FRENCH BOTTLE DRYER OBSESSION

It has been ages since I last posted on my blog and I really miss posting and visiting others on a regular basis. It so happens that I have been having a lot of pain and discomfort in my hands for several years and it has become more intense and debilitating in recent months. I have been severely limited in my ability to do many of the things I like most to do. Being one who puts off going to see a doctor until it can no longer avoided, I kept hoping things would get better and things only got worse. I finally broke down and went to see the doctor who had performed carpal tunnel surgery on one of my hands years ago. I was thinking (hoping) he would probably tell me a there was a quick fix for whatever was ailing me. It was a real let down to hear that I have arthritis in both hands and in one hand there is no cartilage  between the thumb and index finger at all. In his words, "bone is literally touching bone in the joint." Any surgery to try and correct the problem would be very involved and would take many months of recovery, so I quickly opted out of that--at least for now.

This means I will not be able to do many of the things I dearly love to do and that is very depressing, so I will not dwell on the subject more in this post.

As I have stated in previous posts, I adore French design elements and, most especially, Country French design. One of the things I have fallen in love with is the French bottle dryer and have been yearning to have one of my own. I have been able to find a few images and ideas on Pinterest for using them in design and decor. This is one image of a French bottler dryer/dryer rack. Here is another and another here. The French bottle drying rack or bottle dryer can be used in many ways. It can be decorative or utilitarian, as in this photo posted on Pinterest.

I have been hoping to find one of these beauties somewhere and at a price I could afford. Well, it just so happens that on Easter this year, our family went to celebrate at Cracker Barrel Old Country Store and Restaurant. If you have never been to one, you might want to check it out here. Our family loves to eat at Cracker Barrel, and we almost always check out the store to see what is new and, even better, what things are on clearance. Well, to my amazement, there was a French bottle drying rack sitting right smack dab in the middle of the clearance merchandise. One of my daughters saw me admiring it, knowing how much I wanted one. She sneakily sent her son, my grandson, back into the store after we sat down to eat to purchase it for me. To say I was thrilled would be understating.

I love the bottles that the syrup comes to your table in at Cracker Barrel. Over the past several years I have been collecting little bottles. I had initially collected them to put little samples of homemade wine and continued to save them on a pretty regular basis. They are so cute and have endless possibilities!

The bottles came immediately came to mind to use on the rack. I did not have quite enough to fill it, so I have been collecting more and asked family members to do the same. About a month ago, I finally acquired enough to fill the rack. Today, I got around to snapping a few photos of the rack with the little bottles hanging on it. If you like French Country decor, you would probably like having one in your home. I hope you will enjoy the following pictures!
My French Bottle Drying Rack
My French Bottle Drying Rack
My French Bottle Drying Rack'
My French Bottle Drying Rack
Do you like French bottle drying racks? I adore mine and am planning on using it for a very long time!














Comments

It is beautiful Lynn! And yes I have admired them for ages! When I worked at Pottery Barn I would always eye the one that we sold but never did buy it as we needed furniture at the time. I am so sorry to hear that you have been having so much pain friend. I do so hope and pray that you will feel some relief and that there will be a way that you could still do some of the things that bring you joy or find something similar that doesn't require the same hand movements. I will be praying for you friend...I have missed your posts. You take care....Nicole xoxo
Decor To Adore said…
Oh my sweet Lynn I am so very to hear about the pain in your hands. I will pray for you to receive healing.

I love your new drying rack!
Lynn, I am so sorry to hear about your hands, you are such a trooper. I pray that you receiver some relief from the discomfort.
Your bottle rack is just gorgeous, a really nice large one, too.
I'm still on the hunt for one. Wish me luck !
Hugs,
Patti
lynn cockrell said…
Nicole, thanks for your sweet thoughts, prayers and comments! I am really hoping that I can regain some of the cartilage in my joints. The surgery for the condition does not sound like fun, so I am trying the joint supplements the doctor recommended and am wearing hand splints/braces to keep down the friction in the thumb joints. They look funny(like armor) but they do help with the pain. I have really missed keeping in touch with you and others through blogging. It is not easy to type with these things on my hands, but I try. I hope that you and your sweet family have had a beautiful summer and had lots of fun!
lynn cockrell said…
Laura, I am so happy to hear from you and thank you so very much for your prayers and thoughts. I really miss being in regular contact with my wonderful blogging friends and have been a little down about the situation. I am trying to avoid surgery because it sounds pretty involved and will require several months to recover. I am excited for you about your upcoming plans and I hope everything will work out perfectly for you and your beautiful family!
lynn cockrell said…
Dear Patti, I have so missed visiting your beautiful blog as often as I would like to, but I have faith that I am going to get better. There is a surgery for the condition, but I don't want to have that unless all else fails. I hope that you and your family are doing well and that your summer has been wonderful.
Thanks for dropping by to leave your sweet comments and concern and thank you for praying.
I have been wanting that bottle dryer for quite some time and I hope you find one, too! You might try Cracker Barrel's online shop to see if they have any left. It is not an antique and I didn't buy it myself. As I recall, when I saw it in the shop with my daughter, it was about $40.--a lot better than some I have seen online at other sites. I look forward to seeing a post about the great ways you will use it!

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