grace grits and gardening

ramblings from an arkansas farm girl

Vintage Rooster Art

By

wordless wednesday (almost)

Grace Grits and Gardening
cock-a-doodle-doo!
Did you grow up eating breakfast with this slice of kitchen Americana? 
I did. And yes, I’m dating myself.
Momma glued dried beans and seeds to a cloth pattern stapled onto a giant piece of plywood. My sister and I helped. When all the beans were in place, we sealed it with a coat of shellac. 
Nana made one too. Nana’s rooster art hung on the kitchen at the lake house.
One spring, bugs attacked the lake house rooster. It was ugly.
Do you still have one?
Anyone, anyone?
talya
If it sells, it’s art.  ― Frank Lloyd Wright

Wildwood Antiques

By

If you’re an antique buff and find yourself in Northeast Arkansas, take a drive over to Wildwood Antiques in Etowah.
Surrounded by cotton fields on the Wildy’s one-hundred-year-old home place, Wildwood Antiques is like a mirage in the Mississippi Delta, only it’s no mirage. The rambling farmhouse is filled to the rafters with silver and china and linens meticulously collected by proprietor Katherine Wildy. 

On my hands and knees I searched through stacks of well-loved, hardback books written by Twain and Poe. I discovered an egg dish I couldn’t pass up (of course!)… 

This beautiful little watercolor now fills the blank space in my tiny Dallas powder room.

Her property is shaded by towering trees the same era as many of the vintage treasures inside. If you plan in advance, you can enjoy lunch in this bucolic setting. Wildwood Antiques is well worth the drive from Little Rock or Memphis or St. Louis. Its well worth a detour off Interstate 55 no matter where you’re headed.
Wildwood Antiques, Etowah, Arkansas

talya

“Priceless things matter not for their value, but because they offer us an enduring reminder of stability and permanence.” 
― Barbara Taylor Bradford

For directions, information, private showings or lunch appointments contact Ms. Wildy at (870) 531-2110.

Mixed Media Art Project

By

Finished!

I am not a crafty blogger, but I do love to make homemade baby gifts.

I made this mixed media piece for baby Haley, my friend Jenny’s new daughter. 
Haley Frances Rolland

Although the project takes several hours, it is fun, creative, and not as difficult as it appears.

Supplies:

Blank artist’s canvas
Mod Podge
Scrapbook paper
Vintage buttons
Vintage rick rack
Scrapbook stickers
Pictures from old children’s books
Glue Gun
Paintbrush
Scissors / Paper Cutter

I know, I know, I KNOW it’s sacrilegious to cut out pages from books, but I buy these books specifically for this purpose at estate sales and at Half Price Books to lessen the pain…
I also buy stickers and scrapbook paper on sale from Michaels, Hobby Lobby and Target, knowing I will eventually find a use for everything.
sheet of scrapbook paper – various colors/prints
vintage buttons
When I prepare to do one of these projects, I never have a plan other than the general theme. In this case, ‘baby girl’ theme. On my computer, I printed lines from Mary Had A Little Lamb, substituting Haley to make it personalized. This phrase becomes the backdrop for the project. I glued this first piece of scrapbook paper onto my canvas with Mod Podge, then began adding layers of paper.
gluing rick rack along side

The key is to layer and layer and layer the canvas with pieces and strips of scrapbook paper coating each side and seam with magical mystical Mod Podge. The more layers the richer and more interesting the finished piece.

Allow coats to dry before adding more layers. If you tear a piece of paper, no worries. Add another piece. If two pieces just don’t seem to work side by side, glue on a button. (Buttons should be adhered with hot glue rather than Mod Podge…)

Don’t forget to decorate the back with your name and date.
Back

Remember, this isn’t supposed to be perfect. It’s hand crafted.

Note:  This project isn’t exclusive to baby gifts…I made the following piece with drawings of my puppies and pages about dogs from vintage books. Favorite sports team is another fun theme. You are limited only by your imagination.

Lucy and Annabelle

Have fun!

talya

Grace Grits & Gardening
p.s. This is the gift I made several years ago for Haley’s big sister, Samantha.

Food. Farm. Garden. Life.

THANKS FOR READING!