Rose Red Cottage

Thrift Store Shopping

2009-07-21T09:29:00.000-07:00

I have a problem. I'm a thrift store addict. In this era of saving and reusing, that might be considered a good thing, but my problem is more one of focusing. I have a problem staying focused on one color or style or class of item.

When I go to the thrift stores, I don't usually have anything in particular in mind except checking out any good deals on furniture and looking for vintage children's books. I'll usually start with the furniture, then look at artwork for anything handpainted. I'm a sucker for landscapes. Next, I'll cruise the china and decorative aisles, looking for pretty old things.

The problem is that I am attracted to such a variety of styles and colors. I can pick up soft pastel planters and pillows with one hand, and a mod hat and scarves with the other. (I don't usually look for clothes at the thrifts, but I always check out the purses, hats and scarves.) And of course, I rarely pass up the color RED!

Once I've gathered up anything interesting from the home decor shelves, I browse the linens for vintage fabric and sheets. My shopping usually ends, then, with my nose in the books, looking for Rand McNally Elf books or other children's illustrators.

Now can you see what my problem is? So does anyone else have trouble focusing their attention in thrift stores? I'd love to hear your advice.

Leslie

Home Decor Self-Editing

2009-07-18T14:30:00.000-07:00

I've started working on redecorating our kitchen, starting with taking off the Waverly wallpaper that we inherited when we moved into the house ten years ago. I have always loved this blue and white pattern, with a red berry that I always thought of as cherries, but a leaky roof has made it necessary to start with a clean slate.

So I thought I'd take a few "before" pictures without even tidying up the cookbooks or moving the ant trap on the floor. When I uploaded the photos to Flickr, however, and really took a good look at them, I realized that I have a lot of busy clutter. I try to stay colorized on each shelf, but the overall effect is not what I see when I created these vignettes. Instead, I see an edited version, a snapshot of function or color like

The black wrought iron on the wall,

The quilted bear and red geraniums,

or the blue and white ware with a birdhouse.

Of course, sometimes I have enough items and room to feature an entire collection in one place. For example, another wallpaper pattern on the kitchen cabinet wall is the backdrop for my teal tins and landscapes. The lesson I've learned is to edit my decor so that I can enjoy the things I love without cluttering up the overall look. After the wallpaper is down and the walls are all painted, I will have to do some serious self-editing!

Game Day

2009-07-15T19:21:00.001-07:00

When we were in Pittsburgh for the Fourth of July, Rose Red daughter took us to breakfast at Pamela's. Not only did they serve delicious blueberry-filled pancakes, but they had such fun decor.

One wall was covered with game boards, boxes, and even game pieces. Some, like the Cooties game, were hung from the ceiling. (That's a Warhol-style painting of Pamela in the back. Warhol was a Pittsburgh native.)

They even had a copy of this game. When my family bought a small farm in Lancaster, PA in the 1970s, the previous owner had a workroom in the barn where he developed the Stratego game.

I like to play games, but I like the bright graphics even more. This is one of the games I picked up a few weeks ago. The spinners are fun.

The same day, someone gave away this Wide World travel game at a garage sale. SCORE!

Hope your day is a winner,
Leslie

The Simple Life

2009-07-09T13:23:00.000-07:00

I long for simplicity in life, where questions have easy answers,

where I can use my muscles to power through problems without thinking too much,

and where I can enjoy the natural world in my own backyard.

No matter what the weather, I want to make the most of this happy season.

ENJOY,

Leslie

Weekend Trip to Pittsburgh

2009-07-06T17:53:00.000-07:00

It took ten hours in a car one way, but it was worth it to see our Rose Red girl who is working at the University of Pittsburgh for the summer. It was nice to have her show us all the sites like she was a hometown girl. This is a view of Downtown Pittburgh with the castle-like PNC building.

Point Park is at the confluence of the three rivers. The baseball stadium is on the west bank. Don't those puffy clouds look good? The weather was delicious!

We toured the incredible art collection at the Carnegie Institute. That's the Cathedral of Learning in the background. We went there, too.

Inside, gothic arches create a central hall. Around the perimeter are classrooms representing 30 different countries from around the world, some dating back to the 1930s.

We also went to the Phipp's Conservatory, where preparations were being made for a gorgeous wedding .

And finally we rode the Duquesne Incline up to the top of Mount Washington for a spectacular fireworks show. The incline is basically a trolley car on steel cables- yikes!

As we watched the main event, we could also see firework displays from other neighborhoods across the horizon.

Too soon, we had to make the lonnnnng drive back home. I miss my girl, but I sure am proud of the wonderful young lady she is becoming. Four more weeks and she'll be home.

Happy Fourth of July

2009-07-03T06:12:00.001-07:00

American Bald Eagle, originally uploaded by Rose Red Cottage.

I am spending the holiday weekend visiting my Rose Red daughter in Pittsburgh, PA. I hope you have a safe and happy Fourth with your family and friends.

Golden Tiering

2009-07-01T17:57:00.000-07:00

What a great day! I've had fun playing with some vintage finds, and, as my Rosy Red would say, "Look mom what I do."

First, I collected some brass (er.. golden) candlesticks.

and a set of gilded Fire King plates and bowl.

Using my trusty E-6000, I glued the candlestick tops to the plate bottoms.

I glued this all outside to avoid any fumes, so as the first step was drying...

I watered my flowers. (I think my impatiens could use a little Miracle Grow.)

When all was assembled and dry, I had a tiered plate stand that is a little nutty for now, but will be used for serving appetizers this holiday weekend.

I hope you were able to play today.
Leslie

Etsy Banner

2009-06-29T17:08:00.000-07:00

I've been working on my Etsy Banner. I only have a few vintage items in my Etsy store, but I wanted to practice with my new PhotoShop CS4. I still have a lot to learn, but the online tutorials and blogger how-tos help. I used the directions on Storque and a vintage image from my Flickr photostream to create the long, narrow banner, above.

What do you think? I'll be working on a banner for my blog next. Thank goodness I'll have a little more space to work with!

To Market- and a few Garage Sales along the Way

2009-06-27T10:16:00.000-07:00

Most mornings, I'm up with a pot of coffee and the paper before I venture out for work or errands, but on Saturdays, I take the coffee in a go-cup and head to the farmer's market in town.

This week, I got this gorgeous bouquet of fresh flowers for my neighbors who are back home after being in Kuwait for two years. The Gala peaches are some of the first of the season, and the sweet corn will be part of our supper, probably roasted on the grill.

On the way to the market, I passed a neighborhood garage sale, so I spent some time looking for goodies. I've been looking for a trophy to use in an art piece, and I think this victorious angel will do just great. I plan on painting her, but I may not be able to cover up the RED!

I picked up several other great items to use in craft collages. The Bird Portraits in Color are just lovely, and the array of stamps include selections from around the world.

I was lucky to find several vintage games today. This Game of the States has fun spinners, cute pieces and a vibrant game board. Players have to move resources from state to state in order to win.

I hope you have a great Saturday, too!

Leslie

Welcome Banner

2009-06-16T19:43:00.000-07:00

What a great weekend! On Friday, I helped my friend Dawn with preparation for her daughter's baby shower. We had fun making sugar cookies and these molded chocolate covered pretzels. Didn't the table decorations look pretty?

I have wanted to make a scappy banner for quite some time, so I told Dawn I'd make one for the shower. It was pretty easy.

First I assembled papers, ribbon and flower embellishments.

I used a rotary cutter to cut the background triangles from 12 X 12 paper.

Be careful NOT to do THIS if you are using directional paper!

I used my Cricut to cut the letters and circles.

Then I used brass brads to connect the pennants together with flowers, added pretty pink ribbon at the ends and VOILA!

A Welcome Banner for a baby shower. When we (finally!) know the baby's name, I will redo the centers so she can hang this in the baby's room.

Now that I've made one banner, I'm making one for my niece and mother-in-law's birthdays- 21 and 80 years old, respectively! Why don't you make one, too?

Time to Play

2009-06-11T14:07:00.000-07:00

Finally I have a day to myself to play. I got my Western decor out, ready for a barbecue this weekend. That's a Frankoma beanpot in the back. I use it to serve my special baked lima bean recipe.

I love this vintage linen Western tablecloth. I need to give it a good iron, though.

I had some Mexican ware in the box, so I got them ready to sell in my antique mall booth. One of the amber glasses is an American Bicentennial item.

And then I worked on a special craft project for a dear friend. Here's a sneak peak. More tomorrow.

I Love New York

2009-06-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

We had a great time last week.

We saw Hair on Broadway,

got on the David Letterman show,

and saw Molly perform on the Carnegie Hall stage.
The Requiem by David Childs was wonderful. It moved me to tears. The choir was accompanied by the New York Chamber Orchestra and two professional vocalists.

After the concert, the performers and guests took a boat cruise around Manhattan. It was a great way to end a marvelous vacation.

How do you get to Carnegie Hall?

2009-05-29T18:37:00.001-07:00

NYC: Carnegie Hall, originally uploaded by wallyg.

I'll be flying to the Big Apple tomorrow for four days. My talented Rose Red daughter will be performing at Carnegie Hall Tuesday night with several other college choirs. They will be singing Dr. David Childs' newest composition, "Requiem for My Father". I am so excited to hear this piece since Dr. Childs is my daughter's own director. Just sitting in the Main Hall will be an experience in itself. Afterwards, we are attending a reception on a boat cruise. I'll be sure to take lots of pictures!

In Memory

2009-05-25T09:57:00.001-07:00

Happy Memorial Day to everyon. I hope you are enjoying the day with family and friends, but please take time to remember our fallen heroes of the military who have given their lives to protect our liberties. I will be going out later (after the rain) to put a flag on my father-in-law's grave. He was in the Navy during World War II, but never saw action. His brother, on the left, became an Air Force colonel.

I like to decorate with Americana all year long. The button flag in the photo was made by me. I started it several years ago, but wasn't happy with some of the placement, so I took it out today to finish. The star field is a little off, but I think that adds to the primitive feel. The frame has a simple, primitive design as well. (Next time, I'll draw lines on the fabric first to make sure the rows are spaced evenly.)

Have wonderful day.

Leslie

Rosy Goodness

2009-05-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

The roses have started blooming in the garden, and they seem to have found their way to the thrift stores this week, too.

Look at all the rosy goodness I found at Goodwill and Salvation Army. The other side of the cabbage rose print is a mirror. I love the blue vase they're in. The china has a lovely rose pattern. I used the plates to serve my strawberry pie for Bunco last week.

This vintage green suitcase I found on Friday is filled with more roses. I bought several spools of velvet ribbon, including the burgundy and green shown here. My favorite find is the print of the sweet girl in pink dress and green coat. I'd love to know who the artist is. Here's a closeup of the artist's mark:

I hope someone can help. What treasures did you find this week?

Leslie

Elsah Landing Strawberry Pie

2009-05-18T18:44:00.000-07:00

I'm hosting Bunco tomorrow night, so what's a girl to make for dessert? When I need to look for a "company" recipe, I turn to my trusty Elsah Landing cookbooks. Elsah Landing was a little luncheon place in the village we lived in. They had the best soups, pies and bread- and on weekends, they had yummy cinammon rolls. Their cookbooks reveal the secret recipes including this one for California Strawberry Pie. The recipe includes a layer made from powdered milk, sugar, lemon and hot water. With such good strawberries on top, I can't wait for the girls to try it.

While my daughter helped me hull the strawberries, we remembered how one afternoon she and a friend went to play down the street and an hour later, I got a call from the restaurant manager. It seems these little seven-year-olds had marched down and ordered themselves two hot fudge sundaes, but when it came time to pay, my daughter dumped a pile of piggy bank change that wasn't nearly enough to cover the bill! I'll never forget their sheepish, chocolate-smeared grins when I went to gather them home. Molly always was an ice-cream lover!

Come to think of it, maybe I'll serve some vanilla ice cream with my strawberry pies.

Leslie

Sunday at Sue's

2009-05-17T18:54:00.000-07:00

Well, my birthday weekend has finally come to an end! We celebrated at my sister-in-law Sue's today with take-out from the Moonlight Restaurant- fettucini alfredo, fried chicken and Caesar salad, yum! After dinner, Sue took me on a tour of her garden. I haven't seen bleeding hearts since my parent's old house in Lnacaster.

The weigelia is pretty, too. Sue's dad, Gene used to grow this old-fashioned plant.

We're not sure what this is. I think it may be a viburnum, but the purple leaves and flowers are definitely different. That's the front of Sue's house in the background.

She has two planters on either side of the porch filled with asters, ageratum and yellow daisies.

Sue said she had to get the daisies because they had purple centers. Purple is her favorite color!

Here's Sue with her beloved baby, Shelby.

This is a rare shot of my son with his grandmother. Isn't she pretty?

And this is me with one of my birthday presents, a beautiful blue necklace. Thank you everyone for your well wishes and presents!

Love ya,
Leslie

Love Always Remembers

2009-05-13T15:50:00.000-07:00

I've been taking photos of my Joan Walsh Anglund items for a flickr group, so I thought I'd do a little research and share them with you. I've always loved Anglund's books. I think my mom gave me my first one when I was in middle school. I have several of her decorative items- plates, a paperweight and watering can.

Joan Walsh Anglund started creating illustrations of children in the 1950s. Her first book, A Friend is Someone Who Likes You, was published in 1958. Anglund's distinctive style, with round faces and dot eyes, developed over time, she says. According to one biography, Anglund drew mouths and noses so small that eventually she left them out altogether, but she still sees full expressions on the faces of the children she draws.

I also discovered that JWA travels once a year to book signings where she not only autographs her books but adds a little drawing. I'll have to keep my eyes open for that. I've never seen her come to St. Louis, but you never know!

Babies and Brides

2009-05-11T18:43:00.000-07:00

I know it's still only May, but after proms and graduations come weddings and baby showers, so the last time I went garage saling, I picked up some vintage trim, baby shoes and a wedding cake topper. I thought about ordering Dawn Edmundson's pattern for a pin cushion baby bootie, but then I saw a piece Eddie Ross wrote about vintage baby items in a shadow box. One of the displays used baby booties in the bottom of the frame under a vintage dress. Maybe I'll do both.

In the meantime, I stitched this monogram for a coworker's baby, and I'm working on a collage for a young colleague who will be getting married in Jamaica next month. Can't show you that one yet, though- it's a secret!

Have a great day!

Leslie

Happy Mother's Day

2009-05-10T07:43:00.001-07:00

Butterfly Bouquet, originally uploaded by Rose Red Cottage.

I have been down with allergies and a sinus infection for three weeks, but I didn't want to miss an opportunity to wish my friends and family a Wonderful Mother's Day. I hope to be back to blogging soon.

Leslie

2009-04-26T07:32:00.000-07:00

Today is such a sunshiny day, I thought I'd shed a little light on one of my favorite rooms- my laundry room. I know, it's not a place I spend a great deal of time in, but it makes me smile every time I have to do chores. Why? Because I've filled it with fun red items and my favorite vintage tablecloths.

A large, distressed hutch holds my seasonal table linens and gives me some room for display. Here, I have a needlepoint cardinal and birdhouse, since I'm a St. Louis Cardinals fan. There's a strawberry chalk on the bottom shelf, too, and a fabric doll- more of my obsessions.

Here is the sewing corner of the room, although I really don't sew much. When I am working on a fabric collage, I pull my Singer to a table in the dining room so I have plenty of space to work.

Hanging on the wall next to the sewing table are my vintage tablecloths, many of them from my grandmother Mae's collection. I use a ladder-like hanger- don't know what it was originally, maybe part of a hay rack?- to show off the colors and patterns that inspire me.

The new cloth I found last Saturday is on the right, now cleaned up and ironed. Here's one more shot before I go. Hope you have a wonderful weekend- Go Cards!

Hats Off to Wonderful Daughters!

2009-04-21T17:11:00.000-07:00

My daughter is coming home tomorrow before her finals week at college, so I've been busy getting the "cottage" ready for her visit. I don't ever go into her room unless she's home, so I forget how pretty it is. Now that I've dusted and swept, I thought I'd show off her hats.

My mom got the collection started, I think, and mom even made the hat stands, which are white painted wood- round base and graduated top with holes drilled for a dowel. My daughter arranged them on top of her desk hutch, using hat boxes and a scarf for added interest.

I think she did a nice job, but I might be prejudiced. I hope you have fun with your daughters today.

Garage Sale Saturday

2009-04-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

What a great day! After checking the paper for garage sale listings, I headed out early to see what wonderful things I could find. This was my first garage sale day of the year, so I wasn't holding back. Here are just some of my treasures. The doll is a little worn, but she was too cute not to show off. I hope I can fix her pompoms. The red booties are hand crocheted, and the fruit table cloth was only $2. It's a little stained, but I'll soak it in Oxy Clean before adding to my collection.

I found several vintage children's books, including this cute one, The Critter Book, which shows how to create critters (and people, too) out of found objects. Here's a sample page that shows a horse made out of a toothbrush, a knight out of a mitten thumb, and a bird from an old badmitton game.

It always amazes me what people create with found items. I bought some embroidery, too, and a cute Dutch shoe- so colorful.

Can you tell why I was drawn to these items? Of course- they're all RED!! Have a wonderful weekend.

Bunco Bonus

2009-04-15T16:36:00.000-07:00

My Bunco group met last night. We've been together for 10 years now, and we have so much fun. Sometimes, like last night, we don't even play! So instead we roll the dice for prizes. My Bunco babes are such great shoppers. They always find the neatest home decor items. I won the second place prize and was delighted with this bird's nest basket. Here's a closeup of the eggs in the nest- so cute!
My friend Linda was the hostess last night. In addition to the great prizes, she had the most beautiful floral arrangement. It was a spring wreath laid flat with a moss bunny inside. I didn't have my camera, so the cell phone picture is a little fuzzy.

Today, I saw that Lindsay over at Living with Lindsay is blogging about using bunnies for home decor all year round. She has some great ideas and a wonderful collection. Guess I'll have to dig my bunnies out of storage. Since we were out of town last week, I never even decorated for Easter. Good night, friends.

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T05:15:00.001-07:00

Lilies from Havergal, originally uploaded by Rose Red Cottage.

Wishing you a Blessed Easter.

Disney Style

2009-04-11T06:22:00.000-07:00

At Disney this week, I couldn't help noticing all the creative displays on Main Street, like the Mickey cutout doilies that lined the window of the Sweete Shop.

Or the bird's nest used to showcase watches in the Jewelry Shop.

This was a shoe tree made literally of shoes- pink high heels stuffed with apothecary jars or flowers. Long, white ribbons adorned every other shoe.

Beautiful tapestry fabric in a gold frame was used as a background for coveted trading pins. I like how one pink ribbon is layered diagonally across the top.

Lots of ideas here. I think I'll look for a pretty frame to use for my own antique pins. Any ideas for you?

Hoop Dreams

2009-04-10T05:24:00.000-07:00

I saw an idea over at Stampington Studios and decided to try it myself. I used a textured red shirt that no longer fit me as the base, then layered a paper doily, scraps of red ticking, and a paper mailing label. Sewing all together with a zigzag stitch was the hardest part. (If you try this yourself, go slowly around the circle.) I painted a chipboard letter, stamped it with a scroll stamp, then tied it with a piece of string. I glued on buttons and a few curlicues, stamped the fabric with a Paris mailing stamp, then popped the entire thing into a thrifted emboidery hoop. The mailing label was a little shiny, so when I was done, I distressed it a bit.

So what do you think? Did I capture the flavor of the original? Stampington says this idea came from Audrey Hernandez. Thank you, Audrey, for your wonderful idea. Now I have the basics down, I can't wait to get creative.

Welcome, April!

2009-04-01T19:28:00.001-07:00

The daffodils are blooming in the garden, but the tulips and hyacinths have not yet made an appearance, so I bought a few hyacinths to put in my kitchen. I love their strong, fresh smell. The white ones are striking next to my new red toadstool from Target.

The red and white polka-dotted mushrooms always remind me of one of my children's favorite books:I just love the little hats the children wore. Think I'll have to order another copy of this book. Happy April Fool's, everyone!

Cottage Living

2009-03-30T19:57:00.001-07:00

Needlepoint Cottage, originally uploaded by Rose Red Cottage.

I used to live in a cottage in the woods in an historic town on the Mississippi River. It was our first home, and my children were raised there. We loved seeing bluebirds swoop across the meadow and turkeys march up the hill. Hiking along the creek or hunting for morells were favorite pastimes. One day, though, our cottage burned to the ground. We were all at work or school for the day, so no one was injured, but by the time the volunteer firefighters arrived from battling another blaze, we had lost the entire house and its contents.

I think my love for handmade and thrifted items began at that time, rising from the ashes of our lost possessions. My family was so blessed to receive love and support from our community after this tragedy, but it was the things that were irreplacable- the baby videos, my grandmother's doll, the christening gown my mother smocked by hand- that made me appreciate the things I do now.

In rebuilding our home (although not our house- we moved to a new life in a new town) I didn't want to buy all new things. So I bought a truck instead and started going to auctions and thrift stores to find things that had a history, a life. As a result, I discovered items that I could hold onto for a while, but knowing that someday they, too, would pass to other hands.

In the meantime, I thought I'd share them with you.

This is a wonderful quilt my mom made for us from friendship squares she had her guildmembers make. She gave it to us when we moved into our new home and it hangs on our kitchen wall.

This is a close-up of the square she made. It looks just like our cottage in the woods.

Welcome to My Cottage in the Woods

2009-03-07T10:43:00.000-08:00

In the Grimm Brothers' tale of Snow White and Rose Red, two sisters lived together in a cottage in the woods. When my daughter was growing up, this story became our favorite tale. I was Snow White, with blond hair and green eyes, and Molly was Rose Red, with strawberry locks. The cottage we lived in at the time was also inhabited by "bears"-our two boys, my husband and son. Even though my daughter is in her twenties now, the things we shared as giggly girls- books, crafts, dolls, music, flowers- are still my favorite things. Since my playmate has gone, I'd like to invite you to my Rosy Red home. We can share book illustrations, handmade projects, thrift store finds, and decorating tips. I look forward to making new friends.

1990-03-03T06:34:00.000-08:00

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