Notes from A Cottage Industry

Memorial Day, twenty Thirteen.

The words from one of my personal all time favorite patriot songs is most approriate today:

 

And I'm proud to be an American,
where at least I know I'm free.
And I won't forget the men who died,
who gave that right to me. -Lee Greenwood

Getting ready for Snap!

It occurred to me as I started to write this post taht I don't think I have mentioned that I am getting ready this week to attend the Snap! Blog Conference with one of my daughters.(Carter, Coen, and Keaton's Mama!)

The conference starts Thursday, and has a wide assortment of great courses (Business stuff like Branding for Bloggers, and Advanced SEO, along with really inspiring creative courses like upholstery and Printables with Pow!) and inspirational speakers. There will be fun breaks, like a craft night pajama party, and amazing sponsors like Annie Sloan Paint.

Tonight I'm working on my business cards (they said to plan on sharing about 200 of them) and trying to decide what all to pack. (There will be a shopping night, so I want to be sure and leave a little spare room in my suitcase!)

Have you attended a Blog Conference? If so, what tips can you share with us? We're oh, so excited, and we want to arrive prepared!

Camas Antiques Eye Candy....

I popped over to Camas Antiques on Saturday, and brought my camera so that I could share some pictures that I am sure will inspire you!

I am still lusting after a few items....this fabulous tool-type painted box...
and, my-oh-my! The Metal Double Sided Cubbie Shelf in Clark's Booth Space... ...and this sweet broom with charming grey wool cover....

I am always inpired to get home and work on feathering my nest when I leave Camas Antiques, whether I have spent, or not, (Okay, I cannot recall a time that I have not bought something.)Are you like that?

Just one more reason that I am happy to have been born in the age of the smart phone.

I can barely remember what we all did before cell phones were invented, and then the added fabulousness that is texting and camera phones, can you?

They have proven to be an invaluable tool for all sorts of improtant things....like helping your thrifting girl-friends score a major find.

I spent last Saturday thrifting with my gal-pals again. So much fun. My favorite find was a pair of vintage napkins, in the prettiest shade of yellow, with a touch of green. (I haven't broken them in at home yet, but when I do, you'll be the first to see my tablescape.)
See? Aren't they sa-weet?

Okay. I was leading up to smart-phones in the twenty-first century.

So, Sunday comes, and I am home enjoying the excellent weather, and I get a text from one of my gal-pals from the day before. She's at a yard sale in her neihborhood and spotted some vintage glassware that she claimed was screaming my name.

Well, she was right. When I looked at the photo text she sent, I could almost hear those little glasses calling "Tracey! Tracey! Traaaaa-cey!"

Six of these little sweeties for...one dollar. A buck.

(You know I said grab 'em.)
I put a butter knife in my photo so you could have a reference point for the size on these little gems. They are more petite, yet substantial, than any other dessert parfait glasses I have ever found, holding only about three tablespoons of dessert. Even a small wafle cone sticks way out of the top of them.

This brings me back to my point - Without this coolest of cool technology they wouldn't be sitting on my dining table today, waiting for their dessert debut at my home.

Sweet little onesie.

You know how much I adore Camas Antiques. Well, I am not sure if I have ever shared this or not, but one of the booths there is full of the most adorable baby items you've ever seen.

My hairstylist recently had a baby girl (Piper! How cute is that name?!)and I knew exactly where I was going shopping for a baby gift.

I don't sew myself, so I am always impressed by these kinds of handmade items. I love the look of this handcrafterd darling onesie, with it's embroidery stitch details on the little fabric applique, don't you?
*sigh*

Just. So. Sweet.

I think I'm just a little obsessed with all things baby these days, with two more sweetie-pies on their way in my family, and more baby love popping up all around me these days!

A walk through Camas Antiques....

I popped over to Camas Antiques on Mother's Day with the Sewing Queen and one of my daughters, and I remembered my camera for a change! Here are a few shots of areas of the store that I found to be extra inspiring....

OOoooooh, how I want this lamp. I stood there for five minutes trying to think of a place in my home where I could put it....I'm still thinking...

I'm telling you, if you're in the area, you've gotta stop in!

Have you been to The Painted Home?

Just when you think you've found all the great blogs that cover vintage style, you stumble across one that you somehow missed....

I wanted to share an inspiring decorating blog that I just this week discovered through some photograph I came upon in Pinterest. Maybe you already read it, (and if you do, why haven't you told me about it?!) but just in case...it's called

The Painted Home

Denise does some pretty fabulous stuff. I mean, just look at the bedroom photo up there. You all know I am a huge fan of the vintage book page wallcovering, and I am lovin' the trunk at the foot of the bed, along with the splash of black on the headboards and lil' bookcase, don't you? I like her style- not too foofied up, and just the right amount of weathered charm. I am feeling incredibly motivated to redo a big list of things around my teeny tiny home now. (as soon as Barn house is past, that is!)

Very Pinterest-ing.

I am guessing many (most?) of you have by now heard of, and now are using Pinterest. I myself am a little late coming to the party, but I am here now, baby.
My daughter (Carter and Coen's Mama) first told me about Pinterest a while back and I checked it out but I was too busy to really poke around too much. (...or maybe I was just not really "getting" it fully.)


Anyway....in case you didn't know...

Pinterest is a Virtual Pin-board.

It lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pin-boards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes....the possibilities are endless! For..well, what seems like forever, I have been grabbing pictures online from my favorite blogs and websites and saving them in Word documents and such to find inspiration. Now, not only is that unnecessary, we can all gather our photos, organize them by topics we choose ourselves, and share them with ...everyone!


 I'm not at all sure how Pinterest began, or how they make money, but I am quite smitten with the entire concept, and I'm thrilled to be able to save (and share) so many cool pictures of inspiring things.
If you have a Pinterest Page of boards, I'd love to check them out, so let me know! 
If it's new to you, and for any reason you have trouble joining, send me an email and I can send you out an invitation. It takes a few hours or so before you get a reply, so be patient....the wait will be worth it!

The new front window display at Camas Antiques.

The girls at Brocanteur Vintage have got a definite eye for display and detail. One look at their booth and you know this....

They've just taken over the big front window at Camas Antiques, and they are doing a fun lil' Easter-time discount idea.

Pretty clever, huh?
...I love. it. all.

 
Industrial, rustic, weathered and worn...everything goes together in a vintage-y kind of way. I love it all, (even though my own personal taste for my home leans a little more toward the refined side.) and I find it a very refreshing change.

A new decade begins.

Well, it is here. A brand new year, a brand new decade. I have shared this before, but here is one of my most favoritest quotations for new year's....

Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right. 

                                                                                                         ~Oprah Winfrey

Happy twenty-eleven, my wonderful, treasured friends!

A revelation about New Year's eve, (And about me) a word for the 2011, and a giveaway.

Okay, so since sharing my post about New Year's eve celebrations and all that I thought it stood for, I have come to realize that I am in a rather..um...small crowd. I asked my best buddy down at Camas Antiques what he and his partner would be doing to usher in the fabulous new year, to which he replied, "Nothing. I mean, we keep it low key. It's not a big deal."

I then asked another single-gal-pal from the antique mall what her plans were. She had no idea. Probably early to bed after dinner with some family.

Finally, I asked my daughter yesterday morning what she would be doing, (You know, since she has a semi-new beau and all, I was sure they'd be doing something absolutely inspired.) and she informed me that she was working all day, so no plans had been made. She did say she planned to most likely watch the ball drop in Time Square. (I didn't ask if she'd be watching it on eastern, or pacific time.)

Hmmmm.

So.

Apparently I am in the minority in thinking of New Years Eve as a you've-got-to-whoop-it-up-till-the-stroke-of-twelve-and-see-what-changes-happen-in-your-life kind of girl. That got me thinking.

A lot.

Why do I have this concept? One of my biggest little city friends pointed out that whooping things up if they even remotely resembled a holiday or event was all I had known for three plus decades. She pointed out that I had been married to, as she called him, "The Party King".

Really? 

Oh. My. Ga. 

I thought about it for a moment. She was right. When I was married, any occasion was a potential party opportunity. Mmm hmm. My ex-husband liked to entertain and so did I, so consequently, everything was a party. Birthdays, Thanksgiving, and Christmas of course, but also things like the-daughters-are-coming-home-from-college-for-the-weekend, or...we're-going-on-vacation-and-taking-the-kids-friends-with-us-so-we-all-need-matching-custom-made-Spring-Break-2003-bags-to-carry-our-stuff...heck, we once even hosted an elaborate formal brunch (with printed invitations!) for a group of my girl friends after a yard saling excursion one morning. No lie.

Consequently, New Years Eve is...or was, in my mind...forever a confetti and champagne event. Now, I am not saying I was wrong, I am simply saying that I had yet another light bulb moment this week. I now think that while the new year is cause for thinking about the nice clean slate and the possibilities for good things to happen, it doesn't have to be an over-the-top event, unless you want it to be.

With this being said, I read a blog post this week that really got me thinking...and inspired me. Kim shared her concept, like a lot of other people do as well, of having a word of the year, and she even shared some ideas for how to find your word.

I thought it would be really fun to hear what your word for 2011 will be, so here's the deal, in three easy steps-

1. comment on this post before next Tuesday, January 4th at midnight, sharing the word you've chosen, and why.

2. Wednesday morning I will draw one comment and pick a winner.

3. The winner will get a custom banner sent to them in their inbox of their word for the year.

so...as I was saying....I liked the idea of a word for the year, and I decided to pick one. After not more than two minutes I knew what my word would be for 2011, as it was the exact thing I have been working on developing for all of 2010. (Some of my closest friends already know what this word must be and are chanting the word aloud right now...)

Anyway.

Since there are no real rules for this, I figure I can use the same word two years in a row, right?

Right.

Wanna know what my word was (without formally calling it my word for 2010..)...and will be?

.

.

.

.

.

.

BALANCE.

Balance between work and play, between sleep and activities, between time with friends and family, and time with myself.

As I said above,those of you out there that know me really well, know that I have been searching for this all year, since I am rather...manic?...spastic?...obsessed?...er...Enthusiastic? (There, now that sounds more positive) and not terribly laid back when I do not know the entire plan for things in my life.(This being said, I am actually very laid back when plans change most of the time and go with the flow on things for the most part...I just initially like to know a loose game plan, and where I stand,if that makes any sense at all.)

I go all out for any new job, or creative endeavor, but then, I am easily sidetracked. (I know you're not shocked.) I seem to get carried away with one thing and forget another. Likewise, I get involved in a project and stay up far too late into the night working on it, like a crazy woman.

Yeah, so...Balance.

That's my word, and that's what I am gonna strive for.

(Now, pick your word, and enter my giveaway!)

This little light of mine.

My sweet friend Miss Char shared this on her blog a short while back and I loved it so very much that I had to share it with you, so you can feel warm and fuzzy too, this Christmas season.

 

It's not what's on the table, but who's in the chairs.

No, I'm still not really unpacked. I mean, at a glance it appears so, but the garage is still full of boxes, and my toaster is missing in action. My office workroom looks like a storage unit.

No matter. I closed the office door, and decided that I was ready to entertain guests.

Mmm hmmm. I realized that since my move to the Pacific Northwest, I haven't hosted an actual dinner party for friends, if you can believe that. I've had one person over at a time, yes, but never more than that since moving up here. Last night five of us gathered around my little round dining table in my cozy dining room, and surprisingly, we all fit just fine!

We had a very simple meal- chili with all the toppings, and cornbread, while we talked and laughed nonstop. It made me realize just how much I miss entertaining friends. I am now anxious to do it again, and think I will add this to my list of New Years Resolutions. (You know, I am wild about the fresh start of a new year and all the possibilities it brings...)

It just goes to show you, it isn't at all about the size of your home, or if the chairs all match. It matters not how how fancy the meal is. It's about people, and friendship. I am feeling extra blessed today, knowing that here in my new little home, I have a circle of friends to share my heart with.

The stockings were hung...

I thought I'd share some of the adorable stockings we saw at Monticello yesterday...so many cute ideas! The theme was definitely neutrals and vintage...and they all were fabulous!Take a peek at these... 

and these...
and I really liked these lil' ones...
...and how about these?
....these were simply too perfect for my daughter, the nurse... (We heart Worthy Goods!)... ...Monticello has a spectacular selection to choose from if you're in the market for some new stockings, that's for sure.

 

A little trip to Monticello.

My lil' Camas babylove and I made a trip over the bridge to PTown this morning (with his Mama and his Auntie) to cruise around Monitcello and see what's new for the holiday season. I took my Big Black Rebel along so I could share some pictures with you.....

Mmmmmmmm. Some yummy eye-candy, don't you agree?.

Good things come in HUGE packages too.

I got a call from my Camas Antiques yesterday. A package had arrived there for me, all the way from Michigan, and I needed to come down to the store and pick it up.

Michigan? I couldn't think of a soul I knew in Michigan.

Imagine my surprise when I opened the huge box, and it was crammed full of the most beautiful vintage linens I have ever seen! Tableclothes, vintage clothes, napkins, hankies...the list goes on and on. I was speechless, and so was my friend best buddy, Clark, who helped me open the giant box. Sweet, sweet Sheila had sent this wonderful surprise to me all the way from Michigan.

I know I have said this before, but the people out here in Blogland are simply the best. I am so grateful to live in a time when we can hop online and find friends and kindred spirits anywhere on the planet, and the world suddenly becomes a much smaller, cozier, more friendly place.

Sheila, thank you ever so much for such a kind gesture. I love everything and I will make sure that each and ever piece finds a perfect new home.

Another Barn House Tour Bus...this time from Eugene, Oregon!

 

I just wanted to share the news that Jill just sent me. There is yet another tour bus available for those of you wanting to attend the Barn House Flea Market, but you don't feel like driving over two hours by yourself....Check it out here!

I'm looking forward to meeting everyone a week from Saturday!

The July 2010 Sunset Magazine--The Barn House Boys Issue!

 
It's out! (And it's a really nice article with some great pictures!)If you are a subscriber, you should be receiving it any day...and it will be on the news stands any day.

It couldn't have happened to two nicer guys, and I went completely and totally over the moon when I saw the spread. The nice folks at Sunset magazine used a photo of my booth at Camas Antiques, as well as mentioning A Cottage Industry. 
 
(Be still my heart. Did you hear me squealing last night when Joann showed me the article?) I am thrilled to be riding on the coat tails of two such talented (and humble) boys.

Oh yeah. Life is good.

A little Tuesday inspiration for all of us.

Nope. No picture today.

Just a link to an incredibly inspirational blog post that totally made my (very early) Tuesday morning when I took a break from painting in the garage. I cannot even tell you how I came to land her blog, but I am so very happy that I did.

You've just got to love this girl's determination and commitment to her dreams. Thank you, Laura, for sharing your story with all of us here in Blogland.

To read her post, click here.

Barn House eye candy at Camas Antiques.

Joe is most definitely the king of display. A true master. I popped over to Camas Antiques to fluff my booth after my day at the bank, and I stopped dead in my tracks when I saw the progress he had made on his fabulous window arrangement. (Actually, I was so taken in that I think I even drooled.)

He even staged the entrance to the window display from inside the store, making it a new focal point!

There was a slight glare due to the outside street lights and the window glass, so you'll have to look past that, but...wow. Take a look yourself.... 

I am absolutely dying to see exactly what fabric and all is under the wrapped settee in the display. I know it is going to be a feast for the eyes.

All of the incredible items you see in the window will be for sale come Friday, when the Camas Antiques 6th Anniversary sale begins. There will be prizes for the first 50 shoppers each day, and sales in most every booth space, including mine. (I am picturing the line of shoppers waiting for the store to open, tapping the window chanting "Open, open, open!" like on that old Mervyn's commercial, aren't you?)

I can only imagine how quickly this gorgeous window display is going to be picked over, and Joe will then return to restock with more amazing finds....and more inspiration for us all.

And the winner is.....

......Marie!! Thank you all for entering my giveaway and especially for reading my blog. This has been so much fun that I just may have to do another for the first day of summer!

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SPRING, EVERYONE! I'll be taking Moose to the dog park again, and planting some flowers later today...hope you're doing something fun also.

First day of Spring Givaway!!

The weather up here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest has been fabulous of late, to say the least, with more spectacular weather in the forecast for the upcoming next few days. (sorry for those of you living where the weather is still cold.) The spring like weather puts me in the mood to plant flowers and head over to the Dog Park with Moose every spare afternoon that I can find. It also makes me want to create, and to clean, and to organize. (Although my plans always seem to somehow get side tracked in regards to cleaning and organizing.)

Anyway.

I was in the unpack-and-organize mode yesterday, and I decided that since the first day of spring is this Saturday (I know! Can you believe it's already going to be spring of 2010?! Time flies.) I'd do a Giveaway here on my blog to celebrate.

The Giveaway package includes everything pictured up top...The Spring Cleaning book, one of my "Nest Full of Happy Thoughts", and a vintage apron. All of these vintage treasures have been gathered from around my own home.

To enter my First Day of Spring drawing, simply leave a comment on this post, and this Saturday, March 20th, I will announce the winner. Get an extra chance at having your name drawn by linking my post on your blog. (And shoot me an email or comment to let me know this.)

Happy St. Paddy's Day!

Top O' the mornin' to you! Don't forget to wear some green today!

I'll be doing another post later today...I'm going to be hosting a giveaway!

Weekly words to live by, and advertising opportunities.

 Oodles of exciting blog stuff has been developing  around my home....First of all, I've had another busy week here, getting to know my MAC a little better. (And I am loving it!!!!) This coming week I will be turning in my old computer to the Apple guys to move all of my information over to the new MAC. Once that is complete I think I will be able to get back up to speed...anyway, I am hoping so.

Second....I'm thrilled to share with you that Notes From A Cottage Industry is now offering advertising opportunities! You may click here for more information. You will see that my good friend Deb from hummadeedledee has a darling link button over on my left sidebar, (and if you're interested Deb can make a button for you as well) that promotes her online business.

On another note....I've been posting my weekly words to live by for a long time, (156 weeks and counting!) and I get quotations from all sorts of places- the web, books, and even from some of my readers. It occurred to me yesterday that maybe some of you would like to share your own Words to live by posts, on your blogs as well, so..starting this Sunday I will have a Mr. Linky installed at the end of my words to live by post for you to link to your blog post. I will also now post my Weekly Words to live By post at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday evenings, instead of early Sunday mornings. If people seem to like this, I'll continue to do the Mr. Linky thing each week.

If you are not familiar with Mr. Linky, let me explain it for you. It's simply a box that you fill in your blog name and a link to your post. Once you do that, readers may click on your name and be taken to your post to read...sound fun? I think so.

I hope you all decide to participate. The more, the merrier!

A little ray of Sunshine!

 What a wonderful way to begin my Thursday!!!!!! I am very flattered and incredibly humbled to have been nominated for the Sunshine Award by three thoughtful friends!!!

Thanks so very much to sweet Robin King ( Robin King Designs ) for thinking of me, and adding my blog to her list for this award. 
 (Don't you just LOVE her Blog Banner?!)

Thank you also to Piper Green (Piper's Pen blog ) for thinking of me as well. Check out her charming blog!
Thank you so very much, Piper!! 

And last, but certainly not least, a huge thank you to one of my all time bestest blog and creative types buddies, Deb, from Hummadedledee, (as well as half of the creative duo of Kennedy & Kennedy Designs.)
 Deb is one amazing girl. In fact, she is the person that created my new blog banner. She is the Sunshine Queen!

I know, I am supposed to give this award out to 12 other bloggers...but I simply cannot narrow any list of mine down to 12, so......... If you have ever taken the time to post a comment here, consider yourself nominated. You all deserve Sunshine Awards. I treasure each and every reader and friend I have out here in Blog land. 

Monticello inspiration.

My daughter and I, along with my favorite little man, popped over to Monticello's yesterday afternoon for a quick bit of inspiration. As usual, it did not disappoint. 

I returned home, my mind filled with new ideas for some charming lil' treats for my own booth space at Camas Antiques....which I will share very soon!

Holiday event at Monti's....

Oh. My.

 I made it to the Monticello Holiday event opening day just a few minutes after 8:00 a.m when the event opened. The booth spaces were fabulous, with so many wonderful ideas to inspire! Today's post is mostly pictures, because there was so much to see, and the old saying that a picture is worth a thousand words really rings true here.
I wandered through the huge mall for nearly two hours before finally making my way to the checkout; my head spinning with inspired ideas for my own booth display at Camas Antiques....
Hands down, there were two items that literally every booth had tweaked to their own style...
First, Christmas stockings....in burlap, cotton, vintage fabrics- and each one more charming than the last.
The second hot ticket were all of the many bottle brush trees....
green, pale pinks, or bleached...
glittered, mounted on vintage candlesticks, and sugar bowls, displayed in a variety of clever ways, atop silver candlesticks or sugar bowls, and in every size imaginable.
The event goes through the holiday season, and the vendors will be replenishing often, so I am sure I will be heading back over to take another peek before Christmas arrives.

2009 Holiday Home Tour, part two.

 
The tour continues! (As always, click on the words printed in blue to hop over to tour a blogger's home for this years tour....) We're going to continue with our holiday home tour today, starting with Sue's place, over at "A work in progress" blog. 

From there, let's pop on over to see what Cindy has to share over at her Romantic Home!!! (You know Cindy will have some incredible ideas!!!) 
Cheryl has some adorable ideas for decorating this holiday season, so we simply must pop by her home next!
Next up is Roxanne, with her wonderfully charming cottage full of Christmas cheer....

....Next stop on the tour will be Gayla's home, and her cookies look absolutely delicious, so I can't wait to see what else she has in store for us!

Then, Lori sent me a lot of pictures of her sweet Oklahoma home, but if she has a blog, I couldn't find it...but I did want to share a couple of pictures anyway...
Then, we'll scurry on over to see what Lisa at the tarnished and tattered cottage has to share with us today!(I really do love these silhouettes in the picture she sent me, but I don't see them on her blog anywhere, so you'll have to ask her about them!)

...And we'll end our tour for today. Thank you to everyone that participated with pictures and blog posts!!!! The pictures from my holiday home will not be up until next week sometime, as I am in the process of moving right now!

2009 Holiday home Tour, part one.

Happy December everyone!What better way to start of the month and the Christmas season than with a holiday home tour? We're going to start this years tour at Debbie's home (How cute is that decorated candy cane up above?!) .....

....and then, it's off to Janelle's sweet home to see her holiday decor and treasures...

...followed by Carla's home and her new blog to see what holiday cheer she has cooked up!

From there, we'll want to be sure and stop by Donna's charming cottage, have some tea and take a tour....

then, on to Jill's home for a nice lil' visit... tomorrow we will show the rest of the tour! Thanks for coming along with me...

Guest post today over at 4 Reluctant Entertainers...

You must know Sandy, right? If not, you will now. She's been my blogworld friend for...gosh, how long? Maybe two years? Maybe longer, now that I think about it.
We met (obviously) through our blogs and we have grown a wonderful friendship over the past couple of years. I love her style, her hospitality, and dedication to raising her family. I am guessing we'll get to finally meet in person at some point once I get moved to the Portland area next month!

Anyway.

Sandy graciously invited me to be a guest blogger on her blog, sharing a hospitality idea and I was happy to participate!As you can tell from her blog's title, she shares many, many wonderful ideas for entertaining, with the focus on what is really important...In short, she inspires me!

What are you waiting for? Hop on over and check my post out, and tell Sandy I sent you.

A few practice shots....

I'm up in the Portland Stars Hollow  Camas Washington area visiting and doing a little business research. I am thrilled to share a couple of photos... from my new camera! (my favorite little man now has two teeth!)

     Yes, thanks to the many, many friends online and otherwise, I was able to make quite a dent in the price of a replacement camera. I decided I'd better buy it while I was up in Portland (where they have no sales tax!!) Thank you seems like such an understatement, but it's fom the bottom of my heart.