All in my Cottage My personal blog

Rest in Peace.....Angel

2012-01-29T20:39:00.000-08:00

This is a particularly hard post for me to write, I have waited a couple weeks to do it. Trying to keep things lighthearted on my blog, but I need to pay tribute to our sweet kitty of eleven years.

Angel came to us as a sweet little kitten about eight weeks old. She was a rescue kitty. She was found on the doorstep with her mommy and baby brother kitty at a local senior center. The three of them were in a little white fleece bed. It was early December and cold. The baby brother died and mommy was in poor health. My husband brought her home on that little fleece bed so she would have something familiar with her. We named her Angel because it must have been an Angel who watched over her to bring her safely to us.

It became clear in her first year that she must have been quite frightened at that tender age as she would so often hunker down under our bed. In fact that became her "house". We never could get her to sleep in a cat bed, she preferred a soft blanket under the bed. That little white fleece bed she came home in became the liner in her cat carrier to go to the vet once a year.
She was quite the hunter and like most cats brought her catch to proudly show us even tho we weren't too thrilled. As she matured, we discovered that she was a munchkin cat. She was a full size cat in every way, but her legs were very short. This limited her jumping ability and in later years she did not jump at all as arthritis set in her back legs. But she was a happy loving cat. We called her our "special needs" cat. It reinforced our belief that she came to us for a reason. We had grown children and our home was quiet for her. Then the grand kids came along, Angel simply headed for her house under our bed and to safety until they we gone and all was clear.

It was the last few months that we noticed she had slowed down even more. Then one day she quit eating. You could tell in her eyes she was not well. The vet gave us the news that she was suffering from renal failure. We could try to rehydrate her, but we would really be doing it for our benefit not hers. I consulted with an Animal communicator as I had done a few times before and it was Angel's wish to be left alone and she would let us know when she needed assistance in passing.

We had 3 more days with Angel. And yes she did let us know when she was ready. We put her in that little white fleece bed. She came to us in that little bed and she left us in that little bed. We miss her terribly, but we know she will be waiting for us at the Rainbow Bridge where all animals run and play until their owners come to meet them one day

The Rainbow Bridge

By the edge of a woods, at the foot of a hill,

Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.

Where the friends of man and woman do run,

When their time on earth is over and done.

For here, between this world and the next,

Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.

On this golden land, they wait and they play,

Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.

No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,

For here they are whole, their lives filled with gladness.

Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,

Their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.

They romp through the grass, without even a care,

Until one day they start, and sniff at the air.

All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,

Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.

For just at that instant, their eyes have met;

Together again, both person and pet.

So they run to each other, these friends from long past,

The time of their parting is over at last.

The sadness they felt while they were apart,

Has turned into joy once more in each heart.

They embrace with a love that will last forever,

And then, side-by-side, they cross over… together

Cottage Craft Room party JANUARY

2012-01-23T06:56:00.000-08:00

Another new blog party over at Etsy Cottage Style

Since I am a little pressed for time today I am simply going to share a pic I posted on facebook during the holidays....I titled it

"Look quick, because it won't look this way long"

it was right after I cleaned my studio, and I can truthfully say it does not look this way now!

Cottage Garden Party~January

2012-01-16T06:39:00.000-08:00

As an avid cottage gardener I am not used to even thinking about or posting about it in January, but this fun new blog party at Etsy Cottage Style Blog challenges the best of we passionate gardeners.

S0...with that note, I got into my pic files and thought I would share a few Hawaiian or tropical flowers because to tell you the truth I would rather be there in January than sittin here in this cold rainy snowy weather....
I hope you enjoy the flowers as much as I did posting them:)

What's cookin in the cottage kitchen blog party January

2012-01-09T09:35:00.000-08:00

Fun new blog party! I have lots of old advertising images, I thought I would share this one today that is from the mid-1950's. It was in Life magazine. Brings back some old memories.....

a New Years break...part 1

2012-01-06T18:47:00.000-08:00

Going to break this mini vacation into 2 posts....lots of pics to share!

I needed a break and the opportunity was right. We arranged to join our good friends Georgienne and Ted for a New Year weekend get away to Leavenworth Washington. A good six hour drive from our home, we decided to break up the drive and stay the first night in the historic Hood River Hotel located on the beautiful Columbia river gorge. Certainly a step back in time....we loved the charm and character of this well preserved 100+ yr old Hotel. It was the same accomodations my grandparents would have experienced other than now the bathrooms are inside each room rather than shared in the hallway.

although this brass gate elevator was a bit of a pain, it was pretty cool

original Craftman's woodwork and radiators

My room pic didn't turn out so I borrowed one from the website.

For dinner we walked up the street to a Brew Pub, and we climbed a LOT of stairs to get into the pub, but is was worth it. The brews were awesome and so was the food.

After dinner we snagged a bartender to snap a pic of all of us.

It poured rain that night so we got pretty soaked walking back down to the Hotel.

Stay tuned....

My next post later this week will be sharing our trip to the Barvarian theme town Leavenworth, Washington

If you would like to see more (and better) pics of this hotel here is the direct link

http://hoodriverhotel.com/index.html

Cottage colors Party ...red and green!

2011-12-18T12:59:00.000-08:00

For this month's party, I thought I would share a favorite holiday recipe of mine, which is served up in beautiful vintage crystal bowl that I hold dear to my heart.

This recipe also was published in the holiday issue of Shabby Lane Shops magazine

Holiday Berry Trifle

A lovely holiday dessert and good for you too!

2 10oz, packages frozen Strawberries, thawed and strained.

(Save the juice)

1 12oz package frozen raspberries thawed and strained.

(Save the juice)

1 12oz package frozen blueberries or blackberries, thawed and drained

1 ¼ cups powdered sugar

1 ½ teaspoons cornstarch

¾ cup heavy whipping cream

¼ teaspoon Almond extract (optional)

48 oz non fat or low fat Vanilla Greek yogurt (no substitutions)

(Such as Chobani or Fage)

36-40 ladyfingers

In a saucepan over medium heat, whisk together raspberry and strawberry juice with ¾ cup powdered sugar and cornstarch. Boil until thickened. Pour into a bowl and refrigerate until cool.

In a medium bowl, whip the cream to stiff. In a large bowl, combine yogurt, almond extract, and remaining sugar. Fold I whipped cream.

Place a double layer of ladyfingers at the bottom of a pretty clear glass bowl, next layer 1/3 of the yogurt mixture. Then spoon half of the berries, with a drizzle of the berry sauce.

Layer another 1/3 of the yogurt mixture, followed by a double layer of ladyfingers, remaining yogurt, and the rest of the berries. Drizzle 3-4 tablespoons of the berry sauce to finish.

Refrigerate 2 hrs before serving.

Serves 10

Variations include frozen mixed berries, vanilla instead of almond extract.

Angel food cake slices or Vanilla wafers instead of the ladyfingers.

Join us for the party! More details at the

Etsy Cottage Style BLOG

baking with nana with new aprons

2011-12-16T20:43:00.000-08:00

I have to admit, even tho I spend most of my time at my sewing machine creating for my business, I had someone custom make aprons for my granddaughters....I was poking around etsy one evening and stumbled on this listing for the cutest old fashioned ruffled aprons I had ever seen. Mind you this is not a seller who specializes exclusively in aprons, she made one and it was so cute thought she would offer them up for sale. So I really felt a lot of person heart went into these. And I was not disappointed! The attention to detail was incredible--as one who sews too, I do notice the little extras.
So we all got our aprons on today and baked cookies. The aprons are a little big this year, but I know they will last a few years and will have lots of good memories for all of us.

I had a hard time getting anyone to pose for pics....Lilian would not put this toothbrush down....

Then I get these silly faces....I think the younger one is in charge today..

Then the nut grinder became more important..go I gave up..

Below is a pic of Lynsie and Lilian with their mommy and daddy

my daughter Alissa and husband John

at the very bottom of this blog are some updated pics of the girls, I did not realize that I had not updated them for over a year!

Christmas at ArborOak Cottage

2011-12-11T10:56:00.000-08:00

Some may be surprised that even tho I am all about pink and roses, my home decorating as a whole does not reflect that. I made a compromise with my hubby sometime back. He simply cannot live with too many flowers on the walls or windows, let alone pink!! But he does love vintage and retro, so we have our bedroom in French Victorian toile decor and the great room is mission style. My studio and guest room are totally shabby cottage!! Our Christmas decor is decidely very Victorian traditional. Mind you I do have some pink ornies snuck in here and there on the tree.If you remember last years post I had a HUGE tree. This year I was good, I kept it at 8 feet instead of 14 feet....
This year I decided to take my photos with a night time setting just at sunset. I also poked the camera in the tree to share some sparkle.

I tried a new grouping on my mantel this year by using varied levels

My first show....

2011-12-04T18:29:00.000-08:00

Many of you may know that I have sold online for many years, but may not know that I have never participated in a show. Since I have a day job and use my off time to create, doing weekend shows did not leave me much time to create...
This year I had an opportunity to share a booth at a Craft Bazaar at the local middle school. I have to say I was a bit stressed going into this venture, but also a little relieved that the person I was sharing a booth with (Beki) knew her stuff. It was a long day, and I did sell more than I expected....but I also went in with the thought that I might not sell anything!
What I did learn was what will sell in this small town next year and I took notes while it was fresh in my mind....a big hug and thanks to Beki for giving me this chance!
Here are a few photos of our set up..mind you we were in a school gym, so the backdrops are not real pretty...

my side of booth

Beki's side of the booth

until next year....I think I might be up to one show a year....I like these small town events!

On this thanksgiving...a prayer

2011-11-23T18:13:00.000-08:00

“Come Lord Jesus, Be our guest,
And let Thy gifts to us be blessed,
And may our souls by Thee be fed,
Ever on the Living Bread. Amen.”

This meal prayer is considered the "Lutheran prayer". My grandparents said it at every meal, while my parents had a bit different version. A very old prayer that is was brought from Europe and spoke in German, and all of the Scandinavan languages too.

Cottage colors Party ~burgandy~

2011-11-20T12:20:00.000-08:00

This month's featured color is

Burgandy

EtsyCottageStyle blog

For the November party I am sharing one of my most treasured pieces that was passed down to me. This butter dish belonged to my great grandmother who purchased it about 1905 as I am told. It came with a matching sugar and creamer but those went to a cousin. The pic below does not do it justice, it looks red, but is actually a very deep burgandy color

I also thought I would share a mixed media frame that I created a couple years ago, one of my favorites featuring a little girl in a burgandy dress.

New blog to check out

2011-11-05T22:32:00.000-07:00

Here's a new blog not to be missed!

Comfortably Carried Away

A very talented artist in many mediums,

I love her re-purposed furniture

Check out her blog to see the before pic of this chest and other pieces she has recreated for a new life!

Comfortably Carried Away

nana's brag book

2011-11-01T07:11:00.000-07:00

Opening nana's brag book once agian...my little granddaughters were so cute this year at Halloween. My oldest granddaughter Lynsie also celebrates her birthday on October 31st, so she enjoys double the fun!

The candyland princess and her lady bug friend~

Lilian 18mo

Cottage colors Party ~AQUA~

2011-10-25T07:11:00.000-07:00

this month's color is Aqua~

I thought I would share again the makeover room I did for my granddaughters last year. This is the room they use with they have an overnight stay with nana and papa! I used lots of AQUA as you can see!

many vintage, re-purposed and up-cycled accessories too.

Join us with your Aqua treasures this week too!

Etsy Cottage Style Blog

more vintage jello molds re-purposed

2011-10-17T15:58:00.000-07:00

I am still working on the box of vintage molds I found at a thrift shop this summer. You may remember from a post a few weeks back how I fashioned some sweet treat pincushions from a few of them.

A few of them were not really suitable for pincushions or candles. I had a about a dozen that were small, I came up with the idea that they would make adorable Christmas tree ornaments when fashioned upside down. Quite easy, I spray painted them ballerina pink, then "sugared" them with glitter. Punched a hole on top and threaded satin ribbons. Viola, shabby vintage cottage ornaments for the tree!

Also, I had a few Christmas tree shaped molds that I used the same technique, but before I "sugared" I added some waterslide decals.

And even tho I am a pink roses fan, I think the red roses is my favorite....I just love the rich red, it has such a retro Christmas feel.

I listed most of these for sale on my website, but had to keep a few for myself...stay tuned for a few more re-purposed pretties to come too:)

Dotty Hop!

2011-09-29T07:01:00.000-07:00

I thought it would be fun to this week to participate in my friend Holly's Dotty Hop Day (even tho I am a couple days late) . She is having a Birthday giveaway that you don't want to miss! Part of the fun was to do a post with something that has dots....I dug thru my archives of past creations and found these two lovelies!

The best part of going thru these pics was that I actually got some new inspiration! Just wush I had more of these fabrics!

Thanks Holly, you are a gem!

Cottage colors Party ~BROWN~

2011-09-28T07:20:00.000-07:00

Welcome to my submission for the Cottage Colors Party at

Etsy Cottage Style blog

I am sliding in a couple days late...this is not a color I own much vintage in around the house. I do have lots of brown, just not vintage....so I am turning to my graphics collection. These are some of my faves that I have picked up thru the years by scanning old photos or paper. Some are from surfing the blogs for freebie ephemera. With that being said, you are also free to save these for your own use too:)

another cottage garden favortite

2011-09-21T06:00:00.001-07:00

Balsam

(Impatiens balsamina)

Yet another old fashioned favorite flower that is popular for the cottage garden. This is one that I used to grow as a little girl. I remember getting to pick out a packet of flower seeds when I was about eleven and nurtured these from seed. This year I started these a little late outdoors in pots, but they grow fast, and I am now reaping the rewards of pretty blooms. My seeds were from Burpee seeds Hierloom collection.

I copied this description from Better Homes and Gardens website, it so accurately describes this lovely heirloom.

Once a favorite of Victorian gardens, this old-fashioned annual adds an exotic, almost gaudy touch to the garden. It offers interesting, trumpet-shape blooms, mostly in shades of pink. Many selections have bicolor flowers. Balsam often self-seeds in the garden and is very easy to grow.

Plant established plants outdoors in spring after all danger of frost has passed. Balsam needs rich, well-drained soil to do best, so work in plenty of compost. (It's ideal in containers as long as you don't let the plants dry out for even a second.) Fertilize lightly but regularly.

Light:: Shade
Plant Type:: Annual
Plant Height:: 1-3 feet tall
Plant Width:: 1-2 feet wide
Landscape Uses:: Containers,Beds & Borders
Special Features:: Flowers,Easy to Grow; I didn't notice when I took this pic, that there; was a visitor inside the flower:)

sweet treats pin cushions

2011-09-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Not long ago, I ventured into a new thrift shop in a nearby town and found stacks of vintage metal jello molds. they were only 50 cents a stack of 6, so I bought several not really knowing what the heck I would do with them. A little googling came up with some great ideas from candles to Christmas ornaments to the fun idea of pincushions. And since I am a textile artist, I have lots of fabric scraps and embellishments. So with spray paint in hand, I set off to try my hand a few. It was one of the many projects I have that I just go with what turns out. After looking at these, the pastel ones look like candy and ice cream. The retro ones remind me of my grandma's kitchen.

This bunch I am going to include in the Shabby Lane Shops Boutique bags that will be sold at the Christmas Gift show in Nashville this fall. I will most likely have a few on my website for holiday stocking stuffers too.

Kiss me over the garden gate~

2011-09-07T17:00:00.000-07:00

I decided today I would share one of the less common flowers you see in the cottage garden. Several years ago a fellow cottage gardener from the midwest sent me these seeds. I had never heard of such a flower, she told me to make sure to scatter the seeds in the back of the garden as they are aptly named as "kiss me over the garden gate" (the botanical name is Polygonum orientale) as they can get over 12ft tall!

The first year I grew them I think they were about 5ft--this year they are about 9-10ft. I snapped a pic of my cottage garden--you can see they are taller than my Lollipop Crab apple tree....they are a nice back drop and screening plant. They also reseed freely so you will never need seeds again!

I was sure they would be all laying on the ground when we had a nickle size hail storm recently. but these plants are sturdy--they only suffered some holes in the leaves. I will be saving seeds for anyone who wants them. Contact me thru my profile page and I will give you my mailing address--you can send me a S.A.S.E and when they are ready you will have them to scatter in your garden--I have a few mixed hollyhock seeds too, first come first served.

I also thought I would share this big sunflower peeking over my fence. We have new neighbors and they are as crazy about gardening as I am. The plus is that they grow different flowers than I do and our flowers intermingle between the fence boards. So I enjoyed her dahlias and she enjoyed my clematis as well as the "kiss me's....

Sunday pleasure.....

2011-08-21T09:52:00.000-07:00

It is a beautiful sunny, warm morning and this is how I feel today!

Sunday, seems to be my day to give thanks for the beauty that surrounds me. This is one of my favorite photographs. It is of Cascade Head which is located on the central Oregon coast.I do not live on the Oregon coast--I am 65 miles inland, but the ocean is so breath taking on a gorgeous day!

Flavors Take Flight

2011-08-16T19:33:00.000-07:00

check out my Mango cake recipe!! I would love your vote! Click on the words below!

Flavors Take Flight

Another summer project revealed

2011-08-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

Remember this chair??

Here she is re-purposed into a pot chair
for my front porch!

She greets you as you step on the front porch

Welcome to Arbor Oak Cottage

est. 2005

Sanded primed and painted banana cream color, Then a white milk wash to age it a bit. I actually have a pot that fits into the cut out, but I have not planted it yet. So for photo's sake, I sat one on top.

For the lettering I used a technique from Carol of the Polka Dot Closet blog. I measured the space and then went to my graphic program and created the stencil. Here is the link to Carol's tutorial Transferring Graphics on Furniture

August in my Cottage Garden

2011-08-05T14:54:00.000-07:00

It was overcast this morning, so a great photo opportunity in my garden. Every year, I take photos and with a cottage garden, it amazing how things change and come and go, only to reappear a couple summers later. Below is a picture of my half moon garden. The tree in the corner is a Lollipop Crabapple, it is dwarf so it is a perfect addition to the cottage garden.

You can click on any of the pics for full size

To frame the garden, we collected boulders for the last 6 years, many we found at the farm across the road.

The hollyhocks put on quite a show this year. I started with one plant from the nursery marked "mixed". It was white the first year, then the next I had burgandy. Since then, I get several shades of pink too. I love the surprise they bring. I just let them reseed naturally...along with everything else!

In the back, are "Kiss me over the Garden Gate" They are not booming yet--that will be a new post in a couple weeks, The daylilies will need to be divided this fall, they did not bloom well this year.

Amongst the coreopsis, one of my favorite features, a shepherds hook with a watering can appearing to be pouring into the bird bath. I have actually put large chunks of ice in the can when we have outdoor parties. The water slowly trickles into the birdbath. I just finished adding some heirloom Balsam seedlings for some end of August color.

My most prized clematis! Betty Corning . She never disappoints me. She spreads her wings and blooms all summer lovely little lavender blue bells.

This is one of my newer small gardens in another part of the property, I have a young Eden rose and a butterfly bush in back. I am hoping for a spectacular show next summer.

I hope you enjoyed this tour, cottage gardening is one of my passions and I love to share.

AND

First reveal of my summer projects...

2011-07-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

Do you remember these I showed you last week in my list of summer projects?

Here is the first of several in the works.... have not touched the sugar creamer set yet~and I may not. That set came to me not too badly tarnished. The coffee and tea pot--well--I attempted to polish one of them, and after an hour I gave up and decided to paint them!

Wouldn't these be lovely for a bridal table?

My stair stringer garden

2011-07-26T09:32:00.000-07:00

I have had this stair stringer shelf for a few years now--I used it extensively when I was really into green house growing at my other house. I used it for hardening out seedlings in the spring. When we moved to our current home, I brought it along thinking I would use for a annual container flower shelf, but never did followed thru. So after 5 summers, finally decided to do an herb/veggie/annual flower project. The flower starts I will transfer to my cottage garden and the veggies include lettuce, radishes, baby carrots, lemon cukes (which I will transfer to a corner garden spot to climb) cilantro, dill, nasturiums, green onions

Click on photo to see more detail

If you were wondering how to create one of these space saving gardens, you can purchase a 3 step stair stringer at most building supply stores. Turn it upside down and nail on 2 2" x 4" boards to the inside for the back supports. then add another 2" x 4" across the top. Viola! A 4 shelf plant stand!

Cottage colors Party ~red/white/blue

2011-07-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

What a wonderful color combo for summmer! The party is on over at Etsy Cottage Style blog

This month is red-white-blue. Here are a few of my faves for summer past and present!

vintage tablecloth tote

Porch pillow sham fashioned from a kitchen towel

oven dress kitchen towel

tag sale find last summer

William Shakespeare rose

Double Mock Orange

tiny blue blooms from spring...sorry I could not find a blue summer flower:(

Preview.....summer re-purpose projects

2011-07-20T21:41:00.000-07:00

Getting my rear in gear the last few weeks to get some of the re-purpose projects on my list done. I thought I would share a preview. One of my fave things to do during the dog daze of summer, is sitting out on the patio giving new life and a new purpose to these cast offs....So stay tuned I will reveal them as I get them completed....

Here are the before pics....

lamp base

wood box

Cane seat chair

copper silver plate

Silver plate vanity set and crystal decanter

I am almost done with a couple of them, in fact maybe a couple of them this weekend will be the revealed:)

The perfect summer breakfast...

2011-07-14T15:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, this my favorite summer breakfast fare. Nothing fancy, but quick easy, fresh and local. So I pretty much am addicted to Chobani Greek yogurt now and have it for breakfast at least 4-5 times a week. But the summer brings a bounty of fresh local fruit and I snagged my first lot of raspberries. So I snapped a pic, and am sharing this less than 300 calorie sweet and oh so good for you recipe that has endless possibilities.

6 ounces non fat Greek yogurt

(Chobani brand for sure)

2 packets Splenda

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

1 tablespoon granola

You can substitute Vanilla yogurt, but use only 1 packet Splenda.

the options are endless with your fruit---always use fresh and local in the summer--can't wait for the local peaches...

taming Miss Mock Orange

2011-07-05T06:43:00.000-07:00

Quite a beaut, huh?

But HUGE Miss Mock Orange has to be tamed. I let her show her glory this year She has gotten so wild, she needs to be tamed.

She looks quite nice as you walk to the fence on the left, you see her~(Sally Holmes Rose at the right)

..her scent fills the neighborhood...

but....

when you get to the other side of the fence, you see how out of control she is....

so Miss Mock Orange is getting a severe haircut. There is a lot of growth on the bottom, so she won't mind and neither will I. But I must say, she did give one heck of show this summer:)

oh, her real name is Philadelphus

in case you were wondering....

linking up with

2011-06-30T19:51:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July~

Take a moment to give thanks for
this great country we live in.

...and have a wonderful weekend....

Cottage colors Party~White

2011-06-27T17:36:00.000-07:00

Joining on the party at Etsy Cottage Style blog

The color for June is WHITE

Sharing a couple vintage pieces handed down from grandma to mom to me...

This is a vintage 50's TV lamp with white birds. It was always my favorite. Even tho now it doesn't serve the same purpose as it did back then, I love to put fresh flowers in it during the summer.

An interesting single pineapple crochet doily

This lovely little frog vase is a fave for those tiny flowers from the garden

then I had to step outside to my garden this time of year and there is plenty of white!

I have been blogging a lot about my cottage garden this season. It is now in it's 6th year and becoming the glorious place I dreamed it would be.

Above is a gorgeous Hollyhock!

Glamis Castle English rose

False Queen Annes Lace

Chocolate Delphinium

Hope you enjoyed~Please join us with your favorite white treasures!

Etsy Cottage Style blog--the party is all week

Walls of roses

2011-06-22T17:25:00.000-07:00

So lucky in the fact that my day job takes me past Heirloom Rose Gardens, that I can make the 2 3/4 mile side trip off the main road to snap a few pics....Not quite a total explosion of blooms yet, the PNW is about 3 weeks behind due to the 2nd wettest coldest spring on record here. BUT, the climbing roses were in full bloom, so I decided today to focus on "the Walls of Roses

Eden Rose (above)

Mary rose (above)

Sorry, I didn't take the time to write down all the names--my main mission was to get a pic of the Eden rose since that is my newest edition to my garden. I also have the Mary rose which is my all time favorite. A big cabbage rose that is very fragrant. A bouquet will scent an entire room!

Visiting nana's garden

2011-06-21T15:33:00.000-07:00

We had to stop the garden tour when there was more dirt in the bird bath than water....

OMG look at this hat!

2011-06-17T18:05:00.000-07:00

This was just on Yahoo news! Now this is a lover of pink roses I would say...
I am copying and pasting the short article ...she certainly does need use her hand to hold it up. I wonder if her neck ached a little too.....

Model Anneka-Tanaka-Svenska poses for the media in a lavish costume and head piece on the first day of the Royal Ascot horse race meeting at Ascot, England, Tuesday, June, 14, 2011. Ascot is celebrating its 300 years of horse racing at the Royal Racecourse, that began when Britain's Queen Anne spotted an open heath suitable for racing, with the first race run in August 1711, and a prize of some 100 guineas. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)

What a difference in a week

2011-06-14T09:24:00.000-07:00

Linking up today....

. A week ago I had almost no blooms due one of the wettest, coolest springs on record here in the Pac Northwest.So here are this weeks pics. The Foxgloves are just glorious along with the yellow columbine that has literally reseeded everywhere. But hey, that's okay, that is what a cottage garden is all about.

Zephirine Drouhin climbing rose, just starting to show her beauty

I love this ground cover of little "Pinks", very fragrant, just wish it would bloom all summer!

The pic above is this week in my cottage Garden. I am thinking I should take a pic from the same angle and do a slide show at the end of the summer on the transformation my cottage garden makes each week, that would be such a treat to view during the dreary winter months:)

tickling my senses...

2011-06-11T08:36:00.000-07:00

Now if this doesn't tickle your senses on a beautiful Saturday morning....hummmm I don't know what will.

Don't miss the Grand Floral Rose Parade today..coming to you live from Portland, Oregon

Sunday Garden Stroll..

2011-06-05T17:31:00.000-07:00

Okay, my garden needed extreme attention and it got it this weekend. I set aside my sewing and creating to take advantage of the first 80f weekend of the year here in western Oregon. I weeded, I planted and I mulched. As you will see, everything is at least 3 weeks late....my foxgloves are usually 1/3 taller and done blooming by now..and not a rose open in site! Lots of buds tho.

Here is today's visit to my cottage garden....throughout the season I will share as things progress and change...I am still chasing the cottage garden that is ALWAYS in bloom....

Linking up to An Oregon Garden Blog

Korean Lilac

Facinating Seahorse

2011-05-27T13:50:00.000-07:00

Sharing some more Aloha from our visit to Kailua-Kona Hawaii. We visited the Ocean Rider Seahorse farm one afternoon. Quite an experience if you know little about seahorses. I actually have a picture to prove I was there, and got to hold a seahorse...

I also have a video that you can watch from the seahorse farm....

Cottage colors Party~Yellow

2011-05-23T17:13:00.000-07:00

Joining in on the party at Etsy Cottage Style blog

the color for May is YELLOW

I do have a few vintage Yellow pretties to show

The star vase above and salt and pepper set below were part of my Grandmother's huge set Bauer stoneware. They were popular at the same time Fiesta was big. In later years when Fiesta became highly collectible, Bauer was not as valuable and many of the pieces grandma had were given away. My mom kept a few of the more unique pieces. Now Bauer is very collectible, so I am glad to own these:)

This rope of ceramic fruit (very heavy) was literally handed to me at the estate of my sis in laws parents. She said, "Debbi, take it, it will look good in your kitchen" I have no idea how old it is and neither did she. But I can tell you have never seen another like it.

Lovely Vintage hand embroidery dresser scarf

Vintage yellow buttons, lace and hanky are favorite treasures:)

Do you have some vintage YELLOW treasures to share?

Join us for the party at Etsy Cottage Style Blog

Unusual finds

2011-05-22T13:17:00.000-07:00

Now the finds were not themselves unusual, but the place I found them was....While visiting the Big Island of Hawaii earlier this month (see prior post) I took a day out to shop the antique stores. I am usually looking for vintage Hawaiiana collectibles. Usually I do find a piece or two to bring home to display in our home. But this trip I found this incredible mint hand embroidered and crocheted doily. Are you ready??? It was only ONE DOLLAR. I am not sure what I will do with it, maybe a pillow. Maybe a pretty lingerie bag on a hanger. I also scooped a couple more doilies for a buck each too. But no vintage Hawaii pieces to take home this trip....

Then I have to share what else I found....We went jewelry shopping one afternoon in the heart of the touristy waterfront area of Kailia-Kona. I wanted to pick up a necklace that was made by a local artist. After visiting several shops we can upon a small shop simply called "Hawaiian made Jewelry" It was run by a couple who specialized in capturing the spirit of the big island using many local stones and fresh water pearls in the wife's work. In the back of the shop, were probably about a dozen necklaces that were more Victorian looking, with some bling and fresh water pearls. I zeroed in on the necklace below--not your usual Hawaiian piece. But I was smitten by it. When I tried it on, the shop owner handed me a billowly lace hand mirror covered with pink roses to view the necklace on my neck. I made the comment, "gee this mirror looks quite Victorian to me". Come to find out the artist loves Victorian style, and only makes few pieces (such as the one I came to purchase).

So I did not get my Hawaiian necklace this trip, but I am so excited about this one, I wore it out on our final night in Kona, (see below with my friend Georgienne). I got so many compliments, I knew I had scored:)

Vacation is over....

2011-05-13T20:16:00.000-07:00

But not without some really great memories....here is a peek.....you can click on the pics to see them full size

Our destination was not new to us....we have been to the Big Island of Hawaii many times. The Kona coast is a special place for us. We love it more each time we visit. Since it is such a large island, there is plenty to do and see every single visit.

There are black sand, green sand, and white sand beaches....The beach above is on the SE side of the island, not too far from the active volcano at the moment....

green sea turtles sun themselves at the black sand beaches

The highlight of this trip was the chance to go on a canoe paddle as guests of the Keauhou Canoe Club.

We went on a double canoe since they are a bit more stable for beginners. With some basic instructions, it was easy and fun. Thanks to my cousin Chip Fischer who lives on the island for hooking us us for this great adventure. We were lucky to see spinner dolphins up close on this paddle!

One of the best things is to share good times with good friends!

Ted and Georgienne (left) joined Jim and I on this trip. We have traveled several times with them to many different destinations. We always have such a great time.

Aloha~

Cottage colors Party~PINK

2011-04-25T06:44:00.000-07:00

Etsy Cottage Style blog

My last official blog party before I jump on a jet plane leavin for Hawaii. I couldn't miss this one, because this month's party is PINK and I have a lot of it. But I won't overdo it I promise....I grabbed a few photos of my favorites...

Hand painted Vintage German porcelain

Paris in Pink pillow

Pink Guest Towels

pink crochet

Pink Ruffles!

Carnations on this old greeting card

last, but not least, pink hollyhock from my garden last summer...

See you in Mid May

Aloha my friends~

Today is the day the Lord has made....

2011-04-23T20:56:00.000-07:00

Rejoice and be glad in it

Happy Easter!

~Spring Art Challenge~Ballerine de cru

2011-04-17T11:16:00.000-07:00

With my tropical vacation looming on the horizon (yay) I pressed myself to finish this challenge. It began with this image.....

...and this box

And of course, like most of my projects, the plan is very loose or no plan at all, I gather ideas as I go. But I did know I wanted to use some of my vintage sheet music with vintage crochet and lace to cover this box.

The top covering came off easily, so I was able to make a template for both the top and bottom sides of the lid.

The underside of the lid I covered with this lovely old lace

Voila!

A Ballerine de cru box

a vintage brooch, beads, jewelry, buttons and lace along with a sprinkle of glitter grace the top of the box.

I used a vintage crochet doily that was cut into quarters for the side corners of the box. I added these diamond shaped lace pieces on each side too.

I have to say that this was certainly a fun challenge. The reason I love these art challenges is that they allow me to step a bit "outside the box" my normal day to day creations. There is still time to create your own art with this image~ click on this link here to find out more!

Free blog banners for Easter!

2011-04-13T17:49:00.000-07:00

Usually when holidays roll around, I share some of my vintage postcard collection,bu thought it would be fun to share some Easter banners that you can use to decorate your blog. Feel free to add your blog name and alter as you wish. My Easter gift to blogland!

Click on the images to bring to full size, then right click to save to your computer.

Cottage Garden Party

2011-04-08T18:08:00.000-07:00

I started this party over at Etsy Cottage Style blog on the first day of spring, but my garden here in western Oregon was far from ready to photograph! But today we had a beautiful day.....

click on the pics to see the detail

and I stopped work on my art and made myself go tend my garden. So I am sharing with you a few of things blooming right now. I weeded the biggest patch of weeds I have ever seen, and snipped back the Sally Holmes rose you see in the left of the pic above.

The birds have not discovered the berries on this Winterberry bush yet...

A few years ago my hubby put out this bench so we could enjoy the lovely farmland and mountains to the east of our home. It was so inviting today that I actually spent an hour just sitting and soaking up the beauty of spring!

Care to share whats blooming in your garden???? Join us over at
Etsy Cottage Style Blog

March Cottage Colors Party

2011-03-29T19:44:00.000-07:00

I am joining in on the Cottage Colors Party for March over at Etsy Cottage Style blog

The color for March is Green

You would think this would be an easy one for me! But I had to did my archives to find something!

This lovely vintage glass bowl was an amazing estate find a few years ago

Green is everywhere in nature so I turned to some photography...

To appreciate this gorgeous photography, you need to click on it to see it full size.

A friend of mine snapped it when we visiting the Washington state coast, in a little town called Oyster Bay.

The green lichen on the fence is incredible against the green grass background

one of my fave tea cups in the garden...

Hope you enjoyed!

Inspire!

2011-03-26T10:51:00.000-07:00

I finally got this accomplished! I have had these letters for more months than I care to disclose. They were on sale and I knew what I wanted to do. I needed some type of additional window treatment in my studio, but not covering any part of the window, because it needs to be light and bright! So a few weeks back I sat down with my scrap papers and embellishments. Today I finally got the letters hung. I love it, my DH thinks it is a bit over the top--well it is! Over the top of the window!

hummm...I am thinking the other side of the room over the closet storage I will do CREATIVITY? Suggestions please.....

first peek at spring?

2011-03-20T20:03:00.000-07:00

Well, you would never know that is was the first day of spring here in western Oregon. We have had one of the wettest March's in many years. Sad part is that I am over a month behind pruning my roses and the chickweed is taking over my cottage garden. I am waiting, not so patiently, for a dry day so I can get out and get something accomplished. I think I may need to toughen up and put the mud boots and rain gear on and just do it. You know the saying is that if you live in Oregon you are supposed to have webbed feet....

I found this adorable pic of my oldest granddaughter Lynsie from a couple years ago as she was so taken by my crocus. See, it is supposed to be sunny now as those same crocus are in full bloom at the moment!

Ladies in green

2011-03-14T18:10:00.000-07:00

Sharing a few from my collection of vintage postcard images celebrating St Patrick's Day. I found some really pretty ladies in green!

You are welcome to grab these for your personal use to celebrate old Ireland and St Patrick's day this Thrusday March 17th.

Right Click to save to your PC, and leave me a comment!

~Spring Art Challenge~

2011-03-09T06:36:00.000-08:00

I have wanted to host an art challenge for quite some time, I finally got around to putting something together! It's open to anyone who wants to play no matter what your art form is from graphic artist, mixed media, card making or textile artist. The best part is that you have lots of time to get it finished. This is a sharing challenge which means once completed, you snap some pics and do a blog post about your creation, then link up to the challenge page to show it off. More details can be found by going to a special page I have set up here
or you can click on the link at the top of this page for Spring Art Challenge!

come and play!

Cottage colors Party~PURPLE

2011-02-28T19:56:00.000-08:00

I am joining in on this months Cottage Colors Party over at Etsy Cottage Style blog

This months color is

Purple

I dug way back in my pic files and found a few creations in did in the purple family. It is not a color I work with often~not sure why, because I do love the color. I think it must be that it is hard to find really pretty fabrics in shades of purple.

If you have something in the purple color family to share, why not join us this week!

Head over to Etsy Cottage Style blog

on my porch at sunrise

2011-02-25T07:09:00.000-08:00

Baby it's cold outside! 13F to be exact. Not only cold for late February in western Oregon, but the snow is unsual too. But snow here is rare anyway. But it sure is pretty! So I took some pics at sunrise this morning to share...and that little speck in the top left of the first picture is the moon:)

Stepping outside my color box

2011-02-23T09:19:00.000-08:00

Recently I stepped outside the box...color wise that is. Normally, I create with shabby soft and pastel colors. But a trip to the fabric store last fall I saw this amazing collection of musical fabric. I had to buy some since I have a dear friend whom her life passion is devoted to music. She is a cello player and has a lovely music room. This fabric had her name written all over it!.
I was not sure what I would create for her, but I bought 4 fat quarters and presented them to Georgienne asking her what she might want made. First it was a chair cushion, then she decided a scarf for her piano would be nice.

That was in December. Here a couple months later I finally got the time create something awesome for her piano....I love to add something vintage to all my creations and with this piece I had some aged 100+ yr old lace that was a perfect match.....and she loved it!

Georgienne emailed me this pic today of the scarf in use!

What's In my Cottage Cupboard?

2011-02-15T20:08:00.000-08:00

I am joining on the What's In Your Cottage Cupboard? Party over at

Etsy Cottage Style blog

I really don't have a cupboard, I have a sideboard hutch that I display my collection of vintage German Porcelain along with a few other pieces of depression glass that I inherited from my grandmother.

I rally couldn't get good pics with low lighting, so the pics below are some I took a while back.

as you can probably tell, I am in love with any vintage pieces with pink roses!

Serious Chocolate indeed

2011-02-14T15:48:00.000-08:00

We just completed a fun fine chocolate swap over at

Etsy Cottage Style ning.

We had to send our partner fine quality chocolate, preferably something locally made.

My partner was Anita from Somers, Montana.

She sent me local 4 handmade chocolate Truffles and chocolate heart. Some creamy Lindor truffles too. I have to tell you that I snapped these pics quick, because as I am writing this post I have already eaten two of them~and I must say they were EXQUISITE.

want to know what I sent to Anita???

I was so excited to be able to share something

made in Oregon

Moonstruck Chocolates~

If any of you remember Oprah named these as one of her favorites too

what a fun swap!

Love stays

2011-02-14T07:07:00.000-08:00

Hours Fly

Flowers die

New days

New ways

Pass by

Love stays....

Happy Valentines Day to all my bloggie friends!

4th generation

2011-02-09T21:13:00.000-08:00

4th generation. That's what the gift tag said. For the last few years, every birthday my mom gives me a piece from her vintage collection of glassware and porcelain. This time it was extra special, as it is a piece that I have admired for many years. It belonged to my great grandmother. Not an expensive piece by any means. It has lots of flea bites and some imperfections. Simply the beauty lies in the shape of the bowl and the tiny intricate forget me not hand painted flowers inside and outside the bowl. And the fact that it belonged to a great grandmother that I never got to meet. A true family heirloom that I will treasure as much as the 3 generations before me.

My Day Job Versus My Passion

2011-02-03T07:10:00.000-08:00

How would you answer the question
"My Day Job Versus My Passion"? Pretty easy for me. My day job would gone, nada, history, good riddons of bad rubbish. But the funny thing is that I do like the work I do in the day job, just not the company I work for. I would like not to have to get up each morning and get ready for work. Rather just sit in my jammies and create until noon. Or on a warm bright sunny summer morning, toss on a pair of shorts and head out to the garden to pick a bouquet of pink roses and baby breath. Linger over a cup of coffee on the porch, a glass of wine with a friend at an outdoor cafe....I would immerse myself in my art, spend countless hours tending to my cottage garden, vacationing in the tropics... ahhhhh

But for the meantime, I have to enjoy those passions in little snippets. the day job has to stay for right now since it affords the health insurance for myself and my retired husband~well he is officially a retired Police officer, but still works temp jobs here and there to pick up a little "mad cash" as we call it.

the dream is still there.....just waiting for the right time for it to happen....have a wonderful day my friends:)

Cottage Colors Party January

2011-01-23T19:47:00.000-08:00

It's a new party over at Etsy Cottage Style blog!

The color of the month is BLUE

Here are a few of my favorite blue treasures

a favorite place setting from a local 92 yrs young artist and friend

a favorite set of towels

a sampler pillow I stitched up several years ago when I first sold on ebay!

and since I am already getting a garden itch...

my blue Lobelia!!

If you have some blue to share, pop over to

Etsy Cottage Style blog and join us!

Free Valentine images to share

2011-01-15T12:14:00.000-08:00

I have been so busy with projects lately, no time for posting here! But I love to share my vintage postcard collection, so here are a few that you can use in your crafts...right click to save.

Enjoy~

I am not on diet.

2011-01-06T07:11:00.000-08:00

New years resolutions. I am sure you have seen all the ads by now--New Year, New You....corny, but really, what better time to refresh and renew. I could have gone on a diet, I have before and lost weight. But you know, I really hate dieting, because I cave in too much to those sinful foods and blow the whole deal.
But we have a wonderful tropical vacation to Kona Hawaii planned for this spring so I have to do something....

I do workout on a regular basis, so I am going to step that up a bit, but exercise alone doesn't help you lose extra pounds. It is a combo of diet and exercise...and this is a biggie....keeping a food journal. Whenever I complain about not being able to lose, my daughter replies with "are you keeping a food journal mom?". Well, let me tell you, this is a chore for me, but it does work! You think twice about what you eat because you have to write it down.
I marched down and got myself 2 little composition books small enough to tuck into my purse, and I am off and running this week.

I am including a link to

7 reasons why keeping a food journal helps,

just click the pic below!

as 2010 goes away....

2010-12-31T16:45:00.000-08:00

New Year's eve is like every other night; there is no pause in the march of the universe, no breathless moment of silence among created things that the passage of another twelve months may be noted; and yet no man has quite the same thoughts this evening that come with the coming of darkness on other nights.

~Hamilton Wright Mabie

We spend January 1 walking through our lives, room by room, drawing up a list of work to be done, cracks to be patched. Maybe this year, to balance the list, we ought to walk through the rooms of our lives... not looking for flaws, but for potential.

~Ellen Goodman

Happy New Year friends!

What I accomplished in 2010...

2010-12-29T09:23:00.000-08:00

I got my guest room makeover done!

If you remember, I teased all of you a bit with elements that I repurposed for this room. This room makeover is one of the features in the New Year Romance issue of
Shabby Lane Shops Magazine.

To see the full article, the magazine is available for purchase on my website

Here are a few of the pics--click on them to see full size!

I am tagging onto Southern Hospitality's Blog Party

Top projects for 2010

Hope you enjoyed!

Vintage Alphabet Party December

2010-12-26T20:38:00.000-08:00

It's the last party of the year!

Etsy Cottage Style Blog

The last letters of the alphabet Y and Z

For Y, I choose vintage fabric Yo Yo's. these became popular back in the 1930's and 1940's. Little fabric rosettes shirred into circles. They were most often made into quilts. They were popular again in the 1970's when they were fashioned into "hippie vests". In the mid 90's, patterns were introduced and more recently plastic templates became available making them extremely easy to make.

I love to use them in my textile art too. Here are a couple examples of past work.

For the letter Z, I chose (and yes I am dating myself here)

Led Zeppelin

mid 1970's rock group one of my faves back in the day

so how's that for throwing something unexpected in?

Wasn't a Zeppelin also a blimp??

Hope you enjoyed...if you want to join our party, hop over to

Etsy Cottage Style Blog for details

Christmas Greetings around the globe

2010-12-24T08:06:00.000-08:00

I wanted to send Holiday wishes to my many friends I have made around the world this year!

Since I added the google translator to my blog, many of you have visited regularly and I also had the opportunity to visit so many of yours too.

Froehliche Weihnachten

Feliz Navidad

С Рождеством Христовым

Feliz Natal

즐거운 성탄

メリークリスマス

Buon Natale

Χαρούμενα Χριστούγεννα

Joyeux Noël

Vrolijk Kerstfeest

圣诞快乐

God Jul!

Gledelig Jul

Hyvää Joulua!

Mele Kalikimaka

Boas Festas

Suksan Wan Christmas

Merry Christmas!

Christmas helpers

2010-12-21T16:25:00.000-08:00

While one is the "cookie queen" helping her mommy make cookies and keeping busy...

while the other is keeping busy "undecorating" the tree and looking pretty innocent (and pretty cute too)

ahhh, I love my cute little granddaughters!

A favorite at Christmas

2010-12-18T09:13:00.000-08:00

I had to send this recipe to my daughter this morning, so thought I would share it here too. I got this recipe from Woman's Day Magazine December 1992~ I have also seen this variations of this recipe called Buckeyes too. This one is the closest to the Reeses candy I have tasted! Love it for the holidays with sprinkles too!

Peanut butter balls

2 cups powdered sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon milk
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup (6 oz.) semisweet chocolate chips
1 tablespoon shortening
sprinkles--optional

Filling:
mix powdered sugar, butter, milk granulated sugar and vanilla until blended. Mix in peanut butter. Line pan with wax paper Roll heaping teaspoons full into 3/4" balls, place on pan and refrigerate at least 2 hours.
Topping:
Melt chocolate and shortening in a small glass bowl at 1/2 power in microwave for 30 seconds, a little more if needed. You can do in a small saucepan on stove too. Just be careful not to get it too hot, the chips just need to be melted.
One at a time with a toothpick, dip balls in chocolate, let excess drip off . return to pan and before chocolate sets sprinkle balls if desired. Store in airtight container in refrigerator up to 2 weeks

The joy's of decorating for the holidays...part two

2010-12-11T18:45:00.000-08:00

Okay, the monster tree finally got decorated. But taking a photo of it proved to be a monster too.This time of year available light is at a minimum, so I used my big 300 watt floor lamp I use in my studio~hence I got shadows and never could capture the beauty. Ahhh, if only I was a professional photographer.
So if you were expecting a pink tree....sorry. I love pink for Christmas, and I reserved a place for that in one of the photos below...but I also love the old Victorian style. My house is a misson craftsman style, so Victorian works well in my living room.

click on the pics for more detail

the Joyeux Noel banner is new this year. I had it custom made by

Shabby T

this is my "shabby" place with the white tree and white santas

Stay tuned for "part three" I still need to decorate outside!

yikes..

Western Oregon winter sunrise

2010-12-07T20:19:00.000-08:00

I shot these photos just at sunrise this morning! This was the most magnificent December sunrise I have seen in some time~it literally took my breath away. You can see the Cascade mountains and the snow fields in the second photo. Click on the photos to see full size

I thank the Lord everyday for blessing us with such an awesome view of the farmland, hills, and mountains right outside our door!

TREE UPDATE~ I know you have been waiting to see my Christmas tree. Well, let me tell you, this has not been easy. Not only did I lie about NOT getting a 12 ft tree, but I think this one was well over 15ft. But I got it trimmed down to about 12ft. I had problems with the stings of lights, so I bought new ones, only to have one bad string. So at this moment, I am on day 3 of decorating my tree. But the lights all work now so I trudge ahead...stay tunned

The joy's of decorating for the holidays...part one

2010-12-04T21:51:00.000-08:00

I didn't feel much like sewing today. So I sat down and designed a new Christmas blog here. I love pink Santa's and this is from a vintage Christmas card that was pretty beat up, but I managed to get his "pinkness" out of it!
My daughter and I attended a wonderful Christmas Brunch at our Church today, then headed over to one of the local craft bazaars at the middle school. I took 40 bucks, spent it all, and wrote two checks! I did actually buy a couple of gifts, but most of it was for myself. I met an incredible young talented gal whose art composition was just amazing. Hard to describe her look. A bit rustic prim style as she used lots of burlap with dark brown and burgandy colors. But she also mixed in a lot of old world sparkle and glitter, a vintage sheet music. I am looking forward to seeing her non Christmas creations too.
Below is one of the pieces I bought from her....Just love how the rustic bell forms the "o". Simple elegance.

Below are some lovely Victorian art from a new local artist

The framed mixed media piece will be perfect displayed with my "Joy" above

I also picked up some lovely bookmarks which will be given as gifts.

Below is a plate on a pedestal...for FIVE BUCKS!

this is going to be wonderful in a table centerpiece!

Now to get myself away from the computer and actually decorate my home. Tomorrow we will go to my brother's tree farm and cut a tree. I promised myself NO 12 ft tall tree this year. Just too hard to decorate!
When that is done I will share. I am excited about the fireplace mantle this year...I have lots of new elements to add, so will be sharing that too!

The vintage alphabet party for November

2010-11-30T17:42:00.000-08:00

The party has already started and I am a little late!

This month the letters were W and X

First a Washboard, no clue if this a reproduction, it was a found object by my hubby, he loves these as long as they look old!

a vintage sample box Washing soda!

for X, I took a cue from Melody because I could not think of anything!

So here is X-mas....a vintage 1958 Napco candle and floral set that was my grandma's. I display it every year. I treasure it so much, it reminds me of Christmas's spent at the farm.

Want to join the party??

Hop over to Etsy Cottage Style blog to get the details!

Sharing Christmas Art

2010-11-27T09:33:00.000-08:00

click on pic to enlarge

Every Christmas season at my church the artisan group I belong to is asked to display some holiday art. I usually submit something I have stitched up, but this year I decided to do some a bit different. With a 25 cent frame I picked up last summer at a tag sale, vintage sheet music, printed copies of vintage greeting cards, vintage lace, glitter, crystal and pearlized beads in a pile....I came up with this lovely wall display! It felt good to do something a bit outside the box. Most of the church members will have no idea I made it since they will expect soft art from me! Opinions and critiques please...I am just a beginner when it comes to mixed media art:)

from my family to yours

2010-11-24T21:29:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving Blessings to all!

isn't this banner gorgeous??? no I didnt make it, a blogger friend did and she made me a Christmas one as well...I will reveal that one and who she is next week:)

Give thanks!

2010-11-19T03:00:00.000-08:00

A "Give Thanks" party at the Vintage Nest blog has begun today!

I have so much to be thankful this year, I could almost write a book! But I will spare all of that and simply say a little prayer of thanks

Thank you Lord for my good health, and the gumption to get up and work out 5 days a week and the energy to work a day job, and come home to work on my art passion for my website. Also a husband that understands my need to always be busy and not complain too much when I am in my studio hours on end.

Thank you Lord for my my daughter, son in law, son, and 2 lovely little granddaughters that bring so much joy to my life, that they all live close by.

Thank you Lord for giving me the strength to deal with some of the tough times I have endured this year along with the many new friends I have made along the way.

And thank you Lord for pink roses, as they are most favorite!

2010-11-18T03:00:00.000-08:00

My website is featured today in

Rose Haven's Annual Christmas Stroll the shops!

The 2010 STROLL began on Wednesday, the 17th and runs through Thanksgiving Day

Make sure to become a follower of Jan's blog so you can stroll all the featured shops everyday!

Coming soon---a giveaway for the holidays~I don't do these too often, but when I do, they are fabulous!

a tribute to a special lady

2010-11-15T15:17:00.000-08:00

Recently a special friend passed on to heaven. I felt I needed to share the fond memories and the way she impacted my life as an adult. Alena was 95 when she passed, I expected a few more years out of her because her mom lived to be over 100...but Alena was one of the lucky ones who was of sound mind and in great health ~ the Lord took her in her sleep, a woman of great faith.

Alena hired me to work for her at Montgomery Ward in 1971. I was the tender age of 18. I was only going to work there a few months because I had plans to marry a guy in the Navy. Well, that didn't work out, so I stayed. In fact, I ended up working for that company for almost 25 years. Alena in a way was sort of a "second mom" to me. Being single and a gal who loved to party, I would drag myself into work some mornings with little sleep the night before. Sometimes she would scold me, other times she would send me get something to eat before I started work. My coworkers always told me that Alena would be so worried about me when I would go out of town driving long distances. Alena did not have any children of her own, so I guess she took me under her wing. The lady was a fabulous seamstress. She constructed some the most beautiful tailored clothing I had ever seen. Those were the days when it was cheaper to sew your own clothes rather than buy them. Often she would critique my own work, telling me ways I could improve on my sewing skills. Alena knew I would not eat Asian food, but took me to a restaurant that only served chinese and I had no choice but to try it. Need less to say I eat it all the time now. What both she and I didn't realize at the time, was that her influence was shaping my adult life. Her zest for life, attention to detail, strong work ethic and faith were rubbing off.

A few years later Alena retired, and I took over her management job. When I was married she played the music at my wedding. (also a talented organist and played right up until she passed) She was there to visit me after the births of each of my kids. We kept in touch often. Thru the years the contact was less often usually only thru Christmas cards. Or I maybe ran into her out shopping. A world traveler, Alena continued to travel until last year, it was one of her passions to see and experience all there was out there. Her husband died in 1993. It was there, at his funeral, that I witnessed her strong faith again. I hope she now knows what a remarkable impact that had on me. I was so impressed on how she handled his passing, as if he just moved on and she would see him later. Since then, I am no longer afraid of death, knowing my soul moves on to something more glorious.

So Alena, this is for you. I know you are basking in his glory, reunited with your loved ones.Until we meet again my friend!

My stress free Holiday shopping strategy

2010-11-09T20:00:00.000-08:00

I recently had lunch with a long time friend who worked in retail management with me several years back. We relished the fact that we both can relax now that we are now not the poor souls that have to work those awful retail holiday hours. I even had a few years that I actually hated the holidays. After I left the retail zone, it took me a few Christmas seasons to really get back to enjoying the traditions again. After reminiscing, we compared shopping strategies for low stress holiday shopping. I decided to share some of mine with you. These are just my opinions, maybe not yours. I have been on the other side of the counter, so many of these are tried and true. If you are into low stress Holidays....try them!

*Veterans Day is traditionally the retail kick off day to holidays--this is when everyone decides they should get started shopping. The stores will be busy on this day and most likely short handed in help. You will probably have long checkout lines. If you must shop this day, go very early at opening or after the dinner hour. If you can get all your shopping done before Thanksgiving, you are a true hero.

*The day after Thanksgiving (often referred to as Black Friday) Unless you are into crowds, shoving and total chaos, forget the early bird specials. Not worth the trouble in my book. If you keep an eye out in the ads prior or later in the season, most of the same stores have coupons and specials that you can get the items at the same price. My daughter and I do shop the day after Thanksgiving, but we treat ourselves to a tall latte then hit the stores about 10am...most of the crowds have thinned out.

*The first week of December. This is the hands down best week to shop. Best selection and the stores are relatively quiet and the sales are good.

*Best time of day to shop is early before noon or the dinner hour, this goes for the weekend days also.

*The last weekend before Christmas. Probably the worst time to shop. Shoppers are starting to panic, items are picked over, and the clerks are pretty much toast.

*Christmas Eve....this always cracked me up. The guys are all out buying at the last minute. The lingerie and housewares departments are their favorite haunts. Not a good time to shop. Shelves are wiped clean and many unhappy shoppers looking for what they can't find.

*The day after Christmas....crowds again all returning what didn't fit, or they didn't like. There will be some good buys but not many. The stores are all picked over. Maybe a good time to buy next years gift wrap and decorations. Your returns can wait a week, or go during the dinner hour when foot traffic is down.

Some options to not ever having to use the above strategy~
*shop online! I do a lot of that and many of the sites offer free or discounted shipping. Best to order no less than a week from the holiday so no one is disappointed.
*Handmade or homemade items. I do lots of this too, but there are those who don't appreciate those kind of gifts so retail shopping is still necessary. My husband still brings up the shirt I made him in the 70's
*Last resort--and my brother did this many times when he was single. One stop shopping at the Liquor store!

Here's hoping you have a wonderful Holiday shopping experience! (feel free to help yourself to the vintage images too)

Vanity bench reborn

2010-11-04T19:26:00.000-07:00

Some of you may remember my $5 find early last summer....I was so excited to find it and the ladies selling it thought I was nuts to buy it. But so much potential:) and it had the most beautiful, but dirty barkcloth fabric on the seat.

Here is the"as found"

Viola!

Stripped, sanded and a can of Heirloom white spray paint did the trick. Added gold shimmer acrylic paint on sides really brought out the vintage style, and the fabric colors popped. I washed the fabric, it was in pretty good shape. There was also 2 more layers of fabric underneath that I removed. I added extra padding, and this vintage bench is ready for it's new digs. Stay tuned, because this was part of a total makeover of my guest room that my granddaughters will use when they stay with us. I have given you a couple of narrow peeks in the last post. But the total reveal will be in the Shabby Lane Shops Magazine New Year edition. If you haven't heard of the magazine, there have already been 3 editions jam packed with great articles, recipes and tutorials. You can purchase them thru my website too...Marionberry Cottage.com

Cinderella and Tinkerbell....

2010-11-01T09:18:00.000-07:00

Disney paid a visit with two little characters! They are my two little granddaughters in real life:)

Halloween Chuckle

2010-10-29T11:43:00.000-07:00

I saw this today at the produce barn
where I was buying apples....

My kid's used this phrase often growing up!

I couldn't resist taking a quick pic

Happy Halloween everyone!

A visit to the Historic Shelburne Bed and Breakfast

2010-10-24T18:28:00.000-07:00

A weekend away finally....not that I should be taking off during one of my crunch times for getting my website ready for the holidays, but I have wanted to visit this Bed and Breakfast for ages....I first saw it in Martha Stewart's magazine I believe. I thought, geez this place is less than 3.5 hours drive on the beautiful Washington coastline. So I talked some good traveling friends into meeting my hubby and I for a getaway. We reserved several months in advance to get the perfect rooms.

We didn't visit the right time of the year to see this cottage garden in all her glory, I bet it was beautiful. But the herb garden was pretty and there were still many of the container flowers blooming. the upside to this visit-all the summer crowds were gone.We pretty much had the place to ourselves!

me in the gardens

my friend Georgienne on one of the many outdoor decks

I snapped a few pics inside....

there were many stained glass windows here!

great use of all the space!

below you can enlarge these pics by clicking on them to read the history of this Inn

Hope you enjoyed! I did.
I should add that the breakfast was quite yummy...I would certainly return!

Vintage Alphabet Party October

2010-10-18T19:58:00.000-07:00

I am sliding in a bit late....but it is time for the Etsy Cottage Style blog Vintage Alphabet party!

This month the letters are S, T and U. Lets start with these Silverplated Spoons that I picked up a garage sale last summer. They were all nice and polished, but I neglected them so now they are Tarnished (lol I got a T in there too)

Next would be a cherished vintage Sugar bowl. Leuchtenburg mfg, Germany about 1910. I have been collecting this particular pattern for about 10 years. The creamer to match this sugar bowl has been extremely hard to find.

Another estate sale find for just 25 cents, this lovely little Royal Albert Crown China Tea cup has amazing detail both outside and inside.It is marked Silver birch.

And last, for the letter U, I thought I would share one of my favorite vintage greeting cards that has this beautiful Umbrella of flowers....

Want to show off your vintage too??

Hop over and join the party!

http://EtsyCottageStyle.blogspot.com

Free images for Halloween

2010-10-18T09:10:00.000-07:00

Life has been crazy busy at my house. My brother in law that was staying with us the last 2 months has left to go back to Australia. I have finally been able to get back into the guest room to continue redecorating it. It is also time to clean up the cottage gardens and tuck them away for the long rainy Oregon winter. Many of you may remember back last spring we cut down our huge Douglas Fir trees whose roots turned our wood fence into a pretzel. My hubby got the fence repaired and stained. We have been working every weekend on the landscape trying to get it done before the rain hits.We planted 3 lovely Jacquemonti birch trees. October 15th is a key date in Oregon. The last day to get a lawn seeded. Good news, we hit that mark. So that is done, and I will post pics of this new area in the spring! We are having Indian summer weather this week with sunny low 70's temps, so I plan on getting the front porch decorated for fall too.
Busy getting lots of Christmas stockings stitched for my website, again I am almost 3 weeks behind this year..note to self...plan ahead when you know you are having a long term guest!

I thought today I would share a few of the less common vintage Halloween postcard images I have in my graphic library.
Feel free to click on the pic for full size, then right click to save to your PC. These make great gift tags for your halloween treats!

something new that caught my creative muse

2010-10-13T07:01:00.000-07:00

Friends, check out this new magazine I just discovered....I just ordered a copy...a bit on the expensive side, but had to check it out. Those shoes on the cover are to die for...

Pumpkin decorating

2010-10-06T07:02:00.000-07:00

You know, pumpkin decorating is really not my thing, but I sure like to see some of the creativity that comes out when a group is challenged. When I was a teenager, it was an annual tradition at the bank my mom worked at to decorated a pumpkin and submit it for the customers to judge. She spent hours planning and detailing those pumpkins. I think she did win one year. Anyway, I wanted to share with you another pumpkin decorating contest going on right now~pop over and vote for your favorite! Click on the phrase below.

Pumpkin Decorating Contest

2010-09-28T16:31:00.000-07:00

Fall Treasure Box Giveaway

Shabby Lane Shops

wow this is fab giveaway!

click on the pic to sign up

a special treat from a friend.....

2010-09-26T12:09:00.000-07:00

I am "wowed". I asked a talented friend of mine to take a sign board I had that was painted pink, and paint my website name on it. Since I really cannot "paint a stoke" I knew that Carrie would get the letters neat and tidy and professional looking, And that is all I expected. Just letters with my website name.
Since Carie I live an hour apart, we don't see each other too often, but we met for lunch recently. She presented me with this AMAZING mixed media piece of beautiful art!

can you believe it? this is GORGEOUS!!!

(my pics don't do it justice)

all the DETAILS are incredible

And I found the perfect place in my studio to hang this too.....Just as you enter above the door. Thank you Carrie for you thoughtfulness~you truly are a gracious friend~ If any of you would like to see more of Carrie's mixed media art, she has an Etsy shop called CarrieMe Home and of course she accepts custom orders too.

The vintage alphabet party for September

2010-09-20T17:12:00.000-07:00

Oh my this month slid by fast.....but it is time for the Etsy Cottage Style blog Vintage Alphabet party!

This month the letters are P,Q, and R. The P and R were easy, the Q not so much. I have a vintage quilt I wanted to show, but it is in our motorhome, and guess what, the motorhome is in the shop this week. So please pardon that I didn't include that letter.

To start with I choose to use a group of words to the letters....P--- for Pink stuff such as, Purse, Perfume bottle, Plate and Pillow. All of these things are or include something vintage and are handmade.

Next would be the letter R. So how about Red for Retro, Ruffles, and Roses!

Won't you join us to show up your vintage P, Q, and R stuff? Pop over to the Etsy Cottage Style Blog for more info!

time for reflection..literally

2010-09-13T17:56:00.000-07:00

A short trip in the motorhome this weekend offered a wonderful rest, relax and regroup for me. I schedule these short excursions months in advance just so we will actually go. If they are not planned and reserved we will find a reason not to go. So for the second time this summer we lucked out with awesome weather for our mini getaway. So up the canyon we headed to Detroit lake, located on the western slopes of the Cascade mountains in Oregon. No TV and no internet service, a nice get away from it all.

click on the pics to see full size

The first morning I walked down to the edge of the water...amazed at how calm it was. Now when I was younger and was really into waterskiing, this smooth water was a skiier's dream. Didn't matter too much how cold the water or the air was, this was the ultimate scenario for me. We sold our boat a few years ago when the kids grew up and we started having to force ourselves to ski....but this scene made me think..hummm I think I could enjoy a ski at the moment....okay snapping back to reality, I took sometime to just simply watch nature here. The crowds are gone after labor day, so I could immerse myself in thought and reflection.

I watched with wonder this flock of Canadian Geese as they meandered down to the water for a bath I am assuming. I had never seen this ritual, but they almost went into a frenzy, then they all went under water at the same time time for about 5-10 seconds, then all popped up the same time. Then they took turns rolling over on their backs flopping their wings. After 15 minutes or so, they paraded back up to the shore. Interesting....

Later in the day my daughter and son in law showed up with my 2 sweet little granddaughters, and of course nana had to take some photos. They stayed for a lovely BBQ of juicy burgers on a perfect evening!

Lilian

Lynsie

The next day we returned home, and of course I had a ton of email to take care of, but I am recharged and so glad I got to rest!

My summer project complete.

2010-09-07T21:29:00.000-07:00

Okay, so many of you may remember back last spring about my story of the barn up the road being torn down...and there was this old church pew sitting in the rain with my name written all over it...figuratively of course....Now I am back to show you that I did finally finish it.

the "before" pic with the peeling paint

all stripped and sanded..this was a big chore...

here it is all done...a coat of Kilz primer and 2 coats of creamy white exterior latex. I decided not to try to distress it since it will sit in my covered patio year round. The PNW weather will do it for me. I picked this amazing wood sign at Molly Mo's Antique Faire, it is perfect for the bench!

I also have not decided if I want to actually use it as a bench or a place for plants. It would be perfect for my fuchsia's and impatiens that like nice warm shade in the summer.

I would love to hear my blogger friends ideas????

my pink details from the garden

2010-09-03T08:09:00.000-07:00

So I shared some white from the garden last week....last evening I grabbed my camera to seek out all the pink. What I found was the pallet our creator presents in pink has so more much detail I had not noticed before. I took lots of photos, but just a few were presentable...Enjoy!

tiny upright fuchsia

Cosmos "sonata"

pale pink hollyhock

Mary rose

"kiss me over the garden gate"

garden pinks (dianthus)

did you see the bee in this pic??...

click on the pic to see full size

White....from the garden...

2010-08-24T07:00:00.000-07:00

Never realized just how soothing white in the garden can be. Sharing a few fresh white pics from my cottage garden....both flowers and elements....

The vintage alphabet party for August

2010-08-23T09:58:00.000-07:00

It's time again for the August Vintage Alphabet Party at Etsy Cottage Style Blog

This month the letters are N and O

For me this was easy! Out junking and garage sale hopping this weekend I can share some of my finds!

This vintage rhinestone Necklace is a beauty!

This vintage waterfall Nightstand is ripe for stripping and refinishing...

This Oval mirror is gonna be so shabby romantic when it gets a white coat of paint

and finally, the Oneida dish, painted white will be an awesome shabby soap dish.

I will be looking forward to showing you the finished versions of these lovely weekend found treasures in a future post. I hope you enjoyed. And if you have some N and O vintage treasures to show off, won't you join us? The party is all week, hop over to Etsy Cottage Style Blog to find out more!

*All in my Cottage* My personal blog

Rest in Peace.....Angel

The Rainbow Bridge

Cottage Craft Room party JANUARY

Cottage Garden Party~January

What's cookin in the cottage kitchen blog party January

a New Years break...part 1

Cottage colors Party ...red and green!

baking with nana with new aprons

Christmas at ArborOak Cottage

My first show....

On this thanksgiving...a prayer

Cottage colors Party ~burgandy~

New blog to check out

nana's brag book

Cottage colors Party ~AQUA~

more vintage jello molds re-purposed

Dotty Hop!

Cottage colors Party ~BROWN~

another cottage garden favortite

sweet treats pin cushions

Kiss me over the garden gate~

Sunday pleasure.....

Flavors Take Flight

Another summer project revealed

August in my Cottage Garden

First reveal of my summer projects...

My stair stringer garden

Cottage colors Party ~red/white/blue

Preview.....summer re-purpose projects

The perfect summer breakfast...

taming Miss Mock Orange

Cottage colors Party~White

Walls of roses

Visiting nana's garden

OMG look at this hat!

What a difference in a week

tickling my senses...

Sunday Garden Stroll..

Facinating Seahorse

Cottage colors Party~Yellow

Unusual finds

Vacation is over....

Cottage colors Party~PINK

Today is the day the Lord has made....

~Spring Art Challenge~Ballerine de cru

Free blog banners for Easter!

Cottage Garden Party

March Cottage Colors Party

Inspire!

first peek at spring?

Ladies in green

~Spring Art Challenge~

Cottage colors Party~PURPLE

on my porch at sunrise

Stepping outside my color box

What's In my Cottage Cupboard?

Serious Chocolate indeed

Love stays

4th generation

My Day Job Versus My Passion

Cottage Colors Party January

Free Valentine images to share

I am not on diet.

as 2010 goes away....

What I accomplished in 2010...

Vintage Alphabet Party December

Christmas Greetings around the globe

Christmas helpers

A favorite at Christmas

The joy's of decorating for the holidays...part two

Western Oregon winter sunrise

The joy's of decorating for the holidays...part one

The vintage alphabet party for November

Sharing Christmas Art

from my family to yours

Give thanks!

a tribute to a special lady

My stress free Holiday shopping strategy

Vanity bench reborn

All in my Cottage My personal blog