Little pics...

My friend Kate spotted these pictures when we were at a garage sale...and knew I would love them because of the colors. I can't remember exactly what I paid but I think it was $1 for both. I keep them by sewing machine...but haven't hung them. How does someone draw/paint in such a tiny scale?

Thanks for stopping by...

Renee @ Cottage Lifestyle

Handpainted Screen...

Bought this handpainted wood screen in Monterey, CA in 1991. I used it as a screen in front of my fireplace until I moved to my current house 6 years ago. When my dog was a puppy I used it to keep her out of various rooms. I always thought it would be fun as display or for play in a little girls room. I think the time has come to sell it. Take a look at the details on the houses.

 

Thanks for stopping by...

Renee @ Cottage Lifestyle

Oh Canada!

I enjoy spending time at my friend Jayne's home in Hopkins Landing on the Sunshine Coast of British Columbia. Jayne has a collection of RCMPs (Royal Canadian Mounted Police aka Mounties). While in an antique shop in Buffalo, MN my friend Kate found this dish. Had to have it as a memento of Canada, plus it has a pop of red. It sits below a picture of the Sunshine Coast, and in front of books of places I have traveled.

The iron folding table was purchased in San Francisco in 1992 and made the trek to Minneapolis.

Here is the view from Jayne's home. If you are thinking of making a trip to the Sunshine Coast check out Jayne's cottage rental.

Thanks for stopping by...
Renee @ Cottage Lifestyle

Blue Afghan...

Bought this blue afghan at an estate sale for $2. Love the variety of blues. It needs some TLC. My crochet skills are probably not adequate enough to make the repairs...so  for now it is decoration only. I wonder when it was made and how long it took to make. There were a bunch of other afghans at the sale but this was the only one in my color scheme.

 

I regularly change out the quilts on the chair below. The quilt on the seat of the chair is made out of old jeans from friends and family...and is a favorite of Lollie (see sidebar for a picture).

Thanks for stopping by...

Renee @ Cottage Lifestyle

Coastal Style...

On Sunday my friends Kate and Lisa and I went to a free decorating class titled Simple Updates for Easy Living at Pottery Barn. It was fun...reinforced a few things and learned a thing or two. They gave us a 10% coupon for Pottery Barn that is good for a week. They have more classes coming up...check out their site to see if they are being held in a store near you.

As we entered the store I spotted this book called Coastal Style. My dream is to live on the water...the Pacific coast. I perused it while we were waiting for class to start. I had a gift card for Barnes & Noble so we headed over there after class and I bought the book. I have lots of decorating books and re-read them each at least twice a year.

Thanks for stopping by...
Renee @ Cottage Lifestyle

Sitting around the camp fire...

It's Monday so that means it is time for me to share something that makes me smile. Bought this picture at a garage sale years ago and have yet to change out the mat, paint the frame or figure out where I am going to hang it. I think I will paint the frame black and then I will decide on the mat color.

I love watercolors and this picture reminded me of my childhood in Northern Minnesota...fishing, camping, camp fires and s'mores.

I wish I could draw and paint...I am so envious of those that can.

Been Busy Baking Bread...

I enjoy baking and this winter I have been on a busy baker. I have made many different types of bread but never artisan bread...when I saw the pictures and recipe on High Heels and Pearls' blog...I just had to give it a whirl. The recipe makes four 1-pound loaves and you have up to 14 days to make all four once you make the initial recipe. I chose to make all four at one time and give three to friends. I also made a flaxseed bread (see recipe below), and almond brittle and meatloaf while the bread was rising.

Flaxseed Bread

1 Tablespoon active dry yeast

1 3/4 cup warm water

3 Tablespoons honey or 1/8 cup sugar

1 Tablespoon oil (safflower or olive)

1/2 teaspoon salt (optional)

3 cups fresh ground whole wheat flour

1 cup flaxseed meal (2/3 cup whole seed flax...note you must grind the flaxseed if you don't purchase it already ground)

1) Grease bread pan

2) Dissolve yeast in water and set aside until bubbly (~5 minutes)

3) Mix in honey or sugar, oil and salt

4) Mix in half of the flour and flaxseed

5) Add the remaining flour and flaxseed a half cup at a time

6) Knead for 10 minutes

7) Place in bread pan and cover, place in warm area and let rise until double

8) Bake at 350 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes

9) Allow to cool 10 minnutes in pan and then remove and place on wire rack

So Minnesotan...

Having grown up in Northern Minnesota in what I fondly call the sticks this moose light switch plate is very Minnesotan. When I was young we had a deranged moose hanging around the outskirts of town...very cool to see a moose close-up. Unfortunatley he had to be put down. A few years back my brother, niece Kayla and I went up in a 4 passenger plane in northeastern Minnesota over the land between the shores of Lake Superior and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area (BWCA) and got to see 12 moose.

This moose light switch plate is in the Wisconsin log cabin of my friends David and Joellen...so appropriate.

Now switching subjects...get it...switching...

I received The Lemonade Award from Sue at Bella Shabby

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.

Michelle at From House to Cozy Home

Donna at An Enchanted Cottage
Peggy at Peg's Life in the Button Jar
Lisa at Antiques and More Blog
Laurel at Ducks in a Row
Angie at The Happy Homebody
Jen at Candlelit Cottage
Amy at High Heels and Pearls

Thanks for the award Sue. Please stop by and visit Sue at Bella Shabby.

Frustrated Blogger...

The post mom worked on diligently for today crashed her computer and was lost...I got tired just watching her. She just didn't have it in her to recreate the lost post, so she sent me (Lollie) to find out if she is the only one that wonders...

• Why didn't auto-save retain any part of the post?
• Why if you are signed up for blogger draft do some posts come up in the blogger draft post format and some in the standard blogger post format?
• Why did Blogger remove spell check in the blogger draft version?
• Why doesn't Blogger let you write/edit text while the pictures are uploading in the blogger draft version?
• Why is the preview screen so small?
• What blogging tips/short cuts have you all found useful?

Hopefully mom's fingers and patience will recover by tomorrow.

It is nice to know talented people...

Some of the windows in my 1906 house are an odd size. I would love to know why. My talented friend Anne has a stain glass business called Withane Designs so when I moved in six years ago I hired her to make three stain glass pieces. The two pieces below are based on quilt patterns.

I also bought this one from her and it hangs in my kitchen window. The spoon handle actually extends out from the stain glass.

What is it...

So...what is it? Probably a vent, but I am not sure...in my house it is a magazine rack.

And yes, it is in 'that' room...some day when I feel like taking on the task of trying to mount it to the plaster wall it won't have to sit on 'that' thing.

My First Award...

I received my first award and it was bestowed on me from Amy aka ALVN at WhisperWood Cottage.

What the Award is About...
"This Blog invests and believes the 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 more attention to these writers!"

What you have to do...
Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award.

This award is being passed on to...

1. Jen @ Lipstick and Laundry
2. Tricia Anne @ Notes of Sincerity
3. A Thrifty Mrs. @ A Thrifty Mrs.
4. Sue @ Bella Shabby
5. Vanessa @ V and Co.
6. Vintage, Pretty & Shabby
7. Reese's and Marie's Mom @ Reese and Marie
8. Becky @ Sweet Cottage Dreams

Please visit each of these talented bloggers! Thanks Amy at WhisperWood Cottage.

By the way, does anyone know how blog awards got started?

I am seeing Stars...

Usually on Mondays I share something that makes me smile. This star quilt makes me smile. I found the orphan quilt top in an antique shop in Lynden, WA (a charming Dutch town). The top was $30...given the cost of material and someone's hard work that went into making it...this was a steal in my opinion. I think most people passed on purchasing it because it is a scrap quilt, therefore no true planning went into the color scheme and the only constant is white (if you have seen any pics of my house in previous posts or on the sidebar...you know that I like 'hospital' white). I saw its potential as a porch quilt and thought it was worth having quilted...so I snapped it up, bought some white muslin (99 cents a yard) for the back and binding, and sent it off to Lynn, my long-arm quilter. When we were discussing the quilt design we decided not to quilt on the circles in the center of the starts to make them pop and to make for a beautiful design on the back.

It is amazing how adding batting, backing, binding and a fabulous quilt design makes a bunch of scraps come to life...bringing charm, color and comfort to a room. For the pictures above I laid the quilt on the bed in my red bedroom (see pic at bottom of post to see what the red bedroom normally looks like), however this quilt has a home hanging on my banister. Once it came to life I decided it was too special to end up as a porch quilt.

The red bedroom.