Heirloom Bug Box

My mom brought home this bug box from my grandparents' house a few weeks ago. They sent it home for Levi. Seeing it brought back a lot of memories for me! I remember having one exactly like it when I was very young. My grandpa made several and he had this one left.

We used to run around the yard and catch "nice" bugs in the bug boxes -- crickets, grasshoppers, worms, and lightening bugs mostly. We'd put grass and leaves in there and create a little bug habitat. In a few years I can imagine Levi having fun doing the same. In the meantime, his mom helped him "catch" a (dead) cicada for the pictures. I am such a good mom (sarcasm).

Project Post 24: Wooden Toolbox Planter

This is a project post and an heirloom post all in one, which means you get a bonus. I'm sure a million people have done this before. Several years ago when my Papa was still alive, he and my Nanny sold their farm that they lived on and loved for many years, to move to town and be closer to their kids, grand kids, and doctor's offices. I got a few odds and ends from Papa's barn that no one wanted (everyone had taken what they wanted already) and were going to be sold with the house. The reason these things are special to me are obviously because they came from my grandparents, but also because we all have such fond memories of growing up out at "the farm," and I am happy to have a few things from there. Among those things, were a couple of old, wooden toolboxes. Before I got married, they sat in my parents garage for a long time, and even after that they just sat untouched for a long time. I considered doing different things with them - cleaning one up and painting it and using it for silverware and napkins at dinners and parties - but that would mean finding a place to store it the rest of the time, and you all know how I feel about storage space and clutter.

I started cleaning this one up a few weeks ago, and decided that with all the wear and grime and dirt and nails, etc., it just wasn't going to clean up very nicely. So I left it in it's natural state and planted some flowers in it, and I think it's charming on our back patio. If that spot doesn't get enough sun for begonias (which, it won't after we add our shade canopy/roof), I might fill it with a bunch of succulents, but right now they are doing pretty good and I really like it as a little planter.

I won't insult you with details and instructions, because this project is obviously very self-explanatory. You can find old toolboxes like these all over - flea markets, junk stores, garage sales. Usually, the junkier the place, the better chance they'll have one or some.

Heirloom Cake Stand

This is yet another thing I acquired from my sweet great grandmother. Many of my family heirlooms once belonged to her...she had a lot of nice things to give and share.

The pictures might not do the cake stand much justice, but it is the sweetest light pink milk glass with lots of little details and textures. She had a large collection of milk glass and my mom has some of it now. I pull this out for Valentine's Day every year and use it throughout the spring (Easter, etc.). I also have used it every time we throw a baby girl shower at church. Other than that, it doesn't get a whole lot of use with all of our camouflage-boy-themed parties and celebrations around here, but I do love that it's in my cabinet ready to pull out at any appropriate time.

It's smaller than a standard sized cake stand - a very odd size in fact - and I have searched and searched for a dome to fit it for years. I have looked at antique stores, department stores, and basically every store that would sell cake stands and domes. A while back, I finally found one at Macy's. Thank you, Martha Stewart, thank you!

{My mom had this old picture at her house for some reason and I snatched it up, knowing I would be writing this post soon. It's a picture of my grandma with my cake stand}

A Quilt for Mom

I told you about the fabric scraps that my grandma gave me in this post and this post. Who knew that a little shoebox-sized storage container could hold something that could make so many cherished heirlooms! There were two different types of scraps that my great grandma had cut out. One type was the star-like shapes used to make the "Peace" pillows and my little memory quilt, the other scraps were strips she had cut out to make a fan quilt- a whole bunch of strips. The really neat thing was the the pattern was in the box along with the scraps (and it's very, very old!) that she planned to use for the quilt. I asked a dear lady in my church (who made Levi's baby quilt) if she would finish piecing the scraps together and finish the entire quilt for me, which I knew would be a difficult task. She happily took on the challenge and I didn't give her a deadline since I knew it would take a while.  

My brother and sister contributed and we gave the quilt to my mom for Mother's Day. It was a total surprise, which made it even better. She thought all the scraps I had were used on the pillows and my small lap quilt. Here are some pictures:

{We witnessed some tears...sign of a good gift?}

{Not sure what is going on here}

{Before opening gifts...she was wondering why anyone was taking pictures}

{The quilt pattern - we laminated it to keep it intact}

{The tag on the back}

Heirloom Drop-leaf Table

There is not much to say about this table, except that I love it. My grandma ("Anna") gave it to me when I was in college and it acted as my dining table and desk in my little studio apartment. It has lived in about every room in my house (I move furniture around a lot) and is currently in my kitchen. It's just a great little table and can be extra seating if we have a lot of guests over. It might go to live with my sister for a while when she leaves home (if she needs it), so it is a good little family heirloom. Thanks Anna!

Heirloom Memory Quilt

{scraps before they became precious heirlooms}

I shared with you back in January that I had pillows made for several of my family members (you can read about that here) for Christmas presents. Anna, who owns the shop For the Love of Joy, made the pillows using fabric scraps that my great grandma had cut out years ago (out of her old clothes and linens) for a quilt that she never made. Well, Anna contacted me after she made the pillows to let me know that she still had lots of the scraps left over and wanted to know if I wanted her to ship them back or if I wanted her to make a small quilt out of them, and of course, I wanted the quilt :)

She put a lot of hard work into the little quilt - my great grandma had hand-stitched all the pieces and Anna hand-stitched a lot of it so it would match, which I know takes a lot of time and effort - and this past weekend it was waiting on my doorstep for me when we got back from our vacation. I couldn't be more pleased - it is such a beautiful little quilt and such a special heirloom! A couple of family members made sweet baby quilts for Levi when he was born, but those are his, so this is really my first family quilt to have in my home.

A big thanks goes to Anna for working so hard to make it so special and a big thanks goes to my Anna (what I call my grandma) for giving me the scraps which became these beautiful heirlooms to be treasured from now on!

{to give you an idea of the size}



{the back}

Project Post 21: Heirloom Bookshelf (after)

This post is sort of an (informal) introduction to a post series I'll be doing from time to time on heirlooms. So while this included in the Project Posts Series, it's also Post #1 in the Heirloom series too:)

I've mentioned before (especially here and here) that I love family heirlooms, and am honored to have the ones that I do. They are very special to me, because family is very important and something to be cherished. In the weeks and months to come, I'll periodically be highlighting certain family heirlooms that are special to me. 

The bookshelf I showed you two weeks ago (that belonged to Tyler's maternal grandparents) is finally finished and in it's permanent resting place (until we outgrow this house). That alone is hard for me to commit to (I change the furniture placement often), but there is only one place that makes complete sense for it to go in our home. I know this because over the last week I have placed it in every possible spot it would fit in our house (no comments from my husband or parents please). You can see the before and during pictures (I painted it) in this post, and here are the after pictures: