Cottage & Family:
happy

I was inspired today by Rebecca at A Gathering of Thoughts to recover a lampshade ~

That has always been something that I have wanted to do but really never knew how to approach it ~

Her tutorial is super easy to follow ~

This is how mine turned out and it was so much fun ! Thank you Rebecca !

Today I was looking through some vintage ephemera that I have and found this wonderful fashion magazine ~

This is a scan of one of several pages from a magazine called Delineator that I have ~

It makes me smile because I would just love to wear the clothes that they wore ~ The magazine is from 1898 ~

These are pictures of bathing suits ~ It talks about how it is not made of wool because when wool is wet it "clings in a most unsightly way to the figure" ~ Can you even imagine wearing this swimming let alone in wool ~

There is another paragraph that says to wear a bonnet because that way "the summer suns cannot seek out the pretty, delicate skin and leave their imprint of tan or freckles upon it. The dweller in the country home - the city maid as well as her village sister - who would preserve her complexion in its pink - white purity " ~

Oh my goodness ! I just am having the most fun reading from these pages from the late 1800's in fashion ~

I will be posting some more pages for you to copy off soon ~

I don't know how to make them clickable so you can make them larger to copy so if anyone knows how please let me know ~

I just got home from a few days

in Central California ~

Oh my goodness it was glorious

there! The weather was awesome

( it was great to get away

from the Texas heat )

and well I just pretty much

love it all ~

Family, childhood memories, the beach,

the mountains, the vineyards,

the weather... I could go on and on ~

It is funny how when we lived there

I completely took the beautiful

hills and ocean for granted ~

It has been 16 years since we

moved to North Texas and I am

a happy gal to have family

in California and flight privileges :)

I am a lavender freak so seeing it

all over is amazing to me!

This is a beautiful bed and breakfast that

a friend's wedding was at in Templeton ~

This is a really fun place in Avila Beach called

Avila Valley Barn ~

This is my sister and niece

picking yummy apples ~

I have been home a day and am totally

ready to go back ~

Hopefully in October for the

Remnants of the Past Vintage Show

and

Three Speckled Hens Show ~

Now it is back to work (fun)

for me ~

Alaska is beautiful but thank you Jesus
that I don't live there !

I tried to venture out today for the first time

since Monday and didn't make it to the neighbors

without almost sliding in a ditch

and then into a mailbox ~

soooo..... I backed my hiney ( and car ) home ~

I can't wait to see the sunshine melt this ice away !

I wasn't going to show you more ruffles but

well .......... hmmmm ~

There is not a whole lot new in my world ;)

This is what I have been working on this week ~

When I can get out and the warm weather hits I will be

doing a happy dance and singing !!

That is a scary thought but that is okay !

I just have to do the doggie post ~

Forever my girls begged to have a dog but I knew that mommy would be the one doing all of the work soooo we said no dog for years ~

Well we finally gave in when they were older and got a Shih tzu named Katie ~ She is 9 now ~

About a year ago we got another one to keep Katie company ~ his name is Kolby ~

Since we got Katie my sister has one, my niece has one and now our girls are married and they both have one ~

This is the newest addition ~ his name is Kirby and he is soooo darn cute !! He is our youngest daughter's ~

We took them all for a walk yesterday and Kirby is only 4 pounds ~ he was trying to keep up with just the biggest smile on his face ~ They are soooo CUTE !!

They are happy and adorable and bring us tons of love and laugher ~

Have a fun weekend !

Happy Easter !

May this day... the day our Savior rose from the grave, be filled with the presence
and love of Jesus and may our hearts find comfort in knowing that we are so
truly loved ~

It is so fun as I read in blogland all of the signs of spring and the wishes of spring that is just around the corner ~

I have seen so many sweet little bird nests and it makes me happy everytime I see one !

In California there is green all winter and in some places flowers too ~ In Texas winter is brown so spring means new green everywhere ~ there is nothing better than to see green peaking through the winter brown ~ I actually saw green in my lawn yesterday and it made me so happy !! Even though it is just the weeds because that is what turns green first, those weeds looked soooo promising of warmth and flowers to come !!

I got the cutest most cutest little nest from Barbara Jean at Treasures from the Heart ~ It is Adorable !!! Can you tell I love it !

I am finding myself wanting to put nests everywhere ~ This is an apothecary I made for my website but am going to keep it and put it on a bookshelf in my living room ~

I am having a hard time finding just blue eggs ~ The ones in the baby shoe in the post awhile back where handpainted ~ Does anyone know where to find just the eggs without the nest ~

This is not done because I am still working on it but will be soon :)

Have a wonderful pre - spring day !

We are happy to carry some of our favorite magazines ~
Romantic Country, Romantic Homes and Somerset Life ~
These are all available in our Paperie Category at 10% off ~

Please join Katies Rose Cottage and the participating shops at Make Mine Pink for the Friday Shopping Event ~
This week's theme is "Working Round the House" ~

With fall just around the corner and school starting alot of women start to "nest" ~ it is time to get our homes all cozy and fill them with what makes us happy and content ~
On my recent Flea Market trip I found some beautiful things to do just that ~
Just click on the picture to be taken to them ~

And for Friday only, you will receive a FREE pink vintage style brooch with
every purchase of $20 or more ~

I just wanted to wish you a wonderful 4th of July ~

If you have been following my blog for very long then you know that I love sunshine and warm weather ~ I am just not a winter weather person at all, for some reason, I am not sure why ~ When all of the winter loving people get excited about wearing sweaters and playing in the snow, I try really hard to like it ~

So I was happy to see the first signs of spring because that means flowers, sunshine, baby birds, new green growth everywhere and being able to open my windows and let the fresh air in ~

Here are some pictures of what I have been seeing for a few days that means spring will soon be here ~

Well I was so happy to get pictures of some of my favorite Canton shops and got back to my hotel, downloaded the pics and they were all blurry !!
I was totally bummed but I am going to show you some of the treasures that I came home with ~

This is just one of the things that I have been looking for forever and finally got ~ I am not sure if I am going to sell it but most likely I will ~

After Canton I went to California for a couple of days soooo nothing is unpacked ~ I will add more treasure pictures as I unpack them ~

Talk to you soon !

Our youngest daughter just moved back home from college until January 12th when she will check in to be a college intern at Disney World ~~
She is sooo excited !!! ~ When our girls were little we used to go to Disneyland at least once a year because we lived in California and so they both grew up loving it ~
She will be there until the end of May so I am sure we will visit at least a couple of times ~ woohoo !!!

Texas has been way too cold the last few days so I was dreaming of the warm weather and wonderful time that we had in October when we were at Disney World ~

This is from the left, my daughter Kristin, sister Kim, daughter Steph and niece Chelsey ~

This is a pic from the left, my daughter Kristin, sister Kim, niece Chelsey and me ~

We all love Tigger and Pooh because they are so happy !

Well back to thoughts of Christmas ~

I was like a kid in a candy store when I opened up the Bethany Lowe order today ~ what is it about the UPS and Fed Ex guys stopping in front of my house that makes me feel like it is Christmas time :o) ~ I just love love the vintage looking tissue paper garland and I was so happy to have a box full ! There are some of the things in our new Paperie category and some in the Holiday Boutique category ~

I look so forward to going to the Dallas gift markets that are a couple times a year ~ the Jan. market started today ~ I was ready to go bright and early this morning although I was kind of stressed a little bit when the news this morning said that over 50,000 people have come to Dallas to go ~ I am not much for huge crowds, I am a "find the hidden treasure kind of gal" ~ but..... off I went to see what the new trends are ~

It was tons of fun and I am ready to go back on Friday, I can't wait !!! There is so much to see !! I saw alot of soft pink Christmas trees so that made me happy ~ this show shows alot of holiday for next Christmas ~ ahhhh!!! next Christmas... I need spring and summer first, my Christmas isn't even up in the attic yet ~

This is a picture of one of the three buildings and this is just a teeny tiny portion ~

I will show you more on Friday when I get home ~ I am bound and determined to be there at 7:00 in the morning so I can park somewhat closer than the top floor of the parking complex that is way too far away ~ I also want the Starbucks coffee and Krispy Kreme donuts that they have ~ I am thinking I will hopefully walk of the million calories of the donut ~

I am so happy that I finally found a copy of the new Victoria magazine !!! I looked everywhere and was kind of having a hard time finding it at our stores ~ well.... I think we just got them after the rest of the world here in Texas ~ I know, I will be getting a subscription so I won't have to go through hunt anymore ~
Victoria magazine is a loved magazine and with such anticipation we are finally getting it back after it stopped printing in 2003 ~ The pictures are gorgeous, the articles are wonderful and it is just one of those magazines that you want to light a candle, pour a cup of tea and just indulge in ~
This is a picture of this months issue as well as some old issues that I have available on my website at Katies Rose Cottage ~

I am soooo happy to have soldered charms available on my website !!! They can be found in the Jewelry category ~ We will be adding more all of the time in different sizes and designs along with some chains to go along with them ~

I am so happy to introduce you to a sweet friend that does the most gorgeous yard conservatories and mosaics ~ The yard conservatories are greenhouses that are made from old windows and vintage china ~ I fell in love with them when I saw them for the first time ~ She puts the cutest little chandeliers on the inside that are soooo sweet ~ Linda also does other gorgeous mosaic pieces and has darling yard ideas ~ you can meet her and visit her website at ~

http://web.mac.com/lindasbluegate/iWeb/LInda%27s%20Blue%20Gate/home.html

This is an arbor made with teacups that she has in her garden ~ I LOVE it !!!

When I went to market last week I saw alot of wonderful things ! There were a ton more pink things ( which made me happy ) and the hot hot colors for the coming year are aqua and chocolate brown ~ I adore these colors too ! You should have seen all of the things done in aquas ~ I love the ocean and so it totally gave me that summer ocean breeze feel even though we are in Texas :o) Here are a few of the aqua things that I have just listed ~

I am sooo happy to bring to Katies Rose Cottage another amazing rose artist, Debi Coules ~

Each of Debi's garden signs are prints made from one of her original paintings on antique wooden panels. It is almost impossible to tell the difference between the original and the print! Each print is masterfully produced on high quality Archival Paper and using Archival Inks to ensure a lifetime of beauty. Each Plaque is hand cut, fully painted and is approximately 3/4 inches deep. Numerous steps have been taken to create a truly BEAUTIFUL work of art with that vintage appeal and charm. Hung by itself or in a grouping it will certainly bring that touch of Romantic Garden to your home. Each print is mounted on board, sealed for protection and comes ready to hang and each is signed and dated on the back by Debi Coules.

I have added a new category so it is easier to find these gorgeous items, it is called "Guest Artists" ~

WooHoo !!! Have you seen Romantic Country magazine yet ? If you love Romantic Homes, it is the way that it used to be with tons of shabby chic, romantic cottage and other gorgeous home pictures and articles ~ We have one of our chippy signs featured and are so happy to be with some other amazing websites in a group page ad ~ We have a few of the magazines available in our Romantic Home category ~