TONIGHT on Early Work Mercantile...

Here's a peek at my February offerings!

Folk Art Dutch Hare



He's baaaaaackk!
Finnjamin the Amphibian



Little Hortense the Heart-Head



Just click on the banner below to go directly to my selling page.




Hope to see you there!!

:> )

Another Wallpaper Pretty...

Unfortunately I am SOL as far as that one particular floral wallpaper design I was looking for goes. I contacted many companies and came up with nothing. Oh well...

But one of the companies did give me some links to other floral designs I might be interested in. Out of all of them, I took a real shine to only one.

It is a sweet, rose trail design. In my eyes, perfect for an old, 1800's farmhouse.







The sample arrived today. So I grabbed my blue painters tape and camera and proceeded to run up the stairs to our bedroom with the sample.

Oooooh, I think this could be the one...



As I mentioned I only want to wallpaper one wall. Which happens to be the wall in these photos.



The only thing I'm not digging is some of the leaves (although match my wall color perfectly), have a sheen to them. I'm not a shiny kind of gal and prefer the wallpaper to be a matte finish.



Maybe I'll just have to get over the "shiny" leaves.



Well, that's it for now. I have to get back to my 6.5 lbs little, furry patient. ♥

Happy Wednesday, all.

:> )

Doggy Déjà vu...

Our poor, little old timer Gracie. She was acting a little odd on Sunday. Make that odder than normal. Chihuahuas in general are adorable, strange, little dogs.



When I picked her up and looked her over, I noticed a bump near her butt that wasn't there in the morning. I immediately knew what was going on. The dreaded infected anal gland. If any of you have ever had that happen to your furbaby, you can no doubt feel her pain. Man, I felt so bad for her!

I showed my sweet hubs and we both agreed we didn't want her to wait another day for normal vet office hours. We thought it best to bring her in for a Sunday evening emergency visit.

Now let me put this into perspective. Gracie does not do well at the vet's office. Ever. Period.
She may be a tiny 6.5 lbs, but she gets some kind of crazy, canine Incredible Hulk strength. I can't explain it. But I have witnessed it first hand once. Only once.

If you'd like to read about my vet visit with her back in 2008, I posted about it.
CLICK HERE for that crazy story and enjoy.

When my sweet hubs asked me to go along for the ride (she also does not do well in the car), the look on my face answered his question.

So off to the vet my sweet hubs and Gracie did go. About 45 minutes later, I see them pull in the driveway. I ran outside to see how it went. "Well???" I asked, "How did she do??"

He started to laugh as he scrolled through a few photos on his phone showing me this...



Her new nickname is Gracie "Lector." (Remember the movie Silence of the Lambs?)

Yep, it was Doggy Déjà vu all over again! Needless to say, Gracie didn't disappoint and did a 2008 repeat performance... The Houdini move and all!

My sweet hubs said the vet techs couldn't believe how she whipped that muzzle off her face with her front paws.
Eventually my sweet hubs got it back on her face and the vet was able to drain and clean out her little, butt gland.

I can only imagine how painful that was and still is. But it had to be done. She's still ticked at my sweet hubs for bringing her there.

So I've been giving her lots of extra love and attention. Stella isn't dealing very well with that.

Happy Tuesday, all.

Remember to keep an eye on those butt glands.
Not yours. Your dog's.

:> )

Here I go again...

I'm back on a wallpaper mission.

I think it was about 8 or 9 months ago I mentioned trying to find a certain wallpaper pattern I had in our bedroom at our old house. It was a beautiful antique rose pattern. I contacted just about every wallpaper company. But came up snake eyes. They no longer made it.

As I'm sitting here today still congested and feeling like cr*pola as the lake effect snowstorm is pounding our area, I've been spending time on Pinterest. My oh my how I LOVE Pinterest!!



Well, I found another floral pattern that I am completely smitten with and must find! But I have no idea how to find out who makes this pattern. Heck, or if they even make it anymore!

Here it is.



Now if your not the antique floral wallpaper kind, don't answer the next question. But if you are...

Isn't that wallpaper beautiful??!!!

I'll bet my sweet hubs will be "thrilled" with floral wallpaper in the bedroom again. For the record, it's been almost 16 years since we've had floral wallpaper. It's time! Besides, I only want to do one wall. I think he'll survive.

Happy Tuesday, all.

P.S.
If anyone has any info on this wallpaper, PLEASE be so kind as to let me know. I'll be much obliged.

:> )

Man, am I stubborn...

I was determined to make my "bakery" sign.

So I sneezed and coughed all over, but I got it done.
YaY **ACHOO** me!! ((giggle))
Like I said, I'm stubborn.



It didn't come out too bad either. Especially since I could barely keep my watery peepers open.

Awwww, thanks for the get well wishes. ♥
It's just a really annoying sinus/head cold. I'll be fine and back to my ol' self next week.


Hey Jinxie, here's my Homemade Chicken Soup Recipe. It's pretty basic and old school. But it'll cure whatever ails you!



To make the stock.
Toss into stew pot the following:
whole chicken fryer
3 celery stalks
3 whole carrots (Don't peel)
2 whole onions
4 chicken boullion cubes
Parsley flakes
S&P to taste
Fill pot with water and cover.



Low simmer all of the above for 2 hours. During those 2 hours, I skim off some of the chicken fat.

This next part is a little time consuming:
Remove onions, celery stalks and carrots.
Remove chicken from pot and pull meat off the bones.
Place the meat back into stew pot.

Add:
3 chopped celery stalks
3 chopped carrots (don't peel)
I like to add more parsley flakes.

Cover and simmer for another hour.

Cook up some Polish Kluski noodles. Or noodles of your choice. But trust me. The kluskis are the way to go.



There you have it! I've always made my chicken soup this way. As did my mother and grandmother.

If I could take it intravenously, I would!

Happy Saturday, all.

:> )

Now it's my turn...

I spent all last week taking care of my sweet hubs as he battled a bad cold. The poor thing. He looked and felt like h-e double hockey sticks. So I made him a big pot of chicken soup to help ease his misery.
It's seems every January he catches some kind of cootie.

When I woke up this morning feeling like h-e double hockey sticks I knew it was time to make yet another pot of chicken soup. Man, I thought I was in the clear, too! Drat!

Ummm... To all my dear vegan friends, please divert your eyes now!



So I will wallow in my cootie misery (and chicken soup) as I think about all the things I should be doing. But don't have the energy to do them.

On a happier note... I will spend my time watching The Three Stooges movie. Yeah, I know it's been out for a few years. What can I say? I'm a late bloomer.



If you are not a Stooges fan, this movie is not for you. But if you most "soiently" are...

You must see it!
I swear, Sean Hayes, Chris Diamantopoulos and Will Sasso channeled their inner Three Stooges. They definitely nailed it.

Silly, slapstick humor is the best medicine. That and chicken soup.

See you in the funny papers.

:> )

Today in United States History...

In 1790 President George Washington delivers the first State of the Union address to the assembled Congress in New York City.



Teach.

♥

I've spent these past few days cleaning like a maniac...

so I thought it best to snap some photos of my kitchen while it's almost spotless. I have no problem admitting this place is never spotless because I prefer to live in my home. I'm sure if you look closely you will spot some crumbs on the floor I tried to brush away with my sock. ((giggle))

My main reason for posting these photos is to share with other novice DIY'ers. Or better yet, help to inspire/motivate others to give cosmetic home improvements a try themselves.

I'll list paint colors, brands and any other info I can post. I so appreciate other bloggers who share photos of their homes and what they did to update them. It helped me when deciding my kitchen colors.

I can honestly say that after 15 years of living in this 1800's farmhouse, I now have my (very modest, budget friendly) dream kitchen.
I haven't added up the total cost. I'm not sure I want to. Eeeks!
But I do know it was a heck of a lot cheaper than if we were to pay someone to do what my sweet hubs and I have done. There is no doubt about it.
We put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into it. We also had a blast at times and hysterically laughed our way through.



Wall color: Behr Hazelnut Cream
All Beadboard color: Behr Ivory Mist
Trim and cabinets color: Behr Powdered Snow
Vaulted ceiling color: Behr Ivory Mist
Faux Tintile Ceiling Tiles: Global Specialty Products
Crown Molding: Behr Powdered Snow
Braided area rugs: Overstock . com



All knobs and bin pulls: knobsandpulls. com





I removed all the hinges and spray painted them with Rustoleum satin black.





Cape Dory Top Mount Cast Iron Single Bowl Kitchen Sink by Kohler
Glacier Bay Bridge Kitchen Faucet
Listello Tiles: Menards
I've never tiled before in my life. It was kind of fun!





Formica 180fx Soapstone Sequoia laminate countertop in Scovato finish and Ogee IdealEdge. Home Depot installation.



Jenn-Air Downdraft Gas Cooktop: Local Jenn-Air dealer
Cooktop Trim Kit: Micro-Trim Inc.



Red Doors: Behr Awning Red



China Hutch: Behr Sandstone Cliff
Vintage Murphy Ironing Board and other accent furniture: Behr Black Suede
Hampton Bay Wood Architectural outlet and light switch covers



Americana Antiqued Flag Walls painted by me. (Hey, I'm going to give myself a plug too.)



I put Allen & Roth beadboard wallpaper on old, ugly bifold doors: Lowes
Then added decorative strap hinges meant for garage doors: Home Depot







Beautiful vintage Windsor dining room set and solid maple butcher block are Craigslist finds. So is the china hutch.
Don't let the media scare you from looking at Craigslist. If it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. But then again I am reminded of the practically new Jenn-Air electric downdraft cooktop we got for a mere 25 bucks. I still can't believe that one!
The majority of people selling on there are legit. But there will always be predators and evil in this world. Remember to use your brain, have a little common sense and you can score some awesome finds. You could also practice your Second Amendment right and feel just a little safer in this world.

I'll share again our kitchen (blast from the past) when we first moved in.



Heck, I don't even recognize it!

Anyway... There you have it. I think I covered pretty much everything we did over the past year and then some. We're both so happy with the outcome that my sweet hubs mentioned he's ready to take on an upstairs remodel.
I responded with, "WHO ARE YOU AND WHAT DID YOU DO WITH MY HUSBAND?!!"

((giggle))

Happy Wednesday.
Now go paint a wall in your home.

:> )

She's finally all dolled up! YaY!

I've got her new Knobs and Pulls hardware on and filled her with vintage blue and white transferware and old white ironstone.

I had to fill in the old holes and drill new ones for the bin pulls. Man, what a pain in the can that was. I'm not one for measuring. I'm surprised no one heard me cursing as I threw the tape measure across the kitchen.













Remember what she looked like??



Yikes!!
Man, I didn't realize how dated and tired she looked. The poor thing.

She's a lot happier with her new paint job and hardware.



Now that I'm done with this project, Stella will be happier too.
I've been ignoring her and she's been giving me the wicked "stink eye" all day.

Enjoy your weekend!!

:> )

This vertical "Bakery" sign is a kitchen must...

Pinterest photo

So I dug through my stash of stencils and now have a project to work on.
Unfortunately it won't be as large.
Or made of metal.
But for the price to make my own (free), works for me!

Happy Saturday!!

:> )

Yippee!! It's 2016!!!

We so enjoy watching the Rose Parade every New Year's Day!!
It's such a wonderful, good ol' fashioned parade! Floats, marching bands, horses...

I'm a New Yorker, but I'll take the Rose Parade over the Thanksgiving Macy's Day Parade anyday. Shhh... Let's keep that between you and me. ((hee-hee))

Enjoyed all the floats but my favorite...





Gee, who would have thought??!! ((giggle))

Mount Rushmore is on my "Bucket List." Not sure I'll ever get there, but it's a nice thought.

Enjoy your New Year's Weekend, Everyone!!!

:> )