Being Busy, Antiques and Works in Progress

It's 2024! I looked back and I did a horrible job blogging in 2023. Probably my worst year. So what happened in 2023? Well, my mom passed away after a long battle with cancer. We all knew it was coming, but I wasn't ready. Not by a long shot. I still reach for the phone to call her daily, then remember I can't.

One of the things my mom and I liked to do together was go antiquing. We collected a lot of the same things, that led to many debates when we found something we both wanted. A lot of the time she won, telling me it would be mine later on. Well here we are, later on. These last few months, I have been slowly moving her antiques in and marrying them with mine. It's going to be a long process and I am going to part with many things. Some originally mine, some hers. 

So I figured this would be a good time to get back into blogging, and record the process. There are a lot of items that are family heirlooms. I know some stories and some I don't. This will be a way to document things as I go along so they can be remembered.

I will also be posting items for sale on my website and blog as I decide what I'm parting with, so if you are also a collector, keep an eye out for more posts.

This first photo is of my entryway. All the items on the dry sink were either my finds or my moms. We love primitive treenware as you can see. Measures, pantry boxes, bowls and boxes.

I have started organizing my items in like groups, and snooping around online for others with similar collections.  First up, wooden utensils. I have a lot more than my mom did in this category. While I was looking online, I saw an article on washing your primitive pieces. I had actually never washed them. I've picked random things up here and there and shoved them in a crock or box for display. Since I had them all out together I figured I might as well wash them. I'm glad I did! They show off their age better when cleaned.

I almost didn't take a picture of the water after, because it was super gross. But I then figured what better way to show why they should be washed!

While I was washing I rinsed out some of my old salt glazed crocks that will house the utensils when they dry.

The second collection I want to share today are firkin buckets. I love having a large stack of these! After combining the collections, I do have multiples of different sizes. So some of these will be up for sale soon. Also, unfortunately I do have quite a few without lids.  The smaller ones in this photo got washed to possibly help hold some utensils... 

As part of my recording process, the wooded butter churn next to the buckets had belonged to a family friend in Odessa, NE, Esther J. Holoubeck Reynolds. My husband purchased it for me at her auction. She told him she remembered as a child having to churn butter with it. The stick connected to the dasher is worn down where it was repeatedly run through the lid hole.

Now, on to works in progress:

I have been commissioned to make a small rabbit for a collector. So while I have my clay out, I've been working on a few other pieces. Hopefully these will be completed soon.

And lastly I have been working on some more cards to replenish the spinner rack at the Central Merchantile downtown Kearney. I hope to have the cards there tomorrow afternoon.

To close up this (long) post, I wanted to mention that I will be participating in the Spring Market Show in Minden, NE on April 6th. I will have a mix of handmade and antique items for sale. 

Until next time... Stay Warm!