkboards

Some houses have just one team they cheer for on Saturdays, but in our home we have at least two we follow each weekend in the Fall, so it’s helpful to have a schedule handy! … It also helps us keep track of which team flag we’re to fly out front–best ranked gets the honors.

I love everything about vintage chalkboards, so this is just a no brainer for Gameday Piddlin’ Decor! Class it up with a gold frame, or dress it down with a more rustic or traditional school board frame:

This chalkboard was once used at an area church for Sunday school lessons! I love when I pick up a piece with a story.

This won’t be the last time you see me “talk” about my love of chalkboards! Wouldn’t I just love to find a massive board on a stand with casters?! Ohh-an antique lovin’ girl can dream! Let me know if you see one in your travels–please!

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Cheers to Week 4 of College Football! …as always, may the best team win!

| keep piddlin’

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Piddlin’ Decor | Gameday Cowbells

How was your Week 2? Whelp, things around our house got a little rocky…

It was tough enough for our “house divided” heading into last Saturday knowing we’d have two games to watch simultaneously. However, as we have done many times before, we raised our split flag out front, set up our two TVs + settled in for the long night.

Things started out pretty pitiful for The Gamecocks, but they went from bad to worse following a long weather delay in Starkville, Mississippi followed by a flailing, second-half, Hokie team in Bristol + all in all, it made for a rather unpleasant night of football watching.

Despite over 500 miles between our two game venues there was an obvious theme–the annoying reiterance of two well-known + beloved (by many) gameday traditions: the Tennessee Volunteers’ catchy-at-first fight song, “Rocky Top” + the clanging cowbells of the Mississippi State Bulldog faithful. (read more about the cowbell tradition here)

Here’s a screenshot of a handful of the many who were either fussin’ over or celebrating the resounding State cowbells on twitter during our game Saturday …do y’all want some cheese with that whine?!

I have always loved the sound of a simple dinging cowbell–that is, a single bell by it’s lonesome, or even the strands of bells seen around the holidays, mostly for the bucholic visions it brings to mind– however it certainly became it’s own entitity among the crowd at Davis Wade on Saturday. Gamecock fans present, went from outnumbering Vanderbilt at home in Week 1 to fading into the similarly colored sea of maroon–and cowbells! Yikes…rough start to our season.

I believe wholeheartedily that gameday traditions are what they are + if they adequately deter from a game, well then your team should come up with something to overcome it– it’s part of how you play the game– I digress.

This is my antique cowbell that I found in my early piddlin’ days… it is a rusty, perfectly patinated thing of beauty and each time I pick it up, I imagine the farm animal that once wore it. It’s sound is one not often heard much anymore in its original fashion, but it brings an instant smile to my face–as long as it’s not naptime…

Whether the cowbells of Mississippi State have worn on your last nerve or not, you have to admit it’s a pretty unique tradition + a no brainer to share with you here today!

Here’s to another fun weekend of football–

| keep piddlin’

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Piddlin’ Surcies | Granny’s Planters

‘pressed while baking my last batch of cookies

Prior to my piddlin’ days, I would see these greek key cement planters + not think much of them. They seemed like they were everywhere-a dime a dozen. Until my Granny passed away + the pair that sat on her ne’er frequented front porch–seemingly year round with potted poinsettias from Christmas past–were gifted to me on my birthday. Because they were once hers, I now admire them + their iconic style with a certain nostalgia each + every time I step through my door.

We filled these special vintage planters with a few of my favorites–caladiums + ferns– on Mothers’ Day with my little girl’s help. I like to think Granny Mabel saw us in action + got a smile out of seeing us finally putting a little dirt in them. Isn’t it funny how something so mundane can become so meaningful, just by using a small ounce of thought or making the simplest of gestures?

I hope I get to hold onto these long enough to pass them on to my daughter + I pray she will learn to recognize value in something otherwise ordinary.

| keep piddlin’!

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Piddlin’ Decor | It’s Gameday

Cheers to you, College Football fan!!

Today is the day we kickoff another season on the gridiron, between the hedges, in the grove or in some other hallowed arena. Tonight + all through the weekend (unless of course your team has already kicked off in some far corner of the world), we’ll be cheering, crowing, gloating + perhaps groaning at our teams that represent those assembled + gone before “in the glory days”.

In honor of all those years we spent studying at our alma mater with our fellow co-eds + walking campus alongside the seemingly super-human student athletes, we will watch in hope + we will cheer to see if that “University of”, “State” or “Tech” College will mystify us with an elusive undefeated season + if not, we’ll keep watching in order to hedge our bets on how our odds fare against that big bad rival sitting at the bottom of our schedules.

The magic + nostalgia of each of those worlds we lived in once upon a time, however brief or long the chapters ran in our lives, give us a special feeling about this day. It feels like Christmas with the shiny new helmets + a sparkling clean record to preserve.

No matter how you choose to celebrate today, this weekend + the months ahead, we cannot ignore the time-honored traditions that make the cheering-good, bad + otherwise- a little more bearable. I hope to share a few of these with you through the college football season.

I found this impossibly cute Carolina bobble head in the most unlikely of all places-my brother’s small college town of Newberry, South Carolina. It remains one of my favorite piddlin’ finds of all time + I will relish the day that I finally have a proper place for him to look over us on Gamedays spent in our sports room! As for the signed football- it’s not an antique quite yet, but as of this season, it is well on its way!

May the best team win…stay tuned for more fun piddlin’ finds to use at your next tailgate!
| keep piddlin’

Piddlin’ Trips | Functional Finds from The Queen City + Beyond

‘pressed on the road, at nap time + a polished off after supper
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One October past, I took an impromptu solo road trip to Charlotte, North Carolina to peruse some of my favorite piles of junk at Metrolina’s Antique Extravaganza! Oftentimes, my love of discovering old things sends me off in new directions exploring unfamiliar or less frequented territory; this is key to finding the gems that keep me coming back for more.

The slightly foggy morning set the tone for this piddlin’ trip!

Is there anything better than fresh kettle korn from out of the copper pot?

It was fun flying solo on a crisp fall morning to one of my first out of town stomping grounds, but there truly were not many finds to be had.

Little did I know, this trip would break the mold!

It seems to me, that as decorating with old things has grown in popularity, the prices continue to rise at the more frequented stops + the search for a bargain find has become more + more competitive. I did manage to find a couple of very useful treasures, as luck would have it –behold the jackpot items below!

[>] This green hardware trough {pictured above} has found the perfect spot in our home in a number of ways, most recently as my cutout cookie co. packaging supplies organizer for the past year and a half + prior to that, it effectively + beautifully corralled the cache at my surcie-wrapping station {two of my other hobbies: baking + packaging//presentation}.

After our upcoming move at the end of the year, it will most likely find a new life as the perfect gardener’s assistant atop a potting bench, or even help sort my handy husband’s tools on his workbench…stay tuned for more on all that!!

[>] The second find of the day was a perfectly-sized box for our dog bowls! It was purchased with a specific idea in mind- i.e. cutting bowl sized holes into the top of the overturned box to place the bowls inside the top slats {or bottom depending how you look} so they sit flush with the flat side of the container. This saves our sweet {aging} pup from having too much pressure on his back/joints while eating + drinking while keeping up with the vintage feel of our home–all in all, it’s a big win!

For now, we are using the bowls on top of the box because we wanted to make sure our boy would not have any qualms with the new set up– and sure enough, he loves it!

I am not sure that I want to cut into such a great box just yet…I love the aged look of the wood + can hardly stand to even think of repurposing such a great old container in such a permanent way; there are SO many great uses for a box of this size! Either way, we love this addition to our family room + it’s safe to say the pup does too.

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The Depot at Gibson Mill was my second stop + replaced my usual haunt on this trip, The Sleepy Poet. Since my first piddlin’ trip to Charlotte some years ago I had seen The Depot advertised all over, yet had never had the chance to make the trip to Concord, a bit outside of The Queen City limits.

When I pulled up to Gibson Mill, my senses were on overload; from the country drive into town + the train that speeds by adjacent to the parking lot, to the sight of the monstrosity that is the mill housing The Depot–how would I ever get through this entire place without my trusty sidekick pickin’ beau?! The initial daunting feelings quickly evaporated when I came upon the most amazing item I had seen in some while…

[>] A perpetual calendar was waiting for me in the fifth booth down, on the first aisle I chose. I could hardly believe my piddlin’ eyes as the rush of disbelief + excitement came over me just laying eyes on this item. I held my breath as I picked up the calendar to see what the price would be: $21?! Another item scratched off the antique wish list, unreal. I was one aisle + five booths in and already began thinking– Gibson Mills FTW!

[>] Speaking of wins…not many paces away down the same aisle, was this classic college pennant tin trash can which I had recently seen featured in Country Living…what luck!! I cannot wait to see this in our finished sports room–another project that is currently many years in the works, thanks to our collecting-albeit discriminating- habit. Check out the matching lunch pail we found a few years back, while spending Thanksgiving on the coast of North Carolina…

What a great trip it was to Charlotte–just writing about it makes me eager to head back! Who’s up for a Fall piddlin’ trip?!

There is simply nothing better than piddlin’ in Autumn. Oh, I cannot wait for the cooler months to grace us with their presence: crisp air, crunchy leaves, football, pumpkin spice everything + piddlin’– bring it on.

| keep piddlin’!

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This post is published in homage to Metrolina: one of the first antique “shows” I ever attended as well as the first place I successfully bargained with a vendor. June 2 was the last show and I am elated for the future it opens up for finding new haunts at better prices! Memories made there will not be soon forgotten.

Piddlin’ Decor | Polished Powder Room

When a collection of vintage framed photographs + artwork 5 years in the making finds a new purpose in a tiny wash closet, the result is a polished powder room! See how a few piddlin’ finds came together below:

This project has been years in the making- no exaggeration. The wheels have been spinning on this room since I moved into the townhouse my architect beau acquired + fixed up prior to our meeting. Upon my arrival on the scene, he had taken off at least one layer of wallpaper + turned this wash closet into a functional + modern powder room with dark slate tiles, wainscoting, a small vanity sink, a n d…butter yellow paint.

The blah yellow had left me feeling washed out for the last time- it had to go.

About the time I found myself daydreaming about the fun, punchy, patterned wallpapers that were sure to be the quick fix I was looking for, I was convinced otherwise by my architect husband that wallpaper–i.e. the same stuff he had so painstakingly removed from almost every wall in our home once already– would certainly not be the way to go + so I was tasked to pick a paint color.

F i f t e e n…paint chips + a few weeks later, with the help of my alarmingly astute toddler “we” picked Urbane Bronze from Sherwin Williams + I could not be happier with how it turned out! It’s bold, earthy + warm without bringing too much purple or blue + has a hint of olive that reminds me very much of the pluff mud of my coastal upbringing.

The extras: I LOVE how the antique ladder-turned-towel rack, the preserved mini boxwood wreath that adorns it, the repurposed sterling creamer {pretty polished or tarnished} + the paint color chosen, all work together to compliment the salon style art on the walls {featuring a mixed motif of coastal inspired art + vintage group photos} As a result, this is currently + perhaps rather oddly, my favorite room in our home.

| More exciting piddlin’ adventures to come…

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Piddlin’ Finds | Staffordshire Spaniels

These little gems were part piddlin’ find and part sursie, as I found them a few weeks back in my mom’s booth. They were given to her by a friend as a donation to her antique habit (I get it honest) and as fate would have it, they ended up coming home with me one day after meeting up with mom at the antique mall.

We call these “Staffordshire” for short, but they have a long history and many names dating back to the 19th century. It’s no secret that Englishmen and women, like Americans have always had a special place in their homes for dogs, and the British Royals of the past, present and future aren’t any different. Spaniels could be seen throughout art and history as the royal dog of choice, and this preference dates back to the days of Queen Victoria. I could go into plenty of boring detail here about how to determine a “real” Staffordshire pair from a “really fake” pair, but here is all you really need to know. They have always been made of clay or ceramic and are generally found sitting atop a mantle in the UK/sometimes bookshelves stateside. Traditionally they were figurines depicting King Charles Cavalier Spaniels (much like Queen Victoria’s beloved dog, Dash) and also were traditionally hand painted, as are most fine antiques. Today there is a vast array of types of dogs portrayed and painting methods, as well as various and sundry other details that the trained eye can easily spot. Scroll to the bottom for more details.

…just because something isn’t authentic doesn’t mean you can’t collect it!

These particular pretty little King Charles Cavalier figurines are quite the faux reproductions, however this brings up an important lesson for all piddlin’ fans alike: just because something isn’t authentic doesn’t mean you can’t collect it. Don’t be silly- after all, if an old thing strikes your fancy, then by all means enjoy it! Some collectors can be too serious and turn the hobby into more of a competitive sport. To me it’s not about how many authentic, valuable things we find and stow away in our home, it’s about the nostalgia and the meaning each found object takes on in our home. As soon as an item looses it’s meaning or personal value, it will certainly be finding it’s way right back to the antique mall for another piddler to discover and take home to cherish.

Isn’t that what “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure” means after all?!

–You can read a little bit more about these classic mantlepieces’ history on Wikipedia, here. Now, now for those of you in a tizzy over finding authentic pieces only, I have found a couple of links to help you get started on that hunt! Take a look at what Houzz has to say about the timeless treasures here, and then take a peek at “Real or Repro” here. Also, please feel free to share your comments below about your favorite type of figurines or maybe how you determine their authenticity. Do you have Staffordshire in your home? Where do you display yours?

Thanks for stopping by!

| Keep piddlin’

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