DIY Vintage Heirloom Stool Makeover

I'd like to introduce you to a dear family heirloom: 

This is The Stool. 

In the early 1950s, in Burns, Oregon, my grandpa George Bradley made this stool for his new bride, Betty Kiggins Bradley. The top was plain wood colored and the legs were painted bright red and later, a rusty red color. When my mom left home (Gresham, Oregon---I think) in the early 1970s, Grandma Betty gave her this stool, as she had no furniture! 

Mom kept this with her when she married my dad. She painted it chocolate brown and did a little repair work: 

It has served all kinds of purposes since! I remember it as a plant stand in the living room and a night table in pretty much every family member's bedroom! When my husband and I were married in Baker City, Oregon in 1998, guess what I inherited?

The stool! This really is one of the most special things I own. How awesome to have such a portable little heirloom! For several years, I had plans on fixing it up, repainting it, just adding my own flavor to it. 

A few years ago,I decided I wanted to "get crafty" so I grabbed The Stool out of the shed and came up with a plan to get it looking presentable. (FYI---I really had no plan...I just kind of did whatever seemed right. Ha! I'm a very spontaneous "crafter").

I brought it in and set it on the kitchen floor, telling little Selah that I was planning to fix it up cute. She put her baby blanket on it and said she thought that was pretty cute. 

It was...but not quite what I had in mind! I wanted to try and take the paint off but, since I was only using the things I had around the house, I had to improvise. I used my Pampered Chef spatula to begin scraping off the top. 

That lasted about 5 minutes and I was sick of it so I decided just to paint over the 3 other layers of paint and hope that it would crackle neat! 

It did! By the way, I tried and tried to pry that nail out of there but it wouldn't budge. I kinda like leaving it there though as my mom put it there and it's kind of been a little joke over the years! I needed to find some way to cover it though! 

After a couple coats of paint, I decided to stop for the night and consider options for the next step. 

The next day, I remembered that I had several yards of some pretty fabric that my friend JoAnn gave me. I decided to make a cute cushion for the top. Using my then 8-year-old Michael's school ruler, I measured out a circle that I hoped would fit.

I'd never made a cushion before so I wasn't really sure what to do---when suddenly, I remembered a Christmas craft project that we did in the 5th grade! Mrs. Neyman taught us how to make mini-pillows and string them together for wreath ornaments. 

I stitched all the way around the circle.

Little Avalon helped, of course! 

Then I filled it loosely with pillow filling. Once I set the cushion on the stool, I realized that The Nail was still very obvious. So, I hot glued eyelet trim all around the top and then glued the pillow on. 

Not bad for a 21st century makeover! 

Uncle John's Fudge

Today my Mom, Christy, is guest posting with a childhood memory and favorite family fudge recipe. Thanks, Mom!

Before my mother passed away in 1987, she gave her special, deep, cast iron skillet to her brother, John who loved to make old fashioned fudge. Until the 80's it was not considered old fashioned to cook fudge on the stove. When microwave ovens came out, the chocolate chip microwaved fudge became the way to make it, as most people had both parents working by then and no one had time to stir and watch thermometers. I believe my mom said the beloved skillet belonged to her dad, my grandpa Kiggins, who died before I was born. I was glad mom gave the skillet to Uncle John because I have such wonderful, magical memories of him making fudge at midnight and watching Johnny Carson with me and Aunt Paulette while we waited for it to set.

Uncle John, my mom's brother, and his wife, Paulette, would go get me when school let out in the summer. They'd take me to their house, which was four hundred miles away, and spoil me for a couple of weeks. I was nine years old the last time I remember going. They had two little boys, Johnny and Michael, so they loved having a little girl in the house. Uncle John worked the graveyard shift at the coal mine so he would get off work at midnight. Me, being used to my nine o'clock bedtime at home, thought it was great when Aunt Polly put my little cousins to bed and kept me up waiting for Uncle John. Quite often, he would come in the door with a joke and a wink and get out his cast iron skillet. Everyone had one in those days. The anticipation was almost as good as the fudge.

Today I made good old fashioned fudge and poured it into my mom's 8" X 8" square "fudge pan." When I was a kid it was always referred to as the "fudge pan" and mom gave it to me when I left home in 1974. As I sit here and eat my fudge, pleased that it did not "sugar," I think back to the summer of 1966 and miss my Uncle John, Aunt Paulette, and Johnny and Michael. Those days are gone but as mom once told me, "Chrissy, no one can take away your memories!"

The skillet and the fudge pan will most likely be passed on to the new generation as time goes on. Too bad pots and pans can't tell stories. Or, can they?

Part of the JOY is in the presentation. I used this pretty plate that my daughter made me in 2006 to serve my fudge. It became even more special in 2011 when she named my granddaughter, Kynthia Joy!

Cocoa Fudge

3 c. sugar

2/3 c. baking cocoa

1/8 tsp. salt

1 1/2 c. milk

1/4 c. butter

1 tsp. vanilla

Butter an 8"X8" square pan. In a large cast iron skillet, stir together sugar, cocoa, salt and milk.

Cook over medium heat until it comes to a rolling boil, stirring constantly. Boil, WITHOUT stirring, to 234º degrees, making sure the thermometer does not rest on bottom of skillet. This can take up to 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat and add butter and vanilla. Beat with a wooden spoon until it thickens and looses some of its gloss. Pour into pan, cool, and cut into squares.

Regency Dresses and Homemade Caramels and Preparing for England 2016! #janeaustenfestival2016

Welcome to the Homemaking Party! As I promised yesterday, I've got a few updates to share with you about my upcoming trip to England. If you missed my post from yesterday, be sure to check it out and see some of the highlights from last year's visit to the Jane Austen's House Museum.

Last week I worked on this pretty coral dress and finished it Sunday afternoon. I'm considering wearing it for the Grand Regency Costumed Promenade, along with an open robe I made last year from a sari a friend brought me from India.

 But then there's this pretty flowered material that I cut out today! I'll be working on this day dress this week and am adding a couple extra touches to it, inspired by Jennifer Ehle's Elizabeth Bennett.

In addition to dress-making, I've been making caramels to sell to friends to earn some spending money. Sales are going well so far---they're always a hit! Here's a link if you'd like to order: Caramels from my Etsy shop.

Hope everyone is having a beautiful week! Thanks for stopping by The Homemaking Party!

Encouraging Kids' Bible Study Ideas with Buddy Box #growkidsfaith #FamilyFaith #familybuddybox #PMedia #ad

This post is part of a social shopper marketing insight campaign with Pollinate Media Group® and Lifetree, but all my opinions are my own. #pmedia #growkidsfaith  http://my-disclosur.es/OBsstV

The Coller Kids had a super great time last weekend playing and learning with their new Buddy Box package. Buddy Box is a monthly subscription for kids that gets them excited about growing their faith and relationship with the best buddy of all—Jesus. Each box features a lesson, games, projects, and more, all centered around a Biblical theme.

Last Friday night, Cainan got the first look at the box and prepared a lesson for his younger siblings. They spent a couple hours learning about overcoming fear in a Biblical way through stories, music, games, and crafts. 

The Buddy Box came with more ideas than he had time to use in one lesson. He's super excited to do more with them this coming week. As a parent who doesn't promote Halloween, I love it that this lesson is geared toward addressing the subject of fear without bringing up the "holiday". It gets harder by the year to find Christian materials that really are promoting a Biblical message and this first introduction to the Buddy Box subscription was encouraging.

Some of the kids' favorite activities featured chattering teeth, a rubber chicken, and this canvas bag decorating project.

The kids wrote out one of their favorite verses, Joshua 1:9, and then decorated this bag with scenes that remind them to have courage and faith.

The slime pot was also a big hit! 

With our busy schedules, it's so important to make lessons on values and faith a priority. The child-led Buddy Box helps parents make memorable connections with their kids and gives them ideas to discuss Jesus and the Bible in ways that make sense and gets them excited about the things of God.

Buddy Box makes sure kids will be inspired to be creative in their play. Avalon was so inspired, she made up a joke: 

Q: "Why did the rubber chicken cross the road?" 

A: "So he could streeeeetch his legs!" 

bwahahahaha!

Visiting with Jane Austen's Family in Chawton, Hampshire

It's hard to believe a whole year has gone by since Lynzie and I got back from England! Now that I'm preparing to go again here in a few weeks, it's occurred to me that I've never shared much from our trip! Today I'll give you a little peek at our visit to Jane Austen's home in Chawton, Hampshire.

Jane Austen's House Museum is full of items that belonged to the family, as well as pieces that are similar to what they would have had in their home. This is Jane's writing desk---probably the most photographed item in the house!

Jeremy Knight, fourth great nephew to Jane Austen, is usually on hand to answer questions and tell stories. He was delighted to see Lynzie dressed as "Aunt Jane" and even had a staff member come in to listen to her play piano in the parlor.

After we'd finished visiting the house, we took a walk up to the Chawton Manor house. On the way, we passed these men replacing the thatch on this house. I'd never seen this process before so we stopped for a couple minutes and my friend, Frances, explained it to me. Look how sweet the trim is along the top!

Here's Lynzie with Chawton Manor in the background. They weren't open for tours that day, but Mr. Knight called ahead to give permission for us to tour the grounds. 

On the way back down, we stopped at the church on the estate and visited the cemetery. Some people are uncomfortable in graveyards but Lynzie and I think they're beautiful and peaceful. Doesn't she just look like she totally belongs there?

Here are the gravestones for Jane Austen's mother and sister. Jane is buried in Winchester Cathedral. She was moved from Chawton Cottage to Winchester shortly before her death, in hopes that doctors in the city could provide effective treatment.

I won't be going back to Chawton this year, but my husband has agreed to (finally!) come with me next year so I'll be sure to make Hampshire a priority stop on the tour I set up for us!

Hope everyone's having a great week. I'll be back with more England photos, as well as an update on my dress-making progress, tomorrow!

The Homemaking Party

Hello from (finally!!) rainy NW Arkansas! 

On Father's Day, we discovered our cat, Guinevere, was pregnant---and in labor! (Observant bunch, we are...) She had her kitties the next day, but we had no idea where she hid them. Well, early last week Selah discovered one who had come up to eat with mama. A few days later, Michael and Selah discovered there were actually two! The next day---four!! Ha! 

The kids are wanting to keep them all, of course. I'm considering maybe ONE. We'll see...

Thanks for stopping by The Homemaking Party!

In Which Steampunk Alice Hosts a Book-Themed Tea Party #MadTeaParty

As a child, Alice had her fill of adventures in Wonderland. Now that she's all grown up, she's ready for more excitement, traveling through time and space.

For this year's Mad Tea Party, Time-Traveling Steampunk Alice traveled through history to gather her best literary friends and brought them all back to 2016 for a book-themed summer tea party.

The friends all sat down to sweet treats, tasty drinks, and some fun reading. I think Alice had a little too much fun when choosing book selections for her friends. Prissy Charlotte Bronte was absolutely scandalized when she read the details of Jane Austen's Letters!

Jane, never one to worry much about what people think of her, just shrugged it off saying, "Hey, it was the 90s!" 

Miss Austen did get nostalgic when she noticed her tea cup featured the same Blue Willow pattern that her family used in their home in Steventon when she was growing up. "How thoughtful, dear Alice," she remarked.

When Alice asked Miss Jo March of Little Women fame if she was enjoying the party, she said, "Of course! There's books!" Rebel Jo asked for lemonade over tea---and Alice was happy to oblige.

She was especially interested to browse what Ms. Alcott had written about her future in, Jo's Boys, but she was careful not to read too much---spoilers!

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz's Dorothy Gale amused herself at this corner of the table with a copy of Grimm's Complete Fairy Tales.

Bookish Belle spent the entire time just like this---with her nose in a book. Belle is somewhat of a time-traveler herself as some researchers believe the Beauty and the Beast story to be over 4,000 years old! No wonder she's such an avid reader---she's had a lot of time to enjoy the best works throughout history!

Sweet Laura Ingalls was the youngest at the party---I'm surprised Pa and Ma let her come along. I guess Time-Traveling Alice can drop her back into history a short time before she left and they'll never know she was gone!

After the party, the girls gathered outside for a group photo before Alice took them all home to their proper places in history. What a lovely idea for a tea party, Alice! Goodbye, friends!

**Would you like to see more from Steampunk Alice? Visit my daughter (and character model) Lynzie's blog for her Mad Tea Party featuring several Steampunk friends!

Be sure to check out my parties from previous years:

Mad Tea Party 2015
Mad Tea Party 2014
Lynzie's Steampunk Alice Party 2016

This is just one of many Mad Tea Parties going on this weekend in Blogland! Check out the whole list at A Fanciful Twist to see what else Alice has been up to!

The Homemaking Party

Are you ready for a Mad Tea Party? It's not long now until Vanessa at A Fanciful Twist opens up her lovely blog to host the 9th Annual Mad Tea Party!

Would you love to be a part of the fun? Visit Vanessa and sign up to join the party. Then put up your post by July 23rd and link back with her to let everyone know you're participating.

I can't wait to go visiting and see what everyone's got to share!

My Mad Tea Party 2015
My Mad Tea Party 2014

Thanks for joining the Homemaking Party. Hope you're having a great week!

Why I Won't Shut My Mouth

One of the most difficult things for me as a growing Christian has been to find the point at which I shut my mouth. Many people have issues with opening their mouths...but for me, I process things the best when I'm discussing them with others. Unfortunately, I've learned that not everyone is interested in being as bold with their points of view and it's made for some discussions that have turned into unhealthy debates.

Oftentimes, I feel like I'm defending myself and my beliefs and I wonder, is this what Peter meant when he said we should be ready to give to every man an answer for the hope that's in us? Is that only referencing spreading the gospel or does that also apply to the ways in which we live out our faith?

We hear, "live and let live"---but then Titus 2 lays out the plan for women to influence one another---so how are we to live that out if we're always minding our own business?

A few days ago, a friend told me on Facebook that she appreciated how I shared thoughts and convictions without pointing the finger or making others feel bad if they don't share my point of view. Another friend said even though she and I have many differences in philosophy, my posts really made her think. That is so so so hard to do, let me tell you, and I get it wrong more often than I get it right.

I'm often tempted to shut my mouth and just worry about myself. People say that talking about something on Facebook or in other social media (or even in person!) is worthless unless you're willing to put action behind the rhetoric. That may be so in some cases, but it's not always so---and "action" doesn't have to mean leaving the ministry you're called to in order to make a difference somewhere else. Sometimes intelligent people need to begin intelligent discussions. Sometimes moms share their strong convictions with their children who go out in the world to be history makers. Sometimes writers give life to ideas that doers can run with.

These are just some things I'm thinking about today. I'd love to hear your point of view!