Notes from A Cottage Industry

Weekly words to live by...Happy Easter!

The Grown-ups Easter Brunch tablescape.

 

It wouldn't be right to share the kids Easter brunch tablescape without sharing the grown ups table too, so here are a few pictures to inspire you....

 

 

We debated between the idea of a traditional look, with my Grandmother's china, which I had used for years at Easter and now lives at my daughters home, or to go with a casual garden look.

In the end the casual look won out, because she hadn't unpacked the dishes, coupled with the fact that we are currently enjoying a little warm, sunny spell here weather-wise, and so the garden theme seemed a no-brainer.

 

 

We used an old weathered child's wheelbarrow, filled with terra cotta pots and baby violets nestled in birdseed. We placed the wheelbarrow on a craft paper runner (Bought by the roll in the paint department at Home Depot) atop a vintage crocheted tablecloth, and topped it all off with cute burlap bunny napkin rings on spring-time green striped napkins with my mother's beautiful dafodil silverware...perfect!

A sweet idea for your Easter table.

 

I have a thing for chocolate bunnies.

Can you tell?

 

 

Okay, actually I set these chocolate bunnies out as a sweet (pun intended) tablescape idea for a children's Easter table. Truth be told my daughter would put me in the dog house if I actually gave my grandsons this amount of chocolate.

This year our family has grown to the point where we have achildren's table, and a grown ups table, and we're having Easter brunch at one of my daughters homes. I was over helping with our tablescapes today after work and we decided to use a bedside table and two kiddie chairs tucked into a perfectly sized alcove in the dining room for the older boys.

 

 

How perfect is this? We even used the little drawer to hold moss and some Easter eggs...

 

 

and we used a roll of painters paper (available at places like Home Depot, in the paint department, and it also comes in a fabulous muddy green!) and cut a little runner for the table, which can catch spills, and be used for coloring while waiting for dessert, along with my own Mother's (The Sewing Queen!) daffodil engraved silver (so perfect for spring!) for both tables...

 

 

...and pretty cloth napkins.

Do you set a special table for the little ones in your life at special gatherings? I'd love to hear your ideas for making everyone feel oh-so-special!

Eat in style.

Tablescapes are one of my favorite things.

Well, anything to do with setting the stage for entertaining actually, whether it be a big bash, or a supper for two. I am completely smitten by the little details that make table setting extraordinary.

That's why, when I first saw these sweet little individual bread boards on etsy, I favorited them. I thought about them for quite a long while.

Not because I wasn't sure if I wanted them. No, because I wasn't sure exactly how many I needed.

Sold in sets of four, I ended up opting for two sets, so I could use them for up to eight place settings, and if I changed my mind, I could always give one set as a gift.

I adore them.

They all say "EAT" on one side.

(See how cute that is?)

(Gotta love that detail.)

Not only will they be oh-so-fabulous for bread, but I am sure I am gonna use one of them on occasion for serving cheese and crackers to my Rock n' Roll Buddy out on the deck this summer.

I am so happy to add these little gems to my entertaining arsenal.

Dream big...or was that dream RIG?

Have I ever shared with you that my favorite car is an old vintage truck?

Mmmm hmmm.

Now, I am not typically wowed by any car. I mean, drive a Honda, drive a V-dubbya, drive a '98 cadillac; I don't really give a hoo-haw, as long as it gets you from A to B.

Except...

When it comes to old cars...er...old trucks. I have always and forever loved old (1954 through 1956-ish) trucks,...just ask any one of my kids.

Well, my V-Dub has passed it's milestone mileage of now being over the 100,000 mark, and stuff is starting to need replacing, and keeping up on, and...well, you get the picture. My Rock n' Roll Buddy has mentioned casually more than once that I might wanna start thinking about replacing it sometime soon.

Now, buying a car is not on my top ten list of fun things to purchase, so I put it out of my mind.

But then, my silly service engine light came on.

I hate that little light.

So, that brought about a trip to the auto repair shop, followed by another, and before you could say money-pit, my Rock n' Roll Buddy and I were talking about the probable need for me to change out my mode of transportation sooner than later.

He wanted to know what kind of car I thought I would like.

I said one with no payments.

Anyway, the conversation evolved and at some point (About three seconds into the discusion) I shared my very nearly-forgotten-seemingly-silly-to-some dream (fantasy?) of owning an old 1950's truck.

We debated the sense and sensibility of trying to drive an old classic truck (built before power steering came along...) to work each day, and while we both agreed it was not the logical way to go, we began to google up good ol' craigslist to see what old trucks there might be out there.

One thing lead to another and the next thing I knew, we were on a road trip up north to have a look-see at a 1954 Dodge Pick-up that was for sale, after having been a winter restoration project for some guy near Olympia.

Three hours on the road, with a picnic lunch,(and one pit stop) and we were there. The nice guy selling the truck met us in the driveway.

He opened the garage.

*gasp*

Be still my old vintage-truck-lovin' heart.

There it was.

A dream car..er, truck.....to me at least. (for my Rock n' Roll Buddy...notsomuch, but he could appreciate my passion and rose-colored vision.)
Isn't it fabulous? Perfect for tailgate buffets at parties and receptions, or for vintage themed photo shoots, not to mention how fabulous it could be for driving around on a Saturday morning to a few yard sales, and Camas Antiques?....can you see it?!

I know. (somebody pinch me!)

No, it won't be my daily commute car. (we are still gonna have to figure that dilemma out.) What it will be is a daily reminder and an affirmation to me that dreams really do come true, and just how blessed I am to have someone in my life who wants to remind me of that.

Camas Antiques booth space refreshed.

Again.

In some ways I think it's more challenging to keep my booth space looking refreshed and full than when I had a larger space.

Only 17 inches deep, it can be like working a puzzle to fill in the little spaces, while making it look balanced, and interesting. Yesterday I tweaked things a bit, and tomorrow I will be taking down a few more new items, and then, by next week I hope to have my new line of charming little party hats ready to make their debut in the space.

Weekly words to live by...

Sweet little Easter-time flags with a vintage feel.

Last year about this time, I introduced my vintage styled Easter Banner e-kit in two sizes...remember them? Here. And here.
I designed some sweet little coordinating flags to go with the banners, and you can find the e-kits for them in my etsy shoppe, here.
I think they look adorable sticking out of m&m filled votive holders by place settings on an Easter time table scape. They also look darling peeking out of a gift bag or basket.

Of course, they can be printed on any color paper, or even a peice of pale printed scrapbook paper, as well as my all time favorite...printed on an old book page.

How ever you use them, these little flags add the perfect finishing touch this Easter season!

Weekly words to live by...

A peek at my booth case at Camas Antiques.

This weekend is Camas Antiques big sale, and I got my booth case all fluffed up and foofified for the event.
I'm keeping with a neutral color palate with some hints of pastel colors for spring time.

Take a look...

 

I am working on more paper items this weekend, including some adorable paper Easter banners, and a new line of party hats, and I am wondering if I am going in the right direction, or taking a detour that I will abandon later to return to the neutral backdrop I never  seem to tire of.

So...what are your favorite kinds of things to find in antique amlls? Do you look for seasonal things like Easter or garden decorations, or do you stick with looking for the basics? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

A little press kit for the new business venture.

I shared my new business venture with you a few posts back.

Well.

To promote my new business I spent a good portion of this past week working on my press kit design, and today I thought I'd  share with you the prototype I have come up with.

What do you think? Hmmmm?It's an altered glossy pocket folder, with separate pages showcasing my services.

The pages cover all aspects of the new business, including ideas for custom paper goods, vintage prop rentals, and event styling services, as well as all of my contact information.

I added the surprise of a miniature hand painted (by me! From the dollar store...) sofa table to mimic a vintage prop rental with one of my custom banners......

(Besides the eensy weensy sofa table, I have also painted up a few teeny tiny dressers that will have a "H-E-L-L-O banner" hanging on them....more pictures later!)

Finally, I added a packaged up "Be Inspired" printed banner in a cello bag for the recipient of the Press Kit. (again with my contact info on the back)

Once the kit was complete, I tied it up in a pretty bow with a cute homemade tag, and it was ready to go out to my contacts....

The idea here was to show my prospective consultants, Bridal shops, etc. my attention to detail, and my creativeness...

What do What do you think of these little kits? Did I miss anything? I'd love to hear ideas and critiques on anything I might have missed!

 

Weekly words to live by...

Don't ever let anyone steal your glitter.

(or you thunder, or your mojo, or your happy, for that matter.)

NOT another boxed cupcake post.

Nope.

No baked goods involved.

Just wanted to share another cute use for those fabulous little clear boxes from the folks at Garnish...my daughter just celebrated her thirty first birthday, so you can imagine how tickled I was to find this cup down in one of the booths at Camas Antiques one day.

I added a giftcard, and popped it in the box with a pretty bow. Her birthday present was ready to go.

Lil' buddies.

The two newest grands spent some time together yesterday, and I couldn't stop myself from snapping some pictures (can you blame me?)
They are just beginning to notice one another, and are happy to share...well, everything apparently....so precious!

They reminded me so much of the first two grands about four years ago.

Ohmygosh. I could just eat them up.

Inspired events, indeed.

Today's post really began a month ago.

I had been struggling with where I want to take my blog-etsy-crafty-junkin' business,which seems to be a long time struggle in my head, because, as I am doing one creative thing, additional ideas are popping into my mind, and I lose traction. (Do you do that?)

Yes, it's the condition commonly known as the  so-many-ideas-so-little-time syndrome.

On this one particular morning, I popped over to my friend Carol's blog as I often do, to see what was new there. (I should share here that Carol and I have been long time internet friends, and she has always been an inspiration to me.) 

Anyway.

By no coincidence, on this particular day, Carol was sharing a new venture herself, where she is now offering mentoring sessions, for like-minded girls like me, looking to get on a productive path with their bliss. I decided that day, right then and there, to invest in myself. (How could I not? Carol knew me. She understood how my head worked. We were already ahead of the game!)

She sent me a qustionare for direction, and I scheduled my first appointment with Carol.

Oh, mygosh.

I was so excited that I took the day off from my grown-up girl job. I gathered and carefully arranged my laptop, paper, pen, cell phone, and an ice cold Pepsi Max on the dining room table, ready for my 9:00 date with destiny.

What I thought was going to be an hour of clarifying whether to focus on my writing and blog, my paper goods on etsy, or my new teeny-tiny case at Camas Antiques, and which things to put on the back burner, turned out to be an over-the-top, inspirational call about adding one more item to my plate, and in doing so, actually bringing all of my other endevours together as different arms of one bigger picture.

As Carol pointed out, I had been on the path of event planning before my move up here, so why not go down that path again? It combines my passion for junking with my paper-crafting, and my need to make every day an event.

I've been busy girl all month, planning, and creating a new site, and while it is not quite complete, it is launching today, with the pages being built out more fully each day. (It all should be complete in a week or two!)

Introducing....

Mmm, hmm. TraceyBuxton.com

(Pretty easy to remember, right?)

I'll be handling vintage prop rentals, event planning, (in person, over the phone and via email....) paper goods, and providing inspiring ideas for all of life's special occasions.

(And, my daughters will both be helping me!)

After I brainstormed with Carol, I began to notice, everywhere, that the vintage prop rental idea, and vintage themed events are even bigger than I realized....a case in point...
Now, look past the word "weddings"  here, and you'll see that this pertains to any sort of party. Birthdays, dinner parties, graduations, and showers.

A couple of weeks ago, when we were back in the biggest little city for a visit, I brainstormed further with the other Tracey, who, just a few months ago, coordinated a vintage themed wedding for her own daughter (Watch for it in an upcoming issue of Country Living magazine! I will keep you posted!) and that confirmed to me that Carol had me on the right path for my bliss.

I have my second mentoring call with Carol today, and I cannot wait to see what we come up with next! (I'll share more tomorrow!)

Weekly words to live by...

I've got a secret.

I've been working, oh-so-diligently for an entie month on a not-so-little new business project and I'm planning (fingers crossed!) to share it Monday.

Any guesses as to what it might be?

And...it's another boxed cupcake post.

Right about now you're probably rolling your eyes, and thinking, "Good-God-a-mighty, how many of these silly boxed cupcakes does she need to share?"

Um, apparently at least one more.

You see, when I bake cupcakes, I always make a few extras and pop them in a zip lock bag in the freezer, where I can pull them out as needed, for dessert, or for...well, little boxed prezzies for friends.

Today I went with a double papered look (the black cupcake paper is a bit larger than the white one I baked the cupcakes in) and decided to go with yellow and black.
I made a cute little tag with a birthday candle on it to accompany the usual Happy Birthday tag....a sweet, unexpected surprise.

I think she's gonna like it.