Notes from A Cottage Industry

Words to live by - week 153

Sometimes our hearts get tangled
And our souls a little off-kilter
Friends and family can set us right
And help guide us back to the light.
~Sera Christann

The kitchen sink.

 
I'm sorry to say that I once again forgot to take a "Before" photo of this thrifted lil' treasure I found last summer at the Goodwill last stop store. It was painted a kind of dull shade of purple when I found it, and it was missing the actual sink and cupboard doors.

Yesterday, while back in Reno for Miss Isabell's birthday party, I finally had the chance to get it painted up and the Sewing Queen of northern Nevada whipped out a darling Minnie Mouse curtain and a couple of dish towels to coordinate. (It's all about Minnie Mouse in Isabelle's world these days!) She's still a bit small to reach the sink, (it stands aprox. 24 inches tall.) but she's growing like a little weed, so it won't be long before she will be having fun with this little gem!

I think she's gonna love it. What do you think?

Creamy whites and computer woes.

  Okay, I wasn't MIA intentionally, just so you know. My PC got a virus (A trojan? Whatever.) and I had forgotten my laptop over at Carter's home. I couldn't do anything for the past couple of days, computer-wise. I felt like I had been cut off from the entire world!

I'm back in business as of tonight, but...now I am out of town. Mmm hmm, visiting the biggest little city for a couple of days for my grand daughter's big first birthday party! Trust me, I'll be oozing with photos of the birthday girl and her party, but I won't be able to edit them in my usual fashion until I return home to Camas, so bear with me.

Anyway.

Before I left town, I managed to get my booth space pretty full of new items, and I was able to snag this photo off of my camera to share. Lots of vintage creamy white pieces that are so full of charm I wanted to keep them for myself. (but I haven't got a spot for another thing!!!)

A creative mess.

I shared a couple of weeks ago that I devised a plan of attack for keeping on track with all of the different avenues I take these days to earn my living. (Along with unpacking and nesting in my new home) So far, I am keeping on track pretty well, thankyouverymuch, and the good news is that I am seeing more and more light at the end of the tunnel.

One casualty though, has been my dining room, and the table in particular. (Yes, it's there, in the photo. You just can't see it for all of the items covering the top of it.) The dining room has morphed into a Command Central of sorts, housing cans of paint I use (the garage is too cold at night and makes the paint get kind of thick, and there are still quite a few boxes out there!) and bits and pieces of things I am in the midst of creating.

*sigh* Oh well. Maybe once I get my office completely unpacked I can move this creative mess up there. For now, I am just happy to getting things completed and inching ahead on the box situation around here.

Refreshing my booth space at Camas Antiques.

I have my booth at Camas Antiques restocked at last, and I wanted to share a picture.... or four.... 

Of course, there is so much more to add to the booth. My downstairs bedroom is still packed to the rim with littles and the garage still has about five large items to get painted up and placed in the booth, and within the next couple of weeks, I plan on getting it all done. (Okay, I am optimistic about getting it all done, at least.) So many things, so little time. (I am having the time of life, by the way, pinching myself each and every day.)

Words to live by - week 152

It is those occasional trips to the Loony Bin that keep us dependent on God.                           

Betsy Derr (one of my favorite long time readers and a kindred spirit)

Dream closet....with a view.

Late yesterday afternoon I was changing clothes after my first shift at the bank, and  I was thinking about how blessed I am to have such a huge walk in closet in my new place. It's so large that it has two light fixtures in the ceiling, which, in a perfect world, I would change to two mini chandeliers, just for the sheer foofy-ness of it. (In fact, the pictures in this post only show a bit less than half of the closet)

Anyway.

It occurred to me that I hadn't shared one of the coolest little details in my new place. It's hidden from most anyone that might come to visit, inside my master bedroom closet. Actually, it's a feature that's in the other upstairs bedroom closet as well. (where my new office is now)

It's a window.

Mmm hmm. A nice, bright, sunny (when it's not cloudy in the Pacific Northwest) window that let's in light and I get a view of the trees.

It makes me smile.

The great room continues to take shape....a reflection of my vintage style.

I've very nearly gotten my mirror collection assembled on the back wall of the great room. It looks incredibly warm and inviting in person, (although I am not sure it translates quite as well in my photos, so take my word for it.) especially against the milk chocolate colored walls. The mirrors are all old, chippy-fied, with a  well loved look to them, and the wall is finished off with a couple of tattered vintage suitcases on top of my antique armoir. It is the perfect backdrop to my old thrifted vintage camel back slip covered sofa and huge black coffee table.

Next project---the counter area that divides the great room from the kitchen...and I've got some really fun plans for that area!

Save

Winners Announced...

Wow. Thanks for all of the comments, and for taking the Style Quiz! I have done the random drawings and came up with four names from all of the comments on both posts (on my Cottage Industry Blog, as well as my Review Blog) and the winners names are posted here.

Thanks again for taking the quiz and commenting!!!

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!

Words to live by - week 151

There is only one success - to be able to spend your life in your own way.

                                                                          -Christopher Morley

Staying focused.

Er...trying to stay focused, I should say. Ever since I had the talk with myself in the bubble bath the other night, I have been putting into action the plan to get myself into some sort of a routine, and..it's working.

You see, I am so easily sidetracked..by anything that might catch my attention (the computer) or my eye (something I forgot I had and just rediscovered in a newly opened box) that I am now scheduling my time so that I am sure to get my booth stocked fully, my blog posts where I want them, and my priorities straight. And, guess what? I'm actually beginning to see light at the end of the tunnel!

Last night I completed this vintage chair and vintage picture frame for my booth (they'll be arriving at Camas Antiques late tomorrow.) It's funny how organization can bring about peace of mind.

*sigh* Such a good feeling.

Wow, it's BigWooWear!

Um...ya. How cute is this?! Yes, it's my sweetest girl, grand daughter Isabelle, modeling just one of her new hats. (Look at those toes, those cheeks! She is the most adorable baby girl on earth, if you ask me.)

I've been wanting to share these darling crocheted hats since a bit before Christmas. My daughter stumbled upon them at a Craft Faire a few months ago and ordered some for herself and her sister. (pictured above with quite possibly the cutest baby boy on earth.)It's kind of hard to tell, but the center of the large crocheted flower has a vintage looking jeweled button...

Anyway.

They loved them so very much, that we decided to order more for Isabelle and her Mama (my daughter-in-law!) for Christmas....

You likey? I do.

So sweet.

They're all handmade and every one of them is darling. The small one-woman company is called BigWooWear, (How cute is that name?!Oh, and she has a blog!) She sells her hats (and other delightful items, like this scarf my daughter got for me, in my favorite Robin's egg blue!!) online at her Etsy shop  and...she takes custom orders.

Like I said already this week, I'm ridiculously busy, but...I just had to share.

A HomeGoods Readers challenge, and a Style Scope Quiz!

Isn't this cozy dining area charming? It's in my daughter's home, and it is full of big style on a small budget, and nearly all of the accessories are fro HomeGoods!

Click on over to my Reviews Page of my blog to get all of the details on a super quiz and a chance to win a $50 gift card to HomeGoods!

Tuesday, January 19th, I will draw four names and announce the winners from the comments received. I'm excited to know what style is the most prevalent!

Reflections.

I meant to get my post up this morning, but somehow, time slipped away from me completely...a busy day. A busy week, actually. Time slipping away from me seems to be a pattern of late, and sometimes I think I will never get caught up on all of the things on my list that I want to accomplish this year. This life.

Anyway.

Tonight, I sorted through things as I enjoyed my nightly bubble bath. I reflected on my day, and on my life, and how things are going these days. How much I've grown, and how far I have to go. All the blessings I've been given, and all the lessons I have learned. (And the lessons I haven't yet learned.)

I'm not at all sure I will get through my long list of New Years resolutions, but I am confident that my heart is in the right place, and I am exactly where I am supposed to be.

That's a start.

Words to live by - week 150

There is always, always, always something to be thankful for.

                                                                              -- Author Unknown

Serene retreat.

I discovered yesterday that it is not terribly easy to capture a large space in a photograph. I guess I am so used to doing still life close up shots, that it hadn't occurred to me. Anyway, it took me the better part of an hour to get these mediocre shots of my bedroom to share with you. With that being said, I hope you can get the feeling of what my new bedroom is like. (Here is a shot of what you see as you enter my bedroom...) The room continues to be a work in progress, as it has a high ledge around two walls of the room that I am currently debating whether to leave empty or add a few vintage touches up above. If you look, you can just barely see the start of the ledges in a couple of my photos. (What are your thoughts on these kinds of ledges? Fill 'em, or leave 'em?) The room is spacious and I wanted to keep that feeling, so I haven't added a lot of accessories. (The photos make the room look much smaller than it is, so just take my word for it.) I'm going with my neutral palate of cream, white, mocha and a touch of  deep dark brown antiqued brass in my bed frame. Another fun thing about doing my bedroom this time, was that I re-purposed a lot of things I already had. (I guess I do that all the time, now that I think on it...) I moved things that had previously been in other rooms of my home, or were in my thrifted pile for my booth space. The trunk for example had been in my guest room on Norman Drive, and the white cutwork duvet had been in and out of my antique booth more times than I could count. It never sold, and now I know why. It was meant for me. I love the my bed, filled with feather pillows, a feather bed and a down comforter....it's like sliding into a huge puffy cloud to sleep each night.(the photo below makes the bed look like it is right on top of the fireplace. In actuality, it is much further away, as pictured in the top photo....it's that camera thing.) There is a nice sized sliding door with a transom window above it, and a sweet balcony (small deck? Whatever you prefer to call it.) with a nice view...I think I'll put a wicker rocker out there this summer for my morning cuppa cocoa with Moose. I hope these photos helped to give you an idea of the look of my room so far. It's also the only room in the house that is completely unpacked and organized, (even the closet!) and that makes me like it even more.

**edited to add** Since you're asking.....

My bedding- The sheets are from JCPenney online catalog- I got them on sale with free shipping. The duvet, as I said, was a thrifted find my daughter found a long time ago for my booth, the mocha quilt- my other daughter gave it to me when she didn't have a place for it any longer...it is from someplace...I think it was Target. Oh, one more thing: JCPenney online has feather pillows and such for great prices.

Deja vu.

I had planned on sharing pictures of my master bedroom today, but I've got a really busy day going, so it will have to be later today, or tomorrow. Nonetheless, I simply had to take two minutes to share my latest finds. (Yes! I located a thrift store by myself, without getting lost, on my lunch hour from the bank yesterday!)  When I found them, I knew I liked them immediately, but I thought they looked oddly familiar to me, and I wasn't at all sure why. Last night, when I unloaded them from my car, I had that same feeling come over me. This morning, as I was making more tags for my merchandise, it dawned on me....no wonder I liked them. (Click on the picture below to see the details better....Pretty good match, don'tcha think?) After a bit of foofifying, these little gems will be making their way down to Camas Antiques!

God Bless Moose.

**Please excuse my bad pictures today. The lighting was bad, and my photos are fuzzy!**

Thank you for all of the nice comments and emails concerning my need to nest as opposed to actually unpack. (The only problem is that I still have not unearthed my sifter, which I desperately need for frosting making, and countless other items that I fear may have disappeared forever into moving-nowhere-land.)

I continued to avoid unpacking today,thankyouverymuch, choosing to bake cupcakes and create a charming little sign to hang above Moose's bed in my bedroom, next to my fireplace. (Ooooh, how I love that fireplace in the bedroom!)

You see, there is an electrical outlet right behind and slightly above his bed. It just bugged me, it being there. (And from the look on Moose's face, I think it may have been bothering him, too.Either that, or he was tired of me messing around by his bed while he was trying to nap.) Then, I had an idea. I knew I had an old framed quote from...when? The 90"s?  Ya, probably, or the late late 80's. (Remember when we had all those cute lil' country quotes all around the house? Well, I had them anyway.)
Two hours later, I had located the old framed quote at last. (It was buried in a yet to be unpacked box of office items in the downstairs bedroom...) I then painted the oak frame black, printed my own new quote and matted it with an old piece of scrap book paper.

Problem solved, and I didn't spend a dime. I was really happy with the results, and I think Moose was pretty taken with the sweet little sign as well.

*sigh* Life is good here on Fargo Loop.

Sidetracked....again.

I think the reason I am taking so very long to get myself unpacked is because I am much more into nesting than..unpacking. (Okay, let's say it. I am not into unpacking at all.) Each and every box seems to bring a new surprise; thrifted treasures I forgot about and inspiration for a new project. Once that happens, I feel compelled to do that project...right then.

That's what happened here in the kitchen, on the ledge above the one bank of cupboards. I found my small collection of rolling pins, and, well...I had to get the ladder, and find my old thrifted picnic baskets. The next thing I knew, 45 minutes had passed and the box the rolling pins had been in was still sitting on the floor waiting to be unpacked.(and after looking at these photos,  I still may tweak this vignette a bit. I may change out my old bread pan up there for a tarnished silver tray, for a bit more formal look, if you can picture that.)

At this rate it really will be July before I am all the way unpacked, but I am having a ball making my new place mine.

Work in progress - a GREAT room is coming together

You know, when I first found out my new home was going to be this newer townhome, I kind of freaked a little bit. It is fabulous after all, and everything looks so new and perfect, and wonderful, but....how was I going to make my vintage style work with the look of new?

I shouldn't have freaked. I am loving it!

It's still a work in progress, but here is a corner of the living room. (er...great room? Whichever you prefer...) I am going with a white-to-cream-to-mocha-to-brown-to-black kind of color scheme and I am on a completely non existent budget, so I've been stretching myself to really think outside of the box. I began with my window coverings. My daughter already had draperies hung, so all I did was switch them out....using my current favorite textile...painter's drop cloths. (from Home Depot, of course) They are affordable, ready to hang after washing them to get rid of the fold lines and stiffness, (I already had the ring clip on thing-a-ma-jigs on the rods) and the sizes were perfect. Oh, and so was the price. One cloth (9 feet by 6 feet) cut in half (to become 9 feet by 3 feet) made these fabulous draperies cost me only $20 a pair.

And they look like a million bucks. No lie.

The back (er...side? Oh, it depends on how you look at the room- it's the wall opposite of the fireplace and bookcases) has my antique armoir and a collection of thrifted mirrors and vintage frames. (a' la 41 Taylor style!)

I still need to paint my little bench and my sofa table, but it's coming together and I am feeling right at home.

Words to live by - week 149

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

                                              -- Oprah Winfrey

I know I shared half of this quote the other day on my post, but I love what it says, and it is so perfect for a new year that I had to repeat myself. Let's all remember, in these tough times, what looks like an ending may simply be a new beginning.

We've gotta keep the faith.

Pupcakes

I had a cake order yesterday for one of my daughter's friends. I am still unpacking (I am actually kind of horrified at just how much stuff I have accumulated!) and it was a bit of a challenge, as I haven't found all of my baking supplies, but in the end, it all came together.

It really felt great to be baking again!

A new decade, a new year, a new opportunity.

"We will open the book. It's pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day."

                                                                        -- Edith Lovejoy Pierce

Wow.

I am inspired by those words. Looking back over the past year, I can see how my story unfolded, and continues to unfold by the decisions and actions I chose along the way. Opportunities I recognized and took advantage of throughout the year.

I plan to make the most of each and every day given to me, and I wish the same for you as well as we all begin this brand new chapter in our lives.