Trumpet Creeper and Outdoor Vintage Displays

Hello!

I hope you’re having a wonderful week.

The Trumpet Vine (also called a Trumpet Creeper) that climbs up my iron trellis in the front yard has bloomed. Trumpet Vines are fast growing and woody. They make a pretty addition to your cottage garden. Hummingbirds love to hover and sip from the orange trumpet shaped blooms and birds nest in the heavy foliage above the trellis. I’ve included a few pics of my Trumpet Creeper as well as some outdoor vintage decorating pics.

You can group similar items together for bigger display impact like this vintage iron Statue of Liberty that sits next to a tiny Statue of Liberty box.

A fallen Robin’s nest adds garden charm perched on a vintage Inarco column with life-like craft store eggs nestled inside.

Take care,

Di

Show & Tell Sunday-My Favorite French Papers!

Hello! It's time for Show & Tell Sunday. Today we are featuring our favorite papers. I love the romance of France. Who wouldn't love to stroll along the River Sienne sipping a strong cappuccino while browsing the flea markets of Paris. I collect French items including Eiffel Towers, kitchen ware, and a small collection of French papers. Here's my short but sweet "tres bien" paper collection:

A charming children's garden coloring book titled, "The Little Artist". Pretty flowers on one side are already colored in. Sweet peas climb up the page next to the sweet peas I hope will climb up my garden trellis. An adorable kitchen paper doll cut-out complete with pink kitchen.Small advertising labels. I love this dashing guy painting the Eifell Tower.

"La Vie Au Grand Air" translates into "The outdoor life". This one is so cute with the Airstream camper and colorful graphics.

"Oh! cet arome," translates to "Oh this aroma!". I can smell the coffee now.
A cute captain peddling Visor Pens.
Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to check-out Cerri at Little Pink Studio http://www.littlepinkstudio.typepad.com/ for a link to all the other fabulous Sunday Show & Tell collections.

Faire attention (take care),

Di

Trash to Treasure-Part 2

A few Show & Tell Sundays ago, we showcased our fav Trash-to-Treasure item. I shared the following children’s hutch I bought at a yard sale for $5.00. It was covered with stickers and painted hand prints. I repainted it black to use as a garden hutch to hold my pink garden clogs and tools on the back patio. Well, I decided it wasn’t shabby enough, and spent a few more hours sanding, stenciling, and painting. Here’s the final transformation. So cute!

BEFORE:

AFTER: HAPPILY EVER AFTER:I stenciled the corners with a pretty design in creme and diluted brown paint for an aged look.

I swapped out the plain white knobs with charming iron leaf knobs to add character and continue the garden theme.
I uncovered additional layers of paint by lightly sanding the front and sides completing the shabby look.

I don't even mind gardening now!

Have a happy Friday! Don't forget to join us for Show & Tell on Sunday.

Di

Cute Displays with Vintage Items!

Hello! After spending Saturday morning with your bf gulping coffee and rushing from yard sale to yard sale looking for the perfect item to complete your collection, why not spend the rest of the day revamping your displays with your new found treasures. Here's some fun ideas for creating cute vintage displays.

Items in similar and coordinating colors can be interchanged when the mood strikes to create new and interesting displays. The red, black, and white theme in my kitchen makes it easy to switch items among the shelves. In addition, repeating elements such as the vintage clocks and tiny photos in black frames tie displays together.

A tiny vintage Eiffel tower sits next to a "Purity Dairy" glass creme holder.

A white and red vintage plant mister and large red mixing bowl look hip next to a modern black and white flower candy tray.

Another modern black and white glass plate goes great with a red flowered grinder and old clock. The black and white pic is of my hubby and his sisters. I love the devilish grin on his face!

On this shelf, a red and white flower teapot from Target mix effortlessly with the silver vintage school clock, a stack of red tea cups and a school pic of my hubby.

Have a great weekend filled with treasure hunting!

Take care,

Di

The Hollyhocks are finally blooming!

Another great flower for your vintage cottage garden is the Hollyhock. Hollyhocks are super easy to grow as they reseed themselves every year. The Hollyhocks in my garden came from one small start my sister-in-law gave me years ago that have exploded into the charming mass of pink and red blossoms you see in the following pictures. At the peak of blooming, they reach almost to the top of the house. If you don’t already have some in your cottage garden, beg, borrow or steal a start today!


I'm so glad you could stop by for a visit. Why don't you come in for a nice long chat while we enjoy some sun tea with fresh lemon and chocolate cupcakes?


Enjoy the flowers as you slowly stroll up the front walk.
The Hollyhocks have bloomed just in time for your arrival!


Pass under an aged iron trellis that guards the entryway to the cottage.
The lanterns will light your way. You're finally at the front door.
The Eiffel Tower is dwarfed by the blooming Hollyhocks.
A pumpkin plant stretches towards the tower. Pink Petunias hang in the front window in an old iron cone where not too long ago adorable baby Finches flew from the nest their Mother had built in the top. Thanks for visiting today! I hope you enjoyed it. Di

Simplifying and Clarifying with a Yard Sale!

There comes a time when you realize there are only so many hours in a day and only so many things you can realistically accomplish. I've recently realized with a full time day job at Hewlett-Packard (that often entails late night calls with China), I can't do all of the crafting, decorating, writing, and selling things I want to do. So, I've decided to simplify and focus on what I really want to accomplish.

I've closed my ebay store and my antique booth. This was a tough decision, but the work entailed in keeping it up was consuming a lot of time. I will, of course, continue to buy cute vintage items. But this time, I will buy them for the enjoyment of myself or my friends and to share on this decorating blog, which I intend to continue with along with my writing.

There's no better way to clarify than with a giant yard sale. My partner-in-yard-sale crime and bf, Beri, and I had a monster of a yard sale this past weekend. Many of our own yard sale treasures, as well as the contents of our attics and spare rooms were up for grabs.

In a way, it was satisfying to see many of the items we've enjoyed go to other vintage loving gals like us. One gal bought all of my vintage aprons for her little girls to wear while they baked cookies. Another gal bought Beri's antique fridge as the perfect find to complete her vintage kitchen. In a strange twist of fate, as we were about to close, a gal walked up with several of my vintage items. She mentioned she was opening a booth at the Dusty Trunk. After chatting for a minute, I discovered she was taking over MY booth at the antique store! She was so excited there had been an opening at the store. My closure had given her a chance to realize her dream.

Here are some pics of our yard sale. If you drove by, you would have slammed on the brakes and stopped! Beri's daughter, Jamie, and I manage the cash box as we look over decorating magazines.

A "Tea For Two" sign with silver tea set sit on a black vintage TV tray.


A wood ironing board with red metal legs and pretty linens.

Super cute black wicker dressing set.

An old 1935 white fridge that weighs about 300 pounds and comes with the original silver ice cube trays.

The guys (my sweet guy is on the left) hoping and praying we won't go to any more yard sales any time soon!

Cool old screens and black pair of fun chairs.

A huge old white shabby window.

Happy Day!

Di