Welcome to My World Where I Work & Play!

Thank you, Karen of My Desert Cottage for putting together this exciting event!

I'm delighted to participate in this fun-filled day of
sharing studios, work spaces, rooms where we bloggers create.

Thanks for visiting me today! I'd love if you'd leave me a comment!
Then, be sure to dash off and see all the other studios at My Desert Cottage.
HAVE FUN!!!

Oh So Pretty! Country Maiden!

I was out of commission for most of the day today as I had to go in to get the stitches removed from a periodontal surgery I had two weeks ago. I was out of here early and promised myself I'd do something fun if all went well!

Need I tell you that all went well and, as promised, I took myself on an adventure to our local Treasure Market where I found this amazing English pitcher? As you can see it fits right into my white cottage cabinet!

Hand-painted Glass Perfume Bottle!

You've seen this little white rabbit before, of course. And the photo may also be familiar as it is from a sunset at our Hagerman Lake Cottage that my father built back in the 1940's. But this little hand-painted perfume is "new" and one of my all-time favorite thrifty finds. 

I found this sweet cottage piece in a flea market shop in Chesterton, Indiana several years ago. When the sunlight shines through it, you can almost see those lovely little fish swimming about. I just love to look at it during the day as I go about my cottage adventures. So peaceful and lovely!

Hand-painted Bird and Surfside!

I've had this hand-painted salt box for some time now and thought I'd share it today. This beautiful bird was meticulously painted by some very talented artist a while ago and isn't it beautiful! 

This is another corner of our dining room where, as you can see, the walls are a sea foam color which is actually called surfside. 

Last summer, I decided to pull down the rose-patterned wallpaper we had enjoyed for nearly fifteen years and replace it with an updated cottage color. It's been really refreshing...nothing like a new coat of paint to spruce things up a bit!

Pretty Dishes All in a Row!

I've had this old oak china cabinet for over 30 years. I actually found it at a roadside garage sale. It was in perfect condition even then and still is today. I've thought about updating my furnishings to change to something new but I think I'd miss this particular piece. I do believe it's here to stay!

Harp-shaped Birdcage!

I just never know what I'm going to find when I go shopping at one of my favorite thrift stores, but I always know I'll find something interesting. 

Here's my latest find, a musical harp-shaped birdcage hand-painted with pretty little spring flowers and ready for display. It's too small for a real bird but it's perfect for cottage decorating.  

Oh! How Romantic!

I was thrilled to find this beautiful vintage picture at an antique mall not long ago! The colors are perfect for the master bedroom. They go beautifully with all the barkcloth pillows and draperies! And...oh how romantic!

Rabbits and Rocking Chairs in the Kitchen!

Rabbits frolic in our kitchen and I wouldn't have it any other way! I found this rabbit border many years ago while redecorating our previous home. It went right up in that kitchen and then...and then, we sold the house and moved. I could hardly bear to leave that beautiful old Victorian but we had to move closer to work. 

So I saved a few of my favorite things for the new place, our vintage cottage home! I went back to the wallpaper store and bought all they had of this discontinued rabbit pattern. It was to be a few years before it was finally hung but now we get to enjoy it every day!

The rabbit sign was discovered at a yearly antique show. This hand-painted piece made quite a rabbit-to-do as we carried it out to the car! Of course, we were just tickled with all the excitement over our purchase. The sign had come from a farm near the Ohio border where rabbits had been the happy crop for many years.

The "Country Living" sign and the antique rockers print came from Home Goods. I love how they all compliment each other. With rabbits and rockers everywhere, what more could a cottage lover ask for?

(Let me just add that the move to our cottage home was one of the best decisions we've ever made! Not long after we were settled here, my daughter got married and because her husband needed to be closer to work, they moved to our same area. Now that the grandchildren have arrived, we are only twenty minutes away. Who knew we'd end up with such wonderful gifts!)

Cottage Art: Watercolors To Look For!

I love a good day of shopping estate sales and have found over the years that often it's the unplanned sales where one finds the best bargains! While my husband and I were on vacation last year, we spotted an Estate Sale sign and decided to give it a try.

The house we entered was a huge old Victorian with wide oak staircases and French doors leading to charming rooms filled with fine china, shelf upon shelf of books, Asian rugs, handmade baskets of all sorts and shapes, and art pieces of various textures and sizes from around the world. The prices on these ranged from $40 to $1200.

However, on a small table across the room from the more expensive art pieces were a few paintings the elderly woman had created herself in a watercolor class. While most shoppers seemed aloof to these, I was immediately attracted to them and bought two for $5 each. 

As soon as we returned home, I framed this one and just love seeing it every day! It seemed to fit immediately and seamlessly into my vintage cottage collections!

Room with a View: Cottage Memories!

I really enjoy having this beautiful indoor/outdoor view from my workroom! I have always been attracted to stained glass and finally found this awesome piece a few years ago. It's so peaceful to turn and see these radiant dragonflies shimmering in the sunshine.

Brings back memories of our family cottage and good times on Hagerman Lake in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, rowing out to the islands in the little robin's egg blue boat, and watching the turtles sun themselves on fallen logs.

I see them still: dragonflies of many colors flitting about, landing here and there, their iridescent wings skimming pink and white water lilies. Then speedily flying away to dart and dip in the light. More than ten thousand days gone by but the memory lingers long.

A Gift of Love To Be Cherished

My daughter and I were visiting relatives in another city and decided to check out the local antique shop one spring day a few years ago. Once inside the door, I surged ahead looking, hunting, scouring the shelves, walls and floor arrangements for hidden treasures. (I call them hidden because it seems I can look right at an area, come back and find new things in just a few minutes!)

A lovely old mixing bowl in a deep brown earthy color caught my eye as did a few beautifully embroidered vintage linens. So, having discovered all I would that trip, I trekked on over to the check out area. Only to find my daughter, a former non-antique person, handing this beautiful painting over to the owner to be wrapped. What? How could I have missed such a wonderful find and for only $5? I couldn't believe it!

I told my daughter how proud I was of her for finding such a great piece and for such a thrifty price. I also told her that, if she ever wanted to part with it, to let me know! She just smiled and said, "Sure, Mom."

Three years later, after having enjoyed the painting in her apartment, she moved into her beautiful new home with her new husband. It was time for a garage sale! When I arrived, I saw the painting and was just about to shout when my daughter picked up the painting and came to me with the piece in hand. "I know you've always loved this, Mom. I've loved it, too, but I want you to have it now," she said.

"Oh thank you, Honey! I'll cherish it," I told her and I do!

Cottage Finds: Hand-painted & Hand-stitched Treasures!

Don't you just love this blue hand-painted piece against the antique rose dishes? I found the little floral plaque at our local thrift store for $2. Though I love creating a variety of crafting projects, I also always enjoy the work of others, especially anything hand-painted or hand-stitched! And I never pass up a bargain!

The sweet cottage blue and white vintage cloth was another recent find. The flowers are beautifully embroidered with the edges carefully crocheted. For $4, how could I resist it? I couldn't, of course! I'm always on the hunt for cottage treasures such as these. That's at least half the fun!

Pretty Hand-painted Paper Parasol

We're having a heat wave here today. We're all the way up to minus 8 from minus 15 earlier today. Baby, it's COLD outside! But inside, I'm thinking of springtime flowers, leaves, and butterflies. This beautiful hand-painted paper parasol always makes the day a little brighter and, if I try really hard, WARMER!

This lovely piece was found in a tiny treasure-filled shop in South Haven, MI last spring. Jim and I love to take a day and drive over to this beautiful harbor town on Lake Michigan. We watch the boats, shop the unique antique shops, load up on scrumptious baked goods from the local bakery (yum!) and spend several hours in our favorite second-hand bookstore, The Hidden Room. It's just a three-hour drive for us so we leave early in the morning and return home in the early evening after stopping for a nice dinner somewhere along the way back.

I feel warmer just thinking about it!

Snow White and the White Rabbit

Once upon a time there was a small white rabbit who lived under a cottage in the woods. The cottage was the home of seven small elves who were very busy and seemed to be working all the time. Often Rabbit could hear them singing and pounding away but he stayed clear of them. Who knew how elves might feel about a pretty little white rabbit out in the wilds! Rabbit wasn't taking any chances!

One day, while Rabbit was hopping home from his day in the forest to his hole under the cottage, he heard a different voice. Singing! It was a sweet, lilting voice that made his long ears stand right up straight! Who was it! 

As he crept closer to the elves' cottage, peering carefully around each branch and bush, he saw that the cottage door was open. And there, right there in the doorway, stood the most beautiful young girl he had ever seen, sweeping and singing an angelic song. 

"Oh! What a pretty rabbit!" she exclaimed, startling poor Rabbit out of his wits! "Come here, dear, I won't hurt you!" Rabbit wasn't sure he should, but he moved closer to the girl. 

"My name is Snow White," she said, standing her broom up against the cottage door. "I've been hoping for company with the elves away all day. Would you like to go for a walk? We can go adventuring together." 

Rabbit's ears wiggled back and forth making Snow White giggle. "I guess that means, yes," she laughed.

So off they went, Snow White leading the way and Rabbit hopping along like an old friend. Together they found a peaceful place to stop and smell the flowers, listen to the birds, and watch the butterflies flitting about. 

"I don't know when I've had such a nice time," Snow White exclaimed. And Rabbit's ears just started wiggling and wiggling, he was so happy to have a new friend.

The End

(The hand-painted Snow White figurine was a $4 local thrift store find not long ago. In her previous life, she lived in a garden. I find that garden items make great cottage home accessories! Don't you?) 

Hand-painted Treasures = Cottage Charm

I found this lovely little hand-painted glass holder at a local thrift shop last weekend and paid a whole $1 for it. But I almost didn't buy it because sometimes it hard to see what an item really looks like when it's surrounded by items are lesser quality. Still, I never pass up a hand-painted item if I can help it. And, I'm really glad I didn't pass this one up either as it will be a handy little holder for pens, pencils, or watercolors pens as shown. 

I think it's the down-home charm of knowing that an artistic crafter somewhere, sometime, dipped brush into paint and created a cottage scene, floral bouquet, or colorful collage. There's nothing I like better than hand-painted treasures to fulfill my vision of cottage decorating.