Happy New Year to all my blog world friends:)
About Me
- Debbi
- Sublimity, OR, United States
- ****WELCOME FRIENDS****
I am artist of texture and color. I enjoy working with textiles, mixed media and the graphic arts. I am an avid cottage gardener with a love for pass along plants and big fluffy pink peonies and pink roses. Many of my tangible creations reflect my love of the garden and all its wonderful colors. I have been selling my creations online since 2002 beginning as a hobby. After 10 years I quit the day job to pursue my art as a full time passion.
31 December 2012
grab the champange
This amazing graphic was on The Graphics Fairy blog tonight....just had to share it too..love love the roses and details....
25 December 2012
a look at the holidays
A few saved moments of 2012 Christmas season at All in my Cottage....
On my front porch...
Candy Cane Cheesecake~
Eight tiny reindeer noses and of course Rudolph's red nose too
Warm winter wishes at my front door
Lynsie 5 and Lilian 2 1/2 before Christmas Eve Church
Santa picked the perfect gift for the grands....no fighting,
they each have a side to do their art!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Wishing all my lovely blogger friends a wonderful Christmas and bright New Year
I promise to blog more in 2013 too...
they each have a side to do their art!
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Wishing all my lovely blogger friends a wonderful Christmas and bright New Year
I promise to blog more in 2013 too...
Labels:
Christmas,
christmas cookie,
Christmas cottage,
christmas tree
26 November 2012
a little upcycling.....
Here I am again, so tardy updating this blog....I have been so busy getting ready for the one show I do a year...in fact this is my second year and my first having a booth all by myself...I will be okay as long as I get one of my family members to give me a couple potty breaks...I cannot give up my coffee that morning.
Thought I would share some of the up-cycling and re-purposing I have been doing for the show...The first is something I rarely do...working with clothing...but a recent trip to the thrift store I found this denim jacket for $7 and I could not resist! I had seen this done before many times, so WTH, I am going to try it. I also picked up a ruffled gauze skirt, I have not tackled it yet, but a loose plan is in place.
Thought I would share some of the up-cycling and re-purposing I have been doing for the show...The first is something I rarely do...working with clothing...but a recent trip to the thrift store I found this denim jacket for $7 and I could not resist! I had seen this done before many times, so WTH, I am going to try it. I also picked up a ruffled gauze skirt, I have not tackled it yet, but a loose plan is in place.
I bleached, and used sandpaper to bring about a more aged look. Coffee stained some lace and added one of my satin/lace burnt roses. Along the bottom I sewed a wide piece of vintage crochet to the inside of the jacket adding some length.
The jacket looks great with the gauze skirt. Both pieces are a little bit too big for me, but I can roll up the cuffs and take a tuck in the skirt...add some cowgirl boots and I am ready to go!
Another up-cycling project are these soft fluffly gloves I picked up on clearance at the end of last winter, so I did not pay too much for them. I had seen something similar done to up-cycle, so I added my own lace burnt roses as wonderful pretty touch.
Lastly, I love old jello molds! I bartered a trade with a good friend to get a whole bunch of these to re-purpose into pin cushions...what a great stocking stuffer!
joining in today with the party over at EtsyCottageStyle blog
02 November 2012
A piece Humble pie
The definition of
hum·ble
not proud or arrogant; modest: to be humble although successful.
Recently a friend of mine used the word "humble" in a facebook post in which she wanted to share her recent success with her art venue. She stated that she was a humble woman, but so proud of what she collectively accomplished, she want to toot her horn a little.
I had to agree, she is a successful, and extremely talented yet humble woman that has not forgotten what it was like to start at the bottom. Even tho she is extremely busy now, she remains committed to her customers, friends, and counterparts.
Then a few days later, in my haste to finish a project for my website, realized I was out of a couple supplies. So I headed over to etsy, found what I wanted, purchased and sent a convo to the seller asking "Is there was any possibility she could ship the next day priority mail as I am in need of the supplies quickly"
The answer I got back shocked me..."if you want to upgrade your shipping there are options listed in my shop to purchase, otherwise you will be shipped in the order your purchase was received, I do not make one customer more important than another"
Wow, I didn't think I was asking to be more important than another customer, and I did pay priority rates, so I shouldn't have to pay more. I went back and looked at her shop and she was a very high volume seller so it is understandable she has lots of shipments everyday.
But the more I thought about it, I thought about how rude she was. I am very busy too, but I would never answer a customer request that negative manor if I could not full fill the request. So I convo'd her back and requested to cancel my order and to tell her that I did not appreciate her negative response that I had asked to be more important than her other customers.
Her response back was "I cancelled your order, I do not prioritize orders. You need to go have a glass of wine and relax"
Of course I was seething at that remark....she was pulling my strings. But I thought back to the word "humble". This seller needed to have a piece of humble pie set in front of her. It also reminded me that we all need to remain humble, no matter how successful we become in life.
and..btw...I did find the same supplies through another seller and she shipped then the next day!
22 October 2012
A new life for my flea market finds
Indian summer weather a couple weeks ago afforded me the time to get outside and complete a couple lingering projects I had to get done.
This folding screen I picked up this summer at a garage sale for $5. I could not pass it up. Not my style for sure, but I have been looking for a screen to use in my booth at the upcoming local holiday craft show.
The 2 clover leaf tables were $10 for the pair and I love the Victorian design, and they were begging to be white! I also want to use them for the booth.
Last month I took a class on using Annie Sloan Chalk paint, so tried my hand using it on these pieces. For the screen, I mixed Provence blue with Old white and came up with this pretty robins egg blue. I waxed it with a medium distress brown.
Since the center panels were a bamboo, using spray adhesive and laying over lace curtain sections That I picked up at Value Village, made it look as if the curtains were gathered.I am still going to add more cottage touches of lace and also my shop banner,
The "before" as found
This folding screen I picked up this summer at a garage sale for $5. I could not pass it up. Not my style for sure, but I have been looking for a screen to use in my booth at the upcoming local holiday craft show.
The 2 clover leaf tables were $10 for the pair and I love the Victorian design, and they were begging to be white! I also want to use them for the booth.
Last month I took a class on using Annie Sloan Chalk paint, so tried my hand using it on these pieces. For the screen, I mixed Provence blue with Old white and came up with this pretty robins egg blue. I waxed it with a medium distress brown.
The "after"
Since the center panels were a bamboo, using spray adhesive and laying over lace curtain sections That I picked up at Value Village, made it look as if the curtains were gathered.I am still going to add more cottage touches of lace and also my shop banner,
The tables were painted Old white, then even tho you may not be able to see it here, I waxed them with clear wax mixed with provence blue. the blue falls nicely into the scroll work.
Joining in today with the Etsy Cottage Style blog Cottage Craft party~it is open all week, so if you have something in the works in your craft room, please join us, we would love to see it!
07 October 2012
Oatmeal Shortbread cookies!
Since we are still having summer weather here in Oregon, it has been hard for me to get motivated into fall decorating when my roses are still blooming so beautifully. So until the rains arrive, the fall decorating is on hold!
Today I am joining in on the Etsy Cottage Style blog party...... sharing one of my favorites....
Oatmeal Shortbread cookies
1 cup butter (no substitutes)
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
3/4 teaspoon salt
In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Gradually add flour, oats and salt. Press into a greased 8" x 12" brownie pan. Prick with a fork if desired. Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 min or until lightly browned.
Cool at least 10 minutes before cutting.
23 September 2012
Free images!
It has been a great while since I shared some of the images from my graphic library, so thought that the Cottage Craft party over at Etsy Cottage Style blog would be a perfect time to share. Since next months party will be too close to Halloween to share these images, I am putting them up now to give you plenty of time to play in your craft room with these!
for your treat bags--click to enlarge to full sixe
a pair of vintage greeting cards
Happy creating!
Join us by sharing your current project!
Click on the pic above to get there!
17 September 2012
Late summer on the patio
This summer we revamped our patio area. It was mostly flagstone and every year we would have to pick it all up and relay it. After 5 summers, we got tired of all the work and decided to put down aggregate.
It was also an opportunity to invest in a new patio set along with a big offset umbrella. Our table seats up to 8 people very comfortably. We are in the process of finishing up a stone fire pit (which you can't see in the pic) which will afford us some nice late summer and early fall fires.
It was also an opportunity to invest in a new patio set along with a big offset umbrella. Our table seats up to 8 people very comfortably. We are in the process of finishing up a stone fire pit (which you can't see in the pic) which will afford us some nice late summer and early fall fires.
I snapped a couple pics this morning of what is still looking amazing in my patio and garden!
95 degrees today here in western Oregon...we are having an indian summer! This warm weather is expected all week. At least now all my tomatoes will ripen as they were very late this year.
20 August 2012
26 July 2012
Remembering moms Clothesline
Now isn't this the truth! My father in law forwarded this in an email...I love it...so true for those of us who were kids in the 50's and earlier!
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23 July 2012
French cottage side table
here is the "before"
I have not finished the letter holders:) that will be in a later post...
I
picked up this table at a garage sale..it was wobbly with loose legs and
the top was full of water stains. But it has dome much potential! I had
to bargain a bit, the owners said it was in the family since the
1930's, but one of the grandkids took it to his college dorm and pretty
much had destroyed it. They didn't want to spend the money to have it
refinished, but it was also hard to let go. But for $20 it was mine.
the details are amazing. The legs re-glued, and new pads on the feet and
a good sanding to smooth the top. I painted it a soft heirloom white
and added an antique glaze.This was to be displayed in a local antique
shop that I was consigning in, but the owner abruptly closed the shop,
so now I will most likely sell it on craigs list locally since it is too
hard to ship from my website.
I added a coupe waterslide decals to the top and sealed
Viola! Vintage French cottage!!
Labels:
French Cottage,
furniture refurbishng
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