Little Down Home on the Prairie

We have just added "Little Down Home on the Prairie" to our store.  I've always described Early American antiques to people who don't understand them, as "Little House on the Prairie" kinds of stuff.  By the way, I loved those books and loved the TV show!  I've always looked for those wonderful period pieces and incorporated them into the store, but I decided to devote a space to only those pieces and make a cozy little room.  Those early pieces from 19th century country homes are my favorite!  I love those simple utilitarian pieces - of course I wouldn't want to have to actually use them, but I love collecting them.  Those early settlers had to work hard!!!

The older I get and the more I hunt for antiques, the more I love the early stuff.  I always say, "the older, the better!"  I love old surfaces - the patina of old wood, so smooth and dark and time worn ~ I just want to touch it!!!   I fall in love with things when I clean them ~ that's when you notice all the little imperfections, all the hand made evidence, and the worn surfaces, every square nail, wooden peg, and early dovetail.  I love seeing the old plane marks, scribe marks, and brush strokes. I love early repairs ~ a mouse hole patched with a piece of a tin baby plate, a child's coat mended over and over to last through all the children ~ things were cared for and used for decades.  We have a mix of antiques in Down Home and certainly I appreciate all the different styles and eras of antiques, but when I walk into a space with all early period pieces, I just fall in love!!!  Seriously, I hear harps and see little birdies and butterflies!!!

I love our little room even more because it's lined with wood that sat in the back yard for a few years after we took down our horse arena.  Old weathered ranch fencing created a great backdrop for my early pieces! So every time I walk in there, I think of my little horse girl, Ayla, who still loves to ride!  Of course that got me to thinkin' and I think I have enough left to do one of my bedrooms at home!

Anyway, if you love early antiques and primitives as much as I do, come on over to Little Down Home on the Prairie right in the middle of Down Home.  Hope to see you soon! xo