Winter/Holiday 2016 Issue

Released November 1st

Christmas is a time of miracles. It is a time when we stop and reflect on the little things in life and quickly realize that they are actually the big things. Christmas miracles come in a variety of shapes and sizes. The miracles of Christmas can be seen in the joy of a child’s eyes, the first flake of December snow, or the loving embrace of a friend or family member. The miracles of Christmas are all around us, if we just take a moment to open our eyes and hearts and see them.


We here at A Primitive Place & Country Journal magazine believe in miracles and hope to inspire you during this holiday season with six perfectly decorated primitive/colonial homes that bring a sense of wonder and joy to our lives. As you tour these homes, you will see why each was chosen for this issue, and we hope that they will encourage you to bring a little more warmth and beauty into your own home, which will spill over into your life.


We hope that you enjoy the sneak peeks from this issue. We also hope that you will continue to be inspired by the homeowners, houses, and articles that we bring to you with each issue. We thank you for your support and wish all of you a miraculous Christmas filled with treasured memories, quiet reflection, and most of all, love. Merry Christmas and happy 2017!

Kristine Walden

Editor-in-Chief

(Written by Betsy Heck - Photographed by Karen Gerhart - Cover Design by Kristine Walden)

The cover of our winter/holiday 2016 issue features the home of Karen Comita-Morgan of Reading, Massachusetts. ~ Modern Day “Self -Taught Genius” ~ With Williamsburg as her inspiration, Karen Comita-Morgan has transformed a 1927 “witch” house into her colonial “someday” dream home. 

Karen’s talents shine at Christmastime with preparations starting in September. She designs and creates all of the wreaths, garlands and trees throughout the house, inside and out, using real boxwood and pines as well as artificial greenery and fruits. Her front entrance was featured in yesterday's sneak peek. 

To order, please visit www.aprimitiveplace.org.

(Written by Betsy Heck - Photographed by Karen Gerhart)

Home Feature #1: The Home that Love Built - Architect and interior designer Nancylee drew blueprints for a saltbox more than 35 years ago to be her “someday” home with husband, Gary. But through a series of moves and changes, it has become their dream-come-true home – built and filled with love.

“We love our home and hope it reflects a welcoming and inviting feeling,” says Nancylee. “One that says ‘Please come in and sit by the fireplace with a mug of hot coffee and chat for a while. Next time pack your bags and plan to stay for a while!’”

(Written by Dan Weaver-White - Photography by Doreen Piechota)

Home Feature #2: The Gleaner ~ A Loudonville, Ohio homeowner and shopkeeper has taken the knowledge that she has gleaned from the people of her past and created a home that is full of collections that make her heart skip a beat.

A gleaner is someone who gathers something in small pieces slowly and carefully. Gleaner is the perfect word to describe Margie Krieg of Loudonville, Ohio because she has spent her life carefully gathering things, experiences, and knowledge from the people who have been placed in her path. It is through this gleaning that she has become the person she is today.

(Written and photographed by Dan Weaver-White)

Home Feature #3: A Folk Art Enthusiast ~ A Tinley Park, Illinois homeowner has taken her childhood love of collecting and turned it into a passion for contemporary American folk art which she uses to decorate her colonial-style inspired home. 

When advising other collectors, homeowner Rebecca Dickenscheidt says, “Pursue your passion and decorate to fit what you love.” She continues by saying, “My decorating tip would be ‘carpe diem’ (seize the day)! If you see something that makes your heart skip a beat, grab it. Otherwise, chances are it will not be there when you come back.”

(Written by Dan Weaver-White - Photographed by Teresa Schoeppner)

Home Feature #4: Home is Where Your Story Begins ~ A Sunbury, Ohio homeowner who has a great love of history has finally found the home that completes her soul and gives her the opportunity to be part of the rich history of the house, which was built in 1817.

The story of a person’s life cannot be told in one sitting. It is a series of events that unfolds at the determined time in the determined order and only makes sense when we look back on them. When we do look back, it seems as if those events are so obvious and everything seems perfectly clear and makes sense. It is then that we can see how we reached the destination that we were always meant to reach, and we truly understand why each event happened in the way it did. Amy Welsh’s story is very much like this. Her story is of a series of events that led her down a path that would lead her to what her soul had been searching for. “I must admit, I did not grow up loving antiques, primitives or otherwise,” says the Sunbury, Ohio homeowner, “but, I did always have a strong love of history and a deep devotion to heritage.”

(Written by Betsy Heck - Photographed by Karen Gerhart)

Home Feature #5: Home of Karen Comita-Morgan of Reading, Massachusetts. Karen’s home is also featured on the cover of our winter/holiday issue!

When Karen Comita-Morgan was four years old, her family took a trip to Williamsburg, Virginia: it was her first taste of what would become her obsession. She especially loved the holidays, and as she watched “Christmas in Connecticut,” “White Christmas,” and “A Christmas Carol,” she would study every scene to see how each room was decorated.

(Written by Betsy Heck - Photographed by Karen Gerhart)

Home Feature #6: The Keeper of Christmas Past - With more than 1,400 Santas in his Highland, New York home, Walter Marquez has a collection for the ages – and he’s not done yet!

For more than 30 years, Walter Marquez has been collecting Santas. Ceramic, plastic, wood, fabric, paper – they are all in his collection. His favorites are the hard plastic Santas from the 1950s and 1960s – his childhood era. “It’s getting more difficult to find good old ones,” Walter says. “And I don’t want to spend a lot of money on them. That’s the challenge.” He doesn’t remember his first – he knows he bought a few in his 20s – and then he started “acquiring crazily” when he bought his first house. Today an antiques dealer living in a 1770s home, Walter is still collecting. “I’m always on the hunt,” he says. “Dealer friends know my addiction and bring them to me. I sometimes lose track of what I have and what I don’t, but I buy them anyway. If I buy a duplicate, it goes into the shop!”

Please visit www.aprimitiveplace.org for info on how you can order this issue 

or an of the other issues you may have missed. 

You will also find inspirational articles, photos and much more!

~What I Did Over My Summer Vacation~

Well, summer is winding down in my neck of the woods, and in two weeks summer will be officially over and I will be standing in front of a brand new crop of third graders.

Summer vacation seems to fly by more and more quickly as the years roll by and this summer was no exception.  However, this summer was a little more special because I had the opportunity to visit and photograph four wonderful houses for upcoming issues of A Primitive Place & Country Journal magazine!

So, like many of us used to do in school, here is my report on what I did over my summer vacation! = )

The first place I visited this summer was the home of Andrea, Terry, and their son Johnathan Moore's house.  Their beautiful home is located in McKenzie, Tennessee.  I was made to feel very welcomed at the Moore house and I truly enjoyed my day there.  The Moore's have taken a modern day home and turned it into a primitive paradise proving that one does not have to live in a period home to achieve the primitive look that we all love.  I will let the pictures speak for themselves.
  

I know that those pictures only gave you a small glimpse into the Moore's wonderful home so make sure you do not miss the upcoming issue in which their home will appear.

The second home I visited this summer was the home of Gail and Larry Reeder.  Their home is located in Scottsville, Kentucky.  The Reeders live in a beautiful saltbox, so you can imagine my excitement as I drove into their driveway.  Gail and Larry were both very nice people and welcomed me into their home with opened arms.  They were the perfect examples of southern hospitality and prepared a wonderful lunch for me to enjoy while I was at their home. 

I truly could have spent all day at the Reeder home just looking around and getting ideas for my future saltbox.  However, I was there to do a job, so that is what I did.  Take a look around the Reeder home.

Just wait until you see this house in all its glory in an upcoming issue!  You will not be disappointed.

The third home I visited this summer was the home of Rich and Jean Clinch.  Their wonderful saltbox (yes another one!  I must have a pretty strong heart to survive seeing two saltboxes in one summer...LOL!) is located in Dunlap, Illinois.  Not only do they live in my dream house, but they have my dream kitchen.  They recently put a David T. Smith kitchen in their house.  It was wonderful to see one of these famous kitchens in person.

Both Rich and Jean are retired teachers, so I felt right at home in their beautiful house. 

Just wait until you see their kitchen in an upcoming issue.  I promise you, it will be love at first sight!

The fourth and final home I visited this summer was the home of Betsy Heck.  Her beautiful home is located in Eureka, Missouri.  Betsy has filled her home with some of the most wonderful collections that I have ever seen.  She has an enormous collection of stone fruit, and it was wonderful to see all the different varieties that she had collected. 

Betsy gave me full access to her home and provided the best background music for me to work by!  I invite you to take a quick look at the Heck homestead.

This is another home that you will not want to miss.  To ensure that you do not miss any of these houses, you can click here to order your subscription of the best primitive magazine on the market today.

Thank you for visiting A Primitive Place & Country Journal magazine.  We appreciate you stopping by and hope you will continue to come back as often as you can.  Don't forget to like us on facebook and follow us on pinterest.  We would all love to see you there too!

"The bigger the summer vacation the harder the fall."

~Unknown~

All My Best,

~Dan~