Notes from A Cottage Industry

Because I have a thing for things with scallops.

While the home decor trends are beginning to lean towards streamlined urban farmhouse and an updated twist on mid century modern, I am still quite smitten with the cottage look, inside and out, and nothing says cottage louder than anything with scallops on it. 

This weekend Camas Antiques had their annual sidewalk sale, and I scored a sweet little four legged wooden stand (footed tray?) with...yaaasssss!...scallops!

(Be still my little cottage-lovin' heart.)

Well, of course my mind has been filled with ideas on how I can use this adorable five dollar accessory. (I know! It was a steal of a deal, right?!) Within just a matter of a few hours, the opportunity presented itself as we woke up to blue skies and warm temps here on Sunday morning. (We have had a record number of grey days this July...)

I decided right then and there that I'd take our continental breakfast of bagels and fruit outside to the covered patio. I used my newest treasure to hold the toasted cinnamon raisin bagels and toppings, and it. looked. adorable.

A few questions for you today...do you collect things because of their shape, or style? (Like hearts, or tarnished silver, or scallops...?) And, am I the only one who is all about presentation, or do you enjoy that too? (Please tell me I'm not the only one!)

The picture (possibly) that inspired my front yard.

**I meant to get this post out yesterday morning, but I got obsessed with trying to locate the correct photo that inspired my front yard, and spent far too much of my day on that!**

Let me start by saying I am pretty tickled with just how well the hydrangeas in my front yard are doing this year.

I planted them three summers ago, after I had the picket fence put in, and we got it all painted white, and they didn't. do. anything.

Nope.

They didn't grow even so much as an inch, and the blooms that some of them had when I bought them never bloomed again.

I thought maybe it was too much sun, or my soil. (I am not a green thumb gal.)

My son in law (who is a green thumb guy!) told me they would just take a few summers, and would most likely go gangbusters (I'm paraphrasing here. He's in his 30's and does't use words like gangbusters) in about three summers.

So I crossed my fingers, and I waited.

Ohmygosh, was he ever right! This year my hydrangeas are spilling over and through my fence, just as I had pictured in my mind's eye since the day I planted them.

I was thinking about the photo that I had found in a magazine, or online...somewhere...had inspired the entire front yard. (Actually the entire front of my house, including paint colors...) I looked all through my Pinterest boards trying to find the photo, but it seems to be totally missing. That got me looking through my own photos, because I have a habit of taking pictures of magazine pages to save ideas.

Anyway, I finally found this picture of a picture. (Yes, it's all grainy and kinda weird looking, because I took a picture of my computer screen.) To be completely honest, I am only about half sure this was the picture I was so excited about, but it does have the up-down-dog-ear-fence-board in the fence. Also, I may need to start taking some ginko for my memory, because if this is the correct photo, the flowers in this photo look more like roses to me!

Oh well, I personally prefer the hydrangeas. (And, as I said, maybe this isn't the picture I was basing my landscape off of.) Anyway you look at it, my sweet little diamond-in-the-rough-cottage has come a long, long way, don'tcha think?

Happy Independence Day, twenty nineteen, my friends!

Is it May Day 2019, already?

My, oh my.

How did we get to the merry month of May already?!

I know that so many parts of the country are having crazy, so-not-spring-like weather still, but here in the Pacific Northwest, we are being absolutely blessed with sunny skies, and temps that are not too hot, but not too cold. I've gotten most of my flowers planted. (Well, out in the front yard anyway.)

How about you? Are you a plant-blooms-in-pots-or-around-the-edge-of-your-yard kind of girl? Or, are you a full-fledged-green-thumb gardener, with giant raised beds full of veggies and herbs and flowers? None of that? I'm a plant-oodles-of-flowers-in-pots gal, and I am totally over it for the rest of the day if a snail, slug, or worm comes peek-a-booing up out of the soil.

Eeeeeewe.

I wish I wasn't this way, but I seem to get worse and not better as I get older, dealing with little living creatures of the slimy variety. (Seriously. I just gagged a little as I thought about this while typing to share.) I love spending my early mornings out watering and deadheading old blooms each day. 

When I was little, growing up in sunny California, May Day was a cause for celebration at Lakewood Elementary School. I remember we had a May Day festival, complete with a May Pole, and I specifically remember one year when my Mom made me a wonderful orange and white gingham dress, complete with a full gathered skirt portion. (perfect for twirling around!) We made May baskets, and filled them with flowers. We would hang them on a neighbor's doorknob, ring their doorbell, and run and hide to watch them find their May Day treat when they opened their door. (Maybe people under a certain age won't even know of this fun tradition!)

*Sigh*

Good memories.

I hope whatever you are doing on this fine May Day brings you lots of smiles, and maybe even some flowers.

Because nothin' says lovin' like something from the oven.

Especially somethin' sweet, amiright?

I baked a batch of my snowball cookies (You may know them as Russian Tea cakes, or Mexican Wedding cakes.....yummy by any name.) late in the evening, this past Saturday night, because I was feeling like having a cuppa hot cocoa, and it sounded like the perfect thing to go with it.

Do you do things like that? Decide to bake a batch of something at...oh, 10:45 or so at night, because it just sounds so satisfying?

Okay, maybe I am in the minority here, but I tend to get a sort of second wind in the evenings, and when I do, you just never know what kind of activity I might decide to do. I will often start a craft project, clean out a drawer or closet, or, as I did last Saturday, I might decide to bake something.

Friends who know me well can confirm this. (I often send one of my besties a quick photo text showing what I am working on in the evening, while she is curled up with her book in bed by 8:30 each evening.)

Aaaaanyway.

Ralph was driving back home from a ways out of town, and I was going to be up waiting for him to get home anyway, so when the cookie craving hit me, I didn't hesitate to grab the mixer and the cookie sheet.

By the time he pulled in the driveway, I had made my cookie dough, baked my little snowballs, and cleaned the kitchen. When Ralph got home, we enjoyed a perfect little midnight snack while we caught up on each other's evening.

Mmmm hmmm. These are the little moments that are what life is all about.

 

#secondwind #agirlandheroven #trustmeImabaker #acottageindustry

Hello, Twenty Nineteen!

I'm always working to do better.

To be better.

At work. With friends and family. With life.

My favorite New Year's quote of all time is "Cheers to a new year and another chance for us to get it right." (Oprah Winfrey)I love the ever hopeful sentiment it shares, and I am embracing this quote again on this first day of 2019. 

Happiest of new years, my friends!

All is calm, all is bright.

My favorite time of day during the Christmas season is the evening.

(Well, anytime after the sun sets, which seems to be before 5:00 pm this time of year, as we head to winter solstice!)

My home is all aglow with twinkle lights, and a nice fire going. (Ehem...you may notice it was quite a raging fire when I snapped this photo.....some really dry old cut up leftover fence boards, and maybe one too many of my homemade firestarters....)

**sigh**

Just makes me feel all cozy and safe, and optimistic that the good people in the world are gonna win in the end.

I mean, everything looks better (including me...) when the lights are low and there aren't the remains of a pizza from a half hour ago on the coffee table. Also, with the days being shorter, and the grey skies of the beautiful Pacific Northwest, it just feels right to have little twinkle lights in nearly every room of the house.

(**Ugh. The tree in my bedroom is not a massive glaring bundle of lights, I just can't seem to figure out how to improve my iPhone photography skills in dark rooms.)

Once New Years passes, and we get January behind us, I am ready for sunshine, and light and bright, inside and out. For now though, I am loving the totally romantic ambiance that Christmas lights (and frazier fir wax melts) bring to my home.

A new-to-me decorating idea using collections.

Oh. My. Goodness.

While we were out of town this past weekend, (More on this later this week!) we stayed at a hotel that had an interesting photograph collection above the front desk. These photographs were of various old staircases (most likely old plantations) and were full of character, in a soft, yummy sepia-tone colors.

(Sorry my photo doesn't do it justice. It was hard to avoid the glare, and to capture the size...)

The framed photographs were huge, about three and a half feet wide, and maybe five and a half feet tall. The framed photographs were hung on a tufted fabric, with an even more massive frame, and hung in a row above the front desk.

I loved the idea of grouping multiple photos of a collection like items as art, and my mind was whirling as I considered the possibilities. Architectural items, like doors, windows, clocks, or old clothespins could be a fun collection. A group of themed items would be fun as well. Kitchen hand tools, sewing or quilting supplies, or bar ware.(Picture small photos above a bar area or cart. It could be fabulous!)

What are your thoughts on this idea? 

Revisiting my laundry room...with some autumn touches.

I know I have shown you my laundry room at my cottage once or twice before, (Here, and here...and probably more spots that I missed.) but I thought I'd share it again, as I am happy as a bird with a french fry over my new-to-me old vintage drying rack. (even though I haven't ironed one of my dish towels up there. Oh well.)

Let's start at the interior door to the laundry room, which is off of my kitchen.

It's a sunny laundry room, with two windows, one on the door, and one next to the door. (I couldn't get a good photo, because the sunlight was streaming in.)

I gathered up my stash of old and new clothespins and put them in one of my giant lidded jars, which was just sitting forlornly in the garage for the past couple of years, begging for a new purpose.

I still need to write something on my chalkboard. I was thinking of putting, "Alexa, fold the clothes" but haven't gotten around to it, and I am a little concerned I am bordering on having too many quotes around my house...

I plopped a couple of my faux white pumpkins in the laundry room for fall, and I am liking the feel of this room so much, which is good, because we come in and out of here everyday. Do you do seasonal decor in rooms like your bathroom, or laundry room?

Lists and organization.

That is what one of my incredibly type A personality best-friends told me I am lacking.

And I am quite sure she is correct.

I was sharing all of my frustrations with her surrounding my disorganized daily routine, including, but not limited to creating my paper banners, flags and fun items.

Enthusiasm I have covered.

Creativity, I'm in the top twenty percentile. (If I do say so myself.)

Completion.....ehem...cough. cough. sputter, sputter....I will say that I do work well with a tight deadline, but an overall success rate on a start-to-finish original project? I seem to get to the point that a fuzzy view of what the finished project might look like, and ....I always without fail often times stall.

(It's like I can envision the completed item, and lose interest...?)

Frustrated with myself, I asked my bestie, who is very organized, and always tidy, what she thought my problem was, and that is what she said.

I am lacking to-do lists, and simple organization. (As in, when you use something, put it away. Where it belongs.)

Brilliant!

Potentially life changing!

(at least for me it could be.)

...

I'm trying it out today, as I have oodles and toodles of semi-half-baked-ideas for holiday paper goods to get ready for the Christmas season in my booth, and online. I'm excited to see how this sounds-too-easy-to-work-for-me idea works for me.

Wish me luck!

(Oh! And, happy Halloween!)

Collections as home accessories.

Clothespins, balls of string, old tin baking molds, cups, dishes, alarm clocks, books with covers in certain colors, mirrors, old windows and shutters. The list of old items I collect is seemingly endless, and it appears that, without even realizing I am doing it,  I am adding new collections to my home each time I go thrifting.

I realized yesterday while I was contemplating rearranging the things in my entertainment center bookcase thing-a-ma-jiggy that I have a lot more collections around my home than I had realized.

I love the personality collections add to a room. One rolling pin is a utilitarian kitchen tool, but an old crate (OH! Another thing I collect...) filled with rolling pins of different sizes and colors...well, now, that is interesting.

And cheap. (Which I love as well.)

All of my collections have happened serendipitously, and they are not limited to every day items. I also collect seasonal items. White faux pumpkins (I like that word faux so much better than fake.) for harvest time, stars for New Years Eve...I used to have an incredible collection of Santas, until my house size got smaller, and couldn't find a perfect place for them. I passed them on to one of my daughters at that point, so as to keep them in the family and I could still enjoy them. 

What things do you collect that add personality, whimsy, interest, and a bit of history to your home?

Birch & Crow.

Last week I met a friend and fellow junker for lunch and an outing to some of the fabulous vintage stores in Vancouver Washington's neighboring town of Battle Ground. 

Oh, so much fun!

Our first stop was to a slightly hidden-while-being-right-in-front-of-you shop named Birch & Crow Vintage Market. I say this because it is located in a strip mall on Main Street. It sits back off the street. The space used to be a pharmacy I believe, and about a year or so ago, it was transformed into a fantastic vintage and handcraft mall, with each and every space built out for vendors as unique little storefronts. Each booth space is filled with treasures....

I was lusting big time for this old grocery scale. I used to have one, then had no room, and sold it, and I have missed it ever since....

If you live in the area, or are lucky enough to visit, this shop is totally worth a visit.

Repurposed sweater sleeves de ja vu.

Well, a color change-up, anyway.

Remember this post from last year? I shared how I cut the sleeves off of a thrifted old sweater to make wanna-be socks from them to add a pop of color to my old vintage ice skates. I am hanging them in my own home this year, and I'm kinda still loving my Robins egg blue color way in the living room, so I went with that. Here was the process.....

I hung them by the front door on my coat hook, along with some mittens and a scarf. I'm ready to get my home ready for fall and winter, even though autumn weather is just barely hitting the Pacific Northwest. (We are currently enjoying sunny days all week in the mid to high 70s!)

I'm happy with the results, and I am now thinking I may just stick with my Robins egg blue this year for my Christmas decor, and keep the closer-to-traditional red, black grey and white for another year....

Speaking of Christmas, did you know that it is less than ten weeks away?!

How did that happen?!?!

Why you always need to shop with a think-outside-the-box attitude at the Dollar Tree.

I am sure I have told you before that I love me some DollarTree. I buy a good number of home staples there each and every month. Party and entertaining items like paper plates, gift bags, tissue and shred, as well as things like zip-lock bags, foil, garbage bags, and sometimes even dryer sheets, to name just a few.

But my favorite part of any trip to the DollarTree is roaming the store, and more often than not, finding the random item that makes my day. (For a dollar!) Case in point yesterday would be the adorable, motivational little packages of Kleenex Tissues. They were over on the aisle with Q-Tips and such, and they were sold in a three-pack. 

I always keep one of these little packs of Kleenex in my purse, but when I saw these particular ones, with the too-perfect motivational quotes on them, I immediately thought of friends I could give them to in some sort of little treat bag, (Picture a bag or box with a pack of these cute tissues, some mints, and maybe a chapstick?) although, now that I think about it, they could be cute little stocking stuffers at Christmas, too.

That's when I spotted the Fabulous little zippered canvas cosmetic bags. (As you can see, they literally say Fabulous! How cute is that?)

Now, I'm not quite sure when I am going to give these little treats out, but I put them with my stash of prezzies for people I love, and I'm pretty tickled to have come across them! 

Because cookies are always a good idea.

Today's post is so late, it is almost tomorrow. (I woke up with the beginnings of what seems to be the first cold I have had in five or six years, and I was scheduled for work early, so my morning post didn't happen.)

It was rainy and grey this morning, and for me, that feels like the perfect weather for baking. I had an early home tour appointment at 9:00 and then home for two hours before heading out to open a home for an inspection, and I decided to take full advantage of that two hour time slot by whipping up a batch of my favorite sugar cookies.

I frosted them as soon as they were cool enough, and packaged them up in one of my to-go containers. I took some to my most favorite inspector team, who happily devoured them when they finished the inspection.

I had plenty of cookie dough left over at home, (and I was still jonesing to bake....) so after the inspection appointment I came home and baked a few more for an agent who will be popping in on a three home tour I am doing tonight. I decided to jazz up this latest batch of cookies with a homemade gift tag, and I am happy to share them with you too. Download the free printable to make your own copy here:  Download Cookies tag freebie from acottageindustry.com

Cute, no? Why not print some up for yourself, and then, the next time you bake, you can give some cookies to a friend, neighbor, or coworker...just 'coz.

Fifteen minute (give or take) crafty project using package boxes too nice to throw away.

**First off, thanks ever so much to all of you who commented or liked my post from Friday. It means the world to me that folks still find my stuff worth reading, and I hope you know that I consider you friends, which is why I feel like I can share some of the not-so-ordinary patches in my life.**

...

I am one of those people who cannot bear to throw away a nice box or bag. (I am a complete sucker for clever packaging in general!) Things like perfume, jewelry, and even candles often times are packaged in beautiful boxes, and I always save them to repurpose at a later date. (On a small side note, you can also decorate up store bought photo boxes, as I shared in an old post here.)

A few days ago I took a few small boxes from my stash (Three ecru and black colored perfume boxes and a small black box from an etsy purchase) and, in less than 15 minutes start to finish, I created sweet little Halloween gift boxes. I'll most likely put them in my booth at Camas Antiques tomorrow.

These are perfect to hold some sweet little treats, (homemade, or store bought candy?) or even a cute little Halloween Banner, like this one....

 

All I needed to create this little gift boxes was some clever art work and a well chosen Halloween word, printed in a cute font. I found a skeleton diagram and description from a dictionary page. (I printed it off so I could make multiple boxes) and a piece of black card stock to frame my pictures, and cover the original wording on the box.

A little cutting and gluing and I was all set.

Easy peasy.

Think of all of the fun decorations you could do for occasions like birthdays, Christmas, or Valentine's Day.The possibilities are endless!

 

Flip fops and lemon drops, because girls just wanna have sun. (and cocktails!)

I recently (over the course of a couple of weeks, during breaks from studying for you-know-what) created a basket that I donated as a silent auction item for an upcoming breast cancer fundraiser in mid May, and I thought I'd share it today.

The theme for my basket was "Flip Flops and Lemon Drops", a fun girl's-night-in summer martini party basket. I somehow forgot to take a decent picture of the basket as a whole before I left the house to meet my friend to drop off the donation, so this lousy photo I took on the Starbucks table will have to do.

The basket included lots of fun goodies to decorate the bar area, patio, and fun little prezzies for guests. It was so fun to put together, with these darling flip flops from my local Dollar Tree. (I simply tied the yellow and white striped ribbon to the toe divider, and they looked like a million bucks!) and a "Chill" banner I made...

Yard flamingos I found last summer at a thrift store, (...exactly lie the ones I had bought at World Market!) and a canning jar filled with fake lemons (again, from the Dollar Tree!)

Thrifted martini glasses (with my homemade martini charms on them) silly flamingo straws rounded things out, and I even managed to score a fabulous white enamel tub to hold it all.

Yellow shred from the Dollar Tree, and some cutie-patootie handmade signs for the table, as well as a lemon drop martini recipe, and the basket was set to go.

I had a great time creating this basket, and knowing it's going for such a good cause, with a fantastic organization made it all the better. If you live locally in the Portland area, consider getting tickets for the Pink Sistas "Pink in the Gorge" event. More information can be found right here. 

Another anniversary themed goodie bag for an airplane ride.

I'm at my daughter's home for a few days, staying with the little men while their parents are off on a trip to celebrate their ten year anniversary. You may recall that at this time last year I was in the biggest little city with my other grands while their parents went on an anniversary trip.

I made up a similar plane ride goodie bag for the happy couple, just as I did a year ago for my son and daughter-in-law, and I thought I'd share it here today. I filled the bag with their favorite candy, some pretzels, a deck of playing cards (for on the plane and around the pool) and some money for inflight libations...

It's always fun to make a little something unexpected up for the people I care so much about!

Junker's Jubilee.

I had a completely fabulous whirlwind visit with the Other Tracey, and I am just now getting time to share some of the details...starting with a little something I whipped up for her before she arrived for our girls extravaganza.

(With not too much effort at all, even a four day girlfriend visit can be catapulted into something extra special, and oh! So memorable!)

So....Back when I was trying to decide if I should change the name of my business to something else, The Other Tracey and I discussed the topic in depth, and somewhere in there she shared that one of her favorite words was "Jubilee". She liked what it meant, and how it looked written out on paper. I knew right then and there that I needed to build out something for her with her word.

That's when the idea hit me. 

I could make the girls weekend even more fun by creating and sending her a fun present, outlining all of the many possible activities in store for us during her visit! It was easy to come up with a word to go with Jubilee, since we are both so passionate about junk, and thrifting, and crafting...I named the event the Junker's Jubilee.

Before I knew it I had come up with an entire flip book of sorts to send to her. (I called it an "Attendee Packet".)

(Ohmygosh, it was so fun to make!)

I made a cover page, and an introduction page as to what this little packet was all about...(Places to go, things to do, people to see...)

 

...a what to pack page, a value proposition page (like a very old American Express ad, for those of you who just might remember them...) and a fun little page to wrap it up.

 

 

I punched holes in the pages, and connected them with a ring and a round label, which I customized, and I filled the box with an added surprise of Robin's egg blue taffy. (My nearby Winco Grocery Store has candy in bulk, and in the mixed color bin of taffy I pulled out enough of the perfect shade of Robin's egg blue taffy to work my magic!)

The mailing box packaging needed to be spot on as well, and then I noticed that my HP Ink cartridge boxes were exactly the size for a large postcard.

Perfect!

 

 

I continued on with my signature Robin's egg blue and and some vintage black and white photos on the box. (Okay, even I think I got a little bit carried away here...oh, well.)

 

 

Once I had my prezzie ready, I scampered down to the main post office and mailed it to The Other Tracey.(here is where I hit a road bump.) I mailed the package on Sunday, and she was arriving Thursday. I then realized when tracking the package that it would arrive at her home the very day she was leaving for my home. (and of course, she was flying in the morning, long before the postman would arrive at her home.)

Argh.

(Oh, I was so mad at myself!) 

This was not happening. The Wednesday evening before her arrival I whipped up an exact duplicate kit for her, and then gave it to her when I picked her up at the airport.

(Another lesson learned the hard way. This seems to be an ongoing pattern with me.)

Oh well. (On the bright side...Double the taffy!)

The Junker's Jubilee Attendee Kit turned out to be a big hit, and we had a few good laughs over the fact that I shipped it a day too late. 

Random act of kindness.

I opened my laundry room door the day before yesterday, (It's on the front of my house, just to the left of my driveway) and his little surprise was waiting for me.

No note, just two miniature adirondack chairs Christmas ornaments.

It made me smile.

I am guessing it must be one of my neighbors, who clearly appreciates my two adirondack chairs in my front yard...? (And I put Christmas wreaths on them during the Christmas season...) It was such a fun (and totally unexpected) surprise, and each time I walked through my kitchen yesterday, (where I had set them on the counter) it warmed my heart all over again.

(Who knew that two little red wooden chairs could provide so much

It felt so good that I decided I need to do more random acts of kindness myself. So much of life is pretty danged scary and downright depressing these days, and to do some little, completely anonymous nicety for someone, takes little effort, and provides feel-good feelings for days. 

How about you? Has anyone shared a random kindness with you before? Have you done a secret good deed for someone lately? Think how much better our days could go if we all did.

Happy Valentine's Day, 2018.

...or as it is more typically known, Wednesday.

Is Valentine's Day a big day in your world? Trust me, I can make any day a big day, and I used to love me some Valentine's Day, especially when my kids were little. (Loved those school parties, and all the paper-crafting involved!) These days, though, I keep it more low-key.

My Ralph is a firm believer that Valentine's Day is one of the many Hallmark holidays (as he calls them) where folks feel pressured to buy a (Hallmark) card, and flowers or a box of candy that comes in a red heart shaped box, and he thinks showing fondness should not be capitalized on with a one-day-of-the-year event. I really can't argue with that, and nowadays our Valentine's Day is pretty much focused on the meal I plan. (You may recall the travel themed brunch a couple of years ago, here.)

I'm still planning supper for tonight, and I am sure a plan will unfold for me when I hit the grocery store. (I'm all about the tiniest of details, and right now I am kind of toying with a pie, using the "Sweetie-Pie" theme.....)

What about you? Do you make Valentine's Day a big day, or do you do it up small, or not at all?

A woodland themed baby name banner.

I created a woodland theme banner for a baby shower for a family member, and wanted t share how it came out. I'm loaning out my Camp Cupcake plaid rag banner as well, to use as an additional bit of woodland feel. I hope the Mama likes it!

And just like that, it is twenty-eighteen.

I love the fresh clean slate a new year represents, and I especially like new year's day, because, I always use it as my last day to veg on the sofa, watch mindless TV, and eat the last of the junk food in the house. I don't know about you, but I like to start that seemingly never-ending list of resolutions on January second, thankyouverymuch.

I hope your New Year's Day is restful, and relaxing, and filled with all the things you enjoy.

#hello2018  #happynewyear #outwiththeoldinwiththenew

The "other" holiday at the end of December.

Oh, I know a lot of us love us some Christmas, with all of the decorations, and parties, and foods, and frivolities, but there is another event that happens at the end of the year that can be oodles of fun to celebrate, in ways both big and small.

And, it doesn't need a whole lot of prep and planning-in-advance time.

Yep, I'm talking' New Year's, folks. New Year's Eve, or New Year's Day...take your pick. Did you somehow land yourself behind the eight ball during that block of time between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and never got to take baked goods around to your neighbors? Missed seeing friends at a holiday party because you were still Christmas shopping? No worries, my friend. You are not too late to invite a few (or quite a few!) friends over to visit, and ring in the New Year! Go as fancy or plain as you like. (Think black tie, or Lula Roe, prime rib, or mac N' cheese....) Consider an intimate supper party for six, or a cocktail or game night soiree' for thirty six! 

Not a night owl? Host your first-annual New Year's brunch or open house to start the year off right. Make it a potluck or BYOB if you're not feeling' the urge to be in the kitchen too much. 

I am quite certain I have shared before that I am a little crazy-in-love with the New Year's holiday, and that all it symbolizes for me. The idea of fresh starts, and promise of hope for us all, whether it be weight loss, or world peace. Silly and sappy, I know, and of course I realize that each and every day truly is a fresh clean slate with a new chance to get things right, but...gosh, I don't know...there is just something about the finality of a year ending, and that wide open calendar of twelve squeaky-clean-and-unmarred new months that makes me feel that much more inspired.

More hopeful for what can be.

Anyway.

With all that endless possibility, how can we not want to celebrate?

And, if we are going to celebrate, even with a simple candlelit breakfast for two, we need decorations.

(Anyway, I do.)

 

And, it's not too late to print some up.

I've been a busy girl creating lots of New Year's paper goods, and you can find the printable versions in my etsy shop, here, or if you are here in the Portland-Vancouver area,you can buy them ready-made at The French Door, in downtown Vancouver. 

I am blessed to be having a very dear friend fling in for the holiday, and we are actually going to be at the coast for New Year's Eve, as my Rock n' Roll Buddy has a band gig, and I am making party bags filled with hats,and horns, and sweet treats for all of the girls in our group. (How fun will that be?!)

I hope I have inspired you to think about doing something memorable this New Year's, my friends, and I pray that 2018 is kind to us all.

 

SHOP MY POST:

Printable Happy New Year Banner: https://www.etsy.com/listing/582184335/printable-happy-new-year-banner-new?ref=shop_home_feat_2

Printable Kiss Last Year Goodbye Banner: https://www.etsy.com/listing/582196327/printable-itty-bitty-kiss-last-year?ref=shop_home_feat_3

Printable Cheers to a New Year Banner: https://www.etsy.com/listing/568429744/printable-itty-bitty-cheers-to-a-new?ref=shop_home_active_2

Printable Hello 2018 Banner: https://www.etsy.com/listing/582224539/printable-hello-2018-banner-new-years?ref=shop_home_feat_4 

Printable New Year Flags: https://www.etsy.com/listing/488259776/printable-new-years-eve-flags-new-years?ref=shop_home_feat_1

Printable Best of the Year Cards: https://www.etsy.com/listing/568432076/printable-best-of-the-year-cards-new?ref=shop_home_active_1

#acottageindustry #shopacottageindustry #happynewyear #Hello2018 #partylikeits1999 #weonlyliveonce #lifeisaparty

Well, hello, November.

Geesh, how can it be that we are already beginning the eleventh month of twenty-seventeen? 

Even though I feel the year is going by to quickly for my liking, I do have to say that I love me some crisp November days, whether it's dry or raining.

It's officially the nesting time of year, as far as I am concerned. Baking, candlelight, and roaring fires in the fireplace, coupled with the shorter days, make this the time of year I long to be home more than anywhere else on earth. (And this weekend we get to enjoy an extra hour thanks to daylight savings!)

Sweet November, I'm glad you're here.

Look what you made me boo.

Okay, you didn't make me boo anything, I was just dying to use that little pun there. 

(Heh heh heh.)

I whipped out a fun Halloween banner last night to hang and greet the little trick or treaters tonight, and I am pretty thrilled with how it looks against the grey, white, and apple green colors of my cottage. (You can get your Printable Happy Halloween Banner HERE.)

Tonight around five o'clock I will put out my mason jar luminaries (With bird seed in the bottom third of each jar, and tea light candles) to line the walkway for the little superheroes, and princesses, and goblins, and be poised at the door with the bowl of candy.

Happy Halloween, friends! 

Sometimes the simple things make the biggest impact.

I'm back to talking tables capes and mantle decor, but today's blogpost title could be applied to anything in life.

In this case, the simple things I am referring to are the empty glass bottles doubling as candlesticks. I used them in my Halloween tables cape for the past event at Camas Antiques, as I was going with a simple black and white with glittery accents.

First off, finding clear tall bottles was not quite as easy as I had thought it would be! Wine is in tinted bottles, and we typically toss empty bottles of whorchestishire or soy sauce in our recycle bins or trash, so I landed at the thrift shops in town on search for various sized bottles. (If you plan on trying this idea, start looking at the nearly empty bottles in your pantry and fridge with new eyes!) I mixed in a couple of votives to add balance. Also, I want to tell you that the candles look about a million times better when actually lit, but since I was in the store, and there were lots of shoppers, I was concerned about any sort of accidental bumping of the table, so I didn't light the candles.

Other details from the Halloween table to note would be the use again of charger plates under the dinner plates. They didn't photograph well at all, but these have a super glittery silver sheen to them, and really added a classy touch.

Glittered flags at each place setting, and my little crows tucked around added more vintage-y black and whites with that shimmer of even more glitter. The table runner as well as chair drapes were Dollar Store black cobwebs. (Notice the "sit a spell" tag on the chair?)

Of course, none of my tablescapes would be complete without banners! I added the BOO, Spooky, and Nevermore here, but the itty bitty Trick or Treat Banner mixes in well too. All of them can be found in my shop here, in printable and hard copy versions, so it's not too late to get your own table or mantle dolled up for Halloween!

Oh, but let's get back to the bottle candlesticks, and the simple yet warm addition they can add. I loved this look so much that I decided to use it on my own mantle for the season. (Actually, this look can work for all seasons.) I continued to find bottles, and layered them on my mantle along with old books, and my white pumpkins and a couple of mercury glass leaves. (Faux - Christmas ornaments from Walmart a few years ago!)

Do you see the difference in how this looks when the candles are lit? Warm, and inviting. Serene, calm, and lovely to look at. When decorating for fall or winter, you might want to consider adding a few candles to the mix.

Elegant Vintage Farmhouse Harvest Supper set up.

Okay, I am not sure elegant is going to be exactly the right descriptive word for this tablescape from the event at Camas Antiques...Maybe more like elegantly rustic? Rustic vintage? I'm not exactly sure.

I began this table setting by using a dictionary I dismantled into sections that were about a half of an inch thick, and then opened the section up to use as a placemat. Tarnished small silverplate trays worked perfectly as charger plates, with dinner plates, grey cloth napkins, and vintage glassware layered on top of each.

Inside the dessert bowl I placed a handful of vintage book page shred, with a small cream colored pumpkin with a darling handmade tag.I added a silver leaf after I took this photo, and these are available both in a hard copy, here, or a downloaded printable in my etsy shop, here.)

 I used white pumpkins for my centerpiece, and I sprayed them with spray glue, and then sprinkled pearlescent glitter on them. I added some faux mercury glass leaf ornaments from a few years ago (I got mine at Walmart for $2 each. Check out big box stores like this for ornaments that can add some personality to your table settings, or to presents and gift bags!)

I created several paper banners to add the finishing touches to this table set up. First, a Thankful Banner, printed on organ sheet music, and then matted to a cream yardstick, and sprinkled with more pearlescent glitter to add some sparkle. Order yours here in hard copy, or a printable version, here, to make for yourself and friends on any sort of paper you desire.

I also made the sweetest little vintage dictionary page banners (Five feet of whimsical shapes to mix with other banners, or hang solo anywhere you like!) You can order yours here, along with bags of shredded vintage book pages (I used mine in the serving bowls beneath the little pumpkins) to carry out the theme. Find the shred here.

Last, but not least, to tie it all together, I added my itty bitty Happy Thanksgiving Banner, just for fun. You can get yours here, or find the printable version here. 

If this doesn't get you inspired for planning your Thanksgiving (or Friendsgiving) I don't know what will. Whether it will be a crowd of twenty, or a simple cozy supper by the fire for you and someone dear, make it special.

 

#acottageindustry  #Friendsgiving  #alwaysthankful  #oldpaperismyfriend

A new addition to one of my growing collections.

I know you were expecting that this post would be yet another one of the autumn tablescapes. (And, some of you may be relieved to see that it is not!)

I don't think I've mentioned my favorite color in quite a long while. Well, I scored a pretty fabulous Robin's egg blue and florals quilt a couple of days ago, and I am so happy with how well it compliments my growing collection, that I had to interrupt my (seemingly never-ending) series on fall entertaining,

Let me back up a bit. For my last birthday, my Mom made me a beautiful quilt. I got to pick out the colors and fabric, (My favorite Robin's egg blue, with creams and shades of corals, pinks, and greens.) and then she worked her sewing magic.

Isn't it incredible?!

I then found a cute pillow on etsy that was a nice companion piece to my old Marshall's quilt...

..and I have been keeping my eyeballs peeled for more quilts and pillows in prints that could round things out against my white slipcovered sofa, and neutrals in my living/dining rooms.

Fast forward to this week, and I stumbled upon a quilt in much the same colors in an Antique shop. The price was great, but I'm on a watch-what-you-spend budget these days, and I had to debate a good long five minutes before I decided the regret I would feel would outweigh the budget pinch for the next couple weeks. (I can make my spendy hair and face products last a bit longer by using less, or adding a few drops of water to them, right?)

I think I made the right decision, because everytime I look at the new old quilt, I smile.

Sneak peek at the Outdoor Friendsgiving tablescape idea.

I'm getting down to the wire with my table setting plans! I will be spending most of today at Camas Antiques setting things up, and I wanted to share a preview of my last tablescape idea with you before I load up my car and head out.

I got the idea to go with a vintage ice skate (tied in with some orange pumpkins ) as my theme after I discovered this fabulous old sheet music book in my stash.

Doesn't that music book cover just scream first snowfall ice skating? The grey and orange colors were perfect, and I happened to have not one, but two pair of vintage ice skates.

I added some color and texture by adding socks coming out of the tops of them. Well, the gentleman's skates have socks, but I wanted rusty orange socks for the lady's skates, and was not able to find any. I found a sweater in the perfect shade of orange at a thrift shop, and I simply cut a good portion of the sleeves off, and viola'. They look just like socks, don'tcha think?

The rest of the details evolved from this point, and I'll share one more sneak peek, here...

More details to come...

 

#friendsgiving  #outdoortablescape

The post where Ralph McGyver'd my old-school paper shredder.

I know that all of my posts lately have been about paper crafting, and the big event coming up this Saturday at Camas Antiques, and you're probably hoping that soon I'll talk about something else.

And I will.

But, right now, I'm pretty much living in paper scraps and glitter, with stacks of crinkled vintage ribbon in my work room, and my dining table. (My sweet spot.)

Anyway.

As I have already shared in a previous post, (or two...) I am doing one tablescape with lots of old book pages; some in banners, some as charger plates, and as shred for the little nests for mini pumpkins. I needed to make more shred and so I got out my trusty old paper shredder. I plugged it in, and...nothing happened.

No loud grinding motor noise. Just...silence.

I tried everything and then completely and totally panicked. You see, they don't make shredders like this any more. It shreds the paper in long skinny strips, and the new shredders are more security minded and they slice and dice your paper into teeny tiny little squares. (I call it confetti) Without my trusty old shredder, I would no longer be able to create my book page shred.

If anyone could fix it, it would be Ralph. He is a tinkerer of sorts. If something is not working, or not working properly, he will start to think about it, and then it begins to bug him. It bugs him that the item in question is not working and he has to figure it out. He will begin to take parts and pieces of that item apart. He will poke around,and continue exploring any and all possibilities until he finds the problem.

He putters.

When he uncovers the source of a problem with an item, he then sets about fixing it, applying his think-outside-the-box-jerry-rigging-McGyver skills as needed. In the case of the non-shredding paper shredder, the problem turned out to be some sort of thing on the bottom of the shredder that was not engaging as it should when the on button was moved.

Ralph determined that it needed some sort of new apparatus down there to push that button thing-y into place, and keep it there.

After a few tries with various pieces of cork, (I have a jar of triangular corks in various sizes, for we I buy old bottles at thrift shops) cut with a steak knife, he super-glued two different pieces of cork together and wedged them up in there, and faster than you could say cut-it-out, we heard the loud rumble of the shredder, doing it's thing.

Yes! I knew he would figure it out and work his McGyver-like magic.

I breathed a huge sigh of happy relief, squealed a huge "Yay!", and thanked Ralph and told him I was eternally grateful for his clever-mad McGyver skills. I was thrilled to be back in business, and am now up to my shins in shredded book pages, I am happy to say.

 

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