Notes from A Cottage Industry

Countdown to the Tumbleweed Cotillion!

...busy, busy..BUSY!! The Cotillion is this Saturday! If you're in town, make sure to stop by. It's going to be fabulous. Here's the scoop, and a $2 discount coupon:

Mark your calendars for the Tumbleweed Cotillion's Vintage Harvest Faire!      The next Tumbleweed Cotillion event is this Saturday, and promises to be the best yet. Please join us at the historic Plumas Gym near downtown Reno: 575 Monroe St. (on the corner of Plumas and Monroe) Saturday, Nov. 1, 2008 9:00 a.m - 3:00 p.m.    *As a gift to our mailing list friends, please print and use the coupon at the bottom of this email for a special $2.00 off discount to the event.* ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Save $2.00 Mailing List Special Discount! Print and present this coupon for our mailing list special discount of $2.00 off of the regular $5.00 admission cost. The Tumbleweed Cotillion's Vintage Harvest Faire  Saturday, November 1, 2008 9 am- 3 pm at the historic Plumas Gym 575 Monroe Street, Reno, NV 89501 (on the corner of Monroe and Plumas) Questions,comments, or you'd simply like to say hello? Reply to  this email and we'll be in touch! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mama got some new shoes

...ya baby, they're Carlos Santana leopard peep toe pumps,(Besides being one wicked guitarist, he's my second favorite shoe designer, next to Jessica Simpson) which also come in a leopard/floral combo motif, but I'm more of a classic leopard print girl myself.

Picture these little gems with a pair of jeans and a chocolate brown sweater for autumn. Mmm hmm, yummy. Casual, but classy. A little unexpected sassy-ness goin' on around the floor there. Oh, and they were on sale too.(You all know that's the only way I buy 'em.) 

Oh ya, I'm lovin' these shoes.

Pitching my cupcakes at the Bridal Expo

     I was in cupcake heaven yesterday at the bridal expo. ( After all, next to a new baby, what is sweeter than a giant banquet room full of brides to be, planning their big day and tasting cupcakes? ) The caterer spent the day working the booth with me,and we had a great time. Our booth had a definite vintage theme, with our collections of vintage cake toppers up across the top of our backdrop, which was made of large shutters.

We gave out ten dozen babycake samples in less than an hour and a half...there was a fashion show with wedding and bridesmaid dresses..so many pretty gowns!

My booth was located on a corner right up front, right near the fashion show, which turned out to be a pretty prime location. At the end of the day, the caterer and I happily agreed that it was a huge success, and I am going to check into doing the really big bridal fair here in January.

Now, that will be a perfect way to start off the new year!

Words to live by - week 90

Grace isn't a little prayer you say before eating a meal. It's a way to live.
                                                                         Jackie Windspear

Amen to that.

Bridal Expo this Sunday!

     I'm in the Bridal fair this Sunday, pitching my cupcakes to brides and their friends. Oh, you know I am in heaven on this one! Planning the table display, and baking cupcakes....I can hardly wait to show you my finished booth table.....

A little batch of cupcakes and a (possibly) little known holiday

     Hey girls, not only is it Breast Cancer Awareness month, Diversity month, Workplace Politics Awareness month (I swear I am not making this up, people) did you know October is also Pastor Appreciation month? Mmm hmm. Whether those folks at Hallmark made these holidays up or not,they're all for real. Now, while I cannot really get my head around using a month to ..um..celebrate (Observe?) Workplace Politics Awareness month, I really liked the idea of a clergy appreciation month and was happy to have heard about before November rolled around and I had missed it entirely (although, now that I think on this, I could acknowledge that I appreciate them any month, I suppose)

Anyway.

     I thought I'd make some cupcakes for the Pastors at my church, because, well, that's what I do. I decided to make them look a bit more masculine than my usual nests and flowers and pastel polka-dots, since these are going to a bunch of men.

     To do the chocolate do-da's on top, simply melt chocolate chips along with a small bit of shortening, pour into piping bags, and pipe it onto the waxy side of freezer paper in swirls and squiggles and music notes...or whatever. Let it sit until hard and then place on top of your frosted cupcakes.)

Once the cupcakes were ready, I put them in clear 4 x 4 gift boxes and sprinkled baby chocolate chips down in the bottom of the box surrounding the cupcake for fun. I then tied them with a bow and a homemade gift tag and they were all set to be delivered. In the end, I was pretty happy with them.

What'cha think?

The sweetest little bowls

     The caterer surprised me with these most incredible little bowls on Saturday. The picture simply does not do them justice! The Robin's egg blue rim, the petite bouquet of flowers inside....oh, my heart melts each time I look at them! She discovered them at a yard sale of course; she has the keen ability to spot hidden treasures and then snatch them away for a steal of a price!!)
     I already had my hot cocoa in one yesterday morning (they so remind me of the movie, "Chocolat" with the two dainty handles to hold as you sip...) and tonight I will have my butternut squash soup in one of them.
    Oh, and can you even believe how well they go with my little dishes from a couple of weeks ago?! It's a perfect match.

A little kit, just in time for Halloween

     I had so many requests for my Beware banner that I decided to create a little online Halloween kit.

I've created templates for you to use on any colored paper, or you may print them on the vintage dictionary page I gave provided as well!

  It's delivered right to your email in-box and it includes the templates to make the items pictured above (a "Beware Banner" template, large and small "Boo" templates, a dictionary page template and a complete directions page) ..use the templates as you wish, over and over again! Cost: $12. through PayPal!

Words to live by - week 89

Without faith, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible.
                                                                          Mary McLeod Bethune

Amen to that.

The McQueen Craft Fair

    Whew! What a busy, busy week. I took off from my grown up girl job half day on Friday to get set up for the McQueen Craft Fair. We decided to get a booth, and we're showcasing the upcoming Tumbleweed Cotillion here in Reno, out at McQueen High.
We've got lots of goodies for sale in our booth, but we're truly there to promote the Cotillion...and we're having a fabulous time chatting it up with people...and doing a little shopping ourselves, too!

Catch me over at homeGoods Blog today...

I'll post a little something later if I get the time (did I mention earlier that it's a busy week?)But I did get a few minutes to do a little HomeGoods post. I'd love to know if any of you buy little gifts in advance, adn if so, what types of things do you stockpile? Feel free to leave me comments there!!

Keeping busy

     I finished up the dry sink last night and a few smalls. I am still going to make a vintage banner to hang from the towel bar...at least I think I am.

     I lined the drawer and the inside bottom of the cupboard with old book pages and sealed them with verathane to add to the vintage look.

Is it Friday yet?

Flower Power

     These little floral gems will be in my booth next weekend at the McQueen Craft Fair. I am not quite finished with the suitcase (It will have some words added to it later this week) and I have lots of other things to still be completed, so it's going to be another busy week of late nights and early mornings.

     I've been enjoying the suddenly very cold weather we've had this past weekend, (We even had snow last Friday! So beautiful!)but it does slow things down when I have to drag pieces inside the house to paint them so they can actually dry because the garage is just too cold. (Aah, there's nothing like trying to get milk for hot cocoa out of the refrigerator when there's a dry sink and two chairs covered in wet paint in the kitchen...)
    I keep asking myself, "Why did I book this many events within four weeks?" Hmmm. Next time I try to do this, somebody slap me.
Please.

Hot air balloon chandelier for sale

     *sigh* This is the sweetest chandelier I have ever laid my eyes on. I bought it from another wonderful blogger who was in the process of redoing her son's room and was looking to sell it.
     We had great visions of hanging it in Peanut Roberts nursery, right over the crib, but, now that it has arrived safely, we have discovered and confirmed, once and for all, that there is no way to wire in a ceiling fixture in this incredibly high ceiling of the Peanut's nursery, nor is there a good spot to swag the beautiful piece by adding more chain and cord, because it would be a ridiculous amount of chain going across the incredibly high ceiling and swagging down to a plug in. Please don't email me with ideas of how to make this work in his room, because, believe me, we have checked and tried it all, to no avail.
     I don't usually do things like this, but it's such a treasure. Our loss may be someone else's gain. I paid $375 plus shipping, and am willing to sell it for the same price, all through PayPal with your check or credit card. (this beauty is worth a whole lot more than that!!) If you're interested in the chandelier, please email me at : [email protected] .

*edited to add* Thanks for all of the emails. It's sold.

The Tumbleweed Cotillion Vintage Harvest Faire is taking shape

It's October at last and my favorite season is finally here. Aah, sweet, sweet Autumn, when the air is crisp and it's now cold enough to burn a roaring fire in my fireplace. Yes, autumn and all that goes with it...including the Tumbleweed Cotillion's Vintage Harvest Faire.

We've gt some pretty incredible vendors lined up that I think will be a great addition to the already fabulous vendors from past faires.( As an example, check out Kelly France from France Photography and be sure to look on her portfolio webpage for "Very Vintage". It's the sweetest photography I've ever seen.)

I've had a very busy couple of weeks and I am going to really have to bust out a lot of painting this weekend to be fully caught up and ready, but I think I can do it. (Thank goodness I don't require too much sleep...) I'm sure I'll be sharing pictures of the progress. Oh! And the Sewing Queen is working on the cushions from the darling sofa for the faire as well..it is going to be so charming, and I can't wait to show it to you!

Friends don't let friends attend miracle juice seminars.

I am one of those people that doesn't know when to keep my mouth shut. To walk away. To say no thanks. Oh, you either know people like me, or you are like me.

I'm talking about answering the phone to a telemarketer and then feeling too bad to hang up on them, because after all, they are just trying to earn a living like you and me, and for gosh sakes, they're someone's son or daughter most likely. I'm talking about saying you'll attend the Tupperware-Home-Accents-Silpada-Jewelry-Rubber-Stamping-Longeberger-or-whatever-it-might-be party and then being the dodo in the room at the party that says , "Yes, I'll book a party!" because you think you're helping your friend and you want to get the cool hostess gift at that particular moment, only to realize later that everyone in town has already been to a party and is doing their best to not attend another..

Case in point- A few Weeks ago, I was standing with three other women at Toastmasters chatting before the meeting began. One woman had previously given a speech on a product she uses; a health drink of sorts, full of vitamins that heal everything from athletes feet to arthritis (just like the way the girl's dad used Windex in the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding).

Anyway.

So she's talking about an upcoming seminar on the wonderful-cure-what-all-ails-you drink and the other two women have the good sense to scatter, leaving a cloud of dust behind them. I am oblivious, and continue to stand and listen.(Not that I have athlete's foot or arthritis, but well, you just never know) The next thing I know I hear someone say "Sure, I'll come to the seminar". (Oh. My. Ga. It's me!) 

Oh ya, let me attend the seminar on a week night after a full day's work. As I speak I am silently screaming inside my head "Good God, you don't have time for this! And you don't need to buy any magical elixirs or potions at this moment with your current budgetary perimeters! Stop! Shut up! No! No! Don't say you'll go! Aaaurgh!"

 A long week follows, with me first putting the seminar out of my mind, then kind of half heartedly trying to come up with a reason I cannot attend, then finally, openly dreading the meeting. She calls to remind me and tell me she is thrilledI am coming. (Mmmm hmmm. Of course she is.)

The night arrives and I get to the seminar in a small banquet room at one of our local hotels where this group, which, upon entering the banquet room, strangely reminds me of some sort of cult.(I make a mental note to not drink any Kool-Aid if it's offered) Everyone is busy getting situated in their seats to listen to the featured speaker, pens and notepaper in hand. He's some sort of doctor (no idea if he was an MD or PhD...) and he talked, with a power-point presentation that rivaled watching a TV test pattern for forty. five. minutes.

He appeared to be a complete stranger to fitness himself, judging from his couch potato physique, yet he wanted to again brag on all the benefits of the magical juice. I sat politely, only half listening, mentally making my to-do list of things I needed to be doing right at that moment. 

Suddenly, my ears perked up! Wait...What was that he just said?! He was wrapping things up with the topic of how to get your friends on board with the product (Good God! Now I realize it's one of those pyramid deals, however he used the word "Pillar".) Uh oh. I am now going to have to try to gracefully to dodge a pitch from my Toastie friend. He tells how you tell two friends how they can sell the product to save on the high price of the magic juice and they tell two friends, who tell two more friends and so on and so on. At this point, I realize that I am in a full blown cold sweat. (Sweet Jesus, when will this evening end?!)

After what seems like an eternity, (but actually turned out to be an hour and ten minutes, start to finish) the portly doctor slash health expert finished up and slipped out of the meeting (most likely for an all-you-can-eat-buffet-restaurant that Reno is a known for) and my friend then hungrily eyes me to see how ripe for joining the club I am. She introduces me to her friend (obviously the woman who got her on board) and then suggests we all go someplace for Kool-aid coffee.

I, finally gathering my wits about me, politely tell her I am really beat and I really need to get home, early day tomorrow and all that...

Several menacing phone calls ensued the following week with enticing offers of what the miracle juice could do for my health and my budget. At last I could do nothing but be honest. I told her no, I was not interested in drinking nor selling the product but I was very happy to hear that her allergies had gone away and she was able to hike again, thanks to the incredible beverage.

  So the moral to this story is...If you know people like me, and you care at all about them, you need to watch out for them. Help to save them from themselves. Real friends don't let friends attend miracle juice seminars.

Vintage cake plate

    The caterer found this adorable vintage cake plate and, knowing my passion for cupcakes and cakes and all things cottage-like and vintage, gave it to me! I think it's the sweetest little cake plate I have ever seen.
      I found the vintage rosebud birthday candle holders at the Barn house sale a few months ago...(aren't they a perfect accompaniment to the cake stand?)
      Originally this sweet cake stand must have been a musical rotating cake stand, but that part is missing (of course, you can't tell this by looking at it, and it still functions perfectly)Oh! I think I will need to do some butter-yellow frosted cupcakes with pink roses to showcase it later this week.

Words to live by - week 88

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
                                                 Theodore Roosevelt

A very special little book.

      The newest newlywed forwarded me an offer to create an 8x8 picture book from a very cool company called Shutterfly. Of course, I procrastinated and couldn't decide what topic I should create a book on (The holidays? Entertaining? The three weddings? The growing family?) and before I knew it, I found myself at the deadline for creating my  photo book.
      I finally decided to do a story book for myself all about my sweet cottage. After all, this humble abode has played a rather large part in keeping me sane over the past two years. It provided projects to occupy my mind at times when I needed to keep busy and comfort and solace when I needed a place to think or pray.What was once a rather ugly duckling of a ranch style house has now blossomed into a beautiful swan of a cozy cottage for me and my pups.

     Oh! I had such fun that evening, creating my very own book! Selecting which photos went where, and deciding on the little things to say, and when I saw the Shutterfly box in my mailbox, I was more than slightly excited to tear into it and see if it had come out the way I had pictured it. (no pun intended) I wasn't disappointed.

     The petite hardbound book is just perfect. My average photography somehow looks incredible (to me at least) in the dear little book. Looking at pictures of the evolution of my cottage coincides with the mending of my soul when I look at some of the before and after photos, and I don't ever want to forget this time in my life. Yes, we both still have a ways to go, but we're so far from where we began 24 months ago.

     *sigh*  Life really does come back.

Fresh Blog Tips

**(I'm not doing this blog post from my home computer, so forgive the tiny photo today!)** Fellow bloggers, have you seen this blog? Collen has an awesome blog (besides her Fresh Vintage Blog...)that offers invaluable information for those of us out here in Blogland with blogs. It's fairly new and it's called Fresh Blog Tips. (I have it linked on my blogroll under "Inspiration for women in business")

So...Have you seen it? If you're a blogger, you need to. When you do, you might see that she chatted with me a while back about blogging. (but honestly people, that is not why I'm sharing this.) The reason I feel it's important we all check it out is that we can all learn a some new trick or innovation and improve our blogs a little bit.

Thanks Colleen, for providing us all with a service we can certainly benefit from!

Meet Miss Foofy's sister

     After we saw how darling Miss Foofy came out to work in Junkees promoting the next Tumbleweed Cotillion, we decided she needed a sister to work over at the caterer's restaurant. While out thrifting last Saturday, we found what we thought was another perfect dress; (or so we thought) a Jr. bridesmaid dress, and we set out with plans to foofify it up for a display at the restaurant. We also found another music stand.

Well, a Jr. brides maid dress is just that- a young girls gown. Alas, it did not fit our second dress form! Oh no! Then, I remembered that I had a huge trunk full of old prom and homecoming gowns from my girls' high school days. Yes! I thought I remembered a foofy dress in the bunch, and sure enough, I was right.

The caterer set out to make miss Foofy a proper sister to hang out at the restaurant promoting the unpcoming Vintage Harvest Faire. Here she is, in all her glory. She is so pretty with her harvest broach that I am thinking now, she just may need a harvest crown to top her off.

Oh, and wait until you see what we'll be doing with that Jr. Bridesmaid gown!

Outdoor harvest decor update

     I still have so much work to do on the outside of my cottage. In a perfect world, I would have cute black shutters on the windows and shrubs in front of the house. Oh, and a meandering walkway going up to my front door from the sidewalk, with a picket fence along the sidewalk.(Can'tcha just picture it?!) For now, seasonal decor will have to do the job of sprucing up the outside. 
    I got the last of my harvest decorations out yesterday after work. Before you comment...Yes, I do think I went a whole lot little overboard on the pumpkins. And the sunflowers.

Anyway.

I still haven't quite finished the details on my thrifted wagon (I want to rust the wheels and add a little banner) on the porch, but I hope to get it done this weekend. Then, I just may go price some shutters at Home Depot.

Oh, I just love autumn!

(Psst! Check out my post on the HomeGoods Openhouse Blog for more harvest time ideas.)