Katies Rose Cottage

Craziness & Picnik Closing ....

2012-02-02T18:38:00.000-08:00

Life has been craziness the last 2 months

with some family things that have

taken my attention ~

Times like these completely make me

realize what truly are

the most important things !

On another subject though ......

So I kind of freaked out a bit when I heard

Picnik is closing !! Oh my goodness !!

I am a total computer

goofball and learn my thing

to do on my computer and

once I get it that is it .....

don't throw new stuff in there

because my brain freezes!!

I have been using Picnik since

the beginning of Picnik

( however long that is ) and now

I have been trying to teach

myself how to do my photos in

Photoshop Elements ~

I have been doing the pictures with

the frame thing forever ~

and now they are frame-less .........

which I kinda like !

I am all about a clean look and it makes

my website look less cluttered ~

Haha.... you wouldn't know that I don't have

a drop of A type personality

in my body by that statement!

Anyway today I added more things to my website

and am trying to transition my brain and website

over to Photoshop Elements pictures ~

I am going to kind of miss the

collage thing though !!

Does anyone know how to do collages with

anything else besides Picnik ?

Burlap Rose Tutorial

2012-01-23T15:58:00.001-08:00

I wanted to give you a quick

tutorial on how to make a burlap

rolled rose ~

Do you notice all my tutorials

are quick and easy :)

I don't like anything that takes

a gazillion years to do ~

The first thing you do is cut a strip

of burlap fabric or use burlap ribbon ~

My strip is about 2 inches wide ~

I forgot to measure the length but

it is about 1/2 yard ~

Tie a knot in the end ~

Kind of fold it in half and twist while

gluing with hot glue as you go around ~

Continue until you have made

it the size that you want it to be ~

Then take the end and glue to the

back of the rose ~

On this one I added a piece of

vintage jewelry for some bling ~

You can use these for tons of things

Here are just a few examples ~

Have fun creating!!

Spoonful of Not Fun .....

2012-01-19T17:23:00.000-08:00

UGHHHH !!!

It came to my attention yesterday

that my blog came up with

a warning of malware ~

Apparently it was NOT dangerous

for my blog or yours if you

had my link but

was flagged by google as suspicious~

It was caused by a counter that

I had on my blog that has been removed ~

This is the current status from

Google who was tracking and flagging

the malware ~

"Status of the latest badware review for this site: A review for this site has finished. The site was found CLEAN. The badware warnings from web search are being removed. Please note that it can take some time for this change to propagate."

I apologize because I know

this can be scary because it was for me!

Jeanne d'Arc Living & Crowns

2012-01-17T15:42:00.001-08:00

I have had these awesome tin crowns

on my website

for a couple of weeks and have just

loved them!

The other day I was finally getting

a chance to go through the

winter issue of

Jeanne d'Arc Living

and saw the same crowns :)

They are in an article called

"New & Old in a Beautiful Mix" ~

How fun! I knew I loved them because

I pretty much adore

Jeanne d'Arc Living magazine!!

$1 Charm Frames

2012-01-12T17:43:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to let you know

that I have just lowered all of

my charm frames down to $1 and

some other charms are less than that ~

This is below my price on them soooo

it is an AWESOME deal!!

Some of them were custom made

for my shop so you won't find them

anywhere else ~

I did a tutorial on how to put an

image in them ~

They are super easy!!

These are not all I have on

my website but

some of the new ones I just added ~

You can find them all here ~

Ruffle Bag Pattern

2012-01-02T16:59:00.000-08:00

I have had quite a few

questions on the pattern for the

bag that is in my blog and

website headers

so I wanted to show you

which one I used ~

It is super easy!! I used

muslin for that one but I also

love it in drop cloth fabric too!!

This bag below I just made up the pattern

but it shows you what it can look

like with just a ruffle of

lace in between~

Here is the pattern I used ~

I am pretty sure it is still available

because it has not been that long

since I made it ~

❤

Farmhouse Style

2011-12-27T13:40:00.000-08:00

I am so excited to see

the Farmhouse Style as

one of the top trends for

2012! I am thinking it doesn't

really surprise me though :)

Romantic Homes magazine has a

couple of our products featured for

the Farmhouse style ~

{the two bucket things }

These are now out of stock but

we did get in other items that

I love and will continue

to get more things all the time ~

❤

I am off to get caught up

from Christmas fun!

Craft Night

2011-12-21T16:17:00.000-08:00

Last night I got to go

to Lisa's house for a

Christmas crafting night ~ It is

so much fun to get together with

people who "get" the same stuff that

you do ~

Her house was recently in the

Dallas Morning News with some

beautiful pictures of her holiday decor ~

Well needless to say I knew that

I would pretty much not get any crafting

done because I really wanted to

look at all of her beautiful

Christmas decorating and awesome

vintage vignettes everywhere ~

Here are just a few of them ~

~ this is above the bathtub ~

~ over a doorway ~

~ this is the top of her headboard

with a mirror above it ~

It ended up that everyone pretty

much admired her home in awe, ate, chatted

and watched Charlene make

a necklace for Lisa out of some

of Lisa's vintage finds ~

( Lisa, Charlene & Cindy )

I have been wanting to make a

necklace with an old coin purse

for awhile so it was really fun to watch ~

Lisa's studio is totally amazing!

Right before we left Cindy

had Lisa autograph her copy

of the newspaper ❤ ~

We were totally goofing around

with having her sign the paper

just because it was too fun ~

You've gotta love crafting with friends!

5 Days of Christmas Giveaways

2011-12-19T06:14:00.000-08:00

Oh my gosh I had to share with you this

AWESOME week of giveaways at

James Brandon Photography!!

Are you wanting to make your pictures better?

There are 5 days of giveaways that you can

win to do just that !

In total he is giving away

$800 in products ~

All you have to do

is leave a comment! Sooo easy!

Pillow Sale !!

2011-12-17T11:32:00.000-08:00

Our sale is extended!!

It is time for a

Pillow Sale !!

All of the pillows on my website

have been marked down 20%

until

December 26th ~

With every order

{not just pillows }

You get a free handmade tag ❤

Music Sheet Ornament Tutorial

2011-12-11T18:11:00.000-08:00

When I saw the Pottery Barn

Music Sheet Ornaments

in a catalog I really wanted some!

but when I saw them in real life I

decided I kind of wanted some that

were more vintage looking ~

So I went to Graphics Fairy found

an image and made some that I love!

Here is a quick how to on

how I made my own ~

{ they are really too easy for

a tutorial :) }

But .... here goes ~

First I copied the image and sized

and duplicated it in Photoshop ~

Printed it on matte photo paper

or heavy card stock ~

Cut and glue with a glue stick

to another piece of heavy card stock

and cut around image ~

For a more vintage look I

added a little stamp pad ink

around the edges ~

Then put a little glue on the edge

and then glitter ~ I used

German Glass Glitter because I

love how it ages ~

They would be a cute little gift

tied with jute and put in

a small burlap bag ~

I love how they look in my tree ❤

I am linking to

Graphics Fairy Brag Monday ~

Family Time

2011-12-07T19:49:00.000-08:00

My sister and niece have

been visiting me in Texas for

the last week ~ They live in California

and so we try and go back and forth

as much as we can ~

We hit the road shopping all week

starting with Canton's First Monday

{never can get enough junk!! }

Then as much shopping and

crafting as we could squeeze in ~

It was really cold and rainy most

of the time so we spent one day in

front of the fireplace watching movies

and Chelsey ( my niece ) taught

us all to crochet ~

{below is my daughter Stephanie and above

is a good friend Bethany, my niece Chelsey and

daughter Kristin }

Kristin added a rose and I just

love it !!

One day we decided to go

to the Gaylord Texan Hotel because

it is just gorgeous at Christmas ~

{ my sister Kim & I }

{my niece Chelsey, sister Kim, son in law James

daughters Kristin & Stephanie }

It is always fun to have them come

visit and sad when they leave!

I miss my family in California like crazy!!

I guess it is time for us to take

a trip there again soon ~

Ticking Christmas Stocking Tutorial

2011-11-27T14:24:00.000-08:00

Today was one of those

random days where I go from

one project to another and

create a disaster everywhere I go ....

Actually most days are like that :)

While I was creating I took some

pictures along the way to show

you a quick and easy

Christmas stocking ~

I tea dyed the stocking first ~

If you don't have one I have

blank tea dyed ones here for sale ~

Then ripped two 2.5 inch

strips of ticking ~

I gathered mine on my sewing

machine but you can also gather

by hand ~

Next use a fabric glue

( my ultimate favorite is

Fabri Fix ) to glue the

gathered ticking strips on to the

cuff of the stocking ~

Just glue them where you like the

way they look ~

Next I made some rolled roses

out of tea dyed muslin and also

a tea dyed tag for a name ~

I tied the tag with jute and then

glued it on with the roses on top ~

That is it !!

This stocking is for sale on my

website if you don't want to make one ~

Chat soon!

Uncommon Farmhouse Decor

2011-11-24T03:20:00.000-08:00

Today I just

wanted to show you

a couple of clever

uncommon Farmhouse ideas ~

I have some things on my website

from a local artist who

does some of the most

creative things ~

Just paint and bling

some gardening tools and they

work perfectly inside too!!

I also wanted to show you

a super cuteness candle holder

idea that my son in law did ~

You've gotta love a son in law

who gets junkin' and recreating!

Also I wanted to say

congratulations to April for

winning the giveaway at

Funky Junk Interiors to our shop!!

Blog Giveaway at Funky Junk Interiors !

2011-11-16T19:58:00.000-08:00

The cutest gal ever

Donna, at

Funky Junk Interiors is

having a $60 giveaway

to anything in our shop!!

{photos courtesy of Funky Junk Interiors }

WOOHOO!!!

Go to her blog

and enter to win!!

BTW she rocks at writing and

photography! What a great post!

Baby!!

2011-11-13T07:28:00.000-08:00

I am so excited that I

am going to be a grandma!!

Kristin {my daughter }is due June 8th!

I love how God prepares us for

each step of our children's lives ~

When my girls were little I didn't want

them to go school because that

meant they were growing up ~

Then I didn't want them to hit the

dreaded teenage years but

they were actually alot of fun ~

Then I didn't want them to leave

and go off to school or get married ~

They are both married now and my

husband and I LOVE this stage of life too!

Now we get to be grandparents and

even though we are way too young

{in our minds at least }we are

so excited!

I love how the Lord prepares us

for each age and stage of our lives!

Vintage Leather & Lace

2011-11-08T15:08:00.000-08:00

When I was at the flea market

last week I found these really

cool old leather camera bags ~

I am loving the look of leather

and lace right now so wanted to

embellish them with some vintage

lace ~

I think the two larger ones would

work perfect as purses and the little

one is just cute!

This is what they looked like

when I bought them ~

I can tell I will be on the

hunt for old leather bags more often now :)

Farmhouse Goodness!!

2011-11-04T13:57:00.001-07:00

I had an awesome Canton

day on Wednesday finding

some Farmhouse goodness!!

I was totally on the hunt

for rusty and galvanized ~

Haha!! Can you tell...

Here are some of the things

that I found and are listed

on my website ~

There is also some vintage ticking

that is being washed

and a bunch of other things that

need cleaned and worked on ~

I want to go back sooo bad already!

I am kind of obsessed with treasure

hunting there!

I need to get out my paint

and work on some step ladders
~

Thank you for stopping by!

{added later }....all clean and

smelling good!

Baby Shoes & Randomness

2011-10-31T15:03:00.000-07:00

I just adore little vintage

baby shoes ~ There is just

something so very precious

about them!

Today I was trying to decide

if I could actually part with

any ~ I took some pictures and

haven't listed them yet on my website

because I am not sure if I can :)

Do you ever get things to sell you just

have a hard time parting with ?

I am in love with Dawn's Baby Pincushions

so maybe that is what I will do with them ~

You can get a tutorial from her here ~

On a totally different subject .....

I have been playing around with my

blog since Donna at Funky Junk Interiors

told us about purchasing our own

blog domain ~

I went from a blogspot URL to my own

and also added a favicon ~ I am

so excited!! I have only changed the

favicon about 6 times because I wanted

a picture but they are really hard

to see so tiny ~ It was stinkin' scary

for me to switch to my own URL ~

I am totally not computer saavy and

was freaking out that I would lose

my whole blog ~ It took about

72 hours for the switch to take place

but I think it is done now ~

Do you see me at a blogspot URL

or at katiesrosecottageblog.com ?

Also do you see the BIG ORANGE BLOG favicon

or just the letters KRC ? I am just

curious since I really haven't a clue

what I am doing ~

Ohhhh I thought I was actually done

blabbing but I wanted to let you know that

I have 10% off my website from now

until November 2 ~

Okay I am done :)

Farmhouse Friday * Farmhouse Inspiration

2011-10-27T11:40:00.000-07:00

I wanted to revisit this tutorial for

LaurieAnna's Farmhouse Friday

because it can be used on

so many different surfaces and is

perfect for farmhouse decorating ~

Since I have burlap around and

buckets around I thought it would be fun

to recreate that look ~

Here is a quick tutorial on how to do them ~

It is super duper easy!

1. Cut a piece of burlap a size that would fit

your bucket ~ I cut it then fray it a bit ~

2. Paint an area on the front of your burlap

that is larger than your number stencil ~

It doesn't matter what brand paint you use ~

This is some I had ~

3. Lay down your stencil and paint it in whatever

color you would like ~ I used black ~

4. After it dries then I used Modge Podge

on the back of the burlap ~

5. Place it on your bucket and

smooth out the bubbled areas ~

That is all and it is super quick !

Make sure and visit the

Tutorials link at the top

of this page for other tutorials ~

Giveaway at Ruby Jean's!!

2011-10-20T19:32:00.000-07:00

I am so excited that Ruby Jean

is having a giveaway of

$50 towards anything in my shop!!

Make sure and stop by her blog

to enter and also to see her

beautiful blog and also

check out her etsy shop ~

She has a great tutorial

that was just posted too!!

She's Got Guts Challenge

2011-10-18T13:36:00.000-07:00

So I told you a couple posts back

about Funky Junk Interiors

"She's Got Guts" challenge ~

It was to take something random

and do something with it that

you might not normally think of ~

Today is the link party day!!

Remember the grain buckets that

I got a couple of weeks ago ?

I knew that my challenge had to be

with those ~ So I went out to

my workshop and just

grabbed stuff that has been out

there forever ~

We have been redoing our bathroom

and my studio ~ I needed some

farmhouse style things for those

rooms so that is where my brain was

headed ~

The first thing is this wayyyy awesome

basket that I found at a flea market ~

It is perfect for a

studio organization piece ~

I tied on two of the grain buckets

and used them for buttons and pictures ~

Now I love it even more than I did before!!

The next thing was for

a blank wall in our bathroom

that I really couldn't figure

out what to put on it ~

This old frame worked great with

hanging grain buckets ~ I put in chunky

farmhouse soaps and a candle that

is battery operated {I love those! }~

Lastly was for our

other bathroom ~ I took an old

door front and repainted it with

Old White Chalk Paint and put some

dark wax and clear wax ~ Then attached

the grain buckets to it for more

soaps and another candle ~

It was a great thing to

stretch my imagination and do

things that I really hadn't thought

of before ~

A Shout Out !

2011-10-17T17:02:00.000-07:00

I wanted to say a big thank you

to Heather at Post Road Vintage

for featuring my website and blog

on her blog ~

She has GORGEOUS things and

is doing a giveaway of one of

our blingy cuffs too ... go

take a look and make sure and enter!

Sneak Peeks!

2011-10-15T19:15:00.000-07:00

Donna from Funky Junk Interiors is doing

"31 Days Blog to Biz" and on Day 14

she gave a Gutsy Junk Challenge ~

Here is what she said to do ~

"1. Choose an unlikely something or other.

2. Walk around the house with it.

3. Then put it to work in a way you've never seen done before.

Don't worry if it isn't a prize winner.

That's not the point.

The point is YOU stretching your OWN imagination

and not fearing what someone else will say."

Then there is going to be a

'She's Got Guts!' link party

Wed Oct 19

Got the guts to link up? :)

The whole point is stretching beyond

our comfort zone ~

So back to the grain buckets that I

didn't even know what they were when

I got them ~

I wayyy stretched and am working

on some things with them that I am

going to be adding to the link ~

It has been a fun challenge!

Here is just a sneak peek :)

Ohhh and while I am at sneak peeks ~

Here is a Christmas stocking I

will be putting on my website ~

I am really really denying the reality

that summer is over ~

I love sunshine and warm weather

( not the hot we had in Texas though

I have to say ) ~

Check back on the 19th to see the

whole grain bucket projects ~

Tattered Scalloped Rose Tutorial

2011-10-11T19:56:00.000-07:00

A sweet lady wrote to me and

asked me if I could do a

tutorial on the roses that

are on my Flower Girl Baskets

and Ring Bearer Pillows ~

I actually bought those at a

scrapbooking store and hadn't even

tried making them ~

But today I wanted to give it a

whirl and make a larger size one ~

So here goes a quick tutorial

on what I did ~

Remember nothing is set in stone

so you can play around with

the sizes ~

1. Tear a strip of muslin 2 x 38 inches ~

2. Fold it into fourths and cut

scallops ~

3. Gather one side close to the edge ~

4. Roll in one side about 2 times

and glue it down ~

5. Glue it standing upright on to

a piece of felt ~

6. Glue it around and around

the base until all of your

muslin is used up ~ Tuck it

as close as possible to the base

piece as you go around ~

7. Cut the back of the felt off

in a circle to your glue ~

I rubbed mine with my hand

to give it a tattered look ~

If you want it tea dyed then

just dip it in tea and squish out

the excess ~

Sit it out in the sun

until it is dry ~

I kind of separate the petals

to lay them out a bit ~

I LOVE this look alot !!

I think

it is my favorite !

Just a little FYI ...

There is a sale going on

at my website until October 14th ~

Come on over !

Canton Junkin' and What are These ....

2011-10-04T13:44:00.000-07:00

Last week I got to go junkin'

in Canton Texas ~ If you have

followed my blog for very long

then you know it is one of my

favorite times of the month!!

I LOVE it!!

Here are some of the wayyyy cool

things that I found ~

But....right as I was leaving

I saw these ( see pics below )

and for some reason really like them ~

The guy selling them said they are

grain buckets ~

Does anyone know if that is what they are?

I just know they would make

the coolest little thingies to hold

stuff but I haven't figured out

how or what to do with them yet ~

I love the colors and the rust ~

So very Vintage Farmhouse ~

They have 2 holes in the back

that are perfect for hanging ~

I need to scour Pinterest I am thinking ~

Vintage Aqua Ball Jars

2011-09-29T14:59:00.001-07:00

I am soooo very much leaning

toward painting my studio walls

a soft creamy white and going

with whites, creams (surprise, surprise)

and Robin's Egg Blue ~

I love Annie Sloan's Duck Egg Blue paint

and I LOVE vintage aqua jars ~

The color is so beautiful

and I have never had anything blue

in my home at all ~

These are some jars I found

yesterday and have a really hard time

parting with them .... I guess I don't

need to hoard them ~

I am cleaning and

destashing after all ....

( I am keeping some though )

Janet at The Empty Nest has

an awesome post on the

history of the jars and

how to figure out their age ~

Thank you Janet!

I love knowing the history of things!

Alrighty I need to unload

my car from junkin' ~

Painting, Sewing & Cleaning ....

2011-09-26T16:38:00.000-07:00

I am getting there and it

ROCKS my socks off!!

My studio/office is getting clean ~

In between organizing ... I am still

painting, sewing and listing

things on my website ~

Here are just a few things that

have been added ~

Annie Sloan Chalk Paint not only

works great for furniture but for

small things too!

I got these super cute

linen bags in that I just love!

For a limited time

you can get a FREE cosmetic bag

with every Linen bag purchased ~

FREE !!!

Next is a progress picture ~

The top shelf needs done still

but I can see the floor and

the fabric and other stuff is all in bins ~

I needed to use plastic bins

so I can see what is in there ~

It would be fun to use cute baskets

but it would not be functional for me ~

I am off to make some roses ~ Chat soon!

Craziness !!!

2011-09-22T16:02:00.000-07:00

I am lost deep in the depths

of cleaning my studio ~

I figured since I had a trail from

the door to my sewing machine

and to my computer that it was

time to clean and destash like

craziness!!

I have so much stuff that I think

I might use to create with ....

Stuff to do photo vignettes with ....

and just stuff I am not sure why with ~

Anyway ... so I have been pulling things

out and trying to list stuff in

my flea market category that I won't use

anymore ~ And also taking a bunch to

the thrift store that I don't feel

like listing because I am over it ~

These pictures are to make you all

feel really good about yourself and

to keep me accountable to finish ~

I am such a candidate for

Where Women Create aren't I ~ Hahaha !!

Alrighty I am back to burying myself

in "STUFF" ~

Update #1

I need a gazillion plastic bins !!

Update #2 ~ 8:08 p.m.

Oh my gosh I can see the floor ~

I need to stop and spend time with my hubby

but just maybe it will be done in

ohhhhh about a week !

Pocket Pillow Tutorial

2011-09-20T16:13:00.000-07:00

Today I wanted to show you

a quick and easy way to make

a Pocket Pillow out of a pillowcase ~

The first thing to do is rip the front

from the back ~ I just snip a little

on the sides and top and

then rip the rest ~

Next figure out what size you

would like it to be lengthwise

and again snip and rip ~

Then fold up the amount you would

like to be your pocket ~

Then bring the rest of the

fabric over your pocket so that

right sides are together ~

Do whatever size you like ~

Cut the extra fabric off the bottom
~

Pin and sew leaving an opening

at the bottom for stuffing ~

Then turn right side out and iron

folding the bottom opening

so that you can stitch it closed ~

I love to add a little lavender

to the stuffing because ...

I LOVE lavender :)

After stuffing hand sew

the bottom closed ~

The really fun part is embellishing!

I took an old doily and added

a rose to the top of it and then

glued it on using Fabri Tac ~

To make this a hanging pocket pillow

I cut a piece of ribbon and glued

it to each top corner ~ then I added

some ribbon bows ~

I did a tutorial on how to crinkle

the ribbon here ~

Then I added a vintage photo

and a piece of hymnal music ~

That is it ... super easy and fun!

Ruffles & Roses

2011-09-15T17:54:00.000-07:00

I have been running around in

circles and not feeling real accomplished

this week for some reason and I

am not sure why ~

But... after spending the day out

getting nothing accomplished ~

I got home to some wonderful boxes

on the porch ( I love coming

home to boxes on the porch )~

The first thing I did was open them

up and grab my camera to give you

a sneak peek of what I will be adding

to my website tomorrow ~

Ruffle Tote Bags, Ruffle Laundry Bags,

Ruffle Shower Curtains ~

Alot of roses with some new colors ~

Ruffles and Roses ....

Some of my favorite things!!

Leather & Lace with Bling

2011-09-06T16:10:00.000-07:00

It is all about cuff bracelets

this year and I LOVE them!!

There is nothing better than

Romantic Vintage Laces combined

with Vintage Jewels or

what about a little Leather and

alot of Bling!!

They are going fast but

I am trying to continue

getting them in stock ~

You can find them at

Katies Rose Cottage Designs ~

Treasures from the Past

2011-09-04T10:05:00.000-07:00

When you go out junkin' do you

collect things to sell ~ to recreate

something from the past that

becomes a new treasure for someone else ~

I love to get things for my home

but I can only have so much before

it becomes hoarder status ~

So.....I am mostly on the hunt for

things to put on my website ~

While I was in Kansas I got

two Bibles that I thought would be

awesome to take the pages from

and use in pocket pillows or for

who knows what else but they are aged

so perfectly!

As I took them out and really looked at

them (which I don't really do

when I am on the search) .....

I started to think about where they have

been ... what stories they had to tell...

Was this little Bible carried

to a church like this ~

or this ~

Was this larger Bible in a families house

out on a prairie somewhere ~ Did they

find comfort in its pages during

hard times ...

Where have they been through the years

to end up in a flea market in 2011 ~

Precious treasures from the past

are the things that we collect ...

whether to recreate with or to

cherish as they are ~

Attempting to Organize ~ ha !!

2011-08-30T10:09:00.000-07:00

I am in serious need

of organizing my office/studio ~

Soooo.... I decided to add

all of my "destash" stuff

to the Flea Market category

of my website ~

I have so much "stuff" that I

have been keeping to someday

make things out of ~ Or maybe

use for little photo shoot vignettes ~

It isn't happening so it has to go

{So I can get more....ahhhhh!!!}

I think that may be a sickness of

some sort ~ :)

Here is the beginning and I will be

adding more as I clean ~

California Dreamin'

2011-08-25T14:57:00.000-07:00

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 ~

Vintage Wedding Burlap & Muslin

2011-08-18T14:39:00.001-07:00

It totally feels like it

has been forever since

I have blogged!

We have been moving our daughter

and son in law into their home

and redoing our master bathroom

and life just flies by ~

In between that I have still

been working on things

for my website ~

I have been LOVING

all of the pictures of

vintage weddings

using burlap, lavender, muslin

and old stuff ~

So going along with that theme

I decided to make a little

flower girl basket and

ring bearer pillow ~

I just love the combination

of burlap and muslin ~

They are on my website here ~

Cuffs & Photo Actions

2011-08-11T18:19:00.000-07:00

I was reading Miss Mustard Seed's blog today

and got totally inspired by her post yesterday

on Actions for Photoshop ~

Soooo I hopped on over to the shop she

recommended, Florabella Collections ~

I bought a collection right away

and went to add it to

my super outdated Photoshop Elements 4 ~ hmmmmm.....

I realized I needed an upgrade and quick ~

{ I am kind of impatient when I want to try something new }

So I upgraded and downloaded and WOW !!

It is so fun !!!

Here are some gorgeous Cuffs I just added to my shop

and the before and after the Actions ~

{ Before }

{ After }

{ Before }

{ After }

{ Before }

{ After }

Now I want to go buy every action

and edit every photo

on my website because it just brightens them

up so much !!

My Girls and Their Blogs

2011-08-08T13:12:00.000-07:00

I have introduced you to my family in the past but
I wanted to introduce you to my girl's blogs ~

Kristin, our oldest daughter, has been doing photography
with her husband for a while and recently launched her own
photography website and blog ~

Her business is called Kristin Brandon Photography ~
They are traveling to Italy soon to shoot a wedding!
I am so excited for them !

Stephanie has started a blog journaling her and her
husbands cottage home transformation ~
They actually are just closing on it today and are
having fun going to Salvage Shops, Flea Markets
and Craigslist to find vintage things for it ~
Her blog is called College St. Cottage ~

It is so fun to watch them get excited
about all of the treasures they have found ~

{ Photos are by Kristin's husband James
at James Brandon Photography }

Both of the girls are just introducing themselves and their blogs
so they would love to have you stop by ~

Chalk Paint Class

2011-08-02T14:09:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to

get to take a Chalk Paint class

today from

Karla at Lady Butterbug

in McKinney, Texas ~

Taking classes for chalk paint

is fun because

you get to learn new painting,

distressing and waxing techniques ~

There are beautiful colors which

can be used as they are or mixed

to make a bunch of different colors ~

I love that the colors

are inspired by European furniture

from the 1800's ~

This next picture shows my least

favorite piece as we were working on it ~

It has 3 different colors, dark wax

and clear wax and a couple different

distressing techniques ~

After I got it done I ended up

LOVING it because

in real life it looks like an old

building that has had layers of paint

and wear ~

I really like this color combination

too and would love to incorporate

it in my home somehow ~ I have

all creams and whites but I am

thinking that Duck Egg Blue

needs to be there too!

It was alot of fun!

I love how easy, fast

and fun Chalk Paint is to use ~

It's a Website Sale !!

2011-07-29T17:57:00.000-07:00

It is time for a SALE!!

Just become a new blog follower

or let me know if you are already

a follower and you will

get a coupon code via email for

15% off your entire order on my website ~

If you add your name to

our mailing list you will also get

a free gift with your order ~

{click on the picture to join}

This will be through the

weekend ~

Make sure and let me know what

you did and if you don't hear

back from me then that means

you are not able to be replied

to on your blog comment ~

Soooo send me an email ~

Have an awesome weekend!!

Canton Junkin' & HOT !!

2011-07-27T15:46:00.000-07:00

I LOVE going to First Monday

Trade Days in Canton Texas!

Every month it is something

I so very much look forward to ~

Even though I knew it was hot,

I left my house with a good attitude

and told myself that I would

just stand the heat because

I LOVE Junkin' !

I hit the grounds with my

trusty cart {a necessity there },

my ginormous ice tea and anticipation

of the treasures I would find ~

I drove in and saw ohhhhh maybe

5 vendors when there are usually 75 ~

But....I knew there was cool stuff

even with the 5 vendors and there

was still another HUGE area to hit ~

The next area had about half of

the usual but still some neat things!

I NEED a chicken coop and that cute

little bicycle and all the awesome

galvanized stuff, a gazillion

old keys, a stack of drawers and

birdcage ~

COOL STUFF !

Has anyone done anything awesome

with a chicken coop ~ I want to see :)

I didn't buy any of the big stuff

because I was on a mission for my

website and big stuff is expensive

as craziness to ship ~

After about 2 hours I thought

I would die of heat stroke

so I went to my most favorite

place to eat because it looks healthy,

you get free refills on ice tea

and they have a HUGE fan!!

Ohhhh and the buffalo head rocks!!

{not really, I don't like dead animals

but it is so Texas }~

After I ate I was revitalized

and ready to hit the junkin' trail for

HOURS more ~

Well I lasted about one more hour,

saw sweet Daphne and Dorothy that were fun

to chat with and decided heat stroke

was definitely setting in ~

Dang it!! I so wanted to last

for sooo much longer but

it was kind of miserably hot ~

{110 degrees and it is humid...bleh!!}

Next month I am definitely going

on Thursday so I can visit

LaurieAnna's Vintage Home,

Girls Gone Junkin and some of

my other favorite shops that aren't open

on Wednesday and have air conditioning ~

I talked to my mom, in California,

while driving home and she

told me that she was kind of chilly

because the ocean breeze was blowing

in and it didn't feel like summer

{which she loves }~

I would be loving some ocean breeze

right now :)

Staying Cool .....

2011-07-25T06:04:00.000-07:00

I am away for a couple

days antiquing while my

girls and their hubbies are

hanging at our house trying to stay

cool~

Free Summer Charm

2011-07-20T10:04:00.000-07:00

I am giving away a free charm

with every order

from Katies Rose Cottage

of $20 or more {pre shipping }~

This sweet little summer charm

comes on 24 inches of ribbon ~

It will be through July 23rd

or until they are gone ~

Have an awesome summer day !

Hymnal Music Banner Tutorial

2011-07-18T17:15:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to show you an

idea that my daughter, Stephanie, had

and a quick tutorial on how to do it ~

She took old hymnal music and

photoshopped {to the

correct size for her paper }

a font to print on it ~

She used the Broadway font

and downloaded it for free ~

Just click on the name ~

Then we used these cute clips from

Tim Holtz ~

We clipped them to twine ~

After that she added a tattered

muslin rose with a vintage

black button in the middle ~

It came out so cute and so easy to do!!

I love it!

New Things ~

2011-07-14T18:17:00.000-07:00

These are just a few
things that have just been
added to my web shop ~

I just love them!!

I think it is because they
are all my favorite decorating colors ~

Something new is added
almost daily ~