Last Blooms of Summer

A recent road trip yielded some beautiful end of summer photos. These pictures are courtesy of my sweet daughter Courtney Crabtree Photography.

Visit my Cottage Boutique Blog

Finishing up Projects

Be sure to visit my other blog, Cottage Boutique. There are more fun Cottage images to enjoy. Many of the items will be offered in my Etsy shop soon. I would love to hear what you think so please leave a comment. We will get back to the fall stuff next week. http://debscottageboutique.blogspot.com/

Labor Day

Today has been a quiet, thoughtful day. The thought of friends and fellow Americans facing another possible devastating storm in the Gulf of Mexico has caused our family to really pause and think about the things that are important in our lives. Over the past few years I have heard of more disaster than I have throughout my lifetime. The memory of Hurricane Katrina is still so painful to think about, that we are checking the news often to see what the situation is with our friends in the Gulf. Please know that our prayers are with them and we will continue to carry a prayer in our hearts for their safety.

Last Flowers of Summer

I think we may be looking at the last flowers of the summer. Last night we had a storm move in and the mountains above us are topped with new snow. The last snow on the mountain was gone by the Fourth of July. That gave us two months without snow on the mountains. Hum, I think we may see an early winter. I am planning all of my fall projects. I think I should be scheduling them before we see snow here in the valley. The great photos are by Courtney Crabtree, my wonderful talented daughter. Thanks for stopping by.

Fall Vintage Art Prints

Today was what we call an Indian Summer day, not yet fall but not really summer anymore. I spent the morning going to flea markets and garage sales. These two little lithographs were my flea market find. They had my name all over them. They are so wonderful to look at and the feel of the old paper is almost magical. I will post these prints in a few days in my Etsy shop. They will be available for sale soon.

Fall Mosaic

I found this wonderful mosaic in Flickr. I was amazed at the beautiful selection that was chosen by this Elisa Bett. Click on the posting title to visit the Flickr link. Thank you to Elisa Bett for making this wonderful mosaic available for our viewing enjoyment.

Passing of a literary icon, Tasha Tudor

I have recently found that a wonderful woman I have always admired has passed away. Tasha Tudor passed away two weeks ago. She is a well know children's author and illustrator. I am posting her book Pumpkin Moonshine in her memory..
If you are not familiar with her work, a web search will give you a beautiful insight into her life and her incredible talents.http://www.tashatudorandfamily.com/

http://www.tashatudorandfamily.com/

Click on the above link to visit her website.

Two Hour Nature Crafts

 

Summer is coming to an end and now is a great time to gather flowers for drying. Seed pod, decorative grasses, pine cones, these are items that you may want to gather now so that you will have them available for floral arrangements, embellinshing gifts and holiday decorating.

I and three of my good friends designed the projects in this book to give you ideas on how to use the wonderful end of summer bounty. I hope you are considering gathering a few of those last beauties to use in your craft and decorating projects.

This book is available through Barnes and Noble (see the link in the left sidebar of this blog) as well other websites and Ebay. Two Hour Nature Crafts by Mackenzie Kate (that was the name we used for this series of books)

Make It Your Own

It has now been about 6 months since I first started blogging. I have learned so much not only about blogging but more about what I have to offer to my readers. Thanks so much to those of you who have visited a few times and welcome to those who are visiting for the first time.

I have a background in decorating, designing and art. I have taught a lot of classes through the years and have had many how-to books published. Often people will ask me for decorating advice or project advice. This has given me an opportunity to talk one on one with people. There is one thing that comes to my mind when I talk to people and that it whatever you are doing "Make it your own"!

The internet is a great source for ideas, so are magazines as well as cable television program. If you haven't already started doing this, here is a great idea for creating a beautifully decorated home. When you see an idea, bookmark it, take a picture or if possible tear the picture out of the magazine then file it into a binder. Continue doing this and it won't be long until you have begun to recognize what your style is, the colors that you are attracted to and the overall look and feel that you want in your home. Use those pictures and ideas as a guideline. Then "Make it your own"!

The personal touch is what takes a good idea and makes it a great idea. There is no greater place to showcase your talents, ideas and your good taste than your own home. Designers can give a customer guidelines for decorating, but it is really up to the homeowner to decide which of the ideas that most suit their needs and tastes.

If your are looking for ideas let's talk. I would love to be able to give you resources, guidelines and how-to hints. Leave me a note in the comments and I will answer and together we can create an enviroment that will express your great ideas.

A little about me

I have always loved anything that became more beautiful with age. Collecting and selling antiques has not only been a passion and pastime, it has also become a business. I like combining the old with the new to create homes that look comfortable as well as stylish. A well worn table may be just the item that gives a room a lived in look. I have a keen eye for color and design I shop not only trade shows,but local flea markets looking for those unique items that make it my own. My passion to help people create what they want in their lives inspired me to create Cottage in the Country, I want this to be a place where friends and family can feel right at home.

With a background in designing and interior decorating,I have learned that we each have out personal style. Many times I am asked by women “How did you do that”?or “How can I do that in my home”? I hope to be able to share some of my ideas with you as well as bringing wonderful, tempting products and ideas that you will want to have for yourself, to use for gifts or display in your own cottage.

I hope you will visit often. I have put together a creative team to help me bring new ideas that you can either re-create or purchase.

Thanks again for visiting and come back soon.

Late Summer Days

 

Celebrating the Fourth of July

It is so fun to see the how my friends and neighbors celebrate this holiday season. This photo of a red barn star reminds me of a story. Last summer we were out working in the yard one weekend and a couple looking into moving to Utah stopped and asked about the town and our neighborhood and then to my surprise they commented on how many houses had the big metal stars on their houses, garages or barns. They asked if it had anything to do with religion or a particular culture. I laughed while we are a peculiar people, the stars are used for ornamentation. They are used a lot on the local homes both inside and out. Good ideas really catch on here. LOL

Summertime

It is time to celebrate the warm days. Blogging is a little slow right now. The kids are home from school and everyday seems to be some adventure. I am loving it!

Insightful Nana

I just had a great visit with a friend I have had for many years. I wanted to introduce you to her she is a wise woman and wonderful friend. She has recently launched her new website Insightful Nana http://insightfulnana.com Stop by for a visit she always has clever ideas to share.
See my favorite places to visit for a direct link to Kathy's website. Today I got a great idea for saving time when putting on makeup.
Kathy's site has videos that you can watch for tips and ideas as well as articles of interest. I even learned about planting tomatoes. Thanks Kathy for a wonderful visit.

Drapes from Quilts

 

Lorie never seems to run out of ideas. Here is another great one. Lorie screwed drapery tie back ornaments above her windows. She stitched coordinating fabric tabs to the top of the quilts to tie the quilts to the tie back ornaments. She used berry garlands to tie back the drapes. The results are a quaint country look with a little extra insulation. Since the quilt was patchwork Lorie was able to tie the room together with coordinating fabrics, dishtowel, fabric napkins, flea market finds and spray paint. Thanks for letting us take a peak!

Visiting the Home of Lorie Lakey

Let's peek inside for some great flea market and do-it-yourself decorating ideas!

 

Another Great Spray Paint Idea

 

 

More Flea Market Decorating at the home of Lorie Lakey

 

It is amazing what you can do with a can of spray paint, flea market finds, a wicker basket and a few good ideas

 

Window Treatments from Napkins and Dishtowels

I have had a lot of visitors visiting my blog having linked from the web on this post I thought I would post it again for those of you who are visiting for the first time. Thanks for stopping by it is always a pleasure.

More Flea Market Stuff

 

I thought I would share with you more pics for the Star Mill. Summer is a great time to visit flea markets and garage sales. I am a little tore between my love for country and my more romantic side. I think the crystal chandelier could find a home with me.

 

Spring Cleaning

It's time to do a little spring cleaning. For those of you who visit regulary, you may no longer be able to view some of the old posts. It is time to refresh my pages so please bear with us while we do a little cleaning.

Shopping for the Cottage

 

We stopped by the Star Mill in American Fork to look for new things for our cottage. The Star Mill is a favorites place to visit for the little extra item.

Red Transferware

 

I think I may have a passion for red. Whenever I see red transferware I get very excited. The crispness of the red on white is so fresh looking. I wanted to share this vintage piece with you.

Vintage Red Rose Tablecloth

 

 

 

I love vintage linens. Over the next few days I will be posting some items from my collection of vintage linens. There is something so homey about them. This group of photos is from a beautiful tablecloth that I found in a flea market. The trose tablecloth will be for sale in my Etsy shop. Click on the link to see other items that I have for sale.

 

The Home of Lorie Lakey

Window Treatment made from Napkins and Dishtowels

One of the great blessings in my life is that I have wonderfully talented friends. These are pictures that I took in the home of Lorie Lakey. Lorie is an incredible woman and friend. She can do more with flea market finds than anyone I know personally. Lorie grew up being taught to always make do with whatever you have and to not only make do but it do it better than before. She is amazing with a can of spray paint I have seen her transform a room in a matter of hours with her ingenuity and creativity. I want to thank her for sharing her home with us.

Strawberries and Cream

 

I am posting this pic again. Every time I look at it, it reminds me of sunny days. This set also makes me think about strawberries and cream. It makes me happy to look at these pictures. I hope you enjoy them too! I would love to hear about your favorite fresh strawberry recipes.