Sewing Pattern Tea Light Holders

Country Living magazine contacted me yesterday, asking for a sample of these tea lights:





Fingers crossed really hard that they make it into the Feb. 2010 issue.

Love these!

by Oscar Nunez

Map Trays As Gifts

For some reason, maps seem to resonate with people. I make quite a few map trays for birthdays, anniversaries and as wedding gifts. Visual reminders of places we've been, maps also offer us the opportunity to dream of where we would like to go.






Before I moved to Florida, I would pore over maps of the east coast, dreaming of which coastal town I would like to live in. The decision was made for me when I got a job offer in Clearwater, FL. Of course, I consulted the map I had to see how close to the coast I would be and what little towns were nearby.

Product Photography

Sailing Tea Lights
Originally uploaded by CarolinaCottage

I'm trying to get better at taking photos of my work. This is one of my latest attempts.

Porch Improvements

We got some furniture on sale, added a flag and Voila! the porch is pretty much done! I feel we have finally done the porch justice.

Sailing onto the front page

Etsy Front Page 7/9/09 Admin
Originally uploaded by Etsy Front Pagers

My sailing themed tea lights made the front page yesterday!

Woo hoo!

Set Sail Tea Lights

Set Sail Tea Lights
Originally uploaded by CarolinaCottage

Newest in my line of decoupaged tea light holders.

$15.00 in my Etsy shop.

Brown walls

Brown + white in modern California home: 'Jackson Tan' by Benjamin Moore
Originally uploaded by xJavierx

I'm considering brown walls for the family room. This color works well with both the blacks and whites in the room, which is something I have to deal with in my multi-purpose room.

Before & After House Photos

House before we bought it last May.





House this May. We've done a lot, but still have more to do.

for my hubby...

"To make the right choices in life, you have to get in touch with your soul. To do this, you need to experience solitude, which most people are afraid of, because in the silence you hear the truth and know the solutions." -Deepak Chopra

I hope you can find some time for quiet reflection.

Decorating Inspiration

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First photo is a curtain idea for the front windows in the living room. Last three are samples of green hues I like for the family room.

Dress Pattern Tea Lights

Dress Pattern Tea Lights
Originally uploaded by CarolinaCottage

The latest entry in my collection of decoupaged tea lights. I used vintage dress pattern to cover these. I think they turned out pretty good!

$15.00 for a set of 4

Bookshelves, etc.

I need to redo my family room and want/need to add shelving. Some ideas I'm considering.

The Perfect Room

I LOVE this room. If I could marry it, I would. The colors, the comfort, the bookshelves, the gorgeous windows... oooh, I think I just drooled a bit.

Dictionary Tea Lights

Dictionary2
Originally uploaded by CarolinaCottage

Brought to you by the letter M...

I really enjoy making these - it's fun to flip through the old books looking for cool images. This book is really fragile and the pages brittle. I kept tearing the paper, especially when removing some of the back. I decided to sell them anyway, because the images are really cool.

What letter shall I do next?

I want my kitchen island to look like this. Shouldn't be too hard to replicate.

For years, I said I would never decorate with red. It was too... well, red. Bold. Attention-grabbing. Which is not me.

Wasn't anyway. 'Cause I'm adding it to this house in accents. Likin' it.

Goldi, the Carolina Cottage mascot

Goldi, the Carolina Cottage mascot
Originally uploaded by CarolinaCottage

Overwhelmed!

It has been a busy couple of days. There has been a buying spree in my little online shop and I've had numerous requests for wholesale information from a site I joined on Friday.
I'm taking a day off from work tomorrow to catch up. If this keeps up, I may actually be able to quit my job .... someday.

Ghosts in St. Augustine, FL

We went to St. Augustine for a couple of days over spring break. We'd seen photos on google of ghosts and orbs, so we thought we hang around the cemeteries in hopes of seeing something. I'd heard that you can catch ghosts orbs on film, even if you don't see them. Since I have a pretty good camera now, I thought I would give it a try.

I didn't do anything to the photos after shooting and I have ones that I shot immediately before or after these that show nothing, so you be the judge.

If these orbs are really ghosts, the place is crawling (floating?) with ghosts!

Sheet Music Tea Lights

New at Carolina Cottage

When lit, they glow with a warm, golden light.

$15 for a set of 4, packaged in a glossy, white gift box.

Available at wholesale pricing also.

Amanda Palmer Coasters

I was contacted by Amanda Palmer's people and asked to do some coasters using images of the artist. I was a little hesitant because she is a punk cabaret performer (a phrase she coined to describe her music) and I wasn't sure what kind of images I would be receiving. Turns out they were gorgeous photos, some showing her dying in really creative ways and some lovely glamour shots. I chose my eight favorite shots, made samples, submitted them and they were accepted.

They are now available on her site, here: Available exclusively here: http://www.postwartrade.com

Happy Friday!

It's starting out as a really wet day, but should get better. Especially since I am on vacation all next week. Nothing like paid vacation!

We'll be going to St. Augustine next Friday. Only for one night, but that's better than nothing.

Other than that, I hope to be able to read the 3rd Twilight book and maybe make some new stuff for the shop.

Have a great weekend!

New At The Cottage

Decoupaged tea light holders. Made from old dictionary pages, they look great either lit or unlit. Set of 4, packaged in a glossy, white gift box.

$15 at the Cottage.

mel

New At The Cottage

The newest addition to the Font Collection - The Clipboard!

Priced at $10.00

Available in different patterns, if desired.

mel

Wholesale Order DONE!

I was commissioned to make 8 trays for some shops in Rhode Island. I'm pretty happy with how they turned out. Some of the maps are brand spankin' new, some are old. I think I like the old ones better,'cause they're a little funkier.

My goal in the next several weeks is to do some serious product development (make new stuff). My shop is starting to look a bit stale. I will always keep the font collection and the coasters, but I will be adding new candle holders, clipboards and key racks.

New At The Cottage

Key racks!

I plan to make more, different patterns(too many to think about) and I would like to use squared, not routed wood.



Speaking of pattern...I'm having a REALLY hard time thinking up new designs for trays. Keep with manufactured paper or create my own, albeit simple patterns? Stay with maps and old paper? I just don't know. I truly wish I had more time to experiment.

mel