A large family to move!

Our new house is still upside down, but I can surely see progress.  Jack and our son in law Gary worked today to convert a large closet which was intended to hold a washer and dryer, and made a doll closet of it. It is wide and deep and has one shelf now in the center, The plumbing is gone, and there is a new switch to turn on planned lighting in both the upper and lower chambers of the space.  Doors are planned, of either Plexiglas or perhaps French doors.   But I do not need to wait on doors to house some of the dolls , they are presently standing and sitting all over my bedroom.  They are very pampered dolls.  Perhaps most major doll collections are aided and supported by caring husbands, I know my collection is. The washer and dryer will have to find a home in the garage.   Pictures will come by and by as we settle in here. 

  At the same time that Jack and I have been moving,  my Colorado daughter has moved home to Texas, and is now living in a house in this same block!   She is alone now, her husband of 31 years having passed away in early April.  So it is good to have her here nearby.  I am greatly involved in both households, so am much stretched these days. We both are "housey" and have very different styles of nesting. Her rustic western decorating reflects her ranch upbringing, and her many years in the Colorado mountains.  Aside from my affection for the old dolls which are later and mostly German, Jack and I remain dedicated collectors of early New England Americana.  e

Rufus Porter Museum this summer

Last week The mail brought me a brochure listing classes in the 2012 Cultural Heritage series at this delightful small museum in Maine. Floor cloth painting looks like something I would enjoy, and there is a nice rug hooking class with Jacqueline Hansen, a top teacher. But it is the class on Rufus Porter Style wall murals I would love to take!  Not much chance I will get to Maine this July, but my heart will be there.  Check out the opportunities , I do not see 2012 events on the web yet, (they may well be there) email is rufusportermuseum@myfairpoint.net  .

There are lovely small museums all over New England.. another favorite of ours is the one in Lebanon Connecticut.  So much to enjoy for us who love art and antiques and New England's history.   Edyth

Texas Hill Country House

 On Monday and Tuesday of this week  a group of antique collectors I have enjoyed being part of for a number of years toured six hill country homes.  This is one of them, a lovely large log home in a beautiful rural setting.  The pictures here do not begin to do justice to the gardens.  The house itself has a number of furniture pieces made by my husband Jack, as well as many pieces purchased from O'Neill's Antiques in former years. So we are humbled and honored to have had our part in making this the jewel it is.  This house will be featured in the magazine "A Simple Life" next spring or summer.  Click on the pictures to see them larger.  E