Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!  I hope there are cards, chocolates, or roses sitting on all of your counter tops today!  If not, don't fret...  I haven't any either, at least not yet anyway.  I am on the way down to visit my sister in Tennessee for a couple days.  I won't be with the hubby on this Valentine weekend, but it will be good to see my sister again (and I think he is secretly relieved to get away with one or maybe there will be a special surprise waiting for me when I get back!  We shall see!)

I want to share a little Valentine decor that graces our home.  Valentine's is so much fun to decorate for with all the hearts and flowers on display.  I love tucking in splashes of pinks and reds ( my favorite color!) here and there.  For me, Valentine's Day is a big leap on the calendar in the countdown toward the arrival of spring.  I know it is only the middle of February but all the winter decor has been packed away for another year and our house feels so bright and airy.  Almost as if I could throw open a window and let the sun stream in (let's not get ahead of ourselves,  it is only 30 degrees outside!)  Ok, so we have a long way to go before spring, but today does mark it's imminent approach and at least we are heading in the right direction!

I know you have just seen my vintage wooden cubby decked out for Christmas in my Christmas home tour, but I couldn't bear not to show it to you again!  I have removed all the holiday baubles and ornaments and tucked vintage metal heart-shaped cookie cutters and red striped tea towels into each of the cubbies.

A vintage French sugar tin stands guard on top.  My favorite red crocheted hearts introduced last year hang from red branches stuffed inside.

Don't miss the red Anthropologie mug in the top row.  I have a couple of these brightly-colored monogrammed mugs.  I think they are so pretty and I love to decorate with them.

By gathering stacks of vintage bowls filled with heart-shaped cookie cutters and candy hearts, I created a Valentine inspired center-piece for my kitchen table.

The bowls rest upon a French round dough board placed upon a red-striped grainsack.

I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day!  Any special plans tonight?  Do tell!  

Maria ~Rusty Hinge

A Special Guest and a Winner!

Good morning!  I am super excited to introduce a very special guest today!  Cheryl from Fresh Vanilla for C is here guest-posting all the way from southern California!  If you have not already visited her lovely blog please do so!  You will be intrigued by the mixture of dreamy blues and whites with delightful vintage treasures tucked here and there.  And she is sweet to boot!  We live on opposite ends of the country from one another and have never formally met, but through this blogging experience she has become my friend!

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Hi Everyone~

I am so excited to be guest posting here at Rusty Hinge. Maria and I started this blogging journey around the same time and her blog has become so... beautiful and one of my favorite reads. You can only imagine how thrilled I was when she asked ME to be a guest on HER blog.  Of course I would love to, what an honor. So...here I am.

I am not really a person who makes New Year's Resolutions, but this year I did decide to make a change. Like many of you ( at least I think many of you), I like to buy things just to buy things. This is not only with house decor, but clothes too. So, I have decided to Love and Live With What I Already Have!! I have so many great things in my house, but sometimes I think you need to rearrange to make them feel fresh and new. This is my plan.

I am going to share with you some of my favorites that I will be rearranging here and there. Love my ironstone and it is fun to make new vignettes from time to time.

Use jars and fill with flowers (fresh or dried). I happen to love dried flowers so I find new places for them all the time. I have a lot of rose bushes so I dry the roses throughout the year.

I have a lot of blue and white dishes which I have been moving all around. I absolutely LOVE them, but I was feeling like some of them were getting " Lost" where they were before.

Use flowers from the garden to put around the house. This picture is from the summer. No roses right now, but we do have tons of......

CAMELLIAS! 

These are sitting in one of my recycled Lorina Lemonade bottles. I love to use glass bottles as vases. They are interesting and you are using what you already have.

I have a bunch of old books that I have collected and they are really easy to move around and create a whole new look because of all their different colors and sizes.

I also collect blue and white textiles. Whether it is grain sacks or tea towels, I feel like there are always new uses for them. I like them stacked, hanging, in bowls, as table runners, the possibilities are endless. I think the different hues and textures of each one adds to the depth and interest.

These are some of my dried hydrangeas. I am lucky to have an abundance of them thanks to my mom and all her hydrangea bushes. I have put these in an old bucket. They also look great in vintage baskets.

These feathered angel wings are actually a Christmas ornament that I bought this year. I just couldn't put them away with all the Christmas decor so they are now hanging up on an old picture frame in my dining room.

I am not saying that I will never buy anything new ( not realistic), but before I do, I am really going to think about what it is I already have. I really do love what I already have.

I have really enjoyed my time here at Rusty Hinge. Thank you again to Maria for inviting me over. 

I hope you all have a wonderful day~

~ Cheryl

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Thank you very much, Cheryl!  It has been such a pleasure having you!

On another note, we have a winner of the vintage monogram tea towel!  Congratulations Sheila!  Sheila entered a delicious recipe for Cowboy Caviar in The Mountains be Moved Cookbook.  Thank you very much, Sheila!  Can't wait to try it!  Please inbox me your information and I will get your vintage towel right out to you!

Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU everyone who took the time to donate a recipe to our cookbook.    We have accumulated over 340 recipes from all over the world and can't wait to get it printed.  I am blown away by your kindness and participation in our little project.  We will be selling these cookbooks soon in the shop (they will be priced at a minimum donation of $20), but if you would like to reserve your copy please drop me an email.  It is uncertain whether more can be printed once they are gone and we want to make sure we order enough.  All proceeds will go directly to help Alexandra and her volunteer work in Tanzania.  Also I know the giveaway is over, but there is still time to donate more of your favorite recipes for the cookbook.  The deadline to enter all recipes is Thursday, February 21 - only 10 days away!


It is very easy to enter your favorite recipe, simply go to cookbookfundraiser.com.


Under contributor:  Type your name.

Under email:  Type your email.

Under username:  Type matthewseventeentwenty

 Under password:  Type goodfood


Next click on the link Add a New Recipe, and type away.  Feel free to add as many recipes as you like!



 Thank you so much again!  I assured Alexandra that you wouldn't let her down with this project, and I was right!  You have all done so much.  Thank you, THANK YOU again!




Maria ~Rusty Hinge

Valentine Drying Rack

Hello again, I hope you are enjoying your wintertime.  We have had bitter cold temps for the last couple weeks, but we are surviving here in northern Michigan!  Valentine's Day is right around the corner and I have been busy moving out all the winter decor and replacing with Valentine inspired adornment.

I hung French Coeur la Creme molds with twine on my bottle drying rack and filled the largest mold with conversation hearts to rest on top. 

On another note, there is still time (but hurry!) to enter the French monogram antique linen giveaway.  For details on how to enter *Click Here*.  

This vintage tea towel is thick and heavy, like grain sack material.  It is in wonderful vintage condition and I am guessing that it has never been used.  You won't want to miss out on it so hurry and grab those recipes!  I will be doing the drawing tomorrow morning, so you have the rest of today and tonight to enter!  

Finally, I have to say THANK YOU to Jennifer Rizzo and all the other Holiday House Walk participates for voting my 2012 Christmas tour the winner of a spot in next year's Holiday House Walk!  I am so excited and thrilled to be included!  I have some big shoes to fill next year, but I won't let you all down!  In case you are curious as to what the Holiday House Walk is, please click on the button below.  Thank you so much again, Jennifer!  

Thank you for coming back again and again!  I feel blessed to call you friends.  I will be back soon with more Valentine decor and a very special guest-post.  And of course the winner of our little giveaway!  Don't forget to grab your recipes and enter TODAY.  It's your last chance!

Maria ~Rusty Hinge