Wednesday, March 26, 2014

BUNNY HUTCHES...







The White Rabbit seeks refuge under the Daffodil Tree and gets lost in a tumble of tulips...

It's Springtime...

...anything is possible!





This is the time of year when energy is at its highest and everyone is itching to roll up their sleeves and remove those cobwebs that have settled in the corners of their minds as well as on their walls.

There is a possibility around the Cottage that some spring cleaning might be accomplished.





I have decided to start with the china cupboards in the dining room.  

The original owners, the Garlands, had five people in their family, but since Mr. Garland was a mine superintendent, I can only assume that they entertained frequently, as the dining room is one of the largest rooms in the Cottage.

I have room for three china cupboards and that's a good thing, as I have three china cupboards worth of dishes (and then some).





This is a corner cupboard we picked up at a yard sale.  It was all in pieces and we paid $10 for it.  The Captain put it back together and I painted it and it fit perfectly in this corner of the room.





Here, I have arranged some of my white dishes.  They are a combination of Limoge, Home Goods, milk glass, and thrift store pieces.











I have included a couple of vintage bunnies pushing their wagons and some dried roses from the garden.


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This cupboard was painted gray when we picked it up.  That color, as the trend is now, would have been a perfect piece to keep in that condition, but back in the 70's the natural wood was all the rage so we had it stripped down to the original pine.









I have filled it with my pink set of china which I first saw in the Spiegle catalog, and where I ordered the large cream pitcher.  I later found this pattern in an old ice cream store.  I have also added some crystal wine and water glasses.






These are some cut glass sherbet dishes that I bought many years ago at an antique shop along with a few colored glass dessert bowls I found on Ebay.





Here, also, I have added a little bunny in a nest.  The nest was picked up a few years ago, while we were vacationing in Anacourtes, Washington, at Bunnies By the Bay and the little rabbit was a gift to me on my first birthday (so you know that's vintage!)

"Bunnies are our best friends indeed.
They do delight and give
glad dreams."

Bunnies By The Bay logo






A pretty little girl bunny completes the arrangement along with some pressed glass antiques.


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The final cupboard holds mostly dishes that my Mom collected over the years.





There is Blue Willow along with pieces of metal and miscellaneous blue and white pieces.





The cupboard itself was built into an old house that a friend of the Captains' was tearing down.  He said we could have it if we took it out of the house.  It was painted white and used as a kitchen cupboard.  This one I am most disappointed that we stripped it.  It was a chippy, glorious piece as it was.

Here it is shown with a reproduction of a popular Easter toy and a pewter cup that I picked up at Good Will for $1.





A tiny basket of peeps to celebrate the season next to an old cannister and spice set we picked up at a street sale many years ago. It is marked Germany and is decorated in the Delft blue pattern. The set consists of 12 pieces.





The little boy bunny, the brother of the little girl in the pink cupboard, is from Home Goods, and a stuffed carrot complete the arrangement.


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So far, this is the extent of the "done" spring cleaning.  We are working on a few more projects that might qualify in this area, but there are still a few cobwebs to straighten out.


"Spring is like a perhaps hand...
arranging and changing,
placing carefully."

E. E. Cummings






This was our yesterday...




...this is our today.

It is not only raining cats and dogs it is also raining: boots, alligators and frogs. (Am I the only one that can see them?) Might be a possible dinosaur thrown in there too!





Here are a few pretty little birds (Google states they are Cedar Waxwings) quenching their thirst from the fountain.  They were all around the top and bottom levels but some flew away when I opened the door to get the picture.  See how their little tails look as though they have been dipped in gold paint.

...Judy...






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17 comments:

  1. Judy, your hutches are just perfect in your dining room.....I especially love the blue dishes and pewter pieces....just gorgeous.. I am a dish collector too... what is it about dishes and women..... Everything is just beautiful!!! Blessings!

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  2. Judy my dear friend..I really love your home..and girl that birdbath is amazing..I love the blue/white cupboard..is that a sponge ware crock on the top shelf?? I have a few but mine are by Rowe pottery company from about 30 years ago when Country Living mag had them for sale..The only Easter I have here is a dozen eggs in the frig ha ha!! Thanks my sweet friend for coming by my fb post..One day you and hubs need to come see me and I'll give you the nickle tour of my house..nothing fancy like yours..but God has blessed me with a roof..Take care..Hugs from my mountain to yours Gl♥ria

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  3. Oh my - where to start. Your china cabinets are fabulous - oh to have a dining room that large - but I hve a china cabinet in the kitchen "hallway", a sideboard in the dining room and a dish shelf - ceiling to floor - also in the dining room, a china cabinet in the living room and two in the piano room - plus a huge built in pantry in the laundry room for more dishes.

    Your first pictured wood china cabinet is almost an exact twin to the one in our living room. We got it from a friend after her tenants burned down our house - and we had to work months to refinish it - ended up painting it white and it is one of my favorites.

    Love the corner cabinet too - we have a lot of the same milk glass pieces.

    Charming post - loved all the photos.

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  4. How wonderful to have such a nice big dining room and all of those great cabinet to store your treasures in.

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  5. Judy, What a great post. How wonderful to have such a large dining room. I have two built in hutches and they are full to overflowing---shhhhhh..... I envy you all your extra storage. Those vintage bunny pieces are so precious. I have a couple of old ones and I hope to be home in time to put my Eater stuff out for display this year. I guess we'll see. Hoping you have a wonderful rest of the week- xo Diana

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  6. Adoro la tua casa!E' piena di belle cose che piacciono a me!So quanta cura ci vuole!Anche io sto facendo tante pulizie!Grazie di aver condiviso e farmi sognare!Baci,Rosetta

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  7. Such a pretty post Judy! I love your beautiful milk glass and the pretty willow dishes. My my spring has certainly sprung in your dining room with all those cute little bunnies and peeps. I need to get cracking with my spring cleaning although the weather here is still that of old man winter. We are suppose to warm up this weekend and possibly see some 60 degree weather.
    Have a great day and super weekend Judy!!
    XO Barbara

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  8. What beautiful dishes! I love dishes and collect them even if I don't use them to often. Happy Spring!

    Blessings,
    Amy Jo

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  9. You have 3 beautiful china cabinets and lots of gorgeous china pieces in them. What a nice collection! I love all your Easter decor too. Bunnies are so cute. The waxwings are such pretty birds aren't they. We survived the blizzard and the sun is shining this morning but the wind is still howling and blowing the snow. It looks like January not March! I hope you have a sunny day today.

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  10. Hi Judy,

    Happy Spring! We have Cedar Waxwings here in N.C., too; they're mostly in the coastal part of the state. They're really handsome birds, aren't they?

    Our first home, built in 1924, had a huge dining room, too. That must have been the practice back in those days. Your cupboards and collections are wonderful! I especially love your pink dishes, your blue and white collections, the vintage bunnies, and the bunnies from Home Goods. They're darling! That's quite a job to clean all that stuff; I know you're glad to have accomplished that. Thanks for sharing with us and have a great day!

    Hugs To You,

    Denise at Forest Manor

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  11. Wow! Look at all of your Cedar Waxwings! We have them migrating through FL right now...huge flocks in the trees. Love your sweet bunnies and special Spring touches around the house. You have so many pretty dishes! Happy Spring! Hugs!

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  12. Your home is beautiful Judy. So many pretty dishes. That sure was a job to re-arrange and clean off all of them. Seems like everyone is getting rid of the cobwebs. I was on a roll today also, I probably won't be able to move tomorrow LOL My hutch is next on my list, just have the front porch to decorate for Easter and plant 2 flats of flowers and then I'm good to go. Love the pretty birds. Oh, Walmart has a sale on bird seed 50 lbs for $10.00 - great price
    Have a terrific weekend.
    Mary

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  13. What a visual delight you have blessed me with. I love your springtime touches.

    Have a wonderful weekend.

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  14. I love all of your pretty dishes and crystal. I wish my dining room was larger than it is. Pretty post.
    betsy

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  15. Thank you for stopping by the Lakehouse, and leaving your nice comment, Judy.
    Your blog is beautiful! I love all of your dishes, and your wonderful cupboards.
    Your sweet spring decorations brought a smile to my face.
    Enjoy your weekend.
    Debbie

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  16. You have a beautiful collection of dishes. And some gorgeous cupboards to store them in! Mimi

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  17. A Huge WOW! You have an awesome collection, beautifully displayed and the bunnies are fantastic! I am delighted that you shared with Home and Garden Thursday,
    Kathy

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Your comments are so special to me...Judy