June Wildflowers Bouquet

These are Missouri wildflowers cut from starts I am planting. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

June Wildflowers Bouquet

In addition to adding a touch of nature and beauty to a room. I am going to add “relaxing” to the reasons why you should have a bouquet of flowers in your most-used room.

This is a bouquet of Missouri native wildflowers from a pile of plants someone tossed. The wildflowers were broken at the top of the plants so I cut them off and placed them in a jar of water before trimming the rest of the plants so I could more easily plant them in my garden.

By cutting off the flowering sections, the plants will concentrate their energy on establishing their roots in their new homes and may bloom again later in the growing season.

In the bouquet, there is a mixture of hardy perennials that will start blooming this month and continue until fall. How do I know?

In addition to having some of these already growing in my garden, I easily keep track of what is blooming in nature through Missouri Department of Conservation’s Natural Events calendar. These calendars are usually available October through the beginning of the new year.

Missouri Department of Conservation’s Natural Events calendar lists what wildflowers are in bloom. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

This wonderful annual calendar also has a natural event on every day of the week including when hummingbirds migrate and when honey bees swarm. This year, the honey bee swarm season began May 9, 2019.

These calendars are now staples in the beginning beekeeping classes I teach through Rolla Bee Club. It is helpful as a beekeeper to know what is blooming because that is the source of nectar and pollen for insects.

Now that you see the list of Missouri wildflowers in bloom, can you identify some of them in this flower bouquet?

Can you identify some of the Missouri wildflowers? (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Here is a hint, purple coneflowers are among these bouquet flowers.

And yes, I find it very relaxing to sit in my den sofa and look at the bouquet of flowers. Some of them are still opening up so it’s interesting to see the flower bouquet evolve as the flowers bloom.

Charlotte

Neighbor's Auction Gifts

My neighbor brought me these vintage items from a weekend auction. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Neighbor’s Auction Gifts

One of my neighbors surprised me today with a couple of vintage items she picked up at a weekend auction. We were meeting to try to identify the leaves of a tree she was interested in planting in her yard.. As we caught up on family news she gave me a couple of items that now are prominently part of my home decor.

If you notice the items we carry, they reflect my philosophy that we should surround ourselves with items that have good memories attached and yes, bring us joy. Although I have been clearing closets and donating items I no longer use or want this summer, I tend to keep things that make me smile. I think we need more smiles these days, don’t you?

Here are a couple of ways to inspire you to find gift items that will also bring joy to your family and friends:

One of my favorite garden residents are frogs. I have a lot of them, especially in my small front ponds. So does my neighbor, especially when the kids of another resident bring us buckets of spring peepers out of their swimming pool. We solemnly take them it, dump them in our small ponds and keep our fingers crossed that at least some of them will stay. We know the kids will come by later to check on them!

A friend gave me this print of orange poppies, each with their own frog. This sprint sits in the place of honor in the middle of my basement bookcase, where I have a tiny bar attached I call the “Bee Bar.”

The little oil and vinegar jars are now keeping the frogs company. I will now see those and remember all of the frogs we have shared over the years.

The oil and vinegar jars now are in my basement “Bee Bar” kitchen. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

As for the second gift, it is tied to where I live and all of the birds and bird houses I have set up around the property. Since I live on Bluebird Lane, my neighbor thought I needed this vintage blue glass bluebird, which is now keeping a couple of other gifts company on my den fireplace mantle. The glass swizzle sticks and glass jars were gifts from the glass blower and a Navy friend. The birdhouse was a gift from a publishing friend. The wooden bee was a gift from a local club where I spoke recently and now the bee has a friend in the bluebird.

The little bluebird has joined a gift bee from a lecture and a birdhouse from a friend. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

So considerate of my neighbor to share these with me and a reminder that you can bring joy to people with vintage as well as new items, the key is that they have something meaningful attached.

Charlotte

Spring Flowers Bouquet

My spring flowers bouquet on my den coffee table. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Spring Flowers Bouquet

It’s easy to think that a flower bouquet has to be carefully coordinated and immaculate so let me suggest another option. Welcome to my den and, more particularly, to the flower vase I keep filled on my den coffee table.

One of the ways to enjoy spring is to bring some of the flowers inside. Instead of cutting a whole bouquet at once, start with a few flowers and keep adding. Change the water every day or every other day, make a new cut at the bottom of the flower stem and remove whatever is starting to fade.

To add flowers, one would need to take a walk in the garden, preferably in the morning with flower snips to easily cut off a couple of flowers. Maybe even stop and admire them on the plant as you decide whether you want to cut them or not. Look at what may be visiting the flowers and what they are doing. Most flowers should have visitors on them this time of year.

I sometimes also take a jar with water so I can quickly add the cut flowers to water as I take them inside because I know I may get distracted. If you know you will make a quick trip around the garden then no need to take a jar with water, you are going to take them straight back to your kitchen and to your own flower vase.

In this bouquet, I started with two yellow roses still in bud form. I added the coral roses a couple of days later followed by three ox-eye daisies, one of my favorite Missouri native wildflowers.

Today I added beards tongue, another white Missouri wildflower, and the purple self heal, a particularly favorite native Missouri wildflower in the mint family.

Well, yes, I tend to have a lot of favorite flowers, wild or not.

I passed up several patches of self heal close to my hives; I didn’t want to deprive my bees of a potential source of nectar and pollen. As thunder rolled overhead, however, I decided the bees would be safe inside their hives and wouldn’t miss if I took a couple of flowers to enjoy.

Ah, there’s also one sprig of midnight blue Salvia I found already cut in the garden. Not sure what did that but the salvia is now spending a few more days in bloom, even if it is inside.

Two more flowers added to my coffee table flower bouquet. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

If your rose petals start going brown around the edges, do what florists do and carefully remove them. The flowers should be fine for several more days.

I just added another couple of flowers to the bouquet, can you tell what they are?

(Hint: bright yellow coreopsis, just starting to bloom this afternoon)

Charlotte

Hanging Bird Prints

Some of my vintage bird prints along a hallway. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Hanging Bird Prints

This is inspiration for those of you who have saved prints but still don’t have them hanging in their permanent location.

Over the years, I have collected a variety of vintage and new bird prints. They were partly inspired by a local bird artist whose original paintings I could not afford. When I first came across vintage bird prints, I would pick them up at thrift stores and sales, then tuck them away for later framing. When a couple of the prints were in good frames, those went up on a wall.

Last year, a workman damaged my mother’s Japanese silk print hanging in the hallway. The insurance company was fabulous, finding someone who could repair the silk.

When I hung it back up in its space in my business office hallway, I was reminded of the other bird prints. The Japanese screen is a scene of birds in trees over peony bushes, one of my favorite late spring flowers.

My mother’s Japanese print that inspired where to place the rest of bird prints. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I didn’t realize just how many I had collected over the years until I placed them all together in the hallway, starting with this large print.

This first bird print started the collection. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

They were mostly in oak frames, although a couple had more of a washed out color to the frames. Five still needed frames so I scoured local thrift shops to find something that was complimentary.

I didn’t want perfect matches but more similar colors and frame patterns. Actually it was harder to just find frames that fit the prints so I focused on that part of this project first.

The bird prints are not in matching frames but they do have similar trim. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

On the right side now is a print of western bluebirds and, on the left side, the side closest to my business office, a print of the bird artist who first inspired this collection.

David Plank is now a renown Missouri bird artist but when I first met him several decades ago, he was just starting his career. I made the mistake of telling myself I could buy his original work later. By the time I had the funds to do so, his prices were out of my reach so I settled on finding vintage bird prints.

My Eastern Bluebird print signed by Missouri artist David Plank. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

When I started to hang the prints, I thought I would have to reframe a few of the prints.

After I had them spaced and all on one wall, they looked quite nice and I have decided I don’t need to reframe any of them.

The older oak frames were treated with Howard RestoraFinish oak color and left to dry before hanging on the wall. The rest were all treated with Howard Feed N Wax to rehydrate the frame wood. The two Howard Furniture Refinishing products in a furniture refinishing kit are my go-to whenever I am working with cleaning up anything out of wood.

So here is the collection of bird prints now finished and hanging in the hallway opposite my mother’s Japanese silk screen.

The row of bird prints guiding me down my hallway. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I love walking by these prints, it makes me feel like I am also in the trees among the birds!

Charlotte

Storage Baskets

My collection of storage baskets in use by my garage entrance. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Storage Baskets

Baskets for storage have become, and continue to be, popular for home decor. In my house, however, they are more than decor, they are practical and handy for a variety of uses sometimes currently addressed with plastic.

I started to collect baskets that would fit my little metal book case at the house entrance from my garage. By having the storage space there, I can easily lean in and grab what I need without dragging mud through the house. Having the items easy to see also help me make sure the supplies are available.

The challenge in getting storage baskets to work for a specific space is to find sizes that will fit. I kept the available space measurement handy whenever I saw a basket so I could easily decide whether it would work.

The other decision is to settle on a basket style that was relatively available and one I liked. I ended up with this large weave basket in a honey color for inspiration.

I look for baskets with this color and weave. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

You can find similar baskets at big box stores. The ones I found that were similar to these started at $24.95 each with the larger ones $34.95 each.

With summer starting, you can save money and have some treasure hunting fun shop garage sales, auctions and thrift stores. Keep one basket handy or take a photo of the basket color and style so you have it easily available to match other finds. These baskets I use ranged from $1-$2 each. You do the math in terms of the cost of big box store baskets compared to thrift store finds.

If you are concerned about cleanliness, only pick up baskets that look brand new. I wash them with hot water and Dawn laundry detergent; then allow to dry.

If you are enterprising, you can also take a basket-weaving class and make your own baskets.

If you find something that will work to store items but isn’t a basket, pick something in the same color. On this shelf I have a wooden box with gardening supplies, see the box on the right in the middle shelf.

The baskets make a handy collection point. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

In addition to not using plastic and ready storage, now I also have a supply of easy to find baskets that I can use to carry things.

Actually they can also be used for storage in cabinets. I use baskets to sort out my freezer bags and storage containers in my kitchen. These baskets vary in color and weave but all have an easy handle to grab.

Baskets used for storage inside a kitchen cabinet. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Not an issue in most households but in mine, baskets tend to be quickly claimed for other purposes.

This was a woven basket I found at a thrift shop that I thought would work well to store magazines under my den coffee table.

Shirley Honey had different plans for my magazine storage basket. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

At least the basket made its way under the coffee table. Some baskets don’t make it that far before getting claimed for napping spots.

Storage baskets can also be used next to easy chairs and on top of cabinets. I love having them easily accessible to carry things, even if it is a sleepy cat!

Charlotte

Tiny Flower Vases

A close up of the toothpick holders turned flower vases. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Tiny Flower Vases

I like to include fresh flowers in most of our beekeeping classes and meetings. It’s a good reminder that bees have a special relationship to plants as nature’s matchmakers and that we wouldn’t have one without the other one.

I collect baskets with the same thought. Sometimes a flower vase can be set inside a basket to bring flowers into a room, just as this handmade quilt has Tulips in Basket.

In one of our late winter bee club meetings, several attendees were struck by the tiny flower vases holding early daffodils. One said she was looking for something similar for a wedding. Another said she would love to have some small flower vases to easily scatter fresh flowers around her house, something I can relate to and do.

The trick to finding tiny flower vases is to be creative. The “vases” at the meeting started their live as toothpick holders. The reason I like to use them for flowers is they have wider bases to hold water. None of the toothpick holders were the same but they were the same height.

Early daffodils cheered up this beekeeping meeting. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Some miniature orchid pots, the ones without holes in the bottom, also work well as tiny flower vases.

I once used asparagus cans with their paper removed as flower vases so you are only limited by your imagination.

Now can someone pass me a toothpick, please?

Charlotte

Framing Flower Prints

Framed flower prints now in my basement hallway. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Framing Flower Prints

A friend recently gave me these sweet US wildflower prints. No, they are not cut out of a book, the set was a reprint of flower plates found in US Wildflower books. Not wanting to spend the hundreds of dollars to have them professionally framed, I settled with five $2.99 per sheet of art paper a little darker than the actual prints.

A visit to area thrift shops turned up the ten 11x14 inch frames, seven matching and three with thinner frames.

They all had some wear along the frames so before adding the prints, I rubbed them with Howard RestorAFinish in Walnut. Counter-intuitive, I know, but over the years I have found using the walnut color on oak, for example, nicely covers nicks and keeps them covered.

After they were dry, I cleaned the glass on both sides, cut the art paper to size and added the flower prints.

I did think through which ones would look better in the different-sized picture frames. For example, I focused on the narrow edge frames at each corner to make sure the flowers were in the right direction.

The frames were hung so that I can read the flower names as I walk by although I recognize some by sight. The calla lilies, for example, are easy to spot in the flower prints without reading the name on the bottom.

I also placed the tiger lilies over the wall lamp, which nicely now illuminates the print.

The wall sconce now highlights the tiger lily print. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Here are all ten prints now lining my basement hallway. Can you see where the third mismatched frame is?

Here’s a hint, take a look at the print under the wall sconce.

The ten flower prints in my basement hallway. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I didn’t have to polish or do anything else to the wooden frames, with Howard RestorA Finish they now look good as new.

Now to tackle that gold strip on the wall sconce, maybe I should paint that silver?

Charlotte

Days of the Week Beekeeping Kitchen Towels

Days of the Week Beekeeping Kitchen Towels

It’s beginning to look like spring - or at least sound like spring where I live. We had almost a day of thunderstorms followed by a few hours of sunshine punctuated by a serenade of spring peepers, tiny frogs that can make a huge sound.

These warmer days are also a welcome sight for beekeepers since temperatures over 50F bring honeybees out of hives in droves. They are not only cleaning house in those warmer sunny days but they are also scouting for pollen. The sight of their packed legs returning to their hives is a sure sign that spring has almost arrived.

One of my friends decided she also wants to keep bees as I do but wasn’t sure about having the actual little flying machines in her garden. As a combined birthday and housewarming gift, I sent her a unique, one of a kind Days of the Week Beekeeping Kitchen Towels set .

Made in Missouri from brand new muslin towels we make ourselves, each of the 16x32 inch towels are hand embroidered with different beekeeping scenes, one for each day of the week. Just as we have in this gift set, I included a jar of honey from the Bluebird Gardens Apiaries to use in her tea.

She was thrilled. She said now she can claim to be a beekeeper and won’t get stung!

Charlotte

Santa Doll on His Way

Not a sleight but should still get this Santa to his destination! (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Santa Doll On his Way

One of my favorite handmade Santa dolls is on his way to Minnesota. Every handmade Santa doll is unique and the face of this one made me smile every time I saw it so I featured it on our home decor page banner.

Most of these Santa dolls are made out of cutter quilts for their suits, giving yet another way to repurpose these pre-loved handmade quilts. Cutter quilts are quilts that now only have pieces that are salvageable so are often cut up into pillows, stuffed animals and, in this case, Santa doll suits.

This Santa doll was a little different. He is wearing a burgundy red suit with a few patches, which is how I imagine the real Santa suit would be after all of those chimney visits!

To get this Santa doll ready for his box ride, I added a label inside his suit.

The last step, adding a label. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

All of our unique Santa dolls are shipped with a brand new, collapsible doll stand so they can be placed standing near a Christmas tree. The dolls also easily sit for posing on fireplace mantels, gift packages, doll chairs - and they are most definitely huggable.

Every Santa doll is shipped with a collapsible display stand for easy storage. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Just in case something happens to the shipping box, each Santa doll is tucked into a plastic bag only for the trip to their final destination. We recommend you store the Santa dolls as you would lap quilts and regular-sized quilts, in cotton pillow cases or cotton fabric. Plastic doesn’t allow the cotton to breath and can accelerate cotton fiber deterioration.

The Santa doll is in a temporary bag only for shipping. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Oops, almost forgot to add the good wishes!

This Santa doll is also delivering good wishes. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

A little bubble wrap to keep Santa doll from moving around in the box and off he goes. Not exactly a sleigh with reindeer but it should get him to his final destination nevertheless so that he can continue to make wishes come true!

Charlotte

Kitchen Towels Headed Down Under

Sunbonnet Sue with Cats Kitchen Towels Headed Down Under

You have probably heard of the traditional Sunbonnet Sue quilt with a little girl in a gardening hat and long dress, a favorite applique pattern from mid-Century. I know you know about cats so this custom kitchen towel set combined both into different scenes, one for each day of the week.

When the kitchen towel set sold, it was now my job to decide which of the seven custom hand-embroidered kitchen towels would get our label.

At first I thought I would sew the label into this scene where Sunbonnet Sue is picking up one of the cats.

Two cats keep Sunbonnet Sue company in this custom kitchen towel. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Then I thought I should pick another scene where Sunbonnet Sue is walking while she carries a basket of apples. This set is headed to Australia so maybe a travel theme was more appropriate than playing with cats.

Sunbonnet Sue carrying a basket of apples in this kitchen towel. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Finally a decision, and a new maker label was sewn onto the back of the custom kitchen towel.

Adding a label to the back of one of the kitchen towels. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Can you guess which of the seven days of the week Sunbonnet Sue with Cats kitchen towels I selected?

Here’s a hint, it’s the one where I felt I could sew on the label without feline interruption!!

Charlotte

Crochet Poinsettias Lap Quilt Throw

These crochet lap quilt throws were made with the help of a kit.

Crochet Poinsettias Lap Quilt Throw

What a charming and snuggly way to bring a holiday vibe to a room!

Crochet Poinsettias Lap Quilt Throw is a brand new 48x56-inch cream yarn lap quilt with charming three-dimentional poinsettia “flowers” in red and green leaves with a yellow center for the actual flowers.

I purchased this charming holiday throw from the maker. It is in excellent condition and would quickly add a holiday vibe to the back of a sofa or draped over a chair.

Lap quilt throws are also an invitation to slow down, relax and stay warm in the process. This all cotton yarn lap quilt is definitely warm.

Each corner is finished off with a cream colored yarn and fringe. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Part of me likes that each of the poinsettias reflect the holiday colors while still being true to the actual poinsettia plant, where the flowers are the yellow centers.

You can see how the poinsettia could be formed in the center. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

The other benefit of this throw is that it is extra long at 56 inches, which means for us taller people the lap quilt throw will nicely cover our legs without leaving our feet hanging in the cold. Oh, you bet I tested Crochet Poinsettias Lap Quilt Throw, one must be sure when making that kind of claim!

This poinsettia lap quilt throw easily brings a holiday vibe. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

You could also turn this charming lap quilt throw into a wall hanging but i would be more tempted to keep it handy for those holiday naps!

Charlotte

Paper Clip Ornament Hangers

The Nutcracker is one of our Christmas traditions as in hanging ornaments with paper clips. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Paper Clip Ornament Hangers

Are you getting excited about decorating for the season? We all have holiday traditions and this hack now is one of mine. This is such a handy little trick for hanging ornaments, it surprised me over the years how many people had not thought of doing this.

I was among that group when one holiday past I was in an office after hours decorating for Christmas. I was the visitor so I took up the mundane tasks - removing ornaments from the box, separating the broken ones for repair and/or disposal and lining up the rest for tree hanging.

These are traditional ornament hooks for holiday decorating. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

In the middle of this little enterprise we ran out of ornament hangers, those little slight pieces of pre-formed wires that hold an ornament on one end and the tree on the other. One of my associates volunteered to head off to get some when the senior administrative assistant said no need and headed off to the supply closet.

A few minutes later she handed me a box of office paper clips and started to unbend one end. She attached the short end to an ornament, opened up the larger end and said “back to the eggnog.”

Unbent paper clips can easily be used to hang ornaments. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Over the years, I have worked in many offices over the holidays to give full-time workers time off with their families. That has given me the opportunity to share this little hack many times. It also works to attach decorations to wreaths and, if the Christmas stockings are not too heavy, once hung stockings from the top of an office cubicle.

Unbent paper clip used as an ornament hanger. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

And yes, she really did say “back to the eggnog.”

Do you have a favorite Christmas decorating hack to share?

Charlotte

Tiny Personalized Holiday Decor Gift

This tiny holiday scene is an easy personalized gift. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Tiny Personalized Holiday Decor Gift

This is as close to holiday decorating in a box as I can make it. A friend moved into her first house earlier this year. She wasn’t sure she would have time to put up any holiday decorations so I thought about how I could help her have a little taste of the holidays. I was going to send her our Happy Holidays Cardinal Lap Quilt then remembered she doesn’t have a lot of room so I came up with this tiny personalized holiday decor gift.

I started with a tiny artificial tree, tiny garland and a set of small dog ornaments from our local hobby shop.

If you don’t have a hobby shop you can find tiny trees at any big box store. If you can’t find the traditional garland in a small size, the tiny Christmas tree garland can be anything from a small ribbon to a tiny necklace chain.

I added a few tiny cookie ornaments from my own tiny tree.

The dog ornament at the top has her dog’s name written on the back of the ornament.

Tiny artificial Christmas tree with dog ornaments. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

So that she can finish decorating the tree, four cat ornaments with personalized cat names on the back are in a tiny gift box.

Cat ornaments in a box so she can add them. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I picked up a cute Santa at the fireplace photo frame at a local thrift shop and repainted it with more primary colors. The original frame had a pink Santa Claus, pink Christmas stocking and hard to distinguish books on the mantle top.

A little paint to brighten the frame and a personalized photo now makes this fireplace ready to place next to the tiny tree.

Repainted fireplace photo frame. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

When I was looking for a gift box, I found the little dog ornament that barks “jingle bells” so I had to add that, even if it is not to scale.

Now she can either use this in her home or take it to the office to decorate her desk. Or she can take the singing dog toy to the office and keep the tree and fireplace mantle at home and she will be all set for Christmas!

Can you think of anyone on your gift list who could use a tiny holiday decor gift?

Charlotte

Custom Love Seat

New upholstered love sofa with the new cover and throw pillows. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Custom Love Seat

Does this look familiar, someone sitting on a love seat - well, in this case - sleeping on the love seat and falling through the cushions? Better yet, have you tried to find a love seat with a solid back and cushion so that your sleeping cat doesn’t fall in between the pillows? And maybe you don’t as well??

One of my cats is slowly disappearing between the two love seat cushions. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

From what I could gather from my research, all love seats have two bottom cushions and two back pillows, assuming two people will be seating on the furniture. In my household, however, one person tends to sit on the love seat with a cat on either side, leaving the one person to fall into the center opening between the bottom and back cushions. Or, in this case, the cat slowly disappears between the cushions since we all know cats have to sit and sleep in the smack dab middle of everything.

One of my cats volunteered to demonstrate, see how the back pillows are spineless and it’s easy to fall through the seat cushions? He really is trying to sleep but his back paws are straddling the moving love seat cushions.

My cat is straddling the moving love seat cushions while he tries to sleep. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

I called a local upholstery shop and explained the problem. Maggie said she could easily make a solid bottom cushion and add fill to a solid back cushion as well.

Once I settled on the fabric and it was in the shop, it took about a month for the “new” love seat to come back home. What a difference!

This is my new old love seat with a solid bottom cushion and solid back. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

In terms of cost, it was less expensive to have the piece reupholstered than it would have been to go out and buy a new love seat. Even if I wanted something new, I would not have found one with a solid bottom or back cushion.

To make sure we are warm and cozy over winter, I found a matching fake fur sofa cover.

Love sofa covers, this one is fake fur and matches the new upholstery. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Hmmm, doesn’t quite look right. Let me make a few adjustments to show you how this really will be allocated and used!

Now this is how the cats will really use this love seat! (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Had to add the Cat Mischief lap quilt, it’s perfect to brighten up the corner. Isn’t it amazing how cats can find the exact center of everything??

Charlotte

Santa Dolls Getting Shipped

One of two Santa dolls from cutter quilts climbing into the shipping box. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Santa Dolls Getting Shipped

Two more of our handmade Santa Claus dolls made out of old patchwork quilts are getting ready to travel East. These unique, one of a kind dolls add charm to any holiday home decor and are squeezable, too.

To get the Santa dolls ready to be shipped, their brand new metal doll stands go into the bottom of the box. The doll stands give posing options, including having Santa stand on a mantle or on a side table. These Santa dolls can also be posed sitting.

Each doll is shipped with a doll stand so they can be posed among presents. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Before going into the box, I add labels to the back of the old quilt doll garment. As I sew on the labels, I imagine Santa in his new home, bringing the holiday spirit.

The last step before shipping, adding our label. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

Each Santa Doll gets packed in a clear plastic bag to ensure it gets to its new home safely.

Ho Ho Ho, happy holidays! (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

In past years I have given these Santa dolls as gifts and since have seen them return year after year as part of the holiday home decor.

Yes, Virginia, these dolls do bring the holiday spirit!

Charlotte

Last Roses of the Season

My little collection of homegrown roses welcoming kitchen visitors.

Last Roses of the Season

Over the years whenever I was living somewhere besides at home, I had fresh flowers in my room. Usually they were nothing fancy, maybe a sprig of wildflowers growing nearby or a tiny bouquet from a corner florist. When I was working in Japan, one of the embassy staff shared their one weekly chrysanthemum with me. In that country, they appreciate and celebrate the beauty of one flower.

Now that I am working from home, one of my priorities continues to be to have fresh flowers nearby. They may be growing in a pot, which is my favorite way to have that touch of greenery in my rooms, or they can be something I cut from my hillside garden.

As a cold front moved into Missouri, evening temperatures plunged in the high 40s, cooling daytime temperatures into the delightful 70s. My plants appreciated the reprise from hot and humid conditions and delivered a delightful crop of one of my favorite flowers, roses.

The yellow hybrid tea was munched by a couple of insects but it joins the peach hybrid tea with a lovely fragrance. This long-stemmed rose reminded me of the vintage yellow roses quilt I found a few years ago at an estate sale. The two smaller miniature roses made their second garden appearance since spring. I have them tucked away in garden borders to surprise me when they bloom and all I can say, it worked this fall!

I suspect these are the last roses of the season, a lovely way to end the gardening year and extend the growing season if just for a few more days.

Charlotte

First Quilt Santa Doll Ready to Travel

The first handmade quilt Santa doll getting ready to travel to his new home.

First Quilt Santa Doll Ready to Travel

It may seem a little early to be talking about Christmas but our first quilt Santa doll is getting ready to travel.

These charming handmade Santa Claus dolls are made out of repurposed vintage handmade quilts with muslin details. The soft bodies are squeezable and easily posable since the arms and legs are made out of fabric and easily move.

I confess I enjoy posing the doll it its box as I sew on the label. I like to imagine where Santa doll will spend his holidays amidst other holiday decor, maybe sitting on presents under a Christmas tree or lounging on a fireplace mantel.

To maximize posing options, each Santa doll is shipped with a collapsible doll stand so that once the holidays are over, the stand is easy to store.

No two Santa dolls are the same, each is unique and gives old handmade quilts a new life, such as this Colorful Santa doll.

Our handmade Santa dolls repurpose old handmade quilts as Santa's holiday clothing.

In honor of one of our first customers, some of our Santa dolls have a blue theme for the snowy winter wonderland home decor theme some people keep up through the end of January.

One of the prettier themes is the blue holiday theme with silver accents, perfect to set off this  Blue Flower Garden Santa Claus doll. The pieces of this traditional patchwork flower garden quilt are about an inch wide.

Each handmade Santa doll is shipped with a collapsible stand for easy posing.

The final step in Santa's departure from our house at least is to temporarily protect the handmade quilt Santa doll during shipping. This pose looks odd but then Santa does go up and down chimneys so he must be quite flexible, don't you think?

Santa doll folded and heading to his new home with a collapsible doll stand.

Even though leaves have just starting turning colors in mid-Missouri to mark the beginning of fall, I know the holiday season can't be far behind.

Charlotte

Alan's Memory Quilt Wall Hanging

Alan's Memory Quilt Wall Hanging

It's easy to think handmade quilts are only for beds but one of the best ways to use them in home decor is on a wall. Especially quilts that are made as quilted wall hangings to begin with, they can retain and reflect wonderful memories and keep them where everyone can enjoy them.

Quilted wall hangings can be as simple as the first quilt block someone makes or several quilt blocks finished in a smaller size than a regular quilt. Let's face it, it can be daunting to make a full size quilt the first few times one is learning to piece so those few blocks don't go to waste if you can turn them into wall art. 

It's also one of the reasons why we carry lap quilts and throw-size quilts, you can easily change the look of a room by hanging something seasonal like a throw that reflects a special occasion. Better yet, get a lap quilt throw that can also be used as a quilted wall hanging that has all four seasons on it!

Back to my main story. This lovely applique and embroidery quilted wall hanging from Piece and Plenty's 2017 bi-annual show in Rolla, Missouri is a good example of preserving memories through textiles. This quilted wall hanging is called "Alan's Quilt" and designed to celebrate a worldwide tour Alan took as part of a musical singing group "Up with People."

There are several noteworthy elements to this quilted wall hanging starting with the design.

Look at how meticulous Bobbie Wedge was with the details on Alan's Quilt wall hanging. Yes, the flowers in the costume are nice but note the details on the arms of each of the figures, you can see fingers!

Details in Alan's Memory Quilt include tiny flowers and stitched fingers.

As I was looking at the different costumes, I couldn't help but wonder which one might be inspired by Alan himself.

I haven't asked Bobbie yet but I suspect there's a little of him in every one of these charming characters. Nice touch with the three-dimensional hat tassel and belt.

Details of one of the boy characters in Alan's Quilt wall hanging by Bobbie Wedge.

I can't sing worn a darn but I could sense what a unique experience this tour would have been for a young man seeing the world as he was singing. This quilted wall hanging is a lovely tribute to those memories!

Charlotte

A Small Garden Flower Bouquet

Uh-oh, is there a rabbit after this beautiful little bouquet of red hybrid tea roses? (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

A Garden Flower Bouquet

Of all of the things we can do to decorate our homes, adding a small bouquet of fresh flowers out of our gardens is the simplest, and most enjoyable, thing we can do. Not only does it bring some beauty into the room but you can add whimsy by pairing the flowers with a favorite decorating item.

In my case, the white porcelain rabbit has been a favorite coffee table partner for many years. I confess I make bouquets in relationship to the porcelain piece, such as this little bouquet of red hybrid tea roses I snipped from one of my rose beds.

I have real rabbits in my garden as well so having the little porcelain one inside reminds me of the ones living happily outside. Many are native wild rabbits, released into my garden when I was a rehabilitator for our local conservation office.

To easily add a small garden bouquet to your room decor, cut the flowers early morning and keep them in a vase of water not treated with salt for water softeners. That salt quickly cuts down the time the cut flowers will remain fresh in the vase.

Once you have the vase you want to use, re-cut the stems to the appropriate length. Add a pinch of aspirin to help keep the flowers fresh, then position them where you can enjoy them. Don't place them on top of electrical appliances such as TVs or anything else that produces heat. The heat will cut down the lifespan of the flowers.

Hardly. There is a rabbit but its porcelain and still has the good taste to admire the flowers. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

These small red hybrid tea roses are sitting on my den coffee table so I can enjoy them when I am working.

I could have cut them with longer stems but I chose to keep them small. The smaller bouquets are easier to incorporate into a room close to where everyone can enjoy them.

Charlotte

Four Unique Bluebird Dish Towels

Charming hand embroidered bluebird dish towels ready to add color to a kitchen!

Four Unique Bluebird Dish Towels

One of the ways to quickly update home decor is to change the towels, whether it be in a bathroom or a kitchen. These four unique bluebird dish towels are a charming way to add a handmade touch to that high end kitchen and still have a touch of variety in the dish towel colors.

The white muslin dish towels are handmade themselves, each 16x34 inch out of an absorbent white muslin cotton. The made in Missouri, USA dish towels have been hand-embroidered with vintage patterned bluebirds wearing ties and bows standing around flowers, which add color to the scenes.

We added a stabilizer to the back to give these unique dish towels a longer life after regular washings in cold water. Dry on cool setting in the dryer.

These will make a great housewarming gift, wedding gift, shower gift, birthday gift for the cook on your gift list, quite versatile when it comes to the occasion to give them. You could also divide them into two sets if you wanted to present one set each to two daughters as gifts.

This set of bluebird dish towels can be divided into two separate gift sets, too.

I like to give these practical gifts because then I know they will be used and appreciated every day.

Charlotte