Today ended up being an adventure. I decided to take the children to Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts, and my friend Kathy met us there with her four children. The children played and visited while Kathy and I talked and tried our best to keep track of them.
During this visit, I wanted to keep my eyes open for beautiful pictures of that unique time period. There is something about those years that attract me. Does anyone else feel that way? Today what I noticed most of all was c o l o r. The people of those times used so many gorgeous earthy colors in their homes and clothes.
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The very first thing we did after our half hour drive was munch cookies and sip cold juice. The children each had a big round peanut butter cookie. I was craving a homemade fig bar but settled for a raspberry turnover. We sat outside on a bench, in the shade of a solid, tall tree and waited for our friends.
These next few pictures are from a wool-dying demonstration in the village. I think I could have sat and watched all day. The workers dress in period clothes and use period tools, as well. This woman was stirring spun yarn into boiling water and dye. The dye she used today was made from some kind of insect (a pink color was achieved).
The walls in Grace’s room just might be the color of that pink in the far right corner of this basket of yarn! Maybe a shade lighter.
Moving on to the sheep barn, this wooden door, with it’s iron hook, caught my eye.
And then I noticed this pretty little girl. She just happens to be my own~Miss Grace~
She didn’t look this serious all day, believe-you-me!
~the all important New England white picket fence~
~Domestic inspiration~
Lighting, Color, Simplicity, Beauty, Usefulness
In this little baby cradle, there is a small white pillow which says, “Welcome Little Stranger”, isn’t that dear?
I love the dusky purple of the blanket, too.
Isn’t it time for an afternoon nap?
Back to the gardens. . . .does anyone else think of the ever-inspiring Tasha Tudor when you see this next photo?
I came home with a few irresistible goodies. Whether my little expected baby is a boy or a girl, I have plans for the top piece of flannel. It will be sewn up into a nice oversized receiving blanket, which is about all I can handle at the moment.
I don’t knit or crochet yet, so the yarn is just to look at, and touch, and admire. It was worked into it’s final state by the Old Sturbridge Village craftspeople.
I hope you enjoyed the photos from my day. Don’t you think color effects moo
d? What are you favorite colors? My favorites are the shades of greens and blues. I will always love those colors, but lately I have also been drawn to yellows. Aren’t you thankful God created color? And such a variety! He is so amazing!
Now I need go work in my kitchen and see what I can do for supper time. The children are busy ~ Jacob is giving Caleb a piggy back ride. I love hearing Caleb’s giggles and cries of “Go faster!” Rich called not long ago and told me he would be home within the hour. Then the fun can really begin!
Have a lovely evening, friends!
Love, ~Shanda~
Good to be Home 
Those are just beautiful! Greens and blues are my favorites too, although sometimes I enjoy just the right red (not really red, more crimson… deeper color I guess is where I’m going with that.) I love jewel colors, the richer and deeper the better.
(Now, I wear mostly black, grey, camel, and cream with a little turquoise/aqua thrown in for good measure, but it all matches… that’s my logic.)
oh those pictures are so lovely! I went there as a child and I can’t wait until my boys are old enough to appreciate it. And that yarn, oh my! I dont knit or crochet well, but I would have bought it just to look at as well 😉
I am a greens and blues person, too. I just find those colors so real and restful. Thanks fo rmore great photos.
I love that dusky purple blanket. Just perfect!
I too am attracted to this time period…though I cannot put my finger on the reason why. Even the music you have playing on your site stirs some sort of emotion in me…(besides the fact that I love the words to this song!) When I look back to this era, everything seems so rich and full to me. And I LOVE the picture of the door!
Oops, I didn’t relize there was more than one song…I was speaking of “Come Thou Fount”
What a fun place to visit! My kids are always asking me what my favorite color is, but I can never tell them. I love colors! Especially now that I’m quilting. It is so much fun to pick out the colors and prints to go together in a quilt. I just cut out my fabric for one of the quilts I will be making at the quilt festival. It is browns and blues and greens. All the fabrics are batiks. I can’t wait to see how it turns out! Have a wonderful evening!
You should take up crochet…it would work well with your personality. It’s not as difficult as knitting in my opinion, and I find it quite relaxing. It’s easy to do watching a movie or sitting on the porch (which I know you get great pleasure out of!). I wish I lived nearby; I’d show you how to do it. I hate to see pretty yarn just sitting!!! 🙂
I have been thinking about what to make Miss Lucy for her birth-day. 🙂 Maybe a bonnet…
Enjoyed the photos….our homeschool group went to a similar farm in this area last spring…the kids really enjoyed it and loved the classes they had learning everything involved from caring for sheep up to weaving cloth and making clothing from it. I am hoping to take them to Colonial Williamsburg sometime during their Home Educator’s week….prices are much more comfortable for us then.
What a lovely lovely post!!! I enjoyed it every much.
I, too, LOVE color, and agree that it does affect moods. However, I really don’t have a favoirte color! My first thought would be to say deep apple red, but I love deep blues, fresh greens, crisp colors, warm colors, plum purple… see, now I am thinking of all these lovely colors!! I guess if I HAD too choose, or narrow it down, I would say the warm oranges, reds, browns, and golden yellows of FALL. Oh, and the crisp blue fall sky, too I can’t wait for fall to get here!
I love Old Sturbridge Village. It is so neat and creative. I love the nature colors browns and greens myself. Colors do affect my mood. Brighter colors make me feel happy for some reason. Glad you and Kathy had a good time.
I’ve never heard of Old Sturbridge Village, but enjoyed your visit there! You’re welcome to post more pictures of your day – it looks fascinating. I’m a person who enjoys all colors (in their proper place). I adore wearing certain colors, but decorate my home with totally different ones. It depends on the place/person, I guess! I appreciate all colors, I truly do. And, I’m grateful for my vision that makes me able to see all colors!
What fun! Glad you had a good day. I bet you are a tired lady by now. 🙂
Yes, I love that time period. We have a festival here every year, the Johnny Appleseed festival (he is buried here) and I soooo look forward to it each year! All the vendors dress like that and there’s all kinds of super tempting and wonderful things to buy for the home, kettle corn and turkey legs (among other food items), period games and toys for the kids, a nice antique section, farmer’s market….ahhh…only one more month. 🙂
what a lovely day you’ve had. I’m always more appreciative of the “modern conveniences” we have now after a visit to a different time frame. Oh, yes, and what a pretty little girl you found…
How neat Shan! I have always enjoyed that time period and many other time period previous to ours. Jeremy just left for a firemen call so I decided to come catch up. I love warm colors like reds,yellows, oranges, fall colors. I love the cool colors too. They seem to make everything look fresh and clean. I am a big fan of yellows and natural deluted colors but I like the brights! I can never decide on a favorite color. However, when I’ve contemplated “If I were to repaint this room what color would it be?” I usually decide some shade of yellow. Anyway, I hope all is well with you! I love you! Lish
Thank you for taking us along on your trip to Sturbridge Village. I’m fascinated, too, by that era, and love the house designs and the furniture. The colors are lovely. If you get a chance to learn to knit, you will love it. I don’t knit often, but when I do, I always find it relaxing, and it kind of helps you meditate and focus your thinking. I hope you’ll come by and visit my site sometime. I always enjoy yours.
I really like the window treatments there. The way the red sash thing hangs is very pretty. I call it a “thing” but I’m sure it has some fancy interior decorating name. Oh, well. : )
I love Old Sturbridge Village, and enjoyed your great photos.
Really a gorgeous place. . .would love to visit there someday. . .so “New Englandish” the way I imagine New England to be.
Grace is indeed a beauty to behold and with all those brothers, I am sure she is well protected and cared for 🙂
Love the pictures! That yarn is awesome!
I have always wanted to take the kids on a road trip and spend the day here. *SIGH* but it seems like years have passed and we still have yet to visit. Perhaps the fall would be a great time.
loved this post — just today I was talking w/ my sister in law about living in the “old days” — how fun that would be… but then we began to think about how babies died often, mamas didn’t make it through child birth — how in the midst of the beauty and simplicity, how grateful we were that we live in this day — we both have had a child, a birth, that w/ out the wisdom and medical field, nothing short of a complete miracle would have saved our lives or our babies…all to say, though grateful to be living in this day and age — I can’t help but think how romantic it is to look at these pictures of gone away days and the simple beauty ! thanks for sharing, and I do think that Miss Grace of yours is prettier than it all :)ps.seeing that first shot, I imagine soon, the pictures will include a baby along w/ the rest of your sweet children! funny, now when I see pics of the five older ones, I think “someone is missing and we didn’t even know it !” 🙂
I’ve never been there but I’m sure I would enjoy it — thanks for taking us along!
“Old Sturbridge” looks and sounds like the neatest place ever! I told my husband about it; we would both enjoy visiting a place like that some day. Like you, I appreciate many aspects of the long-ago days, there was a certain simplicity to them. The restful, “earthy” colors are also something I love!For decorating, I seem to gravitate toward colors like a soft sage green, white, browns, and some blues. These colors feel restful to me!Thanks for taking the time to share these photos of the village – and the children! Enjoyed them all VERY MUCH!
I would enjoy visiting that place! I remember as a child going to my grandparents, and my grandmother would be working in the garden wearing a bonnet with long slats to shade her face. Grandmother died last week at 102.
What a lovely day! Colors? Blue and purple here! I do enjoy working with lots of different colors of yarn. I am glad you posted the pictures of all that yarn! Yummy!
What a glorious day. Now that is home-education at it’s best. And yes she did look like our beloved Tasha Tudor! Much of it did for that matter. bless you sweety, m
looks like so much fun Shanda.. I loved the pics… Glad you had such a wonderful time.
Thanks for sharing about your day. That place sounds really neat. What amazes me is all the work it took to make all that they had. I love the earth-tones of that era…everything from God’s creation.
That looks like a wonderful place to visit. Thanks for sharing such wonderful pictures! It looks like you had a great day.
love old places like this… and felt like i was taking the tour with you! such great pictures. my favorite is the baby bed and little pillow, “welcome stranger.” the sound of that is precious. and before you know it you’ll be welcoming YOURS ~ can’t wait to meet him/ or her! (though i’m strongly pushing for a HER) i think another pretty little Grace face would be a perfect mix! sweet blessings to you~
Yes yes yes I thought of her!!
I have been to some villages like this and they never let me take photos! I love the one of the bed where you commeted on “time for a nap” that photo could be published miss Shanda Banda!!!
That pillow is dear and must have melted you with the thought of your own precious stranger growing each day inside of you!!!