Colbycottage Happenings

February is right around the corner

2012-01-22T20:26:00.000-08:00

The rain and stormy weather has given us time to finish projects and begin new ones. As my hubby Marv is finishing jobs around the house that are highly overdue, I am working on Valentine items that will be filling in our spaces . We have also hit a few sales and found some fun old lovelies that we have put for sale.

Time for a complete makeover in the "Barn"

2012-01-06T22:55:00.000-08:00

We have taken down Christmas displays at the Monticello in Portland this week and now here locally at the "Barn". After boxing , toting , storing Christmas decor , we are now on to the starting the New Year out with a fresh new look. We have brought in some great new Cupboards and lots of fun new items to fill them with. We will be continuing setting up in the coming week but here are some quick pictures as we continue to set up. Have a Wonderful New Year and remember to find joy in all things!

Happy New Years!!

2011-12-31T23:45:00.000-08:00

The very end of our Christmas decorations ( I love my roses Deb!)
some gifts I loved

organizing my studio, Thanks Emma for folding my fabric

A great old cupboard I recently got for organizing in my studio

Goodbye to 2011 and welcome 2012. A big Thanks to all our customers we truly appreciate you.
We look forward to planning, organizing, and a fresh start on a new year. As with all years there are things we are so glad to put behind us. We anticipate newness and good things in the coming year and we hope the same for each and every one of you.

Baking time begins

2011-12-18T22:55:00.000-08:00

Now that our Christmas sales are all under way and things have slowed down a bit, its time to bake. I love all the fun homey things about this time of year. I only wish the season lasted longer. So The christmas music is on, we have baked, boxed, tagged and tied. Now the fun of delivering to all those special people that make our lives full.

The Christmas season gets off to a great start!

2011-12-10T23:20:00.000-08:00

We are so thankful to all of you that came out and braved the crowds at the opening of the Monticello s Christmas Show. The Show got off to a wonderful start and it was so fun to see people packing out their Holiday treasures. We were overwhelmed with the wonderful sales but have been restocking every couple days. I f you think there is nothing left to purchase, be assured there are loads of wonderful items being brought in daily by the venders. here are just a few pictures to show new items

Monticello Christmas Show.... Starts tomorrow

2011-12-01T12:08:00.000-08:00

We spent the yesterday setting up our area at the Monticello along with many other fabulous venders.
As I looked around I was amazed by the creativity and beautiful Christmas displays. This year will be magical so plan to show up early. Looks like it will sell fast!
I only had my phone camera so ill show a few pictures of our area. Please look at other blogs to see the amazing talent of others set up . My sister in law and brother (my shabby roses) did a fabulous job of setting up their area. It looks incredible.

Just a quick update and a Happy Thanksgiving to all.

2011-11-23T21:33:00.000-08:00

We are busily preparing for the Monticello Christmas Show in Portland. It is a fabulous show and hugely attended. We not only enjoy being part of this show but we love to shop it as well. This is the best display of Christmas anywhere on the west coast. (at least where I've been) It is a Magical experience to visit and see the many talented venders who participate. If you haven't been , you need to go.
I am finishing up several projects and have lots more to go. Here are a few quick photos and off to sew I go...

Christmas Open House in Coburg..Starts Tomorrow

2011-11-10T23:42:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas open house at Glory Days Antiques last weekend . Thankyou to all our great customers!! This weekend is the open house at The Antique Mall in Coburg. I have put in far to many late nights but it" tis the season". Crafting and coffee drinks sure go well together.

We got our area in Coburg all set up today and now its preparation for the Monticello Antique show next.
If you are in the area be sure and stop by Coburg this weekend. There are many wonderful Christmas treasures to be found.

Christmas Openhouse at the "Barn"

2011-11-03T22:55:00.000-07:00

We worked all week preparing for the Christmas Open house at the "Barn" area we have at Glory Days Antiques. The Open house Began today and goes through the weekend. We will be keeping our area stocked through Christmas so please come by when you're in the area.
There were lots of wonderful Christmas finds in shoppers baskets but it will be restocked throughout the weekend. Here are some pics of the Barn area

Annual trip to the pumpkin patch

2011-10-16T20:40:00.000-07:00

Every year we take a break on the third weekend of October to go to the farm and pick apples ,enjoy the sunshine, get pumpkins and just enjoy the beauty of Fall. Today was the day. We headed out to the same farm we have gone to for 15 year. As always they served fresh warm apple cobble and icecream. The tractor pulled us in the wagon all around the farm and we enjoyed one of the last beautiful warm days of fall. It was charming and delightful as always. What a pleasure family is and the simple things in life.

Loving this time of year

2011-10-03T15:42:00.000-07:00

I cant get over how much I have looked forward to Fall this year. I'm not sure why. Maybe change of seasons , somehow represents change in life. The coziness of winter is very enticing this year. And as we ease into winter I am much enjoying Fall.

Fall Time decor

2011-09-27T23:09:00.000-07:00

I never usually get to enthused with Fall decorating but this year I am really looking forward to Fall. I have started getting my crafting room ready to spend some time in there. I played around a bit with some items for the store today.

Feeling Like Fall

2011-09-19T20:17:00.000-07:00

Its still beautiful out and the sun is shining but I am realizing I'm in the mood for Fall. I just keep thinking of all these fun Fall activities like baking, sewing when its pouring outside ,visits to the Farms, and decorating of course.
Today I gave the Barn at Glory days a Fall makeover. I am loving hydrangeas and sedum this year. Along with some lovely white pumpkins.

Recovering from Coburg

2011-09-13T00:13:00.000-07:00

This was a last minute idea I wanted handy man to build, he wasn't thrilled at the idea of building it two days before the show, but we loved how it turned out but

my favorite customers!! because they brought my grand baby :)

Wow what a show! We got set up just in time for the hoards of shoppers. We set up a cottage display and had three spaces filled with goods. I am such a bad photographer that I totally forgot to take pictures. Here are just a couple we got. The sale was fabulous and we enjoyed the great customers and sunshine. Thanks to all who came out

Coburg Antique Show, Countdown time

2011-09-05T22:01:00.000-07:00

We are rapidly approaching the annual Coburg Antique Show. This wonderful one day show is one of the largest on the West Coast. There are 350 dealers, food booths Music and lots of fabulous finds. We have been venders there for the past 10 years but I must say it is torture-some to not shop this show. Normally my older daughters help so we can go out for small shopping breaks, this year however they have jobs of their own and won't be available. Guess that means we will sit tight and sell rather than buy.
This is a great show for dealers as there are thousands of people who save their money all year to spend here. We have been working hard preparing lots of fun new items. I dont have many photos , but I am loving some of our tables ,cupboards and other furniture pcs.
Make sure and save the date! This Sunday September 11, opens at 8 but the hard core come as early as 4 am.

We are entering the Industrial Age

2011-08-20T22:53:00.000-07:00

As you probably know The Industrial Style has hit with all its weight. I was slow to love this heavy and what seemed clunky style, although after gathering pieces of fabulously rusted iron I am truly beginning to love it. It has to be tastefully blended in with ones personal style .

As we prepare for Our Coburg sale , my Handyman , is putting together some awesome tables and blending together other iron stands and bases with planks of old wood to produce functional industrial home furnishings. The wonderful thing about the industrial style is its ability to withstand time. Every item is so incredibly durable and, I must add heavy

Preparing for the next big event --Coburg Antique Show

2011-08-17T21:35:00.000-07:00

This is our yard sometimes
This is our yard when preparing for a show

We have been working like crazy preparing for the annual Antique show that takes place in the sleepy little town of Coburg. This is a must if you love antiques. The show date is September 11, and the fun begins at about 5:00 am. The shoppers pour in with flashlights and by 8:00 am it is in full swing. Thousands of people from all over flock in for this event. We enjoy doing this show as it is a great social event as well as money maker.

An evening walk in our "little Urban Farm"

2011-08-01T23:37:00.001-07:00

One of our dogs, Jackson

My Gals who prefer the fence to their HenHouse, There are 14 total
Brand new babies

We live in town on just about an acre. Its tucked away and people are quite surprised when they see what all we have hidden in our little Urban Farm yard. First of all we love animals and Im not saying how many we have, just in-case someone might put us on one of those hoarding TV shows. We also have a good stash of building materials as well as other clutter. I was careful to not get piles of deb-re in the pictures. So here are a few of our furry and feathery friends

Tis the season, Blueberry season, that is

2011-07-30T23:07:00.000-07:00

I absolutely love picking berries. Any type of berry,but especially blueberries. Yesterday we went picking and quickly picked 60 lbs, yes my kids like to pick also.
This morning we started off our busy day with, you guessed, blueberry scones and devonshire cream. Oh how I love summertime!

Getting the new area filled with hardware and salvage materials

2011-07-28T22:43:00.000-07:00

Lots of Hardware
Lots of old windows

Old roofing tins

Vintage Industrial lights

We have a new Salvage area in Glory Days Antiques

2011-07-27T22:29:00.000-07:00

We have decided to part with some of our abundance of old hardware, doors, windows and various other architectural pcs. We moved things around and made room for a special area in the "Barn" at Glory Days Antiques in Springfield. if you're in the area stop by.

We just keep mixing business with pleasure

2011-07-18T22:56:00.000-07:00

One of our little trips to the coast
The finishing touch on the rental house

We have taken a few short trips in between working on getting a rental house on the market, strangely, we just keep finding wonderful treasures to bring home. It has been wonderful to mix family, fun and business, we have both store locations packed with great items.

Lots of amazing finds this weekend!

2011-07-03T22:30:00.000-07:00

Where will I store all this? We had a great weekend hunting for wonderful finds but now what?
We are taking time out to go camping and this is our driveway right now. Oh what am I to do. I love all the old metal and I was clearly on a roll when it comes to great old metal wheels. We will stuff it all somewhere , Go camping, then clean it up and off to sell it goes.
Have a lovely Forth of July tomorrow!

Time out for Parties

2011-07-01T22:40:00.001-07:00

Last night we celebrated our granddaughter Lilly's Birthday. She is adorable and all girl. Her Mama loves this and thoroughly enjoys all handmade and pretty things. I usually try to make a gift , knowing that Lillys mom will appreciate the thought. Here is the little beach bag and Bloomers that were included in the gift. Lilly loves bloomers ,as they are comfortable and cool.

New items at Coburg

2011-06-28T14:21:00.000-07:00

We are bringing in lots of new items at the Coburg location. Things are selling and we are frequently changing the displays. How about some fun old lockers, or a neat old ringer to display in the laundry room. Come by and check out the new items.

our new space in Coburg

2011-06-22T08:27:00.001-07:00

Some pictures from our space in Coburg

2011-06-22T08:15:00.000-07:00

We are continuing to set up an area in Coburg in the Coburg Antique mall. Such a charming little town and so close to Eugene.

In Honor of my Incredible Dad on Fathers Day

2011-06-19T22:27:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated Fathers day with a barbeque in our backyard with lots of family. It was a lovely sunny afternoon and there is nothing I like better than being with Family. I sat there thinking what a blessing my Dad has been all these years ,always there for me and always upbeat and positive no matter what life brings. He knows how to enjoy life but also knows what is important in this life. He has enriched all of our lives that have been fortunate enough to be related to him.

Another great weekend for treasure hunting

2011-06-11T22:57:00.000-07:00

A pan of metal advertizement labels
A wonderful garden table with great lines
A variety of old chairs and rockers, several not shown

We have been frantically working on getting a house on the market to sell . We have been painting, fixing ,cleaning and giving the yard a makeover. All this to say, we were in need of a diversion this morning so got up early and headed to a couple of country sales. Here are a few pictures of our finds

Treasures abound

2011-06-10T22:32:00.000-07:00

We are continually filling the new space we have in Coburg. It is a charming town full of antiques. Our booth at the Antique Mall is full of what we consider Urban Farm Style. That would be comfortable,usable and decorative ,one of a kind items.There are many Garden items perfect for patio decorating. If you are in the area please stop by.

Sunshine and great sales

2011-06-05T20:36:00.000-07:00

A wonderful old Gate from Poland
a group picture of some of our goods
even Playmobils
lots of room for bartering

Yesterday was an incredibly fun and productive day. Here in Eugene there is an area that has a huge community sale. There are a couple hundred homes that take part in this sale. It has become so popular that there huge amounts of people that come from all over to shop these sales. We live close so go and walk miles browsing through the sales. We scored at several sales finding a variety of treasures.
We also found a stack of great jeans for the Mr. , a camera for daughter Emma and a awesome new fridge.

Welcome Summer

2011-06-03T23:16:00.000-07:00

All this rain has provided me lots of time to sew and gather. Gather up treasures that is.
I am continuing to fill the new space in Coburg. This is such a sweet little town and I so much enjoy just going out there. Remember to pull off the freeway if you are in the area, you wont regret,there are many lovely antique stores.

New Ventures

2011-05-20T19:52:00.000-07:00

Along with the "Barn" in the back of Glorydays in Springfield, we are opening another venue in Coburg. This is a quaint little antique filled town. There are several wonderful Antique stores and we will be opening a space in the Coburg Antique mall. This will be a fun spot as we are mostly filling it with what I will describe as an Urban Farmhouse look. Lots of Industrial metal items,burlap decor, linen ,natural fibers, stoneware, vintage iron decor,garden , and a variety of other goods. If you are heading up or down 1-5, please stop by and enjoy a fun shopping experience.

Spring Sale at Twig

2011-04-01T19:44:00.000-07:00

After a wonderful trip to Texas to see my son graduate from medic school in the military, I hustled home to set up for the Spring sale at our store in Springfield, If you get the chance stop by, there are lots of fun spring items . Our store is located inside Glorydays Antiques, at 21st and Main in Springfield.

A new start to a new year!

2011-02-04T16:53:00.000-08:00

After much frustration about my currant state of disorder , I finally decided to tackle a huge job and organize my craft room. Actually I moved craft rooms so really I am putting order to two areas at the same time. My crafting studio was outside in a separate little building that I love but it was very cold and disconnected from the family. I decided to move inside and try to clear out and consolidate all at the same time. Wow what a job!! We had a huge sale which helped immensely and I have thrown a fair amount of clutter out. All this to say that is where Ive been for the last four weeks, buried in my own mess. But what a great feeling to put some order to my life and have a cozy studio to start creating in. The goal....a place for each item and and complete order

Wrapping up 2010

2010-12-28T23:14:00.000-08:00

To late to wish all a Merry Christmas , but how about a happy New Year! We had a lovely Christmas with both family celebrations and friend celebrations. What a sad thought to take down the trees, put away the decorations and go back to regular music on the radio. I love Christmas and longingly look forward to next year. A few looks back..

Still more to be thankful for

2010-12-04T19:15:00.000-08:00

Its past Thanksgiving but we have much to be thankful for this week. My children, Myself ,and our young friend survived a car wreck that could have easily taken our lives. We were hit by a driver that went through a stop sign at 55 and sent us into a spin that took out a light pole, lg tree and left us in a tree orchard. Jaws of life were used to get us out. We are very sore but back to crafting and setting up the new business. Seems there are always surprises that keep us knowing what is truly important in this life.
The new store is up and running and filled with gift items and holiday decor for the home. Please stop by and check it out when you are in the Eugene area. Store is locatewd in the Barn at Glory- days Antiques in Springfield.

With Thankful Hearts

2010-11-24T20:52:00.000-08:00

While cleaning up the house from piles of fabric and sewing scraps, I reflect on the things I am Thankful for; A healthy body, wonderful children, a caring husband, faithful friends, a warm house and a God who has blessed us fully and continues to restore. This has been a tough year in many ways and with out going into details, I have much to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Blending business with pleasure

2010-11-12T23:02:00.000-08:00

Today was the start of a new venture. My friend Kimberly and I have talked and dreamed of how we would love to find a store that was full of things we love, the kind of place that has usable , lovely items made from natural fabrics, European linens, wonderful scented items like soaps and potpourris. And of course displayed in wonderful old cupboards . You probably guessed, we have decided to open our own business, 1000 sq feet, located in the back of an already established antique mall. The best thing is we don't have to be there all the time. The wonderful ladies that own the store do the selling and we just get to fill it with all the things we love. Today was the first day and we will be restocking daily. If you get a chance come by and visit.

Fall has arrived

2010-10-02T23:00:00.000-07:00

I haven't posted in ages as life has been so very busy. On my last post we were spur of the moment ripping out the carpet and laying wood floors. This of course had a snow ball affect and caused me to start cleaning, sorting and redoing other areas as well. I ended up selling most of my furniture and gathering new pcs which I like much better. The closing of our store also created an avalanche of items to deal with. After several sales and goodwill trips, I am finally closing in on that chapter.

Back after a long blogging break

2010-08-08T22:42:00.000-07:00

My kids helped with the ripping out of the yucky carpet
even grandbaby Maya
created a huge yardsale
My kitchen piled up high with mess

This has been a year that has stretched me in ways I didn't know were possible. I Took on an Antique store/Tea house last September, went through some intensely hard family issues and am giving up the store after a year to be home with my family.This will be my last week running the store and then the task of clearing it out and cleaning out the building awaits. All that to say blogging has been way down on the list of priorities. There is a light at the end of this tunnel. As dim as it still seems. I am looking forward to being creative again. Looking forward to quality time with my family,appreciating the people in my life that have been rocks through a very hard season of my life. You know who you are-Thanks!!!
Preparing for the store /closing sale started a snowball affect in our home. We decided to part with lots of furniture pcs we didn't really love and switch out for new (to us) pieces. After moving out pretty much all our furniture, it seemed like the perfect time to rip out our atrocious dirty carpeting. We have had a pile of pine flooring sitting in our shop for five years just waiting to be put in . We decided to spur-of-the moment do it. Wow what a difference. I stayed up late and stained it and I love it! Just wish it were through out the whole house.

A Fun Garden show in Brownsville

2010-05-04T21:40:00.000-07:00

We have had the pleasure of putting some of our goods in a fun Garden sale at the Ata Vista Farm in Brownsville. This wonderful historic Estate is A fabulous place just to view. It is immaculately cared for having been built in the 1870s. If you have a chance to go for a country drive this week, the sale goes through the weekend. There are some really beautiful handcrafted and vintage items for sale. here are a few items we brought up.

This Week is Our Garden Sale!

2010-04-10T11:34:00.000-07:00

Colby Cottage welcomes you to our Spring Garden Sale! This week is the week, weather permitting, we will be opening up the outdoor garden yard and filling it with statuary, birdhouses, arbors, and various other garden decor and flowers. The sale starts Friday, April 16th at 10:00 am. We will be serving treats and lemonade and you may also be welcome to order tea or coffee drinks! Please join us and hope for lots of sunshine!

That's right, we even have blueberries!

Feel free to stay a while and have a cup of tea!

Our living room gets a"Goodwill" makeover

2010-03-09T22:01:00.000-08:00

It all started with finding a (new to us) couch at Goodwill.This replaced a pitiful couch that we got at a garage sale for 18.00 last summer. Long story, but we sold our other couch on craigslist thinking we were getting a different one. The dream couch we thought we were getting fell through and we were stuck finding whatever we could to sit on. The new couch is leather and a good color for our large family who like to get dirty. However it had issues. I had to do a major repair job underneath before we could use it, thus the 145.00 price
Somehow the couch clashed severely with our lemon yellow -suppose to be cream wall paint. I have hated it for three years. I decided a gallon of paint was a good investment so we chose a putty color. I love it!!!.
Next hideous curtains must go... Found some long creamy linen ones and they are awesome. Notice the curtain rod and glass knobs. This was re-purposing from stuff out in our workshop. I'm on a tight budget and I quite liked how they turned out.
Last a large coffee table fresh from Goodwill today finished off the new look.

Thought I'd share a little secret

2010-02-06T22:45:00.000-08:00

Yes I'm back at the Monticello in Portland. I just couldn't stay away! The gals oops, and guy (sorry Hunter)that work there, are so incredibly great and I really missed everyone. Anyway to make a long story short I'm back again as of this week. Thankyou Joyce and Kelly for having me:).
As you can see my space is smaller than the last but as usual, I was able to pack in alot. My whole life is a bit cluttered right now so it fits right in. I had fun putting the background up in the booth ,thinking I would come really prepared, I arrived with four drills, all of which proved to have dead batteries within about five minutes. Such as is my life as of late. Oh well finally got it together and built character while in the process.

In the midst of change some things stay the same

2010-01-09T20:53:00.000-08:00

One of those things is the quick passing of time. It continues to pass ever so quickly and here we are in a new year and I was just getting use to writing 2009. I have gone through some big changes around here recently and time has been precious. Blogging has not been priority but I did want to mention how much I am honored to be again at the Monticello Antique Market this month . I am in the front window and of course it is nearly impossible to get good pictures through a window, but here is my attempt. As always this is a wonderful store and ever changing .Try and stop by as there are lots of wonderful items.

A Quick trip to Portland to restock

2009-12-09T21:33:00.000-08:00

The sale at the Monticello in Portland is going fabulous. All the venders have done an outstanding job of displaying their holiday treasures. The shopping mob hit and left things a bit scrambled over the weekend. I was able to get away for the day on Tuesday with my favorite 10 year-old, we packed our space full. It was a great day as we spent the rest of the day together. It is our tradition that each kid gets a "special day" with Mom in the weeks before Christmas. They choose what we do and plan out the entire day. Thankfully Caden wanted to visit The Monticello on his day. Worked out well for both of us.

Winter Wonderland at the Monticello

2009-12-03T20:20:00.000-08:00

This weekend is the start of the most wonderful Christmas show at the Monticello in Portland. We are doing a small scale area this year due to the duties of owning a store this year. I encourage all of you to stop by if you get up to Portland it is truly wonderful. Besides being the most awesome antique store in Portland, the help there is amazing and I am honored to be part of the show again this year.

A Happy Thanksgiving to all!

2009-11-26T11:32:00.000-08:00

Just wanted to wish everyone a happy Thanksgiving. There is so much We have to be Thankful for. I am thankful for my family,our health, and our overabundance that we take for granted in this country. I am also thankful for our Savior as we enter into this holiday season that we celebrate in so many different ways. Have a blessed day as you share it with family and friends.

2009-11-20T08:41:00.000-08:00

We are offering a very special Christmas Tea. This will be held Sunday December 6th, starting at 2:00 pm. The store will be closed to the public that day and tables will be nestled in throughout the store. There will be a special seasonal menu and candle light settings. Please make your reservation early as seating will be limited to the amount we can gracefully entertain. The guests are welcome to linger and shop while visiting. price for the tea will be 18.50 per person. Call 541-688-3900 for reservations.

Some new finds

2009-10-29T19:51:00.000-07:00

Come celebrate with us!

Yesterday I found a few fun items and thought I'd post some pictures. We'll be bringing in lots of Christmas items in the next few weeks. Be sure and check in soon.
Remember the store will close for a couple days (Nov.10th and 11th,) as we transform it into Christmas wonderland. The Early shopping night begins November 12th at 4:00-8:00. Then the fun begins Friday morning November 13, see you then!

Overwelming response to the wreaths!

2009-10-27T17:21:00.000-07:00

Thankyou for the kind comments in response to our car wreck. Its another week and we are all getting back to normal. The injured young man is still in the hospital and we are there for him if he needs us. Our Rosehip weekend has been great and we have had many calls from all over in response to the wreaths. For those of you wondering if we will ship them ~Yes we will!!! We have looked into the shipping and have sent off some already. You may contact the store either by E-mail or by phone. The store # Is 541-688-3900. The shipping amount varies of course as to where you are located but it is somewhere between 10-13.00 $. The price of the wreaths are 32.00. Thanks and if there is any thing else you wonder about in the pictures we post we will ship. Thanks Kathy

This has been a hard week

2009-10-24T21:56:00.000-07:00

I believe there is a reason for everything.Tonight I went to the hospital to visit an 18 yearold boy. Earlier this week we were in a horrible car accident. We were driving home from a meeting on the expressway going 55. All the sudden I saw a group of people in the road, there was no way of avoiding it, we hit an 18 yearold homeless person. I was in the passenger seat as he crashed into the windshield hitting into my head. I had a mouthful of glass and glass all over me,and was sure the boy was dead. Miraculously he survived being hit at 55 and is recovering at the hospital. I was shook up but concerned about the other four kids with him. I took them to the hospital to see their friend, it has left me a bit haunted with the sight and although this has been a hectic week I felt I should go and visit the boy and let him know I care and am thankful his life was spared. He was surprised by the visit and very grateful that we cared. I looked at him and thought, he is just a boy and he could be my boy.I am so thankful God chose to let him live and I hope that somehow we can make a difference in his life.

our annual trip to the pumpkin patch

2009-10-11T22:20:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is about going to the pumpkin patch but I love it! I look forward to it every year. It is always a good excuse to take pictures of my kids and I get mighty few of those these days. I love the colors and I guess I am just a fall type of person. As usual it was fun.

Trying to fit in time to create

2009-09-30T23:22:00.000-07:00

I'm struggling a bit with finding time to create. The time commitment of owning a store has kind of spooked me. I am still trying to juggle all things ,store,school, life, and find my time to create. I think it is a matter of time and getting use to new responsibilities. Hopefully all with fall into place. The store is going nicely and we have wonderful customers.I'm dreaming up fall things, hoping to fill the store with warm, fall enchantment.

We Found some perfect treasures for the shop!

2009-09-22T19:22:00.001-07:00

What a find! While I should have been tending shop Saturday, I left the young helpers in charge and I ran over to a sale.A friend had called and tipped me to a sale that she thought had "that kind of stuff I like", well turned out we got an enormous amount of new old stock restaurant-ware. The beauty of it is, its from the 50's,packed in hay and wonderful colors. I do love it!! I am selling alot and keeping an amount for the store.I've been washing piles of dishes:)

Aarons way of watching the store for a moment

2009-09-10T22:29:00.000-07:00

oh to be young

notice the new green trim color

I can hardly believe how the days are flying by. We are busily preparing for the opening of our store. I have spent many hours scrubbing,painting,unpacking boxes and now the actual setup. Yeah we are making progress. In the mean time, I leave the store with my very capable teenagers in charge and I return to see the fiddler on the roof. Oh to be young and stress free :)

A Beautiful wedding

2009-09-02T07:58:00.000-07:00

Brides bouquet w/ Grandma( my mom)

Gracie helping set up

We survived the weekend!! We had a beautiful outdoor wedding this last weekend for our oldest daughter Julie. She is a farm girl at heart and keeping that in mind we decorated a lovely outdoor setting with a very country ,farm theme. She looked absolutely stunning in her knee length, brushed silk dress and cowgirl boots. I being not so clever with a camera didn't get many pictures but will share some of the few I took. The photagrapher got some great ones that I will post soon.

A busy week with wedding setup and store preperations

2009-08-25T20:11:00.000-07:00

Time to put on our aprons, there's work to be done

treasures ready for the new store

fun finds from the weekend

This week is a really busy one. We are preparing for our oldest daughters wedding.The wedding will be held outdoors at her in-laws home in the country on Saturday. We are having fun setting up with all the outdoor vintage decor that I have collected for years. I am really pleased that she likes that look also. Makes it really fun to decorate. She is planning on a country style decor., with burlap table coverings,old blue glass jars, lots of flowers,and lots of fun signs from old wood.~
On another note, we are preparing display items and getting lots of fun vintage pcs ready for the big move into the new store.We will be moving out of the Monticello August 30th :( and into the new store as soon as the paint dries :)

A new shop Blog!

2009-08-19T22:57:00.000-07:00

New business cards

Well I am really at the" I'm not sure what to do next stage". There are so many things I need to get done before opening the new store and its hard to decide if it should be painting, moving items, planning out details, pricing goods,etc. , to many choices and to little time. One thing was decided and that is that the shop should have its own separate blog. This blog will be used for shop updates , open houses, special shopping times and general information.The Colbycottage store blog will give store hours and a schedule of tea times available. Of course we will begin with sneak previews of some of the items you will find at the store.

Setting up the Garden area

2009-08-12T21:53:00.000-07:00

We have been busily working in the courtyard of the new store. It has really been fun and we are seeing it change before our eyes. The House is wonderful and full of character. We will do some painting inside after the venders move everything out. For now we are doing yard work and preparing a cozy place to enjoy coffee or tea with friends or maybe a tea party- shower, or group meeting . I am also learning how to make and serve various tea menus along with all the other things that go along with running a new business. We are shooting for opening the middle of September. Hope to see many of you soon.

An unbelievable opportunity comes along!

2009-08-01T21:28:00.000-07:00

Maya says Go for it Grandma!

I can hardly believe all that has happened in one week. We are doing something that I always said I'd never do.( run a store) Yes that's right, for those of you that know me, we are actually starting a totally new venture. Last week we had an entirely different venture in mind and I seriously prayed for the doors to either open or shut, well they clearly closed and I was a bit disappointed, hardly knowing that an entirely different situation would come along the next day. Wow what a week! We have been given an opportunity to open our own store /Tea house by a wonderful lady who is closing down her successful antique shop. We will be setting up a cottage garden in the back to host Tea parties, showers,etc. We will be filling the historical house to the brim with Antiques , home and garden decor, and various other treasures. We are also adding a coffee bistro and will cater to all customers whether it be High Tea or Mochas that they'd like. We have lots to do as the goal is to open by the middle of September.

A Family affair with sheep 4-H

2009-07-16T21:41:00.000-07:00

This is the week my kids have waited and worked hard for. It is the week that they show their sheep at the 4-H fair. My oldest daughter and her soon to be husband take charge and assist the younger kids with their sheep that they raise from lambs and then carefully groom to be show lamb quality. It is much more involved than one would think. We spend all day at the fairgrounds as they show in many classes. It is really exciting and so far they have done really well with many blue ribbons. At the end of the fair, the sheep are auctioned off and it turns out to be a really productive way to earn money.

A short break with my sweet daughter

2009-07-12T19:59:00.000-07:00

The beautiful southern Oregon coast

My Youngest daughter Sarah

After spending several weeks working on various projects and doing the usual finding and selling of antiques, along with the business of a large active family, I needed a short break. The older kids couln't come along because they are preparing for sheep 4-h this week so I decided to take my youngest child on a special tiny trip. We went down to Goldbeach which is the area I grew up in. We went to the small county fair, saw a rodeo, played on the beach, went to Prehistoric gardens (owned by my friend)and spent time with family and friends. Thanks Nancy!!! I also put some items in a very sweet store in Brookings called "Feather your nest" Hi gals I enjoyed meeting you :) The trip was so special because I got to spend quality time with my special little gal and what fun we had.

Window Display at the Monticello Antique store

2009-07-01T21:27:00.000-07:00

view through the window

table of goodies from the wedding shower

Today Husband Marv and I headed towards Portland early as we were asked to do the window display area for the Monticello during the month of July. As today was July 1st, this was move-in day. I decided to go with a Garden Party theme as this is the season. We also just hosted a wedding shower in our yard and the decorations were the inspiration for the front window.Here are some pictures taken through glass looking in.

Overflowing with treasures!

2009-06-22T22:15:00.000-07:00

I'm having fun making crowns ~ all sizes and shapes

I love pincushions, these are inspired by a really old one I found

We had a really productive weekend as far as sales were concerned. We gathered some great cupboards and industrial type vintage furnishings that came out of an old school. I haven't got pictures yet as we are seriously in a running out of space situation. We have things stacked up and under and still have a truck full to deal with. I took a few pictures of some of the smalls I found and some of the things I have been working on in my studio today.

A proud Mom Moment

2009-06-16T23:06:00.000-07:00

I should be posting about great finds and what I'm creating out in my studio but I just have to say how incredibly proud I am of my kids. Three of them have taken band classes this year at a private Christian academy.They all had concerts this last week which were absolutely awesome. Aaron my 17 yearold, got talked into playing the tuba as it was desperately needed for the band. He couldn't read a note of music at the beginning of the year but somehow climbed to the highest band and played in the symphonic band most of the year. This band has taken state so many times they aren't allowed to compete any more. The concert was wonderful and at the end he was presented player of the year award. Quite an honor as only one kid gets picked each year. Yeah Aaron!!

Friday morning finds

2009-05-29T22:07:00.000-07:00

I found a really neat old dress form this morning, The violin is a very old one and I will have to research it a bit to find out its value

These dominoes are the old ones with the brass brad in the center

some very old tiny books and compacts

We went out for a brief garage sale drive this morning. I didn't want to be gone long as I am putting in a garden today. Not a big deal except for the fact that we had to rototill an area and then haul good dirt way into the back yard. Any way I actually found a few fun things even in a very short amount of time.

Yard favorites and A new friend for Grace

2009-05-25T22:26:00.000-07:00

old metal chairs

A vintage concrete fountain

My favorite iron patio set

A very weathered birdbath

Grace and Jackson

As usual we spent Memorial Day with family and friends. We had a wonderful barbecue and enjoyed family and fun. Yesterday, daughter Grace found a dog on Craigslist and convinced me to take her to Albany to take a look. Well as you can see by the picture "Jackson" and Grace got along so well he decided to come home with her . Whats one more pet anyway. After all we only have two other dogs, two cats, three bunnies, 15 chickens and a house full of kids. Oh yes and fish. So as I took some pictures of Grace and her new buddy I also wandered and snapped some of my yard favorites.

I Love chickens!!

2009-05-23T22:34:00.000-07:00

13 chickies

Hubby Marv rigs up the coop to the tractor

The little gals are having a hen party

One little known fact about me is that I love chickens. After hinting to hubby Marv for a few years he finally gave in and decided to build a chicken coop. As with everything he builds it had to be very sturdy,well-built and functional. I absolutely love how it turned out. Getting it out of our shop turned out to be a bit tricky but as usual he managed quite nicely. We let the kids pick out thirteen ckicks and they are so cute!

A Garden cottage for Anne

2009-05-16T22:19:00.000-07:00

Anne and Marvin by their new Garden cottage

My Marv adding the finishing touches

Special request for old metal roofing

This is an early on picture,We assemble the sections at our home and then deliver and set up

We have a sweet friend Anne that has wanted a garden cottage for some time. Today we had a great time setting up the cottage she purchased and got to share her joy as she saw her cottage evolve. Her excitement was priceless :)

Happy Mothers Day!

2009-05-10T22:20:00.000-07:00

Emma looking not overly thrilled to have a picture taken

Sarah keeps forgetting to look at the camera

Maya just wants to play

Happy Mothers Day To Mama

Hope everyone had a wonderful Mothers day. We were up late last night helping clean up a huge garage sale that was a fund raiser we were involved with. I then came home to prepare Mothers Day dinner for our gang. All that to say I got not much sleep and started off the day a bit groggy. We went to church and then had a yummy barbeque ribs dinner. I wish I'd have taken a picture. They looked as good as they tasted and were quickly devoured. I usually try to talk my kids into a few pictures for mom on Mothers Day. Has anyone tried to get a good picture of 9 kids at the same time. I am an awful photographer anyway. I just won't take the time to sit still and learn how to take decent picture. I always love the pictures and its all about memories anyway. As you can see not everyone was cooperating :)

Aaron runs the Eugene Marathon

2009-05-03T17:58:00.000-07:00

Aaron right after the finish line

Big sister "Kookie" is so proud of Aaron

Our awesome friends Lisa and Dustin

We are so proud of you Aaron!!

Our 17 year old son decided to run the Eugene marathon not to long ago and has been training the last few weeks. I was a bit concerned about the distance and his strong pain threshold, knowing he wouldn't give up even if he was in tough shape. Well he amazed me and did a fantastic job.Hubby Marv and I went to the 23 mile point to cheer Aaron on and I must admit it was hard for me to watch him as I knew this must be grueling. He was fortunate to have some wonderful friends of ours that are distance runners run along with him to pace him. All this to say he made it and we are so proud, what an incredible feat.

May 2nd a date that is both happy and sad

2009-05-01T20:56:00.000-07:00

This is a picture of my mom in her twenties
isn't she pretty

The picture below is after the gang jumped in the pool :)

May 2nd for me is both happy and sad. Tomorrow is the birthday of our youngest child. She has been a pleasure from day one. However it is also the day I lost my mom 3 years ago to pancreatic cancer. I am so fortunate to have had a wonderful, godly, intelligent,wise,extremely committed and solid mother. My mom was all black and white with no gray area. She new what she believed and she new what expectations she had of people. I really didn't know how much I admired my mom until she was diagnosed with cancer. Wow how stoic she was. She never complained, and her time left was all about those she was leaving, not herself. She had an incredible attitude about death and was confident of where she was going. I have missed her terribly and as Mothers day approaches I am so thankful for the wonderful mom I have had.
Tomorrow is also sweet Sarah's birthday so we celebrated today with a party in the potting shed. We had a great group of girls that eventually ended up in the pool (filled with last years water,ugh!) They did have a ball!

My wonderful finds

2009-04-26T21:02:00.000-07:00

Ok so I'm feeling alittle sheepish about my favorite find this weekend at the garden show. I kept hearing people ask if they knew who got the such and such. Well the such and such I had no idea was so well known and I just noticed it was so cute and then thought wow it is so different and well my husband said you better buy it if you like it so much and all this at least 20 minutes after the show started. So just to clarify this was no early sneaky purchase. Yes the cute pink pig is now in Eugene and we love it .Thanks Sue !! And heare are a couple other fun things I found.

Wow what a Garden Show !

2009-04-21T21:51:00.000-07:00

We may have bit off more than we can chew, We sold our garden cottage at the Monticello right before the Spring show so Marv worked so hard to have another one ready. Yeah! he got it finished just in the nick of time and we left Eugene at 6 am to set it up. We were back in Eugene to frantically pack up the vehicles to head back up this morning early. I spent the day setting up and was amazed at all the beautiful treasure and lovely venders. I got to see Auntie Joy," A day in the life", Sister in law Debbie "My Shabby Roses" Lynn (No blog),Donna and Dianna "Annie, Fannie and Abigail Art Studio", Martha "Vintage Trifles",and Diane/ Molly Mo "Molly Mo's", and Judy across from me. And now its back to Eugene to pack up for the Garden and Antique show we are setting up in Coburge which starts Thursday at 4;00. And remember the Monticello in Portland starts Friday at 10 am.

Preparing for Spring sales

2009-04-07T22:24:00.000-07:00

Wow i am kinda starting to feel a bit of pressure as we are doing 2 Spring Garden shows, in two weeks. Wouldn't be a big deal but they are both the same weekend and two hours apart. One in Portland at the Monticello and one in the Quaint town of Coburg,known for it wonderful antiques. This seems to be the story of my life living always a bit on the edge. I seem to produce well under pressure. When the time crunch hits, I also seem to do weird things like make cookies, and various other tasks that make those around me wonder if I will get focused and pull things off in time for the deadline. I usually do, just not in an overly orderly way. The show in Coburg is sponsered by a wonderful store called Primrose Lane. It will beheld in 2 large older buildings and include various other venders. There is a food area and also an exspresso bar (which my daughter Grace will be running and believe me she makes great coffee drinks) .If you are up for a drive come and check it out. Thursday the 23, 4-8
Friday the 24, 10-6
Saterday 25, 10-4

A much needed break

2009-03-26T23:42:00.000-07:00

Our family had a great opportunity to stay a couple nights in a wonderful house by the river for free. It was so much fun!!! We took a couple teenage friends along to pal around with our teenagers and our older girls both visited while we were there. We had our little grandbaby Maya with us and boy did she love getting dirty and playing in the sand. It was so nice to get away from the phone, paperwork , schedules,etc. We went into the little coast town nearby and found some pretty fun antique stores. Hopefully I will post some pictures of a few finds in the next couple days.

A bit of Nesting

2009-03-20T13:45:00.000-07:00

I finally had a little time to start some Easter projects' I made some little candy baskets along with several fluffed up birds nests. I love adding little bits of ribbon,lace,glass glitter, millinery,and whatever else I find scattered on my work table. I tend to be really messy when crafting as I have to have everything scattered in front of me. I should take some pics of my work cottage. I love it but it is incredibly messy. My daughter in law says it is totally inspiring (bless her) to just be inside but my daughters say it looks like a bomb went off with glittery debris everywhere.
I loaded up my booth at the Monticello yesterday with some of the finished goodies ,if you are in the area be sure and stop by as usual there are lots of great booths brimming with treasures.

Looking forward to some crafting

2009-03-12T17:26:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Gracie!!!

This has been a doozy of a week and I truly am looking forward to the weekend and possibly a little creative time. Tomorrow one of my daughters is turning 15. Wow the years sure fly by. We are opting for a quiet family party. I am trying to come up with some Easter projects for my next run to the Monticello. I'm not feeling overly creative as there has been a bit of stress surrounding us. Hopefully the ideas will come. Have a lovely weekend.

A good mix of fun and work

2009-03-05T19:41:00.000-08:00

This week my my two youngest girl pals and I headed to the Monticello knowing we had our work cut out.Two large pieces of furniture had sold and both were filled with small stuff which of course was stuffed everywhere. Such is the case when you live to hours from the store that your booth is in. Many days it is a speedy trip up just to keep things off the floor and looking tidy. I never complain about the large sales :)
We are now back to normal with no baby bummer lambs in the kitchen. I must say as much as I enjoy them there is a nice feeling about not getting up twice a night for bottle feedings.

New treasures for the Monticello

2009-02-17T20:59:00.000-08:00

Today my plan was to run up to Portland and restock my booth as fast as possible. However my 9 year-old son Caden had a plan of joining me and making a special day of it. His plan sounded better so he and I headed off to Portland bringing lots of new "Old" treasures to restock and re-fluff our booth at the Monticello. Caden is a fun little guy to spend the day with so we had a great day.Here are a few shots he took of our booth. The little boxes are filled with tiny treasures that a person can buy to create with.

colds, flues, and some "I love yous"

2009-02-10T22:28:00.000-08:00

We are usually a very healthy family but somehow we have really been hit this year. We have had a variety of sickness and other issues lately. In the midst of it all I have done a bit of Valentine creating along with working on finishing some projects around our house. We have done a bit of remodeling in our kitchen that has made a great improvement for very little investment. Amazing what some tools and paint can do to change things. Every one thinks we enlarged the kitchen when really we just relocated a cupboard and opened things up a little. It made a great improvement for the cook :) . My husband also added made me roll out drawers for all the cupboards what a great addition that is .

Awards

2009-01-20T18:08:00.000-08:00

I am so shocked and honored that Sue from Bella Shabby would think to give me these following awards. I am simply not the award type, and have hardly ever received an award for anything, let alone an honorable award that so many people should see. Thanks so much Sue, your a sweetheart.

This is the intent of the award that is passed on:
"These blogs believe and invest in PROXIMITY - nearness in space, time, and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers, who must choose eight more and include this cleverly written text into the body of their awards."

What this award is about...
Bloggers who show great attitude and gratitude.
What you have to do...
Upon receiving The Lemonade Award, you also pass it on to other bloggers who you think show great attitude and gratitude.
Here are the rules:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 8 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.

I would like to say that it has been amazing how many wonderful and encouraging friends I have met since discovering the blog world that I had no idea even existed!
There were so many choices but here's my list to be Doubly awarded!
Sorry I have to cut this off at 7 as my son just had to leave and I don't know how to link by myself :)

Cottage of Memories
Christmas River
Miss Gracies House
A day in the Life
Little Beach Designs
Iris
The Hearts of Hartmann

Valentine ideas

2009-01-15T22:31:00.000-08:00

Ive been creating some Valentine lovelies the last day or two, in between the usual daily duties. I don't usually do much in the way of creating right after Christmas but this will be our first February in our place in the Monticello so i thought I'd get going on a few ideas. We are also doing a slight remodel in our kitchen,changing some cupboards around and painting. The idea is to make my space more functional .This of course will include more organizing, sorting and parting with "stuff".I have to keep on the roll while I'm inspired.

The new year starts out with a bang, or rather, some "Bling''

2009-01-10T20:58:00.000-08:00

Well we never are lacking for excitement around here. In fact each and every day is full with new events in a large family. This week our oldest daughter Julie, got engaged. Her boyfriend Tyler is a great guy and sure seems to be a good fit for Julie. They both love animals and are especially into sheep. They both are completely adored by all of the younger siblings and they do a great job of including them in their lives. They have both been extremely involved in helping the younger kids with 4-H. This week also happened to be the start of lambing season. Tonight we went out to greet the first baby lamb of the season. All the kids are anxious to get a lamb picked out for 4-h to start working with. I am so thankful for my kids,they truly bring me so much joy!! Congratulations Julie and Tyler!

Bringing in the New Year

2009-01-01T15:47:00.000-08:00

We had a great New Years Eve. We went to our Friends house which is a tradition and ate lots and lots of goodies and and played some awesome games. They have a large family also so there was truly a houseful. We reminisced about the previous year and talked about hopes for the coming year. Happy New year!!!

Looking forward to a great year!

2008-12-30T15:53:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful Christmas and I hope the same is true for all. What a year this has been. It seems that every year flies by faster than the last. However this year I feel I have been a bit behind all year. In the coming year I hope to become a bit more organized, and do a few projects around my home that are desperately needed. I tend to get these great creative inspirations going and fail to follow through on tasks around my house. I intend to go through each room this year and sort organize and redo. Something about my mid forties has made me want to declutter.I guess I'd better start with taking down my Christmas decor.Have a wonderful week and blessed New Year!

Family Traditions

2008-12-19T22:44:00.000-08:00

One of my Favorite family traditions is spending a day with each of my kids. We call it their "Special day" Each child picks how we spend their day and where we go, what we eat,what we do, whether it be shopping for others, doing an activity, going out of town etc. I look forward so much to this, it is a chance to spend time alone with each kid and have fun one on one. Today was my 17 year old son Aarons day. We went all over and had a great time shopping for siblings and checking out a few knew places. Here are a few more Christmas pictures including some wreaths that I made.

My brush tree collection

2008-12-15T22:31:00.000-08:00

Just a few additional pictures of my mica village and brush tree collection. I wont show pictures of our tree as it is decorated completely by our kids,who each have their own ornament collections and it may not be picture perfect but boy is it covered with sweetness!

Cozy Christmas

2008-12-15T22:11:00.000-08:00

I Truly love this time of year!! I love our home all decorated, I love to bake, I love the coziness that the holidays bring. It even smells good to me. If it were up to me I would celebrate for three months instead of one. I constantly have to remind myself why we celebrate this season, that it goes far beyond the decorations and family gatherings and all the fun activities. For it truly is such an incredible event that we celebrate. The birth of our savior Jesus Christ. If only our shop crazy culture could slow down just for a time to realize just what it is we celebrate this time of year. There are no amount of gifts, food or activities that can give us the peace and fulfillment that we can know in this incredible gift our Savior.

Monticello OpenHouse

2008-12-05T20:51:00.000-08:00

Today was the first day of the Monticello's Christmas Sale. It was Magical and filled with lovely vintage Christmas items. The store was packed with people and it was fun to watch what items they filled their baskets with. Everyone has their own personal taste when it comes to Christmas decor and that makes it so much fun.We helped in the morning and then headed home to finally relax after days of preparing, setting up and driving. Tomorrow we spend some quality family time and decorate our home. Yeah!!!!

Upcoming Monticello Sale

2008-12-03T21:52:00.000-08:00

My gift is not blogging I have decided. I seem to never remember to take pictures and the computer is often not on my list of to dos. I spent yesterday and today frantically setting up my area at the Monticello in Portland. I tried so hard to finish the job in one day but that didn'y happen. So after jostling my schedule and kids around I finally finished and got home around 9:00 tonight. Yeah!!, its done at least as done as it is going to get. If you have not been up to the Monticellos Christmas openhouse, it is a must. The venders are outstanding and the featured Christmas area in the back is looking fabulous. There are some really talented people out there. My sister-in-law Deb has done a wonderful job along with many others. Its hard not to want to shop instead of setting up. I stayed on task ,knowing today was my last chance. Here are a few photos I managed to take before closing time.

An amazing sale! We are Blessed

2008-11-13T21:46:00.000-08:00

We spent weeks gearing up for our ninth annual "Christmas Memories" show. We weren't sure how it would go with all the talk of a sad state of economy. We were happily surprised to have a wonderful flood of people and a fabulous sale. We try really hard to provide a fun and charming atmosphere with lots of nostalgia and a sense of true Christmas warmth. We incorporate all the kids we know as well as friends that are dear enough to help us. We also serve a yummy cafe that is a fund raiser for the youth in our church, the food was wonderful. (especially the cinnamon rolls) Thanks Terry!! This year our 14 year old Gracie even served a full espressos bar. Me being the not overly organized type, failed to take any pictures what so ever. My friend Krissy a photographer, came through for me though and sent me a few pictures she managed to get. Over all the weekend was a huge success and now we just deal with the after scene. A huge load was stuffed into our spot at the Monticello and now we will continue preparing for the Wonderful Christmas open house that takes place there on the 5&6 of December where we will set up a special area in the back.

Coffee and Crafting...Two of my favorite things!

2008-10-09T22:17:00.000-07:00

we've had lots of company which has been a pleasure, but now its time to get serious, thank goodness I seem to to do well under pressure. Each year I plan to start the Christmas crafting during the summer and of course that never happens. Somehow it has to rain abit to get me in the mood. Anyway I'm loving being in my cottage , dreaming up ideas and spending any spare time sewing and creating. Here are a few of the things Ive been up to.

All hands on deck!

2008-10-09T22:07:00.000-07:00

We Are all frantically preparing for the Christmas season. When you do this full time, even the youngins get involved at crunch time. Here is Emma preparing garland from my wool scraps.

Upcomiming Christmas Show

2008-09-24T08:13:00.000-07:00

Christmas Memories
Craft and Antique Show

We are gearing up for our biggest sale of the year. We put this show on here in Eugene and it is a great show, highly attended and has been hugely successful. If you are a vender and you are interested in selling either antiques or handcrafted with a vintage flair. Please let me know and I'll send you out the info.The date of this show is November 7&8. Have a great week!!

Monticello Fall sale

2008-09-10T23:15:00.000-07:00

Marv and I left early and headed for the Monticello in Portland to completely redo our booth and get it ready for the fall sale. Midway through I wasn't sure I would be done by closing but low and behold it all came together in the end and I felt pretty good about how much I got crammed in. What great people we have had the privilege of meeting through the Monticello. Today we saw,Lisa and Issabelle, Joe and Sue and Sister in law Debbie and Jon.

Yeah!! we survived Coburg

2008-09-10T22:58:00.000-07:00

This weekend was The Coburg antique show. It is a huge event and we take it quite seriously as it is usually a really great show for us. This year we were not disappointed. The weather was excellent and my great friend Sue, braved the middle of the night setup, and came along to help.Sue arrived promptly at 3:15 a.m. and off we went to setup.h 11 year old Emma in tow, who insisted on helping this year. The weather was agreeable and we had an excellent show. We had a constant flow of people and we were so glad to have extra help. Thanks Sue!!

vintage sewing trims

2008-09-03T21:05:00.000-07:00

Today we spent the day preparing loads of fun stuff for our Coburg sale. We are at the point of trying to remember whats on our list to remember? Anyway we are at the crazy stage before a big sale, when our kids run the other direction,thinking they will have to tie on tags, tea dye something or print out tags on the computer. All things that I run short of time with and beg their help. Actually I think they secretly like the stressful stage when I start bartering with them or as some call it bribing.