As I turned the corner my eyes landed on that amazing antique weathervane and it was love at first sight.  I've always had a thing for them, old copper weathervanes.  My preference would be one with a horse or rooster, but truth is, I like them all.  For years I've wanted one but they've always been out of my reach, cost wise, and this one?  Located on top of a cupboard, I had to ask one of the sales people to get it down so we could find the price and I had my fingers, toes and maybe even my eyeballs crossed in hopes that this one would be in my price range.  It took two people, one to steady the ladder and one to handle the weathervane.  It was large, the stand was at least 40" tall, and one of the feet on the base was broken, but wow...what a beauty.  Once down where I could reach, I quickly leaned over to turn the tag and sure enough...my heart sank.  There was no way I could pay that.

Equestrian and Burlap in the Family Room

We used to call this the great room.

Previously there were two rooms where we could watch tv and entertain guests.  Just steps from each other, one room was the den and the other was this larger room with lots of windows, a fireplace and an exit door to the back deck, so we called it the great room which was fitting at the time.  We didn't use this room often because most of our leisure time was spent in the den.

A couple of years ago we began remodeling and combined our former den and tiny kitchen to make our new kitchen and keeping room. The great room was updated too.  We had already removed the popcorn ceiling and during the renovation we removed the old carpet and replaced it with hardwood flooring and the dark paneling was painted.  We now spend most of our leisure time in this room since our old den is now part of the new kitchen.

Decorating the Fireplace Mantel & Hearth

The fireplace is even more of a focal point this time of year
as we light the fire for added warmth on these cold days of winter.

I've been wanting to do something different on the fireplace in the great room
and found it easier to begin with a clean slate,
so I cleared everything off.

Primitive Equestrian

I'm drawn to the primitive decor style of the 18th and 19th centuries,
but the rooms can become a bit drab, which I love but don't necessarily want to live in.

While the white vintage and primitive decor style many use to decorate with today is lovely,
I do love color.
To stay true to the furnishings I love,
I temper myself by keeping some things on the lighter side,
so the walls in the great room are painted a gray-white.


I love horses too.
And though we live on old farmland,
our neighbors have horses, goats, and chickens,
and my sister raises Friesians on her farm,
it's been a long time since I've owned a horse.

Oil Paintings by Marjorie H. Francis Zaman ~ A Lady I Never Knew

Marjorie H. Francis Zaman, or Marnie as she liked to be known, was a lady I never knew but I think I would have liked her. 

About a week ago, on a warm and sunny day, I drove into the parking lot of one of my favorite antique shops.  Before choosing my parking spot I was already intrigued. I parked, opened my door, and my eyes began a journey, as displayed across the shops brick front was oil painting after oil painting.  I was captivated.  There were ships sailing across blue seas, flowers, churches, and hillsides.  Marnie’s paintings were beautiful.

The story goes that Marnie was born in NY in 1924 and settled in our home town some 25 years ago.  She discovered painting later in life.  Her favorite scenes were landscapes, ships sailing and hometown scenes.  She also painted a pet or two, her own living room and a self-portrait too.  Marnie’s family sold most of her estate and paintings to the antique shop upon her passing.  Oil paintings are usually out of my pocketbooks reach, but we struck a deal and three came home with me.

You may remember this antique mirror from my recent post Clutter Solutions. 

The antique mirror has been replaced with this painting…

A couple has walked through the woods, down the pathway, and into an open meadow heading to a church in the distance.

Just a little to the left is another painting…

A sweet stone church nestled beside blue waters…

In the den where the theme is equine...

There is just something special about these paintings.  They are beautiful and Marnie put her heart into each one of them.  She is no longer here and surely she would want them to be treasured by someone, and these will be!

This is Marnie in her self-portrait…

Hope you enjoyed!

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