It seems yesterday's post brought a tear to the eyes of a few so I guess we'll keep today's topic a bit lighter.  How about a lighter summer palette - this Robin's Egg Blue works beautifully with tans and taupe.  Tomorrow at The Goodrich Flea Market we'll have lots of  "smalls" to summer-up a spot in your home without busting the budget.  Stop in and say hello.

Some years ago while speaking via phone with my  Mom at her Florida home, I was told she came across a picture in the house they bought that that she didn't care for but thought I'd like.  She wasn't sure, however, because it was mostly black and orange and the frame was not attractive.  When I asked for the description, she said it was a "Little Girl in Orange" with a basket of flowers.  I should explain the house in question was a 1950's ranch in an unassuming neighborhood with mostly modern/beachy furnishings. Quite welcoming but by no means traditional in it's styling.
I was a bit skeptical based on color combo, description and location that there would be a match for what was my  conservative Early American taste but asked if she would hold on to it until my next visit. What a surprise when I finally saw the painting.  Mom may not have done the piece justice in her description but she certainly knew my style.  The second surprise was that between our original phone call and my arrival, she had grown fond of the painting and wanted to keep it in residence.  She did share, however, that it would be mine someday.  Mom has now passed on and the "Little Girl in Orange" is in our home.  Right under my name on the back of the painting is hand-written "Jillian" - my young niece who also admired this painting while at Grandma's but was told it was going to me first.  This little piece of art left behind by it's original owner could not be considered valuable from a monetary standpoint but has now touched and endeared itself to three generations of family members.    I never look at this painting without smiling and thinking of my mother.  So I'll have to agree, art is definitely personal - find something you love and pass it on.

Shouldn't these great children's garden tools produce wonderful flora.  I think so! I love the worn handles and age the shovel shows.  The original owner must have liked digging the best. I brought these to a show once and was immediately offered a very fair price for the rake  but just the rake.  Couldn't do it and  withdrew them immediately.  Some how, some way these three pieces have hung out together for near 50 years and I'm not going to be the one to separate them.  Garden items - new, old, working or not - are great items to add to your summer decor

You just never know what you'll find at a flea market or consignment shop.   Sometimes you find that little something that you didn't even know you were looking for!  I think I know the perfect spot for this vintage bee hive syrup pot I came across last week.  It has no markings but the seller knew it was gifted to his mother 27 years ago and was purchased in Vermont. It still has the original cork stopper under the cover.

Friends and family will no longer have to be embarrassed by the spelling errors - I've found and installed ieSpell and will use!  You no longer have to feel the burden of helping me look intelligent.  That leaves the door open for you to critique other aspects of the content and all feedback is welcome - may not be acted on but I love learning what you think about Thistle & That.

The hydrangea grouping was completed first and we now have some fun items for sale including a wooden hanger with turned finials, a message board as well as some pillows and textiles to make your own valances or trims.  The color was leftover from a sunny bedroom we had in a previous home.  We'll have these above items in our booth at The Goodrich Flea Market tomorrow. Hope we see you there.  Click on location tab for directions.

One last picture for you. It dawned on me that some readers may not be familiar with hydrangea.  My favorite is the blue toned hydrangea which seem to be the most beautiful along the roads of Cape Cod.  The hydrangea we have is a bit pale and more on the purple side but we still love it. They are their own little bouquets. 

I now know I have to come up with a better name than coral/salmon.  When I went through the leftover bits of material in my bin, I quickly found more than a few that went beautifully with the coral/salmon. That means it's a color I've used many times in the past.  So now we have the painted smalls and the bits of materials - back to work for me on incorporating the two.  Trying to get a few things ready for The Goodrich Flea Market this Saturday.

With this afternoon's sunshine, it seemed a great time to do some painting on "smalls" -   smalls being frames, trays, wall mount finial hangers. I wanted to work with three colors that looked good together and ended up with hydrangea, light robin's egg blue and a color that I'll refer to as coral/salmon until I can think of a better one . Next step is to match some fabrics to the painted items. Check back tomorrow to see what I've come up with.

Posting images of items that are in the booth can be challenging.  Here's the corner cupboard before it moved into the shop.  We loved the pine with the light robin's egg paint.

Thistle Do Nicely! - A Medley of Antique Furnishings, Finds and Handcrafted Treasures.   

Our space is fitted out to the max with a bit of something for everyone.  We organized our booth in a "U" format so customers can walk through and not get trapped in the booth - one of my pet peeves when I'm in antique shops.

I hope to share things that you'll find both interesting and helpful  in styling your home.