Cottage State of Mind: August 2010

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Red Signs of Fall

Yay! It's Rednesday!

If you love a pop of red as much as I do please visit Sue

and check out the list of other Rednesday participants!

When the red barn flag goes up...

the pomegranates start turning red...

and some are even splitting open...

you know fall is close.

It's almost time to put away the pool toys

and start getting cozy for family movie night!

Good thing I finally learned how to open these things

without ruining the return envelope

Do you have family movie night or game night?

We have several game nights each week and movie night a few times a month.

The kids love it!

Thursday, August 26, 2010

If you love vintage mid-century decor you've probably seen the the fabulously fun items featuring perfect women from that time, in perfect clothes, with perfect hair and perfect makeup but spouting a not so traditional attitude.

My friend Sandi from Bearly Sane has found two such ladies pictured on some great dishtowels and she's giving them away! Click on the button or her name to get the details and check out her wonderful bear creations while you're there!

oops, forgot the links the first time, they're up now...click away!

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

What? No photos?

I don't think I've ever posted with no photos before but don't worry...the pretties are over at Erica Jackson Photography. You can go by there and check out engagement photos of my brother Walter and my soon to be-feels like she has been for a long time already-SIL Tracy taken in Old Sacramento. They're so cute together!

Saturday, August 21, 2010

California Pottery Crocks and a Chicken Love Triangle

Old crocks have such a nostalgic appeal even though they are such utilitarian pieces. We were lucky to find several that Hummer and Hobo had used. At least one came from the California Pottery Company which operated a plant here in Merced from about 1920 to 1929. Hubby believes they were used for curing olives from the two olive trees on our property. I've always wanted to display them together but I had trouble finding a spot because they're so big.

When Hubby pulled this old wood stove/shin bruiser out of our living room fireplace I knew I had a place to display the crocks.

The fireplace that can't be used as is and we're not sure if we're going to restore it. Now for the pretty part...

The crocks by themselves were looking rather dull. I tried some old silk roses I had but it was a long swag and just didn't work. I thought about silk sunflowers but the prices were outrageous for the long stemmed ones so the crocks stayed empty for a long time.

Just yesterday I came across these real sunflowers at Raley's. They have a section of "Farmer's Market" bouquets that each have just one type of flower but you can mix and match bouquets at a a price of 3 for $12. I think they'll dry well enough to use through fall.

They looked so nice that Miss Henrietta moved her bed over for a closer view...

and a handsome new fellow found his way in. Hank doesn't know bout him yet but Henrietta says she and Alejandro are just friends.

I don't know, they're looking pretty cozy to me!

And the crocks look nicer now too!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Goodwill Trip'n

No, these aren't thrifty finds. They're donations. I'm going to drop them off tomorrow (errand day!) and take off before they start laughing. Many of the items are already marked with our Goodwill's signature sharpie. Most of this came from my daughter's walk-in closet but a lot of the clothes are mine. The rest of the closets in our house are only 3 ft. wide. Oh the sacrifice we make for "character". This is the result of just a few hours of sorting through things that were in the way.

For the first time since I quit working to stay home with the kids I've actually made a schedule for myself instead of flying by the seat of my pants. I've tried various plans over the years but got bogged down in perfecting the systems and never made it past the planning stage. When I get to the paper mountain in the office I'm sure I'll be able to fill a large garbage can with journals and loose paper with titles like, "Get Organized 2005!", or "Operation Declutter 1998". Every other page will have notes on decorating themes and projects. The sad thing is the lists are all the same. A few projects have been accomplished but mostly it's the same thing rehashed on a fresh clean sheet, like that would make the difference.

This time really feels different though. My husband and I made up our own plan that will work for us and our family. After two hectic, stressful weeks I realized it's now or never. I have to quit hiding behind the computer screen and shopping bags and deal with life, however messy it is or how tired I am. I've got more accomplished the last two days than I have for the last six months. And it feels good. You may see a little less of me around blogland in the coming months but I'm hoping when I do make the rounds you'll find I'm in more organized Cottage State of Mind. You might even get to see some whole room shots too! Not perfect rooms, but neat, comfortable rooms!

Thursday, August 12, 2010

Party, Party, Party!

It's been a week of parties around here and I'm afraid I haven't spent much time visiting. If you've been by and left a comment please know I'll try to get by soon. We're busy getting ready for the start of school on Monday and have another party to attend Saturday. My modem died and had to be replaced so I haven't even started visiting all Barb's rooster party guests yet!

My mom held a baby shower for my sister and her sweet hubby last weekend. I couldn't find an invitation I liked so I scanned scrapbook stickers into my paint program and played with the colors some. I cut away the background electronically and added in a field of little dots and the wording. I love playing with graphics! But you know that already!

Here's the happy couple waiting for their little bundle of joy!

I wonder what the record is for the tallest newborn?

With mommy at 6'2" and daddy even taller, I think we might have a winner here!

It was a day filled with precious things and sweet people.

Unfortunately, I only got photos of things before the party started.

I spent the rest of the day as game hostess and secretary! It was a family shower with hubbies and kids so we had lots of fun guessing "How big is mamma's belly?", unscrambling words relating to babies, and playing round after round of Baby Bingo for cool prizes. When it was all over they had lots of lovely gifts to pack up for the drive home. As for "mamma's belly", I'm not allowed to say but I do know it will soon be too big for her to climb into daddy's monster truck!

I hope you're having lots of fun with family and friends as summer starts to wind up. I know there's many more weeks on the calendar before fall but for me, having school start mid-August really puts an end to the carefree feeling of summer. Forecast for the first week ~ 102 plus!