Kitchen Lamps

I love lamps and I have several in every room, including my kitchen.  I prefer the soft glow of a lamp light over the harsh ceiling light in my rooms.  These are a few of the lamps that are available at Persnickety Primitives.  The first lamp is a jug lamp with a star on the side and a punched tin metal star shade.  The second lamp is made from a very old green Ball jar filled with vintage clothespins and topped off with a green and beige vintage shade.  I love this look in a laundry room or kitchen.  The bottom lamp is a metal coffee pot lamp.  I have one similar, only black in my kitchen.  This lamp is a copper color and fits into any decor.  Stop in and see our full selection.  May will be here very soon!

Pie Birds

An old English Nursery Rhyme goes like this:

Sing a song of sixpence,

A pocket full of rye.

Four and twenty blackbirds,

Baked in a pie.

When the pie was opened,

The birds began to sing;

Wasn't that a dainty dish,

To set before the King?

The King was in his counting house,

Counting out his money;

The Queen was in the parlour,

Eating bread and honey.

The maid was in the garden,

Hanging out the clothes;

When down came a blackbird

And pecked off her nose.

They sent for the King's doctor,

Who sewed it on again;

He sewed it on so neatly,

The seam was never seen.

That is a little scarey at the end, but I do remember that nursery rhyme from when I was a child.  Now, back to the pie bird collectible!  These collectibles are practical and precious.  I have had pie birds for several years in my collection.  Baked in a pastry, these ceramic utensils offer an adorable way to let off steam.  And displayed on kitchen shelves, they positively sing!  "Pie birds evoke warm feelings of gathering around a table for fresh-from-the-oven desserts," says Texas collector Jeannie Kolger, whose cabinets bulge with more than 1,000 of these tools designed to prevent pie fillings from boiling over by creating a steam vent.  Though English bakers started using workmanlike ceramic funnels for this purpose in the early 1800's, the utensils didn't take on fanciful bird forms until migrating to the States in the 1930's.  The inspiration?  The nursery rhyme "Sing a Song of Sixpense": Four and 20 blackburds, baked in a pie.  Today, fans of the figurals drop anywhere from $10 to $3000 for avian as well as other, rarer shapes.  Pie birds were featured in the November 2010 issue of Country Living Magazine (pictured).  Perhaps you read the article.  I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a few of these Pfaltzgraff high quality pie birds.  When they are gone, I am not sure that I can get any more.  Don't miss out on your opportunity to start or add to your collection at Persnickety Primitives.

Information taken from November 2010 Country Living Magazine

Butter Churns

These two butter churns are available for sale at Persnickety Primitives.  The first is a true antique - the real deal.  It is a 4 quart Dazey butter churn in great condition.  The second is a reproduction crock style butter churn with dasher.  I have one similar to it setting in my kitchen.  The first is very similar to the one that my grandmother had which is now a treasured part of my own collection.  I remember when I was a small child, my grandmother would sit me in one of her old wooden kitchen chairs.  She would scoot me all the way to the back of the chair.  Then she would set the butter churn filled with cream between my little legs and let me turn the crank.  I was fascinated with the process as I saw the bits of butter start to form.  Once done, Mamaw would form the butter into a round cake and roll a cut glass salt dip across the top to form a pattern.  She would then pour the remaining buttermilk into a pitcher and store it in the refrigerator to be served with cornbread. 

These are the instructions for churning butter if you have your own butter churn:

Making butter at home is a very simple job.  With very few easy steps you can make fresh delicious butter at home.  Fresh milk cream is agitated to make butter.  There are a number of factors that are responsible for the quality of butter formed, like temperature of cream, quality, etc.  Following are the steps on how to churn butter.

Cream Formation:  You can use milk of a cow or other animal, like goat, buffalo, etc.  Collect the milk in a clean container and allow the milk to cool in a refrigerator (12 hours at least).  A layer of cream will be formed on the top of the milk.  Separate this cream from the milk bu skimming it slightly.  You can do this with the help of a spoon.  Collect the cream in a jar with a tight lid.

Cream Souring:  This is the most important step in order to get a good quality butter.  Keep the collected cream in such a place where the temperature is between 60 - 75 degrees Fahrenheit, for approximately 12 hours.  This process is called souring of milk, wherein the acidic content of the cream is developed.

Churning the Butter:  Once the cream has soured, it is time to churn the butter.  You can use any of the butter churns mentioned above.  Butter churning can be done even with the help of a simple jar.  Put the cream in the butter churn and stir the cream.  Every butter churn has a different assembly for churning butter.  Stir the cream until you see formation of butter balls.  Churn the butter in a uniform manner.  If you are using a jar as  your butter churn, all you have to do is shake the jar until the butter is formed.  There is no specific time for butter formation.  So keep an eye on the cream as you stir it.  At the end, you will see a yellow shaded globule, which is butter.

Separation of Butter and Buttermilk:  While churning the butter, a white fluid is left behind:  this is buttermilk.  Remove the butter from the buttermilk.  Collect the butter in a container and put some cold water in it.  Gently rinse the butter in this water.  Drain this water and place the butter in a clean container.  Sprinkle some salt on the butter for its preservation.  Your homemade butter is ready.  Store both the butter and the buttermilk in the refrigerator and you can use them whenever you want.  Buttermilk is tasty too and you can add salt and pepper to add flavor, else you can also make buttermilk biscuits.

Butter churning becomes easy with experience and you get to know what things to do and what not to.  It is necessary that the cream is soured properly before making butter.  The containers used should be clean.  These were a few tips on how to churn butter.  So, now that you know about butter churns and simple steps for churning butter, you can maka a luscious tasty butter at home.

Information from www.buzzle.com

Lanterns

We have a beautiful selection of lanterns for your primitive home.  The top picture features two lanterns that you may have seen in the Country House catalog or the Country Sampler magazine.  They both have that worn primitive look with rusty metal accents.  They are my favorite.  The larger lantern is the Stratford and the smaller one is the Yorktown.  They are both well ventilated and will accomodate either the regular candles or the battery operated candles.  I love them with the battery operated candles with timers.  Place them on your fireplace mantle for a great primitive look or on a side table for the perfect accent.  The next picture is our large Milkhouse lantern.  It is fitted for electric bulbs and I think it looks great with a silicone flicker bulb.  Next is a hanging tealight lantern - just perfect for that little corner or in a bedroom.  The bottom picture is our garden lantern that we have in two sizes.  They are also suitable for either regular candles or battery operated candles.  They are all metal in a copper finish.  These look great indoors and also outdoors in your garden, patio or gazebo area.  They add so much to your garden party or intimate dinners.  All of these are available at Persnickety Primitives.

Signs of the Times

I love signs!  I often joke with my guests and tell them that they have to read their way through my house.  I have signs in almost every room.  I think they give purpose to rooms and are a fantastic primitive accent.  Our signs are high quality and come in a variety of designs and colors.  In fact, signs are one of our specialties.  We have many more signs at Persnickety Primitives than I can display here.  Also, if you don't see what you need, you can order a custom sign with custom colors.  We will also have seasonal signs as well.  Come and check us out!  We have signs of the times!

Primitive Display

These are a few of the primitive display pieces that are available at Persnickety Primitives.  At the top is a primitive spoon rack with a wire towel hanger.  It looks great in a pantry as I show it here or in a prim kitchen.  The wooden spoons are even included!  The second picture shows a display for your spoons or utensils.  I show it here with primitive wrought iron eating utensils that are also available for sale.  The next picture is a candle box.  It looks great beside a fireplace filled with extra candles or whatever you choose.  Next is a candle shelf.  It sits on a shelf or hangs on a wall.  I have displayed it with one of our early lighting battery operated candles, also available at Persnickety Primitives.  Then we have a primitive bowl rack.  I love it filled with treenware bowls, also available for sale.  Last, is the rolling pin display rack.  It keeps your rolling pins handy for use or just displays your antique rolling pins.  We also have several antique rolling pins for sale.  These are a just a few of our display pieces that will be available at Persnickety Primitives.  Stop in and see the entire collection.  Many of the pieces are handmade by local crafters.  Each one is unique.

From Our Pantry Shelves

There is nothing that sets the wonderful welcoming atmosphere in your primitive home quite like the smell of a high quality candle or tarts melting in your primitive melter.  At the Persnickety Primitives cabin, you will find a good selection of high quality and soy candles in a wonderful array of yummy fragrances.  Our favorite lines are the 1803 candles and Black Crow candles.  We also have a great selection of tart melters too if you prefer them.  I personally love the smell they bring to my home and I keep my tart melter going every day.  I love the wonderful smell that greets you as you come through the door.  It is such a nice way to welcome guests to your home.  We also have rosehips in scents that match our candles and tarts.  They make great bowl fillers and accents around your prim candles and pantry cakes.  We also carry unscented rosehips as well.  We have a big jar of the orange spice scented potpourri that is also a great bowl filler for your treenware bowls.  I just can't wait for you to experience the sights and smells in the cabin!

Pantry Goods

Now this is what every well stocked primitive pantry must have.  It's our large selection of handmade pantry goods containers.  Each one has been hand made, one at a time, here at Persnickety Primitives.  They have that "old-timey" appearance that you are looking for when decorating your primitive home.  They look great on your pantry or buttery shelves.  They are equally at home in your primitive cupboards.  Mix them in with your other collectibles and they will take your prim decor to the next level.  I have grunged them up with coffee stain to give them just the right look.  My pantry shelves at the Persnickety Primitives will be stocked and ready for you.  We will have a wonderful pantry/buttery section that will also feature our grungy candles that smell absolutely delicious.  Watch for upcoming information on more of our merchandise.  Check back often.